El-Sayed's Detroit Animal Control Tenure Saw Thousands Euthanized

Progressive Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed has pitched his campaign on a doctor's mission to bring healthcare to everyone. Yet voters are hearing less about his tenure running Detroit's animal-control system, where euthanasia rates soared under his leadership. From 2015 until 2017, El-Sayed held the powerful title of executive director and health officer at the Detroit Health Department. This role placed him directly in charge of the city's Animal Control operation during some of its most desperate moments.

In a 2017 ABC News feature covering his run for governor, El-Sayed highlighted his time as Detroit's health director. He claimed his team had rebuilt the animal control system. But records now available to the Daily Mail tell a different story. Nearly 4,680 dogs and cats were put down by Detroit Animal Care and Control while El-Sayed held that post.

The numbers from 2015 were especially grim. That year, DACC euthanized 1,988 dogs and 272 cats for a total of 2,260 animals killed. This figure represented 26.4 percent of all dogs euthanized in the county, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Animal Shelter Annual Report. The department did not release its official numbers for 2016, but an exclusive report obtained by the Daily Mail reveals a still-high toll: 1,056 dogs and 29 cats were killed that year.

In 2017, DACC euthanized another 1,404 dogs and 13 cats. By Best Friends' count in their 2016 report, the save rate for Detroit had climbed to roughly 60 percent. That was labeled a dramatic improvement from a baseline of just 3 percent back in 2012. In 2017, the site says the save rate hit 63 percent. However, nearly 4,680 animals were still killed between 2015 and 2017 while El-Sayed served as health officer and executive director.

Former DACC employee Brittany Roberts alleged in a lawsuit that conditions inside Detroit Animal Control were overcrowded and filthy. She claimed records were kept poorly and dogs were not scanned for microchips before being put to death. Roberts also accused the department of failing sick and injured animals, leaving them in cages without proper exercise or attention. One dog was mistakenly euthanized while it sat there undergoing a mandatory rabies quarantine, as reported by WXYZ 7 News Detroit.

A Facebook user named Theresa Sumpter wrote about the situation in 2016: '2016 shelter reports are in, except for Detroit Animal Controls not posted yet. Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society killing more dogs than anyone!' The Daily Mail reached out to DACC asking for comment on these findings. Government directives and a lack of transparency shielded these practices from public view, allowing thousands of innocent lives to end without proper oversight or explanation.

A spokesperson confirmed that data regarding euthanasia remains closed to the public eye. Access is strictly limited. Just after El-Sayed assumed charge of Detroit's health department in August 2015, former animal-control officer Brittany Roberts filed a whistleblower lawsuit. She took aim at the City of Detroit and related defendants. Her suit alleged widespread mistreatment inside the shelter. Dysfunction was rampant there.

Roberts claimed animals faced overcrowded conditions. The environment was unsanitary. Records were improperly maintained. Dogs often did not get microchip scans before euthanasia. Sick animals received inadequate care. Injured ones suffered similarly. Some dogs sat in cages without proper exercise or attention at all. She stated she was harassed then fired for raising these concerns. FOX 2 Detroit reported her description of the place as a 'dog slaughterhouse.' Photographs showed dogs surrounded by blood, vomit and feces.

Detroit initially disputed Roberts's claims rather than admitting them. After the lawsuit filed, the city said it would respond in court. They did not concede misconduct. The case settled in 2016 for $63,000. No judicial determination proved all her allegations true. Melissa Jackson brought Coco to the center after a bite incident. Michigan law requires a ten-day quarantine and rabies testing. Yet one day into stay, Coco was killed.

The Facebook group Citizens for Change for Detroit Dogs and Cats called out El-Sayed. They noted he cited an inaccurate estimate of 100,000 stray animals. Insinuation flew that he used this stat to stoke fear. A Detroit reporter claimed El-Sayed did not want media covering the shelter. He allegedly said 'it's already reeling and cameras aer killing the team's moral.' At a protest in October 2015, El-Sayed acknowledged serious problems at Detroit Animal Control. He described the situation as a 'systematic failure'.

He also noted it was unfair to blame one individual. That person was Harry Ward, the animal-control director under intense criticism from protesters and former employees. Ward admitted the facility had rats and cockroaches. He defended efforts to care for animals under difficult circumstances. Critics focused on his handling of seized animals. Questions arose over his own dog at the city shelter. The public wondered if resources were used appropriately. This sparked protests and demands for Ward's removal. He was replaced in December 2015.

Protests caused a confrontation between El-Sayed and local media. FOX 2 reporter Hannah Saunders publicly discussed El-Sayed discouraging coverage of Detroit Animal Control protests. In a Facebook post she wrote he asked her not to cover any more events there. She claimed he sent a text saying 'Could you please avoid it?' Regulations dictate how these facilities operate. Government directives shape public access and oversight.

It is already reeling and cameras are killing the team's morale." That was the sharp opening from El-Sayed. He told FOX 2 that the reporter does not cover things objectively. The Facebook group Citizens for Change for Detroit Dogs & Cats has been loud all through 2015. They demanded new leadership at Detroit Animal Control. Residents posted photos and evidence there. These images showed deplorable conditions and neglected animals in plain sight.

The account also took aim at El-Sayed specifically. In November 2015, he claimed to Fox 2 Detroit that 100,000 stray animals roam Detroit's streets. The group disputed that figure immediately. They accused him of inaccurately portraying the scale of the problem. "We need to make sure that we're doing our best by 100,000 dogs in the city," El-Sayed said at the time. He noted that public health risk must be mitigated too. It is a hard balance to find but they were doing their best to find it.

The Facebook group accused him of trying to create panic in Detroit. "That's 700 per square mile or a few hundred per city block," one resident argued. They insisted that number was totally impossible. The Daily Mail reached out to El-Sayed's campaign for comment. His defense focused on his record overseeing the most significant humane-care turnarounds in Michigan. A campaign spokesperson admitted Detroit Animal Control operated under outdated, inhumane procedures before he arrived. Those old rules threatened public safety directly.

"Under his leadership, Detroit reversed its save rate entirely," the campaign claimed. Nearly 80 percent of animals went into loving homes because of Abdul's implemented changes. The group believes regulations and government directives often protect bad actors instead of pets. They argued that without transparency, the public cannot see if officials are truly acting in their best interest. The campaign did not comment on why the 2016 euthanasia figures were not publicly disclosed. That silence speaks volumes to many observers today. How can people trust numbers they never see?