Someone with 16 years of experience working at a FL animal shelter offered to go in and help get the volunteer program at Hernando Co Animal Services to straighten up and fly right. She admittedly went in with a bias – that the volunteers were a hindrance and the staff was being unfairly maligned over the killing of Zeus. After a few days at the shelter, she was singing a different tune:
“I have never felt more unwanted, judged, spied upon, just plain ignored, ever,” she wrote. “I walked in the door thinking you have a volunteer problem. I walked out knowing you have a serious staff/operations problem.”
Lo and behold, the people actually being paid to abuse and kill animals are the problem, not the volunteers trying to save pets’ lives. The volunteer coordinator described a hostile environment where everyone has their own agenda – none of which appears to include helping animals. One staffer apparently told the volunteer coordinator outright that until she got the vols to do the staffer’s job for her, she would remain uncooperative. Another found the vol coordinator on the computer, trying to post kittens for adoption online, and shooed her away, changing the password to make sure she couldn’t get in to try anything like that again.
In a staff meeting days after the euthanasia of Zeus on April 13, employees vented about the harassment they said they were suffering from the volunteers. The business agent for the Teamsters union, which represents the county’s employees, also voiced concern that workers were being mistreated by the volunteers.
The county’s public safety director suspended the vol coordinator after she was accused of having “negative interaction with the staff.” It’s nice the staff can vent and the union can speak up for them and the county politician can protect them from “negative interaction”. Is anyone on the payroll at this place standing up for the animals?
On behalf of the citizens of the State of Florida, I apologize that Hernando County Animal Services is staffed by a pack of total idiots, paid for by tax dollars. It is a shame that they are so stuck in their rut, and so callous about the animals that come under their “protection” that they aren’t willing to do anything to make it better. And with the way the union gets in there and protects those folks who don’t want to work for their paycheck is just another reason why the union is taking so much flack these days. But I digress….
I am not in the least bit surprised. This usually is the reason for such things happening – and it happens all too often in too many places. Volunteers are there because they care about the animals and try to make their lives better (and longer). Another facility that needs to be cleaned out from top to bottom! (And I’m not talking about animal waste)
Teamsters says it all. First, upfront, I’m normally very PRO-union – I feel overall they keep things honest. But, TEAMSTERS is another thing altogether. Years and years ago (before I volunteered but am friends with people who were there), the THS had a Teamsters union and from all accounts it was a NIGHTMARE. They were confrontational, arrogant, argumentative and feel invincible. When they moved in, they apparently treated the volunteers like CRAP, were abusive, nasty and did everything they could to make them leave. One friend, Cathy, said that volunteers were barred from interacting with the dogs and when they came to walk them, had to wait outside the shelter and the Teamster thug would go get one – sometimes they would make them wait up to half an hour, the average being at least 15 to 20 minutes – so the dogs really suffered (and I assume the rest of the animals). Now granted, as volunteers were were pretty badly treated by the former CEO, but for those who were under both – the Teamster thugs were by FAR the worst.
Years ago, i walked in there with a poodle pup. teagues yelled at me and said, if i didnt want it, i had to bring it there. I looked dead in her eyes, said, I didn’t get it here, I don;t HAVE TO DO CRAP! Of all the nerve, there obsest in taking every ones animals.
From her quote in the article: “I at the time made the assumption it was a volunteer problem and that you just had your fair share of (what I call) PETA-minded volunteers,” it’s obvious she doesn’t know the first thing about PETA …
You can read my story of abuses committed by by HCAS, or just look at the articles I have complied about them over the past 2 months here: http://www.ouranimalhaus.org/p/update-42512-hernando-county-ac-finally.html
I am a longtime resident of Hernando County. I have adopted 2 dogs from there. Going in there to just see the dogs is a nightmare! Now, you have to go in with an “escort”. Why? How do I know how this “escort” has treated these dogs in the past? Was he one of them who yanked him (her) in and shoved it in a cage? On both occasions, the dogs were terrified on coming out of the pens. Then, they were terrified on going back in. To me, it showed that the dogs are being mistreated on both ends – coming and going. Once we got them home, their attitudes were completely different – bouncy and happy…yet afraid to get into a car (“am I going back to that horrible place?”). It is also very interesting that not one employee has a name tag or anything that says who they are, yet the volunteers proudly show their name tags. Either close the place down, or let the volunteers run it completely, without the bullying tactics of the Teamsters Union.!
This is happening too much, all over. I just don’t understand it. It’s one thing to be ignorant in animal welfare and what’s actually going to help them, but to purposedfully “shoo away” someone who is trying to help is just ridiculous. So sad.
The Countys money is in stress.So ASK THE COUNTY WHERE ALL THE PORTERS THROUGHBREDS DISSAPPEARED, AND HIS SONS HORSES ACROSS THE STREET, AND THE RANCH HANDS HORSES ACROSS THE STREET. WHAT IS THE DEAL, KNOW ONE IN HERNANDO COUNTY CAN OWN ANIMALS OR WHAT. YA GOT A BUNCH OF THIEVES HERE, USING FRAUD EVIDENCE, FRAUD VET REPORTS. SUPPRESSING EVIDENCE, ALL STARTS WITH COUNTY LYING ATTY JON JOUBEN.NOW I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE HORSES THEIR KEEPING QUIET.Sorry for caps. That man had about 100 throughbreds in excellant condition. What ya can’t have a profession here. IM NOT SORRY FOR THESE CAPS… THEY NEED TO BE IN JAIL! ALL OF THEM.IM IN THE FEDERAL COURTS, DOING MY BEST TO PUT THEM RIGHT WHERE THEY BELONG. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.DOES OUR SHERIFF KNOW WHERE THESE HORSES DISAPPEARED TO. I FIGURED THEY’D ROB THEM SEEING THE COUNTY NEEDED MONEY.its getting way out of hand here. Our Sheriff needs to do something.
their horses were shipped off. they are fine.thank god.3 propertys,no horses.im happy for that.
they framed me on a sheep attack. wasnt my animals.in fact there was no sheep. animal control lied on report, sayn i had puppys to make it look like they came to my home.but they didnt want me to know where this staged performance was, but in seconds i found out and went there with witness’s, there was no sheep. they got photos from some place else tried pinning it on me. The public needs to come forth in storys of whats happened to them. were closing in on them, and people need to be put in jail. and its not us!they couldnt even testify what my animals looked like.jouben went to these 2 distant neighbors had them all lie.well its going to bite them in the azz real soon.
the county needs to make the corrupt employees accountable for they animals they stole.These people are destroyed along with the animals they didnt sell on the side.Something needs to be done. false reports.fraud vet reports.the people this has happened to needs to come forth and let the sheriff know.Hey they are tryn to clean this county up.this just isnt about volenteers ya know. this is about the criminal actions thats been going on for years.
tell them what you know.
employees need to be charged with animal cruelty on several accounts.just alone on the animals they took to the dump, shot in the head and left them there.just alone out of the 26 to 29 they shot in my yard not using a dart gun. had no bite record, wasnt attacking, out of uniform as if no one would notice who they were.come on, they took carol mas animals, i was there b4 they stole them,plus her mothers animals next door they stole, had nothing to do with the case. stressed out, she died. they were fine. took photos of every animal there.vet even stated they were fine. the county employees owe her.the county needs to pay damages, make them pay the county.look at butch and jills case. a.c. gave them 2 sick horses to go back steal their thourghbreds and paints. took the two thin ones to the dump to lazy to fatten them up, they wouldnt of pulled any money on the side so they shot them at the land field in 2009.look at eddie warrens case.ooops in wrong yard, took his paint horses, didnt waste time, auctioned them off, took his daughters animal to that lived next door.
Wow, I was looking at a piece of property in Brooksville. It was attractive as I ride horses and like the area. BUT I also have rescued dogs in Miami for decades and after reading THESE horrible things about those that run Animal Control in Hernando I got chills, cause I could have been reading about the horrendous Animal Control in Miami. NO THANKS… been there, done that. Looking to live my retirement in a place that does a GOOD and COMPASSIONATE job at their shelter/s… SO disappointing!
found out there getting deputys off work, dress in uniforms off duty, sundays a.c. to go out steal animals in the am.
I ALSO TOLD THAT THAT THE VET THERE IS HAVING HIS GIRL FRIEND GO IN THERE EVERY MORNING AND PICK OUT WHAT DOGS SHE WANTS SO THEY SELL ON A WEBSITE ON THE SIDE.IVE SEEN IT.I HAVE 17 THOUSAND CORRUPT ACTS THESE ASS HOLES HAVE COMMITTED. WE NEED A VOICE.NEWS MEDIA. 352-293-5866
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they’ve been stealing animals for years!
http://www.Lookingthruwolfeyes.com/47.html
a deputy lied for them under oath stating I had 2 large wolves. do they look like 2 large wolves to you. Internal affairs didn’t do crap nor the sheriff over deputy kramers lies to miss lead the judge. they even made up a prank case stating my huskys attacked sheep the lady never had in her yard. omg. the story behind that one. a.c. nor a deputy did not come to my home . if my huskys they calld 3 wolves attacked sheep there would of been blood on there mouths and they would of taken them right then and there. wrong. if I had puppys as lier Brenda reodgers stated they would of taken them also right then and there. their thieves, their liars, people better start packing a gun! STAND YOUR GROUND! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. THESE LIARS HVE DESTROYED MY LIFE AND MY ANIMALS LIVES.SHOT 26 OF THEM MY BACK YARD FOR NO REASON I HAD A RESCUE. THEY ARE TRYN TO SHUT DOWN ALL BREEDERS AND RESCUES TO HAVE A MONOPOLY ON SALES, SO KNOW ONE CAN GET A PET ANY WHERE ELSE BUT THERE FILTHY FACILITY. KEEP CALLING THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT BITCHING. JUST STAY ON IT.