Gone to the dogs

[bigdoglover]

The Advertiser-Tribune

By Kendall S. Cable

The Seneca County Commissioners have decided to temporarily discontinue a program allowing a volunteer to photograph and post dogs housed in the Seneca County Dog Warden’s Office on www.Petfinder.com.

The commissioners granted Madelyn Lynch, a volunteer from Fostoria, approval during a June 5 board meeting with the understanding she would update information, use a camera to be purchased and owned by the county, and submit paperwork to declare she was not a county employee or accepting insurance to absolve the county of liability.

An estimated 18 dogs have been adopted since they were listed on the site, Assistant County Administrator Stacy Wilson said.

“We have not ever received anything from her in writing,” County Administrator Lucinda Keller said.

“I know she’s been taking pictures. I know she’s been putting them on the Web site, Keller said.

“One of the issues is she is not taking them off of the Web site after the dogs have been adopted, which is creating a lot of extra phone calls and work and confusion out at our dog warden’s office.”

Keller said because the staff is new and limited in the absence of a dog warden, it is taking longer for things to get done.

“It is just really using a lot of our time out there right now for something that is not being — in my opinion — managed quite right because I think that those should be off,” she said.

After the meeting, Lynch said she has never turned in paperwork because she never received any. Sauber said Lynch was told during the board meeting she attended she had to write it up herself.

Lynch said there are two dogs on the Web site currently — Priscilla and Jerrie — who were removed from the dog warden’s office by the Society for the Protection of Animals Inc., Fremont, and boarded.

She said they remain on the Web site “so that they can get the publicity.”

The Web site states the dogs have been removed from the shelter and advises interested people to submit an application to www.spaohio.org and lists three links: one to the Seneca County Dog Warden’s Office with a telephone number, one to Lynch’s e-mail and one to receive an application from SPA.

Keller said the commissioners’ office would like the dog warden’s link and phone number taken off the page to stop the phone calls to the dog warden’s office.

Lynch said, per the request of Assistant Dog Warden Matt Snook, she pulled another dog off the Web site Wednesday evening.

Sauber said the Web site states a camera is available at the dog warden’s office for volunteers to take pictures of the dogs and post them on the site. He said the permission was given to Lynch, and the county needs to maintain control of who is authorized to use the camera.

Also entering into the picture were e-mails regarding three dogs that were euthanized. Barbara McGrady, SPA president, said Lynch arranged with the former dog warden for someone to pick up the dogs Monday. McGrady said she was told the dogs had been euthanized when she called in the Thursday prior because of space issues.

Sauber said he did not have any documentation and was only pulling from his memory, but thought the former dog warden said someone was supposed to pick up the dogs at a certain time, but failed to do so.

“There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of people outraged by the warden who killed the three walkers. Many of these people are ready to start an E-mail/letter writing/telephone campaign to the Seneca County Commissioners,” stated a Wednesday e-mail from McGrady to The Advertiser-Tribune.

Attached to McGrady’s e-mail was one from Janice Sclafani, in which she wrote she would wait until she was told what to do.

“The despair everyone is feeling over the lost hounds (needlessly no less) is what is causing the outrage. Since outrage often brings both attention and change, this is why you have people who are getting very distressed over the incident,” Sclafani wrote.

A Tuesday e-mail from McGrady to The A-T said there were four dogs at the dog warden’s office Lynch thought might be killed without her being able to photograph them.

“If she is not allowed to do so I will be sending out an action alert to thousands of people across the U.S. who do care about the dogs at Seneca County Dog Pound, letting them know that Maddie was not allowed to photograph the four dogs currently in need of rescue. I simply cannot understand why Madelyn’s efforts to help Seneca County become a more humane community would not be welcomed,” McGrady wrote.

Lynch was able to photograph the dogs, Sauber said.

“I think this is somebody undermining us, trying to create issues and problems,” Sauber said about the e-mails. “I think there is a campaign out there against this county, against our dog shelter.

“I want to make sure that everybody understands that we have been trying to have our dogs adopted for years. We don’t want to put a dog down. We want to make sure that every dog that we have could be adoptable, but some of them aren’t adoptable and we have to put them down. We have limited space. And we need to make sure that we have space to pick up dogs that are injured or viscous. If we don’t, then we are in trouble.”

McGrady asked, “How has Commissioner Sauber been trying to get those dogs adopted? I want to know how — if he is not putting their pictures in The Advertiser-Tribune or making efforts by putting them on Petfinder.”

Sauber said, “People know to come into our office to adopt a pet. They are referred by the Humane Society.”

Sauber added — although it has not seen fruition — there were discussions regarding the possibility of dog showings in the Tiffin Mall.

Keller said she had pressure placed on her by Lynch last week to allow her to take photos of the dogs even after Keller tried to tell Lynch the office was overwhelmed and understaffed, but Lynch continued to push the issue.

“I would like to make sure that we are not going to be threatened or bullied by any special interest groups or anybody else to do the job that we have been doing for years,” Sauber said.

Commissioner Joseph Schock asked, “Do you feel it is feasible at this time where we are going through transition and are going to be occupied with retraining the new dog warden and training the present assistant dog warden, is this something that maybe could be put on hold for awhile until we get this department back together?”

Sauber agreed to discontinue the program and allow the next dog warden to decide if he wants to continue it.

“I don’t understand why I am not allowed to do that,” Lynch said. “I am not trying to personally offend or undermine the dog warden. All I am concerned about is saving these animals’ lives and pulling them from the kill shelter. It is not about people and their feelings. It is about saving these animals’ lives.”

McGrady said, “They are wrong to be doing what they are doing. Dogs are going to die because they are not letting Madelyn in.”

She added she understands they are having a difficult time finding and keeping a dog warden, but suggested someone be temporarily assigned to the office so dogs can be rescued.

McGrady sent an e-mail Thursday evening regarding the commissioners’ decision.

One blamed Sauber, another blamed the commissioners for the decision.

“I have kept animal groups across the U.S. abreast on this matter. We are planning on launching a national e-mail, letter writing, and telephone campaign,” McGrath wrote.

She also wrote it is urgent to contact the commissioners if anyone wants the dogs at the dog warden’s office because, “Now they will probably all die.”