College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Jovana Papaphilippou
Jazmin Cebreros
Shyla Collins

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

“To Protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of both People and Animals in all areas served by the Department of Animal Control.”

-Animal Control Mission Statement.

The Animal Control of San Diego County (Central) has a new facility located in the heart of San Diego that does not only look better but is also a healthier environment for animals. The new facility has also provided the shelter with an increased number of kennels so that many more animals have an increased chance at survival through adoption into loving homes.

The Animal Control saves the lives of thousands of unwanted, abandoned pets every year, while at the same time protecting the public from dangerous animals. Animal Control also seeks to safeguard humans from diseases that can be transmitted from animals to man. The shelter works diligently to reunite lost pets with owners and willing accepts pets that can be no longer cared for in their previous homes. These unwanted and stray animals are given a second chance through the shelter’s adoption program. The Animal Control of San Diego also protects the health and safety of animals and citizens by enforcing laws that relate to the prevention of animal cruelty.

After researching and speaking with different people that work in this remarkable facility, we focused our attention on issues that were neglected by other members of the community. The Volunteer Coordinator, Heidi Burke, informed us that the staff of the Animal Control, such as the veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and animal care attendants need towels not only to line the cat cages for warmth and texture, but also for use in the Medical Office, Grooming and other animal care areas within the shelter.

After this statement by Heidi Burke we decided to focus our attention on aiding the shelter in the area. We hoped to help the stray animals that the Animal Control provides shelter for by improving the level of sanitation and comfort that these animals are exposed to during their stay at the shelter.

The Animal Control of San Diego County strives to adopt out as many animals that they deem safe and capable of becoming great pets. Our goal was to find a local hotel willing to donate their worn and discarded towels to provide a healthier environment for the animals of the shelter.

To accomplish our goal we first needed to find hotels willing to donate their used and disposable linens for this worthy cause. The search was long and tedious. With three of us working for a period of two months, we were only able to obtain agreements with two hotels. It was frustrating because we could clearly see the benefits to both parties, but many of the hotels did not want to be bothered even for their time to listen.

Our project has been successful, but the number of rejections turned an exciting & hope filled project into a sadden display of human disregard. On Sunday, April 27, 2003, we delivered 63 towels as promised to the Central shelter. We also provide the hotels with contact information for persons at the shelter should they wish to contribute more linens in the future.