Shelter to be razed, rebuilt

An animal shelter and hospital mired in controversy will soon be torn

down and rebuilt.

The AAA Animal Hospital and the Orange County Humane Society plan

to demolish their existing space in Huntington Beach and to build a

new, modern hospital to treat and care for pets. Dr. Samir Botros,

who owns and operates the hospital, also plans to demolish and

rebuild an animal kennel used to house stray cats and dogs. The

shelter has a contract with the city of Costa Mesa to care for stray

animals.

“They’re making pretty substantial improvements,” Huntington Beach

planner Rami Talleh said. “It’s going to be a completely different

facility.”

The hospital, located in the shadow of the AES power plant on

Newland Street near Pacific Coast Highway, came under fire in recent

months after volunteers complained that animals at the shelter were

being mistreated and that the hospital was being mismanaged.

Botros said the remodel had nothing to do with the protests.

“We’ve been planning this for a long time, long before any of this

happened,” he said.

Former volunteers have been butting heads with Botros since August

2004, when he dismissed most of them because he believed they were

interfering with management. Some volunteers had already quit over

differences with shelter staff members. Other volunteers supportive

of Botros remain at the shelter. Botros has denied all the

allegations.

For months, former volunteers protested outside the shelter,

demanding better veterinary care for the animals. Former volunteer

Shelly Hunter also filed a complaint with the state Veterinary

Medical Board, alleging that Botros uses unlicensed technicians to

euthanize and perform surgical procedures on animals.

Many of the former volunteers attended Costa Mesa City Council

meetings, asking that the city cancel its contract with the Orange

County Humane Society and take its stray animals elsewhere. But an

investigation led by Costa Mesa and Orange County animal control

officials found only a few violations at the shelter.

“Essentially, we didn’t find evidence to support allegations that

sick or injured animals were failing to receive attention,” Costa

Mesa police Lt. John FitzPatrick said before an April meeting looking

at the shelter allegations. “We did find euthanized animals not being

cared for, the drainage system had left fecal matter in cages, and

rat infestation.”

Those problems have since been fixed, FitzPatrick said.

A report he submitted to the city in November outlined the

allegations, the police department’s findings and recommendations.

Two of the three recommendations have already been followed, he

said. The final recommendation is to establish a committee to make

twice-yearly inspections of the facility.