RECORD OF ACTION

01-01-2010

Starting October the 4rth 2010, when we attended a gathering of the local animal welfare organisation "Hope & Affection", and delivered to the municipality authority our suggestions on the operation of the local animal shelter, we visit the local animal shelter on a daily basis, in order to:

1. Determine whether our initial deductions on the constructional defects were correct and document them on film and video.
2. Determine whether employees follow their labour agreement and take care of the animals properly and lawfully.
3. Determine problems that arouse due to the absense of administrative personel and manager.
4. Record background notes and take pictures of all the animals in the shelter.
5. Get to know all animals in the shelter, understand their personalities and determine any bahavioural problems that might exist.
6. Check out how clean the shelter is kept.
7. Check out if animals are fed, watered and taken out to play regularly, etc.

Our conclusions:

In regard of the construction:

1. Many constructional defects exist, with animals being affected directly and severely (floor pitch is completely wrong resulting backwash "travelling" from one cell to the next, there is no protection from extreme weather conditions, faulty workmanship on cast constructions result to injuries, etc).
2. Many say the construction is complete. If so, there are certain crusial to the well being of the animals deficiencies:

• There are no flap doors, so in days with heavy rain the cell is never dry

• There are large openings under the roof, with no flaps to close when weather conditions are extreme, and when the temperature is low the cells became ice cold and extremely windy.

• There are no dog kennels in the cells to ensure protection and a place to withdraw for the dogs.

• There are no pet utensils (water is in plastic coontainers with paint resedues endangering the animals' health, food is thrown on the floor, sometimes mixed with poop and urine due to lack of proper cleaning etc).

• There is no room with bathtubs etc to bathe, comb and take care of our hairy friends

• There are no storage rooms set for food supplies, leashes, collars, pet care stuff etc.

• There is no veterinary care space organised to take care of dogs in immediate need, no space for medical supplies, and of course no veterinarian present at no time.

• There is no reception for those who want to adopt a dog from the shelter, neither a playroom for dogs to be adopted, so that candidate fosters can see the dog in a more pleasant environment.

• There is no office organised for an admisnistrator - no administrator either - and no telephone line. No one can get in touch with the shelter to ask questions, give information on a stray in trouble, report abuse etc. 

In regard of the operation: 

1. There is no administrator or manager. No one in controll of a supply room and accountable for consumption of supplies. No one to check on personnel, to keep records of animals coming in and out of the shelter, therapies, spays' and neuters, vaccines etc. No one to coordinate volunteers and stuff.
2. Stuff has no experience with dogs and no qualifications, and without supervision they come and go as they please, they treat dogs in an unmannered way and cannot handle animals with behavioural problems.
3. There is no one in charge of handling the dogs, positioning them to cells according to their personalities, resulting malnourishment of some dogs that are in the same cell with very dominant ones.
4. Feeding, getting food supplies and cleaning up cells are up to the unqualified stuff, with no supervision of course. Many problems arouse from that - mismanagement and suspected embezzlement.
5. There is no veterinarian practicing in the facility resulting to medical neglect. The shelter cooperates with practicioners in the city, payments are "by the head", management of medical supplies is cloudy. Many dogs had serious health problems. A dog lost one of its legs due to neglect of a not so serious fracture. 
6. There are no records of the dogs, no background transcriptions despite the legal obligation to keep them regularly.

The list is quite long, but we are trying to set priorities and resolve situations that lead to crucial problems for starters. Most of the problems emerge from the absense of a manager -and/or administrator on site, and a veterinarian. Starting there, we can shrink the list to matters regarding playgrounds, adoptions, promotion, updates and briefings, etc.

One thing to be made clear:
Our outmost priority is the well-being of the animals.
Attribution of responsibilities regarding mismanagement and malfunction of the shelter and possible embezzlements are up to the Municipality Authorities, since we already handed over to them all files, documents and videos in accordance.