http://www.kcaccexposed.com/news.aspx The KCACC Exposed news page features updates on the latest developments in the fight for reform of King County Animal Care and Control, in King County, WA, including original stories and links to stories published elsewhere. Wed, 22, Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT Friday, July 09, 2010 cldavis@wsgr.com webmaster@kcaccexposed.org http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012303168_littlegirl08m.html?syndication=rss Last September, Littlegirl was a healthy, 9-year-old mixed-breed dog when she went into the King County animal shelter in Kent for a rabies quarantine, according to her owners. Fifteen days later, when they picked her up, her head was hanging, her tail was curled between her legs, her ribs were visible, she had an "alarming" cough and she seemed oblivious to her family, Chani Hayes said. The next day, Littlegirl died at home. Thursday, July 08, 2010 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/422127_animal21.html The King County Council on Monday approved a controversial new, regional model for animal care and shelter, one that relies on cities to collect fees in the hopes that more money can be brought in to decrease the amount the county loses caring for animals each year. Critics of the plan say it's still too costly and doesn't address systemic problems in the current model. Claire Davis of the group KCACC Exposed, sent a letter to Councilmembers this month saying the costs of sheltering are between $460 and $724 per animal. Monday, June 21, 2010 The Seattle Humane Society board of directors today announced that Brenda Barnette will depart to become general manager for Los Angeles Animal Services, extending the mission of bringing people and pets together to thousands of families and furry friends in Southern California. Thursday, June 17, 2010 On June 14, 2010, KCACC Exposed submitted the following letter in opposition to Executive Dow Constantine's proposed Regional Animal Services Plan, along with a 36-page, 16-point position paper outlining the specific reasons for our opposition. In opposing this plan, which is little more than the status quo under a different name, we asked the King County Council to impose strict requirements on the animal services program, before continuing past 2010 to subsidize the expensive, broken system with roughly $2 million a year from the county general fund. Monday, June 14, 2010 “The Man Who Saved Snaps” Shares the Vision Of His Sanctuary, and His Love For The Dogs Society Has Deemed Beyond Hope Olympic Animal Sanctuary Founder Steve Markwell returned to King County this week with an entourage of four-legged companions in tow. The purpose of his visit to the Seattle Humane Society was to address a large crowd assembled to meet the man who saved Snaps and to hear more about his philosophy and goals for saving “Dogs You’d Rather See Dead.” Monday, November 16, 2009 http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ken/news/69920037.html The Seattle Humane Society has offered to provide animal sheltering and adoption services for all stray, orphaned, and abandoned animals when King County Animal Care and Control shuts down on Nov. 1, 2009 for potential flood issues. King County Animal Care and Control has already stopped taking animals into its Kent shelter in preparation for possible flooding from the Green River, yet, Humane Society officials assert, KCACC is continuing to take in revenue from 32 cities that contract with it for animal sheltering and control services. The need for another shelter to provide the community with animal sheltering services is urgent. Thursday, November 12, 2009 http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ken/news/69926947.html King County plans to close its animal shelters in Kent and Bellevue by Jan. 31, and leti the cities and regional, nonprofit animal-care groups take over the care of the region’s unwanted pets. The King County Metropolitan Council voted Monday to direct County Executive Kurt Triplett to end the county’s role in the sheltering business. In addition to asking other jurisdictions to take over the care of unwanted local pets, the Council also wants the cities to handle animal-control field services by June 30, 2010 unless the entities can ink new agreements allowing the county to recover the full cost of providing such services to the cities. Thursday, November 12, 2009 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/69630907.html King County will close its animal shelters by January 31, 2010 and end offering animal control services to cities within the county by June 30, 2010, according to a new legislation adopted by the King County Council on Monday. Brenda Barnette, CEO of the Seattle Humane Society, said her organization and the county have been discussing a possible agreement to provide sheltering services once county shelters close. The Seattle Humane Society has also begun talks with local cities, she said. Barnette said the Humane Society could accommodate the county's new deadline. Tuesday, November 10, 2009 The Metropolitan King County Council today adopted legislation directing the County Executive to end the provision of animal sheltering services by January 31, 2010, and to end the provision of animal control services to the cities by June 30, 2010, unless new agreements are made that allow the County to recover the full costs of field services. Monday, November 09, 2009 The Seattle Humane Society will be hosting a talk by Steve Markwell, the founder of Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, who lives among 30-40 dangerous dogs and works to rehabilitate them. The public is invited to bring their lunch and meet Steve and some of his dogs on Tuesday Nov. 10 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Seattle Humane Auditorium. The event is FREE and donations to Olympic Animal Sanctuary are encouraged. Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Six members of the Metropolitan King County Council today introduced legislation directing the County Executive to end the provision of animal sheltering services by April 1, 2010, and end the provision of animal control services to the cities by that same date unless new agreements are made that allow the County to recover the full costs of field services. Monday, October 26, 2009 King County Auditor Cheryle Broom today released a performance audit of the King County Animal Care and Control program that found that despite some improvements at the County’s primary animal shelter in Kent, several problems still exist in its leadership, organization, and operation. Monday, October 26, 2009 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/411494_animal24.html An audit report expected to be critical of King County Animal Care and Control workers' performance will be released just as county officials try to figure out how to best dispose themselves of the responsibility for taking care of unwanted and stray cats and dogs. On Monday the County Council is scheduled to discuss animal care and control issues. The King County audit into KCACC will be released that day as well. Sgt. John Diel, head of the Animal Control Officer's Guild, said Friday he hasn't seen the report but he expects it to be damning. Sunday, October 25, 2009 Are we finally going to see the end of King County Animal Care and Control? It is still too early to announce that King County’s own house of horrors will be shut down forever. But there are encouraging signs that the King County Council is headed in the right direction. On Monday, the council rejected King County Interim Executive Kurt Triplett’s request for nearly $1 million to lease a temporary shelter facility, hire additional staff, and make other arrangements to preserve King County Animal Care & Control (KCACC), and move it to a new facility to replace its shelter in Kent. Thursday, October 22, 2009 The Seattle Humane Society has made King County an offer it shouldn’t be able to refuse. Since the King County Animal Care & Control (KCACC) shelter in Kent needs to be vacated on November 1, the Seattle Humane Society has not only offered to take all of the animals housed at the Kent shelter, but also to immediately begin offering countywide sheltering services. Monday, October 12, 2009 http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ken/news/63888607.html As the KCACC Whistleblower letter spreads throughout the Web, the Kent Reporter becomes the first newspaper to report the story: “With word that County Executive Kurt Triplett's budget seeks to get the county out of the animal care and control game, one group - including a whistle-blower from inside the Kent Animal Shelter - is trying to make sure a re-constituted King County Animal Care and Control does not get the new contract.” Sunday, October 11, 2009 Over the past two years, many different individuals and organizations have spoken out about the inhumane treatment of animals at King County Animal Care & Control (KCACC). Now, a KCACC officer has finally had enough and is speaking out. Last week, a KCACC officer released to the press a letter filed with the King County ombudsman under the county’s whistleblower protection law, alleging that the whistleblower has witnessed behavior at KCACC that constitutes criminal animal neglect, abuse of authority, and a gross waste of taxpayer funds. Saturday, October 10, 2009 Dow Constantine: Humane Society is Right to be Concerned about County Animal Control Plan "Running duplicative shelters is wasteful and will reduce the quality of care for animals," Constantine says in a press release, supporting the Seattle Humane Society, and reiterating the concerns expressed by the KCACC whistleblower. Wednesday, October 07, 2009 http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ken/news/63699612.html The Seattle Humane Society has offered to provide animal sheltering and adoption services for all stray, orphaned, and abandoned animals when King County Animal Care and Control shuts down on Nov. 1, 2009 for potential flood issues. King County Animal Care and Control has already stopped taking animals into its Kent shelter in preparation for possible flooding from the Green River, yet, Humane Society officials assert, KCACC is continuing to take in revenue from 32 cities that contract with it for animal sheltering and control services. The need for another shelter to provide the community with animal sheltering services is urgent. Wednesday, October 07, 2009 http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/181071.asp From the Seattle PI: “The Seattle Humane Society says King County is moving too slowly in negotiations to allow the society to provide shelter and adoption services for stray, orphaned, and abandoned animals when the cash-strapped county shuts down its animal care and control operations Nov. 1. ‘What frustrates us is we thought we had a deal,’ Humane Society Chief Executive Officer Brenda Barnette said in an interview.” Tuesday, October 06, 2009 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009976999_unionvote01m.html The Seattle Times reports that Seattle Humane Society's employees apparently voted to be represented by the Animal Control Officers' Guild by a margin of 15 to 14, but that two ballots remain sealed pending a ruling on the eligibility of the workers who cast the ballots. Meanwhile, it appears that up to nine eligible employees failed to vote, while the organization's veterinarians rejected Guild representation. Thursday, October 01, 2009 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2009959989_edit29shelter.html A Seattle Times editorial urges King County to get out of the animal control and sheltering business, noting in particular deplorable conditions at county-run shelters and a failure to provide adequate animal control services. This editorial is a good first step: Now the Times should join us in demanding that the county contract for better services, not just King County Animal Care & Control reformulated under a different name. Wednesday, September 30, 2009 The King County Animal Care & Control Officers' Guild appears to have won in its bid to install itself at the Seattle Humane Society - by a margin of just one vote. No word yet on whether this result will be appealed. Read an email below from Seattle Humane CEO Brenda Barnette announcing the results of the election, provided to KCACC Exposed by an organization employee. Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Not content with having virtually destroyed King County Animal Care & Control, the KCACC Officers’ Guild is moving onto its next target: the Seattle Humane Society. On Tuesday, the employees at Seattle Humane Society will vote whether or not to unionize under the auspices of the Guild. A vote to invite the Guild into Seattle Humane would be bad for the unsuspecting employees of Seattle Humane Society. More tragically, it would be bad for all the animals of King County. Monday, September 28, 2009 Seattle Humane released a press release Friday announcing that it has made an offer to King County to take over sheltering for all of King County's stray and owner-released animals. Read the full news release after the jump. Saturday, September 26, 2009 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009938632_animalcontrol25m.html King County Interim Executive Kurt Triplett announced Thursday that he will shut down King County Animal Care & Control no later than June 2010, in favor of contracting out for sheltering and animal control services. Read about his announcement from the Seattle Times here, and check out our Blog to find out what it really means. Saturday, September 26, 2009 The Seattle Times has asked the two candidates for King County Executive, Dow Constantine and Susan Hutchison, where they stand on correcting the failures of King County Animal Care and Control. We were happy to hear both candidates reiterate that they will welcome progressive, creative solutions to the persistent problems that plague KCACC. Both expressed strong support for looking outside King County Animal Care and Control for solutions: exploring the option of contracting with the Seattle Humane Society to provide animal sheltering services, and transferring animal cruelty and neglect investigations to the King County Sheriff's Department and other qualified law enforcement officials. Read the complete story here. Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Finally, someone is paying attention. The Seattle Times takes King County Animal Care and Control to task in a front page investigation published today, pointing out that the agency's lax response to calls reporting aggressive, free-roaming dogs has left King County citizens in danger. Kudos to the Seattle Times for printing this story. The Times gets it wrong, however, when it attributes these failures to the King County Council's May 2007 legislation, and KCACC's claimed "improvements" in animal care. As our Blog shows, KCACC has also failed in this arena, with the quality of animal care actually declining over the past two years. In other words, KCACC is failing by every measure. Now, the question is: When is someone going to do something about it? Sunday, September 13, 2009 We are thrilled to report a happy ending to a story that began with shocking cruelty and violence, and continued with taxpayer-sponsored neglect of one of the victims of the abuse. Snaps, the dog who was kicked and beaten until he participated in an assault on two women in SeaTac, has been released to an animal sanctuary where he will be allowed to live out his life in peace. Steve Markwell, executive director of Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, Washington, picked Snaps up from King County Animal Care and Control (KCACC) on Friday afternoon and transported him to his new home. Saturday, September 12, 2009 The day following Snaps’s release to Olympic Animal Sanctuary, we asked executive director Steve Markwell to answer the following questions about the sanctuary, and his experience with Snaps so far. For more on Snaps’s story, and the story behind his transfer to Olympic Animal Sanctuary, please click here. Saturday, September 12, 2009 http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/08/in_the_end_the_puppies_always.php From the Seattle Weekly Blog: "[On Thursday King County Interim Executive Kurt Triplett] told the P-I he was still considering cutting funding for the county's two animal control shelters, and hoped that some private organization could assume operation. But then the Seattle Humane Society declined to take the bait, citing their own budget concerns. What came next sounded distinctly like thousands of pet-owning Seattlelites rending their garments at the idea of the Centers' residents being turned out into the cruel, dark night. Cue the backtracking music." Monday, August 17, 2009 http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/176514.asp From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "There's still a lot of uncertainty about how King County will deal with a $56 million budget deficit, but Executive Kurt Triplett said Friday he knows one thing: Ten thousand animals won't be made homeless. Triplett said in an e-mail Friday that animal control will be preserved, one way or the other. 'We are still working on our various animal control scenarios,' he said. 'We will not leave the region without animal control services under any option.'" Sunday, August 16, 2009 http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/176457.asp From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "As he searches for ways to cut $56 million from King County's budget next year, Executive Kurt Triplett is considering eliminating all spending on animal control. He's hopeful a private agency or another government will step up to run the county's animal shelters in Bellevue and Kent. But a logical candidate, the Seattle Humane Society, says it can't and won't do it. Brenda Barnette, SHS chief executive officer, said the county asked her agency last year what it would cost them to run the county animal control operations. 'We told them it would cost at least $5 million a year,' Barnette said. 'And there'd have to be some facilities upgrades.' Ultimately the county opted to spend about $1 million on upgrades and keep running the shelters itself. [KCACC Exposed Ed's note: The county's budget for animal care and control in 2009 exceeded $6 million.] Saturday, August 15, 2009 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009657420_webbudget13m.html The Seattle Times reports that "King County Animal Care and Control could be eliminated under proposed budget cuts announced Thursday by County Executive Kurt Triplett." According to the article, when Mr. Triplett submits his budget to the council on September 27, it will include the virtual elimination of county animal care and control services, with no plan for how these services will be provided in the county. Read more from the Seattle Times at this link, and visit our Blog for analysis. Friday, August 14, 2009 King County Executive Candidate Susan Hutchison says that former Executive Ron Sims "bowed under pressure from the KCACC Officer's Guild" in refusing to implement the strategic and operational plans developed last summer. She says she would reopen negotiations with private organizations to take over sheltering services, transfer animal cruelty investigations to the sheriff's department whenever possible, and change the county's reputation for arrogance and disdain for the opinions of its citizens. Read Ms. Hutchison's full responses, after the jump. Thursday, August 13, 2009 King County Council Chairman Dow Constantine tells us that King County has a “moral obligation” to provide humane care for the animals in its custody, and if he is elected to be the next county executive, he will immediately instruct senior staff to work with community members to reform King County Animal Care and Control, and create “real, rapid, and lasting change.” Read Mr. Constantine's complete responses after the jump. Wednesday, August 12, 2009 County Executive Candidate Larry Phillips says that "swift action" must be taken to help the animals at KCACC, and that KCACC will have a "high priority" in the discussion about how to provide essential services with tax dollars. Read Mr. Phillips's full responses, after the jump. Wednesday, August 12, 2009 King County Executive Candidate Fred Jarrett responded to our questionnaire by saying that the current conditions at King County Animal Care and Control are "unacceptable," and explaining how he would hold managers accountable for reaching performance measures. Read Mr. Jarrett's complete responses after the jump. Tuesday, August 11, 2009 King County Executive Candidate Ross Hunter was the first one to respond to our questionnaire about how he would solve the ongoing problems at King County Animal Care and Control, indicating that if he were elected as executive, he would open up negotiations with the Seattle Humane Society to take over the county sheltering system. Read Mr. Hunter's complete responses after the jump. Thursday, August 06, 2009 With the August 18 primary looming, and ballots arriving in homes across the country, KCACC Exposed has sent a letter to the top five candidates for King County Executive, asking them some key questions about how they will act to improve conditions for the animals of King County. Read our letter and questionnaire here. Wednesday, August 05, 2009 The Co-chairs of KCACC Exposed sent a letter today to the King County Council and King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, asking them to take immediate action to rescue Snaps from the neglect he is suffering at the hands of King County Animal Care and Control, and demand that he receive a fair opportunity to be rehabilitated. Friday, July 24, 2009 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/405868_executive05.html The Seattle PI has reported about a letter written by the co-chairs of KCACC Exposed to the King County Council, urging the council to appoint anyone but current executive chief of staff Kurt Triplett as the interim county executive. Although the interim executive will only serve until a new county executive is elected in November, the person in that position will be in charge of drafting next year's budget for King County Animal Care and Control, as well as negotiating the new contract with the KCACC Officers' Guild. Read the PI's story through this link, and go to our blog to learn more about our perspective on Mr. Triplett's response. Tuesday, May 05, 2009 Finally, the Senate Banking Committee has set the confirmation hearing for King County Executive Ron Sims on his nomination to be the deputy director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Monday, April 20, 2009 http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/Story?id=1763927&page=1 To mark the three-year anniversary of the death of Mooie, KCACC Exposed is reposting this in-depth article examining the bungled investigation into the death of the three-month-old puppy after she suffered from severe chemical burns. Unfortunately, despite the national outcry caused by this case, very little has changed, and King County Animal Care & Control continues to handle animal cruelty investigations -- with inadequate staff, training, resources, and equipment. In the memory of Mooie, KCACC Exposed will continue to work with animal welfare advocates around the county to make sure that animal cruelty investigations are finally put in the hands of accountable and qualified law enforcement officials, such as those at the King County Sheriff's Office. Monday, April 06, 2009 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/404128_sims22ww.html?source=mypi As we await his confirmation hearings as deputy director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, it finally seems as if someone is paying attention to County Executive Ron Sims’s real record of leadership in King County. A recent Associated Press story points out that Mr. Sims presided over an administration guilty of years of “bureaucratic bungling,” and which was “negligent, misleading and inexcusably disorganized” in preventing a citizen from gaining access to public documents to which he had a lega Sunday, March 22, 2009 A recent story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer explored the plight of continuously chained dogs, and the King County Council's consideration of a law to fix the problem. But before the King County Council enacts additional regulations regarding animals, it must fix its broken animal care and control system. If KCACC cannot properly investigate and prosecute animal cruelty, neither will it be able to properly enforce an anti-chaining ordinance. If KCACC only responds to "emergency" calls, then complaints of dogs on chains are sure to get low priority. And if a chained and neglected dog is seized by animal control authorities, the county must do better than to subject the dog to additional neglect and cruelty (and all too often, death) in KCACC shelters. Thursday, March 05, 2009 Councilmember Dow Constantine, a leading supporter of reforms at KCACC, announced this weekend that he will run for the position of King County Executive to replace outgoing KCACC apologist-in-chief Ron Sims. Already, Mr. Constantine has brought the issue of animal shelter reform back into the public eye. Will he bring new hope for King County's lost and abandoned pets? Tuesday, February 17, 2009 At KCACC, the determination of who will live or die is often random. Animals languish in cages suffering from severe injuries and illnesses, long after the veterinary staff has directed they be euthanized -- receiving neither appropriate medical treatment nor relief from suffering through death. Obviously vicious dogs wait for weeks without a final disposition. But at the same time, healthy and friendly animals are killed: by mistake; because the wrong person takes a dislike to them; because they couldn't adapt to being housed with multiple incompatible dogs with neither exercise nor social contact; or as a result of discredited temperament tests administrated by untrained personnel. This is the story of Tina, a playful, friendly puppy who volunteers had spent countless hours training, walking, and loving. And yet the opinion of these volunteers, and of the officers who knew her best, was disregarded when someone decided she should die. Tuesday, February 10, 2009 The same week that representatives of the King County Executive testified in public hearings that the problems with King County Animal Care and Control were in the past, KCACC’s own officers filed a criminal complaint against the agency for animal cruelty for keeping sick cats outside in sub-freezing temperatures. KCACC's response? Threaten to discipline the officers who had the courage to stand up for the animals. Friday, January 30, 2009 KCACC Exposed has learned that King County Executive Ron Sims has rejected out of hand a proposal that would vastly improve care for King County’s animals and the level of services provided to the public, while also saving taxpayer money.  The Humane Society of Seattle/King County ("Seattle Humane") presented Mr. Sims with a proposal this fall under which Seattle Humane would not only have provided shelter for all of the animals taken in by KCACC each year, but would also have taken over animal control field services, and met all of the King County Council’s model shelter objectives – for less than the county is currently spending now.  And yet, Mr. Sims summarily rejected this proposal without any serious consideration. Monday, December 29, 2008 After a decade of devotion to helping KCACC, the board members of Friends of KCAC say they "hope and pray" that the county leadership will help the animals at KCACC by putting their care in the hands of another organization. Citing a lack of improvement at KCACC despite extensive media attention, the neglect of animals for whom Friends pays to provide treatment, and a continued misuse of funds, the organization has announced that at the beginning of the year it will seek out new community partners. Monday, November 17, 2008 In response to emails from concerned citizens, Councilmember Julia Patterson has released a Q & A about her proposed transfer of animal care responsibilities from King County Animal Care and Control to a private non-profit entity. Ms. Patterson's responses help to dispel many myths that have been circulated about her proposal, making it clear that the Council is not making this decision rashly, that it will ensure that the county's animals will receive better care through the proposed partnership, and the Council will put in place a transition plan that will ensure that all homeless animals have a place to go. Sunday, October 26, 2008 Mark Steinway eventually left Pasados Safe Haven and moved to New Orleans, but he has vivid memories of King County Animal Care and Control and what he views as its shoddy investigatory efforts. It didn't take long after the founding of Pasados in 1997 for Steinway to see serious shortcomings inherent in entrusting animal cruelty investigations to those who lack the training and resources of law enforcement. Friday, October 10, 2008 http://www.kcaccexposed.org/Rally.aspx KCACC Exposed thanks all of the community animal lovers, shelter volunteers, rescue group representatives, and local professionals who attended our Rally for the Animals yesterday in front of Seattle City Hall. Between noon and 1 p.m. we had approximately 80-100 people join us in thanking the King County Council for its recent stand on behalf of the animals, and telling County Executive Ron Sims to "Put Animals First, Politics Second." This is the first of many events we will be hosting to say "Enough is Enough" and demand immediate reform for King County's animals. Please check back frequently to hear news of our upcoming events! (A huge thank you to Davis Sign Co. in Seattle for their generous support in providing the professionally printed signs and banners for our rally!) Wednesday, October 08, 2008 King County Council met Monday to discuss the strategic and operational plans for animal services that were drafted by the King County Animal Services Inter-branch Work Group. Four council members, including members of the council leadership from both parties, spoke out Monday in support of Option 3-B of the operational plan, which would transfer animal care and control to a private non-profit with a proven track record, and shift animal cruelty investigations to the King County Sheriff’s Office and other qualified law enforcement. Wednesday, October 08, 2008 A King County woman tells the story of beautiful 8-month-old Chow/Shepherd mix, whom KCACC raced to kill within 24 hours of his admission -- despite the fact that his previous owner was begging to get him back. She says there was no way a dog that two owners called a "loving puppy" was aggressive. "In a week-and-a-half, did he become some sort of vicious monster? I don't believe they gave him a chance. He was wonderful with everyone," she says. “Why would they rather kill him than give him back to someone who loved him?” Monday, October 06, 2008 A team of veterinarians who had been donating their time to work with animals at shelters operated by King County Animal Care and Control (KCACC) finally had had enough. They announced the end of the program several weeks ago. Hurdles put in front of them by bureaucrats, and an absolute refusal by KCACC to enact needed reforms suggested by a variety of consultants, were key in the decision to end the program. “There was absolute resistance to anything we suggested,” says Dr. Jessica Fowler. “The administration is just letting these animals suffer. It was horrific." Sunday, October 05, 2008 "KCACC management claims it is 'stunned' by allegations that it is not providing humane care. It is 'stunned' by reports from two third-party evaluations, the appalling results of which are too long to list. KCACC is 'stunned' that a group of volunteer veterinarians -- in a heroic attempt to rid the shelter of disease -- quit out of frustration due to KCACC's lack of cooperation. And I'm going to guess that KCACC is 'stunned' by Crossroads volunteers' objections to being kicked out if they don't agree to sign away the rights of the animals that need to get out of their small kennels. Can all of those groups have an agenda? How much longer can this go on? Well, we volunteers are stunned too. Stunned that KCACC is more concerned about protecting itself than about caring for the animals taxpayers have entrusted to its care." Sunday, September 28, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008176720_animalshelter13m.html A group of veterinarians that volunteered this year to treat sick animals at King County's two animal shelters has quit, citing a lack of accountability and a reluctance from shelter staff to fix a broken system. In a searing letter to the county last month, one veterinarian stated that "pervasive negativity" and an unwillingness to change led the vets to stop offering their services at the Kent and Bellevue shelters. Saturday, September 13, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008172211_pitbulls11m.html When their grandchildren come over to play, Jean and Ivan Zamora of Boulevard Park like to have snacks and sunscreen handy, keep a wading pool full of water and make sure their shotgun and pepper spray are within easy reach. Several of their neighbors have pit bulls that get loose or are allowed to roam the neighborhood, and despite repeated calls to police and Animal Control — including desperate ones this summer when the Zamoras were attacked — nothing's ever been done about it. Thursday, September 11, 2008 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/372260_firstperson28.html The disgraceful state of King County's animal shelters is nothing new. But for those following this story, outrage at the conditions at the shelters has been matched by astonishment at the way in which County Executive Ron Sims has handled the controversy. Case in point: the recent promotion of acting shelter manager Al Dams. Sunday, July 27, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008015881_dogs25m.html When Jim and Kim Giuntoli spotted a confused but friendly dog darting through rush-hour traffic on Pacific Highway South in Federal Way, they were determined to save him. They spent three hours trying to find a shelter or a veterinarian to take the mixed-breed black Labrador retriever. Finally, a veterinary hospital in Issaquah agreed to hold the dog until King County animal control could come get him in the morning. Wednesday, June 25, 2008 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/365507_shelter03.html It's a sad day for pet lovers in King County. A scathing new report highlighted gross mismanagement at King County's two public animal shelters. The report, produced by a veterinarian team from the University of California-Berkeley, describes dire circumstances of inadequate housing, frightening living situations and understaffing. This report came after similar revelations made by consultant Nathan Winograd in his report to the King County Council last year. Monday, June 02, 2008 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/359965_animal22.html Private veterinarians will start working Tuesday at King County animal shelters to help the county's hard-pressed shelter medical staff, the County Council decided Monday. The council approved a motion arranging for private veterinarians to volunteer their services and calling for a stepped-up pet-adoption campaign among county employees, businesses and animal-rescue groups. County Executive Ron Sims issued a declaration of emergency at the shelters to streamline the measures. Monday, April 21, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004351877_animalshelter16m.html A team of top veterinarians hired by King County Executive Ron Sims says the county's animal shelter is "dangerously over capacity," uses "inhumane" practices and suffers "gross inadequacy" in housing animals. Sims, who sought the opinion from the University of California, Davis, the nation's pre-eminent veterinary-medicine program, in March dismissed some claims by a County Council consultant that animals had been neglected at the county's shelters in Kent and Bellevue. Wednesday, April 16, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004341594_animal11m.html After weeks of feuding over animal shelters, Metropolitan King County Council leaders and County Executive Ron Sims have agreed on a plan aimed at increasing animal adoptions and reducing the number of dogs and cats killed at the shelters. "We can do a heck of a lot better," Sims said at a news conference Thursday with council Chairwoman Julia Patterson and Vice Chairman Dow Constantine. Friday, April 11, 2008 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/356262_animal25.html In a report released Monday that is harshly critical of King County Executive Ron Sims, a consultant to the County Council reluctantly recommends that the county get out of the animal care and control business and turn the job over to a private agency. "King County Animal Care and Control has failed the animals, and there is no credible evidence to the contrary, if history and present actions are any guide, that it will not continue to fail the animals in the years to come," consultant Nathan Winograd writes in his 147-page report. Monday, March 24, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004296372_shelter21m.html Nearly three dozen shelter volunteers and animal-rights activists Thursday called for an immediate criminal investigation into possible animal neglect and urged the Metropolitan King County Council to find outside supervision for the county's two shelters. In a letter to council members and County Executive Ron Sims, the group said volunteers at the shelters "have frequently reported" that animals don't have appropriate food and water or needed medical care, and sleep in their own waste. Those concerns were borne out by consultant Nathan Winograd's report to the County Council Monday that he had seen cats in the Kent shelter infirmary go without food or water on two consecutive days, they said. Friday, March 21, 2008 http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20080319&slug=sims19m King County Executive Ron Sims defended his record on animal care Tuesday and angrily rejected a consultant's claim that dogs and cats have been neglected in two county shelters. "I don't agree we've allowed animals to starve or be without water," Sims said in response to Nathan Winograd's report Monday to the Metropolitan King County Council. Wednesday, March 19, 2008 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/355311_animal18.html Cats and dogs are locked in filthy cages without food or water in King County animal shelters, and nothing short of a thorough overhaul of the county's apathetic animal-control operation can turn it into the model program the County Council wants it to be, a consultant told the council Monday. Council members reacted angrily to the report they commissioned from Nathan Winograd, a former operations director at the San Francisco SPCA and a national advocate for reducing animal euthanasia. Kathy Lambert, R-Woodinville, called it "shocking;" Reagan Dunn, R-Bellevue, said it was "a damning report -- without a doubt." Tuesday, March 18, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004288654_webshelterreport17m.html Sick cats in the county animal shelter in Kent went without food and water for two days last month, a consultant told the Metropolitan King County Council today. In a report that council members called "shocking" and "damning," Nathan Winograd, director of the No Kill Advocacy Center in San Clemente, Calif., said most of the cats in the infirmary were held in filthy cages with empty food and water bowls during the first two days of his visit to the shelter in February. He showed the council photographs and video footage of the cages. Monday, March 17, 2008 http://www.komonews.com/news/local/15389656.html RENTON, Wash. -- One horse was found dead, more than a dozen others were rescued and their owner was arrested after Animal Control officers raided a farm. King County Sheriff's deputies arrested the 63-year-old for first-degree animal cruelty. The arrest came moments after a dead horse was found on the property. Wednesday, February 06, 2008 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/333598_sheltered.html Signing on to King County's Web site on Friday, a visitor was greeted with the "Pet of the Week," featuring a cat and directing people, "Visit our animal shelter to adopt a cat or dog." Judging by an advisory committee's report, a Web listing is as good as it gets in a county system that horribly neglects lost, abandoned and abused animals. Sunday, September 30, 2007 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2003909355_shelter28e.html A citizens advisory committee on Thursday blasted King County's two animal shelters, saying the dogs and cats are kept in "deplorable" conditions and suffer from high rates of disease, small cages and a lack of exercise and social contact. The county's shelter in Bellevue's Crossroads neighborhood is "unsuitable for the sheltering of animals" and the larger shelter in Kent "has been badly neglected for many years, and is plainly inadequate to provide for the animals' most basic needs," according to the committee's report. Friday, September 28, 2007 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/333466_animal28.html King County should act immediately to improve "unacceptable" conditions at its animal shelters in Bellevue and Kent and to control the spread of contagious diseases among impounded animals, several members of the County Council said Thursday in reaction to a report by a citizens advisory group. "The advisory committee's report clearly demonstrates that King County is out of step with the community's values and capacity to provide humane care for the animals who have been entrusted to our care and to whom we have a moral obligation, " wrote four council Democrats -- Julia Patterson of SeaTac and Dow Constantine, Bob Ferguson and Larry Phillips of Seattle -- in a letter to County Executive Ron Sims. Thursday, September 27, 2007