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Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN
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Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 7/15/2008 7:10:10 AM
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animaladvocate1655
Posts: 1
Joined: 7/15/2008
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Things you should know about McKamey Animal Adoption Center in Chattanooga TN:
1. The vet decided to neuter some kittens on the reception desk in the lobby. That is in no way a sterile field. There was still construction going on in the building. There was saw dust and filth everywhere! I don't care how simple a procedure it is. That is just asking for an infection. And, at the time they had not been approved to even have animals in the building.
2. The bomb was dropped that they are in fact NOT A NO KILL shelter. They at this point want to strive to that eventually, but if there is a space issue then the animals least likely to be adopted are going to get the axe. They then said that they have never claimed to be a no kill facility. Well, someone called them on that saying that in newspaper articles the doctor had in fact said that very thing. Their response was..."Yeah well, Dr Amanda did say that and she was a little beside herself about it and then thought well the Humane Society lies all the time so it is ok."
3. They have hired completely inexperienced people. (Mostly their friends and family.) Since when does bathing dogs part time qualify you to be an animal control officer? Or working at an antique store qualify you to care for a sick or injured animal, or working at Game Stop for that matter? I know you have to learn somewhere, but there is a time and a place for everything, and proper channels to go through to gain that knowledge and acquire that education. Just because you picked up a stray dog once in your lifetime and it just so happened he became the family pet, or adopted a cat at Petsmart does not qualify you to make decisions and conduct animal adoptions. These are lives you are dealing with.
4. The lack of basic animal knowledge, and lack of common sense is frightening!
No one that they have hired as animal caretakers has ANY experience actually handling animals. And they are not getting the training that they need because Dr Amanda did not want to pay for full time training. How long will it be before someone's face gets eaten or they lose a digit?
5. You're a 26,087 square foot facility that will house 500 animals (That is if there is only one animal per cage.) That plans on staffing 3 Veterinarians and you only hire two technicians.
What???
6. The doctor was asked why she was not vaccinating for Leptospirosis, wondering if it was for reaction factor especially in small dogs. It was stated that there was a high raccoon population in the area and that all it took was just one urinating in the common yard for the dogs to pick it up. If you're so concerned about the transmission of zoonotic diseases why wouldn't you want to protect your staff from that? Her answer was that it wouldn't happen. Oh really? So when someone inadvertently clean up a dog's urine that is infected with Lepto and they get it and their kidneys shut down and they die, you won't compensate their family because it just couldn't happen? Her answer again was that it wouldn't happen. But it could happen. Nope, won't happen. Ok, whatever.
7. They lied in the news and in the papers about how many animal control officers they have. Admitting that none have prior experience and that all 9 went to Arkansas for training. Actually, a total of 4 went to Arkansas and that was including their supervisor. The rest stayed behind and got NO training at all.
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 7/22/2008 10:17:02 AM
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Animaladvocate1655,
How do you know these things? I like to be sure of my info before I pass it on.
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 7/23/2008 3:54:14 PM
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I don't understand why you are saying the things you are, especially without any reference. Anyone can blog about anything without proof, but if you are going to accuse some one or group of something, back it up with facts.
It sounds like you perhaps applied for a position at McKamey and were not hired, or worked for a short time and then fired. Many factors go into hiring someone for a position and experience is only a small part of it. Just because someone has experience at being an ACO doesn't mean they do a good job at it. The former officers that worked for Animal Control were allowed to apply for the now current positions at McKamey but they didn't want to loose their cushy city government jobs w/ benefits and pension. Also, when working for the city they pretty much sat around and did very little. Try calling one of them and reporting a vicious dog or owner mistreatment, it would take days for them to go out and if/when they finally responded nothing was done to change the situation. They had plenty of experience at being an ACO but did they actually do their jobs well? Uh, No.
The situation at McKamey and the way the animals are treated there, is so far improved from how they were/are treated at HES, I don't know why anyone would complain about that. It's a brand new facility and anyone with half a brain would know it takes time to get things running well. You don't just walk into a new place and get everything right the first time. Animals at McKamey have excellent living conditions, they are receiving excellent medical care and the people who work there, experienced or not, care about the animals. That is the most important part of anyone working in a shelter. You can have years of "experience" working with animals, doesn't mean you are good at it.
The director at HES lies daily and for years about his euthanasia rate. He sends out newsletters with the misguided "We're going cageless" ("going" - he's been touting that phrase for almost 2 years now and raking in the donations for it, when are they going to BE cageless? Head on over there and take a look, not much has changed, still dogs and cats in cages. And the open pens for dogs, plenty of talk about it, but not one finished. But have a look at that lobby, all the restored woodwork and the pretty art on the walls and the plants; is this a museum or an animal shelter? How has all the time and expense of "restoring" the lobby helped the animals in any significant way? Sure the lobby looks nice, but head on back to the intake room or the holding rooms and see what conditions the animals are kept in, it is awful.) His recent "We are now a no kill shelter" declaration in the newsletter and media is also a joke. His definition of No kill is his own, his definition of "going cageless" is his own and his euthanasia percentage is his own. He prefaces the euthanasia rate with "Our rate of euthanasia for Treatable, Trainable and adoptable animals is down to 4%." What a crock! His definition of treatable, trainable and adoptable are of his own making. A runny eye is not treatable, fleas are not treatable, being shy is not treatable or adoptable. His kill rate is more around 80%, not 4%. If you don't believe me, the HES board meeting minutes are public record, go down there and have a look. He has to report all the numbers accurately each month. For May of this year, he took in nearly 300 cats, 9 were adopted and about 40 went to rescue, the rest, since they are always full, were euthanized. In dogs, they took in a little over 400, 98 were adopted. How does that add up to 4%? His balance sheet is good though, especially with those "positive" numbers he's always bragging about, the donations are way up. Instead of telling the truth and getting people over there to adopt or physically help out, he'd rather sweep the dead animals under the rug and tell everyone he's doing a great job. (Yes, they need help. Most of the animals go without food, water or a clean cage for most of the day. The staff leaves at 4 pm and if they come in as early as 9 am, that is 17 hours between care. It takes awhile for the few caretakers to get around to all the animals, so once they do, it could have been 24 hours since anyone has even checked on that animal. A lot can happen in 24 hours, it you have a pet, you know this is true. They need more help.) But keep the donations coming in folks, we want to put gold plating on the faucets in the washroom, because that will help us save more animals.
The moral of this reply is just because someone says something, it doesn't make it true. Research the facts on your own and don't believe everything you read or hear.
Having multipe animal shelters in this community is a GOOD thing. The animals certainly need it and none of this would be relevant if everyone would just spay and neuter their pets. There are plenty of low-cost spay/neuter programs available, so the real problem we should be talking about is owner irresponsibility and neglect, there really is no excuse for that.
Go to the Humane Educational Society and do a walk through, see what I'm writing about for yourself.
Go to McKamey and do a walk through, see what I'm writing about for yourself.
Get involved in your community projects; don't just be led around like a bunch of sheep. Don't be a sheep, people eat sheep.
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 8/18/2008 10:40:53 AM
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I agree with the post completely. It is sad but true. I live here and yes I know what your saying is true. I have spoken to the city council, written letters, called, etc but to no avail. The city just wanted out of the animal business and don't care who takes it over. Just today I spoke with a lady that reported dogs running loose in the streets and were told by Mckamey Animal Shelter that it would be 2 days before someone would come out. What's up with this? Why can't citizens get service and safety? Get in officials that care. What's the use paying Mckamey Shelter them a million dollars of our tax payer money for nothing. Where did our great service go? Where are the professions? Thank You, City Council members and City of Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. Will the City ever get it right?
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 8/19/2008 8:39:33 AM
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I too agree with the original post. I work at a veterinary clinic and we are bombarded with horror stories about McKamey all the time.
I also know some employees there and can tell you that it is the truth that those kittens were neutered in the lobby before they opened.
We see botched spays and neuters that took place at McKamey all the time.
Not a day goes by that we don't get a call from someone who has said that McKamey WILL NOT help them.
They send EVERYONE to the East Ridge Shelter.
Ask anyone else who works in rescue in this town how they feel about McKamey and you will not get the glowing responses you hear in the media.
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 8/19/2008 7:20:38 PM
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It is so easy to speak anonymously. I hope that intelligent people who have inadvertently stumbled on this drek can distinguish between slander and information. This is not informative and there is no reason that I read in it that any of this should be taken seriously.
Ann Sheets
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 8/24/2008 1:05:13 PM
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I DISAGREE with the original post. I DO work at McKamey, and am proud to work there. I also disagree with the anonymous person who says we "send everyone to East Ridge." Patently ridiculous - only residents of East Ridge receive their animal services from East Ridge. Recently East Ridge has signed on to take over Signal Mountain's animal control, so those will be the only folks outside of East Ridge who can take stray animals there. McKamey accepts animals from INSIDE the city limits of Chattanooga. All other folks irritated by the fact that they can't bring their animals there should take up the matter with their commissioners - who decided NOT to be a part of McKamey. There are between 70-125 call EACH DAY from people who want animals picked up. There are two trucks. No one is trying to shirk their duty - they are doing it as quickly as they can.
And there IS no glowing report in the media. I'd like to know which reports people are reading and hearing, because I don't see it.
I would also challenge the person who works at a vet clinic and sees botched spays and neuters to own up and say who you are. If there are medical concerns you or the veterinarian you work for have, then take that up with the medical staff. But I doubt that you will. Dr Amanda is a talented and respected vet. Our guest vets come from some of the finest clinics in Chattanooga. I can't imagine what "horror stories" you hear. I doubt they are legitimate - it is easy to find fault, especially if you don't know how hard the work is.
And I really can't believe I've spent my valuable time responding to this stuff.
Mary Keebler
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 8/25/2008 11:55:11 PM
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IN RESPONSE TO THE LAST TWO POST, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE. IT IS ALL TRUE. MCKAMEY IS A MIRAGE AND ONLY LOOKS LIKE THE ANSWER TO THE CITY OF CHATTAOOGA’S ANIMAL PROBLEMS. MCKAMEY IS A BOTTEMLESS PIT. THERE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH MONEY TO SUSTAIN THEM. SO MUCH MONEY FOR SO LITTLE SERVICE. HOW LONG WILL THE CITIZEN’S OF CHATTANOOGA TOLERATE THIS? WHAT IS REALLY HARD TO BELIEVE IS THAT AFTER MCKAMEY RECEIVED A MILLION DOLLARS OF TAX PAYERS HARD EARNED MONEY THEY STILL ASK THAT CITIZENS GIVE MORE MONEY OR DONATE TO THEM. WHAT WERE THE CITY LEADERS THINKING? WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY WEREN’T. IT IS A SAD DAY, AFTER ALL THE PRODUCTION AND PROMISES MADE BY MCKAMEY AND CITY OFFICIALS THAT CITIZENS AND ANIMALS ARE NO BETTER OFF. IN FACT, WE ARE IN A WORLD OF HURT BECAUSE MCKAMEY ONLY HAS 2 TRUCKS WITH INEXPERIENCED OFFICERS WHEN THE CITY USED TO HAVE AT LEAST 10 OFFICERS AND AT LEAST 5 TRUCKS AND WORKED 2 SHIFTS. WE ALWAYS HAD HELP IN TIME OF NEED BUT NOW, IT MAY BE A FEW DAYS OR MORE. HOW WILL MCKAMEY COMPETE WITH OUR FORMER SERVICE AND WILL THEY EVER BE ABLE TO DELIVER WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO OUR GREAT CITY NOW?
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 9/4/2008 12:42:11 PM
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I cannot confirm or deny the previous comments, although I find them shockingly hard to believe. What I can tell you, from my own personal experience, is that when I called HES/The City last January for help with a stray dog in my neighborhood who elluded capture I was told they couldn't get out for two weeks, maybe longer. I called Dr. Amanda (this is January, mind you.... six+ months before McKamey opened its doors) and she was at my house within the hour to help. If that isn't dedication - then I don't know what is? Molly S. - wetdogs@aol.com
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RE: Things you should know about McKamey in Chattanooga TN - 9/5/2008 7:56:02 PM
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WHAT DID SHE DO? WAS THE DOG CAPTURED? JANUARY IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY FROM THE NEWS WAS WHEN THE CITY TOLD ANIMAL CONTROL THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE JOBS IN JULY DUE TO MCKAMEY. THE CITY OFFICERS WERE ON THE NEWS STATING THIS. AND MOST OF THEM HAD TO FIND WORK ELSEWHERE OR BE UNEMPLOYED. WHEN I CALLED THEY ONLY HAD 2 OFFICERS LEFT AND WERE DOING THE BEST THEY COULD. SO WHY ARE YOU PLAYING THIS OUT LIKE DR A IS A HERO. I THINK NOT. DR A IS A GREAT VET BUT SHE IS A VET WITH LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE IN ANIMAL ENFORCEMENT. SO WHY HELP GET RID OF PROFESSIONALS TO HIRE NON PROFESSIONALS. IF THEY ARE SO GREAT AT MCKAMEY WHY ARE THERE STILL NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS IN THE MEDIA STATING THE CONTRARY. WE NEED TO GET REAL AND GET OFFICIALS IN THAT CARE.
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