sadness

Thank you 285bound for the additional support for an adopted pet from your new Pet & Animal page. The $10.00 will buy their first bag of food or a collar & leash. Thank you to Aspen Creek Veterinary for offering their first pet exam free this is amazing support for rescued adopted animals.

Dummy Up wrote: I really hope this becomes a mission for this site. IMHS has gone downhill and maybe we can help instead of just giving more dollars, they have been less than effective and I pulled my limited support until they get their stuff together.

Pulling your limited support because you don't like what they do is part of the problem. Do you have any idea what is takes and costs to run a shelter????

Some people won't support the shelter because they have paid staff instead of running the shelter with a staff of 100% volunteers. Here's the reality. Volunteers help when they have the spare time in between their busy lives. That's what volunteers do. The shelter animals have to be fed and watered twice a day and their kennels cleaned daily, (more if accidents happen), and then there are the cats/dogs that require medical attention on a daily basis as well, some require medication twice daily or as prescribed by the Veterinarian. Oh, by the way, the shelter animals don't know and they don't care if it's Christmas, Thanksgiving, your anniversary or time for your vacation or whatever else is going on in your lives. They still have to be taken care of every day. You cannot run a shelter properly with only volunteers.

Imagine what would happen if we all pulled our limited support because we don't like, agree and/or approve of what they do? It would be much easier for them to get their "stuff" together if people like you would support them unconditionally.

I've yet to meet a shelter animal that didn't appreciate and/or love unconditionally the staff, volunteers and the Veterinarian that donates their time to them on a daily basis. It's always the humans that find fault in what they do! Perhaps we could learn a few things from these pets in order to be better humans!!

well said, rldbailey. The times I have visited the shelter the staff was short and the work was piled up. Like so many organizations that depend upon volunteer labor I'm willing to bet that a handful do it all, all the time.

We have two cats from IMHS. I'd get more if I didn't think my husband would divorce me! But at least we can donate and help them out that way a bit.

I do not live there now but will be sending my support in the form of a check.

I made a realization in the days since this announcement was posted; one which requires a little background so bear with me. I am the former shelter manager for IMHS and worked for the organization from March 2007 through March 2010. When I started at IMHS, the shelter was nearly out of money and between volunteers, staff and board members, had only a handful of people who were regularly involved. The organization had a tarnished reputation in the community and a rather bleak outlook. I was fortunate to be a part of the wonderful transition caused by the work and input of hundreds of people who came together for something they believed in. I knew that the character of the shelter was key to rebuilding a successful organization and made every decision over the next three years with this in mind. I hope that readers of this post will understand that I’ve decided to share some of my experiences in hopes of giving you a chance to make a difference in the direction of the shelter should you want IMHS to operate differently in the future.

You’ll need to determine for yourselves what it is you expect from IMHS. In the past, it was a “no-kill” shelter until the rescue community as a whole shifted to the more appropriate terms of “limited intake/low-kill” and “open intake”. Both have their places in the world. I joined IMHS with the understanding that I was part of a low-kill organization that used euthanasia only as a last resort unless an animal was suffering.

The majority of new staff and board members during the October 2007 ringworm outbreak agreed and we put our plea for help out to the community. We were given an answer in the form of a location to house our cats while we cleaned out the shelter. They spent a total of 12 weeks in this location while we medicated them and continued with daily cleaning, etc. At that time, we were pretty early in the organizational “rebuild” and had 2 staff members and 1 board member available to take care of the daily cleaning, medicating and office functions. It was unrealistic to try to also operate the shelter at the same time so the decision was made to close the shelter until we could move back all the animals. I feel that there are adequate resources that, should the decision have been made differently in this case, the shelter could remain open while the animals were cared for offsite.

Yes, the move was stressful for the cats. So are car rides to receive important veterinary care. I was one of the staff members charged with daily care and I held, kissed and pet the cats every day. I put them in carriers and placed them outside so they could get sunshine and fresh air while I cleaned (as did my coworker). They may have received less socialization than in a shelter setting, but they all came through alive and were placed in adoptive homes. The one kitty that has never completely adjusted was part of a feral litter which are tough to socialize under normal circumstances. I truly believe that one semi-socialized kitty out of the 30+ that we treated is a pretty good ratio. BTW – I adopted one of the guys who spent the 3 months being treated with the others and he is arguably one of the most social cats I’ve known.

Fast forward 1 ½ years, a handful of board members come and gone (board members establish the policies of the organization) and we come to May 2009 and an unhappy homecoming from what was a great vacation. I returned to learn that it had been decided to euthanize a litter of kittens due to ringworm. Most upsetting to me was that they had a foster home (where they had been prior to diagnosis) who was willing to house and treat, at their own expense, all of the kittens until they were fungus-free. This began my losing fight against euthanizing for non-fatal and more mildly symptomatic diseases.

Shortly after this situation, the euthanasia policy was revised to allow euthanasia to be considered for any circumstance reducing adoptability. During this same time, the foster home affected by the euthanasia of their foster kittens was trying to determine how they were going to deal with the situation. They also had the best interests of the organization at heart and were kind enough to deal with me vs. “going public” with what had happened. I spent the next several weeks working with the board on more revisions to the euthanasia policy and believed they would hold up their end of the bargain to investigate other options before deciding to euthanize an animal if it wasn’t suffering.

During my experiences working with the community I found that this is an amazing group of individuals who step-up when duty calls. I’m very happy to be a part of this community. So, why didn’t my husband and I offer our heated garage, caging, money to buy supplies? Why didn’t any of you? Because we weren’t afforded the opportunity to help. I have no doubt that between staff, board members, volunteers, foster homes, Pinecammers and 285Bounders, we could have helped IMHS accomplish another extraordinary feat.

As it stands, IMHS is on one end of the “low-kill shelter” spectrum….really one step away from an “open intake” shelter in which animals are euthanized for space. The other end of the spectrum is an animal sanctuary which, I’m sure everyone agrees, is not appropriate for IMHS (at it’s current location, for sure!) either. So, what is it that YOU, the supporting community, the community this shelter is supposed to serve, wants??? If you want IMHS to operate further away from their current location in that spectrum, you’re going to have to get involved and do something about it. The board and staff do not own the organization. The organization is membership driven which means paid members get to decide who they elect to represent their philosophies on shelter management and euthanasia. Being involved does require a commitment so you all need to decide how important this is to you.

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!

Excellent information. Thank You!!

A great analysis CK , many thanks for your courage.

CreatureKeeper wrote: I made a realization in the days since this announcement was posted; one which requires a little background so bear with me. I am the former shelter manager for IMHS and worked for the organization from March 2007 through March 2010. When I started at IMHS, the shelter was nearly out of money and between volunteers, staff and board members, had only a handful of people who were regularly involved. The organization had a tarnished reputation in the community and a rather bleak outlook. I was fortunate to be a part of the wonderful transition caused by the work and input of hundreds of people who came together for something they believed in. I knew that the character of the shelter was key to rebuilding a successful organization and made every decision over the next three years with this in mind. I hope that readers of this post will understand that I’ve decided to share some of my experiences in hopes of giving you a chance to make a difference in the direction of the shelter should you want IMHS to operate differently in the future.

You’ll need to determine for yourselves what it is you expect from IMHS. In the past, it was a “no-kill” shelter until the rescue community as a whole shifted to the more appropriate terms of “limited intake/low-kill” and “open intake”. Both have their places in the world. I joined IMHS with the understanding that I was part of a low-kill organization that used euthanasia only as a last resort unless an animal was suffering.

The majority of new staff and board members during the October 2007 ringworm outbreak agreed and we put our plea for help out to the community. We were given an answer in the form of a location to house our cats while we cleaned out the shelter. They spent a total of 12 weeks in this location while we medicated them and continued with daily cleaning, etc. At that time, we were pretty early in the organizational “rebuild” and had 2 staff members and 1 board member available to take care of the daily cleaning, medicating and office functions. It was unrealistic to try to also operate the shelter at the same time so the decision was made to close the shelter until we could move back all the animals. I feel that there are adequate resources that, should the decision have been made differently in this case, the shelter could remain open while the animals were cared for offsite.

Yes, the move was stressful for the cats. So are car rides to receive important veterinary care. I was one of the staff members charged with daily care and I held, kissed and pet the cats every day. I put them in carriers and placed them outside so they could get sunshine and fresh air while I cleaned (as did my coworker). They may have received less socialization than in a shelter setting, but they all came through alive and were placed in adoptive homes. The one kitty that has never completely adjusted was part of a feral litter which are tough to socialize under normal circumstances. I truly believe that one semi-socialized kitty out of the 30+ that we treated is a pretty good ratio. BTW – I adopted one of the guys who spent the 3 months being treated with the others and he is arguably one of the most social cats I’ve known.

Fast forward 1 ½ years, a handful of board members come and gone (board members establish the policies of the organization) and we come to May 2009 and an unhappy homecoming from what was a great vacation. I returned to learn that it had been decided to euthanize a litter of kittens due to ringworm. Most upsetting to me was that they had a foster home (where they had been prior to diagnosis) who was willing to house and treat, at their own expense, all of the kittens until they were fungus-free. This began my losing fight against euthanizing for non-fatal and more mildly symptomatic diseases.

Shortly after this situation, the euthanasia policy was revised to allow euthanasia to be considered for any circumstance reducing adoptability. During this same time, the foster home affected by the euthanasia of their foster kittens was trying to determine how they were going to deal with the situation. They also had the best interests of the organization at heart and were kind enough to deal with me vs. “going public” with what had happened. I spent the next several weeks working with the board on more revisions to the euthanasia policy and believed they would hold up their end of the bargain to investigate other options before deciding to euthanize an animal if it wasn’t suffering.

During my experiences working with the community I found that this is an amazing group of individuals who step-up when duty calls. I’m very happy to be a part of this community. So, why didn’t my husband and I offer our heated garage, caging, money to buy supplies? Why didn’t any of you? Because we weren’t afforded the opportunity to help. I have no doubt that between staff, board members, volunteers, foster homes, Pinecammers and 285Bounders, we could have helped IMHS accomplish another extraordinary feat.

As it stands, IMHS is on one end of the “low-kill shelter” spectrum….really one step away from an “open intake” shelter in which animals are euthanized for space. The other end of the spectrum is an animal sanctuary which, I’m sure everyone agrees, is not appropriate for IMHS (at it’s current location, for sure!) either. So, what is it that YOU, the supporting community, the community this shelter is supposed to serve, wants??? If you want IMHS to operate further away from their current location in that spectrum, you’re going to have to get involved and do something about it. The board and staff do not own the organization. The organization is membership driven which means paid members get to decide who they elect to represent their philosophies on shelter management and euthanasia. Being involved does require a commitment so you all need to decide how important this is to you.

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!

Thanks for expanding more on this situation CreatureKeeper. I was wondering when you would chime in and I'm glad you did!

For the record, I'm the other staff member that helped during that outbreak in 2007. As your Assistant Shelter Manager during that time, I didn't always agree with the shelter operations and decisions, but I did my best, as did you, to see it through. I am still supportive of the organization and will continue to do so in the future.

I can only hope that people in this community will step up and help by donating and bringing positive solutions instead of trying to rip the current shelter management apart. Believe it or not, this is one of the hardest jobs you will ever do and still be one of the most rewarding!!!!

BTW - I still have Ruthie the cat and Emily the dog!!!!

I for one has not ripped the management of IMHS, I admire their work and dedication. I will continue to support their efforts. No organization that depends on community support is above reproach, hard questions and honest answers are to be expected to help our 4 legged friends. Maybe this discussion will help bring in additional resources and more accountability to IMHS management. We all have the same goal.

I think it's important to note that a donation is very similar to an investment. We donate to organizations that best represent our beliefs and expectations. We do expect a return. There is nothing wrong in donating to those organizations that represent our personal values and not donating to those who don't. The world is filled with people with differing opinions and philosophies and we all have to choose who and what we want to support. It's also simple economics; rescues "sell" themselves based on their mission and the public supports them by buying (donating towards) their efforts. We speak with our money; products that don't sell well are no longer produced. The same applies to the non-profit world. Organizations that don't represent their membership/supporters well either flounder or are forced to change. I believe the posters who have referred to "withdrawing their support" are using this logic in regards to the situation at IMHS.