January 11, 2005
Virginia Woolverton, DVM
514 Baker Drive
Birmingham, Alabama 35213
Councilwoman Valerie Abbott
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham, Alabama
Dear Ms. Abbott:
The following information is based on my personal experiences, perceptions, and impressions of the operation of Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control Services, Inc. during my period of employment from February, 2002, to October, 2004. I do not claim that any statement is an indisputable fact, and I can only attest to what I witnessed first-hand. My perceptions and understandings are subject to the same flaws and bias as other human beings.
I was hired in February of 2002 as full-time staff veterinarian/kennel manager at Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control Services, Inc. In the beginning I was quite impressed with what appeared to be a dedicated and intense effort on the parts of Mr. Smith and his managerial staff to bring about significant improvements in the facility and the care and well-being of the animals. Long tedious hours were spent developing, creating, and changing protocols for the operations of the field officers, cleaning of the kennels, and care of the animals. When I came on board I developed protocols that outlined in detail the caring for the sick, debilitated, and injured animals; the pregnant and nursing moms, and feeding and special care for the very young and senior animals. I wrote protocols for the appropriate storage and use of the drugs (controlled substances) used for euthanasia. I modified the euthanasia protocol to make the procedures more similar to the methods used by veterinarians in private practice and to insure that the most humane methods possible were implemented. It was an exciting time, and I was full of hope and optimism that BJC would become an outstanding animal control facility.
As time progressed, it became clear that the positions of veterinarian and kennel manager were too much for one person to handle effectively. Not only was I responsible for the duties of both positions, I was also called to his office on a frequent basis for “management” meetings, which took much of my time away from the animals and my daily duties during regular and sometimes after business hours. I had to spend many overtime hours catching up, and I was also expected, when available, to tend to sick or injured animals that were brought to the shelter at night or over the weekend. The workload was overwhelming but as I attempted to convince Mr. Smith of this, he basically said for me to just give it some time and I would “get the hang of it”. Ultimately, Mr. Smith agreed to split the positions into two full time positions, and I was finally able to concentrate on my role as staff veterinarian. Even so, many times my responsibilities were overwhelming, with anywhere from 150-300 animals or so to care for, with virtually no diagnostic equipment and only sporadically with an assistant. Most of the time I worked alone. Many of my duties could not be performed by anyone else or without my direct guidance. If I took time off or was out sick, my workload fell behind. Combined with this backload and continuing to have to take on others’ responsibilities when they were out lead me to a point of such physical and emotional exhaustion, I had no choice but to turn in my resignation.
It is very difficult for me to write this as I try to put into words in a concise and meaningful manner - so much went on during my employment at BJC that it is difficult to separate my personal struggles from the information that is more pertinent for your needs.
Let me start with the problems encountered with the kennel staff. We were chronically short handed both due to turnover of employees as well as absenteeism. This put a constant burden on other employees, as well as me, to fulfill their duties as well as others. The staff became progressively more negative and less and less willing to put in a team effort. These attitudes trickled down from the longer-term employees to the newly hired. During the last year of my employment most of the longer-term employees habitually performed at a minimal level and spent periods of the afternoons participating in non-work-related activities. Newly hired employees became resentful as they felt that a greater work load was expected of them, while others did very little or nothing. This became a major problem as during the last year or so much of Mr. Smith’s time was spent away from the facility. During the latter part of the afternoons when he was absent, employees could be found playing cards or dominoes in the break room, or playing computer games at their desks, or taking very long “smoke breaks” either outside the front door or in the back bay area.
Although so much effort went into revamping and designing new protocols for the cleaning of the kennels and care and feeding of the animals, these protocols, at best, were very inconsistently implemented. There appeared to be very little managerial effort made to insure that appropriate procedures were being followed. Please understand that as veterinarian, I was not considered part of the “management” and had no authority over the kennel staff. A “chain of command” was established such that in my case I was to advise the kennel manager of any problems, and it would be in their hands to deal with them. Most of the kennel staff did not appear to be effectively influenced by any managerial efforts to improve their performance, which may be why very little effort was made on their part.
Several of the kennel staff were resistant to the protocols I had established for the care of the animals. They openly admitted to me that they preferred that I not go into the kennels during cleaning hours (first half of the day). Fresh bedding (clean, dry blankets or towels) was to be placed daily in the runs of the pregnant and nursing moms, as well as the sick, debilitated or otherwise needy animals. Several of the kennel staff appeared to be unwilling to replace dirty bedding, or even to remove it. On more than one occasion I found nursing moms with their litters lying on bedding that was literally dripping wet. When questioned, the staff would not accept responsibility for this but such could only have come from very careless cleaning procedures. I received complaints from kennel staff when I fed smaller puppies extra food during the day (according to protocol) because this increased the stool volume and made the cleaning of the runs more difficult. Suggestions I had made in the beginning to the kennel staff to help reduce the spread of parvovirus were basically ignored.
The cleaning protocols for the canine kennels included the use of a detergent to remove debris from the runs, rinsing the runs of the detergent with high pressure hosing, followed by an application of a disinfectant. The disinfectant was not to be rinsed from the runs but excess moisture was to be removed with a squeegee before the dog(s) were placed back in the runs. The dogs were to be kept away from their runs and kept dry during the cleaning procedures. Under no circumstances was water to be sprayed into or in front of a run while the animals were still inside them. The issue of keeping the animals dry is one that has been dealt with ever since I came on board. And to the day that I quit, it was never resolved satisfactorily. On a regular basis, dogs were found to be wet, oftentimes more or less from head to toe. I do not recall ever seeing a kennel person using the squeegee inside the runs (although it may have been done to some extent) I observed on occasion employees hosing directly into the runs or directly along the front edges of the runs while dogs were still contained within them (I can only imagine how often this happened on weekends or other times I was not around). Of course the dogs became very wet. Proper cleaning procedures along with proper ventilation, are essential to disease control. We had ongoing upper respiratory diseases in both dogs and cats, and frequent illness and death in younger dogs, many times from what appeared to be parvovirus.
Some attention was given to the need for cleaning the sides of the runs, as they easily became contaminated with dirt, feces, urine, and nasal discharge from the dogs, creating a “happy campground” for bacteria. If I am recalling this correctly a schedule for scrubbing the walls was typed out and placed in a prominent position on one wall of each kennel. This has been a while ago, and as best I can remember a schedule for scrubbing the sides of the runs was posted in a prominent place in each kennel (male, female, and isolation). Because this duty is so labor intensive, I believe they set it up so that walls were cleaned in sequence, a set number of runs on a given day. To attempt to clean all walls of all runs on a daily basis would be highly impractical. However, I do not recall seeing this being done on any sort of regular basis, and as time went on this task was performed minimally, if at all (I really don’t remember ever seeing it done, but there were times when I was not present in the kennels during cleaning hours. At least up until the time I left, the appearance of the walls of the runs at that time was disgusting, when one took a closer look. I scrubbed a small section of one wall to convince myself how dirty it was. I shouldn’t interject my emotions, but I have to say I was disgusted. I admit that I was at fault for not being more observant. As I passed through the kennels I concentrated on observing the dogs, to assess their physical and mental status, to see if their stools were normal, if they were eating, etc. The kennels were not well lighted and it really was only when I took a picture of a dog in his run that I saw how filthy the walls appeared. They are also in desperate need of repainting. As well, I can only remember one time that anyone made an effort to clean the chain link fencing on the gates and sides of the runs. Cleaning was often incomplete. Employees had complained to me off and on of finding “old” feces beneath the resting platforms and behind the water bowls. The adoption room was also often the victim of sloppy cleaning – I and others frequently found feces under the resting platforms and in the draining gutters.
The prescribed use of the detergent and disinfectant appeared to be very inconsistent. I recall witnessing kennel help cleaning with only water on occasion. Or some had devised their own cleaning procedures. One person was observed cleaning runs by pouring straight Clorox in the front of the run, then hosing the run down by washing the Clorox towards the back of the run. One kennel person that cleaned the isolation kennel actually told me that she didn’t use the disinfectant because she didn’t have any diseases in that kennel. And of course it didn’t take long for animals in that kennel to be showing signs of illness.
Food bowls, according to protocol, were to be removed from every kennel on a daily basis, scrubbed with soap and water, then placed in a “disinfecting” tub with water and a certain parts per million of Clorox. Water bowls, if I am recalling this correctly, were also to be removed and similarly cleaned. (This part of the procedure may have been modified, I am not certain). I did observe that the food bowls, as best I could tell, were being removed and washed with soap and water. But I did not see them disinfected on a daily basis, if at all. The water bowls, as far as I am aware of, were never removed. They were “cleaned” by being rinsed in place with the high pressure hose. This does not completely remove contamination, and is insufficiently effective at removing disease-causing organisms from these bowls. I observed water bowls with feces in them, dead roaches; one dog had urinated in his bowl. I have no idea how long that urine had been in that water bowl, but I did remove it, clean it, and replace it with fresh water.
Cat kennels suffered as well. There are two areas where cats are housed – general population room where stray cats and adoption cats were housed, and cat isolation, which was intended for the housing of sick and feral cats and kittens. Efforts to clean these kennels were even more inconsistent than the canine kennels. The cat isolation room was often given very little attention, especially on the weekends. (Only during the latter months of my employment did those kennels finally receive appropriate attention, thanks to the hiring of certain individuals who cared about the animals and took pride in their work). Neglect of these kennels was most noticeable on the weekends. I can recall Saturdays and Sundays, when I came in after hours, finding cages without food and/or water, litter pans that were soaked with feces and urine – sometimes the stench of ammonia in the isolation kennel was unbearable. Again, protocols for appropriate care of these animals was not followed, and my and others’ attempts to correct this seemed to fall on deaf ears. On occasion, efforts were made to do a better job, but these efforts were not maintained. (When I found empty food and water bowls in these kennels I did take the time to fill them).
During my employment, 3 females served in the position of kennel manager, one lasted only a couple of months, the other two were there for about a year each. What I have to say about them is for the most part my personal opinion that they were not living up to their obligations or job descriptions as “Kennel Manager” which is really between each individual and Steve (I was personally bothered because there is much that they could have done to help me and help give better care to the animals.) However, there were several very serious situations that occurred that I would prefer to speak to you about in private as these are very sensitive matters and I am concerned of the legal implications were I to put them in this letter. Both of these women were off work for a significant period of time due to medical reasons – one took time off to have a baby, the other was out for about 2 months due to a back injury. Upon returning to work, they both were thereafter frequently absent from work for reasons related to their medical leave. This left a significant burden placed on me and the assistant kennel manager (when there was one) because we were responsible for several of their job duties, along with our own. I worked most of my time at BJC without an assistant, which was extremely difficult in and of itself, and having the extra work duties added to my own was, as I have mentioned, often overwhelming. We were NEVER able to live up to the standard of care that I felt those animals needed. Also, as time passed, it seemed to me that they became less and less responsible when they were at work, leaving many routine tasks unattended to, or done very sloppily. For example, I know that at one time the email box for adoptions remained full for over two months – kennel manager responsible for answering those emails was not doing so; other duties related to the adoption program were left undone. The individual that suffered the back injury was quite vocal about the narcotic pain killers she was taking while at work, and there were some very serious mistakes made during this time (again, I would prefer to discuss the specifics in private). This person was an admitted former drug addict and I must say, I do not understand why she was allowed to work under these circumstances. As well, because of her injury, her doctor restricted her from performing most of the physical tasks that were part of her responsibilities, again, leaving me and others to do her work for her.
Let me say in defense of the attitudes of the kennel staff, one must realize that cleaning kennels is extremely physically demanding, and very unrewarding, often unpleasant, in and of itself. Although the dog kennels are heated in the winter, they are not air conditioned in the summers, and the kennel staff were required to wear heavy black pants as part of their uniform,. During the summers, the kennels became very hot and humid; add this to the physical demands of the job and you will find a very miserable employee. There were no incentives given to these employees, no raises, no Christmas bonuses. I believe that Mr. Smith also quit purchasing uniforms for the kennel and field staff, and most were on the job in torn and tattered uniforms because they couldn’t (and shouldn’t have to) afford new ones. As I mentioned, there was very little enforcement of the protocols, and also very little motivation to follow them, when one could easily find a quicker, less labor intensive way of getting the job done and no one seemed to care either way…..
I would also like you to understand this: that while my initial working relationship with Mr. Smith was very positive and very interactive, after several months it became almost nonexistent. Once I was relieved of the duties of kennel manager, I was no longer part of the managerial staff which eliminated me from management meetings (this time was important for me to spend with the animals, but it reduced my opportunities to interact with Mr. Smith).. I recall, for over a year’s time or so during the first half of my employment period, attempting to have conversations with Mr. Smith about my concerns, observations, ideas, and so forth. Each time I approached him, I was put off, postponed. I finally gave up, feeling that my input was of no value to him, and that I was indeed “window dressing” as so many people tried to tell me. There were many times I came very close to quitting, but couldn’t leave because of my concern and love for the animals. I felt that while I couldn’t accomplish everything for all of them, that there were lives that I was able to impact in a positive way, and this in turn impacted my life positively. During the middle of this past summer, I finally put in my notice, but Mr. Smith asked me to postpone quitting for 3 months, to give him a chance to get things going again. He was not able to deal with anything except issues concerning renewal of his contract. He told me that once everything was squared away, that he intended to be more involved in the everyday functioning of the facility, that he would walk around and observe what was or was not going on, that we would begin working towards becoming a “state of the art” facility. So I gave him that opportunity. However, he did not live up to his promises, and I felt at that point hope was lost. Had all that we had been through finally resulted in the betterment of the facility and the care of the animals, all that I went through would have been worth it. But in the end, I felt that I truly was there for no other purpose than to appease the public and the city and county government that funded him. I felt that all the hours I spent at that facility, often sacrificing time spent with my family on holidays, birthdays, and other events was for nothing (of course, the care given the animals was not “for nothing”, but I was hoping for progressive, lasting change and improvement, and it didn’t happen).
As I see it, the problems at BJC are due to a serious lack of effective leadership and management of personnel, inappropriate choices in hiring of personnel, inappropriate usage of hired personnel (ie-allowing admitted former drug and alcohol addicts to have access to and daily hands-on of controlled substances), unenforced job descriptions and haphazard assignment of duties, and of course the most important – unmonitored, inappropriate, and lack of conscientious care for the animals. These animals are the helpless victims of our society which has historically gone to such great efforts to domesticate them, leaving them totally dependent upon humans for their care and wellbeing. I wish I could share with you the things that I have seen, the suffering that I have witnessed of these animals due to human neglect, abuse, and ignorance (I am speaking of the public in general, not the employees at BJC). Animals that end up in an animal control facility suffer from so many problems and diseases to such an extent that are never, or rarely, seen at a humane society, let alone the general public.. The least we can do for them is to give them the best of care during the days that they spend in the facility, to give our greatest efforts to turning their lives around and finding an opportunity for them to know how they are supposed to live, in homes with loving and responsible humans to watch over them, take care of them, and protect them. And to put a gentle and compassionate end to those whose suffering is beyond repair. There is a nationwide movement to accomplish this goal and BJC should be a thriving part of this effort. I have been profoundly and forever changed by my experiences at BJC, and I hope that the future will allow me further opportunities to speak out for these animals, and to do what is in my power to work with others who are uniting to change our society’s ignorant mentality that leads to so much suffering. After living through what I have lived through with these animals I cannot turn my back on this epidemic tragedy. I feel that many others, were they to know the truth of these tragedies, would rise to speak out and work towards change as well. I also hope and pray that “the powers that be” can be convinced to take a very serious look at the situation at BJC and realize the desperate need for change.
I thank you for your time in listening to what I have to say, and for the love and concern you obviously have for our four legged companions; and for your efforts as well to help bring about change for the better.
Please do not hesitate to let me know if I can be of further assistance, or if you are interested in discussing some of these matters in greater detail.
Sincerely,
Virginia Woolverton, DVM