On Tuesday, September 18th, there was yet another bizarre and continuing retaliatory move by Pasco County Animal Shelter Director John Malley, who has been waging an unfathomable negative campaign against individual animal rescuers as well as group rescues.
Long time rescuer and Pasco County Animal Advisory Board member Betty Hay was visiting Adoption Building A when she was suddenly told she was no longer allowed to go into the Cat room. Betty, who has been rescuing dogs and cats from the Pasco shelter for over 20 years was given no explanation by the shelter staff. She was told that to even look OR adopt a cat, she would have to go to Building C , the intake building whose deplorable conditions and no air conditioning have been a point of contention for animal rescuers, even though she could plainly see that the cat cages in Building A were almost completely full. She was totally confused because three weeks ago, Betty, who had accompanied a blind rescue volunteer, had been begged by the staff to take a cat that had been in the adoption building, which she willingly did without hesitation.
"I don't have any idea why all of the sudden I couldn't walk into that cat room," Betty said. "It just doesn't make any sense to me, since I had rescued that cat three weeks earlier."
So Betty turned around and walked out. She didn't question the staff because she didn't want to jeopardize any one on the staff's job. She went home and called Assistant County Commissioner Dan Johnson, who coincidentally had JUST hung up with John Malley prior to her call.
"Dan told me that they has spent $70,000 to make sure that cats got "good, fresh air to keep them healthy."
Although Johnson never said so, Betty felt that the implication was that because she had rescue cats at home, that she would somehow "infect" the cats at the shelter or bring in diseases, even though all of Betty's animals are vetted.
"I'm sure that's what he (Malley) was implying to Dan Johnson."
Betty's long history with the shelter began with a great relationship with the old director, Denise Hilton, who retired after 29 years of service. Malley now has her job.
"Denise was really good for this shelter," Betty said. 'She was compassionate and helped the rescue groups in their efforts to try and give these animals a forever home. I got along really well with her and she always REALLY tried to help the animals."
Betty feels that John Malley is basically punishing her because he thinks she'a a part of the many rescue groups who have been challenging Malley's constantly changing 'rules' and often unreasonable and questionable tactics.
"I think he is directly retaliating against me because he thinks I'm involved with groups who are out to "get " him. He's trying to keep me out. I'm not involved with anything like that. I am only trying to do what I've ALWAYS done, which is to rescue animals. He's not a very friendly or outgoing person and he keeps making it harder and harder to help these poor animals. You have to ask yourself, why?"
Not only has Betty been an enormous advocate for the Pasco Animal Shelter, she has by her accounts probably rescued over 200 cats and numerous dogs over her 20 year history with the Shelter.
On Betty's Tuesday visit, she also observed that there were only about 7 dogs that were in the adoption cages, while many more cages and dog runs sat empty. Again there was no explanation for this.
Betty is a woman who has devoted the last 20 years to rescue and the last 10 + to the Animal Advisory Board and this appears to be yet another move by Malley to thwart the ongoing efforts of rescuers like her who want to question why there are the newest "rules" and restrictions that Malley seems to come up with daily. "This My way or the Highway" kind of mentality that Malley and Lynn Deddo keep coming up with makes no sense to anyone. Why would you deny someone like Betty Hay access to the cats in Bldg A?
I think it's time to start asking why.... I think its time to start really investigating what the REAL reasons are that all of these new "rules" are making it so much more difficult to rescue an animal from PCAS.
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