Animal advocates are concerned that once again, Memphis Animal Services is not updating the only online listings the city does for animals at the facility: PetHarbor. These listings, while far from ideal, are essential since MAS has limited hours, limited services, and lots of locked doors where animals are hidden from view. In some cases, the online listing is the only way for anyone to know an animal is being kept at the facility. As usual, MAS director James Rogers blames technical difficulties and wants everyone to please stand by:
From: Lou Ann Selves
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 3:06 PM
To: Rogers, James; Tunstall, DeKeishia Masha; Dunlap, Tracy
Subject: Pet HarborPetHarbor shows the last dogs that came into the shelter were on October 19. No dogs have been brought in since that date or has no one updated? Considering review dates are critical, some have a small chance of getting out of there if their info is not available.
Lou Ann Selves
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On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 3:41 PM, <James.Rogers@memphistn.gov> wrote:
Good afternoon Lou Ann,We are aware of the issue and working with our IS department and Chameleon customer service to correct. Your patience is appreciated.
Thank you
James M. Rogers
Administrator, MAS***
From: Lou Ann Selves
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 3:54 PM
To: Rogers, James
Cc: Tunstall, DeKeishia Masha; Dunlap, Tracy
Subject: Re: Pet HarborHow will this “issue” affect the animals’ review dates who are coming into the shelter and have no chance to be posted to PetHarbor?
***
From: <James.Rogers@memphistn.gov>
Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 3:55 PM
Subject: RE: Pet Harbor
To: Louann Selves
Cc: DeKeishia.Tunstall@memphistn.gov, tracy.dunlap@memphistn.govMAS will adjust accordingly. Thanks
***
Adjust accordingly. So MAS has been no kill for 10 days or… erm, something else? The animals must really be piling up. MAS might finally have to use all those brand new cages that have been collecting dust since the place opened. Or not – video of the Puppy(less) Room at MAS taken this week by Jody Fisher:
So where are all the animals who have been impounded by MAS over the last 10 days? Where are all the animals whose review dates have been adjusted in order to compensate for the city’s failure to list them online so they can be reclaimed, rescued or adopted? Why does MAS have so many technical difficulties using PetHarbor? Is PetHarbor designed for rocket scientist use only? I reached out to Chameleon for comment last time MAS was blaming the company for the failure to post photos of animals (not very long ago) but no one responded. Hopefully they are more responsive to their customers who have com-pew-tor problems. Ten days is an awfully long time to leave animals’ lives hanging in the balance – if in fact any are actually still alive.
AND the puppy room was the same (EMPTY) on Tuesday night. I asked an employee why there were no puppies in that room – he replied because they just don’t use that room.
The fact that MAS has done nothing to fix the PH problem tell us, what we have known for a very long time, they just don’t care about finding the pets in their “care,” homes… They just don’t care!!! Thanks for posting this, Shirley!
God Almighty, I can only pray that the new mayor boots Rodgers and ALL of the current staff out of there the day he takes office.
What a hellhole. Pets killed EVERY SINGLE DAY for “space” while cages upon cages sit empty and shiny new. Animals never shown, never seen, some lost with owners searching and no way to find them, no way at all. Animals killed without every having a chance at a home because no one there is even TRYING to get them out.
So pleased that they’re “adjusting accordingly”. WTF DOES THAT EVEN MEAN???
Isn’t there a post office somewhere Rodgers can go run? Geez.
Fingers crossed for a changing of the guard at MAS; Mayor-Elect Jim Strickland is prepared to make changes … hopefully in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Contact here:
Mayor-elect of Memphis, TN. https://twitter.com/stricklandmayor
or here:
https://www.facebook.com/Jim-Strickland-306594772883034/
Didn’t follow the election but did he beat Wharton or did Wharton not run? Whichever, I so hope this new man cleans out the cesspool that is MAS.
He beat Wharton handily. I guess Memphis is finally sick of what’s been going on there!
That is certainly a step in the right direction. Thanks!
They say that Wharton’s campaign was lazy – apparently, he’s been there so long, he figured he didn’t have to put any real work into staying there. Strickland’s campaign was spot on – determined, organized, focused. I hope it’s a harbinger of things to come in Memphis!
That sounds like Wharton – and how he has run his little kingdom. So glad he is on the way out!!!
Thought you’d be interested in this since you’ve written about Memphis AC several times: http://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/mayor-names-new-director-of-memphis-animal-services
Fingers crossed and prayers offered that this will be a true change from the way things have been at MAS. A new city administration is exactly what Memphis needs. Thanks for sharing this.
Everyone says she’s a great choice, but I’m afraid we’ve been burned too many times for me to have hope just yet.
I know what I’d like to see there – a major housecleaning starting with the head vet, a restructuring of the volunteer system (so “favorites” don’t get special privileges like being able to shuffle cute little white fluffy dogs out the back door without any record of where they’re really going), reinstatement of the web cams, cameras set up in the kill room – perhaps not necessarily public, but monitored by SOMEONE to prevent the kind of horror show that went on there day after day with animals being tortured to death for fun by paid staff, all animals posted online the moment they enter the system with clear, identifiable photos included (with found animals posted on their Facebook page (do they have a Facebook page or just the “friends of” page?) to help reunite with owners), an end to the ridiculous reclaim fees that prevent pets from going home, more accessibility given the rescue groups, and so on.
This would be a good plan for a lot of facilities!