Now that I'm outside the city limits, I have zero leverage; didn't have much as a city resident!  Think my "local" focus is likely to be on getting the county I live it an animal shelter; we've got none at all which means we're mostly "shoot on sight" for "problem" animals.  Yes, I'm cringing already.

:(  Very sad PJ.  We had a situation about 1/10th as bad here locally a few years ago.  A nonprofit formed, started by a group of mostly fired former volunteers (they had fired volunteers, can you believe?).  They were fired for critiquing shelter operating policies. No outright abuse was alleged, but the shelter was dank, depressing.  No one helped people who came in looking for pets.  There were allegations that they failed to hold animals the required time before euthanasia, and that they failed to scan for microchips.  Perhaps worst of all -- both the structure of the housing and air ducts, as well as the operating policies and behavior of staff, caused disease to spread like wildfire, giving shelter staff perhaps the excuse they needed to euthanize large numbers of animals and not count them in the "adoptable" stats due to disease.  There were also allegations that all owner give-ups were recorded as "owner requested euthanasias" -- all to game their statistics.

The nonprofit of former volunteers that formed did so specifically to either pressure the city into giving the shelter operating contract to a new organization, OR barring that, take over via competitive bid.  They submitted an unsolicited bid (which I pulled together for them), but the shelter contract was simply re-upped to the same old organization.  The founding member of the nonprofit then became a major contributor to a local campaign for county executive, exacting promises from him to put the contract up for competitive bid.

It has yet to happen now, years later. BUT by all accounts, the outside pressure and bad publicity HAVE resulted in SOME changes -- not the total overhaul one would hope for, but there the long time Exe Director resigned under pressure; so did her replacement.  The new person has experience turning things like this around; the board has been reconstituted.  Some of the former detractors report that they actually ARE trying to address the problems now.  Still, I don't believe their euthanasia stats at all, because I foster for another local rescue, and am always getting emails saying that the municipal shelter "just received a litter of kittens and will euthanize them all if we [a totally different organization with no city funding] don't find a foster by [x] day."  Yet they taut this high adoption rates. 

Reminds me of a book: "How to lie with statistics."

Keep up the pressure.  It is a long and frustrating process.

Stefani, I agree 1000%.  I don't know which is worse, little staff or more but poor staff; just know they're still taking animals in and they disappear into a black hole.

That was a good one PJB! still laughing!

Forgot to mention (since most of you aren't in Houston) that BARC runs the city's animal shelter.  Fact: They don't have a vet on staff, haven't had for weeks now. Nobody's telling what the conditions and circumstances for the animals at the shelter is/has been/will be.  Um, fired the vets, fired half the non-vet staff, they were understaffed to start with, hired a dweeb with no animal experience who's been jacking around since being hired.  Yeah, I'm sure the animals are in tip top shape at the City Shelter.  Big, BIG, fast, REALLY FAST changes just like we were promised.  Well, not exactly.

Barbara, Isn't that what a Lazy Sealyham is for?  (Sorry, getting slap happy.)

Oh, my, Texas is so impressive.  Well, this is during the past month but...  Apparently what Houstonians paid the new Boss at BARC (the City of Houston Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control) $200/hour to do this past month was to attend public events to defend his appointment and garner support, then draft his resignation, then draft the withdrawal of his resignation, then go into hiding - still being paid $200+ per hour!  The City hired a NON-veterinarian (in fact, no medical background at all) AND doubled the salary of this position traditionally held by vets.  Now that ought to make everyone around here "happy" :)

Al G. is dangerous, but a fungi like me is harmless... mostly.  ;-)

Harmful algae grows all over the planet.  For a bit more, here's one of the links from that website that might be more helpful to you http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/hab/docs/bgahealthconcernsfaq.pdf

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is this algae limited to Oregon? Any idea where else it is found? The site info was unenlightening.