09212015 - News Article - Animal rights advocates call for change - Humane Society defends practices; more transparency sought

Animal rights advocates call for change 
Humane Society defends practices; more transparency sought 
Post-Tribune (IN)
September 21, 2015
www.newsbank.com
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 speaking for the activists.

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 thought there needed to be an audit done. He said the shelter's board members indicated to him 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 keep an animal there only 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 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."