Critics say animal shelter director wanted to 'clean house'

The director of the Catawba County Animal Shelter was accused Tuesday of manufacturing the emergency that temporarily closed the shelter and led to the euthanasia of about 200 dogs and cats.

The accusation came at the morning meeting of the Catawba County Board of Commissioners. County officials rejected the claim.

Debra Laux, who has been active in animal rescue for a number of years, said Jay Blatche wanted to “clean house” at the animal shelter to advance building a new shelter.

“I met with Mr. Blatche about having more spay and neuter clinics,” Laux told commissioners. “We should be more proactive with our animals.

“He wanted me to back down. I will not. Then, the ‘mysterious’ illness occurred at the animal shelter.”

An illness shelter personnel described as hard to treat that incurred an unusually high fatality rate was cited as the cause for closing the shelter and the wholesale euthanasia of the shelter population about two weeks ago.

Shelter personnel and the staff veterinarian said many symptoms were the same as known illnesses, but recognized treatment methods were not effective.

The veterinarian, Dr. Marty Hartsell, who teaches veterinary technology at Gaston Community College, arranged lab testing through Intervet, a national network that is part of Schering International, a global pharmaceutical company.

Test results were negative or inconclusive on blood samples, nasal swabs and necropsy samples. The tests at the Oklahoma State University and Cornell University were arranged by Intervet.

Intervet also established the sampling protocols.

Animal shelter staff considered options and decided that closing the shelter and performing euthanasia were in the best interest of the public and the safest way to contain the illness.

Laux alleged that protocols were not followed and said the virus was “manufactured.”

Laux said she and others are investigating the emergency and will present a report to commissioners later.

Anneliese Simmons also criticized the shelter staff’s conclusions, saying there are inconsistencies in the information released to the public.

“To give all 200 animals a death sentence smacks of a whitewash,” said Patrick Jean, who wanted to know why the sick animals were not quarantined until the shelter could get answers to the illness question.

He wants test results to be made public and called for an independent investigation of the events at the shelter.

Commission Chairwoman Kitty Barnes said the county did not create the virus.

Bryan Blanton, the county’s Emergency Services director, also refuted claims that the shelter personnel did not do enough to resolve the situation and that the illness was a concoction.

Emergency Services oversees the animal shelter. Blanton presented commissioners with an update prior to public comments.

He enumerated the severely overcrowded conditions at the shelter and pointed out the increase of fatalities from illness at the shelter.

Highlights of his update:

• Overview of the three-times-daily cleaning of the shelter.

• Statistical review of the growth in the shelter population and animal deaths.

• Symptoms of the illnesses, including those similar to Parvo, feline leukemia, canine influenza and other illnesses that occur in shelters.

• The role of Intervet in the testing (at the behest of Hartsell).

• The occurrence of illness in dogs and cats, emphasizing that the sickness was not the same in both species.

• Some foster animals developed similar symptoms. These animals were in foster homes instead of the shelter and most did survive after intensive treatment. “Shelter medicine is different that clinical medicine in that we have to focus on the best thing for the largest numbers of animals rather than for one specific animal,” the report stated.

• A letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals expressing sympathy and support for the shelter.

• Resistance of the illness to antibiotics and negative results on the lab tests.

• Refusal of the inspector with the N.C. Department of Agriculture to meet with county staff to inspect the shelter and offer guidance on the situation.

The county was told “that we should do whatever our veterinarian instructed us to do,” Blanton said.

An inspector did come to the shelter Aug. 27, Blanton said, “and stated we were taking the correct actions to deal with the issues.”

• The steps taken to sanitize the shelter.

Blanton said state regulations were followed throughout the emergency.

Blanton said the statistics speak for themselves regarding the severity of the illnesses.

Earlier, as events at the shelter were unfolding, Blatche said he was aware that some people were claiming the crisis was a fabrication.

“That’s not true,” he said. “We knew that whatever we did would be criticized. We did not want to take the action we did, but it was for the best.”

The full report as presented by Blanton to commissioners can be viewed at www.catawbacountync.gov. Click on Shelter Update.