~As Seen on a Church Marquis~
See Vet Bills Paid for August of 2006 Totaling $33, 617.95
See Previous Vet Bills Paid by Small Paws Rescue in 2005 Totaling $438,467.30
Tuesday Morning September 5, 2006
Gem of the Day: God loved you the moment
he saw you. It was love at first sight.
~As Seen on a Church Marquis~
See Vet Bills Paid for August of 2006 Totaling
$33, 617.95
See Previous Vet Bills Paid by Small Paws
Rescue in 2005 Totaling $438,467.30
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They say you may vote as often as you like!)
Dear Small Pawsers,
Welcome
to the newest members of our online mailing
list, especially if you have seen
us featured in one of our recently updated media
articles , read about us in the best selling book
"Chicken Soup for
the Dog Lover's Soul", or if you saw Small Paws on the NBC Nightly News with Brian
Williams!
Small Pawsers everywhere welcome you with
open arms! We sincerely hope that you enjoy
"Small Pawsing and reading Small Paws!"
If you are new to Small Pawsing®, this may
look as if it is coming only to you
but really it is going out to fellow Small
Pawsers all across our country and
in 20 foreign countries as well!
Adoption
information is posted below. Turn up your
speakers!
We have music for you!
If you missed our last newsletter, here it
is. http://www.smallpawsrescue.org/pup3/august2906.html
This isn't a newsletter that you will need
to respond too, but I wanted to give you
an update on little Irving, from Irving,
Texas.
You guys, we have been both in shock at accusations
of the City of Irving, and at the other end
of the spectrum, in awe over the inspirational
responses from all of you, and from the citizens
of Irving Tx., over this whole nightmare
with little Irving, and the way he was neglected
at this shelter. Evidently, according to
shelter volunteers, and other citizens, this
has been a Pandora's box waiting to be opened.
Irving has torn the box wide open and all
of the horror inside has come spilling out.
More about that in a moment, but first, I
want to show you some recent pictures of
little Irving, and ask you to please pray
for a miracle.
You see, his liver biopsy came back last
Thursday, and his Internist told us that
he has end stage liver disease, and he has
only a few months to live. Between 2-6.
I can tell you this. For whatever time he
has left, he will be loved, fed, cuddled,
fed, snuggled, fed, and prayed over like
there is no tomorrow!
To read about the whole unbelievable story
of Irving from Irving, click here.
http://www.smallpawsrescue.org/pup3/august2606a.html
This is little Irving from Irving, the little
dog that the Irving City Shelter deemed "healthy
and ready for adoption", and that's
why he laid there for 2 1/2 days, while they
refused to let Small Paws take him to the
hospital, because he was deemed "healthy"
by the shelter veterinarian, and therefore
could not be released to rescue.
He was laying in his own urine, cause by
two huge bladder stones which had obstructed
his kidneys. He hadn't eaten for God only
knows how long, and yet they wanted to adopt
him out, and therefore, rescue would not
be allowed to take him.
These two huge stones have been removed,
and he is feeling better now. He has all
of you to thank for that!
Claire Morris, a member of the Irving Shelter
Reform Group, (made up of 12 Irving Texas
citizens) and Diana Wood, a local attorney
and Small Pawser, gasp to see Irving in person
at the hospital last Thursday afternoon.
Everyone who walked by gasped.
I've never seen a dog this thin and sickly,
and still breathing, and you all know that
I have seen a lot.
His little spine is so predominant, and yet
this precious little boy is one of the most
affectionate little guys we have ever had.
Ok, down to business now.
You would think that if hundreds of people
wrote or called a City Government, informing
them of the travesty which happened to little
Irving from Irving, that they would step
forward, say they are sorry, are investigating,
and would promise it would never happen again,
right?
Evidently not.:(
The press followed us for two hours last
Thursday and we ALL sang like canaries, while
holding in our arms the evidence himself,
little Irving from Irving, the bag of skin
and bones that he is.
After the cameras left, Marilyn Brewster,
Vickie Furstenburg, and I gathered round
to pray with and for Irving, and his Internist
asked if she could back in join us in prayer,
and she did.
We asked the dogtor if it was time to let
Irving go home to God, and she said it wasn't
yet, but that she would let us know when
it was.
She wants him to enjoy some food, gain some
weight, give and exchange some cuddling with
some of us, and before he leaves us, know
that he was loved beyond measure by thousands.
Ok, about the press~are ya ready?!
First of all, this appeared in the Dallas
Morning News, on one of the blog sites.
Scroll down to little Irving's picture. The
shelter had him listed as Henry, but it is
our little guy.
"HEADS UP, IRVING: We hear from sources
in the animal rescue community that folks
have grown weary of dealing with the hired
hands in trying to get changes at the Irving
animal shelter and will soon be dealing with
the elected officials to try to get more
sensitivity to care of animals and cooperation
with rescue groups. Stay tuned.
Latest big complaint was the shape in which
this little dog, Henry, was recovered from
the shelter. (See his story in the Aug. 28
post.)
Our hope is that everything will be settled
in a fashion that works for the animals,
works for the rescuers and works for the
city. Irving is losing the Cowboys, but could
add to its image by becoming an extraordinarily
sensitive city when it comes to animals.
Just a thought."
This is what was aired on the local Dallas
Tx. news, Fox 4 news. It was their lead story on the 9 and 10
Oclock news. It was a wonderful article for
rescue and for Small Paws!
But notice that in the article, "the city says the rescue group has misrepresented
the facts of the case."
Our attorney will be requesting a public
retraction from the City of Irving, for this
is an outright misleading and false statement,
and they darn well know it.
I want to show you just a very a few of the
letters written to the Mayor of Irving, the
City Manager of Irving, and to other city
officials on little Irving's behalf, on behalf
of any animal who finds themselves sitting
in this animal shelter.
According to the writers of these emails,
there have been many too accusations of instances
of questionable treatment of animals, controlled
drugs disappearing, dozens of animals being
needlessly or mistakenly euthanized, all
happening at this shelter. It has gone on
for far too long.
It appears that anyone who tries to bring
these "problems" to the City's
attention, is either accused of being misleading,
or told that they have been misinformed.
I know you will be in disbelief when you
read these emails, all of which are shared
with permission of the writers.
Little Irving is going to be the one to bring
this to the public's attention in Irving,
and we hope and pray that after the public
learns about the things I am about to share
with 6000 of my closest friends, they will
insist on change at this shelter. Change
in management and change in staff.
I hope that reading about what little Irving
has caused will cause you to swell with pride
to be a Small Pawser. We have been working
on this Irving Shelter issue, both night
and day since it happened.
Marilyn Brewster and Vicki Furstenburg, Small
Paws Rescue Co-Team Leaders of North Texas,
have been amazing warriors for this cause.
They have truly made us all extremely proud!
I believe them of their accounts with this
shelter 100%. They have not misled anyone,
nor have any of you been misinformed.
I would like to ask you to give these two
fine ladies a standing ovation for their
very public work in trying to bring about
change at this shelter!
I'll be joining this citizen's group for
the Irving Animal Shelter Reform, on Thursday
night, in Irving Tx., when Irving and I will
address their city council.
Numerous media and press folks will be in
attendance. We request your prayers to be
in attendance as well!
If you are a Small Pawser, please come and
join us at the Irving City Hall at 7:00 P.M.
this Thursday night.
If you are another rescuer and have specific
knowledge of dealing with this shelter, please
come and tell the city counsel about it.
Each person is allowed three minutes to speak.
Since this has happened, we understand that
the city has "fired" all of the
volunteers who used to walk the shelter and
take pictures to put online, in order to
get the animals adopted, instead of them
being euthanized. They are no longer being
allowed in the shelter, since it was they
who told us about Irving, and showed us his
picture. You know, shoot the messenger! These
shelter walkers and photo takers are coming
to speak at Thursday's City Counsel Meeting
as well.
In my experience, there is just WAYYYY too
much smoke here for there not to be some
fire, or maybe even a raging inferno.
That's all for tonight. We have some unbelievable
new medical cases just into rescue right
now with Small Paws, and I will try to tell
you about them tomorrow or Wednesday. One
of them is Elmo, who is only six weeks old
and is in emergency tonight at Texas A&M.
Thank you all for helping us to make Irving
from Irving more comfortable in his final
days. Thank you for making his cry the one
that has been heard around the world. And
we have not yet begun to fight. On that,
you have my word.
I was once advised to choose my fights well.
I have chosen this one, on behalf of a little
waif of a dog, whose pain filled eyes begged
for help for three days, all the time being
deemed healthy and ready for adoption.
He may not have much time left here on earth,
but his picture will be his legacy, and is
going to be worth hundreds of thousands of
words, on the behalf of shelter animals everywhere.
All My Love, Robin
P.S. There are too many email addies here
for me to convert to HTML, but you can see
who they are from and to.
09/01/2006 04:18 PM
From Tom.Morris@TrinityLearning.com
To tgonzalez@ci.irving.tx.us, mayor@ci.irving.tx.us,
ccouncil@ci.irving.tx.us, cmiller@ci.irving.tx.us,
sstokes@ci.irving.tx.us
cc pfowler@ci.irving.tx.us
Subject: Appalling Incidents At The Irving
Animal "Shelter"
Mr. Mayor and Other Honorable Citizens:
I am a member of the Irving Shelter Reform
Group. I became aware of the terrible conditions
at the Shelter last Fall when I first went
to visit. Since then my wife, Clare, and
I have worked diligently to do what we can
to improve conditions in the Shelter and
improve the adoption rate of healthy animals
that end up in the Shelter.
I am not a “screaming animal rights activist”.
I am a senior officer in a large public company
where I am charged with making high level
decisions daily. I think others would tell
you that I am objective and level-headed.
And I understand the mission statement of
a city animal control operation starts with
“control”.
With that being said, I have been REPEATEDLY
disgusted by incidents that have occurred
over the past year where it has been obvious
that the Shelter management and staff have
ignored the welfare of dogs and cats that
have ended up in the facility while making
it as difficult as possible for volunteers
willing to give of their own time and resources
to ASSIST THE CITY in getting more animals
out of the facility alive.
The most recent incident in this sad saga
is the case where the needs of the little
dog named “Irving” were ignored based simply
on rigid adherence to bureaucracy. But unfortunately
– and needlessly – what occurred in this
case is merely the latest in a LONG series
of other totally senseless and avoidable
cases of inhumane treatment and/or flagrant
disregard for the well-being of the animals
by the staff.
Until recently I had been of the opinion
that it would be better to work with Shelter
senior management (Mssrs. Fowler and Teel)
in the hopes that by pointing out these issues
to them things would get better.
But they haven’t. Things are getting worse.
The Shelter staff continues to BLATANTLY
ignore the welfare of the animals and needlessly
put restraints on volunteers who only want
to help turn this hellhole into a better
place.
There are many issues/problems to be resolved
in the facility. But four must be addressed
immediately if things are ever going to get
better.
The first is to fire Susie Williamson, the
Shelter Supervisor. She does not possess
the leadership skills or temperament to hold
that position. Her demeanor is usually surly
or harassed. Her negative, bureaucratic attitude
and public moodiness combined with her lack
of compassion is a disgrace to the City.
Her lack of interest in aiding “Irving” is
not atypical. She should be removed immediately.
Second, you should demand that senior City
staff answer some very serious questions,
such as:
· Why does your staff continue to deny accusations
of mistreatment of animals when there are
multiple eyewitness accounts of these abuses
taking place regularly?
· Why do these incidents continue to occur
despite the promises of senior City management
that “they are committed to making things
better”?
· Why are needless obstacles and petty regulations
being put in place to make it even more difficult
for volunteers to assist in increasing the
adoption rate? For example, why is the Shelter
(acknowledging that they are already short
of staff) going to take on the task of taking
photos of the animals for Petfinders when
motivated, qualified volunteers have been
doing the job? I suspect it is because management
does not want volunteers to know what is
really going on with disposition of the animals.
Third, you should demand an outside audit
of the Shelter. Bad things are happening
in the facility daily. You and your fellow
citizens of Irving deserve an impartial third
party evaluation by nationally recognized
animal control professionals to delve into
current practices so that YOU can better
understand what is going right – and wrong
– with this facility. Once you really know
what is happening, you will be in a better
position to take corrective action.
Lastly, you should demand to review the credentials
of the part-time veterinarian recently added
to the staff. Too many reputable vets who
practice in Irving have already found fault
with many of her diagnostic conclusions.
There is a real question as to her competence.
As leaders of our City you have an obligation
to make Irving a model of civic excellence.
How we manage the Shelter is a direct indicator
of success or failure on this barometer.
Currently, we are failing. As a citizen of
Irving, I am appealing to you to take action
now to make the Shelter what it should be
– a “shelter” for unfortunate animals that
end up there – and not a holding pen where
the staff just counts the days until they
can euthanize another homeless pet.
Thomas E. Morris>
<Subj: A Little Dog named Irving
Date: 9/1/2006 3:38:40 PM Central Standard
Time
From: bettyy3@earthlink.net (Betty is the
President of the citizen's group for Animal
Shelter Reform)
To: mayor@ci.irving.tx.us, ccouncil@ci.irving.tx.us,
tgonzalez@cityofirving.us, pfowler@ci.irving.tx.us
CC: jcarroll@ci.irving.tx.us
Mr. Mayor, Member of the City Council, City
Manager, and Pat Fowler,
This has been a banner week at the shelter
and, quite frankly, I have not been able
to put my feelings into words until now.
I do not know about the State of Oklahoma,
but here in our great State of Texas, a veterinarian
is sworn to uphold the following oath as
adopted by the House of Delegates in 1969:
"Being admitted to the profession of
veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to
use my scientific knowledge and skills for
the benefit of society through the protection
of animal health, the relief of animal suffering,
the conservation of animal resources, the
promotion of public health, and the advancement
of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously,
with dignity, and in keeping with the principles
of veterinary medical ethics.
I will accept as a lifelong obligation the
continual improvement of my professional
knowledge and competence."
Yesterday, Clare Morris and I made a trip
to Dallas where the little dog Irving lay
in a diagnostic hospital for animals. We felt it necessary to be introduced to
this little guy personally and make certain
we had not been misinformed, as the shelter
staff is saying. Trust me on this one, Herb.
We were not misinformed. I held Irving in my own arms, wrapped in
a towel so as not to bruise his protruding
ribs, and looked into his face. In my own
hands they placed a solid stone removed from
his bladder: it was the size of a golf ball
(picture attached). He had a second stone
they did not show me; however, the medical
staff said it was somewhat larger than the
one I held. A healthy dog? You do not need
the use of sophisticated equipment to see
that this dog was suffering. (my own picture
attached)
Some may consider me silly when I tell you
that I whispered "I'm sorry this happened
to you on my watch" into his ear. He
was a tough little guy - he licked my face
and wagged his tail: he was going to be okay.
Small Paws would see to it. They delight
in helping animals who are Hospice patients
and to quote one of the rescuers there with
me yesterday "we hold their little paw
until they cross over Rainbow Bridge."
This group enjoys more than 6,000 members
internationally: when they flex, it shows.
Not only did Dr. King make a serious mistake
in evaluating this dog's medical condition;
but the shelter supervisor failed to recognize
distinct and basic symptoms of extreme distress.
This surprises me due to Ms. Williamson's
experience as a competitive dog breeder.
To deem this critically ill dog healthy and
place a "I'm ready for adoption"
card (picture attached) on his cage was ludicrous!
I believe if anyone mentions the 72 hour
hold period one more time I will scream.
This is not about the 72 hour hold period.
This is about the fact a skilled veterinarian
and shelter supervisor failed to see an animal
in extreme pain, the fact those individuals
were willing to let this emaciated and suffering
dog stay in that cage unmedicated and urinating
on itself from August 24th until August 31st,
and the fact that one of those individuals
was so focused on control that they refused
a renowned group of rescuers the opportunity
to pull the dog for emergency care! How many
times do I have to say it? We are NOT the
enemy. We've been told the shelter staff
has named themselves and our group the "Hatfields
and McCoys". That, sir, is what we deal
with as we spend countless volunteer hours,
such as yourself and the council, to help
OUR city shelter because the staff cannot
possibly do it all! Unfortunately, you get
what you ask for. Yesterday at 2:45 p.m.,
with a small little dog in my arms, I became
a Hatfield and the shelter became a McCoy.
They labeled us; we drew a line in the sand;
and they stepped over it. It is unfortunate,
because we are more determined and more dedicated
than ever before to oversee our shelter until
it is a polished jewel. Only then, will we
rest.
Just yesterday, Clare and I went to the shelter
at 4:40 p.m. to conduct a "head count"
of the cats and kittens. This was my first
time to actually experience a roll call of
this sort, and in that short amount of time
I assisted, I found two cats missing and
unaccounted for (again); and a cage with
four kittens with an identification card
marked "three". I see why animals
cannot be found; I see why an entire litter
of unweaned kittens were lost in July; and
I see how a box of unweaned babies could
be placed on a top shelf and forgotten. By
the way, at one minute until 5 p.m., Clare
warned me to hurry for Leticia would come
and tell us to leave when the clock struck
5. With 30 seconds to go; there were several
uniformed ASOs gathered at the front desk,
and just as Clare warned, the door opened
and Leticia announced "are you girls
ready to go?" Of course we were, just
let us make one more note of one more mistake
on the tracking system. We finished our tally
outside OUR shelter, standing on the sidewalk.
A young ASO walked past me carrying a "live
animal" box marked "Justin's Cat"
- I am hoping it is one of the missing ones:
I'd rather it be in the box and not properly
logged out, than MIA.
I should have pushed harder at City Hall;
but because of the respect I have for my
home town, for you Herb, and for my friends
on city council; I failed to focus as clearly
as I should have. My mistake. This is MY
shelter, run by MY taxes; and I am taking
ownership from this day forward. This is
YOUR shelter, run by YOUR taxes too - I'm
asking that you take ownership with me.
As a core member of the Irving Animal Shelter
Reform, I am asking for a full outside audit
from the Humane Society of the United States
- now. It would be very honorable for the
city to send them an invitation and put a
stop to all the negative publicity and ill
feelings from citizens.
The cost of an audit will probably be comparable
to a K-9 police officer that is imported
from another country, which is approximately
$20,000. I would prefer the next K-9 officer
be recruited from our own city shelter's
Death Row as seen in other cities, and the
money used to fund the audit. The result
would be an excellent blueprint of shelter
procedures to be used for Irving's new state-of-the-art
animal shelter.
I would appreciate a call, an e-mail, a cup
of coffee? Just something would be wonderful.
Signed,
Betty Yarbrough
Citizen of Irving>
<
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 08:48:12
From: clemmiegirl1@yahoo.com>
Subject: A VISIT TO SEE IRVING AKA Henry
the little dog
To: mayor@ci.irving.tx.us, Tommy Gonzalez
<tgonzalez@cityofirving.us>,
ccouncil@ci.irving.tx.us, Pat Fowler <pfowler@ci.irving.tx.us>
Cc: cmiller@ci.irving.tx.us, sstokes@cityofirving.us
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Gonzalez, City Council Members
and Pat Fowler,
How do I begin this letter.
First I have to stop crying and take a deep
breath.
To say I am APPALLED, would be an understatement.
When I first heard of the little dog, IRVING,
I just could not imagine it could be true.
Not in MY SHELTER, the one that I and the
rest of our group have tried so hard to have
changes made including having a part time
vet. When the vet came on board I said to
myself, finally the animals will be taken
care of. I did not realize at the time how
WRONG I would be.
As you are aware I go to the shelter EVERY
DAY that it is open. Every day I see something
that is not 'right'. When I make this statement
I am referring to: cards on the cages that
are incorrect i.e. 4 kittens in a cage but
only the #3 noted on the card, dates wrong
on the card i.e. arrival date of the end
of Aug. however the adoption date and disposition
date were the first part of Aug. instead
of the first week of Sept. Minor you will
say but still wrong. Cats with eye infections,
coughing cats, runny noses--yes, I know the
answer is upper respiratory infection and
I also know that 21 cats were put down on
Tues. morning Aug. 29th around 10-11am per
Lettie. I happened to do my rounds at 1:30pm
and was informed of that. I question the
time of putting the cats down since Pat and
John had informed Betty, Tom and I recently
that no animal is put down during the hours
the shelter is open to the public. I am just
amazed that with a vet on staff some medication
could have been given to prevent this. I
ask myself WHY? and cannot come up with an
answer.
I did not have time to go and see the dogs
last week so you can just imagine, when I
found out about the condition of IRVING aka
Henry, I was in SHOCK. This could not happen,
how could it have happened--was everyone
BLIND! I am told that the employees are to
check the cages 3 times a day and sign a
card/sheet of paper that they have done so.
I ask you, who were these people who signed
the cards? Please do not tell me all they
are to do is make sure food and water is
available to the animals. There is NO WAY
anyone could have missed seeing the shape
this little dog was in NO WAY. I have been
informed that the vet, Dr. King looked at
Irving 3 times and said he was healthy and
ready for adoption. I would ask you to look
at the photos again and HONESTLY, look me
in the eyes and tell me this dog was healthy.
Yesterday, Betty and I went to the Dallas
Diagnostic Center to see for ourselves just
what the little guy looked like. Could the photos really be wrong, were we
MISINFORMED as Pat is saying? Well, we saw,
we held him, I got on the floor and let him
give me a kiss, I put my hand over his BONEY
yes BONEY body, I site I will never forget.
NO NO NO AND NO WE WERE NOT MISINFORMED. I do not know if any of you have taken the
time to go and see Irving for yourself. If
you did, you would be sick. I thank the good
Lord above that there were a couple people
in the shelter that DID THE RIGHT THING and
let Small Paws take Irving on Sat. I am terribly
disturbed with Susie and how she acted that
is another issue needing to be addressed.
I know there are rules i.e. 72 hour hold
BUT under these EXTREME circumstances the
life of an animal comes before the 72 hours.
Possibly some of the employees do not regard
these dogs and cats has living breathing
individuals. In the shelter they do not ask
for much, a little water, some food, dry
area to sleep and possibly now and then someone
to pet them and give them a kind word. They
did not ask to be there.
Because of Small Paws and their efforts Irving
is now being taken care of. How long he has
is yet to be seen. Hopefully it would be
for a very long time but I'm afraid it is
not, however he will have the best home with
more love then he can imagine till the Lord
calls him to a greater place.
I forgot to add that while at the Diagnostic
Center yesterday I saw and held one of the
2 'stones' that was removed from is tiny
body. How he made it thru the surgery is
amazing and makes me more of a believer of
the man above.
I am asking for an outside audit, an investigation
into HOW this could have happened and I am
asking for it now.
I realize that all of you are extremely busy,
but I am a tax paying citizen and that shelter
is mine as well as every citizen in Irving.
I would certainly appreciate a response from
any and all of you.
THIS CAN NOT HAPPEN AGAIN EVER.
Most disturbed,
Clare Morris>
<-----Original Message-----
> From: bettyy3@earthlink.net
> Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 11:58
PM
> To: mayor@ci.irving.tx.us; ccouncil@ci.irving.tx.us;
> BOBDFW@aol.com;
(And also sent to too many email addies
to list here of citizens of Irving. )
> Subject: Little White Dog named "Irving"
and Small
> Paws Rescue Org.
>
> I know you get a lot of junk mail, but
here we are
> again in a newsworthy
> situation!>
>
> I warned Pat about this one yesterday,
but it was
> too late. The damage was
> done on Saturday.
>
> You know, I've spent countless hours
and late
> nights trying to make a
> difference at the shelter, and all in
all, I
> think our little group
> has done a great job. We've been most
appreciative
> of all the monies given
> to such a pitiful little place. I feel
great pride
> in our hard work, and
> tearful events, and tireless efforts
- and just
> when I'm considering a new
> project to help the shelter staff: Boom!
> Another bomb hits.
>
> At first, when I began to hear negative
comments
> about the veterinarian and
> when people questioned her decisions,
I almost felt
> ashamed that our group
> begged for a veterinarian, and once
she arrived,
> she wasn't good enough.
> After this weekend and the incident
with "Irving",
> the dog rescued by Small
> Paws, I too question her ability.
>
> Dogs with "Hold" cards for rescue
teams are being
> euthanized. Cats are
> missing from cages with no record of
what happened
> to them. Tiny kittens
> are placed in a cardboard box on a shelf
for over 18
> hours with no food or
> water. A citizen's cat was killed by mistake.
> Countless dogs are killed by
> mistake. Twenty-one cats were killed
today because
> of Cat Flu, instead of
> a $5 bottle of amoxycillin with over
160 doses in
> the bottle! If there is
> time to clean bird cages, change fish
water in the
> Beta fish tank on the
> counter, and maintain the big fish tank
in the
> lobby- there is certainly
> time to give a drop of antibiotic to
sneezing and
> wheezing cats!
>
> You know what? I have really tried to
remain
> open-minded and at the least,
> remain a friendly adversary of the shelter
- but
> not today. No, not
> today. Please take the time to look
at the Small
> Paws website and really
> read it. Otherwise, you'll have no idea
the
> severity of the incident and
> how these folks feel about our - MY
shelter. It is
> an embarassment to me
> and what my group is trying to represent.
The
> article about Irving starts
> with the salutation "Dear Small
Pawsers" :
>
> > http://www.smallpawsrescue.org/pup3/august2606a.html
>
> > Scroll down the page and read the
article - don't
> stop with just one
> hyperlink about little Irving - there
are several
> stories about him on this
> site, for he is the newest member of
the Small Paws
> family. You too, will
> be able to see why the public is so
outraged. This
> is no small
> organization guys - this is a biggie
and they think
> our shelter is
> inadequate. When you look at the pathetic
shape of
> this little dog,
> remember that our shelter vet [Dr. King],
along with
> our supervisor, Susie
> Williamson, deemed the dog healthy!
The state's
> minimum vet care
> requirement is to control bleeding;
control shock;
> and control pain.
> Please.
>
> This little dog suffered for days before
a rescuer
> persisted with phone
> calls to Susie Williamson to release
the dog.
> Something has to change!
> It is imperative the shelter policy
change
> immediately to allow a rescue
> group to pull a sick or injured dog
from the shelter
> I propose some sort
> of legal agreement be prepared between
the shelter
> and the rescue group
> which allows a rescuer to remove a sick
or injured
> dog from the shelter
> BEFORE the 72-hour stray hold has passed.
During
> that 72-hour period, if
> the owner comes to claim the dog; the
rescue group
> will be required to
> return the dog to the shelter or face
legal action.
> In the interim, the
> dog will at the least have been treated
and made
> comfortable. I would also
> like to know what type of medical care
the new vet
> is to provide.
> Euthanizations is not the answer. We
wanted a vet
> who would provide
> medical care to our animal citizens,
or send them to
> an outside vet clinic
> if necessary. We were all too familiar
with the
> "last resort" alternative
> before the vet arrived: we thought the
vet was
> hired to help.
>
> Irving Animal Shelter Reform has dropped
subtle
> hints to all levels of
> management, including Mayor and Council,
and we've
> stayed quiet about
> atrocities that make us cry. It is now
time for me
> to strongly recommend
> the city hire the Humane Society of
the United
> States to conduct a full
> audit of the shelter immediately. The end result
> will be an excellent
> blueprint of success to be applied to
the new
> state-of-the-art shelter.
> The citizens of Irving deserve their
shelter to be
> the best of the best -
> the audit should be mandatory. I will
be happy to
> share my idea of where
> the money for the audit will come from.
Most happy.
>
>
> Several of our rescuers have mentioned
that the
> shelter staff retaliates on
> them because of the demands of the Irving
Shelter
> Reform volunteer group. I
> believe Susie Williamson should be removed
from her
> position immediately,
> along with any other employee or member
of
> management that deliberately
> retaliates or allows retaliation on
an innocent
> animal due to dislike of an
> Irving Animal Shelter Reform volunteer
or any other
> rescue organization
> trying to help the Irving Animal Shelter.
>
> I believe the actions and decisions
of Dr. Elizabeth
> King should be
> re-evaluated immediately by someone
with the
> knowledge to do so. No one at
> the Irving Animal Shelter is qualified
to make that
> judgment call, nor would
> they be able to provide a fair opinion.
>
> It is with regret I send this letter.
I'm weary;
> I'm downcast in spirit;
> and I'm fighting the urge to raise up
my hand and
> yell "Charge"!
>
> Many times I've written - and many times
I hear
> nothing. I'm asking as a
> citizen of Irving who works hard and
stays faithful
> to this City, please at
> the very least , let me know you've
reviewed my
> concerns.
>
> Betty Yarbrough
> 55 year resident of this fair city>
From: "Tom Morris" <morris2690@sbcglobal.net>
To: "Tommy Gonzalez" <tgonzalez@cityofirving.us>,
<mayor@ci.irving.tx.us>,
<ccouncil@ci.irving.tx.us>,
<cmiller@ci.irving.tx.us>,
<sstokes@ci.irving.tx.us>
Cc: "Pat Fowler" <pfowler@ci.irving.tx.us>
Subject: Fw: Appalling Incidents At The Irving
Animal "Shelter"
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 13:00:11 -0500
Mr. Mayor and Other Honorable Citizens:
Upon reflection, I realize there are other
practices and issues you should be made aware
of as you consider badly needed reforms at
theIrving Animal Shelter.
The first is that the current Shjelter management
authorizes the needless killing of healthy
animals on a systematic basis. As you know,
there are mandated "hold" times
before the City can kill a dog or cat at
the Shelter. What none of us in the volunteer
ranks understand is why Shelter management
insists on killing healthy, adoptable animals
at the earliest "legal" opportunity
when there are empty cages remaining unused
in the facility. I understand that overcrowding
is a real problem and in those situations
it is necessary to follow the "letter
of the law" when it comes to enforcing
minimum hold times. But when there are empty
cages this practice of killing healthy animals
as soon as their minimum hold times are up
is totally senseless and contributes the
the feeling by those of us interested in
seeing conditions Shelter conditions improve
that management cares nothing about "animal
welfare" and everything about "animal
control".
I have asked Mssrs. Fowler and Teel why they
feel they must adhere to this killing schedule
if cages are open. They have never given
me a logical response as to why they continue
the practice.
Another equally senseless practice at the
Shelter is killing animals on Sundays. The
problem with this is that it makes it impossible
for rescue groups to save an animal identified
for rescue on a Saturday but not removed
from the Shelter that day. John Teel's response
to this is that it takes a long time to kill
an animal, and they need the time to do so
when the Shelter is not open. The reality
is they currently kill animals when the Shelter
is open. Several witnesses heard Shelter
employees state that 21 cats were "put
down" last week while the Shelter was
open. If Shelter management is as committed
to to animal welfare as they claim, you would
think they would have policies in place designed
to save lives, not destroy animals prematurely
before they know if a dog or cat may have
a home.
The last thing you should know - if you do
not already - is that a former Shelter employee
has filed a suit against the City of Irving
pursuant to the Texas Whistleblower Act.
The plaintiff is Tarah Baumgarter. She worked
as an Officer at the Shelter for almost six
months before being terminated. Ms. Baumgarter
makes numerous allegations, including:
Controlled drugs missing from the Shelter
Dogs in Shelter not removed from cages during
cleaning but instead soaked in chemicals
and hit with hoses
Animal feces not cleaned from inside cages
Small dogs and puppies bounced around cages
during cleaning by being hit by hoses
Injured dogs left in cages without veterinary
care
Female dogs placed in cages with male dogs
Large dogs placed in cages with small dogs
Healthy dogs placed in cages with sick dogs
Cats killed in animal control trucks in the
back of the facility instead of being logged
into the Shelter and then euthanized
No sedation on cats killed in trucks
If person feeding dogs did not like a particular
dog, it would not be fed each day
If three dogs were in a single cage, food
only sufficient for one dog was placed in
cage, resulting in dominant dog obtaining
food and others going without
Plantiff was touched in a sexual manner on
two occasions and upon report to Shelter
supervisor no action was taken
Dogs not permitted to be placed in euthanasia
room because an employee used room to eat
his lunch
Dog pinned against back wall of cages with
boot to be given initial shot for euthanasia
Re-use of same syring to euthanize several
dogs and needle then repenetrated drug bottle
so as to cause contamination
Improper drug log book used and when Plaintiff
submitted proper form, Supervisor did not
implement
Plaintiff compelled to remove head of dog
to be tested for rabies by method of chopping
head off with axe without proper protective
devices, resulting in blood and body fluids
flying into Plaintiff's face and mouth
One or more persons not certified carrying
out euthanasia
Kicking dogs after brought into Shelter
Wild bobcat babies left in Shelter for two
days without food
Healthy dogs that are noisy, dogs held by
police department when owner arrested and
when dogs seized on abandonment or cruelty,
all placed in quarantine area with dogs suspected
of rabies disease.
Rabies cages and room not properly secured
If too many rabies case dogs came in, one
would be removed and place in general caging
with other dogs, even though quarantine time
not sufficient
No rabies quarantine policy/procedure manual
present in or at room
On dog bite calls, if owner alleges rabies
innoculation, proof not required
Cats placed in quarantine placed in cages
without litter box, food or water for days
My wife and I had occasion to interface with
Ms. Baumgarter in the days just after we
became active in assisting the Shelter and
just after she had started her job as an
Animals Services Officer. We found Ms. Baumgarter
to be a very energetic, enthusiastic employee
who was very excited to be working at the
facility. In the short time we knew her we
saw her do numerous things to assist the
animals in her charge, inclusing arranging
for animals to be transported to other facilities
where they would have a better chance at
adoption and repainting and carpeting a portion
of the cat room to provide a play area for
cats and kittens.
Strictly form a personal point-of-view, it
is difficult for me to believe Ms. Baumgarter
made all these allegations up. But that is
strictly my opinion. However, as City leaders,
you owe it to the citizens of Irving to keep
trck of this case. If even a fraction of her charges are found
to be true, it certainly reinforces all the
evidence others have brought forward about
shoddy and negligent Shelter management.
I, and others like me who are fed up with
excuses as to why provable acts of cruelty
and negligence at the Shelter continue to
be tolerated by our City, demand action by
you on our behalf. If no satisfaction is
forthcoming, I will personally pay for advertisng
in the Irving Journal to inform the citizens
of Irving about these issues and tha fact
that elected officials are ignoring these
concerns.
Thomas E. Morris>
From Small Pawser Bayn Carlson
Subj: Irving Shelter
Date: 9/4/2006 8:18:02 PM Central Standard
Time
From: carlsonb@friscoisd.org
Mr. Mayor and Members of the City Council,
My name is Bayn Carlson. I am a resident
of Frisco, and I'm an educator with the Frisco
ISD. I'm a long time member of Small Paws
Rescue, and own four Bichons that are all
rescues from Small Paws. I also am, as many
people involved with this story have claimed
about our rescue organization, one of those
bleeding heart liberal animal rights activists.
As a volunteer for Small Paws I have fostered
dogs, helped with transport, done shelter
walks, given of my money and time, and most
recently helped with the birth and rearing
of seven beautiful Bichon puppies that are
now all living with their loving adoptive
families.
In January, I lost my little dog Riley. He
did not have his collar on, but he was micro-chipped.
I hoped and prayed someone would find him
and take him to a shelter. I and Small Paws
volunteers along with people from DFW Cares
vigilantly walked the shelters of the metroplex
daily in hopes he would turn up. Luckily
he was found three weeks later hiding out
on a ranch not far from my house. I was one
of the fortunate ones.
I first learned of Irving's plight through
our newsletter on August 28, 2006. I did
nothing. I read more about it the following
day, and still did nothing. I figured people
in our group who lived closer to the city
of Irving would have things under control.
However, I was wrong. As you now know, no
one had anything, with concern to this little
dog, under control.
On August 26th I received another news letter
with pictures of Irving. He was now in our
care. I don't know if enraged even begins
to describe how I felt when I saw the picture
which I'm sure you have all seen by now.
I decided it was now time for me to get involved.
I called the Mayor's office to see if he
was aware of the situation. Sadly, I don't
believe his receptionist had been informed
of the seriousness of the neglect and ineptness.
She transferred me to the Community Liaison's
office and I spoke with Susan Rose. She told
me that she was familiar with the case and
had me call John Teel, the manager of the
city shelter.
I had to leave a message for Mr. Teel, and
he returned my call very quickly. I explained
to Mr. Teel who I was and the rescue group
that I worked for. Surprisingly, Mr. Teel
had a very calming effect on me, and we spoke
for close to thirty minutes. After speaking
with Mr. Teel, I felt that he was trying
to make some serious changes at the shelter,
and this was pretty much just an unfortunate
incident that had slipped through the cracks.
That evening I called Robin Pressnall, the
Executive Director of Small Paws. We talked
for quite a while as I explained what Mr.
Teel had told me. I told her numerous times
I thought that he was trying to make a difference,
and asked her to speak with Mr. Teel the
following day. Several times I asked her
to, "call off the dogs." Now, with
the things that have come to light, I'm glad
she didn't listen to me.
I happen to be one of the people that's in
the loop with regard to this case. I have
read numerous e-mails that have been sent
to Mr. Teel, Mr. Fowler, and all of you.
After watching the Channel 4 news on Friday
evening, I became more upset about Irving's
case. During the news interview it was said
that Small Paws is misrepresenting the facts
of this case. This simply is not true. Personally,
I'm not sure that you or Mr. Teel has been
given all of the facts of this case, and
feel that you need to find out what the facts
truly are. For the life of me, I cannot understand
why someone in authority hasn't said, "It's
unfortunate, but we screwed up, and are looking
into it so something like this never happens
again." That hasn't happened. Instead
people in authority are pointing fingers
and are publicly stating that Small Paws
is misrepresenting the facts of the case.
Once again, this is not true.
In my conversation with Mr. Teel he apologized
for having to refer to his notes of the case
that I believe were given to him by Susie
Willamson, the shelter supervisor. Mr. Teel
told me the dog was picked up at an apartment
complex as a stray. However, our rescue volunteers
that originally tried to get Irving were
told by shelter staff members he was an owner
turn in. If he was an owner turn in, why
was he not released immediately to our rescue
group? If he was an owner turn in, no one
would be coming for him.
Mr. Teel told me that animals are kept on
a 72 hour hold before they are released or
euthanized. Yet Ms. Williamson told our volunteer
the dog could not be released until Thursday,
which would have meant he was to be at the
shelter for a full week. Why then was there
a sign on his cage saying Irving was ready
for adoption when our volunteers tried to
take charge of the dog?
When I asked Mr. Teel why it took three of
our people to go to the shelter before the
dog was released into rescue, he referred
to his notes and said the volunteers didn't
have the proper paperwork. The fact is, the
paperwork was e-mailed to the shelter.
Mr. Teel also said looking at the condition
of the dog, he'd probably been running for
sometime. I'm not sure if Mr. Teel saw the
dog personally, or was going from his notes
or from the picture that someone from Small
Paws sent him. However, how could a trained
veterinarian deem this dog healthy enough
for adoption, let alone vaccinate and worm
him? Did no one notice he was not eating,
and that there was no urine or feces in his
cage?
I have many other questions, but want to
allow time for other people to be able to
speak. But, I will be happy to share them
with you at another time if you wish to hear
them.
The mayor's comment on the news broadcast
was something to the effect that it's unfortunate
that this has come to light when so many
changes are happening at the shelter. You
are correct it is unfortunate. I cannot believe
that it hasn't come to light before this.
Volunteers and rescue organizations being
turned away from any shelter is inexcusable.
A twenty-one percent survival rate for your
shelter is unforgivable. I unfortunately
agree that there is pet overpopulation, and
there are animals that are just not adoptable
due to temperament, health, or age. However,
with your shelter, for every four animals
that enters, you are lucky if one is recovered,
adopted, or rescued. I can't help to think
that if my little Riley had ended up in your
shelter, odds are he would have become just
another one of your statistics.
I'm sure there are many people working for
the city of Irving that hope and believe
that this story will just go away. I'm here
to tell you that it will not. Even if the
grassroots group that is asking for shelter
changes gives up in disgust, even if Small
Paws puts this on the back burner, I will
be here. Let me just add, I know Robin Pressnall
very well. I can guarantee you she will be
standing right next to me as will the Small
Paws organization world wide. This is not
going to go away, until changes are made.
You have a problem. I pray you will step
up to the plate and fix it. You cannot wait
for your bond election to pass, and then
take the time to build a new shelter. Your
problem is here today, and it's not getting
any better. I will make a promise to you.
If you choose to do nothing about your shelter,
when election time comes around, I will be
here helping your opposing candidate become
elected to your seat. You owe it to yourself,
your city, and to all the animals like Irving
that do not have a voice, to make some drastic
changes with your shelter today.
I'll leave you with a passage from Matthew
25:45
Then He will answer them, "Truly I say
to you, to the extent that you did not do
it to one of the least of these, you did
not do it to Me."
Please do not do what I did originally and
do nothing. I'm just one voice. You have
the power. You can make a difference.
Thank you for your time. Bayn Carlson>
Subj: Fw: Fw: Little White Dog named "Irving"
and Small Paws Rescue Org.
Date: 9/4/2006 11:09:15 PM Central Standard
Time
From: don.ro@verizon.net
To: Pup3@aol.com
(This letter was copied to the Mayor and
all Irving city officials.)
Robin,
The Irving city council and government is
out of control and spending its time and
resources to make sure the illegal aliens
are happy while ripping off the American
citizens who live in Irving.
The poor little dog named "Irving"
is just the tip of the iceberg regarding
what is happening to the city.
The city council has called a bond election
to sell $335,000,000 in bonds to finance
more and more stuff for the illegal aliens
who are findng the City of Irving specially
kowtows to them at the expense of the American
citizens who live in Irving.
The neighborhoods are going down the tubes
as the city council and city management allow
the illegal aliens to convert single family
homes into "housetels." "Housetels"
are single family homes that the illegal
aliens have converted to hotels sleeping
large numbers of non-related illegal aliens.
The major was quoted in the Dallas Morning
News on Friday as being most happy that he
has assisted in the "Mexicanizing"
of Irving as he and the reporter put it.
It will take a concerted effort by citizens
to bring the city council's attention back
to what it should be doing such as seeing
to it that the City of Irving animal pound
is operated humanely.
Thank goodness for Small Paws Rescue Organization
for bringing the terrible situation at the
pound to the attention of the public. It
is a shame that animals have to die and be
abused before the city council is aroused.
At the moment, I have not seen any indication
the mayor and city council intend to fire
the pound staff and replace it with employees
who will handle the animals humanely.
Don R.>
Always remember.
No matter what you have done, or where you
have been, God loves you more than anyone
else ever has and more than anyone else ever
will.
For Those Broken of Heart from the Loss of
a Beloved Pet
Gospel
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