Whose Side is Matthew Pepper on?

Reminder: This blog is now living at yesbiscuit.wordpress.com

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The Memphis Animal Shelter killed around 13,000 pets in 2009. In 2010, they hired Matthew Pepper to take over the helm. I was thinking he was going to work toward reducing the killing at the shelter. Now I'm not so sure.

This week, the community gathered at a city council meeting to discuss a proposal regarding mandatory spay neuter. MSN supporters far outnumbered those opposed and Matthew Pepper was there. But he apparently did not speak out against the proposal, which would likely increase the killing at MAS:

Shelter director Matthew Pepper, who started his job this month, said that as a newcomer he was there to listen. He said whatever the fate of the ordinance, community-based programs that address responsible pet ownership will be needed.

He was there to listen to people proposing a bad law that would burden animal control, cause families to lose their pets, increase the intake at his shelter and increase the killing. This is not a "whatever the fate" tra-la-la-la-la issue. This is the time for the new director at MAS to take a stand and establish himself as a leader in Memphis with regard to decreased killing of the community's pets. Programs that address responsible pet ownership are good. MSN is not one of those.

Why is Matthew Pepper not speaking out against something that will lead to increased killing at MAS? Haven't the pets of Memphis suffered enough?

Memphis Animal Shelter News Bits

Matthew Pepper, the new director of the Memphis Animal Shelter (MAS), met with the Animal Services Advisory Board this week to discuss his plans for turning the shelter around. He will meet with them again next week:

Pepper plans to join the Animal Services Advisory Board for a public discussion next Tuesday on the issue of spaying and neutering. The meeting is scheduled for March 16th at 4pm at Memphis City Hall.

I sincerely hope Mr. Pepper will be speaking in favor of low/no cost spay neuter programs for Memphis and against the mandatory spay-neuter proposals on the table:

Councilman Shea Flinn is proposing an ordinance that would require all dogs and cats owned by Memphis residents to be altered, with several exemptions. The proposed law is in response to the overpopulation of animals in the city, which has led to a euthanasia rate in the Memphis Animal Shelter of more than 79 percent.

Again, this meeting is open to the public and you may speak if you wish. MSN doesn't decrease shelter killing. Sometimes it increases the killing. Only comprehensive reform will reduce the killing in Memphis. And if Memphis is looking for funding for low/no cost neuter, look no further than your own backyard:

For months you've been paying three Memphis Animal Shelter employees to sit at home. All of them were suspended in the latest scandal at the facility.

Memphis taxpayer and attorney Bryan Mauldin doesn't understand why the three employees are still collecting a paycheck, while they're off the job. Mauldin says “Our shelter has limited resources and we can't afford to squander that money.”

On a related note, perhaps taxpayers are getting their money's worth from Mr. Pepper who is apparently not only a shelter director, but also a qualified behaviorist who can make a preliminary assessment of seized Pitbulls in the blink of an eye:

The 4 pitbulls seized from the active dog fight were impounded at the Memphis Animal Shelter Thursday night. Director Matthew Pepper says the condition of the dogs shows it wasn't their first fight and it's too early to tell what will happen to them.

"Some violent and aggressive tendencies have been ingrained in them so, it's difficult for us to determine what we can safely do with them," Pepper said.

Well you could start by getting the dogs a fair evaluation from an experienced group or individual. These dogs have been rescued and placed in your care MAS. Whatever they've been forced to do in the past is over. Do not judge them on the cruelty of their abusers. They are each individual dogs with needs and abilities all their own. Violence and aggression are not "ingrained" in them. Judge them with a kind eye, as you would any dog who's been rescued from abuse. Don't allow your judgment to be clouded by preconceived notions.

Mr. Pepper wants a chance to show he can turn around the MAS. I hope he gives these 4 dogs a chance too. Every dog deserves a fair evaluation.

Matthew Pepper, New Director of Memphis Animal Shelter

Matthew Pepper is set to become the director of the Memphis Animal Shelter (MAS) on March 1st. He worked his final days as head of the Caddo parish shelter in Louisiana last week. He had been there for almost two years:

More than anything, parish leaders and nonprofits credit Pepper with improving the department's public relations campaign[...]

Mr. Pepper was reportedly hired by MAS due, in part, to his clean-up job at the troubled Caddo shelter. MAS probably thinks it could do with a spit-shine too.

Notable Numbers:

• Mr. Pepper's base salary at Caddo: about $76,000
• Mr. Pepper's starting salary at MAS: $92,000
• Caddo's kill rate for 2009 (Mr. Pepper's only full calendar year there): over 70%

The Caddo shelter admits thousands of pets every year. When you're killing that many animals, there are bound to be some oopses:

Lost in the system, but found in a freezer. That's what happened to a little puppy accidentally killed by Caddo Animal Services.

The puppy had an adopter but never made it out of the shelter to his waiting family:

Director Matt Pepper says as unfortunate as it sounds, the puppy somehow got lost in the system. Pepper says it's one of many regrettable issues he's addressed since he's taken over. He says he's already implemented new practices that will hopefully keep this from happening again.

One of the problems with killing as a means of shelter population management is that when mistakes are made, pets get dead. Mr. Pepper knows this, first hand. I will be following his work at MAS with interest.

Ernest Alexander Waives Extradition

The fired Director of the Memphis Animal Shelter will be returned to TN to face felony animal cruelty charges after waiving extradition in NM. Albuquerque police arrested Ernest Alexander last week on a fugitive-from-justice warrant and he has been held without bond since. He is presumably being given food and water and therefore in much better shape than the pets he was paid nearly $100,000 a year by TN taxpayers to protect.

A commenter at the article linked above had this to say:

I have personally stood in the back "general population" kennels with Mr. Alexander as he relayed to me their need for a new facility and his desire to obtain successful adoptions rather than euthanasias. I have no idea how much of that was lip service or not, but I do know that the dog we originally went to get was already put down by the time we got there, and that the dog we did get came to us with pneumonia and ulcers on his gums, weighing 19 lbs. instead of a more appropriate 25-30. I only have a BA in Art History, but I can figure out how to not put a 4 mo. old puppy in with a 4 year old German Shepherd and expect them to share their food. Suffice it to say, Mr. Alexander knew what was going down.

Cruelty is Not a Color

Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton is campaigning for Congress. It was on his watch that the Memphis Animal Shelter abused and starved pets to death. But he thinks the indictment of 3 former shelter employees on cruelty charges is just dumb. And besides, they only got indicted because they're black:

He referred specifically to Friday’s word that three Memphis Animal Shelter employees, including former shelter director Ernest Alexander, had been indicted on state animal cruelty charges. Alexander, a Herenton appointee, was the first administration casualty when A C Wharton Jr. became mayor in October.“This so called justice system of ours – they are about to send three black people to jail about some dogs,” Herenton said.

And to clarify, when Herenton says "about some dogs", he means dogs that came in to the shelter healthy and waggy and ready for new homes but left as skin and bones in trash bags. And Herenton used taxpayer money to pay the shelter staff to do it. But yeah, the skin color of those involved is totally relevant.

Memphis Animal Shelter Director News

Out with the old, in with the new:

Former Memphis Animal Shelter director Ernest Alexander was arrested on animal-cruelty charges at his Albuquerque apartment Friday night.

He had been reported to be on the lam most of the day following his indictment the previous day.

Police in New Mexico found Alexander at about 6:45 p.m. Central time after the Shelby County Sheriff's Office tracked him to his native state, said sheriff's office spokesman Steve Shular.

Shular said it was unclear whether the former director was in hiding, but he "was not surprised. He knew officers were looking for him, and he confirmed that when he was arrested."

Mr. Alexander will be returned to TN to face charges after extradition proceedings.

The shelter will finally get a new Director in a few weeks:

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton has named Matthew C. Pepper the new administrator of the troubled Memphis Animal Shelter.

Pepper, currently director of Caddo Parish Animal Services in Shreveport, La., will fill the post effective March 1.

[...]

Before Pepper took over Caddo in 2008, that shelter's director, veterinarian and two others were terminated amid accusations of mismanagement.

Government officials and animal-rights supporters at Caddo say Pepper was able to increase adoption rates and reduce euthanasia rates through community outreach programs.

Sounds promising. We'll be watching.

Fugitive Alert for Former Memphis Animal Shelter Director

Ernest Alexander, the former Director of the troubled Memphis Animal Shelter has been indicted on six counts of aggravated animal cruelty after shelter dogs starved to death on his watch. He is on the lam and anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to contact the Fugitive Squad:

To contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Fugitive Division, call 901-545-5625.

Brave enough to kill dogs but too scaredycat to face the music.

Also indicted was Tina Quattlebaum, an administrative supervisor at the shelter. She's been collecting weekly paychecks of $780 for the past three months while on suspension. Veterinarian Angela Middleton has been indicted on the same six counts of aggravated cruelty. She's been drawing a weekly paycheck of $1663 during her suspension. Both women turned themselves in and bonded out. The Mayor says he can now fire the suspended employees.

Meanwhile the investigation into the shelter's shady practices continues:

In addition to animal abuse and neglect concerns, authorities have been investigating the shelter's finances and whether euthanasia drugs are missing.

A June 2009 city audit found that the shelter "had no written cash-handling policies and procedures to safeguard cash and checks and ensure continuous accountability for cash and checks."

Memphis Animal Shelter Claims Another Victim

The lethal Memphis Animal Shelter added another sad story to its archives this week:

Rita Leone picked out a 10-month old Golden Retriever mix at the shelter December 26.

"He was very sweet, very friendly easy-going, calm dog," said Leone.

But when she showed up, cash in hand to take him home this morning, he was gone.

"I went to the cage," said Leone. "The door was open, no dog, the bed was flipped over, I said 'Oh my God!'"

Her dog had mistakenly been euthanized.

"I said what you did was wrong unacceptable, you have enough dogs in here that are homeless nobody wants. I'm willing to adopt this dog and you euthanize it?" said Leone.

Or, put another way, "You have enough unadopted dogs here to sate your thirst for killing and yet you gotta kill mine too?"

This poor dog who, for whatever reason, had an unlucky start in life, was fortunate enough to be adopted from a torture hole masquerading as a shelter. This should have been his best day ever. Instead, the shelter killed him.

I say again: This place needs to clean house and toss every employee who was not a whistleblower out on their asses. To quote Tiger: Huge.

Don't Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out

The Memphis Animal Shelter director, having had his shelter raided by law enforcement this week as part of a cruelty investigation, should have been on his A Number One best behavior. And yet, on his watch, the shelter killed someone's pet this week without even contacting the owners. Finally, the Mayor has fired the director:

“You’ve got a mayor now who, perhaps to a fault, likes to be hands on,” said [Mayor] Wharton during a morning press conference at the shelter. “I am not an expert on (animal shelters), but I can walk in there and tell you if there is enough food or water in the bowl, or if they followed our own procedures.”

Perhaps the most startling bit from the article though is how the director, Ernest Alexander, came to be in charge of the shelter:

Despite allegations of mistreatment of the animals he oversaw at a shelter in Albuquerque, N.M., Alexander arrived in Memphis in the spring of 2008 after former mayor Willie Herenton launched a nationwide search for an administrator who could improve conditions at the shelter, long a source of controversy for local animal rights activists. [emphasis mine]

Either there is a conspiracy cloud hanging over this guy's head or he brings animal suffering and death with him wherever he goes. I'm glad he's out. I hope they also sack every last one of the employees who weren't whistleblowers. It's way past time to take out the trash there.

"A dog wags its tail with all its heart"

All Eyes on Memphis Animal Shelter

Webcams up and phone number to the "Mayor's Action Center" if you see anything worthy of reporting.

Search Warrant for Memphis Animal Shelter

According to the search warrant served on the Memphis Animal Shelter (pdf) Puppy #199287 was admitted on August 18, 2009. Her records indicate she is a friendly pup and specify that she was to be held for a pending court case involving animal cruelty. Sadly, she ended up as evidence in a completely different cruelty case after the shelter allegedly starved her to death. Photographs documenting her condition from arrival until she was found dead in her cage on September 4, 2009 appear in the search warrant along with the necropsy results by the ASPCA Vet. That report concludes Puppy #199287 died of "non-accidental" "end-stage starvation". First her body consumed its external fat in an effort to stay alive. When that supply was exhausted, her body consumed organ fat and finally bone marrow fat. Normal bone marrow fat levels are 60% or higher but this pup's was 2.3%. Although she had not been fed for days, someone apparently gave her a small amount of food shortly before death which she did eat. So Puppy #199287 could and would eat, the shelter just didn't feed her.

The search warrant references a whistleblower (identity withheld) who, along with many other shelter volunteers, had long been advising those in charge at the shelter that animals were being starved, living in feces/urine filled cages with Parvo dogs and receiving no or dirty water. All these people are back on the job today while the investigation continues. Perhaps the only saving grace is a temporary halt to killings at the shelter, ordered by the mayor. But of course that doesn't cover pets starved to death or being forced to live in inhumane conditions. The Mayor is apparently not too concerned about that. If he was, he wouldn't allow the people who condoned this suffering to keep collecting their paychecks and remain responsible for the care of pets at the shelter right now.

I ask again - Are they feeding the pets NOW?

Memphis Animal Shelter Abuse Photos

:::LANGUAGE WARNING::::ALERT:::etc.

This pup was brought into the Memphis Animal Shelter on August 18, 2009:


This is the same pup on September 4. She was found dead in her cage:


Fuckity fuck fuck.

This was not a one off case. This shit has allegedly been going on for a long, long time.

I wonder if they're feeding the dogs NOW?

I can't help looking at that sweet face and seeing just the spot I'd like to leave lipstick on that pup - right between the eyes.

Fuck.

More on Memphis Animal Shelter Cruelty

The Memphis Animal Shelter raided by law enforcement this week has been returned to the city's control. Whistleblowers have reportedly been complaining about cruelty at the shelter for a long time:

Cindy Marx-Sanders, who was appointed to the shelter's advisory board by then-Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery, spent a year before her appointment and the two months after telling shelter administrator Ernie Alexander and his director about problems at the shelter located at 3456 Tchulahoma.

"Nothing was ever done," Marx-Sanders said. "I've brought in complaints, numerous complaints with specific employees, cage numbers; everything they needed, and still nothing was done."

She wasn't the only one complaining. Volunteers and other citizens have called and written City Hall about problems at the shelter for years. One of the tips led to the search warrant executed Tuesday by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office to investigate charges of animal abuse and cruelty, something the shelter is supposed to police for the city. [emphasis added]

That's about the crux of it. The people paid to provide care for pets in need and prevent cruelty in the community are cashing their paychecks while abusing animals themselves. Shelter pets are a special brand of vulnerability - they have no chance, no choice and no hope beyond what their caretakers give them. And when those caretakers are abusers, shelter pets have no owner, no neighbor, no good Samaritan or Vet to speak for them. They are pets who must rely completely on the mercy of shelter staff which is why it's so tragic when the shelter fails them.

193 dogs and cats fell over dead in their cages at the Memphis Animal Shelter in 2008. Who will stand up for them so that the abuse is ended and the shelter reformed? I will be watching with interest.

Troubled TN Shelter Raided by Authorities

Sheriff's deputies in Shelby Co, TN executed a search warrant this week at the Memphis Animal Shelter:

According to the search warrant, "detectives have learned that some animals have been deprived of food and water while at the Memphis Animal Shelter," and while in the shelter's care, "some dogs have been starved to the point of requiring euthanasia."
[...]
District Attorney Bill Gibbons said an investigation into practices at the shelter was launched after his office received a tip from a citizen earlier this month.
[...]
Gibbons said one or more people could face criminal charges. Up to 300 animals were inside the shelter, but officials did not say how many were in bad condition.

So I guess we can hold out hope that they may have fed at least some of them?

This shelter is no stranger to cruelty allegations, as this report from last month illustrates:

The incident in question took place at the animal shelter last Friday, when an injured dog ended up buried beneath bags of euthanized animals. The animals were on their way to an incinerator where dead animals are burned.

The employee involved in this incident kept his job.

Failure to properly feed the dogs in their care has been alleged in recent months as well, although the shelter denied the allegations:

The complaint alleges the shelter was at full capacity, ran out of food, and a dog fight began when an employee trying to stretch the food supply brought one dish into a cage.

"We were never out of food," [Memphis Animal Shelter administrator Ernie] Alexander said.

He then explained what really happened.

"We had an influx of dogs to come in from both the city and the county, where we had three to four animals per kennel," he said.

Alexander claimed the dog fighting was due to the overcrowding, and not a food shortage.

That was in July. So if there truly was no food shortage but now the dogs are starved nearly to death, either someone's lying or intentionally starving the shelter pets. Will everyone keep their jobs this time?