San Diego County animal shelters have made measurable progress over the past year, but persistent problems at the aging Bonita facility are keeping pressure on the county’s delayed Santee shelter project, according to KPBS.

KPBS reported Monday that the county’s dog euthanasia rate dropped to 6% in the last six months of 2025, after rising to about 12% in 2024. The Department of Animal Services also reduced staff turnover from more than 65% in 2024 to under 35% in 2025.

But the investigation found that some shelter conditions remain troubling. KPBS reported that kennel cleaning practices at the Bonita shelter continue to fall short of national shelter guidelines, and that staffing shortages have forced temporary closures and strained daily operations.

The Santee connection is the county’s new 23,000-square-foot animal shelter under construction at Magnolia Avenue and Riverview Parkway. The county previously said the project would be finished by early 2026, but KPBS reported the opening has now been pushed to the fall.

For Santee residents, the project is more than a new building. Once complete, the county plans to move animals out of the 52-year-old Bonita facility and into the new Santee shelter, which county officials told KPBS should allow better kennel-cleaning practices and improved animal care.