Many of you have helped network Calvin, a dog at the Memphis pound we would like to see leave by the front door. Jody Fisher had placed a hold on him until Saturday and went to MAS on that day to extend the hold so we can continue to try to find a placement for him. She was prepared to pay the $15/day boarding fee MAS had previously advised her would be required to hold dogs. However, when she got there, she was advised there was no one there with the authority to extend the hold on Calvin and to contact interim director James Rogers. She sent the following e-mail Saturday afternoon:
From: Jody Fisher
Date: Sat, Oct 6, 2012 at 5:12 PM
Subject: ID# 246495
To: <James.Rogers@memphistn.gov>, <tracy.dunlap@memphistn.gov>I would like to extend my hold on this dog through next Thursday, October 11th. I was there today and wanted to discuss this with either you or Terry Gibson, but neither of you were present.
Please confirm.
Thank you in advance. We are working diligently on finding him a home.
Jody Fisher
Today, Jody received the following reply:
From: <James.Rogers@memphistn.gov>
Date: October 8, 2012 8:47:09 AM CDT
To: Jody Fisher, <tracy.dunlap@memphistn.gov>
Cc: <Janet.Hooks@memphistn.gov>, <LaSonya.Hall@memphistn.gov>, <Pamela.Carter@memphistn.gov>, <Rebecca.Coleman@memphistn.gov>, <DeKeishia.Tunstall@memphistn.gov>, <lora.garrison@memphistn.gov>
Subject: RE: ID# 246495Ms. Fisher,
I will honor your request with a hold until Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 6:45 p.m. for the animal ID number listed.
You must either adopt the animal or acquire a transfer of the animal at that time and board him/her at a private facility.
The MAS Policy Manual does not allow for a non-owner to put a hold on an animal. MAS will discontinue this practice that is not policy driven.The animal ID # 246495 was due out on September 27, 2012. Today is October 8, 2012 and you have not acted on your first request.
I cannot house animals while you try to network a new home for the animal. You are taking space that rightly should be for other animals.
You can work diligently as the adopter of the animal and take as long as you like with the animal boarded at a private facility.Your cooperation is expected and appreciated.
James M. Rogers
Administrator, MAS
Thanks for reading the latest edition of The Special MAS Rules that Only Apply to Jody Fisher and are Made Up on the Spot.
Please share Calvin with your pet loving friends since we only have until tomorrow to save him. Because Calvin can’t be housed in a cage while we try to do Mr. Rogers’ job for him. MAS needs that cage for another pet because if they don’t use Calvin’s cage for that next pet, they’d have to start using some of their empty cages, which sounds like work. As does listing Calvin on Petfinder and Facebook, taking him to offsite adoption events, and aggressively marketing him through other means – which is presumably why MAS hasn’t done any of that.
As usual, it’s up to the irresponsible public to truly shelter Calvin because the “shelter” being paid to do it just won’t. What they will do however is haul him to the kill room and inject him with Fatal Plus, just like they do most of their animals. Because that is in the policy manual.
This is the most irresponsible shelter I have ever heard of, over and over again, on your posts….what the heck can we people do to help that don’t live in TN….. Diane Erb
Wow. That is a surprisingly cold response from Mr. Rogers. Here we have someone willing to pay the boarding fee and it’s still too much to keep this one small dog a few more days.
I’m sure he’s extrapolating to extremes in his head (“Well, if we keep this one dog longer and EVERYONE starts requesting holds, we’ll be SWAMPED with HUNDREDS of dogs on hold! Madness!).
I have an idea – how about he contacts the media today and gets an interview with a friendly reporter where he can show off Calvin and market him as needing an adopter RIGHT NOW. Get it on the evening news tonight as a fluff piece, you’ll cast the shelter in a positive light (trying to save a life!), the interim director as making EVERY effort to save a life and therefore a good guy, and get the dog out the next morning to an adopter. All wins.
I thought MAS was all for “good appearances”? Here’s the opportunity to create one, guys. Don’t let this one slip by, too…
How many empty cages do they have??
While I was there over the wknd every cage appeared to have an animal in it, except the puppy area.
While you were there over the weekend, were you allowed access to all 555 pet cages? Because normally the public is not allowed such access. Unless you are not a member of the public, in which case you should state that up front.
I was looking for my lost dog, the guy walked me thru about 6 or 7 rooms to look through. The last few rooms he said most people don’t go in, but because it had been such a short time my dog was missing, we’d look. All the rooms were full of dogs.
Thankfully my Princess came home Sunday. :)
Rogers could do that……. but then he’d also list the dog for killing like he’s done before. There is no winning with Rogers. The “man” has no soul!
March on Memphis – Now or NEVER.
What an ass….. Yes Mr. Rogers you must love animals…. Your words and actions speak miles about you as an individual…..
Sounds like Calvin is headed for the kill room unless someone can get him out today or tomorrow. Wonder if we have enough in the chip-in to board him until a foster or adopter can be found. Any other thoughts?
Whoever pulls him must be willing to accept long term responsibility for him. In other words, if a person or rescue group pulls Calvin, puts him in boarding and then funds run out before a foster or adopter is secured, that person or group must make alternate arrangements (raise additional funds, transfer the dog to another group that has space, bring the dog home, etc.). Even if we found a foster today, it’s possible that foster may not work out for whatever reason and again, the puller would be responsible for taking Calvin back. At this time, we have no one to pull him.
Is there a chip in to pay for boarding elsewhere? I would help to save this dog to get him pulled and placed to a new facility where he would be safe.
How about getting in-touch with the local news….If anything, it will get him noticed as well shine the light on this shelter!!!
I am in Bristol TN. If we can get him here I will foster him as long as need be.
Thank you for this kind offer Colette. I have alerted the locals and hope to get a response to you ASAP.
Any word on whether or locals have been able to work this out?
Yes – Calvin has just left the building!
I will be happy to donate to his boarding. Since I already have 14 dogs,that’s all I can do. Wish I had a place for him.
Memphis No Kill Coalition has tried to help Calvin too but so far, no luck: http://memphisnokillcoalition.org/Blog/?p=77
A few random notes:
-So glad that MAS has that new shiny building to house more cages except…you know…they don’t actually house any more animals anyway. What hypocrites, to say the least.
-Thank you Colette. Hope that it all works out.
-If it doesn’t work out with Colette, then I hope he is still able to get out alive. This place is a house of horrors basically. I’ve never seen a place or “shelter” so determined to kill in my life. Sociopaths who enjoy having control over defenseless beings is what I think it is.
I just sent Rodgers an email.. doubt that I hear back
He’s out. Per Jody Fisher: Yes!!!! Calvin is a free man!!! Calvin is headed to the vet’s office.. This has been such a great team effort! Many thanks to all who shared, helped, prayed, etc!!! Yes!!! He is at the Gentle Care Animal Hospital on Covington Pike and Stage Road.. He is a great car rider and a sweetheart!
Score 1 for the animals! It’s about time! YAY!
I was afraid to check up on him. Whew! Finally a happy ending. What a sweetypie! God bless you Jody!
I may be confused, but can’t Jody Fisher go GET Calvin and take him home then find him a home? Does she not have a place for him for that short of length of time? He’s so cute it shouldn’t take that long to find him a home. If the pound that has him now has extended the length of their contract to the woman, then she should do her part and either find a temp home or bring him to her home until she can find him a home. It sounds to me as if she may have bitten off a little more than she could chew. Just go get the dog! If you can afford the shelter’s $15 a day boarding, which is extremley high, she could afford another boarding kennel. Like I said though, I could be confused and if I am, please excuse my 2 cents worth … but if I am not confused, she just needs to go get him and board him somewhere else or find a foster until she can find a permanent home. The shelter has actually, from what I’ve read so far in THIS case… they have done what they said they would do. Please advise me if I am totally confused about anything to do with this as I know this shelter’s “make up the rules as you go along” practices. Which surprised me when I read that they had actually done what they said they were going to.
God Bless and good luck Calvin! Ms Foster, I wish you luck in finding a home for Calvin .. again though, why don’t you keep him yourself? He seems to like you :)
Take care..
Katherine “Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened” Kathie
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Katherine, you are confused. Jody Fisher does not get a paycheck from taxpayers for protecting community pets from harm. Taxpayers did not buy a $7.2 million building for her to house community pets. In other words, this is not her job. But since those at MAS refuse to do their jobs, she’s trying to help out as best she can without falling into the trap some well-intentioned rescuers do where they pull pets who have nowhere to go in a desperate attempt to save them from death and quickly find themselves underwater. I applaud her efforts and would love to see more people doing similar work in Memphis.