KHS volunteers welcome to be seen, not heard

Re: "Tough Times for Kootenai Humane Society" Cd'A Press, Oct. 13, 2011

The information obtained for your article on the "Tough" times for Kootenai Humane Society, (Oct. 13) is a rather dubious or deliberate attempt to distort reality.

The article implies that "the dogs' daily strolls are down to once a day, sometimes none at all" are due to the forced cut in working hours for the paid staff.

Paid staff never walk dogs. Dog walking is exclusively done by volunteers.

Your obtained information stated that KHS has about 50 "solid" volunteers that give 20-30 hours a week.

That alone sounds delusional.

In my five years of "solid" volunteering, the "solid" volunteers could be counted with the fingers on both hands.

The dogs get lucky when the "solid volunteers" coordinate an effort to be there every other day.

The volunteer coordinator was begging for weeks to get volunteers to take 20 dogs to an adoption fair at Super 1 on Oct. 15. Super 1 management should be commended for their generous help and contribution to that effort.

Sadly, from the "50 solid" and 200 "miscellaneous" volunteers claimed by KHS, there were only enough volunteers to take no more than 10 dogs to be shown for prospective adoption. Too bad that the Cd'A Press was not present. I was there to collect signatures for the initiative with the permission of Super 1.

I was one of the real "solid" volunteers. For five years I have walked dogs twice a week for 8-10 hours with only a few other "solid" volunteers, through summer heat, rain, or winter cold and snow until all the dogs permitted to walk were walked.

Unfortunately, two months ago I was deprived of making a difference for the dogs.

This was the reason:

As an activist speaking for those who cannot speak (animals, small children and elderly people) I am participating in an effort to put an initiative on the ballot for the 2012 general election to make the repeated mistreatment and torture of animals a felony instead of a misdemeanor.

It was a no-brainer for me to suggest to the KHS executive director to make the signature petition form available at the front desk to collect signatures.

I was informed by the executive director that KHS employees were prohibited to participate in such a project but that I or any other volunteers could run the petition at the shelter.

That information was later confirmed by the executive director at a board meeting at my request.

On Aug. 27, 2011, while the executive director was on vacation, I was explaining the petition to one customer at the shelter when an employee was shouting at me that she needed to talk to me. I simply responded that I would be with her as soon as I was done.

That employee proceeded to rip the clipboard with the signature sheets out of my hands and headed to her office. In my bewilderment I followed her asking for an explanation to her bizarre behavior.

She just turned around shouting that I was breaking the rules and that I should leave the premises immediately.

I refused to leave without my petition signature sheets. Then the employee approached me and with her two hands on my shoulders pushed me backward out of her office. I screamed for her not to touch me. She threatened to call the police to have me removed from the premises. I told her to go ahead. I could have pressed charges against her for battery.

The sheriff showed up. He tried to mediate the dispute. I got my petitions back. Since I did not press charges the sheriff did not file a police report.

I immediately contacted the Board by letter explaining the treatment I had been subjected to from the employee of KHS.

Their instantaneous response was to dismiss me as a volunteer with a two-sentence letter delivered to me on the parking lot of the shelter personally by the Board president and the executive director. Its message was "thank you for your past service, and now get lost."

After forcing my way into a Board meeting with the support of five other solid volunteers to demand an explanation for the one-sided decision and expecting an apology, the meeting was closed with one ultimatum from the Board president "I am driving this bus in one direction and if you do not like it, don't take it."

On Oct. 6, I got another letter from the Board. No apology was offered. Instead the following punishment was handed down:

I could only return on April 1, 2012, after a six month "cooling off period," retraining and the signing of new rules. I consider this probation period an insult after injury.

KHS would be perfectly comfortable getting rid of the really solid volunteers. Those who are always there and see the whole picture. Among those are the two volunteers that contributed the system of magnets to make sure all dogs get walked. They also build up and financed the dog run area themselves.

Bottom line, KHS does not care whether the dogs get walked or not and volunteers are welcome to be seen but not heard.

The Board of Directors itself is made up of volunteers. They are not elected, but self-appointed. A vacancy on the Board is filled by someone applying and if the applicant fits the criteria of current board members, the applicant may be accepted. Presently, a husband and wife serve on the board together.

Cecilia Nolthenius is a Coeur d'Alene resident.