With word that County Executive Kurt Triplett’s budget seeks to get the county out of the animal care and control game, one group – including a whistle-blower from inside the Kent Animal Shelter – is trying to make sure a re-constituted King County Animal Care and Control does not get the new contract.
In a letter sent to the county ombudsman in August and released to media this past week, one anonymous shelter worker has detailed mistreatment and neglect of animals in the shelter’s care.
The worker’s name is being withheld by the county – which verified the whistle-blower’s employment with the county – because of the writer’s belief that they would suffer reprisals from mangers and colleagues.
Claire Davis, an attorney and co-chair of KCACC Exposed, a group founded in 2008 and dedicated to ending the KCACC control over shelters, is acting as a liaison for the whistle-blower, though said she was not representing the whistle-blower in any official capacity.
Calling KCACC a “failed agency,” Davis said Triplett’s attempt to cut animal control from the county budget is the “perfect opportunity” to hand over shelter control to the Seattle Humane Society, which has made an offer to shelter the animals.
“It’s time for people who know how to care for animals to do their job,” Davis said Wednesday.
The original whistle-blower letter, dated Aug. 14, highlights several cases at the shelter that appear to be neglect, as well as understaffing that lead to sick animals, overcrowded animals, starving animals and animals left to die because of a lack of attention and funds.
“I believe that the conditions that I am witnessing are violations of neglect and cruelty laws, and constitute an abuse of authority, and a gross waste of taxpayer money,” the whistle-blower wrote.
The writer goes on to detail cats dying in their cage for lack of treatment, a dog so sick it nearly drowns in a stream of water in its kennel and animals of all types in need of veterinary attention, but not getting it.
Davis said conditions at the shelter are very similar to a 2008 report from the University of California
With an announcement from Triplett that his proposed budget would get King County out of the animal care business by June 30, both Davis and the whistle-blower said talk that KCACC may reform itself as a private organization in order to retain control of the shelters would be “horrible for the animals,” according to an e-mail from the whistle-blower, released Monday through Davis.
The return letter from Senior Deputy Ombudsman Jonathan T. Stier said the county did not make any determination to the allegations, but has no reason to believe the whistle-blower did not act in good faith. The letter also states that the county was closing its review at this time because of issues that may make the letter moot, such as many of the allegations being similar to professional reports investigated the year before, the expectations that an upcoming audit may address some of the allegations, changes to the shelter due to the Kent shelter being moved out of the flood zone and the election of a new executive next month that could render an investigation unnecessary.
According to Davis, the whistle-blower agreed with the ombudsman’s assessment and decision.
Natasha Jones, Deputy Communications Director for Triplett, said the situation in Kent is “not ideal” but that Davis and others at KCACC Exposed have reached a point where they are simply rebutting whatever the county says in reference to the shelter.
She also said se has not heard of any plans for KCACC to reform as a private entity.
Jones cited Triplett’s plan of funding the shelters until June 30 and trying to move the Kent shelter out of potential flood waters by Nov. 1 as an opportunity for all groups to find a “workable solution” for animal care and control.
Presently 32 King County cities contract with the county for their animal control services.
Triplett’s press release on the issue states “Through a collaborative process with labor, regional cities that contract with the county for animal service, nonprofit groups and volunteers, the hope is that a new contractor and operational entity will be developed that can better serve the cities, residents and the animals, given the current fiscal and political environment.”
This past week, the Seattle Humane Society offered to provide sheltering and adoption services for stray, orphaned and abandoned animals, an option greatly favored by both Davis and the whistle-blower.
“KCACC has not been and cannot be reformed,” Davis said. “There is a better option.
“It’s long past time for KCACC to be put out of the shelter business,” she continued. “this should have happened along time ago.”
READ THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S LETTER:
READ THE OMBUDSMAN’S RESPONSE:
2009-02150-Employee Closing Letter PDF
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