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The study conducted for the Niagara County SPCA, was done by Barbara Carr, executive director of the SPCA serving Erie County.|
WBEN EXTRA: Read Carr's Report |
She also says they euthanized many with a procedure that is so cruel as to be illegal in some states-- injecting them in the heart without adequate prior anesthesia.
"It's certainly not what any of us want to see and Niagara County residents have a right to expect an excellent, humane organization," Carr said
Attorney Paul Cambria, who has been retained to help the Niagara County organization with their overhaul efforts, said the Niagara group concurs with Carr's recommendations,and is convening a board of advisors who can help shepherd it through the reforms she suggested."It's our reccomendation that the advisory committee consist of the various municipalities that work with the Niagara County SPCA. And we emphasize that the delegates sent should not have a personal agenda or try to impose thier agenda on the SPCA," Cambria said
The report also says the Niagara County SPCA's Board of Directors is dysfunctional, and that the group can't properly care for all the animals that come to it without partnering with outside organizations. Ultimatly Cambria said the advisory group would draft new bylaws and supervise a fresh set of board member elections before considering whether to keep Executive Director John Faso.
Carr said they need a new mission statement, and may also need to reconsider whether it is possible to be both a subcontractor working as the dogcatcher for several towns, while also being a basic shelter and cruelty organization.
"it was clear from the interviews that healthy animals were put to sleep because there wasn't space, and they didn't want to address the fact that there were more animals than there were homes or space for," she said, adding that "there is no way in the world that under the budget of the Niagara County SPCA they can treat every single treatble or manageable illness that comes through the door."
She did not call for firings or resignations in the report in part, she says, because she was not given that task.
Carr's report did not specifically say the number of euthanizations- 473 cats and 100 dogs- between October and December of last year was improper, but she says the shelter does not have the procedures or support to do everything it needs to.
"Is it normal? There are some shelters that are euthanizing 90 percent of all the animals that come in. It certainly is not normal here," Carr said.
Stronger public relations, adoption and medical programs could save some animals, she said.
Almost in tears at one point while unveiling the report, Carr spoke of how some of the animals were put down before an earlier drug made them completely unconscious. The procedure- sometimes called a heart stick-- is illegal in several states, and when asked, she said it in her opinion constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
As for the volume of animals killed, Carr said improper record keeping kept her from knowing if each animal was a valid case for being put down.
Profit Media Group, which had done public relations for the SPCA of Niagara, issued this statement late Friday: “Profit Media Group has been consistent in its statements concerning the SPCA of Niagara, that the public should withhold judgment until the SPCA Serving Erie County gathered all facts and issued their report. We have publicly stated that Barb Carr was the gold standard of SPCA Directors, and that she would separate fact from fiction. In light of the report being released today, and the facts being known for the first time publicly, Profit Media Group has decided to no longer handle media relations for the SPCA of Niagara for ethical reasons. We sincerely hope the organization takes the recommendations found in the report seriously, and make the proper changes to provide the highest quality of care to all animals.”
