LA Pound Director Resigns

Kimberly Sherlaw, director of the troubled Companion Animal Alliance in East Baton Rouge, resigned yesterday according to a local paper:

[CAA Board Chair Christel] Slaughter initially said the decision was “mutual,” but later acknowledged that the board initiated the conversation.

Pet advocates have been complaining for months about the needless suffering and death occurring at CAA and this blog has featured a number of discrepancies in CAA records.

Slaughter said the allegations by employees “put pressure on the situation,” but stopped short of saying that Sherlaw’s resignation was directly related.

“It’s hard to say. There was so much polarization and hearsay. It’s hard to know where reality is,” she said.

It’s hard to know where reality is?  I may be able to assist.  Reality is failing to comply with the open records law.  Reality is pets suffering and falling over dead in their cages.  Reality is killing healthy/treatable pets.  Reality is killing pets whose owners want them back.

There appears to be a widespread culture of neglect and abuse in the parish government that involves looking the other way, at best, and covering up possible crimes, at worst.  While replacing the director is a step in the right direction, I can’t imagine the pets in East Baton Rouge are going to fare any better until there is a systemic change in philosophy regarding the shelter.  It should be a safe haven for pets.  Anyone who doesn’t embody that belief in word and in deed, needs to be rooted out and replaced.  A shelter doesn’t get to the state CAA is in because of one director on the job for 7 months.  It’s not “hard to know where reality is”.

(Thanks Clarice for the link.)