PETALUMA, CA —
Cutline: Petaluma's new animal services system follows months of controversy, a canceled contract, and allegations of deplorable shelter conditions.
PETALUMA, CA — A turbulent shift away from Petaluma's former animal services provider neared its end as the county finalized plans to take over the city's animal control operations.
The move follows approval by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
"The city of Petaluma is preparing for proposed changes to animal services beginning Sept. 1," Petaluma officials announced Friday.
The Humane Society of Sonoma County will begin operating the Petaluma Animal Shelter on Sept. 15. Until then, the shelter will be closed.
The new system divides Petaluma's animal services between two organizations. Sonoma County Animal Services will handle animal control enforcement, field response, licensing, and public health duties, while the Humane Society will provide sheltering and related animal care.
The supervisors approved the county agreement during their Tuesday meeting. The contract authorizes Sonoma County Animal Services to provide animal control and licensing services from Sept. 1 to June 30, 2027, for $505,375.
The county may renew the agreement for two additional one-year terms through June 30, 2029.
The change follows months of upheaval after Petaluma's former animal services provider, North Bay Animal Services, faced accusations that it allowed as many as 114 dogs to live in deplorable conditions at a Clearlake shelter it operated, the Press Democrat reported.
Clearlake was ending its own contract with North Bay Animal Services when reports about the shelter conditions emerged earlier this year.
The allegations prompted the Petaluma City Council to meet in early March and vote unanimously to terminate its North Bay Animal Services contract, effective April 1, according to reports.
Sebastopol, Windsor and Cloverdale in Sonoma County, as well as in Calistoga in Napa Valley, cut ties with North Bay Animal Services.
Petaluma contracted with the Novato-based Marin Humane for services instead, according to reports.
Sonoma County Animal Services began providing Petaluma with temporary animal control and licensing services in April to address the resulting service gap.
Petaluma later issued a competitive request for proposals seeking comprehensive animal services beginning Sept. 1. The Humane Society submitted a proposal that identified Sonoma County Animal Services as its subcontractor for governmental animal control duties.
The city subsequently decided to contract directly with Sonoma County Animal Services for enforcement and licensing.
Under the new agreement, the county will assign two animal control officers primarily to Petaluma. The agency will schedule the officers so at least one remains available to serve the city during normal field service hours.
The agreement limits reassignment outside Petaluma to dire emergencies, countywide emergencies, or other extraordinary operational circumstances.
Officers will patrol neighborhoods, parks, and known problem areas when they are not responding to calls. They also will conduct licensing enforcement, community outreach, and follow-up investigations.
Normal field service hours will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day, excluding county-observed holidays. Sonoma County Animal Services will provide emergency on-call coverage overnight and during holidays through the Petaluma Police Department.
The county will try to answer priority calls within 30 minutes during normal hours, and within 90 minutes after hours.
Priority calls include aggressive animals that pose a clear public safety threat, sick or injured domestic animals whose owners are unavailable, loose livestock, suspected rabies exposures, and qualifying requests from Petaluma police.
The county also will handle animal licensing, rabies control, bite investigations, cruelty and neglect cases, dangerous animal investigations, emergency response, and disaster preparation.
Officers may impound stray dogs, loose livestock, animals that threaten public safety, and animals whose owners have been arrested, hospitalized, or otherwise cannot provide care. The agreement directs officers to reunite lost animals with their owners in the field when they can identify the owners and safely return the animals.
The $505,375 payment covers the initial 10-month term and uses a full-cost recovery formula that includes personnel, employee benefits, equipment, training, administrative support, and indirect costs.
County officials expect the agreement to produce no net county cost. Sonoma County Animal Services plans to provide the expanded services with existing staff while monitoring workload, call volume, response times, geographic coverage, and effects on other service areas.
The supervisors also increased the Department of Health Services' 2026-27 appropriations and estimated revenue by $505,375 to account for the Petaluma agreement.
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