|
Shelter faces tough accusations
After only about eight weeks of operation, the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter has been accused of staff shortages and overcrowding. Lori Rogowski, a Leander resident who volunteered at the shelter, said she arrived last week in the cat room to find a kitten and a cat dead and no cats with food or water. Another feral cat placed in an area the size of a shoe box, had no access to food or water and did not appear to have been treated in three days. “The facility is underfunded and understaffed,” she told county commissioners Tuesday. Rogowski was among a handful of people who were able to speak to the court, but the room was packed with Williamson County residents concerned about the treatment of animals at the regional shelter. Gretchen Guyer, director of operations at the Humane Society of Williamson County, recognized that the majority of the current commissioner's court was not present when the facility's budget was approved, but asked that funding be increased. Commissioner Valerie Covey of Pct. 3, which includes the 15,000 square foot shelter, said she thinks the public accusations were blown out of proportion and criticized the volunteers who went to the press instead of contacting the shelter director. Pictures taken of animals at the shelter were distributed to media and to members of the commissioners court. Dr. Dana R. Boehm of Hutto was named interim director of the shelter earlier this month for a 90-day period, which started June 1. She was hired for the position while a new animal services director is found, and Covey said Boehm had been working 14-hour days, which included coming in the day prior to the animal deaths to feed and water the cats. Covey reiterated previous reports that the kitten's death was caused by its own mother rolling onto it. The cat's death was a result of an upper respiratory infection that the shelter had tried to treat. “Recent claims of animal neglect have been greatly exaggerated, according to Dr. Boehm,” read a county press statement released Tuesday following the commissioners court meeting. “Animals at the shelter are given food and water daily, and the cages are cleaned daily. The Regional Animal Shelter is an open admissions shelter, meaning that it must accept all animals, regardless of their health at the time they are brought to the facility. Some animals come in with respiratory infections or other illnesses. They are given medication and monitored, but not all recover from their conditions.” Next year's budget, a revised version of which was approved Tuesday, includes nine full-time employees - the shelter director, two veterinary technicians, four animal care attendants and two administrative specialists - and three part-time animal care attendants. The budget has to be approved by all five government entities involved in the shelter - the county and the cities of Leander, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Hutto - each of which contribute a portion of its operating budget. Hutto provides 1 percent of the shelter's budget. The commissioners also agreed to move immediately to increase the shelter's staff, adding an additional administrative position and an animal care attendant. The new employees will cost approximately $12,651.61 in this year's budget, if hired in the next few weeks. The shelter currently has seven full-time employees and three part-time positions that were added recently. In a guest editorial, Lisa Birkman, Williamson County Pct. 1 commissioner, said she spent an afternoon with her daughters volunteering at the shelter. She came away from the experience with an understanding that caring for so many animals can be “quite daunting.” “Consider giving your time and talents to this effort, even if it is only for a few hours a month. If you are part of a service group, consider organizing a day for the group to volunteer,” she wrote. The shelter is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and Thursdays. Adoption fees are $85, which includes basic vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries and a microchip. Additionally, it includes heartworm screening for dogs and additional testing for cats. By Tessa Moll and Nancy Royden
|
