After the Storm; the Shame of PCAS... by Leigh Clifton

After Tropical Storm Debby ripped through the west coast of Florida last week, she left destruction and flooding in her path. The counties of Pasco and Hillsborough saw some of the worst flooding; the local rivers were almost 20 feet above flood-stage and washed out many homes and roads. 


Consequently, not only homeowners , but their pets were displaced. Many  people opted for the storm shelters while others hunkered down with relatives and neighbors who lived on higher ground. But some with pets were either unable to take them, or they were not allowed to have them in the storm shelters and many pets were left to fend for themselves in the nasty weather. Some of these pets ended up at the Pasco County Animal Services Shelter; cold, hungry, frightened and alone. 


Now you would think that because of the storm situation, the time it has taken for the waters to recede and the amount of clean-up the residents affected had to do, that PCAS Director John Malley would gladly extend the hold time on some of these poor souls. 


And you would be wrong...DEAD  DOG wrong...


Not only has Malley NOT extended the time or courtesy to the strays being picked up, but he seems to have escalated the process towards euthanasia by lessening the time they WERE given as rescues and volunteers try and find their owners or alternative fosters or adopters. Pasco County has been declared a DISASTER AREA, for God's sake. Why on EARTH would you not take that into consideration? It boggles the mind.


While Building A, with it fancy air intake designed to thwart the spread of disease , sits largely empty and under-utilized, Building C and the mysterious Building D are full of strays and owner surrenders, some due to the storm. These animals have NOWHERE to go; I'm sure a LOT of the owners would just like to have a few days to clean up the water damage from their homes and know that their animals are at least safe for the moment, with an option for adoption from someone who can give them a new home. But that is NOT the case with PCAS. 
Owner surrenders are SUPPOSED to have some time.. for rescues and potential adopters to try and re-home them. But the reality is that they are  almost always routinely killed FIRST and their time is cut short.  The  shelter does NOT update the Facebook page, clearly the one area where the dogs can be seen.....I guess they're just a nuisance to John Malley, who paraded Frodo in front of the visiting press like he's his long lost friend come home, while he signs death warrants for the animals behind the camera's prying eyes.


And SPEAKING of CAMERAS... REALLY? NO MORE CAMERAS ALLOWED NOW? 
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU HIDING??? WHAT DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS DO YOU HAVE TUCKED AWAY, MR. MALLEY? Oh yes, the PRESS will have a field day with this one. 


This shelter is funded with PUBLIC TAX DOLLARS, Mr. Malley, and the PUBLIC has a right to photograph any DAMN building their tax dollars PAID FOR!! 


Please remember, that YOUR salary is paid with these very same dollars.... your very OVERPAID salary for which I can see you do precious little except kill adoptable animals on a daily and often hourly basis.


PCAS needs to WORK with the rescue groups, a wonderful, courageous group of men and women who tirelessly network  the animals that come into this sham of a shelter, to try and give them a chance... at LIFE, Mr. Malley.. at LIFE... NOT a heart stick or a cold needle with no sedative. NOT a black trash bag tossed in the hallway for the local crematorium. But more on that aspect in another blog post....


Emails from both adopters AND rescues go unanswered for days and are often just ignored. Dogs and cats with interested adopters are routinely killed "by accident" or the information has somehow gotten past the staff well after the dog or cat has been euthanized. The phone is NEVER picked up... it has rung for 15 minutes at a time or more without being answered, while ON THAT PHONE is an adopter or rescue, or an owner who's lost their dog and is looking for it. Dogs that are so obviously cared for; well-fed, groomed and neutered or spayed. Dogs that get NO time to make it out of that hell-hole. Dogs that are killed....


What will it take to stop this corruption? VOICES PEOPLE... VOICES THAT SCREAM INJUSTICE AND VOICES THAT DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR TAX PAYER DOLLARS.


You are officially on notice, Mr. Malley. You need to provide the information and records on Dr.Wilkins that was requested; you need to provide the euth records and the records for the shelter's kill rate as well as the adoption stats. You need to do it now. Follow the law and the guidelines in your OWN manual. 


Because now you have REALLY pissed some people off... the kind like me who like to investigate things that seem a little hinky... a little off... like charities that take in hard earned money from the public in little collection boxes at the shelter. A charity with NO MISSION STATEMENT and one that is NOT REGISTERED CORRECTLY WITH THE IRS.  The kind like me who KNOWS people who would be VERY interested in this kind of information.

Oh yes, Mr. Malley... I will be calling you. Please pick up your damn phone. You're going to have to answer to this.  Yes, yes you are.