KING COUNTY, Wash. -- The county's animal shelters have come under fire after a consultant found deplorable conditions and little accountability.

Nathan Winograd says he found cages that were dirty enough to be labeled as a breeding ground for disease. The consultant, who was hired by King County, claims he also witnessed animals left without food or water.

"Animals went 24 hours, possibly two full days without food," he said.

City council members were none too pleased with Winograd's findings.

"This is heartbreaking and it's cruel. It's cruel behavior," said Julia Patterson, D-SeaTac.

But Animal Control officers are dismissing the consultant's claims as one side in what they call a "he-said, she-said" mix-up.

"The employees said they did it (their duties), he's saying they didn't," said Al Dams with the King County Animal Shelter.

Winograd isn't the first to throw the shelters in the limelight. The most recent news follows a scathing September report that prompted a citizens committee to make 47 urgent recommendations.

The recommendations included drastic measures for the Bellevue shelter where the building itself has been an issue. The blinds were found bent and dirty, the door was filthy and the roof line had fallen apart. The shelter is now being shut down.

"If we can't run the shelter the way we'd like to, with the resource we have, then we should just close it," said Dams.

Council members say the Bellevue shelter may not be the only one to close. The King County animal shelters have been mandated to euthanize less than 20 percent of its animals.

If the shelter fails to reach that goal or to make major improvements, then the council will act.

"Members of the council are very serious about considering the option of getting out the sheltering business," said Patterson.

Those at the animal shelter say the euthanasia rate is down, and just need more time for the rest.

The council will hold a town hall meeting on April 14. Members say they'll make a decision on the future of the shelter shortly after that.

The shelters' less-than-perfect history

In 2007 a report by a citizens advisory committee blasted King County's two animal shelters, calling the conditions "deplorable."

The scathing report, which included 47 urgent recommendations, prompted the shelters to implement upgrades - refinishing cracked floors, covering up an open sewage drain, installing a new ventilation system in the cats' room - at the shelter.

But just six months later the shelters came under fire again when a county-hired consultant found inhumane conditions and little accountability.

Nathan Winograd said he found cages that were dirty enough to be labeled as a breeding ground for disease. He claimed he also witnessed animals left without food or water.

"Animals went 24 hours, possibly two full days without food," he said.

But animal control officers insisted the harsh 147-page report was filled with falsehood.

Sgt. John Diel said King County Animal Control needs more resources, but said there is no evidence that officers mistreated animals.

"It was specifically attacking our commitment to doing our job and our ability and willingness to do our job," he said. "The animals aren't in deplorable conditions and they have food and water."