LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Animal rights group No Kill Las Vegas has filed a lawsuit against The Animal Foundation alleging contract violations concerning the shelter’s operations.

According to a release, No Kill Las Vegas said that claimed violations include “animal fatalities resulting from negligence, animals suffering from lack of medical treatment, failure to vaccinate and spay and neuter animals, refusal to accept animals from the public, misleading No Kill Las Vegas, and the disappearance of over 3,500 animals.”

No Kill Las Vegas is a nonprofit animal rights group that said it has spent the last decade lobbying for “positive” change at The Animal Foundation.

The nonprofit is “largely comprised” of Clark County citizens who are “interested in furthering the rescue of animals in municipal shelters and decreasing the unnecessary euthanasia of animals that enter those shelters,” the lawsuit said.

“We have exhausted every avenue – from attempts to collaborate with the shelter, reaching out through our elected officials for change and exposing them through the media, yet they persist in their neglect and mistreatment of these animals,” said Bryce Henderson, president of No Kill Las Vegas. “They may choose to ignore us, but they cannot escape the legal system. It’s through the courts that these animals will finally receive the justice they deserve.”

The lawsuit said The Animal Foundation entered into an agreement with Clark County called the Amended and Restated Animal Care and Shelter Services Agreement in March 2015.

The agreement stated The Animal Foundation was contractually obligated to manage and operate the shelter under Title 10 of the Clark County Code, also known as “the animal ordinance.”

The lawsuit claimed that a report by The Animal Foundation’s former Chief Operating Officer listed a “host” of issues including, but not limited to, “mild and Moderate medical conditions were not being examined or provided timely medical interventions.” The report also stated that vaccinations were not being performed, the lawsuit said.

The Animal Foundation was also unable to meet obligations to have 24-hour veterinary care, as it only had one veterinarian on staff, the lawsuit alleged. The lawsuit said that animals were “left to die in the hot sun” due to The Animal Foundation’s “failure to maintain adequate staffing.”

In 2021, the lawsuit said, The Animal Foundation “repeatedly” adopted out unneutered and unspayed animals, providing adopters with “vouchers” to have them spayed and neutered at other locations.

The lawsuit also alleged that The Animal Foundation “turned away residents looking for their lost animals,” and adopted out animals “without rabies inoculations.”

The full lawsuit is below:

Stamped Complaint Against TAF by YourCentralValley.com on Scribd

The lawsuit is asking for a temporary restraining order prohibiting The Animal Foundation from “engaging in misconduct in violation” of the contract with Clark County, for the Animal Foundation to hold a public meeting, and for compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined by a jury.

The lawsuit is also asking for a “writ of mandate” to be issued, requiring The Animal Foundation to comply with Clark County code.

The Animal Foundation said in a statement that they do not comment on current litigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.