Earlier this week, the city of Denton released an independent review of Denton Animal Services that highlighted nearly two dozen recommendations to improve services at the Linda McNatt Care & Adoption Center. The review came a few months after shelter staff , Gunner, less than 24 hours after he had been evaluated by a veterinarian and given a three-day supply of medication.
Gunner was chipped and wearing a tracking collar that had gone dead. He had also been to the shelter in 2022 and 2023. But his owners 鈥� John and Courtney Gilcrease, who live in the Krum area 鈥� weren鈥檛 given enough time to pick him up since staff euthanized him on a Wednesday, when the shelter is closed to the public.
City Manager Sara Hensley commissioned the review of Denton Animal Services by a consulting company, Shelter Savvy, after news of Gunner鈥檚 death led to a public uproar.
Shelter Savvy鈥檚 review highlights several strengths at Denton鈥檚 animal shelter, such as open adoptions, staff morale, a robust foster program and upcoming renovations to add indoor/outdoor dog runs. It also to improve animal shelter operations.
Shortly after the review鈥檚 release, John Gilcrease shared his frustration with it on social media and demanded what he called a 鈥渢rue independent investigation.鈥� He also called on residents to demand that city officials 鈥渞edo the investigation and hire the same company who did the 2018 report.鈥�
Similar to the recent review, Arizona-based company Animal Shelter Services spent five days in 2018 at the Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center documenting, interviewing and meeting shelter staff, volunteers, shelter visitors and city officials about various aspects of the shelter鈥檚 operations. The 2018 report found six critical findings that needed improvement, including lack of an employee manual and standard operating procedures, improper cleaning and sanitation practices, needed structure and supervision of volunteers, and mentoring and coaching for the animal shelter supervisor and kennel supervisor.
Contacted Friday morning, Gilcrease said that on a scale of 1 to 10, he would rate the October 2024 review a negative 10. But for the 2018 independent review of the shelter, which the city also released this week, he would give a rating of a 10. He said the new report doesn鈥檛 highlight what he feels is wrong with the shelter and what needs to be fixed.
鈥淥verall the report (review) is exactly what we thought it would be which is a fluff piece,鈥� Gilcrease wrote on the Justice for Gunner Facebook page. 鈥�... In our opinion this was a waste of taxpayer dollars and a complete sham!鈥�
鈥淲e were hoping to see the truth, that they had issues that they were going to fix and everything that happened to Gunner would come to light, that they鈥檇 be honest and upfront. They weren鈥檛,鈥� Gilcrease said. 鈥淭he 2018 report was the truth about the shelter, and nothing has changed since 2018. 鈥� All they are trying to do is make this go away from the public eyes.鈥�
Courtney Gilcrease said they were concerned about all the information they鈥檝e discovered about the animal shelter鈥檚 ongoing issues because they will continue to happen.
鈥淎t this point, it is not just about Gunner,鈥� Gilcrease said. 鈥淚t is about the animals coming in and out of there.鈥�
However, . For example, Carrie Ducote, the principal consultant for Shelter Savvy, reported that Denton Animal Services didn鈥檛 have a formal adopted or outline policy for how euthanasia decisions are made.
But the Gilcreases questioned why Hensley didn鈥檛 mention that the consultant she had hired may have a conflict of interest given the consultant once worked for Best Friends Animal Society, which the Denton shelter has been utilizing for training, and wondered how the consultant could write a 鈥渂ad review鈥� with that connection.
On Friday, Shannon Greer, an animal advocate who has been helping the Gilcreases, said it was a conflict of interest since Best Friends Animal Society was also helping the city interview new shelter managers. The former shelter manager was 鈥溾�� shortly after Gunner鈥檚 euthanasia.
Greer also criticized the length of the recent review, comparing it to the one from 2018, which she called 鈥渁 full investigation.鈥�
鈥淭ruthfully, I don鈥檛 think anything is going to change, and all I can do is pray for every animal that gets taken in those doors when I go to bed at night,鈥� Greer said. 鈥�... The report that was done was not thorough nor was it complete. It didn鈥檛 even address the reason why the audit was being done.鈥�
In a Friday morning email, Dustin Sternbeck, the city鈥檚 chief spokesperson, wrote that Shelter Savvy was chosen because the consultant had experience working with municipal shelters across the country.
Sternbeck said the consultant 鈥渄id not provide PR-related services as part of their review.鈥�
The Denton City Council, Sternbeck also wrote, approved six new and 10 follow-up audits of city departments and programs, including one for the Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center. The results from that audit 鈥� along with previous assessments of the animal shelter 鈥� will be reviewed at an upcoming council meeting.
鈥淭he City remains committed to transparency and continual improvement in its operations to ensure the well-being of the animals in its care,鈥� Sternbeck wrote.
The city鈥檚 goal with the independent review was to address the situation quickly, through what Sternbeck called a fair and unbiased assessment of shelter operating procedures.
鈥淭his matter elicits emotions, and I sympathize with anyone impacted by Gunner鈥檚 death,鈥� Sternbeck wrote. 鈥淪ince his passing, the City has been working expeditiously to identify areas of improvement and implement meaningful solutions.鈥�
Before Shelter Savvy鈥檚 animal services report, Sternbeck said the Denton Police Department had conducted an investigation into Gunner鈥檚 death and found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Hensley didn鈥檛 respond to requests for comment.
City Council member Brian Beck also questioned the thoroughness of the review.
鈥淭he recent 鈥楽helter Savvy鈥� report was remarkably insufficient, leaving out essential information and awareness of challenges to animal care and thus failed to comprehensively tackle existing issues or offer complete solutions,鈥� Beck wrote in a Tuesday evening email.
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment.
However, Mayor Pro Tem Paul Meltzer called the review a 鈥渂eginning, not an end,鈥� in a Wednesday message to the Denton Record-Chronicle.
鈥淭his is a rebuilding opportunity,鈥� Meltzer wrote. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot to deal with, not just these recommendations but also any outstanding recommendations from the 2018 study and the study currently underway being done by the City Auditor. 鈥� I鈥檓 looking forward to hearing a comprehensive plan from staff that will include very transparent public discussion and input, as well as very tight and very frequent tracking of progress.鈥�