WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — Volunteers at West Valley City Animal Services are raising concerns about high temperatures and humidity inside the shelter, saying staff have relied on fans and portable evaporative coolers to keep animals comfortable with varying levels of success.
Robert Harlow, who has volunteered at the shelter for six years, said the cooling problems are not new. He said volunteers first raised money in 2023 to purchase portable evaporative coolers, commonly called swamp coolers, as a temporary solution.
“I thought it was kind of a temporary fix to get them through until they were able to address their issues that they were having,” Harlow said.
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Harlow shared photos that he said were taken inside the shelter showing a temperature of 80 degrees and relative humidity of 75%.
National guidelines from the Association of Shelter Veterinarians recommend maintaining animal housing areas between 64 and 80 degrees, with relative humidity between 30% and 70%. The guidelines are professional standards for shelter care, not necessarily legally enforceable limits under Utah law…