PETITION COMMENT posted by an alleged employee of SDHS

There appears to be a huge lack of transparency with both the HSSA and SDHS regarding the inhumane and unethical transport that put the lives of 318 animals at risk and resulted in 256 missing animals.  There is overwhelming probable cause to conduct a formal and lawful search for the missing animals yet neither shelter appears to have made that happen. 
Both shelters are nonprofits who take in millions of dollars yearly; not only do they have obligations to the animals in their care that were reprehensibly betrayed but also to the supporters and public.  

PETITION COMMENT

“Hello, I am involved at SDHS. While HSSA is the biggest organization in the wrong, SDHS has its faults in this situation as well and is using HSSA as a scapegoat to hide their negligence in the situation. Employees of SDHS asked leadership not to send all the animals and brought up many concerns before and during the transport. They ignored staff and told staff to leave if they did not like it. The morning of the transport, SDHS leaders claim they sent them out “fear free” and humanely, but they were in the hot sun, carriers buckling on themselves and stacked 7-8 high. 

Why did COO Jessica D. (who has not worked in physical animal care) and 2 facilities (maintenance) employees drive all 300 animals out in 1 small van and not ask any questions about where they were going when they got to AZ and we’re loaded up onto another truck. Why was no animal care staff in the truck to handle them during this transport and ensure their safety? It took 4+ hours to load them up in the hot sun that morning, there is no way they did it humanely. Jessica swears she “checked” on them 3 times during the drive there, but that is not possible unless you unload all the carriers.
During meetings with leadership when staff have asked these questions, and if SDHS knew that the animals were being sent to 1 place, leadership has lashed out and said we aren’t allowed to say they broke staff members trust or ask for proof (emails) that SDHS didn’t know. 

For years, animal care at SDHS has gone unlistened to and ignored. Many staff members never wanted those animals to leave the way they did, and now on top of our animals that we raised and cared for, for 3+ years, going missing and sold for live feed, SDHS leadership is saying we can question them in a “safe space” and then rounding up any staff who speaks out and labeling us as “toxic” and disrespectful. It is so much deeper than this message, but SDHS employees are upset at the narrative going out internally and externally for people who are speaking up. SDHS does a lot of good for the community, but intimidating employees who speak up and are upset about this is not okay.

I want SDHS to show the communications between HSSA and SDHS, for complete transparency. And I want our community to know that employees at SDHS did not stand behind them in shipping out our animals. Thank you”.

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