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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0561.018 2014-2016November 16, 2015 PIPSMTG COUNTY CLERK C -D M 1q. 6C COUNTY OF HAWAI' I RECEIVED ,., , Time By Date 11 17 /5 TO: The Hawaii County Council RE: Written testimony on The Hawaii Island Humane Society (HIHS) and Big Island Dog Rescue (BIDR) Dear Chairman Pekela and Council Members: Earlier this year, the HIHS finally implemented a much needed protocol (partnership agreement) to ensure that adopted animals were protected from organized dog traffickers. The problems with dog trafficking have been drawing national attention with groups such as the National Animal Interest Alliance (based in Portland, OR) who report that : "Humane relocation, dog trafficking, the "Puppy Pipeline" — whatever you call it, the practice is still relatively unknown outside of the organized animal community and to a lesser extent, law enforcement and media circles" - Nancy Halpern, DVM, ESQ. Ocot 13, 2015. There are numerous articles published on these problems and Raymond Connors, a Connecticut animal control officer says "It's a multimillion -dollar industry," prompting the Connecticut Department of Agriculture to pass laws to regulate the industry with an "Animal Importers Law." It is troubling to say the least, that BIDR refuses to sign the HIHS partnership agreement that was created to protect Big Island animals. Many of us in the community who have worked with animal welfare causes for many years and have volunteered with local animal rescue organizations have great concerns. Some of our concerns about BIDR include but are not limited to: 1. Transporting dogs and puppies right after surgery. The current transport methods encouraged by BIDR are directly against the recommendation of basic standards of veterinary care. BIDR often transports shelter dogs within 24 to 48 hours after having been spayed or neutered. The concern with transporting any animal within 7-10 days post surgery is that the animal does not receive adequate time to recover nor does it receive proper follow-up care. It is standard veterinary procedure to allow a dog or cat undergoing spay or neuter surgery to recover for up to 10 days. That means, no jumping/running or sudden movements, monitoring the incision site for signs of infection or openings, discouraging licking or chewing at the incision site, watching for signs of pain and ensuring the animal is eating and drinking normally. Additionally, reducing stress as much as possible for a full recovery is also recommended. The dogs transported by BIDR receive no standard recovery time prior to travel, no pain meds and no follow-up care. They are simply shuffled from shelter to plane to shelter or unknown source. 2. Questionable procedures that BIDR uses to obtain health certificates and whether or not transported dogs are receiving adequate assessment prior to air transport. The US Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals (APHIS Form 7001) is an official document .issued and signed by a licensed, accredited veterinarian providing verification that an animal, or group. of animals, was inspected and found apparently healthy and showing no '56\"I-% 1 Wim: No, _ . Ref. To: Ref. Date signs of contagious or communicable disease on the date of inspection. BIDR is currently under investigation by the USDA for fraudulent heath certificates. The USDA requires examinations by a licensed vet prior to issuing a heath certificate. In addition, the information on a certificate may only be filled out under the presence of a licensed veterinarian. BIDR directly violated both requirements as seen on a YouTube video Brian posted of himself filling out several health certificates in his own garage. He commented that because the dogs had been recently spayed and neutered that they already had been previously examined, thus he was saving time and money by preparing the health certificate himself. In addition, BIDR has also altered the breeds of some dogs to allow for travel, yet another violation (see Exhibit A). Fraudulent Health Certificates are a serious concern because they directly impact the validity of the certificate, the critical traceability of animal movement, the credibility of the accredited veterinarian and the consumer. The above information was sent to Dr. Timothy Falls, DVM with the USDA and the case was assigned to Dr. Larry C. Rawson, DVM who is the USDA/APHIS/VS District 6 Assistant Director for Hawaii on 10/12/15. On 11/10/15, Dr. Rawson verified that they are currently working with an investigator. Dr. Rawson's phone contact is 916-854-3950. 3. We have great concerns that BIDR's primary receiving shelter (Their "hub") is Columbia Humane Society under the leadership of Dean Cox (see Exhibit B) who has been open about the fact that they sell and get residual monthly payments for dogs that they provide to the for-profit business, The Hannah Society. BIDR calls Dean Cox their "mentor" and CHS their "hub". It has recently come to our attention that as of November 11, 2015, Dean Cox has been terminated from the Columbia Humane Society (see Exhibit Q. The fact that Dean Cox has been a vocal proponent for selling dogs to Hannah Society raises many concerns because of the criticisms and concerns that other veterinarians and animal welfare groups have expressed about The Hannah Society and the fact that NO OTHER SHELTER will agree to send them dogs. (For a more reasons why we object to animals going to the Hannah Society please see htti)://www.hannahsocieLlex-oosed.or2/about-hannah-societv/) 4. In addition to CHS, BIDR claims to be in working partnerships with the following shelters/organizations: Seattle Humane Society Pixie Project Spokane Animal Shelter Idaho Humane Society Puget Sound Shelter Spokeanimal Each facility manager was contacted in August 2015 and it was found that NONE of the claimed organizations were partners with BIDR. Additionally, only Pixie Project had ever received dogs 2 from BIDR, but at the time they were contact in August, their representative reported that it had been several months since they had received any dogs from the Big Island. Several other surrounding shelters were also contacted and just like the others, none had heard of BIDR, Brian (Tasi) Autele nor had ever accepted any Big Island dog transfers. To date, only CHS and Pixie have received dogs through BIDR, but exact numbers cannot be accounted for. 5. Lack of any evidence of where these dogs are actually ending up. Columbia Humane Society is a small shelter located in a very rural area of Oregon. Many of the dogs sent to them from Hawaii never made it onto their adoptables website. There is no accounting for where Hawaii dogs are ending up nor the outcomes. When BIDR volunteers offered to track Hawaii dogs for them to improve transparency and allay some of the concerns of the public, BIDR refused all help to keep track of the whereabout of the transferred dogs and they deleted any comments on their FB page that offered to assist with tracking dogs. BIDR posts vague outcomes for various dogs that have been transferred. For example, On November 11`'', 2015, Tasi Autele stated that "All 6 <dogs transported> went to a private family." (See Exhibit D) It would be highly unusual that ONE private party would adopt all 6 dogs transported. In another recent FaceBook post they claim a Hawaii dog was adopted from "xxxxx Humane Society". The name of the shelter is redacted from the message (see Exhibit E). Why would BIDR have to hide what shelter Darla was adopted from since they have previously made their list of alleged partnering shelters public? 6. It is a known fact that BIDR was asking donors to "sponsor" a dog for $350. That $350 was to cover costs associated with transporting a dog to the mainland. Now, BIDR asks $250 to "sponsor" each dog to cover "medical transfer prep, microchipping, sterilization, vaccination, rabies, heartworm prevention or treatment, health certification, and transportation from to a U.S. Mainland shelter." The fact is, dogs that BIDR adopts from the HIHS are already sterilized, microchipped, vaccinated, heart worm tested, and given a heart worm and flea preventative. Those costs are already covered by The HIHS. 7. In addition to the $250 they ask members of our community to sponsor dog, BIDR directly "adopts" out cats for $500 and dogs for $650 (See Exhibit F). 8. BIDR claims their objective is to reduce the euthanasia rate at the HIHS. However, they want to do this by adopting out dogs that only fit within their "formula", not the actual dogs that are difficult to place. Tasi Autele presented his "formula" as: "Medium dogs less than 40 pounds, not black, not pits, under 5 years, good health, no aggression. Doesn't cower. This said, we can send 1 out of every 10 can be pit, 1 every 7 can be black, 1 out of 7 can be over 40 pounds, 0 can be aggressive" (see Exhibit G). The HIHS currently has a 5.9% euthansia rate for adoptable dogs (fiscal year 2014-2015). BIDR often uses scare tactics saying that the HIHS euthanizes 70% of the animals at the shelter (see Exhibit B). The HIHS euthanised 124 out of 2092 adoptable dogs for the 2014 fiscal year, a far cry from the 70% the claim. Unfortunately, if BIDR sticks to their formula, this number will 3 NEVER be zero because BIDR does not want dogs over 5 years of age, who are black, who are pitbulls, or any dog who shows aggression. If you have ever visited the HIHS shelters, you would understand that it is not the young, friendly, healthy puppies that are making up the 5.9% of dogs euthanized. It is the 12 year old dogs who are in poor health, the dogs who have the bad skin conditions, the nervous dogs who don't like being petted — those are the dogs that make up the 5.9%, not the dogs that BIDR transports to the mainland. BIDR's formula leaves behind the dogs that are often overlooked by the general public. They eliminate specific breeds, colors, age and temperament yet publicly criticize the HIHS for euthanizing animals. In closing, WE THE UNDERSIGNED, are asking the Hawaii County Council to ensure that the HIHS is providing for the safety and well-being of animals being adopted out of their shelters, especially those that are being moved off -island in large numbers by organizations who refuse to sign the HIHS's partnership agreement and who refuse to disclose where these animals end up. We do not know whether these animals are being moved off -island purely for profit, for sale to un -regulated private for-profit companies like Hannah Society who have no accountability to provide their euthanasia rates, or for more nefarious entities such as those involved in the dog meat trade, and Class B animal dealers who sell animals to laboratories for use in testing. Toni Ann Symons, 45 year Big Island resident, 58 year animal lover and protector, long time advocate for children and education. Donated to BIDR "Burned Cat Fund" where $500+ was collected and never used to treat the "burned" cat. I requested a refund from Tasi Autele and he refused. Kara Coffer, Kona, former HIHS employee for 3 years and vet tech at Kona Vet Service for 4 yrs. Robin Protzman, Kona resident and nurse Devin Moniz, Kona Resident, Owner of Ohana Pet Sitters, former Alii Veterinary Hospital Veterinary Assistant for 5 years. Daylynn Branco Kyles, President of Aloha Ilio Rescue, LLC, Rescue -partner of HIHS, former founder and president of Hawaii Rottweiler Verein, Kennel Trainer - Woodland, CA. (UC Davis PD dogs),Dog Rescuer for 29 years on the Big Island of Hawaii, Big Island resident for 45 years, Employed, Hawaii Police Department -16 years, Federal Fire Dept - 4 years Bryant Sawada, Kona, Former HIHS Animal Control Officer Kiana Larson, former HIHS volunteer and employee of 7 years Mario Romero, Kona resident, HIHS foster volunteer 11 Jocy Solano, Kona resident for 18 years, vet tech at Alii Veterinary Hospital for 8 years Mary E Wilson, LPN. Lifetime animal rescuer, FORMER foster and volunteer for KARES, and FORMER BIDR supporter. Kathleen Peters, PhD, 18 year Kona Resident, retired clinical psychologist, foster/volunteer/supporter for HIHS and Aloha Ilio Rescue. FORMER volunteer for KARES, I no longer support KARES. Ellen Hiromasa, Kona Resident Julie Klaz, Kona Resident Kevin Chatfield, HIHS volunteer, Kona resident Rachel Kirk, co-owner, Nose for Adventure dog boarding and day care, HIHS and Aloha Ilio Rescue foster volunteer. Lisa J. Sims full time Kona resident 16 + years, Manager, Sims Central LLC, Retired Police Sergeant 17 years, FORMER donor to BIDR - I requested a refund of my donation when Tasi Autele admitted that the money he collected was never spent to treat the allegedly "burned" cat. He stated that the cat was only really dirty and that he "released" the cat back in his neighborhood. Dawn Goehring, Pahoa, Professional Animal Trainer/Behavior Specialist 24 years experience. Humane educator with rescue dogs in CA, TN and now HI. Former employee Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter. Former BOD president of Sevier County Humane Society. Former volunteer, foster mom and behavior specialist for: Sevier County Humane Society, Pets Without Parents, E.TN Border Collie Rescue, Small Breed Rescue of E. TN. Current volunteer HIHS, Aloha Ilio Rescue. FORMER supporter of BIDR. Kevin Chatfield, HIHS volunteer, Kona resident Regina DoDaro Romero Serrano former veterinary technician, HIHS volunteer and donor, Advocats volunteer and Kona resident. Karen Desilva Gillespie, 12 year Kona resident and former Vet Tech for Alii Vet - 6 years Nicky Brockman, volunteered at HIHS for 11 years, Dog trainer �I Robin Hill, Kona resident, owner Nose for Adventure, LLC, dog boarding and daycare Jane Wiedlin Fulltime resident Hilo, 30 year animal advocate, Founding member: The Go-Go's (all female American poprock band), Former manager: Bob Farner Wildlife Waystation Former manager: AARFF (Agoura Animal Rescue and Fostering Fund), Former volunteer: Crestcare (Chinese Crested Dog Rescue), Former volunteer: GSCA (Golden State Greyhound Adoption),Current foster partner: HIHS, Current volunteer: Aloha Ilio Anna White, Owner Healthy Hounds Hawaii, Kona Resident Chris and Melissa Ronan, Founder and former owners of Nose for Adventure boarding and daycare in Kona Pat Van Every, Kona Resident Deborah Hillman, Full time Kea'au resident for 5 years, Rescue animal advocate for 25 years, Member Orchid Isle Dog Agility, Current volunteer for Kea'au HIHS Current donor and volunteer for Aloha Ilio Rescue, Former volunteer, supporter and team member of Big Island Dog Rescue Beth Evesong, Full time Kea'au resident for 5 years, Business owner of Seashore Collections, Hilo, Member of Orchid Isle Dog Agility, Animal advocate for 25 years Current supporter and donor of HIHS and Aloha Ilio Rescue Natalie Posey, Kona Resident and animal advocate Rhonda Pollard (Honokaa, HI),Owner, Lava Dogs Hawaii, Current volunteer, HIHS Kay Moniz, Kona Resident, professional equestrian for 25 years, supervising Vet Tech for 5 years at a large veterinary practice. n -A sesvippY TnIe ut MU 10 �. . �VII.h B o; ty sli Ottrev ��H 10 ►T e Six Ways to Help Big Island Dog Rescue - Mahalo All donations are tax deductable as BIDR is a registered 501c3 non profit corporation ADOPTION :OM ING SOON: Direct Adoption Program. Price for dog will be $500 cat or kitten adopted to and sent tc the continental U.S. and $650 for a puppy. Animals available for adoption will be able to FaceTime with prescreened applicants. Contact Usj/contact-us) SPONSORSHIP An individual or company can sponsor a dog for $250 covering vet medical transfer prep, microchipping, sterilization, vaccination, rabies, heartworm prevention or treatment, health certification, and ransportation from to a U.S. Mainland shelter. Corporate sponsors may sponsor one dog or one shipment ger week or month. Sponsors are acknowledged with their company stickers on the kennels they sponsor, their company logo on our website, and media recognition. Contact Us /contact -use nnNnTiNr, �?� L PIT EY -Wt P5 (T C-7