I’ve been trying to FOIA records on 3 pets at Companion Animal Alliance in Baton Rouge but CAA doesn’t seem too interested in complying with the law. (If you want to see how I spend my spare time, you can scroll through my attempts to get CAA to provide complete, legible copies of these records.) Maybe they’re busy getting blown by the local AC director who is supposed to be investigating them:
Former volunteers and staff members claim administration problems are leading to neglect and abuse of the animals. One report claims the euthanasia of a sick puppy was not done in a timely manner.
“I went back the next day and they had not touched the dog,” said former intake specialist Jaden Stafford. “They didn’t even get it food or water or a newspaper. Then, I gave it food and water and set it up in a cage properly and it sat there for three days before it was euthanized.”
Reports from former shelter workers like Stafford spurred an investigation by the East Baton Rouge Animal Control office, which found no evidence of intentional abuse.
“My investigator did not think there was any criminal intent to hurt animals,” said Animal Control Director Hilton Cole. “Was there criminal negligence? That is debatable. We chose not to go that route.”
I love how he characterizes criminal negligence of dogs and cats by a public shelter as “debatable”, like he’s talking about a laptop sold with a slight nick in the cover.
CAA is slated to meet with the Metro City Council today to explain how the complaints are just a bunch of disgruntled ex-employees and vols and blah. If I worked for CAA, I’d be hoping the council buys that lame-ass story and doesn’t actually look at the frightening history of the place or even worse – show up at the facility and demand to see records and animals.
In the meantime, I’m still hoping to find out what happened to the 3 pets that CAA doesn’t seem to want me to know.
I’ve read that there is an avenue to pursue in the event that a facility does not comply with filling an FOIA request in a timely manner. Maybe it’s time to go that route! They surely won’t comply unless they are forced and fined. At the very least they should be worried about their treatment of the dogs and cats they shelter there.
Maybe the reason CAA hasn’t responded is because they are under fire from cruelty allegations made by former employees (with merit). Or the panleuk epidemic in the stray cat room killing cats in their cages. It’s not a good time for CAA.
Shirley will you do a shelter pet of the day for a person who lost everything in Hurricane Sandy? We haven’t had the best last few weeks in Jersey and when i received this phone call last night I didn’t get much sleep. The guy lost everything and his cat was staying at a friends house while he tried to find a place to take the cat but the cat is getting the boot as no cats are allowed in that building. The no kill shelters won’t take the poor cat in as they are full and we all know what happens in other shelters. I can get more information on the cat and a picture. I do know the cat (I hate that I’m calling him the cat but I forgot to ask a name) is male, friendly, 1 1/2 years old, UTD on shots, neutered, and is an indoor outdoor cat. I will shoot you an email with more info in the afternoon but if anyone in the area can take the cat or is connected with rescue in the tri-state area please shoot me an email Reuning@hotmail.com.
I will pay for any gas it costs anyone to help this cat and pay for the basics (food, litter ect). I would also drive the cat wherever he needed to go if that was the case.
Sure, just e-mail me the photo, contact info, etc.
Nice……(sarcasm). If that were you or I, there would be no debate.