AR-News: (OH - US) Tales of abuse, cruelty, neglect at Montgomery County Animal Shelter

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Animal cruelty detailed

Officials hear of abuse, neglect at shelter

By Laura Dempsey

Dayton Daily News

In late September 2003, Montgomery County officials heard Sue Rancurello, a 
veterinarian under contract at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, tell a few 
stories about life within the building's four walls.

Rancurello told them about a dog with two broken legs, sitting in its own 
urine and feces because it could not move. Shelter workers had decided it was 
suffering no pain or discomfort, so the dog was left alone.

She told them about a kitten, euthanized because of "constipa-
tion."

She told them about stopping by the shelter one Sunday afternoon when a dog 
was brought in with a broken back, paralyzed and in shock. Staff on duty didn't 
want to make the decision for a humane and immediate euthanization, fearful 
of management repercussions. Rancurello agreed to take responsibility for the 
euthanization, which was then performed.

She told them about the dog that had been shot several times in the face and 
leg, left to sit in a "blood-soaked cage."

She told them about all that and more, giving details of unacceptable lapses 
in cleaning protocol, where a mop and water full of one animal's waste was 
used to clean another animal's cage; where workers stood unfolding newspapers 
while dogs in the next room went without water.

Rancurello told the group of officials a lot of things, but she didn't tell 
them everything.

For nearly a year, Rancurello and shelter volunteer Jodi Gretchen had been 
secretly collecting evidence of what they believed to be unacceptable practices 
at the shelter, eventually compiling a 3-inch-thick notebook of e-mails, 
photos and memos that outlined in great detail individual cases and general 
observations of cruelty, neglect, complacency and illogical action on the part of the 
workers inside the shelter. Both continued to work at the shelter, keeping 
their "partnership" under wraps, making late-night phone calls comparing notes.

Rancurello laid out to officials what she thought was wrong with the 
Montgomery County Animal Shelter, offering up enough examples to get their attention, 
yet holding enough in check to ensure that if additional pressure was needed, 
she'd have the ammunition. And there was no shortage of ammunition.

She didn't tell them about the pit bull with open, bleeding wounds that 
didn't even make the list for the first available vet check — staff called it an 
"oversight." Rancurello believes it was more probable that the dog was ignored 
because in Ohio, law prohibits the shelter from releasing pit bulls to anyone 
but their lawful owner, and the dog would more than likely be euthanized after 
the mandatory three-day holding period.

She didn't tell them about the newborn puppies placed in a cat carrier that 
itself was placed in the cage that held their mother. The puppies were too 
little and too weak to get out of the cat carrier, which was too small for the 
mother to get in, effectively cutting off the puppies' ability to nurse.

She didn't tell them about the dog, believed dead, placed in the big 
cremating machine, only to come running out. Very much alive.

Rancurello and Gretchen had a base of support in local attorney Deb Hunt, a 
private client of Rancurello with close ties to the local animal-welfare 
community. Hunt is currently chairman of the board for the Humane Society of Greater 
Dayton.

Hunt and Rancurello knew of each other's involvement in the respective 
shelters, but had never compared notes or so much as swapped stories until one day 
the workings of the shelter came up while Rancurello was tending to one of 
Hunt's dogs.

It was then, according to Rancurello, "the floodgates burst. Deb suggested we 
proceed with caution, and start documenting things — which we did.

"At that point, I didn't even know if I was on the right track. I didn't 
expect anybody to take my word for anything — the Montgomery County shelter was 
the only one I'd ever worked at."

Gretchen felt the same way: She'd started volunteering at the shelter in 
early 2000, after adopting one of its dogs. Their instincts told them things at 
the shelter were horribly wrong, but they felt they needed outside affirmation.

"Deb (Hunt) suggested she get a group of people together, all of whom had 
ties to and experience with the animal-welfare community in the area, and I could 
tell them what I'd seen and get their input," Rancurello said.

Rancurello and Gretchen met with the group in May 2003, and Rancurello 
launched into her 50-plus-page report.

"About an hour into it, they stopped me and said, 'We've heard quite enough. 
We get the idea,' " Rancurello said. "They were astounded, horrified." She and 
Gretchen agree that day was a turning point: They weren't nuts, their views 
were valid, and the shelter had to change.

>From May to September, Rancurello and Gretchen kept up their documentation, 
and the ad hoc, unofficial committee debated the best way to proceed.

"We were interested only in lasting change at the shelter," Rancurello said, 
adding that the options discussed included going to the media, involving 
animal-rights groups, and even filing a lawsuit on behalf of Montgomery County 
taxpayers.

"One of the group's members suggested we go first to (County Administrator) 
Deb Feldman, and give the county a chance to act," Rancurello said. After the 
September meeting with Rancurello outlined earlier, Feldman asked for two weeks 
to formulate a plan of action. She used the time to involve her own bosses — 
County Commissioners Vicki Pegg, Charles Curran and Don Lucas — and Pegg 
decided to take the point on behalf of the commission.

"I was very concerned," said Pegg, "and wanted to be involved from then on, 
and for the most part I have been." Rancurello's group met again with county 
officials, including Pegg, in mid-October.

"I was surprised and I was concerned," Pegg said. "This group of people 
included some folks I had known for a number of years; I knew they would not be 
speaking wildly. They seemed to be quite sincere and concerned, and I shared 
their concern."

Feldman took the matter directly to Stephanie Smith, who'd been director of 
the shelter for 18 years. Smith, who did not return a reporter's calls seeking 
comment, and the county agreed to contract with American Humane for an 
independent evaluation of shelter operations.

Jennifer Orme led the American Humane team, which spent Jan. 11-14 in Dayton 
at the shelter and off site, interviewing past and present employees. Before 
leaving town, the team shared details of their findings with Amy Wiedeman, 
director of administrative services for the county.

What they said was enough for the county to remove Wilson and Smith; to bring 
in Warren Cox, retired from Dallas SPCA, as interim director; to begin the 
search for a new permanent director; and to implement nearly all the changes 
recommended by American Humane's preliminary report, received Jan. 28.

Orme won't comment on details of the final report, due in about a month, 
other than to say, "We stand by our process and our procedures in conducting the 
evaluation, and will stand by our findings in the full report.

"It's our understanding that they've acted on a lot of the recommendations we 
made in the preliminary report, but since we're not there firsthand, we 
cannot audit that," she continued. "Based on good faith and from my observation of 
the county, they've demonstrated extreme due diligence in reacting to a 
problem or an issue and taking action."

For their part, Rancurello and Gretchen read the preliminary report — which 
they received from county officials — with a sense of relief. They'd spoken up, 
they'd been heard, and they'd been right: The preliminary report affirms 
almost every cause of concern in Rancurello's report.

"Our instincts were right," said Gretchen. "It was about what we were seeing 
with our own eyes, knowing things were wrong."

"Over and over again, I'd see new people come to work at the shelter full of 
enthusiasm and hope, only to find it was a place where they couldn't dream, 
they couldn't suggest improvements — they'd become disillusioned very quickly," 
Rancurello said. "They've been stifled so long."

All agree that the shelter is a work in progress, that improvement is always 
possible, and that complacency is a public shelter's worst enemy.

"Jodi and I agree, that if by some chance we ever got the point where things 
stopped bothering us, we'd know we just don't belong here," Rancurello. "If I 
ever lose sympathy for my clients and their animals, I'll just stop being a 
vet."

Contact Laura Dempsey at 225-2403.

Find this article at: 
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0509shelter.h
tml?urcm=y  
    


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