66 WCRAS has a recycling program for cardboard, plastic and cans in place at the facility.

A number of specially marked recycling containers are in the building. Additionally, the designated cardboard dumpster is set up in the north parking area. Needles, syringes and sharps are discarded in approved biohazard containers supplied by the waste removal service. When containers become full, they are stored in the large safe in the euthanasia room and then removed by a commercial medical-waste hauler. Landscaping of the entire property is handled by the County Parks Department, which is responsible for managing plants, lawns and surrounding planted beds. WCRAS and NHS staff members, with the help of CSWs, are responsible for interior courtyard plantings and for keeping the grounds and parking lots clean. Key recommendations: . SOPs that describe maintenance, cleaning and operational practices and procedures need to be written and made accessible to staff. While the current documentation may be a start to this process, much work remains. . Create a facility maintenance training program, and document that staff receives and understands the training. Areas of particular importance include written SOPs for biohazard storage and disposal and crematory operations. Current administrative directives and/or memos provide a starting point, but should not take the place of more detailed SOPs. General recommendations: . While most maintenance tasks are not performed by WCRAS staff, WCRAS management should have access to the basic information and SOPs (if they exist) within other County departments. In the case of custodial services, shelter management may wish to review procedures and offer suggestions. 27.0 HVAC system and air exchange The HVAC equipment is installed on the roof of the building, using natural gas for heating and compressors for cooling. Blowers in the units move air throughout the facility. Supply and exhaust fans

run 24 hours a day in all animal care areas. Air movement in the offices and public areas depends upon heating and cooling demands. This is a large, complex building with very specific airflow requirements. Zones are designed into the HVAC system to help manage airflow into the larger spaces and other areas with considerably different needs. The HVAC equipment for different zones varies in size and capacity. For example, one zone provides HVAC to the north animal care areas, which include dog kennels, cat rooms and the rooms along the north perimeter hallway. An equally large but separate zone supplies HVAC to the south side 67 dog kennels, cat rooms and rooms along the perimeter hallway. Other zones provide HVAC to office spaces and public areas, which are much different in size and demand. The HVAC system is interfaced with a computer software program that monitors and controls the equipment, temperature and set points throughout the facility. Staff reviews the heating and cooling demands in the shelter in order to alter set points and temperature values. Staff seemed very knowledgeable about the equipment, the software interface, specific HVAC challenges in the building, the importance of maintaining a healthy environment and possible approaches to managing the system. All of the supply (intake) air for the animal care areas is 100 percent fresh air. All of the air brought into the building is heated or cooled before going into the rooms and then completely exhausted out of the facility. None of the air in the animal care rooms is re-circulated; therefore, it does not enter any other animal care rooms. Animal care facilities that do not use 100 percent fresh-air exchange have to be mindful of airflows, room adjacencies, complicated duct work and many other design requirements. At WCRAS, those challenges are dramatically reduced because only fresh air is used in the animal spaces. This kind of design reduces the risk of airborne pathogen transmission and also eliminates the need to use filters in air returns, which can harbor disease even when routinely changed. One hundred percent fresh-air exchange is the highest standard for an animal care facility.

During the site visit, some staff mentioned difficulties in maintaining consistent temperatures in some parts of the building. Temperature requirements are different among many of the animal rooms within one zone. The rooms along the exterior of the building are affected differently than the interior rooms. However, since they are all within the same HVAC zone, the system is not able to regulate temperatures differently for each room within the zone. The American Humane team observed that temperatures in the rooms along the exterior of the building were noticeably warmer later in the day than temperatures in the interior of the building. The temperatures in the cat rooms in the north zone were cooler than the exterior rooms, but varied among each other. Cat rooms 5 and 6 on the north side were noticeably warmer than cat rooms 4, 7 and 8. The windows in cat rooms 5 and 6 were open to help improve the airflow. Similar differences were observed in the south animal care HVAC zone. The software interface monitors the temperature in all of the rooms within a zone. To help mediate large swings in temperature, the software is programmed to maintain temperatures within set comfort ranges. If the temperature swings are outside of the high and low comfort set points, the system will respond. It was also noted that portable heaters are used in the small animal and maternity rooms on the south side during the colder months. These units provide supplemental heat required by the animals. Some

Shelter Assessment Washoe County 68 staff expressed concerns about room temperatures becoming too cold when heating units fail, which has happened in the past. Because the intake air is pulled into the building from outside, the animal rooms became very cold and uncomfortable for the animals. Temperatures in the rooms fell to the level of the ambient outside air temperature depending on how long the heat was not working. Staff has discussed the pros and cons of shutting down airflow when either the heat or air conditioning fails. Continuing airflow when the HVAC system fails will cause the animal housing areas to become too hot or too cold more quickly, but shutting down the flow of fresh air is detrimental to maintaining the health of the animals. They talked about the possibility of setting up an automatic warning system so staff could be notified when there is a malfunction. Air supply for the non-animal zones is much different. A portion of the air in the human-only areas is re-circulated back into the supply and mixed with a percentage of fresh air. This is a typical design for office space and helps reduce energy costs. Staff reported that the rate of air exchange the number of times the volume of air in a room is completely exchanged in a period of time exceeds 12 air exchanges per hour in the animal care rooms. Some staff thought that exchange rates might have been as high as 15 times per hour. The office areas and spaces that do not support the care of animals are handled differently. The rate of exchange is fewer than 12 exchanges per hour. Staff thought that perhaps it was in the neighborhood of eight exchanges per hour, which would be more than adequate for those spaces. ( Ardena note : The areas in the NHS portion of the building that have animals in areas not designed for that purpose are allowing animal return air into the offices in areas through out the building not just NHS. The system is animal / human specific, not WCRAS / NHS specific) The CAMS software package generates the preventive maintenance and repair work orders for the HVAC system. Staff is keenly aware of the importance of routine service and indicated that they follow the service regimen closely. County maintenance staff perform routine intake air filter changes and

routine service. The CAMS system is used to document the service history. Ceiling-mounted air supply registers in the animal rooms and public spaces and the ceiling tiles surrounding them were generally clean and free of accumulated dirt and dust during the site visit. Supply registers in a few rooms were mildly dirty. Exhaust air grates (generally located in the walls at about 4 feet above floor level) were clean, allowing unobstructed air movement ( Ardena note : Blocking these grates with animal cages in any part of the building puts the entire building at risk for poor circulation ) . Because of the climate and the facilitys proximity to the airport, roadways and County maintenance facilities, the intake air is most likely dirty and dusty. With 100 percent of the air entering the facility coming from outside, intake air filters must work hard to clean the air of particulates prior to entering the building. All indications inside the building suggested that the HVAC equipment and filter changes had been completed as required. Key recommendations: None

Shelter Assessment Washoe County 69 General recommendations: . Continue to work on the issue of air supply when either the heat or air conditioning shuts down. The issue of when to shut down the airflow is certainly dependent upon weather conditions and length of time. An automated system that alerts staff would be a reasonable alternative that would allow some judgment to be used based on the circumstances and weather conditions. It may also be possible to set up a remote link into the computer interface to monitor the circumstances, make adjustments and/or call in repair personnel as required. . Create an HVAC SOP so that staff can learn enough about the system to alert maintenance personnel of problems. The internal environment can deteriorate very quickly when there is a mechanical failure. Since the County maintenance staff is not always on-site, animal services staff would be able to help monitor the system more effectively. 28.0 Dog housing There are 10 dog kennel areas accessible to the public five on the north side and five on the south side of the main corridor. Each kennel area consists of eight interior runs, each connected to an outside run located in six exterior courtyards. Eight of the inside kennel areas are accessible through doorways from the main hallway running between the north and south sides of the facility, and two are accessible from the perimeter hallway. The six exterior courtyards accessible from the main hallway provide access to all of the outside runs. Staff can access the dog kennels and courtyards through doorways connected to the internal perimeter hallway. All of the dog kennels are similarly constructed (pictures 19 and 20). The only differences are that the north and south kennels at the west end of the building are accessible only from the perimeter hallway, and two kennels on the south side at the east end of the building are enclosed, creating a hallway between them. The walkways in the other six kennels are part of the slightly larger adjoining

kennel area. A painted pipe barrier runs along the full length of the runs in those six kennels. These barriers stand approximately 40 inches high and are embedded into the concrete floor about 4 feet away from the run gates. They create a separation between the walkway and the gates of the dog runs to prevent visitors from touching the dogs. The aisle between the gates and pipe barrier allows plenty of space for staff to work and access the kennels. The same barriers are also installed along all of the runs in the exterior courtyards. Swinging gates are installed at each end of the barriers. At the time of the site visit, several gate hinges were broken and many showed evidence of repair. Each dog kennel has eight 4 x 6 runs. Each run provides 24 square feet of living space for each dog.
NRS 574.400 Floor space of primary enclosure. An operator shall ensure that a primary enclosure in which a dog or cat that is at least 6 months old is kept has a minimum amount of floor space which is calculated by finding the mathematical square of the sum of 6 inches plus the length of the dog or cat measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, and dividing that amount by 144, to arrive at the minimum amount of square footage required for the floor space.

(Added to NRS by 1993, 2148) ( Ardena note : inserted from NRS. Not met in some portions of the building which could affect air quality throughout the structure cat colonies in particular ) Each dog run connects to a corresponding outside run through a 25 x 25 guillotine opening. This opening is raised above the floor level of the kennels approximately 2 inches, which prevents water and cleaning chemicals from running between the inside and outside runs.

Shelter Assessment Washoe County 70 with stainless steel guillotine doors guided by stainless steel runners affixed to the inside walls using large concrete tap cons. During the site visit, it was noted that some of the tap cons were loose, but not loose enough to cause problems. The guillotine doors are raised and lowered using a mechanism constructed of plastic-coated cables and multiple pulleys. An S hook attached to the cables is affixed to metal braces welded on the face of the front panels to keep the doors open and secure. Some of the plastic coating on the cables was worn, which could interfere with operation. The rear wall of each kennel area is constructed of standard concrete block, as are the side walls of the two end runs in each kennel. The walls between the runs are constructed of 6-inchwide block to a height of 6 feet. They provide complete separation between kennels and prevent the likelihood of cross-contamination. The walls between each kennel are concrete block. Large glass windows are placed in the walls from end to end at about 4 feet high. Two windows are set in the rear exterior walls above the runs. All of the block walls are painted with a tan epoxy paint coating, creating a smooth finish over the blocks and the tooled mortar joints. The paint was generally in good condition at the time of the site visit, although there was some minor chipping exposing unfinished block on some of the kennel walls. The floors in the walkway portion of the bays are poured concrete. They have a burned hard finish and have been treated with a sealer or coating to repel animal waste, water and chemicals. They seemed to provide acceptable traction when wet, but became somewhat slick when soap/degreaser or Fulsan was used. The floors in the kennels are covered with a light brown textured epoxy coating, which provides traction. The kennel floors and coatings are rounded at the base of the walls and corners, creating a cove affect to about 6 feet high on the walls. The coving eliminates the problem of hard-to-clean corners in the kennels.

The dog run floors are mildly graded so water flows toward the rear walls. A small trench about 4 inches wide is shaped into the concrete floors in each run. These trenches are slightly graded along the back of the runs so that water drains to open 4-inch-diameter circular drains. The floors and trenches drained nicely, leaving only a few small spots where water pooled. Staff cleaned those areas with the squeegee. The dog run front panels are made of standard 2-inch galvanized mesh chain-link fence in a galvanized tubular metal frame. At the time of the site visit, the chain link was in good condition, although there were a few wires that had been bent by dogs. The front panels are affixed to the side walls of each of two side-by-side runs and secured to the walls between the kennels with heavy concrete tap cons. Upon inspection, it was noted that some of the tap cons were loose. These panels remained strong, but over time, other tap cons may also become loose.

Shelter Assessment Washoe County 71 Each run has a 38-inch-wide door constructed of 2-inch galvanized mesh chain-link fence in a galvanized tubular metal frame that goes from the floor to the run cover. The doors swing in and out to allow easy access. Each is fitted with a sliding bolt mechanism that is locked using a metal clasp. All of the runs are covered with 2-inch galvanized mesh chain-link fence in galvanized tubular metal frames. The frames are affixed to the tops of the walls between the runs side and rear walls. These covers prevent the dogs from climbing up the walls and escaping. Blue plastic dog beds measuring approximately 19 x 32 are placed in each dog run. During the site visit, these beds generally showed signs of heavy wear and tear, with deep crevices and scratches in them (picture 21). Dirt was visibly embedded within the crevices. In most occupied runs, these beds were covered with a towel or blanket. Staff stated that all dogs are given a towel or blanket each day, unless it is noted on their cage card that they should not be given one because they shred them. The stainless steel water bucket in each run is clipped to the front panel. When the dogs are too small to reach the bucket, stainless steel water bowls are placed on the floor. During the time of the site visit, water bowls were kept filled throughout the day. None of the dogs had toys, Kongs or other enrichments in their kennels during the site visit. The written guidelines specifically prohibit the use of toys or anything else that might go down the open drains in the kennels and runs. The 4-inch-diameter drains did not have covers. Staff indicated that the dogs used to have some things to play with, but far too many items caused problems in the drains and the County water treatment plant complained to WCRAS. Each kennel area is equipped with at least one SMT pressure-washer outlet. These outlets are either in the kennel or just outside a doorway of the perimeter hallway or courtyard. The placement of the SMT outlets provides easy access to the system. The dog kennel areas are well lighted, using 48-inch, two-bulb florescent light fixtures in the suspended

ceiling. Windows with screens on the exterior walls above the kennels and the large windows in the walls between bays help bring more light into the rooms. Air is supplied through diffusers in the drop ceiling and exhausted out of the room and building through the exhaust grates placed at about 4 feet above the floor in an interior wall. The placement of the exhaust grate on the wall helps move air more effectively throughout the room and also helps keep the grate clean and dry. Covered waterproof GFI outlets are located on the walls at about 4 feet above the floor. Based on the current practice of one dog per run, 80 dogs can be housed in the public dog kennels. Only non-aggressive, healthy stray dogs are housed in these areas. The first two kennels on the south

Shelter Assessment Washoe County 72 side at the east end of the building are generally used for small breed dogs. Because those two kennels are separated by walls and the enclosed corridor, the smaller dogs are less stressed in this generally quieter environment. Other dog housing areas include two banks of animal drop boxes near intake, one set of drop boxes in the sally port, quarantine kennels, rescue group holding kennels, isolation kennels and stray dog temporary holding kennels. The drop boxes are primarily used for temporary holding. They are constructed of solid stainless steel wall panels and doors. Some of the cages on the bottom rows have concrete floors. The solid doors are fitted with vertical observation windows about 5 inches wide, and metal door handles and latches so the doors can be secured with a metal clasp. The doors on the public side of the night drop boxes are fitted with locking hardware so that once an animal is placed into a unit and the door is closed, the unit cannot be opened. The drop boxes project through the wall, which allows the animals to be retrieved from the opposite side. Staff removes the animals from the rear side of the drop box and moves them to other areas of the shelter through the interior perimeter hallway. The drop box cages in the sally port are different. There are six dog units configured three over three and six cat units to the right of the dog units configured as two columns of three. The doors on the sally port side are made of stainless steel frames with wire fronts. The incoming drop-box cages are not typically used because the staff generally takes animals directly into the shelter as they are received. The fronts of the night drop boxes used to be outdoors; however, they were recently enclosed to provide protection from the outdoor environment and additional security. Two quarantine kennels used for housing bite cases and confiscated owned dogs are located along the perimeter hallway on the north side of the building. A third kennel area used for holding dogs for rescue groups is next to the quarantine kennels. There are six indoor/outdoor runs in each of these

rooms. These three rooms are accessed off of the perimeter hallway. The runs, walls, finishes, lighting, air, floor drains, trenches and the other features in these rooms are basically the same as the other dog kennel areas previously described. Four dog isolation rooms are located along the perimeter hallway on the south side of the building. There are three runs in each of these rooms. The runs are split into two sides separated by a stainless steel divider wall with a stainless steel guillotine door that allows the dogs to move between the two sides. One side of the run is 4 x 6 and the other side is 4 x 4. The runs are separated by a 6-inch-thick block wall. These kennels are completely indoors. The larger side is the main housing area and the smaller side is used to hold the animal during the cleaning process. The walls, finishes, lighting, air, floor drains, trenches and other features in these rooms are basically the same as the other dog kennel