Volunteer let go after challenging dog’s euthanasia
Three other workers say they are quitting after rescue attempt thwarted
A handful of volunteers at Coyote Point Shelter have quit after one of them got into a heated confrontation with staff in a futile attempt to save a dog from being put to sleep.
The incident happened on March 31 when Kit O’Doherty, a 15-year volunteer at the San Mateo animal shelter, tried to arrange for a terminally ill German shepherd named Lola to be placed in a home to live out the remainder of her life.
Instead of showing compassion, O’Doherty says four staff members rebuked her and ended up euthanizing Lola.
O’Doherty says she was immediately suspended from volunteering, and a few days later received a phone call from a shelter employee stating that the Peninsula Humane Society had terminated its relationship with her. She said she never got a chance to share her side of the story with management before she was let go.
“The fact that I was summarily fired without even a conversation after 15 years of service doesn’t really pass anybody’s straight-face test,” O’Doherty said Monday. “I asked for a little time to discuss options for this dog. … PHS overreacted and thought we were questioning the decision to euthanize, which we were not. It was really a misunderstanding.”
Ken White, the Peninsula Humane Society’s president who made the decision to sever ties with O’Doherty, said he did so because she was extremely disrespectful to staff.
“She talked to them like they were unfeeling, uncaring robots,” White said Tuesday. “To hear those people express how small Kit made them feel, it’s not acceptable.”
O’Doherty disputed that account, saying she and other volunteers were exercising Lola and other dogs in an outdoor play yard at Coyote Point Shelter — the first stop for animals rescued in the county after being abandoned, abused or injured, or if suffering from terminal diseases. O’Doherty said Lola was full of energy that day and showing no signs of her terminal heart disease when shelter workers took her away to be euthanized.
“Lola at the time of euthanasia was still very much capable of enjoying life and Kit was only trying to get a little more time to set up a rescue to take her in,” volunteer Pam Manuel said in a statement. “But Kit and Lola were denied that time because of a so-called misunderstanding.”
In reply, White said, “Looking at the dog does not tell you anything about the dog’s health.” He said the decision to euthanize Lola was made by experienced shelter veterans and a private veterinary coronary specialist brought in as a consultant.
That’s not the only area where staff and the volunteers disagree.
O’Doherty argues staff members had her ousted as a volunteer because they thought she was questioning their decision to euthanize Lola. White counters that after interviewing the staff members involved, he determined O’Doherty never communicated she was trying to rescue Lola that day but instead scolded the workers for performing the toughest part of their job — ending the life of an animal.
“We knew of no rescue group and we have no hospice volunteers that would take the dog on with this condition,” White said. “Had she offered any possibility, we would have let that happen, we always do.” He said 92 percent of animals that entered the shelter so far this year have been placed in homes.
Three other Coyote Point Shelter volunteers, including Manuel, have stated they won’t be volunteering with the shelter after what happened with O’Doherty.
One of them, Beth Kabala, an eight-year volunteer, said
she reached that decision after Assistant County Manager Mike Callagy convened a meeting between shelter staff and volunteers last week. Kabala said it became clear to her at the meeting that Peninsula Humane Society doesn’t respect its
volunteers, even though she has never experienced any serious conflicts with staff in the past.
“What got me about this was Kit, who is a wonderful longtime volunteer, is fired and staff doesn’t even investigate,” Kabala said.
White implemented a new policy after the incident stating volunteers can only work three times a week at Coyote Point so they have time to recuperate emotionally. He said many volunteers have expressed their support of staff since the incident.
“This is the one time that I can ever think of in the 15 years I have been here where this has occurred,” he said.
O’Doherty and her volunteer supporters say they want the county to open up the bidding process for its animal services contract to other agencies. Peninsula Humane Society has been the sole provider since 1952. Its contract is up in 2020.
Callagy said Tuesday the county will consider opening up the bidding process, but noted the county is providing “the requisite oversight to ensure the safety of animals.”