Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association in NY is the open admission shelter for Madison Co. The organization sells puppies for $200 and has a list of “non-negotiables” for potential adopters on its website. Among them is a refusal to release animals to anyone with a history of neglect. Which now would apparently include Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association employee Angela Bartlett:
Bartlett, an employee at Wanderer’s Rest Humane Association, was arrested and charged with failure to provide adequate food or water to a dog, a misdemeanor, and failed to provide appropriate shelter for the animal which was left outdoors which is just a violation.
A neighbor of Ms. Bartlett reportedly complained to the sheriff’s office that her male GSD mix puppy was cold and hungry. The sheriff’s office had an ACO provide education on responsible puppy care to Ms. Bartlett in early November. A follow up visit on December 28 found that Ms. Bartlett was still neglecting the malnourished puppy, who was then seized.
I wonder how many potential adopters Ms. Bartlett refused at the shelter because of the list of “non-negotiables”. All while apparently considering fancypants luxuries like food and things to keep the winter wind offa ya to be negotiable in her own backyard.
(Thanks Clarice for the link.)
Just how many of these shelter staff are doing this? :-(
The sheriff’s office had an ACO teach her how to care for her puppy. And that…didn’t send up a red flag for her employers?
So…she still has her job there? WTH?
And wow, their FB page has no ability to message them or a post to page section. If you want to contact them, you have to go to their web page and scroll down down for the contact form.
Wow…don’t believe everything you hear. Those are good people working at that shelter and the media likes to blow things out of proportion. Get the truth before placing judgement. If the shelter knew about this months ago, I know they would have done something. The staff there are incredible and care so deeply for the animals. I have seen it first hand.
The media blows things out of proportion? So this goes for the sheriff as well – just arresting good people for animal neglect to make quota?
All I’m saying is get the facts. Have you seen the contradictions in these articles? If they knew (especially dog control who works with the shelter) back in November, why wouldn’t they Have told the shelter? Don’t look at the shelter bad for this. They didn’t cause this to happen. I’m sure they know their staff and if they really believe in their staff they will stand by them until they find reason (truth) otherwise. But that shouldn’t be held against the shelter in which has been doing amazing work. Don’t let this situation take away from the awesome work the staff do their to get animals adopted as quick as possible.
Thats my local shelter.
As such things go they aren’t BAD. According to their facebook page a while back they’ve managed to avoid “killing for space” for upwards of a couple years now (though I’ve not seen their actual figures to confirm that, like some other shelters, they aren’t just fudging that). And every time I’ve been in there things have been clean and animals look well cared for.
Interestingly that list of non-negotiables has changed at some point in the last couple years. They also used to require that all animals in the adopting home be neutered as well.
I did see that news bite yesterday though. Hopefully they’re just waiting for the actual conviction in court (since it’d be frustrating if they fired her and then she wasn’t convicted).
The fact that an ACO and had to tell her to care for her puppy would be grounds for firing in my book.
This. Providing shelter & food for a pet – & especially another mammal with very similar needs – isn’t exactly rocket science.
Requiring education isn’t nessecarily grounds for firing. I’d like to agree you personally, but I’d also lay odds that if she isn’t convicted that she could get away with sueing if she’s fired for it.
I do have to add, cause like I said, I’d really like to agree with you, I’ve had my own interactions with the ACO here, and she’s not the sort to seize a dog just because its a “mostly outdoor dog” as long as proper food/water/shelter are provided.
She is still employed. The shelter director said the incident was not shelter related and she has no concerns regarding Ms. Barlett working at the shelter.
http://www.syracuse.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/01/wanderers_rest_humane_association_worker_charged_with_animal_cruelty.html
“She is an employee, and she exercises extremely good judgment while working here,” DeMuro said.
DeMuro said the shelter’s number of adoptions has risen substantially in the past quarter, in part due to Bartlett’s efforts.
DeMuro said the dog, a German shepherd mix, came to Bartlett through her brother. She also said Bartlett had “made an appointment to seek support” since the incident.
“It’s a very sad situation,” she said, adding it can be hard to find a new home for a pet.
“Folks are often very judgmental when it comes to surrendering an animal, and it can be due to a financial situation or because the person can’t have the animal in their particular living arrangement,” DeMuro said. “People can be very hard on someone who surrenders an animal. We need to be more sensitive when someone needs to do that, and work together.”
Um. An appointment to seek support from whom – other animal abusers? Do they have support groups?
And are we saying that she needed to rehome the dog, but didn’t know how or feared “judgement” for doing it at her work? So, instead, she…didn’t feed or care for the puppy?
Yes, let’s keep this person employed. She sounds like a real asset to a place whose priority is supposed to be animal welfare.
How do they know for sure the dog wasn’t being fed or cared for? Was someone watching 24/7? I’m sure if the dog wasn’t fed the dog would be completely emaciated and that would have been proof enough for the shelter to fire her. However, when I feed my dog (in the house) I take the dish away as soon as he is done. How do you know that isn’t the case here (especially being outdoors)? Just because there isn’t a food dish that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feed the dog. And just because you see the dog outside a lot, that doesn’t mean the dog never gets to go in the house…
The ACO was monitoring the dog’s condition. It briefly got better after his first visit, but then declined, again. And, as Shirley says, Bartlett doesn’t deny the charges. Neither does her employer – it’s all feeling very excusey and “stuff is hard”.
My dogs do not have food out 24/7, either. And my one guy is outdoors a LOT. Even in winter. But you know what? He’s not underweight or in poor condition. He has access to water (yes, even in winter). He has adequate shelter (i.e. the house we all live in). None of my neighbors are the least bit concerned about his well-being. And I don’t even work in a “Humane Association”, yet somehow I know how to not neglect him.
Our local animal control still likes to claim they don’t kill for space, but they seem to find a whole lot of other reasons to kill. That’s just high kill/CYA rhetoric! So taking care of personal animals has nothing to do with working with shelter animals as your job? REALLY?
Exactly. Would you want someone who neglected their own child working at a daycare?
Let’s be clear here: There does not appear to be any denial of the allegations that she neglected her puppy – not from her or her boss.