The city of Hesperia, Calif., could force an animal shelter to close because the facility doesn't have required paperwork.
The owner of Precious Pets was told Friday, July 28 by city code enforcement officers that she has until Thursday, Aug. 3 to shut down and remove the nonprofit shelters 28 cats and 55 dogs because she does not have a site plan.
Without a site plan, a business license does not give the shelter permission to operate, according to Hesperia code enforcement officer Tony Genovesi.
Mary Olson, the shelters owner, said she has spent nearly $100,000 on shelter improvements, including upgrading the kennels and installing the city-required floor drains.
Code enforcement officers who visited the shelter July 28 said several of the cats had upper respiratory infections. Olson said she had only five sick kittens at the shelter and they were all being treated by a veterinarian.
If Olson fails to remove the animals by Aug. 3, Genovesi said, code enforcement could seize them or issue citations.
Posted: August 02, 2006, 5 a.m. EST