LOCAL

Shelter director fired, 2 board members resign amid euthanasia blunder

Mickey Shuey
The Palladium-Item
The exterior of H.E.L.P. the Animals pet shelter, 2101 W. Main St., is seen Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017.

RICHMOND, Ind. – The recently-hired director and two board members of a local pet shelter have been removed from their positions following public backlash over the euthanasia of seven dogs.

H.E.L.P.'s board of directors has fired Jamie Glandon from her position as the no-kill shelter's director, and asked two of its own who were involved in the process to step down.

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Those board members, Michele Curry and Kimm Ladd, sat on the euthanasia committee that voted to have the dogs put down. The two served as the vice president and secretary, respectively.

Board President Susan Beeson said Tuesday the decision to fire Glandon was best for all involved, including the public and those who provide funding to the shelter. The board voted unanimously to seek her removal, Beeson said.

Several petitions had been created calling for Glandon's job, as well as the resignation of some, if not all, of the board.

"We looked at the problems with the community, the hatefulness ... and requests from our supporters, and decided that that was the best thing to do," Beeson said.

The hatefulness to which Beeson referred was threatening phone calls and messages left by those upset by the decision to put down the dogs and the circumstances surrounding the decision, she said.

Both women resigning from the board had served for several years, and have agreed to resign from their posts, because it's "what's best for the shelter," Beeson said.

H.E.L.P., 2101 W. Main St., considers itself a no-kill shelter and receives funding through grants and private donations, rather than public dollars. The shelter, started in 1991, historically has only euthanized dogs and cats that could not be adopted due to aggression issues or those with terminal diseases.

While the shelter has euthanized dogs in the past — 33 for terminal diseases and 19 for their inability to be adopted or relocated — the shelter has no record of putting down more than one dog at a time.

"It's unfortunate anytime you have this happen," board member Mary Blakefield said. "We've never had this many at one time. In a perfect world, this wouldn't have happened."

In order for any H.E.L.P. animals to be euthanized, a report about the dog must be discussed by the euthanasia committee, on which Ladd and Curry sat with Glandon. The three determined the seven dogs were too much of a risk to be adopted out.

Curry on Tuesday night told The Palladium-Item the euthanasia committee followed procedures, but she said she was saddened by the outcome.

"We followed protocol," she said. "I'm just deeply saddened and upset; it's unfortunate and I'm just extremely upset right now."

Ladd said she was also disappointed by the way the situation played out, but was willing to resign if it meant helping the shelter repair its image.

"If it will help put this whole issue to rest, I am more than willing to step aside," she said. "We need to let the shelter move forward; there has been a lot of concern, but we know the proper protocol was followed."

While board members have expressed support for the decision to put down the dogs, the procedures that led to the decision are still being reexamined.

Board member Nancy Rhoades said she is hopeful new policies — including the possibility of a full-board vote on whether to euthanize a particular animal — will help protect the shelter and its pets moving forward.

"There's going to be a change for our procedures," she said. "There will be a change, a definite change, in our policy. We're will rewrite it. We want to do everything we can to be the best shelter we can be for the animals and the people that support us."

Rhoades said having a policy that would see the whole board vote on an animal's fate would add a layer of transparency to the process, but noted it's difficult to have a policy that would never allow an animal to be put down.

"You can never have a 100 percent, no-kill shelter. Animals who are very ill ... dogs that are dangerous to be around ... ethically we cannot adopt those animals out," Rhoades said. "It's a hard pill for us to swallow."

Beeson said she is hopeful the shelter will continue to get community support, despite the recent issue.

"I assume we will continue to do what we've always done, and continue to follow our mission," Beeson said. "We want to bring in animals and help them find good, loving homes. That's our mission and it's what we'll continue to do."

Beeson said the board has not yet determined a timeline for when it will replace the shelter director or outgoing board members.

Efforts by this newspaper to get in touch with Glandon had been unsuccessful as of Tuesday evening.

Mickey Shuey is the business reporter at the Palladium-Item. Contact him at mshuey@gannett.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @MickeyShuey, or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MickeyShuey.