Open Letter to Kevin Mallory, Director of Citrus County Animal Shelter :SIMON To Kevin Mallory ,Director of Citrus County Animal Shelter, Inverness, FL Kevin, You may have no idea of all the distress, discouragement, sadness, and anger your “detached” order to have Simon killed yesterday has caused. Apparently you can remain quite insulated about the animals at the shelter. Did you look any of these 4 dogs that were killed yesterday in the eye? Do you ever look at the dogs or cats that you “sign off on” (to end their lives) as you sit so calmly in your office? Do you know there were 4 dogs killed yesterday? You told one person who emailed you that there were only 2. Do you not know how many were killed? Did you know how many dedicated volunteers have spent time with Simon, and loved him? Did you know that Christina Heady De Lisle and other volunteers had “taken him under their wings”, played ball with him in the yard and taken him to the Inverness Christmas Parade this past Saturday? Did you see the video of him, one of several that shows what a happy, gentle non-aggressive “family pet” he could have been to a family? Did you know that of all the volunteers who knew him and interacted with him, gave him treats in the yard with another dog present, took a ball from his mouth, shared food with him and another dog in the play yard, that none ever saw him “aggressive” in any way? Did you bother to ask any of the volunteers who knew him well of their knowledge? Did you care? With whom did you consult? Were your responsible enough to check it out before you decided to end the life of this 11 month old puppy? Are you so removed emotionally that you had a good night’s sleep last night while dozens of volunteers and others of us who knew of his and 3 other lifeless bodies agonized through the night? Do you know that there are good volunteers who are seriously considering quitting because they can’t stand the pain a “surprise” like this causes. They fight to save them and get them adopted as you sign, without any forewarning, to end their lives. Why did you never let on that his or the others deaths were imminent. You have your “labels” and excuses ready… seriously food aggressive, owner requests for “euthanasia”. “Aggressive” by whose evaluation? What are the standards for labeling a dog aggressive? Are there any ….or is it just a subjective evaluation by one kennel person? You said that it’s a consultative decision. With whom do you consult? You said it involves Patti and Billie and yet it seems they don’t know many of the dogs, so how can they be part of the “consultation”. Do you have any animal behavior training yourself after all these years with “Pasco County”? Can you take a dog who’s labeled “aggressive”, spend time with him or her and give your educated assessment? Or do you have no professional education or research behind your title? Maybe you are the “bureaucratic type” of Shelter Director who interfaces with the county, “does his job”, goes home and leaves the day and the animals’ lives behind. It’s hard to know. From the observations of those who are at the shelter a lot, you are rarely seen except dressed up sitting at your computer. Maybe you don’t know the volunteers and what they do, and how attached they get to saving lives. Maybe you’re not a “hands on” type of Director/ Leader. That’s unfortunate for all. It could be the reason to lose very dedicated volunteers. I began this letter about Simon, but Simon is a symbol of the many precious lives for whom you’re responsible. You as Director cannot remain so aloof from the animals, not knowing the intensity of the commitment and love the volunteers have for them. There are dogs there who are far more aggressive than Simon could ever be (or have been). They have attacked other dogs, are intimidating and not nearly as endearing as Simon. You need to get to know the animals for whom you make life and death decisions. Your executive decisions without knowing the animals more “up close and personal” will send our shelter down the tubes. Everyone has worked far too hard and our shelter has come too far to risk that. There’s a need for transparency, real “presence”, and respect (not just lip service) for the volunteers and their first hand knowledge of the animals. The kennel staff know the dogs in their stressed environment. The volunteers know how they “really” are. For any dog who’s being considered to be killed, the volunteers’ input is needed. There needs to be notice given. We all hoped for good, innovative leadership from a caring administrator, and so far it’s been disappointing. We continue to hope. I’m attaching the video of Simon last Saturday at the Inverness Christmas Parade. Please note how he tried to bark “Merry Christmas” as he passed the people. Please note also how he tried to walk the other way to get away from the little Jack Russell who was yapping at them. Please watch it as it will personalize something you might want to remain detached from. Every time I watch it I cry, and I didn’t even know him. Maybe you will too. Sincerely Judy McBriar
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 18:04:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015