Early last week, last than six days after she was hired, shelter director Tamara Zaluzney resigned because of questions about similar turmoil at a shelter in Maryland where she previously worked. A temporary director, Brenda Helsley, was quickly named to replace Zaluzney. Near the end of last week, shelter employee Angela Arrington was let go after a conflict involving euthanasia being performed on animals considered sickly.

Arrington was the only shelter employee licensed to perform euthanasia, but Warren County Humane Society president Doug Scott insists she was not authorized to euthanize as many animals as she is reported to have put down.   "An employee was terminated for doing euthanasias that were not authorized.  Two days ago this person said there were several sick cats," Scott said last Friday without naming Arrington.   Scott said the situation unfolded after receiving word from Arrington that the animals were sickly and needed to be put down. The shelter's vet, Dr. Richard Hammett, "was here and he called the state vets office to see what they could do," Scott said. "He said that [there were] two that would not recover. He told [Arrington] she could euthanize those two," Scott said.  "The temporary director came back and every cat in the room had been euthanized." 

With the temporary director, Brenda Helsley at the shelter concerned about the number of animals euthanized, she approached Arrington to see what the issue was surrounding so many animals being put down.   "The temporary director thought there was some sort of misunderstanding there.  Same kind of thing happened [a day before], a few were authorized to be euthanized and she did the whole room," said Scott.  "She thought that Dr. Hammett was not right when he said that he could treat those animals or something.  He asked the director to terminate her.  We weren't going to argue with him for those reasons, there's no better reason to terminate somebody."

Former employee gives her side of story But Arrington told The Warren Sentinel the animals that were euthanized needed to be put down due to failing health, and other issues.  "I did euthanize a few sick cats, it was more than two," Arrington admitted.   Arrington raised the issue of overcrowding at the shelter and said that euthanasia had to be performed on some of the feral cats and sick animals that were over populating the shelter.  She said that "there were cats in the bathroom and the conference room, they were everywhere," something that the state vet said could not happen at the shelter. 

Due to the conflict with the euthanasia not being authorized, Arrington said was relieved of her duties - and that, according to her and other former employees, sparked a larger walkout.   "I wasn't here, but I heard that a couple of staff members, in support of this person, walked out, and I don't know if they know why this person was terminated," said Scott.   Scott also stated that not every employee of the shelter walked out of the building after Arrington was let go.   "If it had been true, it wouldn't matter to me.

If someone wanted to stand up in support of that, I don't want them here," Scott said.  "We've got other employees that will fill in, and board members will fill in." Scott said he was willing to run the shelter himself, if it came down to that.  "If any employee thinks they are going to pin us in a corner by hiring people that just should not be here, because of that, if I have to run the place myself everyday I'll do it. I'm not going to have somebody with a needle if they can't control it, I'm serious about that, it just makes me sick," said Scott.  

After Arrington was let go shelter employees Jennifer Atwell and Kelly Price reportedly also left the premises.  "The walkout turned out to be two people, everyone else came back.  The people that came back told Brenda that they were told they had to leave," Scott said.   "When Angela was fired [another employee] walked out with her, and a little bit later they went to talk to the sheriff, along with Jennifer." 

Sheriff's office called The employees informed the sheriff's department that there were no people in the building to care for the animals and that they had all been abandoned.   "They came back into the building, after I left for transport.  They waited until I was transporting dogs to different rescues and I had to go to the vet.  They instructed the other personnel that they had to leave the building," Helsley said. 

The sheriff's department sent officers to the shelter who told Scott that they needed to inspect the building due to the fact that there was no one caring for the animals inside.   "What they didn't count on was that Ken [Garvey] and I were out there," said Scott.  'We are being set up'   Scott said that when he and Garvey arrived at the shelter there were no employees on the premises and the doors were left unlocked, and animals unattended. 

"We are being set up so that they can call up the state vet, or complain to the sheriff's office.  All of a sudden after certain people are released from work papers are missing, a cat is missing, documents are missing, and record laws are missing," Scott said.  "They take all of these things and call the state vet to tell him that our records are not right."  Records that are missing include a logbook containing information regarding euthanasia performed at the shelter.   "She didn't log animal euthanasias, and now the euthanasia book is gone.  We didn't misplace it, it has simply been taken," said Scott.

"I didn't know that these things were happening until [one of the employees] put in writing what happened."  Scott said that employee asked Helsley for their job back, but was told that in order to come back to work they needed to write down their account of what has been happening at the shelter, and keep their nose clean.  "They actually tried to get an animal control officer to go along with them.  He refused to participate, which was very smart," Scott said.  

"Strangely I happened to be going by the sheriff's office to talk to them, and to give them the statement and here's Angela and Jennifer talking to the sheriff and a couple deputies. I pulled in and they all dispersed."  "Now that I realize all of this has been happening, a lot of this makes sense that didn't make sense before. I give [the employee that stepped forward] credit. 

I don't mind being criticized when I do something wrong," said Scott.   Scott said that many of the problems that the shelter has been dealing with were not the fault of the shelter, but the shelter employees who are working to "set up" the current board and Scott "to get us in trouble so that the recall people will know that we are incompetent," he said.  

Over the weekend shelter board members volunteered their time to care for the animals in the absence of the staff "who cared for those animals, but left them abandoned," Scott said.  

The volunteers worked to clean up the animal cages, and treat the sick ones, while giving playtime to puppies and dogs and other animals in need of human interaction. 

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