Animal Shelter study

[Breadburner]

Please spay and neuter your pets....

[TheArtist]

Perhaps a free spay and neuter program would help.  Have a wealthy donor or two set up an endowment, or just set up one that people could donate to, so that all animals could get free spay and neutering, forever.  That way there would be no excuse from anyone.  Every year have a "spay and neuter week" with TV and paper promotions and even send a flyer home with the school kids with the locations nearest them, times and phone number to make an appointment.

[Wilbur]

As for humane society standards, I believe humane treatment of animals at the shelter would be the bare minimum requirements.

Of course.  And I've been to the animal shelter and adopted many pets from there and didn't really see a problem.  Did the animals have a comfy lap to curl up on in front of the fireplace?  No.  Did I see mistreatment?  No.

As to Humane Society standards, I have no idea what they are, so agreeing the standards should be met is a little difficult to agree to.  That's like saying everyone needs to agree to Greenpeace standards or MoveOn.Org standards, which many believe, are a little radical.

I've done my part.  We were a foster home for a cat rescue group until we hit 11 cats at my house.  That was it!  I'd had enough.  Still have two of them that nobody wants (but me, of course).

[deeray]

Some are wanting some facts.

This  documentation might  encourage others to look a little deeper into the shelter

The problems at the shelter are just an example of the way our city is run.  I personally did the research on the Vet contract, which obviously includes purchasing. The records came from the city of tulsa web site or city open records.


City of Tulsa
Animal Shelter Veterinary Contract             Purchasing Irregularities

Last March the Veterinary Services contract at the City Animal Shelter came available 6 months early.  The normal bid process on this service is in November.  This contract is valued over 150K and is a closed bid submittal.  The following companies are the ones city purchasing contacted (under the commodity number for vet services) for a licensed Veterinarian on March 9 2006.        
Daniel Cason –DVM Large Animals – Did get notice
Woodland Animal Hospital –Did not get notice of bid-
Dr Genie Thoni DVM  -works for royal canine as rep

NOTE THE FOLLOWINg COMPANIES>>
Baxsys  Computer services
National occupational health
Buffalo Electric
Bright Ideas Training & Development
CEIS    project engineering
G & K George Enterprises LLC    Gifts
Community Movers, Inc.
Konecrane Ind
Energy Safety services
Harold Baker – Albertsons towing
Application Software, Inc.
United Van Lines LLC
Jerald Lee Pritchett  ?
National Safe Work Institute
Aon Risk Service of Oklahoma
Ashok Kache, MD – Physical therapy
Bidders Resource Inc – Database
Solution Boxes, Inc
Wallace & Associates Protective Services LLC
Carson's Catering and Food services
Consolidated Fleet Services
Brown Cat Studio – Art studio
Bryan Consulting & Training, Inc.
MACS Performance, LLC – helicopter repair
Foreman Brothers Underground Inc.
Dunks Pool Mart, Inc.

The bid was awarded in April to the only bid submittal....  Chester Thomas DVM that lives in Sand Springs.  Please note he is not on the contacted list.   Many vets have worked contract at the shelter over the years, but none were sent a notice.  WHY?

One of the contract vets at the shelter that March could not get any information on the contract...

The mayors office, the council, the newspaper, the action line were contacted and nothing happened.  Also sent it to the Eagle and to Michael D....nothing

The contract is just one instance.  

I have Budgets, expenditures, stats, training material, etc from the shelter.

This is the 3rd Shelter review I have been involved with.  The other 2, I spearheaded the effort.

In Broken Arrow, the SR. Animal Control Officer was putting the dogs and cats in the same cage to euthanize.  The dogs were tearing the cats apart before they could be gassed.  Pretty horrific, huh

 This was written up in the NACA (National Animal Control Association) report of the review of the Broken Arrow Animal Shelter.  
THe report was about 2 inches thick.


There are x employees of the shelter that have tried to be heard....but someone has to listen.

As far as the solution it is an overhaul on the whole system.
It must be out of the control of the police.  Any shelter that reports to the police seems to have the same problems.

 Killing them is not the solution, spay/neuter is. Low/cost spay/neuter, strong and enforced ordinances on Breeders and the sale or adoption of intact animals.

Educational programs and especially the concerns of animal cruelty and abuse.
 If we teach our kids the respect and responsibile treatment of animals whether, they are old, young, hurt, ugly, cute.....
Hopefully they will grow up to respect all people.

If Anyone wants more information, e-mail me.  I will respond personally or blog it...

Please help us make the changes

[sgrizzle]

As noted when this was discussed before. The city notifies those who have registered themselves as suppliers. If you haven't registered as a supplier, then don't complain. It's like complaining that you don't get "the daily dilbert" in email but never signing up. Obviously someone who did get it, passed it on to a vet they knew, and he applied.

You are not supposed to register for a suplier for things you can't supply, but obviously some people just registered for everything, or at least all services (900 block) so they showed up on the veterinary list. The city likely can't go through every supplier and every area and know for sure what they are qualified to do. Maybe "Brown cat studio" thought the city would look for someone to paint cats coming into the shelter and "community movers" is into cat shipping...

[Conan71]

CSI code spamming is what we call it.  It really doesn't harm anyone except for the person in a company who fields RFQ's from issuing agencies who has to sort through all the faxes and emails for un-related goods and services.

If someone doesn't properly register, it's not the city's fault, however, there is always the possibility of human error in the purchasing department in properly entering vendor and potential vendor information.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

CSI code spamming is what we call it.  It really doesn't harm anyone except for the person in a company who fields RFQ's from issuing agencies who has to sort through all the faxes and emails for un-related goods and services.

If someone doesn't properly register, it's not the city's fault, however, there is always the possibility of human error in the purchasing department in properly entering vendor and potential vendor information.

Either way, it is a 98% certainty that the list of notified people being "weird" has nothing to do with conspiracies, buddy deals or anything else. It is verbatim city procedure.

[Rico]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

How do we find 15,000 new people to care about animals enough to get one from the shelter? Good question. It sounds like something that could be attempted out of a metro region our size though. We have some smart PR people on this forum.

I have to say I don't know how they market their services, work with the rescue groups or even accept their animals. I don't know enough to have a strong opinion.

I do think that there is something wrong with euthanizing 300 animals a week.

What I find interesting is that Grand Lake and Bartlesville have "no kill" shelters...

My sister in-law works at a shelter on the East Coast.... it is also a no kill shelter...

If offering free spay and neuter clinics and the public becoming more involved is a partial solution it should be done....


This could be done in Tulsa and it should be...

[NellieBly]

The Oklahoma Alliance for Animals is working to make Tulsa a no-kill city. That is their primary goal. They work one Saturday a month at the shelter to encourage adoptions and they offer low cost spay and neutering.

[sgrizzle]

I used one of those low-cost places a few years back. It took 9 hours and I ended up with two spayed cats recovering from minor surgery with no anesthetic. They even admitted that this procedure was different from the service I would get if I paid full price.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I used one of those low-cost places a few years back. It took 9 hours and I ended up with two spayed cats recovering from minor surgery with no anesthetic. They even admitted that this procedure was different from the service I would get if I paid full price.

Two spayed cats with no anesthetic?  I've heard just bathing them without anesthetic is really dicey. [}:)]

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I used one of those low-cost places a few years back. It took 9 hours and I ended up with two spayed cats recovering from minor surgery with no anesthetic. They even admitted that this procedure was different from the service I would get if I paid full price.

Two spayed cats with no anesthetic?  I've heard just bathing them without anesthetic is really dicey. [}:)]

They used it for the procedure but normally it stays in their system to allow them to slowly wake up and recover while still under pain killers. This place used a counter-agent meaning they were wide awake and fully feeling the effects within a couple of minutes of being sewn up.

[Rico]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I used one of those low-cost places a few years back. It took 9 hours and I ended up with two spayed cats recovering from minor surgery with no anesthetic. They even admitted that this procedure was different from the service I would get if I paid full price.

Sad but true...
There are Vets. out there that do not deserve to breathe the same air as an animal...[]

Do not make the mistake of letting this be your reference for all "low cost" Vets.....

As with MD's or DO's or any other Profession for that matter.... you have to sort through the garbage to find someone decent...

I hope your cats made it through the ordeal..

[B)]

[deeray]

I have received notice that The animal alliance is holding a meeting this evening at the Hardesty Library 6:30 pm.

It is concerning the upcoming HSUS review of the shelter.

I talked to the HSUS Team Leader in DC yesterday.  All comments must reach them by the end of the month.  If any groups or interested parties want to schedule a meeting with them while they are here, they also need to request before the end of the month.  They will only be here 3 days, she assured me the team will be thorough with their review.  
New Mexico has been reviewed the the HSUS...google if you are interested in their outcome.  They have made major changes, alot in the legal system concerning cruelty and abuse.  


Concerning the Vet Contract.  There is a lot more info than I shared.  I personally talked to about 8 of the Vendors on the list.  They had no idea how they were on the list nor why. A couple of them thought I was really bit crazy asking them about being on the vet contract list.  None remember receiving any notice.

Black Cat studio is an art studio owned by a local teacher.  She also works with rescue.  Again, she was rather upset to find she had been on the list, and did not remember getting anything from them.  

 
Interesting enough, the vets that had previously been given notice of the contract in the past (always in November)  HAD NO IDEA it was being bid 6 months early and did not get a notice.....including a contract vet that was in the shelter the month the contract was let. And she was asking, due to the early vacancy...She previously had received notices in the past.

Now does that raise any flags?  We all can give excuses of how things can happen, but this is not only about the shelter but also another example of our wasteful city proccesses and concerns within the purchasing department

[Hawkins]

quote:Originally posted by Rowdy

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

There sure are lots of complaints about the animal shelter. I haven't been out there since  we rescued a dog a couple of years ago, but I have a co-worker who rants about the conditions and I talked to DeeRay last year and she convinced me something should be done.

Why is the animal shelter part of the police department? It doesn't make sense to me, but I can't think of any department that is a perfect match.

I think it's this way in Jenks too.

Does Jenks have an animal shelter? I tried Google, but I'm not finding any info on this.