Speak Out For The Animals Sake

Section 1: "Detrimental Actions" shall be defined as any actions deemed detrimental to the well being or goals of the Corporation, acting in a manner disruptive to the efficient operation of the Corporation or acting in a manner injurious or without care for the animals we serve.

 Section 2: Termination of Membership
The Board, in its sole discretion, shall have the ability to terminate any Member at any time, for among other things, Detrimental Actions and Just Cause. Should the need arise, the Board may vote to suspend a Member's membership in anticipation of termination, with a two-thirds majority vote.

The above is taken from the Lakeshore Humane Societies' bylaws, and the number one reason I have remained anonymous as the writer of this blog. I am a member of the society. These rules prevent many people from speaking up in fear that they will be kicked off the membership rolls. It has happened before and until there are changes, it will probably happen again. Case in point: a member who was on the nominating committee, mind you, a volunteer refused to take a person's name off of the election ballot when directed by certain board members. Her membership was terminated. She was doing the right thing, but because the board is so corrupt, she was stripped of her membership. Her membership was reinstated this year and she has voting rights again. She also just happens to be a Two Rivers city councilperson.

To be honest with you, I have gotten to the point that if they want to kick me off for speaking the truth, then they can go ahead. The Lakeshore Humane Society is messed up, really messed up. I know of volunteers who can't do the right thing because they know they will be banned from the society for speaking up. They fear for the lives of the animals if they are not allowed to volunteer there anymore. How wrong is that? What kind of people run an organization that does not allow people to speak their mind and suggest ways in which the society could be run better? A dictatorship runs like this. People who are hungry for power are like this. Yes, the Lakeshore Humane Society is full of people like this, and those people outweigh the good.

I try not to get too worked up about it because I know at this point in time it does not make a difference what I say, or what I suggest. It is ignored. I have become a “bad” person already, in just the few short months I have become a member, because I have asked the hard questions and I have been persistent.

The candidate forum is coming up this September 27, 2011 at 6:30pm. I have discovered that the public can attend this. You do not have to be a member. So please attend and ask these candidates some hard questions. If they are running for re-election, ask them why everything is so messed up and push for answers, not just answers that evade the question. Seek the truth. I might as well spill the beans here. I am one of the candidates, and no, I am not asking you to vote for me here. But I will tell you one thing, I am running for this board so that I can, hopefully, make sweeping changes. The animals deserve this. It is a shelter for the animals. If you are not doing a good job, and I get elected, I guess I may be considered someone to fear. But in reality I am a person who seeks truth and justice, and in this humane society there isn't a lot of either. A lot of people have been putting up with or tolerating the status quo. Sorry, but I will not go with that anymore. I believe the humane society needs an executive director who can run the shelter the way it should be run, and actually make it successful. Right now that is not being done and you have a board of directors who, for whatever reason, have allowed this to go on for far too long.

So show up on September 27th and ask questions. Then on October 18th either attend the annual election meeting and vote or request an absentee ballot. If you need help requesting an absentee ballot, email me. If you don't attend the candidate forum and would like to know more about the candidates, just email me and I will get back to you. But in the end do something. Animals have no voice. We the people are their voice. Let's tell the Lakeshore Humane Society that the animals are fed up and things need to change, for their sake!

FALL for CHANGE

Our local shelter, Lakeshore Humane Society, is not taking in stray(lost) cats or dogs or owner surrenders unless they are delivered by the police. That means if you or I find a lost dog or cat and drive to the Humane Society to drop it off, they will refuse to take the stray animal and tell you to call the police.


Say, what? Are you serious? Since when did this policy go into effect? According to the Humane Society's employees, they cannot take in strays because that is how the cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers want it. Really? I don't think so, and I don't think you are functioning as a non-profit anymore, Lakeshore Humane Society . Aren't you supposed to be doing something for the community you serve in order to qualify as a non-profit? You are contracted as the city pound in addition to being the Humane Society, right? You lost the county contract because of your bizarre policies, and now you're about to lose the contract with the two major cities you serve. Are you nuts? Are you really just interested in the money involved in all of this. Have you completely lost track of what your mission is?


Let me remind you, you're the Humane Society. You are where dogs, cats, and all sorts of critters go if they don't have a home. You're the local homeless shelter for animals. But right now, you are just a place that no one wants to go to anymore. You treat your volunteers with disrespect, actually refusing to let them volunteer. Who in the world tells volunteers they cannot volunteer? Am I missing something here? No, I'm not.


I mean your reputation already sucks. But you don't need to damage it any further. You need to work with the city, and you need to work with the community. Including Free Roamers! Take the cork outta your rear end and start caring about the animals instead of whatever small power trip you are on. Talk about a board that cannot function, this one takes the cake! A complete makeover is long overdue!


Annual elections for this board are coming up in October. October 18th to be exact. If you have been a member of the Humane Society for 60 days prior to the election, then you can vote. I really think you all need to get out and vote on this. Animal's lives as well as community relationships are at stake here.

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Casey's Voice and A Bit More

“What kind of idiot would take their dog and pay money at that place!" I remember that day someone said this to me very well.  To be truthful, mainly because of the comment, but also because it was the beginning of the end for my very dear friend Marilyn. I was sitting in Marilyn's hospital room when her husband Dave made the comment.  I turned around and said "I'm one of those idiots."  Dave looked at me as his cheeks grew redder than Santa Claus's.  Dave never mentioned it again, but I was sure to remind him about it!

So let’s see what else I have heard about day care dogs.  Well, they are spoiled, their owners are rich or well to do, often so lazy they won't exercise their own dog, and the list goes on.  I have also been asked, why I volunteer my time at a "for-profit" establishment?  Well, the list of my reasons goes on and on.  But let me say one thing:  Central Bark Doggy Day Care has treated my family very well when we needed help and no other business in the area could have helped in the way they did when we needed it the most.  I will also tell you that I choose not to volunteer my time at Lakeshore Humane Society for very specific reasons, which I will explain to you at a much later date. It has nothing to do with any of the dogs or cats that reside there.

I might as well get this out right now, I am frustrated. No, I am very frustrated with Bay Area Humane Society in Green Bay.  You see, one of the ‘spoiled’ dogs that visits Central Bark Doggy Day Care, whose name is Casey, is sitting up at Bay Area Humane Society’s shelter right now because his very responsible owners surrendered him back to the shelter they adopted him from.  Did I just call them responsible?  Yes I did!  I knew Casey's owners.  They were an elderly couple who had adopted Casey months before from Bay Area Humane Society.  Casey is a Border Collie mix who had been surrendered by previous owners.  Well now, maybe your thinking "what did Casey do, bite someone?" No, Casey was a lovely dog.  He was a puppy and just 11 months old.  Why did the responsible owners surrender Casey back to the shelter if he was a good dog, isn’t that wrong?  Did I mention he was a Border Collie mix?  Did I mention he was a puppy?  Well those two factors could explain why an elderly couple would want to surrender Casey. After all, Border Collies are high energy dogs and even more so as puppies. Now I don't know how well Bay Area Humane Society educated Casey's owners about his breed and the responsibilities that come with it, but knowing his owners, I  would bet they did not educate them one bit!

Casey came to Central Bark every Wednesday.  It was the same day I was there every week.  Casey was wonderful!  So what went wrong?  Absolutely nothing was wrong with the owners and nothing with Casey.  Is there anyone to blame here other than the shelter?  I'm blaming the shelter?  No, not exactly, but do you think Casey would be back at the shelter a second time around had the shelter done its job?  Probably not.

I have another bone to pick with Bay Area Humane Society.  Central Bark, upon finding out Casey had been surrendered, called the shelter to tell them they would like to pull Casey and keep him at Central Bark until they could find an owner.  Gee, what a gracious offer!  Taking Casey back into an environment he knows, and place him among people he knows and love him, would be wonderful.  Why would you not jump at that and say “that would be great for Casey”?  But would it be great for Bay Area Humane?  No, Why?  Well, maybe money is the reason?  Let’s see, he was adopted out at least once before so far as we know of, for around $200, then he was brought back and adopted out for another $200 and now, he's back again, which will bring in another $200 when he is adopted again.  So, keeping Casey at the shelter is in the shelter’s best interest, right?  That's what Stephanie, from the shelter told Erroll, the Central Bark Manager, "We think Casey has a better chance of getting a home from our facility, rather than letting him go to yours." So, you’re telling me that if we could ask Casey he would say, "Yes, keep me here with no one I know, eating food I don't like when I could be running outside with my friends?"  Give me a break!  This isn't about Casey’s welfare at all.  This is about the almighty dollar!  Bay Area Humane does not have Casey's best interest at heart.  So, shame on you, Bay Area Humane Society, for not allowing Central Bark to care for him until they could find a home for him.

Dogs that attend doggy day care are not any different than other dogs.  Their owners are not rich.  My dogs go there and that proves that point.  Owners are not lazy! Sometimes doggy day cares are the last resort people have to help their dogs.  Oh, and that takes me back to the shelters.  Why are there not any programs in place to help people when they do have problems with their dogs?  Would that not reduce owner surrenders? Why couldn't a volunteer man a phone or meet with people to go over strategies to help keep dogs in homes, rather than surrender them.  Thank you Central Bark for being the only resource in the community for helping dogs out.  Shelters need to step up and play that role in their community as the resource to go to for answers, about problems people face with their animals in the community. Quit blaming the public for populating your shelter.  You can be the solution to problems of animal welfare. 

In the meantime Casey is sitting at the shelter and not at Central Bark.  What a shame!