Ex-employees raise concerns about city animal shelter

Two former employees of the City of Houston Animal Shelter told City Council yesterday about problems at the shelter, saying the facility has severe problems and probably isn't compliant with city codes.

Michelle Haberland, a former veterinary technician with the Bueau of Animal Regulation and Care, claimed the shelter was spending too much money on making itself "people-friendly" and not enough on caring for the animals:

"They were hanging art work that costs thousands of dollars in the lobby and we couldn't order antibiotics for the dogs that we were euthanizing day in and day out for an upper respiratory infection. I said, 'That's it. I have got to go', said Haberland.

Haberland also talked about grates in the shelter, which she said have openings large enough for animals to get their feet caught in them — and in some cases, the animals have to be euthanized because they can't get free, she said. Haberland and Margaret Gongo, who also used to work at the shelter, added that some cages are too small for the animals they hold; some dogs don't have room to turn around or wag their tails in the cages, they said. Gongo criticized the city for the situation, saying there's a "disparity between the lip service given by local officials and what is actually taking place."

Cynda Lewis, the shelter's manager, said the artwork to which Haberland referred cost about $1,500, not several thousand dollars, but she admitted that there are problems at the facility, mostly because it's so busy. Last year, BARC picked up 26,243 animals. Of those, 1,463 were adopted, 1,579 were reclaimed by their owners, 1,698 were saved by rescue groups and 289 were unaccounted for (yep, seems that they lose animals sometimes). That left 21,214 animals that were euthanized last year.

There's no report on whether council will take any action, but a city task force was set up earlier in the year to look at euthanasia rates at several local shelters. But there is something you can do: Go by the BARC shelter at 3200 Carr St. and adopt a pet. We know you can give them a better life than they'd have in a cage.