"When the Shelter is full, decisions have to be made"

An UP DATE from the Douglas county animal services director and Douglas County Animal Control this morning. This was posted a few minutes ago on the Douglas County Animal Control FB page. The same information can also be found on the Celebrate Douglas County website. I believe that what is being said by the new Douglas county animal services director is self explanatory. No twisting of the facts or misrepresentations, or miss-truths represented, just the facts as they are being disseminated to the people of Douglas county this morning by their new animal services director on the county run Facebook page.

A transcript of the text is below:

"Government-run Animal Shelters do not have the option to turn away animals. Placements through rescue organizations and adoptions are often far outnumbered by the drop-offs at the Shelter and pick-ups by Animal Control. Government-run animal shelters do not have the option to turn away animals. When the Shelter is full, decisions have to be made.

The Douglas County Animal Shelter will post the "in danger" list on its Department page of the County web site, www.CelebrateDouglasCounty.com, each week, usually on Tuesdays. These are animals who need to be adopted or rescued. It does not mean that non-adoption of these animals will result in automatic euthanization the week following the posting. Photos and descriptions of the animals are shown in the downloadable documents section of the web page. Citizens are requested to post these photographs and descriptions on personal web pages, social media, etc., in efforts to help the adoption or rescue of these animals."

Please take note, the assertions made in the quoted text above are in direct conflict with the shelter assessment recommendations and a professional review of Douglas county ordinances as provided to the board of commissioners last year by Lifeline. An assessment that was funded by the citizens of Douglas county.

"When the Shelter is full, decisions have to be made"

The Douglas county animal services director has told the citizens of Douglas county before and he is telling them again this morning on the county Facebook page, what his intentions are and he is seeking to justify his actions by his assertions of this is how it is done in "government run shelters"

1. The Douglas county animal services director has reduced the capacity of the DCAC shelter to house animals. 
2. The Douglas county animal services director has reduced the DCAC shelter staff to take care of housed animals at the shelter. 
3. The Douglas county animal services director has been responsible for the resignations of two critical DCAC employees in the last three weeks. 
4. The Douglas county animal services director has created an openly adversarial atmosphere to both existing volunteers and rescue groups since his arrival.
5. The Douglas county animal services director has placed his wife in charge of the only approved volunteer group at DCAC.
6. The Douglas county animal services director is creating the perfect storm of pending death for a great many animals in this county and the Douglas county animal services director is attempting to shift the blame elsewhere for the consequences of his own intended actions.

The citizens and volunteers of this county and those who have supported the efforts of dedicated staff and volunteers efforts nationwide over the past year know better. There are progressive means and progressive programs that have demonstratably eliminated the necessity for the mass killing of animals at our shelter over the past year. The animal services director intends by his own actions and his own words to revert back to a regressive system of management of our shelter. A system where animal control enforcement takes precedent over all other aspects of animal welfare and citizen concerns in Douglas county.

The animal services director brought with him a history of killing over 70,000 animals during his career in St. Joseph's Missouri and it appears that his intent is to do the same in Douglas county.

There is another way for the citizens of Douglas county to address this crisis in the making at our shelter and that is to continue to demand that the Douglas county board of commissioners terminate their contract and relationship with Rick Smith immediately. It was a mistake to hire Rick Smith and it is a far worse mistake to continue to allow him to steer our shelter toward the imminent death of dozens if not hundreds of healthy adoptable animals and the destruction of the record of progressive animal welfare accomplishments of the past year.

Contact your comissioners and let your voice be heard.