990 forms for Metroplex Animal Coalition

You can find them by going to this page and searching by name and state:

http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/

Looks like Skip is doing their tax returns - not Rebecca.

You can also look up other groups recently discussed here, like Texas Humane Legislation Network, at the Foundation Center site.

Happy reading...

The HSUS, THLN and Humanewatch

If you backtrack two blog entries, you'll see the new Humanewatch poster, along with a LOT of comments. One anonymous poster dared me to prove that the HSUS supports the THLN.

This was pretty easy; after I searched for the HSUS' annual reports, I found the THLN listed as receipient of an HSUS grant in 2005.

Next, I decided to go for the source and looked at www.thln.org.

Before I found the HSUS connection, I was pissed off to read that the THLN claims to be:

...the political arm and voice for every animal and animal welfare agency in Texas.

If they're really doing this, they're keeping it VERY quiet.

Anyway, enough of my bitchiness. The below is a screen grab from the thln.org's FAQ section:


So...if you're unhappy about the HSUS' deceptive advertising, illegal seizures, and other police state tactics, you "oppose animal protection legislation", according to the THLN. It's a bit of a stretch in my opinion, but there you go.

And if you look at other sites that judge and rate nonprofits , you'll see that the HSUS' rating is going down the tubes. Check them out here: www.charitywatch.org

(Charity Watch is the URL for the American Institute of Philanthropy - their real name doesn't lend it self to an URL, obviously. They have nothing to do with Humanewatch, even though their URLs are similar.)

Yesterday's Animal Services Commission trainwreck meeting

Larry Powell attended yesterday's meeting and published a comprehensive report at Read Larry Powell.

It is truly painful reading. The "solutions" put in place are ridiculous. Herewith some lowlights:

• Seems that Kent Robertson jumped before he was pushed.
• There isn't a Shelter Manager position any more...an announcement everyone objected to, except the bureaucrats who introduced it.
• Animal Services is actually run by Code Compliance. (This is why, after DAS couldn't persecute Laniq Adams any more, Code Compliance showed up with that bogus accusation that the shelter wasn't zoned properly.)
• As usual, questions were answered by the "We'll look into that and get back to you." I guess they were channeling Kent Robertson.

After reading Powell's report - and I'd like to thank him for publishing it - I honestly don't think the situation at DAS can get any worse.

New Humanewatch ad

I like it!

Today's Animal Shelter Commission meeting heats up

Damn. Not only am I unable to get out of work, I am unable to stay in the county. I am 150 miles away in Killeen, working on a bid.

However I've had a chance to get online. The following is from Read Larry Powell:

ANIMAL SHELTER COMMISSION MEETING AND NEW DEVELOPMENT: First, the City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting is at 1:30 p.m. today in Room 6E South at Dallas City Hall. (No free parking, as I recall.) Lots of items on the agenda.

Coincidentally, we’d earlier reported about claims of harassment of witnesses in the wake of the indictment of shelter manager Tyrone McGill in the case of the cat allowed to die inside a shelter wall. Word comes now that one of the potential witnesses, noted animal cruelty investigator Dominick Munoz, has hired attorney Don Feare to represent him in “possible litigation against the city” – Mr. Munoz has been the target of threats allegedly orchestrated by supporters of Mr. McGill. He was, we’re told, the person who first notified the Dallas County District Attorney’s office about the cruelty incident that led to Mr. McGill’s indictment.

Agenda for the upcoming Animal Shelter Commission meeting

As usual, this wasn't posted in time - legally these need to be posted 72 hours before the event. I need to find out where to complain about this.

Clicky here to see the agenda for the August 26 meeting.

Although I encourage anyone who can attend to attend, my current workload will probably prevent me from doing so. :(

Why you should Google yourself regularly

I just received a post from someone who had been checking out members of the Animal Shelter Commission via the Internet. He'd spotted my notice of the next Commission meeting and, in the light of the recent McGill/Robertson departures, was planning to attend.

He had googled Susan Oakey and found that she had been attacking other animal rescuers on a forum site called www.indiadivine.org of all places. The site's tagline is "Welcome to the sacred world of Hinduism."

One of Susan's posts encouraged all readers of the Vegetarian Forum to attend Laniq Adams' 2008 trial for animal cruelty. Another post regarding this trial, crossposted by someone named Margaret Morin, begged for a big turnout at the courthouse.

Everyone's support is needed to help see justice done.

Justice for Laniq Adams came in the form of an acquittal that took the jury exactly nine minutes to deliver. To this day I wish I'd attended the trial, but it was held before I became sufficiently motivated to start researching this subject, and to begin publishing this blog.

Of course, neither Susan or Margaret bothered to publish the outcome of the trial in the forum.

Being unacquainted with Hindu beliefs, I did some cursory research. Although they can't be defined in a condensed form, karma plays an important role in the Hindu religion.

Does this mean that Susan and Margaret can look forward to some karmic payback?

Next Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting

Considering we won't have Kent Robertson there to mutter that he'll look into things, it might be particularly interesting.

From a forwarded e-mail:

"The next meeting of the Dallas Animal Commission will be held on August 26...at 1:30 in the afternoon. It is not being held at the Animal Shelter, but at Dallas City Hall in room 6C South."

Has Kent Robertson resigned?

I spotted this story at the D Magazine Backburner blog:

Posted on August 13th, 2010 11:39pm by Glenn Hunter
Filed under Animals, Local News

Capping a week that saw animal-shelter official Tyrone McGill charged in the negligent death of a cat there, sources tell us that Dallas Animal Services manager Kent Robertson has abruptly resigned, effective Friday. Callers to Robertson’s phone number at animal services tonight heard a recording saying he’s no longer with the city. Developing.

Tip of the Iceberg, Part 2

I surfed over to this D Magazine story to see if any additional comments had been added since DAS manager McGill was formally charged with animal cruelty:

http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2010/08/02/shelter-cat-death-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/comment-page-2/#comment-96558

While there are plenty of additional comments, not many of them talk about McGill. Instead, some of the DFW chest-beaters who fit the definition of rescuer - someone who has one less animal than those they accuse of hoarding - are out in force with off-topic accusations thinly disguised as comments.

I have a pretty good idea who the commenter using the pen name "Reagan" really is. (This is ironic as he/she took me to task for not identifying myself.) Perhaps Reagan should consider a "new beginning"...

OK ... here it is!

Clicky here to read the minutes from the April 2010 Animal Shelter Commission meeting.

Some highlights - or lowlights:

• Animal registration numbers in Dallas are down, including those for unaltered pets. As if we needed more proof that the 2008 amendments to the City Code continue to backfire.
• Off-site adoption numbers are down. So are the numbers of volunteers. But there was no discussions about recruiting and retaining new volunteers; instead, they decided to contact the inactive ones.
  
• One of the more sensible Commission members asked why a search warrant was issued for a residence with only EIGHT dogs. As usual, Kent Robertson said "he'd look into it."
• The Commission discussed printing and distributing flyers that advised people that it is illegal to abandon their animals. (Yeah, that ought to stop it.)
• Tyrone McGill told everyone what a great time he had attending a shelter conference in Austin, and said he'd be "implementing what he learned" at the shelter. Did he learn not to rescue animals trapped in the shelter's walls?
• ASC member Rebecca Poling went on another commission roll, introducing no fewer than NINE more sub-commissions. She really likes commissions. I have literally lost count of all of her commission roles, chairs, etc.
  
• Dallas Animal Services might put up a Facebook page one day. (insert eye-roll here)

Minutes for the April 2010 Animal Shelter Commission meeting

Thanks to the people who have forwarded this PDF to me during the past few days.

The reason I haven't posted the ASC minutes here yet is that several people who attended the April meeting do not wish for their names to be publicized here. Since I don't blame them, I won't be posting the minutes until I have time to open the PDF and remove the list of public attendees.

Who hired this guy, anyway? (Oops - sorry, Skip)

The upsetting story of the cat allowed to die within the walls of Dallas Animal Services has a new chapter. From today's online version of the Dallas Morning News, updated at 11:10 pm:

Dallas shelter manager on leave over cat's death inside wall | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Posted 11:10 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 10, 2010
By RUDOLPH BUSH / The Dallas Morning News
rbush@dallasnews.com

The manager of the city of Dallas' animal shelter was placed on paid administrative leave Monday while he faces charges of felony cruelty in connection with the death of a cat at the Westmoreland Road facility.

Tyrone McGill, 59, was indicted by a grand jury late last week, accused of failing to act to save a cat trapped between two walls at the shelter. Despite repeated requests from employees, affidavits say, McGill never tried to rescue the cat, who was heard crying and scratching at the walls before its death.

The case has called into question the management and day-to-day operations of the once-lauded shelter.

McGill, the shelter's manager for about two years, acknowledged when the took the position that he was not trained or experienced in handling animals, according to Skip Trimble, chairman of the city's Animal Shelter Commission.

"When we met, he admitted he knew nothing about animals, but that he was eager to learn. ... I have to say that I am shocked. But it's true he didn't have animal experience," Trimble said.

While I should point out that McGill has not been convicted of anything yet - I'm really tired of media convictions, especially when a jury ends up acquitting - he is obviously not the only one to blame for all this. Why on earth was McGill hired in the first place?

And when was the shelter "lauded"? Nobody I've spoken to, including plenty of rescuers who have spent their lives in the DFW area, can remember a time when Dallas Animal Services was anything other than a killing factory.

New links

I am adding two new links:

Humanewatch - Ever since I found out about the dishonesty of HSUS' television ads - in which they beg for monthly donations for animal shelters, but only give HALF of 1% to help save homeless dogs and cats - the HSUS has been on my Don't Trust list. Humanewatch is on their case every day.

PETA Kills Animals - Penn and Teller's PETA expose was just the tip of the iceberg, sadly.

Please feel free to send suggested links. You can leave them as comments (to get the comment function to work, be sure to Preview your comments first!).

The tip of the iceberg at DAS?

This link appeared in today's version of the Yes Biscuit! blog:

http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2010/08/02/shelter-cat-death-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/

Almost all of the comments following the original article appear to have been left by Dallas residents - many who have visited Dallas Animal Services in person to adopt - and are an extremely upsetting read. Hopefully it's another nail in the coffin of the current management at DAS.