SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

"When you go to the Humane Society to look at adopting a dog, why won't they let you go look at the dogs? What are they hiding?"

"Money talks. If NHS doesn't listen, the money walks. NHS used the public's concern for stray and homeless animals to get money, then treated it as if it was theirs to spend as they want. Giving contracts to Board members, giving contracts to friends of the Board, hiring managers with no management experience, etc. All the while, animal care was degrading to an all time low. I was appalled to read that a NHS manager would say that the 23 required improvements, identified from the Duffield sponsored assessment of NHS, were "optional." Shame on you NHS! You have failed your community, and the helpless animals that you were supposed to protect. The truth will come out and we will all know what each person at NHS did."

I had been so happy that NHS had sought out Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah to help with designing a no-kill community to successfully find good homes for homeless or stray animals. In those early years (circa 2005-2010?) the NHS actually did become a shining example to all other cities or communities in the US seeking to establish a  successful "no-kill" sheltering circumstance. I personally became very disabled in 2011 & by 2021 was seeking to adopt again. After a little confusion, I was told rudely by a past staff member of NHS and supported by the then CEO -- that I was not allowed to enter the building -- I was banned from the NHS (allegedly because I had voiced some discomfort at how a particular kitty had "ended up"! This question apparently was viewed as "criticism." Now, I know I was NOT the only person to be "neutralized." Even good-hearted long-standing volunteers quit because they just couldn't stand the conditions and attitudes they witnessed of the management and/or Board of Directors! WE MUST SPEAK FOR THE VOICELESS -- THE ANIMALS OUR COMMUNITY LOVES, DONATES FOR, VOLUNTEERS FOR.

We have adopted dogs from this shelter many times over the past 30 years. We adopt senior and hard to place dogs. I had no idea about the things that are going on there, but I will say that since the pandemic it has become much more difficult to adopt a dog with a massive amount of online paperwork required for each animal you are interested in seeing. In 2021 we filled in the same online form at least 4 times only to be told each time that the dog we were interested in was already adopted. I could and can not understand why the form could not be kept on file rather than requiring it to be filled out each time. In June of 2022 we adopted a morbidly obese, 9 yr old, deaf and arthritic Queensland Heeler ( our dear sweet Aggie) There was no mention of her health issues. The handler there told us 8 people had come to meet her and passed on her. She was understandably confused and did not interact with us at all, just watched her handler (this is what deaf dogs do) and he confessed that she might be hard of hearing. We knew immediately we had to get her out of there - she has lost 14 lbs and is still on a regimen of low calories and lots of gentle exercise and our vet is impressed with her progress. But at the time we adopted her I asked the staff there how much they were feeding her and was told 4 cups of kibble a day - the amount appropriate for a 60lb dog. I was stunned - the appropriate weight for a dog of her build and breed is about 36 lbs. They were feeding her for the weight she was, not the weight she should be. My chihuahua mix died at age 16 not long after we adopted Aggie so we decided to adopt another small dog and opted for the SPCA instead because the Humane Society experience was just so difficult.

When you ask questions of the administration at NHS, they refuse to answer you or LIE! I want to know what they are hiding. This is not a shelter. It is a prison where the dogs do not get walked but stay in their kennels day after day and all inmates at this prison are on death row!! And the cats are caged and do not get to enjoy the cat rooms. The donors paid for those rooms. The cats need to be in there!! Horrible place for animals.

COMMENT