I had ringworm on my neck when I was a young boy, we had no idea where it came from. We treated it with iodine and it was gone within a matter of a few weeks. To my knowledge, I was the only one in the family.
700 animals adopted out - 35 put down - that's a rather small number put down - if I did the math right, that's less than 5 %. A lot of other shelters are over 50%.
By pulling your support, by saying "I'll never trust them again" etc etc etc- you're guaranteeing that we won't have a shelter in this area after a while, and not a very long while either. Which means a hell of a lot closer to a 100% death rate for the animals in the area.
Local_Historian wrote: Ok - time to put things into perspective.
700 animals adopted out - 35 put down - that's a rather small number put down - if I did the math right, that's less than 5 %. A lot of other shelters are over 50%.
By pulling your support, by saying "I'll never trust them again" etc etc etc- you're guaranteeing that we won't have a shelter in this area after a while, and not a very long while either. Which means a hell of a lot closer to a 100% death rate for the animals in the area.
Is that what you want?
Talk about fear tactics!
To me, it means "I don't like how you are running OUR shelter. If you want my support, you should change your policies".
Local_Historian wrote: Ok - time to put things into perspective.
700 animals adopted out - 35 put down - that's a rather small number put down - if I did the math right, that's less than 5 %. A lot of other shelters are over 50%.
By pulling your support, by saying "I'll never trust them again" etc etc etc- you're guaranteeing that we won't have a shelter in this area after a while, and not a very long while either. Which means a hell of a lot closer to a 100% death rate for the animals in the area.
Is that what you want?
LH, We will continue to support IMHS and of course they are wanted and needed for our community. That does not mean that we have no right to try and influence the policies that are being used. A % is meaningless to me , 23 cats have been killed that may have been able to live. That is the # one issue I care about. I ,for one, will be more involved not less,I will continue to support their efforts but I expect them to communicate more effectively with their constituents.
When United Way had a far more serious scandal they reacted to regain the trust of the people that were contributors, that made them better . I hope IMHS does the same. All non profits have these types of issues. I don't think sweeping this under the rug will make them better.
I want a board that is responsive to the community. There is no need to close the shelter - people will support the shelter when they know they are doing work they can believe in. Otherwise - we need a new board that will work more closely with the community. People have pulled their support months ago because they knew this had already happened - now it's just all out in the open.
And - no life is worth taking if it can be saved. You can run numbers all you want but there are plenty of suggestions on this forum alone showing how this could have been handled differently. I want to look forward and see how we can prevent any more unnecessary deaths of animals. Maybe it could be dogs next time - don't you think we'd see an outrage then?
Wow, so many people in our community that care!!! I hope IMHS is listening and will handle things differently in the future. Our community needs this shelter and our community needs to know that we have a safe haven for the unwanted and discarded animals that come through their doors. There are times when euthanazia is the only choice, due to illness and/or injury, now I hope we can all work together to make sure it's not the only choice in a situation like this!!!
As I stated before, I didn't always agree with decisions that were made while an employee at IMHS all those years ago, or the current one that was made to euthanize so many cats, but I do try to understand "why" and will continue to support our local shelter any way that I can.
Here's hoping that much good will come from this tragedy!!!
PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS - THEIR VERY LIFE COULD DEPEND UPON IT!!!!!!
Attached is a portion of an e-mail I received from Best Friends. I haven't had an opportunity to review these websites but perhaps there's some relevant and helpful information out there which would prevent this situation in the future. Best Friends is a "no kill" sanctuary located in Utah. In my opinion, they represent the best of the best with regard to our animal friends.
"We believe that the citizens and local authorities of a community should work together to develop and maintain positive relationships that can result in the creation of programs that benefit their animals. Proactive programs that can reduce the number of unwanted animals should include regional low cost spay/neuter options and fostering/adoption programs, among others. Best Friends offers many resources to help build a no-kill community. Please review our resource library, for both individuals and organizations:
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomele ... celibrary/
You may find the articles listed under "No-Kill Ethics" to be particularly helpful.
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomele ... lindex.cfm
Additionally, the No More Homeless Pets Special Guests archives are filled with valuable information. Topics covered include fundraising, grant writing, spay/neuter programs, capital campaigns, and many more. Our Special Guests are leaders in the humane movement; you’ll find the archives at
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomele ... chives.cfm
I have tried to find the time and location (I know the date the 3rd Thursday of every month) of the next BOD meeting for IMHS it is not on their web site? Does anyone know?
A collective voice is much louder than a single one. A growing number of people are gathering to create this voice; just send an email to
to be added to the email list. I'll be working with the group to help everyone (hopefully) understand how to work with and/or apply for the board and how to use their membership votes at the annual meeting in May (if necessary). I believe Dr. Palmini wrote the date, time and location of the next board meeting in his post on this thread.
Discussions surrounding the euthanasia policy revision of 2008 were held during closed sessions of the board meeting with the exception of the meeting where I presented my thoughts and revisions that were deemed to be unsatisfactory by the board. My revisions included allowing foster homes to make educated decisions for themselves, requiring educated fosters to agree to a waiver releasing IMHS and it's directors of liability related to fostering animals with ringworm and allowing these homes to officially adopt the animal and take full responsibility for it's treatment, etc. I also argued that I felt they were not representing the wishes of their membership and supporters.
There is a reason noone here knows about any of this; you weren't supposed to know. I allowed myself to be manipulated into silence "for the good of the organization" once and it is my sole regret from my time at IMHS. It will not happen again.
Let's work together to make IMHS what everyone thought it was and wants it to be. I have to believe that the current board and staff really do want what is best for the organization and are hopefully willing to work with their supporters to achieve that end.
pound dog mom wrote: I have tried to find the time and location (I know the date the 3rd Thursday of every month) of the next BOD meeting for IMHS it is not on their web site? Does anyone know?
CreatureKeeper wrote:
In case you’re interested, I believe board meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of each month, 6:30pm at the Elk Creek Fire Department building on Richmond Hill. The general membership meeting is held in May and the current board is required to not only notify current members, but also post a public notice. Each member is allowed to vote; memberships may be purchased online, at the shelter and even at the door of the membership meeting. If you’re considering a donation to help offset any costs the shelter incurred with this ringworm infestation, make an investment by signing up for a membership….then participate!
I do not know if this is still accurate, however this is when it used to be held.
to be added to the email list. I'll be working with the group to help everyone (hopefully) understand how to work with and/or apply for the board and how to use their membership votes at the annual meeting in May (if necessary). I believe Dr. Palmini wrote the date, time and location of the next board meeting in his post on this thread.
