Nobody Noticed This Shelter Dog, But Then Everyone Loved Him

The Director Quit

Given the recent controversies surrounding the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, it’s probably not surprising thatRodrigo Silva, assistant county manager who oversees the shelter, recently resigned. He admitted there had been a failure to care for some animals, but really didn’t elaborate. He said that he’d been able tolower the rates of euthanasia, and he also said he’d created a nationally recognized spay-neuter assistance program.

Long-time volunteer Claudia Bloom claimed she’d seen many “horrible things” because of his policies. There’s wide-spread hope that the next director will bring much-needed change and improvement to the shelter operations. But what the volunteers did is amazing.

Volunteers Take A Stand

The controversies and wide reports of abuse and lack of oversight of the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control and other Arizona shelters pointed to an endemic problem. According to reports fromThe Republic, “Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board has no authority over veterinarians working at public or private shelters.”

The wide-spread controversies have inspired the creation of a citizens task force, which has already made recommendations that would hopefully improve shelter intake and day-to-day operations. Volunteer Beth Lockhart says, “The main goals from here forward are increased transparency and accountability at county and (to get) everyone focusing on working together to save more lives and increase adoptions.” Let’s hope we hear of more success stories like Castiel’s.