Animal Welfare Professionals

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This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Our state and I'm assuming every one would has a federated abuse hotline number you can call to report, contact ASPCA, every state should have some form of laws around rescue organizations, kennels, etc that you can call to report. Have as many facts, dates, details, witnesses that you can have to help build and support case. 
Have local news anchor drop in unannounced under cover, our news agencies do many undercover in situations just like this. 
Whatever you do, do something, you're the voice for these animals!

One rule in problem solving, is to offer a solution when you present a problem.  Shelter/rescue staffing is experiencing the same high vacancy rates as other concerns in this economy.  The rescue "owner" may not see any implementable solutions to solve the problem.  Worse, their solution may not be acceptable to you.  So the first step in presenting a problem is to have a solution clearly thought out and ready to present along with the problem.  If that does not work you can try the following:

Your city or county animal control agency will do welfare checks if a situation is reported.  I would suggest that a few photos showing conditions be taken prior to making the report.  The usual standard for agency intervention is: lack of water, lack of food, poor sanitation.  Generally the agency will council and make several follow up visits to assure that there has been improvement.  The minimum standard of care is pretty low, so don't expect large changes unless the animals are standing on feces, have untreated medical conditions and you can see their ribs.  Also, the agency will be bound by confidentiality, so they will not tell you what they are doing.

If you have photos that show poor conditions and a number of volunteers willing to step forward, going to your local news service is another option.  This can be quicker to show results, but usually means that you are barred from the facility going forward.  Also, if the rescue "owner" does not have a good solution to the problem, changes may be ephemeral .  Which brings us back to the first item.

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Jean Silva
Director
Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (BUNS)
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Anonymous,



 Thanks so much for your post.  I have been in the management field for over 10 yrs and situations like these can be very difficult to handle.  I am in no way defending this manager nor am I downplaying your viewpoint.   I will  say that as a manager there are law, principles and guidelines that we must abide by when it comes to certain situations such as corrective actions and things of that nature. There is a possibility that the manager may actually care and is working behind the scenes to resolve the issue but may not be able to legally disclose what measures are being taken. This may also be a  situation where the manager may not care at all and does not want to act. The manager may also feel that what he/she observes about that specific person is not what he/she perceives to be wrong.  So those are all things to consider before just assuming the manager does not care. However if you feel the animals are being neglected you should  document the things that you and the volunteers feel are not healthy and safe for the animals.  Take photos if you can and as often as you can. Keep a log of issue that you see every time you find them with the date and time and what staff members where working at the time. I would also include what management staff were present as well. I would also list what animals are suffering behind the lack of care from the staff member and manager if that is the case.  Once you have the proof you need I would present this to the owner of the rescue and see what results you get then.  If you cannot get resolve with the owner you can contact your city officials with your proof and let them know you will be contacting the news station and I a sure that someone will give this situation attention. 

 I hope it all works out for the animals, you and the volunteers. Thanks so much for advocating for the animals. 


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Marissa Reid
Assistant Practice Manager
Blue Pearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital

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Access To Care Specialist
Clinic Management Specialist
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