This is an outline of the time and effort it has taken to try and bring about some change at GRAS. We acknowledge that this is a long document, but it reflects the difficulty and constant attention that is needed to bring about any change. 7.3.15 - Saviour was put alive in the freezer by a Council ranger. 9.3.15 - Phoned Council about the incident and had a meeting with Council to discuss animal welfare concerns at GRAS. Part of Council's written response that we obtained under the GIPA (Government Information Public Access) act states, "All of your concerns have been addressed and steps taken to rectify any perceived deficiencies at the GRAS." We continue to volunteer at GRAS and observe animal welfare issues. 5.5.15 – Phoned the RSPCA to discuss animal welfare concerns at GRAS. 6.5.15 – Letter sent to Council regarding a sick puppy that was left untreated. Part of Council's written response in regards to the sick puppy states, "A decision was made by staff at the time to monitor the pup in situ... We are currently reviewing the use of Phenobarbital Sodium which may be available to be administered by staff in the future." This is the drug used to euthanise animals. In the NSW Animal Welfare Code of Practice it states "6.5 Euthanasia should only be performed by a veterinarian". 11.5.15 - The dogs were put in the new dog kennels but the infloor heating was not working. Puppies have curled up into the food bowls to get off the cold cement... Myriam was able to put dog coats on 5 of the puppies and a very skinny dog. No blankets/beds allowed... some of the dogs were slipping on the wet cement. Many dogs had no water as they had spilt the water out. 12.5.15 - The dogs were put back in the old kennels. Wrote to Council on 15.5.15 about concerns regarding the new dog kennels, and have never received a reply. 15.5.15 - The volunteer program was suspended to update OHS procedures. We have approached Council since 2011 regarding animal welfare issues at GRAS, but our correspondence intensified after the volunteer program was suspended and we could no longer help the animals by volunteering. We continue to visit GRAS as members of the public. We observe animals without water, a feral cat kept in a crush cage for 5 days with no food/water bowl or litter, dogs with wet/broken or no beds and with wet cage floors (it gets down to -1 degrees some nights), animals left in deposit pens (with no bed) for longer than necessary (sometimes more than 24 hours). 27.5.15 - Formal letter of complaint about GRAS sent to the RSPCA. 3.6.15 - Letter to the Mayor of Wagga regarding concerns about GRAS. Also enclosed in that correspondence is the letter that was sent to the RSPCA. 11.6.15 - Belinda (who rescued Saviour from the freezer) and Myriam banned by Council from visiting GRAS as members of the public. The reason given when Myriam phoned Council, was that there were too many leaks in regards to Pound activities. The example given was of a volunteer suggesting to a pet owner, that they go to the pound to look for their dog… which was there, even though they’d already visited the pound 3 times, and had not been shown their dog. Subsequently, the volunteer was accused of taking “an image of an animal and posted it online to arrange for its collection”, which was published in The Daily Advertiser in the article “Pound taken off the Leash”. The image was actually uploaded by the owners of the missing dog. Reply from Mayor saying that the concerns raised in Myriam’s letter had been referred to Council. (This was received on 29.6.15, after Myriam had already received the response below). 26.6.15 – Council responded to Myriam’s concerns (including Saviour the kitten put alive in the freezer). Part of Council's response states, "I have investigated the issues that you have raised… Council employs staff who have an affinity with the welfare of animals and human beings and this is a prerequisite for employment at the shelter." This is after Saviour had been flung, accidentally knocked out and put alive in the freezer. Council also states, "I can also confirm that an inspector from the RSPCA has visited the animal shelter twice during June to undertake random inspections and I am informed that the Inspector identified no issues relative to the condition the animals are in during their time at the Shelter." We are very disappointed in the RSCPA’s investigation. Upon receipt of this response Myriam phoned Council stating that Council’s investigation was inadequate/superficial and that GRAS needed further investigation. Myriam also phoned the Mayor's office. 7.7.15 – Email sent to Wagga Councillors and Local Parliament Member for Wagga regarding concerns about GRAS, including: - Minimal effort by some staff to rehome animals/reduce the euthanasia rate. - Poor communication with rescue groups. - Failure to meet basic legislative requirements, such as animals being left without food or water for more than 24 and 48 hours, animals that are obviously sick and injured not being examined by a vet for a number of days/if at all, puppies with parvo virus left to die slow deaths in their cages and not keeping animals for the required time period before euthanasia. - Staff not adequately trained in animal behavior, care or health. 10.7.15 - Article published in The Daily Advertiser "Pound taken off the Leash" where Council stated that a volunteer had taken an image of an animal and placed it on social media. Repeated requests were made to Council to show us this image, but to no avail. We have never received an explanation of why this inaccurate article was published about volunteers, with Council stating, “I am not able to provide you with a public apology via insertion in The Daily Advertiser as I still maintain the comments I made did not specifically identify yourself”. Council has never acknowledged that their assertions in The Daily Advertiser were incorrect. 12.7.15 - Formal letter regarding Saviour the kitten placed alive in the freezer sent to Council and Councillors, questioning why the kitten was carried in the arms of the ranger and not in a carry cage, why a vet wasn’t called when the kitten was knocked unconscious and why his vital signs were not checked before being placed in the freezer. 15.7.15 – Letter sent to the Mayor expressing disappointment at Council's response and investigation in regards to the welfare of animals kept at GRAS. 16.7.15 - Meetings with Council to discuss our concerns about animal welfare at GRAS and the inaccurate article “Pound taken off the Leash” published in The Daily Advertiser. For Myriam and Belinda the ban on visiting GRAS as members of the public was lifted. Council later admitted the ban was “an unfortunate incident and in hindsight totally uncalled for” (we discovered this via GIPA). Because we expressed our disappointment with the RSPCA’s investigation, Council stated that a formal investigation was to be carried out by the RSPCA (this would be their second investigation) regarding the "Saviour kitten incident”. 26.7.15 – Letter sent to the CEO of the RSPCA expressing disappointment at their investigation. There has never been a reply. To our supporters: We take note of all comments and questions and appreciate all your suggestions. We are always considering our options and the best way to move forward. We will continue with our involvement with GRAS until all our petition requests and the best practice recommendations from Dr Michelsen’s Review are fully implemented. We are still not convinced about Council’s commitment to GRAS.