There are three postings to this past Tuesday's Craig's List, for a vet tech, kennel technician and animal shelter aide. The postings were all done within a 3-minute period, for a nonprofit working with cats, and the Hermitage has used Craig's List in the past to fill their vacancies, so I'm fairly certain these must be at the Hermitage. If it is them, then that's half their cat care staff. If any of the former workers would be willing to talk to me, on or off the record, please contact the webmaster.

My attorney has just informed me of the receipt of a communication from the Hermitage Board, which has accepted Mary Jo Spring's resignation as Executive Director.

I'd also like to thank the Board members for choosing the Blue Willow patio for their discussion of the new organizational chart, their personal opinions of Ms. Spring, and the upcoming budget. It totally rocks when you just drop information in my lap like that.

Ms. Spring went 0 for 2 last week. Tuesday was spent embarrassing herself and the Hermitage Board in their continuing failed attempt to silence dissent (see Tucson Weekly article, "Tables Turned"). She then made time on Thursday to literally phone in her testimony to an Employment Security Commission hearing, where she was challenging the unemployment compensation of yet another former employee, Linda Riley. I received confirmation this Wednesday that Ms. Spring was denied on that attempt also.

The more employees an employer fires, and the more challenges to their unemployment claims are denied, the greater the number of points the employer must pay into the system. As of last October, the Hermitage had gone through 56 employees in 14 months, fairly impressive for an organization that started that time with only 21 employees. I would estimate that number at about 62 now. Although I'm not certain how many were fired outright and how many were pressured out, I imagine the percentage is they're paying to the state at this point is pretty high.

And yet, the Hermitage Board continues to not only employ Ms. Spring, but to support her fully in everything she has done.

Mary Jo Spring continues to cut down costs at the Hermitage by firing employees. The two most recent ones to get the boot were Ed and Michelle. That's now over 200% employee turnover since August 2007. ESG, the payroll/benefits/HR company the Hermitage outsourced every thing to, is certainly earning its keep.

By the way, everyone who works at the Hermitage is now an employee of ESG, not the Hermitage. Nice way to shield yourself from all those little unpleasantnesses.

The front of the Save the Hermitage T-shirts will feature a list of former staff, or volunteers, your pick. Each person will also receive a laundry marker so they can add to the list as it grows. Since these are being done as individual iron-ons, if you are a person whose name actually appears on the T-shirt, you have the option of having your own name highlighted in red. As the former administrative admin informed me, the number of former staff from this year now stands at 56. (No wonder the Hermitage has contracted out its HR to a private company, they need one person dedicated solely to filling out W-2s). Due to the length of the list, there was some debate as to whether we should make this available as a T-shirt or a T-shirt style dress, but we finally decided to stick with the T-shirt, and encourage people to add new names to the sleeves.

Gentle Readers, please allow to me deviate this morning from the usual to address a specific individual. You may not completely follow the rest of this post, but details will be forthcoming.

Dick, please read this to Mary Jo. She used to have Paula do that every morning, but that's not going to work any more. You may need to move the dancing cat video off to the side of the screen, this morning is going to be rather full.

Is it quiet in the office this morning, Mary Jo? I bet it is, since both your administrative assistant and accountant resigned Thursday morning, and you are so lacking in basic office skills you can't take the messages off the answering machine. And after what's happened in the past 24 hours, it's probably pretty full. And according to the activity schedule for the remainder of October, you had them scheduled to work the Blessing of the Animals Tabling Event on Sunday, the KVOA Noon News Pet Spot on Monday, and you're scheduled to do the Martha Vasquez Show on Thursday.

Are you working hard today, Mary Jo? I bet you are, since the event coordinator for the Litterbox Lariat fundraiser, scheduled in 8 days, also resigned Wednesday night. I believe she spent a good portion of Thursday returning items for the silent auction (Just so you know, most non-profits actually contact vendors and ask them to DONATE items for auctions, instead of paying retail for them. That's why it's called a fundraiser). So it looks like the 60 RSVPs won't have anything much to bid on with their $20 credit. But that's really OK, because you signed that agreement committing to buy 100 dinners, no matter how few supporters actually show, so the people who do attend can really pile up on the seconds. And since a goodly portion of that 60 are actually tables purchased by donors that don't actually have real people to sit in them yet, there may even be third helpings. Does the uniformed security guard get to eat too? Don't you agree that it would have really been nice if at least the board members had all bothered to buy tickets? Especially now that there are only six board members left, since Vern also resigned from the Board on Wednesday night.

Fred II, or "New Fred", the maintenance worker at the Hermitage is gone. That brings the staff turnover to 187% since last August. The Hermitage is a big, rambling, old building, with many add-ons, and several outlying buildings as well, and the Board never saw fit to address the multiple building code violations, "because we're going to be starting on the new facility real soon". This has gone on for years. And when Fred Yost, who was the full-time maintenance worker, was sidelined by a back injury last year, the Hermitage hired "New Fred" on only a part-time basis. When Fred Yost recovered from his back surgery, and was released by his doctor as being ready to reurn to work, the Hermitage told him that they had hired someone else to fill his position, and it wouldn't be right to let the new part-time person go. Fred Yost also offered to work part-time, which would have brought the position back up to one full-timer, but that fell on deaf ears. And now there is no one doing the work. One wonders what the city inspector would find if they went there now.

Michelle Harriman, the fourth Hermitage shelter manager within the past year (or sixth, if you count Linda Riley's two stints as temporary manager between candidate searches), heard the familiar refrain "It's just not working out" on September 8, and is gone. She was there about six weeks. The Board must be relieved that at least these new hires haven't been there long enough to be eligible to collect unemployment, since the charges against their employer ratings must be getting pretty high at this point.

Regardless of who you are, you have to wonder what's up with an Executive Director that comes into a place where each of the top four employees has a minimum of 7 years with the organization, and less than two years later, the top four employees have a combined total of less than two and half years experience. And not a single employee has been at the shelter longer than the ED. Talk about a loss of organizational memory. Talk about not playing well with others.

Thus far in the searches for a shelter manager, they've tried ads on Craig's List, personal contacts with people from other animal rescue groups (and after the last AWASA meeting, it looks like Mary Jo Spring burned that bridge rather completely), and volunteers were told a placement agency was contacted as well. But no one can be found who shares the Executive Director's "New Vision". There's not an opthamologist in the world who can help her with this one -- if there's no light in the sanctuary, it doesn't matter how powerful the lenses are.

The Hermitage shelter/floor manager position has had several names, but is essentially the person responsible for running the non-medical portion of the front of the shelter. During the two-and-half years I was at the shelter, one person (Debbie Lundquist) performed this function. Rather well, too. Since September 2007, however, the position of floor manager/shelter manager at the Hermitage has been held by five other people: Linda Riley (twice as a temp), Allison Niver, Julie Vance, Jackie Bradley, and now Michelle. Linda even had to train her own supervisor. Jackie, who was hired as the Hermitage floor manager back in June, quit on August 3rd. The half-life of a Hermitage floor manager is about six weeks, so that fits the curve nicely.

I understand that the Hermitage staff read and discuss this blog on a daily basis, so I would like to address Michelle, the new employee, directly: read these blog archives. Then read the newspaper articles. Then read the letters to the editor. Ask your own vet what they think. Ask yourself what kind of nonprofit organization bans its own volunteers and donors. Ask yourself what is going on with this list of people you have been given, who are not permitted in the Hermitage. Ask yourself what kind of animal care organization prohibits its cleaning staff from talking to its medical staff. Ask the medical staff to sit you down in the Shyster area and tell you, specifically, how to tell all the cats apart from one another. Ask yourself if you want to work at an animal sanctuary where the executive director views the permanent residents as "taking up space". Ask yourself if suddenly moving a shy, feral cat that has lived in a protected environment for 5+ years, to a barn in the rural desert is a step up in care or kindness. Ask yourself how long such a cat will survive, and how you will feel helping to choose, net and send away such a cat. Ask yourself why you are the sixth person to hold this position in less than a year. Ask yourself why so many pieces of the picture do not fit.

My grapevine tells me that the Hermitage has indeed had more cleaning staff turnover. If you are one of those folks, and would be willing to share your experiences with me, either privately, or for publication, please contact me at TopDog@AnimalHomeBuddies.com

There is another Hermitage posting to Craig's List looking for cleaning staff, the second one in less than three weeks:
http://tucson.craigslist.org/npo/750848822.html

I would agree that there certainly seems to be an opportunity for advancement, since the cleaning staff turnover rate since March is approximately 130%.
******************************************************************

Calling All Cat Lovers! (Tucson, Arizona )
Reply to: r_tors@hotmail.com
Date: 2008-07-11, 9:10AM MST

We are a non profit cat shelter with about 275 kitties to care for--we need a Shelter Assistant who would help with cleaning the shelter and feeding the kitties. Minimum wage to start with opportunity for advancement. Part time or full time hours available. Submit resume or call for interview.

* Location: Tucson, Arizona
* Compensation: Minimum Wage to start
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 750848822

I am publishing, without editing, an email to me from Fred Yost. Fred is one of those people who are very, very slow to anger, and his calm and thoughtful demeanor is one reason why he was the shelter spokesman for so many years. I am the one to whom Mary Jo Spring stated that she thought Fred was hiding cats, and that she was going to confront him the following day. It was a long and very surreal conversation.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have been affiliated with the Hermitage for 11+ years, first as a volunteer and thereafter as an employee, holding positions ranging from Shelter Tech to Facility Director. During that time, I believe I always performed my duties reliably, to the best of my abilities, and most importantly, with the welfare of the shelter's felines being my primary concern. Some of the things I am proudest of participating in during my tenure are:

*initiating Kitty Korner, our first consistent TV spot, which continues to help find homes for Hermitage kitties;
*piloting a Trap/Neuter/Return program which, in its 3-year span allowed us to sterilize 600 feral cats (98% of the time spent trapping and transporting these cats was done "off-the- clock.";
*fostering upwards of 100 bottle babies;
*permanently fostering/adopting many shelter residents that were nearing the Rainbow Bridge so that they would be able to spend their last days/weeks/months in my home, and
*working with wonderful volunteers to keep an aging facility from falling down around the ears of the kitties we all love so dearly.

The point of this "list" is not to look for accolades for myself - it is to point out the fact that the entire staff of volunteers and employees I worked with during this time provided that level of commitment. I have never before had the honor of working with such a large group of people who are so committed to the goal of animal welfare and so competent in doing what it takes to achieve that goal.

My own demise began last August 30, when I awoke and was unable to stand up. A trip to my Doctor and from there to the hospital revealed that several cervical vertebrae were damaged, requiring emergency surgery. This having been accomplished, I notified the Executive Director (ED) that my Doctor's preliminary estimate for recuperation was six months. I was told to not worry about it and to take as much time as I needed, that my job would be there when I was ready.

In pursuant conversations, it was agreed that I would resign my position so that I might be eligible for AHCCCS, the shelter having discontinued health care coverage for employees several months prior. During further conversations/emails between myself and management, it was reiterated several times that I should take as much time to recover as necessary to lessen any risks upon my return. I was also "personally guaranteed" by an Executive Board member that my job would be waiting for me when I was ready to return. Any of you present at the Luau may also remember that the Board President wished me well and stated that I would always have a place at the Hermitage.

In December, 2007 I emailed the ED notifying her that my Doctor had cleared me to return to my duties, and I asked what steps had to be taken to facilitate this process. The email I received in response follows:

"Dear Fred:
Everyone at The Hermitage is certainly pleased at the relatively quick recovery you have made and your desire to return to work.

Unfortunately, this is not quite as simple as it may seem. When you resigned for medical reasons, we had little choice but to fill the position that you vacated, since there were many things that required immediate attention due to the age and condition of the facility. It would not have been in the best interests of the cats to do otherwise, and I'm sure you can appreciate that. We did not know when, or if you would be coming back. The person who is now filling the position you vacated has proven himself to be capable, hard-working, and dependable, and it would not be fair or ethical to ask him to leave his position.

As we prepare the 2008 budget, I can also tell you that we are facing a significant budget deficit that will severely limit our ability to add additional staff positions. In the future, you are welcome to inquire if any jobs will become available.

I know that this is probably not what you wanted to hear, but I hope I have explained the situation in a way that you can understand and appreciate.

Yours truly,

(Executive Director's name)"

It is true that someone had to be doing the maintenance work I was doing to keep the facility ongoing and that the person hired to do such work is an asset to the organization.

It is not true that the Hermitage did not know "when, or if" I would be coming back. I had kept them up to date on that topic from about one week after my operation.

The person hired to fill my position was hired to work two days per week. I fully agreed that it would not be fair to ask him to leave that position. However, was it any more "fair or ethical" to ask me to leave after 11 years on the job? I communicated to the ED and Board that it would be perfectly acceptable to me to return for three days per week, thereby removing the necessity to terminate anyone. I never received any response to this offer.

It was also not brought to my attention that at the same time this correspondence was occurring, the shelter was interviewing for the position of "Shelter Manager." I must humbly state that it would have been difficult to find anyone with better qualifications for this position than me; I should have at least been given notice that such position was currently open.

To say that my position or any of the other terminated staff would be adding additional staff positions for 2008 is misleading. To the best of my knowledge, it would have been reasonable to assume that the staff in place as of the end of 2007 would have been in place for 2008 and thereafter. None of us was anticipating a purge.

In my opinion, there were other factors that led to my not being reinstated. For one thing, I spoke with a Board member regarding a mailing the Hermitage had done requesting funds earmarked for several special projects at the shelter. I was told (by the ED) that funds had been received for these projects, but when I requested release of such monies to purchase materials for them, was told repeatedly that there was no money available. I expressed my opinion that this might not be seen in a favorable light by donors who visited the shelter and wanted to see the results of their contributions. To the best of my knowledge, this concern was not addressed.

Another factor (again, in my opinion) was that as a member of the Expansion Committee for building a new shelter, I frequently expressed concerns over matters such as site location, facility design and scheduling, and proposed feline capacity. I (as staff liaison) had serious concerns on all these matters with the site that had been procured and was trying to be sure plans were examined thoroughly before proceeding with the plan. It is my understanding that the shelter management is now looking for another site. I also opined that the ED was perhaps being overly optimistic in stating that we would be in a new facility within two years of the initial announcement. Such opinion was not particularly appreciated.

It was also made known to me at a later date (I cannot document this) that on the day I went into the hospital, I was scheduled to be summoned to the "office" for allegedly "hiding cats" so that they would not show up in the shelter's records. I find it hard to believe that anything this absurd would enter the mind of upper level management, but then again...

To sum this all up, I do not feel that I was treated in a professional manner by the management and Board of the Hermitage. I fully realize that I can be replaced without the organization faltering, but the fact is that when as many experienced staff leave as has been the case in the last several months, both the cats and the organization suffer. The organization suffers through the loss of many years of experience, and the cats suffer by loss of people they have grown to trust over the years.

There was no valid reason for the removal of the entire staff and many volunteers at the Hermitage. We all contributed greatly to the welfare of the resident felines and from all accounts, they are suffering from our absence. Anyone who reads this, please come to your own conclusions; I ask only that you do anything in your power to guard the welfare of the cats at the Hermitage (No-Kill) Cat Shelter.

Sincerely,

Fred Yost

Anna Yoshino, Hermitage Cat Shelter accountant, has resigned from the shelter. Anna always did a great job caring for the employee's payroll and other needs, and her work was on time, and without error. Anna is a soft spoken, gentle young woman who always had time for a head pat for her favorite resident cat, Stuart. I am sure all former and present volunteers and employees wish her well.

For some reason, there appears to be an immediate need for cat shelter cleaners. I wonder if that could be because they fired or forced out their entire cleaning staff within the past month, fired several of their replacements, and banned a substantial portion of the volunteers?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Calling All Cat Lovers! (Tucson, Arizona )
Reply to: r_tors@hotmail.com
Date: 2008-06-23, 8:43AM MST

Shelter Assistant, part time, cleaning, feeding cats and other duties as assigned. Start immediately!

* Location: Tucson, Arizona
* Compensation: Minimum Wage
* This is at a non-profit organization.
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 729544255
http://tucson.craigslist.org/npo/729544255.html

I am publishing, with her permission, the following email from Cholla Eaton, former Cat Car Manager at the Hermitage. Choll replaced Paula Smith, who had been associated with the shelter for 20 years.

I am the former replacement Cat Care Manager. After 2 days of working at the Hermitage I resigned due to a miss understanding on my salary. I have been working with animals professionally for the past 14 years, I am also a certified vet tech. I have worked for 5 non-profit animal shelters in the past including the SPCA and Humane society, both outside of Arizona. I was hired because I believe the last place a healthy animal should be is in a shelter of any kind. The love and individual attention received in a home environment is best. I was told by Mary Jo and Rosalie that they were having issues with the staff not "allowing" them to adopt out cats by making up medical conditions at the last moment that would prevent them from going to a "normal" home. This was the reason they gave me for letting people go. A hording mentality is of course unhealthy so I came on determined to help find the cats great homes.

After only 2 days of working there I established that there were 80 cats that needed medication daily and I believe 12 cats that needed their bladders expressed at least twice daily. Having incompetent workers could easily lead to the death of the 12 mentioned cats, due to bladder rupture, kidney failure or cardiac arrest with in 48 hours of neglect. This is something the board should know and be aware of! At the time of my employment June 2nd and 3rd there was only one employee left who knew the cats well enough to not only identify them but also to touch them, just being able to identify them is not enough!!! Some of these animals are incredibly shy and had grown accustomed to the employees who had been there for years. With all of my training I still believe it would have taken me at least 3 months to be able to identify and handle the cats that needed daily treatment. I stressed my concerns to Mary Jo and Rosalie but they do not have the training necessary to fully understand the severity of the issue and seemed mildly concerned that I felt incredibly uncomfortable working with out the last trained employee left. Who of course could not be asked to work every day.

My personal opinion is that the managers of any shelter should not only have hands on experience with working with animals but also at a minimum be vet techs. Mary Jo and Rosalie would be much better suited on the board of directors where their admitted lack of medical knowledge would not directly affect the care if the animals. They let go to many people and refuse to take responsibility of their actions due to ignorance. If you confront them with the smallest suggestion of having a employee meeting to answer the many questions from the public and employees they treat you as if you are part of some conspiracy against them. This is probably the poorest managed shelter I've ever encountered and the management is to blame for an extremely hostile work environment and the lack of faith the community has in it. Talk happens!!!! Who do they think they are kidding? Has anyone ever worked anywhere where everyone loved the management?!

This could all be resolved so easily. Everyone including Mary Jo and Rosalie love the cats and only want the best for them. My suggestion is to bring in a professional mediator and open the lines of communication between everyone involved. Or soon the cats will I'm afraid be the biggest losers here. I have suggested the mediator idea to Mary Joe through email, but honestly I have moved on and found other full time employment which is just as rewarding, with out the drama. If communication is refused by more poor management decisions I would suggest the involved parties contacting the media. Everyone loves to support a good cause.
Cholla

I spoke with Alethea at length on the phone Tuesday evening. She is a former preschool teacher, now a student, who was working for minimum wage at the shelter as a cleaner. She had only worked at the shelter for 3 days and had been asked to come in extra. So she was very surprised when Rosalie, Mary Jo's assistant, left a voice message on the phone that it wasn't working out, and she (Alethea) didn't need to come into work. I've invited Alethea to write a letter describing her experience when she's had a day or two to recover.

Also, I have a correction to make: Mary Jo now has kittens in her office.

Some days the blog just writes itself.

I have just received an email that Alethea, a member of the cleaning staff that Executive Director Mary Jo Spring hired under "the new vision", has been fired. That makes 3 people who hired in the past 3 weeks to replace the long-term staff, who are now also gone: Cassandra and Alethea were cleaning staff, and Cholla, the Cat Care Manager that replaced Paula Smith. Mary Jo Spring is now up to about 130% staff turnover.

Cassandra Scheffman, one of Mary Jo's new hires brought in under the "new vision", was terminated by phone this morning. She had been there about three weeks. She's writing a letter to the board, which I will publish in another installment.

The outsourced cleaning crew has changed; whether it's a different batch of employees or new company is unknown.

A new Cat Care Manager, Debbie, has been hired. She's the third person in that position in the past 17 days.

The Hermitage website, the shelter's official source of information to the public, has removed the names of all staff members from the Who's Who page, except for one: Mary Jo Spring. I guess the constant changes were taking up too much time. It does, however, continue to list as directors four people who are no longer on the board, making it look like a more robust organization than it really is. Kendra Kent and Rachel McCaffrey both resigned, and Dan and Denise Moynihan finished their terms and have not been back to even volunteer. To see for yourself, go to http://www.HermitageCatShelter.org and then go to the 5th link down on the left that says Who's Who. There's also a letter from Mary Jo that is rife with irony.

This was posted on Craig's list last Thursday. If you're a vet tech interested in one of the jobs, you might want to ask during the interview why, if they've been in existence since 1965, there are no techs who have been there longer than three weeks. And why they are looking for someone ASAP. And what happened to the health benefits of the long-term (5+ years) employees last year. And why none of the people training you know who all the cats are. And how they tell the black cats apart. And .............

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://tucson.craigslist.org/npo/708722679.html

Veterinary Technicians Needed ASAP (Hermitage Cat Shelter)
Reply to: hermitagecats@aol.com
Date: 2008-06-05, 10:23AM MST

Non-profit animal shelter seeks full and part time veterinary technicians. We are looking for dedicated employees with experience in general animal care, excellent people skills and a strong teamwork ethic / mentality. Must be able to work some weekend days. Pay dependent on experience. Please submit resumes via email to hermitagecats@aol.com.

* Location: Hermitage Cat Shelter
* Compensation: Pay dependent on experience.
* This is at a non-profit organization.
* OK for recruiters to contact this job poster.
* Phone calls about this job are ok.
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Christy Pasciunas, Hermitage Vet Tech Assistant has given two weeks notice. What this means is that there will be only ONE employee left, Vet Tech Jodi Schnabel, who knows the identity of every single cat in the shelter.

I have to hand it to Mary Jo Spring, the Executive Director. Even Tom Tulowitzki, Board President, publicly admitted in a meeting last September what we all knew: Mary Jo lacks communication skills. But she found a solution! She got rid of all the cleaning staff, and brought in a new three-person cleaning crew from the Humane Society that does not speak English. End of conflict!

Since the old cleaning staff has all been fired except one trainee, who is instructing them on what to do? The new staff is cleaning the outside concrete by simply hosing it off. This is SO wrong because there is no bleach or disinfectant being used; the shelter had previously stopped even dumping water from mop buckets off the sides of the patios, due to erosion problems -- what impact will daily hosing have on the patio foundation? These areas contain shy and feral cats which are easily frightened. Can you imagine the reaction of Beatrice, the little refugee from Hurricane Katrina, when she sees and hears water and hoses?

The former cleaning staff at the shelter did not "just clean", their jobs also included letting the vet tech staff know about any medical problems they observed (and, since the same folks usually cleaned the same rooms, they knew the cats well). They answered the front door, interacted with visitors, after a period of training and supervision, gave tours and acted as hosts to the public. Thinking you can bring in people from outside, not train them, and maintain the same quality of cleanliness and care is absurd. Heck, they don't even know what to do if the fire alarm goes off.

Kate Spiderman, a Hermitage Vet Tech Assistant, resigned Sunday in response to the firing of her supervisor, Paula Smith.

Karen McGillis, Hermitage Cat Shelter Vet Tech, resigned this afternoon upon learning that her supervisor, Paula Smith, had been fired. I think that leaves only one vet tech, two vet tech assistant, and two cleaners left, staff-wise.

Paula Smith, Cat Care Manager and head vet tech at the Hermitage Cat Shelter, was fired this afternoon. Paula has been associated with the shelter for 20 years, almost all of her adult life. As part of her job, she lived on the property to both provide security, and tend to the many medical needs of the kitties after hours. Paula also has 12 special needs cats that she has adopted from The Hermitage. She has been given two weeks to vacate her apartment, and there is a security guard on duty to prevent her from entering the shelter. You can email her at pjsmith1967@yahoo.com, but please wait a day or two to call, she needs some alone time. I promise to post here if/when she needs help moving or with anything else.

Paula was the last senior staff member left at the shelter, and her firing makes a total of 5 employees this week. She is the 13th employee to vanish since August.

Megan Morris, another young member of the Hermitage's hard-working cleaning staff, was also fired by phone today after work. Since she and Keith were the only ones scheduled to work cleaning tomorrow, I wonder who will be scooping all the litter and feeding the 313 cats tomorrow?

If you're as worried as I am about what's going on, I think this weekend would be a very good time to visit the shelter and check on any cats you sponsor and see what the cleanliness level is. Better yet, go in and ask about a specific cat, and see if RosaLee, the tourgiver and approver of adoptions, even knows who/where the cat is.

Today, Mary Jo fired Keith Godbee, one of the energetic young cleaning staff at the Hermitage, after hours via speakerphone. His termination was immediate. Carol Porta, a volunteer and donor, who has also used her position at Beaudry to request financial assistance from the dealership when repairs were needed on the shelter truck, was sent an email saying Carol's "services will no longer be needed". I understand that other volunteers have received similar letters, but have only heard this indirectly and cannot confirm this.

Joleen Snowdon, the Relief Manager at The Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter, was also fired this morning. That makes three employees gone in two weeks, pretty impressive for an organization with less than 15 employees.

In broader news, The Hermitage has entered into agreements with the Humane Society, which will be taking over cleaning responsibilities and providing veterinary care for the shelter. While I am sure the Humane Society vet is well-qualified, getting to them will take at least three times longer than trips to Encanto Pet Clinic did, and it is my understanding that the Humane Society is not equipped to perform diagnostics. Additionally, euthanasia decisions will no longer be made by the Hermitage vet tech staff, who provide the daily hands-on medical care, know the cat's normal behavior and history and understand the cat's prognosis. Instead, they will be made by an admnistrator who doesn't even know the cat's name and has no medical background. The only possible reason I can see for this is that euthanasia decisions will now be made based on cost. And shipping your cats off to another group to have the expensive ones euthanized is not what no-kill means.

I have no personal quarrel with the Humane Society -- their choices about euthanasia are not the same as mine, but they are up front about their policies, and are transparent in their dealings with the public. The Hermitage, however, has been a sanctuary since its inception over 40 years ago, and providing permanent care for unadoptable animals is a part of its mission statement. And that difference is why I, and many others, have chosen to support the Hermitage in the past. I see a huge conflict of interest in having a Humane Society vet providing care for the Hermitage cats. And I see a deceptive nature in the policy changes that have come about without being made public.

The Hermitage board has the right to change the mission of the organization. But they also have an obligation to the public, from whom they accept funds, to be transparent about what they are doing. And if they want to become just a branch of the Humane Society, then they need to make that clear to the public.

Sister Seraphim must be spinning in her grave tonight.

This morning, Carlen Torres, one of the Hermitage cleaning staff, was fired. Carlen was a volunteer who became an employee this past fall, and one of the people who did the physically demanding hands-on work required to keep 300+ cats clean, fed, healthy and happy.

There will be a meeting this evening of concerned volunteers, donors, former staff and community members at 6 PM at the Coffee Exchange, 2443 Campbell Ave (near Campbell and Grant), to discuss the events of last night and today, and what steps to take in response.

The Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter sadly continues burn through personnel. In August Debbie Lundquist, shelter manager and volunteer coordinator was fired, and I gave notice several days later. Shortly thereafter, Lori Navrodtzke, vet tech and administrative assistant departed. A volunteer, who was also the wife of a now-departed board member, took over Debbie's volunteer coordinator duties for two months, and then quit. In December, the shelter manager who had replaced Debbie left. As the year turned, volunteer-turned-employee Linda Riley, who suffered a broken ankle last spring while working on the slick concrete of the Shyster area, was fired. Fred Yost, who served the shelter so faithfully, in multiple capacities, for so many years, was told when he returned from sick leave there was no longer room for him. Julie Vance, the second consecutive manager hired to replace Debbie Lundquist, departed this week.

As of April 1, the shelter stopped conducting home checks prior to adoption; this was not due to a personnel shortage due to vacancies, but a board-level policy change. No one knows the total number of volunteers who have left, since they just vote with their feet. The website is grossly out-of-date. Two of the four sample cats shown for adoption on the main page are not at the shelter, having been adopted quite some time ago, and there is a dead cat listed as being special needs adoptable (I'd say that's very special needs). Multiple sponsors have gone to the shelter over the past few months to visit their sponsored cat, only to learn that the cat died months earlier; this speaks to both a lack of common courtesy and financial transparency. The most current financial information posted on the website is from 2006, and consists of pie charts and percentages and "Plans for 2007", but there is no financial statement, and a notation that the results were not audited. Although there are multiple vacancies for board positions, and the number of board members is declining as members finish their terms and depart, volunteers who submitted applications for board membership this spring have been declined without even receiving the courtesy of an interview.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.