Agenda - 10-28-2002 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Field Veterinarian, on October 2, 2002. Dr. Sheppard spent a great deal of time talking with staff and touring the shelter and he found no signs of disease, lack of cleanliness, or mistreatment of animals. Dr. Sheppard discussed the panleukopenia outbreak and said that it had spread to most animal shelters in North Carolina and it is very difficult to eradicate. After staff explained steps taken to stop the disease, Dr. Sheppard agreed it was handled in the best possible manner. Parvovirus is also common in animal shelters and Dr. Sheppard approved the disease control program already in place. He further stated that all animal shelters across the United States occasionally struggle with disease outbreaks and it is a normal part of everyday shelter life. A copy of the inspection report is attached. The findings were all positive. The staff of the APS wildlife center(all of whom are also former employees of Dr. Schopler) has also lodged complaints to the Board of Commissioners about disease control among other things. These staff members have no direct experience in the animal shelter or with shelter operations. They have never expressed concern about disease control before September 2002. If they had concerns, they should have been brought to shelter staff first,the Shelter Committee second, and finally the APS Board if the issues couldn't be resolved. These staff members never made any effort to get answers to their questions through appropriate channels and instead skipped right to the Board of Commissioners and the media. A public animal shelter is bound by ethics and laws to take in any animal in need no matter the condition or behavior of that animal. For that reason, disease will always be a part of an animal shelter and while it will never be completely eradicated, it can be controlled. The APS Board has confidence in the shelter staff and their management of the summer outbreak and general disease control throughout the year. They have sought out professional opinions and are open to suggestions for improvement. The Board established the Shelter Committee many years ago to oversee care of all animals. This committee is chaired by a veterinarian, Dr. Claudia Sheppard, and includes members of the staff and APS Board, county animal control, board of health, and private citizens. Members are appointed by Dr. Sheppard. SUMMARY The APS Board of Directors takes very seriously any negative allegations involving the operation of the animal shelter. While improvement is a continuing process as we learn more and technology improves, we are confident that the Orange County Animal Shelter continues to be one of the best animal shelters in North Carolina and serves the animals and citizens well. Upon reviewing the recent complaints—most of which have been found to be groundless,the APS Board suspects that they are a result of disgruntled former employees and their supporters. The timing of when this barrage began is suspicious and the accusations questionable. It is evident to all that no public animal shelter can be perfect because we cannot pick and choose the animals that come through our doors. Some will come in sick or injured and others will have poor dispositions that will prevent them from ever being adopted. The animal shelter is a difficult place to work and the staff in place does the best possible job even with deficiencies in the physical facility itself. Customer satisfaction is important at an animal shelter. Since August, surveys have been given to anyone who comes into the animal shelter. So far, a total of 125 have been received. Of that number, 109 have expressed 6