Disgusting: Ever wonder why the Humane Society of Hobart puts the bodies of animals it euthanizes in freezers? HSH SELLS the dead animals for $1 a pound. Euthanizing animals is a business that HSH profits from!
The Humane Society of Hobart sells the bodies of animals it euthanizes to Nasco Industries in Wisconsin. The animal bodies are in turn used for school biology dissection classes and fertilizer.
In Abbi's and Bailey's case: If the HSH had returned my furbabies over to me, they would have made $0. By euthanizing Abbi and Bailey, the HSH made approximately $150!
And HSH wants everyone to believe they are the victims, in this scenario? Oh hell no!
Every animal that enters HSH ... Every person whose beloved furbaby was cruelly euthanized by HSH ... And every animal rescue group that attempts to save animals from the fate of HSH, are the victims of HSH.
Do not let HSH play the victim.
Mayor: Shelter location not good for Portage
Amy Lavalley - Post Tribune
June 02, 2016
Portage Mayor James Snyder questions the location of the new Porter County animal shelter among other concerns in a letter to members of the Porter County Council and Board of Commissioners.
In the letter, dated Wednesday, Snyder said the most important reason for Portage's dissatisfaction with the location on Indiana 49 near the Porter County Expo Center and Porter County Jail is that it will hinder adoptions.
"Adoption of these animals should be priority number one, and there are few who believe that the location near the county jail and the county fairgrounds is paramount in promoting good and frequent adoption options to families and these poor animals who need a home," Snyder wrote.
Portage is the only municipality in the county that does not use the county shelter. Portage has its own animal control officers and now takes its strays to the Humane Society in Hobart, a kill shelter.
Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, disagreed with Snyder about the Ind. 49 location.
"There's a lot of factors that go into picking the perfect spot and this is it, including saving taxpayer dollars," said Blaney, who also said she doesn't think the shelter's location will hinder adoptions.
"I can guarantee better adoption rates for all the animals in Porter County," she said.
County officials have already addressed many of Snyder's concerns, said Council President Dan Whitten, D-at large. He is meeting next week with Portage City Council President Mark Oprisko, D-at large, and County Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, whose district includes Portage, to discuss finances, the number of animals Portage would bring to the new shelter, and other matters.
"The mayor's letter is of no consequence to me," he said.
Snyder also said it would take an hour round-trip for his city's animal control officers to drop animals off at the shelter, incurring greater time and transportation costs.
The County Council discussed the new location with commissioners at their May 24 meeting. Portage City Councilwoman Sue Lynch, D-at large, who was at the meeting and served on a committees for the new shelter, said then that the location would not preclude the city from using the shelter.
County officials considered a number of different locations for a new shelter before deciding on the site on Ind. 49, which commissioners announced about a year and a half ago. Land at Sunset Hill Farm County Park, at Meridian Road and U.S. 6, was dropped as a potential location because the land was owned by the parks foundation and several people opposed using it for a shelter.
Councilman Jim Biggs, R-1st, said at the meeting that much of the county's growth is south of U.S. 30, a point he reiterated Wednesday and one that Snyder disputed in his letter.
"There is no perfect location because the demographics in Porter County change about every five years," Biggs said. "You look at a location that in most people's opinion is centrally located."
The land on Ind. 49 is owned by the county, which was one of the factors in deciding to put the shelter there, but Snyder said in his letter that county officials seemed focused on saving tax dollars rather than purchasing a more prominent property that could foster a higher rate of adoptions. He also mentioned the almost $160 million the county received from the sale of the county hospital, and a $1 million private donation toward the new shelter.
"The focus seems to rest on frugality as opposed to (the) reality of a good location and its users," Snyder wrote. "In this instance, the county's focus will potentially cost the taxpayers millions."
County government has to be frugal because it operates on a larger scale than its municipalities, Biggs said.
"I think our frugal approach is why we have dollars in the bank and I think taxpayers have backed our approach," Blaney said.
Portage officials have not yet signed a contract to join in on the new shelter, which is expected to open early next year. Construction should begin in the coming weeks.
County officials want to work with the city of Portage, Biggs said, and he thinks everyone would be better off concentrating on more important things.
"I respect what they're saying. I understand it but we made a decision we felt was in the best interest of all of Porter County."
Humane Society defends practices, aims for greater transparency in Hobart
Chicago Tribune
September 18, 2015 - 7:46 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-hobart-humane-st-0913-20150918-story.html
A group of local animal activists has taken its fight for transparency at the Humane Society of Hobart to the Hobart City Council, asking that the number of animals euthanized at the shelter and the shelter's protocols be made public.
"There is no excuse for the people not to know these numbers. The truth will come out eventually," said Cate Amador, a Hobart resident who was speaking for the activists Wednesday.
The group approached the council after a Post-Tribune story found that almost 60 percent of the animals picked up by the Portage Animal Control and taken to the Hobart Humane Society were euthanized, according to statistics from June 2014 through June 2015 provided by Portage Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham.
More than 5,000 people have signed an online petition seeking leadership and personnel changes at the shelter.
Attempts to obtain the number of animals brought in and the number euthanized from Hobart and Lake Station have been unsuccessful. Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor said he hasn't received a report for the past three months and Lake Station said a public records request had to be made first. The shelter said the numbers were made available to the cities it serves and could be obtained from them.
Portage, Lake Station and Hobart all use the humane society for their animal control, a fact that board members of the shelter say cause their percentages to be higher than other shelters.
Chris Skrenka, a board member and volunteer at the shelter, also attended the council meeting. He said he didn't know the exact numbers of euthanasias, but added they are higher than they would like. He said a joint decision, usually involving two people, is made as to when an animal would be euthanized.
"We're taking in thousands more animals than the other animal shelters every year," he said.
He said the board has never been asked for their protocols.
"We've never advertised our board meetings, but we haven't stopped anyone from coming," Skrenka said.
Snedecor said he met with the shelter's board members and told them the city felt there needed to be an audit done. He said the shelter's board members indicated to him that they want to be more transparent to the public and will hold a public meeting at city hall at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 28.
"I agree tax dollars need to be accounted for," Snedecor said. "We can discontinue our contract with the shelter, but what other options are there?"
The shelter's critics have vowed to continue their fight.
"We won't quit until we get them," Michelle Duca, one of the activists and founder and CEO of the Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry in Hobart, said of the numbers.
The activists said they don't want to shut down the humane society; they just want change.
Amador, a volunteer with Kibble Kitchen, which provides free pet food and supplies to pet owners who can't afford them, said the movement among most shelters has been to "no kill," but that's not the case with Hobart.
Board members and the shelter's executive director, Brenda Slavik, said the shelter has never claimed to be no kill. They said the shelter is unique in this area because it is the only one that serves as animal control for three cities.
They also point out that they accept all animals, unlike many of the no-kill shelters, which they say turn some away. The shelter also euthanizes dying pets for people who can't afford to pay a veterinarian for the service. In Portage's case, some of the animals euthanized were feral cats brought in by residents of a mobile home park, officials said.
Board members denied accusations that they only keep an animal there a couple days before euthanizing them. They said the animals are euthanized if they're aggressive, very sick, contagious to other animals or severely injured.
"How can we in good conscience adopt out an animal that could be a public nuisance or a danger to the public?" Skrenka said.
The shelter's critics also pointed out that the shelter received a poor rating from the Better Business Bureau of Northwest Indiana because it didn't complete its financial information on its report.
Board president Laura Labadie said the board is attempting to provide the information requested by the Better Business Bureau. The bureau stated on its website that the shelter's report "is in progress."
"We want to move forward putting our policies and procedures on our website," Labadie sad. "We want to be more transparent."
Pet euthanization figures startle Portage, Porter County
Chicago Tribune
September 11, 2015 - 6:15 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-porter-animal-st-0913-20150911-story.html
As talks continue to build a new animal shelter for Porter County, officials there were aghast to learn that almost 60 percent of the animals picked up by Portage Animal Control and taken to the Humane Society of Hobart are euthanized.
According to statistics provided by Portage Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham, from June 2014 through June 2015, almost 59 percent of the total animals were put down, and about 9.3 percent of the total were euthanized after they were deemed dangerous.
But Portage Mayor James Snyder said he checked with the humane society and the figure is not only from animal control. Residents from mobile home parks are bringing in feral cats to be euthanized, driving up the statistics, and the majority of animals brought in by animal control are redeemed by their owners, he said.
"We get billed if Portage takes an animal there," he said.
The high rate still outrages county officials.
"These numbers are going to paint a very ugly picture," said County Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, whose district includes Portage. "Every day it's not built, animals are not being the chance to live by the city of Portage."
Portage has its own animal control officers and has taken its strays to the Hobart shelter for as long as anyone remembers. But as the Porter County Board of Commissioners plans for a new shelter – an announcement of those plans could be made in the coming weeks – whether the county's largest city will participate remains to be seen.
Over the past few years, county officials have come up with, and then nixed, an assortment of plans for a new shelter to replace the one at 2056 Heavilin Road, off of Ind. 2. Officials have long considered the facility outdated and too small to handle the number of animals the no-kill shelter receives. Commissioners announced late last year a new shelter would be built on Indana 49, just north of the Porter County Expo Center, but no details have been forthcoming since then.
Complicating matters between Portage and county officials is what appears to be an almost complete lack of communication to bring the two sides together to determine if or how Portage would participate in a county facility.
Information on the number of animals taken in and euthanized from the Hobart Humane Society was not available.
Brenda Slavik, the shelter's director, said the numbers from Portage were wrong and she didn't know where they came from.
"I don't know what numbers they're talking about," she said, adding numbers are only sent to the cities the shelter serves if they ask for them.
One of the society's board directors said it's not required to release information on euthanazations and the information could be retrieved from the cities it serves -- Portage, Hobart and Lake Station. Several city departments in Hobart said they didn't have that information and an employee at Lake Station City Hall said a public information request was needed to obtain the information.
According to the humane society's website, it takes in an average of 5,700 animals a year. The site claims the animals have a 75 percent chance of adoption.
Board member Chris Skrenka said the number of euthanazations at the Hobart shelter would be higher than at other shelters because it is the only one in the area that serves as animal control for three cities and it also euthanizes animals for residents who can't afford to pay to for the service for their own dying animals.
"Portage animals should be going to Porter County," Skrenka said. "If people criticize, they can go out and build a better mousetrap."
Board president Laura Labadie said the length of time an animals is kept at the shelter varies. She said there was a black Labrador at the shelter for about two months.
Board members said the animals are euthanized if they are very sick or contagious to other animals at the shelter with a deadly virus, severely injured or very aggressive.
In Portage, Rick Henderlong, the city's animal control warden, said the city doesn't deem an animal as dangerous. Cases where dogs attack people go through city court. The city also does not euthanize animals.
"Once we drop an animal at the Hobart Humane Society, we lose complete control over that animal," he said.
To reclaim lost dogs, Portage residents pay a fee to the city and retrieve their animals in Hobart, Henderlong said. The shelter sends a monthly report of the numbers to the city so the city knows how much it owes the humane society for its services.
He called the euthanization rate "really high."
Also calling the number "a lot" was Toni Bianchi, interim director of the county animal shelter. The shelter has euthanized 7 percent of the animals it's taken in so far this year, and Bianchi said national no-kill advocates set a threshold of less than 10 percent for shelters to be considered no-kill.
Because the shelter is often at or beyond its capacity of 81 cats and 50 dogs, Bianchi works with rescue groups to take the animals and get them adopted. Sometimes they call her asking about specific breeds or older dogs, for example, or she contacts them, or they come through and see which animals they want. The county does not charge rescues for the service.
"I look at it this way," she said. "If you do take a dog from us, that's great because it creates an open kennel and it's one more dog we can take off the street."
Council President Dan Whitten, D-At-large, called the euthanization rate "pretty staggering."
"It just seems as if your animal is a stray in that jurisdiction, it starts walking the 'Green Mile,'" he said, referring to the Stephen King book and movie about Death Row. "They need to find a way of not doing that, and one of the ways is to join discussions about the animal shelter."
Whitten said Snyder "has made zero effort" to reach out to the county to be part of the discussion about a new shelter. He suggests Snyder and the city council, as well as the county council and commissioners, get actively involved in the county's plans.
"The kill philosophy does not mesh with the county," he said. "Those numbers shock the conscious."
Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, who's spearheading efforts for a new county shelter, called the lack of communication with Portage frustrating.
"There needs to be a commitment," she said, adding commissioners, who oversee the shelter, are considering two options for square footage for a new building so there will be room if Portage wants to be thrown into the mix, but it would be easier to know now than have to build an addition later.
"We are maxed out in our current facility. If we can help reduce that euthanization rate and get the Portage animals in our shelter, heck, we're interested," she said. "But we need that dialogue and it's going to cost more, but it could be a win-win."
"I'm on the record 50 times saying they need to get the shelter built," Snyder said.
He and City Councilman Ted Uzelac said the city council has sent two letters to the county council about the shelter and received no response, in addition to informal discussion about the need.
Neither Whitten nor Rivas said they have received those letters. Rivas said he's also talked to city officials in general but had no specific meetings on the topic.
Regardless, Snyder said the animals from his city would overrun the county shelter as it is now, creating unsafe and dangerous conditions, even though Portage residents help pay for it through county taxes. He added that he is waiting on the county to get the shelter built.
"The county continues to operate like we're not here, and my residents are the biggest block of taxpayers and they get no service," he said. "Until Porter County gets something done, there's nothing Portage can do."
Portage residents are paying twice for animal services, Uzelac said, adding their tax dollars support both the county shelter and the Humane Society of Hobart. The city pays $25,000 a year to the Hobart shelter.
Still, he said he's not being critical of county officials, and added if they were able to get together, they could resolve the problem.
"Portage is proud to be part of Porter County, but we would like to be more a part of this mix," he said. "My goal is to have some dialogue."
His proposal is for Portage to keep its animal control officers and their trucks, and continue to pick up animals in that city. Animal control could house them for five days, so people have a chance to find them, and if the animals weren't claimed by then, they would be transported to the county shelter.
The plan would include an investment by the city to house the animals temporarily.
"Sure, they're going to have to build a bigger facility but we should have been involved from Day 1," he said.
Portage may be looking for new animal shelter
August 30, 2013
Joyce Russell
NWI Times
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/portage/portage-may-be-looking-for-new-animal-shelter/article_535035d0-3069-5fb4-90d0-0723b55743c6.html
PORTAGE - For more than a decade, Portage has contracted with the Humane Society of Hobart to take the city's stray animals.
That relationship could be coming to an end, and that has officials urging their Porter County counterparts to move forward with the construction of a new county animal shelter.
Carol Konopacki, former director and present board member of the Hobart agency, sent a letter to the city earlier this month. The letter revolved around "bite case" dogs that had been brought to the shelter.
She also noted the relationship was never meant to be permanent.
"Many of you were not officials in the City of Portage when we agreed to house your strays. You may not be aware of this, but this arrangement was to have been temporary until you found and made other arrangements. This cannot go on indefinitely," Konopacki wrote.
She said Friday that her animal shelter can no longer afford to house the city's strays.
"The ideal situation is for them to house their own animals," she said, adding the shelter also provides the service for Lake Station and Hobart, but are also hoping to separate from Lake Station.
City Council President Sue Lynch said she has spoken to a couple Porter County Commissioners.
"I've told them whatever the city needs to do, we'll do," said Lynch, adding that if the humane society does cut off services, the city will have no place to take strays. She's been told the county shelter is too full.
"Our relationship with them is deteriorating," said Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham. "They would like us to move on. It has given us the motivation to contact the county and become a part of the county."
Stidham said the city sends 50 to 60 animals to the shelter each month.
The city pays the Hobart Humane Society somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000 a year for shelter services. The city also employs one full-time and one part-time animal control worker.
Neither Lynch nor Stidham knew for sure why Portage contracted with Hobart 10 to 15 years ago. They believe it had to do with the proximity of the Hobart shelter.
County officials have been talking about building a new animal shelter for several years. They have mentioned locations at either Sunset Hills Farm County Park or on county-owned land at Ind. 149 and Ind. 130.
Humane Society wants Portage animals to go to county shelter
Post Tribune
August 31, 2013
Updated: September 1, 2013 - 2:01AM
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/porter/22255287-418/humane-society-wants-portage-animals-to-go-to-county-shelter.html
PORTAGE — The Humane Society of Hobart would like to see the city of Portage take its animals to the Porter County Animal Shelter because what was supposed to be a temporary agreement between the two has stretched on too long.
"This cannot go on indefinitely," said Carol Konopacki, the Humane Society’s treasurer and former longtime director, in a strongly worded Aug. 6 letter to Mayor Jim Snyder and other city officials....
Sheriff: Animal Shelter may reach critical mass with Portage animals
Chesterton Tribune
Posted 9/5/2013
http://chestertontribune.com/Porter%20County/sheriff_animal_shelter_may_reach.htm
Sheriff David Lain expressed personal concerns this week about the effects of the offloading of stray cats and dogs by the City of Portage’s Animal Control at the Porter County Animal Shelter on his own department, as well as the Shelter itself.
Lain said that the County’s Animal Control officers have been told on several occasions recently by Shelter staff they would have to hold an animal until space opened up at the cramped facility on Ind. 2 south of Valparaiso. The officers have had to wait for an hour or more at times before being able to unload the animals from their trucks, Lain said.
Meanwhile, Portage officials received a letter on Aug. 6, 2013, from Humane Society of Hobart saying the "temporary agreement" to house animals from Portage Animal Control "cannot go on indefinitely" as it poses a safety issue for the animals and Humane Society employees
.
Carol Konopacki, director of Humane Society of Hobart, said in the letter that the arrangement "has been too many years, too long," and she will consider charging the city extra fees starting in January unless Portage officials find another location to drop off their animals. She suggested that Portage build its own facility, as was discussed years ago when the agreement was made.
Please sign the NW Indiana Animal Advocates online petition
"New leadership is needed to bring the HSH up to standard including appointing a new working Board of Directors, shelter management and staff. We want the Humane Society of Hobart to be operated in a truly humane and transparent manner...."
