Animal shelter folks fighting like cats and dogs

[michele5611]

beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/crosby/11424786-418/denise-crosby-animal-shelter-folks-fighting-like-cats-and-dogs.html

[Dave]

That's not so different from when I was asked to join the PAHS board. There was a group of hostile volunteers determined to take over, and they aligned themselves with about half the board members who were ganging up and trying to oust the rest. It went on for two years, then we just voted two of the board antagonists off, and slowly sanity returned to the meetings as the others left or were not re-elected. It was awful. The meetings became about the meetings, and not running the finances. At one point I actually yelled at the board for being assholes and walked out.

Sadly, many shelters and rescues go through the same phases, some time and time again.

[johnr]

There are problems at lots of shelters with entrenched old guards who are witless about animals and their needs and who can't fundraise a lick and are prone to bringing on just more and more board members every bit as witless and lazy as they are. Conversely, however, "reformers" are often totally consumed by their own ego issues. People who barely know how to pet a cat without getting their eyes clawed out want to micro-manage staff activities because they just assume based on NO evidence that they care more and know more than the people who live the shelter's reality day in and day out and show up to do hard work for at best mediocre and usually bad pay every day, even in blizzards. I have stories. Oh yes, I have stories. There is at most one board member from any private shelter I was ever affiliated with who I would consider for a board or managerial position at any shelter I might open if I somehow came into the requisite money, and that one person would not be a top choice, just someone to fill the ranks if needed.

[johnr]

Oh, and while I have dealt with some lousy staff over the many years I've been involved with shelters, there are quite a few staff members from different places that I'd be eager to bring on board if I had my own place.

[maryellen]

liberty humane in jersey city went thru that too last year