St. Louis County is taking back control of its main animal shelter, which for two years has been run by the Animal Protective Association.
The county signed a five-year, $16 million deal with the APA in late 2022 — four years after an independent auditor recommended a major change in shelter operations. The facility, located at 10521 Baur Blvd., had numerous operational issues that made animals stay “much longer than necessary,” according to the audit. Animal activists accused shelter officials of needlessly euthanizing healthy animals and providing improper care.
Volunteers from the APA focused on training employees and following animal care protocols, but the county will handle operations now, and it's unclear if officials will run the shelter the same way.
“We appreciate the partnership with APA and the work the organization has done with DPH [Department of Public Health] to make the County shelter a better operation,” County Executive Sam Page said in a statement. “Our shelter is in much better shape, and we have the tools in place to continue improving the important work DPH does in animal control, including adoption of animals.”
The Animal Protective Association of Missouri has enabled 4,000 adoptions since 2022, according to a statement from the APA. During the first year of the contract, the shelter saw animal adoptions grow by 70%.
But the APA will turn over control of the shelter to the county in the next several months. The nonprofit will expand to other parts of the St. Louis area instead, said Marissa Curran, board president of the APA Adoption Center.
“Transitioning these duties back to St. Louis County will enable the APA to focus our energies on our next major initiative and build more adoption capacity in our region to serve more animals and families,” Curran said. “We will have details to share on the expansion … in the meantime, we will be focused on a smooth transition at the Olivette shelter with the care and well-being of the animals, as always, our priority.”
