Just heard that Channel 7 is running this story tonight at 10pm.
Sally Ball, Broker Associate
Keller Williams Foothills Realty
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There is no justification for the actions of IMHS in killing cats for a mild treatable condition especially when our community has responded to help the shelter WHEN ASKED.
Interesting that the policy regarding ringworm changed in 2008. How did that happen and why?
My heart goes out to the foster mom of those kittens. She was lied to and deceived. I wish that had been made public at that time. Maybe this senseless tragedy could have been averted.
hillheathen wrote: There is no justification for the actions of IMHS in killing cats for a mild treatable condition especially when our community has responded to help the shelter WHEN ASKED.
Interesting that the policy regarding ringworm changed in 2008. How did that happen and why?
My heart goes out to the foster mom of those kittens. She was lied to and deceived. I wish that had been made public at that time. Maybe this senseless tragedy could have been averted.
CreatureKeeper wrote: 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.
I'm disappointed that the BOD of IMHS changed their euthanasa policy and decided to withhold that information from the very community that has supported the shelter for over 30 years.
I agree, that we all need to come together to make IMHS what it was and should continue to be in the future. I have brought in a few strays over the years and I would hate to think they are being euthanized without my knowledge. Now I'm questioning some things as more information is coming to the forefront.
As I've said, I will continue to support IMHS in any way I can, but they need to be open and honest about their policies. I will also ask from this community that you NOT pull your support as it is the animals that will suffer the consequences. Let's all be more proactive so we can make life better for all of our furry friends. Our local shelter should be a "SECOND CHANCE" and not a "DEATH SENTENCE"!
Thank you to those of you who expressed your sympathy's for me (and my family) after IMHS euthanized the kittens I raised. It was a traumatic experience that I never felt they acknowledged. So it is good to hear people recognize the emotional investment we have when we take these animals into our homes.
Interesting - "Our" shelter. Tell me, how is it "our" shelter if you don't invest anything in it?
If you've not donated money, time, supplies, etc - how do you get away with calling it yours? It's not coming out of our taxes, it's a private entity. YOu can call the RTD "our" bus, because most of us to pay taxes for it.
Without support, a private non profit closes - simple fact. Not even a fear tactic - a plain and simple fact.
But you cannot demand changes unless you are willing to give something back to it - and I don't mean an unwanted pet.
It is not an "our" anything - it is a service provided by kindly people who voluntarily give of their time and/or money to provide it, and should they decide they are not appreciated by the community, the BOD can shut it down permanently.
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That being said, yes, open and honest policy would be good. I can get why the cats were put down in the shelter; I cannot get why they were taken out of fosterage, where the family was willing to provide the care needed, and put down. That is baffling indeed. And in that case, unnecessary.
For those who do actually physically support the place - what do want it to be? And what can and will you do to help make it be that type of place?
I feel you are correct Dr. Lori, and my heart goes out to these twenty three Cats and Kittens that lost their lives senselessly. I find it repulsive and I have been sick to my stomache since finding out this information. I have to think long and hard to decide if I would come to a meeting about this organization. I, to, have been a part of this organization in the past. I have always been proud of my work with IMHS and this communities willingness to help in any situation involving the animals is nothing less than miraculous. IMHS has always had a cat come in with ringworm from time to time and they have always been treated and adopted to wonderful homes. There was never a HUGE outbreak of Ringworm and there is no excuse for this happening. It's Ringworm... not Heartworm, which is expensive to treat. Dr. Lori and her wonderful staff would give us the medicine and we would treat the cat and that was all there was to it.
IMHS seems to always be in the same predicament, either to much Board of Directors direction, or hardly any Board of Directors and no direction. It never changes and it is a vicious cycle. EAPL has no shelter and has never had these issues. Do they even have a Board of Directors? What's needed is a good Grant writer and a whole lot of community. The community had no say in this matter...not excusable. Being upfront is not posting a day after a massacre. Isn't it the community that supplies donations and supplies? This is because their love of these creatures, and I am sure we would've been willing to take these cats into our homes if that's what you would've wanted us to do. I know I would have. I have to believe that the staff and BOD's loves these animals also...I am not screaming at you all, I just can't make sense of this tragedy. Creature Keeper, I am proud of your last post.
Local_Historian wrote: Interesting - "Our" shelter. Tell me, how is it "our" shelter if you don't invest anything in it?
If you've not donated money, time, supplies, etc - how do you get away with calling it yours? It's not coming out of our taxes, it's a private entity. YOu can call the RTD "our" bus, because most of us to pay taxes for it.
Without support, a private non profit closes - simple fact. Not even a fear tactic - a plain and simple fact.
But you cannot demand changes unless you are willing to give something back to it - and I don't mean an unwanted pet.
It is not an "our" anything - it is a service provided by kindly people who voluntarily give of their time and/or money to provide it, and should they decide they are not appreciated by the community, the BOD can shut it down permanently.
So again - are you going to provide support, or are you just going to whinge and whine because it doesn't fit your ideals of how life should be run?
My take is that if they handle this properly and take responsibility their donations will go up. I will increase my $ if they handle this directly and don't try and duck the issues.
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.
