http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2204260
Animal shelter under fire
Posted By DENIS LANGLOIS, SUN TIMES STAFF
Posted 6 months ago
Candice Ford says she is still troubled by the memory.
As she tried to comfort an obese, geriatric cat, an operator of the Owen Sound Animal Shelter struggled to euthanize the animal by repeatedly attempting to inject the killing agent T-61 into its heart, without sedation, the former shelter volunteer and employee said.
"He poked her more than once and this poor cat was obviously suffering. But he couldn't find the heart and he kept trying and trying," said Ford, who is now studying to become a veterinary technician.
The Owen Sound Animal Shelter is a "no-kill" facility, with a policy to euthanize only animals too ill or aggressive to offer for adoption.
But several former shelter employees say animals were frequently euthanized -- some with no illness or aggression problems -- without a sedative, despite the policy.
Todd and Renee Robins, shelter managers and Owen Sound animal control officers since 1999, vehemently deny the allegations, chalking up the claims to a smear campaign orchestrated by disgruntled former employees.
"I am disgusted that anyone would suggest that we would ever cause harm to any animal. Even with euthanasia all steps are taken to ensure an animal is comfortable. Animals would not be euthanized without a sedative first," Renee Robins said in a written response to questions from The Sun Times.
Former employee Sandi Scobie said hundreds of cats and dogs -- about five per week -- were killed and their remains put in a freezer during her nearly three-year tenure at the shelter.
"These animals had a horrible, horrible death. I am eyewitness to that and will remember each one crying out in pain and fighting for their lives," she said.
Seven former employees and volunteers of the city-owned, privately operated shelter discussed with The Sun Times allegations of animals needlessly suffering and dying at the shelter. The former workers also accuse the shelter's operators of spending donated money inappropriately, posting pictures of euthanized animals as adopted and refusing to accept local animals while housing cats and dogs from Quebec and the United States.
"We're not making it personal. It's all about the animals. And with us not there, with me not being there, I don't know what's going on and that makes me even more scared," said Ford, who worked four years at the shelter.
Ford, Scobie and Karen Jarvis, former employees who each quit the shelter at the end of 2008, along with former volunteers Kateri Tait and Davyn Myles agreed to speak publicly, while two others asked not to be identified.
Over the past month The Sun Times has conducted dozens of interviews, examined documents and toured the east-side shelter.
In late 2008 and this year the OSPCA, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources, Owen Sound Police Services and City of Owen Sound conducted investigations of varying degree into allegations made by former shelter employees and volunteers, The Sun Times has confirmed.
No charges were laid. The OSPCA and OMAFRA have six months from the receipt of a complaint to gather sufficient evidence to warrant laying charges.
Owen Sound corporate services director Glen Henry said a former employee contacted him to report concerns with the shelter but he did not receive anything in writing, as requested. The shelter is operated by a private business, he said, and animal care standards are enforced by agencies other than the city.
'HEAVEN'
Local animal advocate Sylvia Moss, for one, spoke in defence of the Robins. She said the shelter has never been better run.
"Compared to what we had before, this place is heaven. Absolute heaven," she said. "The people that are running it now are devoting their lives to the benefit of the animals."
However a vet technician, who asked not to be named, said she "never once" saw a cat or dog sedated prior to euthanasia during her time at the shelter. Animals were injected with dull, "dirty syringes" she told The Sun Times.
"I saw too many pets stuck in their cages suffering without treatment, left to die in the cages, often because they did not want to either use or waste any of the T-61 euthanyl medication," said the former employee, who quit in 2007.
An e-mail from MNR agriculture investigator Ron Eastman, obtained by The Sun Times, said the agency investigated the "improper use of T-61" but had "difficulty" securing sufficient evidence to lay charges under the Animals for Research Act, due to a six-month statute of limitations.
"No one can question your's (sic) or Sandi's dedication and willingness to help in this situation. We would never have even known there was an issue here if you guys had not step (sic) forward and exposed what was going on at OSAS," said the May 22 e-mail to an ex-employee.
THE LAW
Under Ontario's Animal Welfare Act, which became law in March, it is a provincial offence to breach standards of care for animals, which include euthanizing "by a method that produces rapid, irreversible unconsciousness and prompt death." Animals must also receive adequate and appropriate medical attention.
It is an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to willfully cause an animal unnecessary pain or suffering.
The Animals for Research Act, which OMAFRA uses to enforce standards for pounds, and the Ontario Veterinary College permit the use of T-61 to euthanize animals, but only by slow intravenous drip. A sedative is recommended.
The former employees and volunteers of the shelter also allege that between 2005 and 2008 they witnessed:
* Stray or feral cats euthanized, without being registered in the shelter's database.
* Cats and dogs euthanized for reasons other than aggression or illness, despite the "no-kill" policy.
* At least three dogs -- an aggressive dog named Blondie, a Labrador-collie cross named Tripp and an elderly bulldog named Sumo -- living in a cage for years, with little exercise.
* Cats with abscesses not treated by a veterinarian.
* Animals dying shortly after procedures not performed by a veterinarian, including a kitten that had maggots removed from its head, a pregnant cat that broke its leg and a dehydrated orange tabby that was force-fed fluids.
* A freezer full of euthanized animals emptied about twice each month by Gateway Cremation Services of Guelph.
* Animals sprayed with bleach and other cleaning agents while cages were cleaned.
Renee Robins said the allegations are false and insists animals are not suffering at the facility.
She acknowledged some animals have had long stays at the shelter due to difficulty in finding a suitable home. The shelter's website promises to find a home "no matter how long it takes."
"I cannot speed up the adoption on difficult dogs, I am afraid, and sometimes it takes time to find them the proper homes. This is something I have no control over. There are many dogs that are here weeks or months, cats too. It does not happen often, however it does," she said.
A veterinarian, Dr. Melissa Becker, works one day each week at the shelter, ensuring best practices are followed, Robins said. Becker declined comment for this story.
"These statements do not help us with adoptions, donations or our operations. It is unfortunate that such persons do not recognize the good that could be done if they would direct their attentions to fighting the cause instead," Robins said.
ADOPTION ALLEGATIONS
Scobie, now an animal care worker in northern Ontario, provided a list to The Sun Times of nearly 40 dogs and cats she said were euthanized during her time at the shelter, but were later posted as adopted on its website.
Robins reviewed the list, sent to her by The Sun Times. At least one cat was adopted by her father, she said, and a pit bull was turned over to a rescue service. She did not discuss the fate of the others, citing privacy concerns.
Kateri Tait, who volunteered at the shelter for four years before quitting last September, said she saw "a lot of sick cats" at the shelter, which were "never" examined by a veterinarian.
The Sun Times toured the shelter Nov. 24, before it opened to the public. Despite a pungent odour, all cages appeared clean and each animal had adequate food and water. All animals were in separate cages, except for two or three that roamed freely in the shelter's foyer. No animals had noticeable injuries. Not all cages were full. Cats in cages in the shelter's garage were mostly feral and exhibited signs of aggression.
OMAFRA pound inspection reports from 2008 and 2009, obtained by The Sun Times, determined the shelter to not be in compliance with legislation in the Animals for Research Act, due to inadequate maintenance of floors, walls and drains. Marks for animals care were all "acceptable." Robins said the floor work has been completed since the most recent inspection.
DEFINING 'NO KILL'
The Owen Sound Animal Shelter is known as a "no-kill" facility, even though the operators are contracted by the city to euthanize pets if an owner is unable to pay a veterinarian.
Robins said pets surrendered for euthanasia are not subject to the "no-kill" policy.
The shelter's operators also kill aggressive animals that cannot be rehabilitated and cats considered "unadoptable."
"The Owen Sound Animal Shelter mandate is that of a no-kill facility, one in which does not euthanize to make space, does not euthanize based on breed, age or prejudice to past history. It will give a chance to any and all animals surrendered or found straying. It will 'not kill' if at all possible. However, this does not mean an animal will be left to suffer," Robins' e-mailed response said.
Just over 250 cats and 204 dogs were adopted from the shelter in 2008, according to data provided by the shelter. The number of euthanized animals was not included.
"Since the start of our operations thousands have found homes, and thousands of persons have found help with us," Robins said. "There is no story here I am afraid, but that of accusations from someone who has personal problems with Todd and I."
DONATION ALLEGATIONS
Former shelter employees told OMAFRA investigators that the operators used donated cash to finance personal expenses. OMAFRA forwarded the complaints to city police, according to an e-mail obtained by The Sun Times.
"This is untrue," Robins said. "Donations received are placed in an account at city hall and receipts issued. We do have a business account, which all businesses have, which pay the wages of our employees and for expenses of operations. Monies going into this account are from adoptions."
Henry, the city hall staffer in charge of the city's animal control department, said donations issued receipts by the City of Owen Sound are spent on items recommended by the shelter operators but approved by council. The city account is audited, he said.
A contract between the city and Todd and Renee Robins, signed in 2006, says "the contractor agrees to inform prospective donors prior to making a donation of the difference between making a donation to the city or a donation to the contractor to support animal control services."
The shelter's website urges people to donate via PayPal.com,an online payment website, which city hall confirmed is not linked to a city account. A "make a donation" icon on the website is linked to a PayPal account. The shelter is not a registered charity.
Robins said the shelter has raised tens of thousands of dollars in donations to finance improvements, such as new cages, a ventilation system and outdoor kennels. Donations also pay a veterinarian to spay or neuter animals in an onsite operating room on Mondays, she said. Almost 300 animals have been altered so far.
At least three former shelter workers say they witnessed the shelter operators use donated cash to finance expenses unrelated to the shelter or animals.
"Whenever they wanted Tim Hortons or Wendy's or something, they would just pull out the cash drawer or reach in the donation jar. That always bugged me," said Tait.
Robins said those allegations are also "false."
SUPPORT FOR COUPLE
Melanie Morrison, who volunteered and worked at the shelter between 2000 and 2003, said she never witnessed any animal neglect or "problems" at the facility.
"I wasn't around when they (euthanized) and I don't believe that they would do anything to hurt an animal or making them suffer at all," said Morrison, a friend of Todd and Renee Robins, who contacted The Sun Times.
Some former shelter workers also accuse the operators of rejecting stray cats from Owen Sound but housing animals from other shelters.
Robins said animals are regularly accepted from "kill" shelters in the United States and Quebec, but not at the expense of local animals. Dogs are also accepted from the OSPCA, she said.
"We always have space for stray animals from the city. We have waiting lists for surrenders to ensure such," she said.
Local cat lover Lori Summers said she has been refused help at the shelter several times when surrendering a litter of stray kittens. Most times she is ordered to pay a $38 surrender fee for each animal, she said, even if it is ill.
"How could they look at that tiny little sick face and tell you to take it away?," she said.
Dr. Ian Lang and other local veterinarians told The Sun Times they have concerns with the facility's practice of accepting animals from other shelters, as space limitations could force the shelter to turn away local animals.
"It just strikes me as odd that we sometimes can't service the community while at the same time we're taking animals from other jurisdictions and taking them in here," Lang said.
"There's no shortage of dogs locally that people can't adopt locally. We don't need to be bringing in other dogs."
The city's contract with the Robinses says the contractor "shall impound all dogs and cats running at large." However, there are many feral cats running free in Owen Sound.
Lang said animals from the United States could also bring disease to the area.
The Sunset Strip clinic veterinarian said he also has concerns with the shelter's "no-kill policy," as it could result in unadoptable animals spending too much time in a cage and force the facility to turn other animals away due to lack of space.
"The no-kill policy I think looks good, and it's good for fundraising, but I think it's highly problematic," he said.
Shelters with a no-kill policy must ensure animals receive "consistent" veterinarian support.
VET CONCERNS
The Owen Sound Animal Shelter has not fostered strong ties with local veterinarians, he said.
Owen Sound veterinarian Dr. Deborah Boyd said she is also concerned about the lack of communication and strained relationship between shelter staff and local veterinarians. Communication is key, she said, especially if an outbreak were to spread at the shelter or the facility's on-call vet is unavailable.
One local veterinarian said the relationship between the shelter and local vets "borders on adversarial." He said the shelter operators are not "qualified to make a lot of medical decisions that they do."
A rabies clinic at the shelter, at which 200 pets were vaccinated, was not supported by the Grey- Bruce Veterinary Association.
A letter, sent in October by association president Dr. Wayne Murray, to local veterinarians, city hall and the Owen Sound shelter said a vet examination before the shot is essential, as some pets should not be vacccinated. The "very stressful" nature of rabies clinics on a pet and difficulty in maintaining "proper hygiene" results in "many pets" becoming ill, said the letter, obtained by The Sun Times.
"We believe there is no rational justification for rabies clinics at this time and there are many negative aspects. These include serious health risks to the pets vaccinated, a serious undermining in attitudes regarding responsible pet ownership and increased animosity between the OSAS and local veterinarians," the letter said.
Jarvis, who first complained to OMAFRA about the Owen Sound Animal Shelter in September 2008, said she is disappointed no animal welfare or fraud charges have been laid.
"As far as we are concerned the system failed here, and unfortunately animals were put down and treated very poorly. They suffered and we feel responsible and see their little faces every night," she said.
The shelter's operators, meanwhile, say a lack of charges proves everything is above board.
Owen Sound Police Services Insp. Vince Wurfel confirmed police investigated a criminal allegation of fraud, but closed the file because the information was supplied by a third-party source.
OSPCA inspector Jennifer Bluhm also confirmed the agency investigated animal-welfare complaints -- including two this year -- but did not lay charges.
Bluhm said she could not comment on whether or not the volume of complaints received by the OSPCA is unusual for animal shelters. However, shelter operators should "strive" to eliminate public concern, she said.
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Contract with city
Excerpts of contract between Owen Sound and Todd and Renee Robins, signed Jan. 9, 2006:
Contractor fees: $2,864 per month from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009. Also, $25, plus $6 per day for reclaimed pets, $125 for dogs and $65 for cats adopted, $8 from each $25-$45 city dog or cat tag, $25 for each animal under 50 pounds released for euthanasia and $45 for animals over 50 pounds, $15 for each skunk or raccoon trapped and/or removed, $20 per animal surrendered and $35 for emergency response.
The city: Provide the building, heat, hydro, water, snow removal, major repairs.
The contractor: Provide labour, equipment, materials, general maintenance and landscaping at shelter.
The contractor's role: Sell animals in care and control of shelter, impound all dogs and cats at large, sell dog and cat tags and conduct a yearly door-to- door campaign, enforce city bylaws pertaining to animals, patrol streets 25 hours per week to enforce bylaws, pick up animals at all hours in an emergency, euthanize animals and pick up and dispose of dead animals.
Expiration: Dec. 31, 2010.
The budget: Most of the city's animal control contract fee in 2008 was covered by donations and pet licence fees. About $12,000 in tax revenue is required to support the shelter.