A Culmination of Crises at the Animal Foundation
In October, the public learned of several severe issues regarding The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas. The employees of the single-site shelter started expressing that they were operating at near capacity while severely understaffed. As a result, the animals at the shelter were living in deplorable conditions and becoming ill as a result.
At the same time, all of the staff’s cries for help and support from management went unheard. To make matters worse, an illness broke out among the dog kennels, halting the shelter’s operations amid these issues.
The Animal Foundation (TAF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1978 that provides low-cost spaying and neutering services. They have evolved into one of the highest-volume single-site animal shelters in America. The Foundation’s mission is to shelter rescued animals and to work to save the lives of all healthy and adoptable animals in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, recent disturbing events exposed how they lost track of this goal.
Massive Mismanagement
Many shelter employees and volunteers began expressing concerns regarding mismanagement and poor working conditions at the shelter. They expressed this months before the public became aware of the devastating conditions. Eventually, the public learned of the issues after a group of employees suddenly quit, and the shelter was forced to shut down temporarily. A progress report released by the shelter in July revealed that it had accomplished its plans to aid in the emergency & basic care needs of animals. However, the general employees and the shelter were both on the brink of a crisis.
The report states, “The shelter system is operating at or over capacity at all times, which is an unstable and unsustainable practice. Based on increased animal intake or decreased available staffing, TAF often goes over capacity several times each week and month. Placing a further strain on our staff and capability to catch back up results in our team struggling to provide for basic animal care needs.” James Pumphrey, former chief operating officer of TAF, told the city council that the working conditions at TAF, combined with the low wages, couldn’t compete with fast food jobs, as Nevada Current reported.
Living in Filth and Pain
A licensed veterinary technician formerly employed by The Animal Foundation spoke to KNPR News. They claimed that animals sat in their kennels for up to a week before being provided with medical care, sometimes with broken limbs and in severe conditions. There were too many animals for the staff to successfully care for.
Local animal lover, Paula Tanne, said, “It breaks my heart and sickens me to hear the conditions these animals are forced to live in.” As someone who adopted two shelter dogs previously, she finds it disturbing that TAF misappropriated taxpayer money and donations.
Animals Exposed To Illness
On September 28th, TAF found that a dog placed with a foster family showed severe signs of respiratory illness. At the time, there was no knowledge of what disease the dog had contracted. The fostered dog was then brought to TAF to be tested. On September 30th, test results revealed that the dog was positive for Strep Zoo and Canine Pneumovirus. The dog was then euthanized due to the severe symptoms it was experiencing. Soon more dogs showed signs of respiratory illness. As a result, the shelter closed down all adoption services and claims they quarantined the affected dogs to prevent them from spreading the illness.
Animal Foundation Operating Near Capacity
In the progress report previously mentioned, the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine program page detailing the Capacity for Care (C4C) states, “If more animals are admitted over time than can be released alive, inevitably animals’ mental or physical welfare will be compromised. In turn, they are impacting the staff’s ability to do their job and feel satisfied with their daily work.”
The resignation of nine employees in the fall left TAF short-staffed. The staff received little to no help or transparency regarding the problems at the shelter, which left them no option but to resign. KTNV News Las Vegas previously obtained information regarding TAF schedules that expected an individual employee to provide care for up to 100 animals a day.
The Foundation saw an increase in pet surrenders and stray arrivals over the summer, with the numbers increasing vastly in late September. The Foundation’s monthly public shelter statistics show an increase in the volume of all animal intakes by 20.30% since 2021.
Misappropriation of Funds
The Animal Foundation receives approx. $4.8 million of taxpayer money annually to provide animals with proper care and shelter. The Foundation is constantly understaffed. Yet, they continually increase their intake of animals without addressing their inability to care for them by hiring more employees. The TAF’s IRS Form 990, viewable on their website that was filed with their annual tax return in 2020, revealed that a mere eight of their top-ranking employees, including the Chief Officers, shared combined salaries totaling $1,093,895 of the annual funding budget.
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A City Councilwoman Who Cares
Passionate about animal rights, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman has always attempted to support The Animal Foundation. Her initial involvement with The Foundation resulted in many employees reaching out to her to report abusive conditions at the shelter when they had nowhere else to turn.
After discovering the extent of the horrific conditions at TAF, Councilwoman Seaman spearheaded the organization of a city council meeting in hopes of auditing the actions of the Foundation. The meeting was eventually scheduled and carried out in October 2022.
However, Seaman was “very perplexed” to learn that she wasn’t even initially invited to the meeting. She shared that other council members have criticized her efforts to hold the TAF accountable for their neglectful management.
Las Vegas Ward 1 Councilman Brian Knudsen stated, “To provide any requirements on them is unreasonable, in my opinion,” when he attempted to defend the TAF shelter’s work.
State public records show that Knudsen received a $2,000 contribution to his political campaign from one of TAF’s board members.
Seaman said, “the entire situation at The Foundation is so disheartening to see.” She also expressed concern that The Foundation’s state funding contract left little to no room for negotiation until 2025.
The Animal Foundation’s CEO in Question
Hilarie Grey is the current CEO of The Animal Foundation. With a background in public relations, she claims to have gotten her start “in community development at the City of Las Vegas.” Grey has subsequently worked for several large local Las Vegas companies. When asked about the Foundation’s CEO, Councilwoman Victoria Seaman stated, “Hilarie Grey ran against me in a past election.”
Seaman was referring to the special election in which Grey unsuccessfully ran as one of her opponents for the council seat representing Ward 2 in Clark County. The foundation of Grey’s campaign platform emphasized the need for government transparency and, most importantly, “to protect neighborhoods from over-growth and poor planning.”
When asked about the communication established with The Animal Foundation and its CEO Hilarie Grey regarding the current situation, Councilwoman Seaman has had “no luck getting information or an explanation from anyone.” Despite the inability of Grey to be reached for comment, she was texting select council members throughout the meeting on October 19, 2022. All elected official’s text messages are part of the public record.
Updates Around the Animal Foundation
In late September, the shelter received an unexpected visit by councilwoman Victoria Seaman. During that visit, she photographed dogs under horrific conditions in the shelter. In response, the City of Las Vegas notified TAF CEO Hilarie Grey that Seaman’s photos revealed conditions that violate the city’s contract with TAF. Seaman then proposed that the City audit TAFs’ funds.
On October 19th, the City Council held a meeting to review The Animal Foundation’s management practices. According to Nevada Current, Councilman Stavros Anthony suggested that TAF open its board of directors to elected officials from the governments that fund it. In the end, the council voted unanimously to commission an independent audit of TAF, raising the potential for a seat on the board in 2025 while rejecting measures to decrease animal intake.
On October 20th, TAF re-opened their adoptions and stated that 73 dogs were still showing signs of the illness. In addition, 23 dogs had recovered from the virus and were up for adoption.
TAF announced on their Twitter on October 26th, “Starting October 31st, The Animal Foundation will be closed to the public on Mondays.” They also said “Mondays will now be used to focus on team member development and training.”
On November 3rd, TAF tweeted, “105 dogs at The Animal Foundation have been cleared of Canine Pneumovirus, and only eight dogs remain under treatment. We plan to resume taking in lost dogs by appointment on Nov. 10 in a limited capacity. Appointments will be scheduled online.”
The next day, they announced their partnership with Injury Law Las Vegas. Together in the coming months, they plan to promote their adoptable dogs and cover the cost of their adoptions.
Unfortunately, after reaching out to The Animal Foundation multiple times for additional comments, they failed to respond.
Get in Motion to Help the Animals and Staff at the Animal Foundation
Despite the shelter’s issues, the animals and staff still need help. The people of Las Vegas can help to support the overcrowding and understaffing at The Animal Foundation in multiple ways.
If you can open your heart and home to a new member of the family, consider adopting from the shelter. So many wonderful animals await their fur-ever home, from cats and dogs to exotics like pot-belly pigs, rabbits, turtles, and more. On Sunday, December 11th, the shelter will waive adoption fees from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Please note – do NOT surprise someone with a pet as a gift for any occasion. Animals given as gifts, especially for Christmas, have a higher rate of ending up in shelters. Please adopt responsibly, and research the breed before adopting to ensure they’re a perfect fit for you and your family!
Fostering is another excellent way to provide an animal with short-term care until a permanent home is found. This allows them to get out of the shelter and helps them stay happy and healthy. You can even foster a dog for a day and take it on a “field trip.”
The Foundation’s staff also welcomes volunteers to help care for animals by walking the dogs and playing with the cats. Visit the Animal Foundation website for more information on ways to help and contact information.
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