Humane Society has not talked about merging shelters with Cedar Rapids, president says

This week's upheaval at the non-profit Cedar Valley Humane Society's animal shelter comes when Cedar Rapids is considering building a new $3 million shelter with Kirkwood Community College to replace the city's flood-damaged one.

Bernie Lettington, president of the Humane Society board of directors, said Friday said his board has not discussed the idea of merging shelters with the city.

“We have slightly different missions - Cedar Rapids Animal Control having kind of an enforcement kind of mission - and that is a little different from a non-profit Humane Society,” he said.

Nonetheless, Lettington said, the Humane Society shelter, which serves all of Linn County except for Cedar Rapids and Marion, and the city's shelter collaborate whenever possible.

Any perception that the two entities did not have a good relationship is not true today, he said.

Members of the society's board are hustling this week after the departures of two co-directors and four other employees from the shelter at 7411 Mount Vernon Rd. SE. Board members and volunteers are getting the shelter through what Lettington called “this little transition phase.”

Lettington, who became president of the board in March, said he could not discuss the departures because they are personnel matters.

Board members have been reviewing all of the shelter's practices and procedures, with help from experts at Kirkwood Community College, Iowa State University and elsewhere, Lettington said. The board announced Aug. 18 that it intends to hire a new executive director, he noted.

Lettington said he had heard that some people are worried that the shelter's new protocol may mean more animals being euthanized at the shelter. He called such comments “a little confusing.” The shelter has no time limit beyond which an animal is put to sleep, he said, but added that at times, with the advice of veterinarians, animals are euthanized.

On Thursday and Friday, the Humane Society shelter did not put out its open sign, but staffers were answering the door, Lettington said. He said he hoped the shelter would get back to normal hours and have its executive director in place soon.

The staff changes are but the most recent upheaval at the shelter. In late March 2008, the Marion Police Department raided the shelter as it was closing and seized records on shelter billing practices. Since then, Marion has used the Cedar Rapids shelter instead of that run by the Humane Society.

On Friday, Linn County Attorney Harold Denton said his office had reviewed the Marion Police Department's investigation and decided not to file charges.

The week's departure of employees had nothing to do with the 2008 investigation, Lettington said.