Feud continues between Animal rescues and Roswell Animal Control

(Jared Tucker, PVON Photo) Roswell Animal Control Supervisor Joseph Pacheco explains the tagging system at the city’s animal control facility.

 

 

Jared Tucker, PVON Founder/Senior Journalist
plainsvalleyonlinenews@gmail.com
See correction/clarification at bottom of article

ROSWELL- It has been five months since the mauling of nine-year-old Colby Prince.  Since the city tightened regulations and began enforcing euthanasia ordinances, there has been a non-stop influx of allegations against the city despite recent actions to find middle ground.

Now the city has had enough.  Police Chief Phil Smith said it’s time for activists to show proof and specific dates and times to their claims, or stop with the baseless allegations.  His staff is following the law, and if people want the law changed, they need to take that up with the city council.

We showed up to Roswell Animal Control unannounced to see for ourselves which claims have merit, and which ones are all bark and no bite.

We looked at four of the biggest complaints by animal advocates, according to interviews, local rescue websites and social media pages.

Record Keeping.

RAC Supervisor Joseph Pacheco said there’s no question the record keeping system as a whole needs updated but that is in the process of being fixed.  High turnover with receptionists doesn’t help, either.

“It’s hard to teach that person if we’re only holding on to them a short time, if they quit on us or get transferred out every two or three months,” Pacheco said.

Currently RAC is down to one receptionist, who has to file paperwork, run back to the kennels to see which dogs are there for dog rescues who call; she answers other calls, she has to dispatch AC officers to calls, all while tending to walk-in customers, Pacheco said.

“It’s a very stressful job,” Pacheco said.

The city has purchased a $7,000+ computer system that will tie in to the existing police computer system, Pacheco said.  It should streamline the process, he said, and a new website will be launched so all records can be accessed online.

Pacheco also emphasized that the city does not operate or maintain any of the social media pages, such as Roswell Urgent Animals at Animal Control.

“They’ll call and say ‘we want to know about Snoopy.’  We’re like, ‘who’s Snoopy?’ ‘It’s on your Facebook page, you don’t know who Snoopy is?’ They start getting an attitude with us, but it’s not our Facebook page,” Pacheco said.  “We do everything by cage and impound number.”

Euthanasia rate.

A big complaint among the animal rescue community is the city’s euthanasia ordinance.  After seven days, animals are euthanized.  In September, the city announced that adoptions and re-claimed animals were up, while euthanized animal numbers were down.

Still, advocates claim that the seven-day time limit is not enough, and that the shelter kills perfectly adoptable animals, sometimes before the seven days is up.

Pacheco said it’s a harsh reality when there is no room.

“In the summer there’s times we have to put down early because of the high volume of animals coming through the shelter,” Pacheco said.

Two extra days are allowed for animals that have  been tagged by rescues that call in advance when incidental issues come up, such as road closures and vehicle break downs, he said.

Pacheco said he could definitely see extending that seven days during the winter months.

“November through February where we could maybe hold them a little longer…it just depends.  But in the summer there’s just no way, we don’t have the room,” Pacheco said, but until such a change is made through city council, he and his staff are sticking to the current rules.

Attempts to re-unite dogs with owners via microchip scans and ID tags

Pacheco said many dogs are impounded that have microchips and/or ID tags.

The problem comes when the chip is scanned, the database is accessed and all of the information fields are left blank by the owners.

“We also have animals come in who have tags, but the phone numbers are disconnected, and the vaccinations aren’t recent so we can’t track down owners that way,” Pacheco said. “Sometimes, the tags are so scratched up you can’t even read them.”

Veterinary Care.

Another allegation is that RAC and the veterinarian staff does not keep the facility clean, that sickness and disease runs rampant through the kennels.  Pacheco said animals who show signs and symptoms of disease are euthanized, and the ones who are sick in the kennels were already sick upon intake, but not showing symptoms.

“They use Rocal for the parvo, they disinfect, they clean the cages.  I personally don’t think the animals are getting sick here.  We’ve even got a new ventilation system back there,” Pacheco said.

Pacheco said the ventilation system was installed to keep the air circulating.  Pacheco said stagnant air is a big cause of kennel cough.

So what about vaccinations?  Who diagnoses these animals on intake?  The city contracts with Dr. Leandro Guiterrez.  We attempted to speak with his technician, Sandy while we were at RAC.

“Let me talk with my boss and see if he wants me to answer any questions,” she said.

We never heard back from her.

So despite the efforts by the city: The repealed clause of the written agreement for random and pre-adoption inspections, the new computer system, the ventilation system, extended days and hours of operation, more animal control officer position(though two of those are vacant-one went to driving a truck in the oilfield and another, who is a carpenter by trade, transferred to the city maintenance department, Pacheco said), janitors for cleanliness, and a public hearing to be held about another proposed amendment for the two day euthanasia extension for incidentals, the allegations continue.

If death threats to the mayor and a news reporter weren’t enough, now some advocates have taken even further radical, extremist actions and are intentionally trying to cost the city money.

In a Facebook comment thread on an animal rescue page, Niecy Sheehan wrote,

“Let’s not stop hit pocket book next.  What can we also do to cause the police and city to lose money?  Can anyone think of a way to hit them in (the) pocket book they may take notice then?”

Chief Smith has had enough.

“I say put these complainants to their proof, have them produce dates, times and respond with their names,” Smith said. I have spoken with some of them via phone and it is a real challenge to make them understand, I do not make the rules, the city council does and no matter my personal distaste, I will enforce the rules.  Further I will not break the rules for them and jeopardize my position because they appear to have a compliance issue in whatever form.”

PVON did receive a specific complaint from an animal advocate.

Kathy Mounts wrote us Nov. 1 at 12:58 p.m. via Facebook.  She said,

“Please keep investigating. Not good planning. This place is so messed up.  The shelter had to go buy food,” Mounts said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correction/clarification 11/24/14: There is no ordinance labeled “euthanasia ordinance” in Roswell.  Rather, there is one which speaks of unclaimed animals, which calls for humane disposal as recommended by the American Veterinarian Medical Association if animals are not re-claimed or adopted in seven days.