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OCAC concerns
From Carrie L McGowan, Wolverine Lake:
We are a small group of fellow rescuers and people with interest in (a) policy change at Oakland County Animal Control/Oakland Pet Adoption Center (OCAC). We have been trying to get the folks at OCAC to make a few small changes regarding their practices of posting pictures online of lost/stray/adoptable animals; working to reunite lost/stray animals with owners using social media; having a welcoming and helpful front desk staff when folks looking for their lost animals come into the shelter; using their staff and software to be more aware of the animals actually in their shelter; and finally, evaluating dogs based on personality, not physical characteristics.
The OCAC (management) has been fighting us, basically falling back to referring to positive changes made in the past 10 (years) as if this is enough to carry them forward (without) future improvements. This small group has been attending almost every Board of Commissioners meeting for the last four months or so — many during the daytime, during working hours, so only one or two can attend at a time — and have been met with limited, placating responses. The shelter director is great pals with many on the board, as he is a prior
commissioner; he is also retiring the end of this year, so if you know of a good candidate to run OCAC, let them know about the position.
Our small group would now like to get public support, and quite honestly, inundate the (Board of Commissioners) meetings with citizens, since we have gone through all of the “correct” channels and are being thwarted, toyed with, ignored, and seemingly treated as inconsequential. The people in this group are smart, well-spoken, have facts and multiple anecdotes of the people and animals that have been impacted by the OCAC’s poor practices (as they relate to the above mentioned changes this group is asking for) and have tried to play the game with the (Board of Commissioners) respectfully and within the boundaries they have been told exist (that the shelter doesn’t have the means to make changes, it’s the Board of Commissioners that does; vice versa, the Board of Commissioners keep referring to the shelter for their “answers” and “input” and nothing moves forward.).
We would like to have (Oakland County) citizens, the animal rescue community, and animal owning people, to step forward with this group and get on board to have the (Board of Commissioners) understand this isn’t just two or three animal loving women complaining about OCAC, but a plea for changes that make sense, save lives, and save money. We are not out to get OCAC at all, but have found that rather than being receptive to volunteers and citizens working with them to improve processes, OCAC is very resistant to change, and its employees/(management) have been putting more energy into counter arguments than it would take to implement the changes being asked of them. This includes banning specific volunteers and
photographers from volunteering (because) they had asked to post animals to social media for OCAC.
If anyone is interested in helping or would just like to know more about this project, please feel free to respond at this e-mail address: OCAC_concerned_citizens@yahoo.com… Please share this information with anyone who might be interested in seeing save rates and return to owner rates increased at the Oakland County Shelter.
7 Responses to OCAC concerns
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Concerned Citizen
December 10, 2012 at 9:22 am
The Vet staff at OCAC are the most competent and caring group in the building. The rest, well you can have your own opinion. The Vet staff must carry out the direction of the Commission, Public Services Director and Shelter Director. They do not set policy. The ambush and attack of a part time Vet staffer by this group on Saturday December 8, 2012 is far outside realm of decency in dealing with issues of this nature. If any one of these individuals faced such heckling at their job, police would be called and restraining orders would be put forth.
Julie Ann
December 10, 2012 at 10:42 am
As far as the vet staff being heckled on Dec 8th we were there for a volunteer orientation and after were asked to stick around by Alexis Shull to check out some of the rescue only dogs as we were there also with PFL who is a 501c3 and is able to pull Rescue Only Dogs.
Alexis Shull was walking us around showing us dogs, she had to leave and wanted to introduce us to the part-time vet staff Maureen!
Maureen stated talking to us bout the Bully breeds, I then asked a question what happens to the Bully breeds if rescue isnt pulling them are they sitting in cages for months? She went into a rage and started getting angry with my questions, she started getting loud and then said “WELL WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO”? I replied as well as my other two rescue friends “adopt them out” Maureen then said come with me, we followed Maureen in to her vet office where we all were being yelled at by her! Maureen said if you have a problem with this address the commissioners, we stated we are! Maureen then started getting really angry………. we were calm and respectful to Maureen!
I said what do you consider a bully breed she said rots, shep, pits mastiffs,bullys and a few others, she stated she has been doing this for 15 years and you can look at a bully breed and tell it is a pit bull! Maureen was swearing and throwing her hands in the air!
Courtney
December 10, 2012 at 10:43 am
I was at the shelter on Saturday, Dec. 8th for the volunteer orientation. Who ambushed and attacked a part-time vet staffer? And how? “Attacks” are not in any way what this group is about and the type of behavior described in the above comment will not be tolerated, so please elaborate as to what happened. Following the orientation, I was part of a three-person group who was introduced to a part-time vet tech named Maureen and a conversation ensued regarding current policies at the shelter to not place up for adoption dogs labeled as pit bulls, rottweilers, mastiffs, shepherds or anything “large,” and about the fact that a dog breed cannot be determined based on how a dog looks. More than 85% of the time that a dog is breed labeled based solely on physical characteristics that breed label is WRONG. That’s a fact based on scientific research and is a well-known and accepted fact in animal welfare – Oakland County needs to catch up to 2012. Maureen, the vet tech, sought us out and initiated the conversation with us. I left the meeting feeling attacked, but we are accustomed to ignorance and, as always, we attempted to educate.
It’s difficult to get to the truth of a matter when comments such as these are made anonymously. If the event described above had indeed happened, “Concerned Citizen” would have signed her name, but since that conversation on Saturday was recorded, it’s understandable why she doesn’t want to publicly sign her name to a made-up story and outright lies. You’re only hurting the animals that you’re employed to help. We’re on the same team.
Carrie McGowan
December 10, 2012 at 11:35 am
I was also at the shelter December 8th and attended volunteer orientation. I was asked, by Alexis Schull the shelter’s Public Relations Account Coordinator, to stay afterwards to look at some of their bully labeled breeds that are available to rescues only. I was one of three people approached by Maureen, a part-time vet tech. We were ushered into a private room/office and addressed with flailing arms, yelling and profanity by Maureen. I was the first of the three to leave the conversation when it was apparent she was more interested in an argument than interested in saving these animal’s lives. I felt ambushed. The same day I sent an email to Alexis, the current shelter director, two staff members and county commissioners expressing my dismay in being attacked in such a manner by shelter staff, again. It is very sad that the shelter staff continues to put more effort into lies and drama than they do into implementing proven polices and practices that save lives, money and resources.
Julie Ann
December 10, 2012 at 10:42 am
As far as the vet staff being heckled on Dec 8th we were there for a volunteer orientation and after were asked to stick around by Alexis Shull to check out some of the rescue only dogs as we were there also with PFL who is a 501c3 and is able to pull Rescue Only Dogs.
Alexis Shull was walking us around showing us dogs, she had to leave and wanted to introduce us to the part-time vet staff Maureen!
Maureen stated talking to us bout the Bully breeds, I then asked a question what happens to the Bully breeds if rescue isnt pulling them are they sitting in cages for months? She went into a rage and started getting angry with my questions, she started getting loud and then said “WELL WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO”? I replied as well as my other two rescue friends “adopt them out” Maureen then said come with me, we followed Maureen in to her vet office where we all were being yelled at by her! Maureen said if you have a problem with this address the commissioners, we stated we are! Maureen then started getting really angry………. we were calm and respectful to Maureen!
I said what do you consider a bully breed she said rots, shep, pits mastiffs,bullys and a few others, she stated she has been doing this for 15 years and you can look at a bully breed and tell it is a pit bull! Maureen was swearing and throwing her hands in the air!
Julie Ann
December 10, 2012 at 10:44 am
Also we know who sets policy to make these changes and are very aware its not the vet staff!
Susan Pudlo
December 11, 2012 at 10:51 pm
I agree with Courtney. I think the “concerned citizen” needs to provide their involvement in the discussion and prove their credibility since it seems obvious that everyone else involves has a very different view of the situation. Who are you “concerned citizen?