Here we go again. The manager of the shelter has requested that I write yet another posting. Like I said before, that is not the reason for this blog.
    I do have to give the shelter some credit this time. I think that is GREAT that they donate food to people in hard times for there animals. Ann Arbor advertises the same thing. This is a much better thing to do with the food, than putting it in the garbage.  Thumbs up to the shelter for this policy change.
       To clear a few things up for both blue berry & confused. You should read the entire article before commenting on them. If you were to read them you would notice,
   1} I have never said anything negative about a Volunteer, or shelter employee.  It is there policies that i have complained about.
       A VOLuNTEER is a person who gives time, energy, and money to the shelter. An EMPLOYEE is a person who gives time, energy, and receives money from the shelter. A MANAGER is a person who gives time, energy, and also receives money from the shelter. A BOARD MEMBER is a person who also gives time , energy, and money to the shelter.  The volunteers and employees do NOT set policies.  These are the people who clean up feces and care for the animals.  As all of you know, there are NO long term employees at this shelter.  Blue berry said they must be working at McDonalds.  I think most of them are fed up bad policies and bad attitudes, A Manager is the one that sets these policies.  The board members are the people who over see these operations. It is these failed policies that are causing problems. Not the people.
  I was at a board meeting a few moths back.  There was a volunteer there, voicing a complaint. There also was a girl adopting a dog from there, voicing a complaint,  as well as my wife and I.  When I was asked by the president of the board if I had a problem with the manager I said NO. The manager was at this meeting as well, So she knows this is true.  At the next meeting, There was a volunteer, a customer and my wife and I again. We were�told to be there to hear the results of are complaints. We were told, That the complaints were valid,  they did not know why they happened, then they thanked us for coming.  At the last board meeting there was another volunteer with a 5 page complaint, And a board member with a 10 page complaint.  They were also told if they attended this meeting they would tell them the results of ther complaints. This is the first time I heard of any person talk about the manager by name.  These�complaints were also dismissed. All 15 pages of them.
   2} This is not a personal vendetta, as you claim. I have not mentioned people or names. I have only mentioned failed policies. The management and the board are the people who set these policies that is why I have talked about them. NOT the employees or the volunteers.
   3}  These issues HAVE been going on for years. I have talked to 3 different shelter managers, 2 shelter directors, I even emailed the newspaper a few years ago about this. No one seems to care. Just by the comments from blue berry, confused, and learning to spell, you will see this.  These people are ignoring the failed policies, they only comment on the work being done by volenteers and employees.
   4}  I think it is great that they are donating food to a volunteer to give food to the cats behind K mart. This is NOT an employee who is doing that though.  She also no longer works at this shelter. If you read the first comment from the shelter manager you would see that she disagrees with the feeding of these cats. She said they should not be on the streets, or out in the cold, with no shelter.
   5} I have volunteered my time at this shelter for several years now. However I have NEVER went into that shelter and asked if I could train these dogs. Every single time that we have worked with these dogs we were asked by the shelter.  I do feel it is wrong for anyone to point fingers at volunteers, like my self that is just doing what was asked of me.  It was a board member and the president of the board who contacted me about starting the U of Pit program. This program was funded by donations It was to give these dogs training for one year, give them AKC canine good citizen certification, and the new owner a years worth of dog food donated by NUTRO.  These were all dogs stuck in the shelter for more than 2 yrs. The shelter claims they were unadoptable and did what they could to stop these dogs from leaving. When these dogs started getting adopted anyway, they stopped the program, and forced the volunteers and board member out. This board member has given many many years to this shelter, and many many dollars as well. It is a shame to see people treated this way. BLUE BERRY shame on you for supporting this decision
   6}  Dog walking is NOT bad for a dog. I have never heard anyone applauded for not walking a dog. I have been training dogs for many years, been through dog training schools, have read 100’s of books on training dogs, have seen many dog training video’s, Watched show’s like dog whisperer, Its me or the dog,  and good dog U, I have talked to dozens of vets,  groomers, breeders, rescue groups, and other shelters, and I have never heard any say dog walking is a bad thing. As a matter of fact is you were to ask all of the people in these positions they would tell you play in a back yard is not enough DOGS NEED TO BE WALKED.
  7} It is my opinion that sick animals should be separated from the general population until you have had them treated and they are not contagious. I heard your comments about not having room. This was also addressed at the last board meeting. The board said the parvo dogs were put into quarantine after 48 hrs. of being in the shelter. I feel this should have been done before exposing the other animals, not after. If space was truly the issue, they would not have been moved after. Again onther BAD POLICY.  Also If space were the issue they should not try to stop animals from being adopted to GOOD homes.
  8} Here at DUNDEE K9 we DO NOT ALLOW the use of pinch collars, prong collars, spike collars, or choke collars. All dogs are fitted with premier collars or standard collars. It is the humane society that has the policily that all there dogs must wear a choke chain when coming and leaving the shelter. We even donated these collars to the shelter. It is against there policy to use them. A choke chain is a metal chain wrapped around a dog neck designed to choke them into submission.  A premier collar is a wide nylon collar that is designed so a dog cannot slip out of a collar without the chance of choking.
  As for the hanging you speak of, you must be talking about NOEL. She is a dog that was a fence jumper. There policy was to put her in a 4ft kennel out back on a tie out. Yet another BAD POLICY. No person that loves dogs would even consider doing this. Let alone do it with a metal chain wrapped around her neck.  As you can see she is a known fence jumper. so when she jumped the fence she was wearing a collar designed to choke her. BAD POLICIES from humane society, NOT Dundee K9.
  9} If you agree that  trained dogs have a better chance of getting adopted, and the shelter people do not have time for this. Why do you find it so horrible for board members and volunteers to do this for them.  After all that is how the humane society postings started. Just look at what happened to TOBY he was a little puppy at the shelter. There policy of NO training is not good for a small puppy. There are basic things all puppies need to learn, housebreaking, manners around other dogs, manners around people, manners around FOOD. These failed policies allowed TOBY to become food aggressive. This alone would not be a problem. {Stupid maybe, all dog owners know to prevent food aggression.] Any dog trainer in this country can tell you how to solve food aggression with a puppy. None of those methods include DEATH.
  10} There are animal control shelters {dog pounds}. They are to look out for the safety and well being of the community as a whole. Stray or rabid dogs running the streets pose a danger to society. These are the people that take care of this for us. They have an open honest relation ship with the public.  There are humane society’s. They are to look out for the safety and well being of the animals in there community. These are the people that pick up starving, abused, and neglected dogs.  Monroe humane will not pick up these animals they refer them to animal control. There are both kill and no kill shelters. Kill shelters also are open and honest about there policies. These shelters use volunteers to help clean shelters, care for animals, walk dogs, and train dogs. These shelters also use rescue groups to help place animals that they are not equiped to deal with. This places the dogs in a foster home so they are not stuck in a cage developing more issues.  I only wish monroe humane could be more open and honest about there policies. Not the board members stating there policies are private matters and don’t concern any volunteer.
