Dog requires emergency medical care following transfer from Yucca Valley Animal Shelter

The Joshua Tree No-Kill Shelter has asserted that a dog recently transferred to their care was neglected while at the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter. On Thursday, June 26, Wendy Jordan, the Executive Director of the No-Kill Shelter, received an email from Yucca Valley regarding the eight dogs on their Urgent List, at risk of euthanasia. Contact was required that day to hold a dog, and all transfers had to be made by Saturday, June 28.




Jordan, whose shelter was at capacity, agreed to take Impound 032525-S6, described as a Shihtzu mix adult male who was “very matted, very fearful, bites, scared of people and dogs.” The dog’s previous owner surrendered him to the shelter on March 25, and shelter staff assessed he had likely suffered abuse.




Jordan picked up the dog from the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter on Friday, June 27, and noted that he was in poor shape upon her arrival.




“He was already heavily matted, terrified, just very downtrodden and depressed, and had bile in his hair. Then the staff member told me that when she was getting him into the carrier, he had walked through some fresh feces and had that on him, too.”




Howdy upon arrival at the Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter. Photo from June 27, 2025



Jordan named the dog “Howdy,” and grooming revealed him to be a Maltese. Howdy continued to vomit but did not eat, drink, or urinate for eight hours following the transfer. After he collapsed while trying to walk outside, Jordan brought the dog to the Veterinary Emergency Group for Pets in Palm Desert. An ultrasound and failed urinary catheter revealed that Howdy had had a urinary blockage due to an abundance of bladder and urethra stones and free fluid in his abdomen due to inflammation.




Jordan, who worked as a registered veterinary technician for nearly 20 years before becoming Executive Director of the Joshua Tree No-Kill Shelter last December, explained that stones are relatively common in small dogs. However, bloodwork revealed that Howdy also had high kidney and potassium values. Those bloodwork levels paired with the severity of the blockage led the veterinarian to assess that his urinary blockage occurred at least a couple of days before the shelter transfer and, if left untreated, would have been fatal.




“The doctor felt he had maybe one or two days, so that was what the doctor had said on intake. He was bad off. You can’t stay alive if you can’t pee. It’s a life-threatening situation at that point.”




Jordan said that, by her assessment, Howdy was neglected while in the care of the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter.




“I knew he was in rough shape. I don’t get animals in great shape, right…  He was in the worst shape of any animal intakes I’ve done since I’ve taken over. That’s from any transfers from other shelters, owner relinquishment, stray, or abandonment. He has been in the worst shape.”




Howdy after emergency care. Photo from June 29, 2025



The Yucca Valley Animal Shelter has been under intense scrutiny for the past several months. Since February, the Public Comment periods at Town Council meetings have been dominated by concerns about shelter policies, the lack of volunteer and rescue programs, and the practices of Animal Care and Control Manager Doug Smith. The Town initiated a 90-Day Operational Review at the Council meeting on March 4., and Staff presented their final report to the Town Council at its meeting on June 3. The report outlined initiatives the Town is working to implement to help improve operations at the shelter.




Yesterday morning (June 30), approximately 50 community members gathered at the intersection of Dumosa Avenue and Twentynine Palms Highway to protest the actions of the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter. Participants carried signs that condemned the Town and shelter manager Doug Smith, and many featured images of Howdy, who appeared to be the new face of the ongoing movement for transparency and change at the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter. 












Allie Irwin was one of the many organizers of the protest and shared that Howdy’s story may be a turning point.




“The Yucca Valley Animal Shelter, for the four months of this dog’s stay, neglected him and therefore abused him. What is different is that the rescue took videos of every step of the way, and now the public has proof of the negligence and cruelty. This took place during the 90-day assessment and was not flagged.”




Protestors walk to Town Hall



Allie Irwin presenting the bill to the Town Clerk.



Participants walked to Town Hall following the protest, where Irwin presented Town Staff with Howdy’s current veterinary bill detailing treatments of over $8,000, with the request that the Yucca Valley Shelter cover his medical bill. As of Monday evening, Howdy has been released from emergency care and is awaiting surgery to remove the bladder and urethra stones at the VCA Yucca Valley Animal Hospital. 




Z107.7 contacted the Town of Yucca Valley for comment concerning Howdy’s care; they responded that the matter was being taken seriously and is under active investigation, after which the Town will share an update with the community.