Report: #911822

Complaint Review: Mohave County - Lake Havasu Arizona

0 Updates & Rebuttals

Reported By:

Animal People of Arizona - Lake Havasu, Arizona, United States of America

Submitted:

Updated:

Author Not Confirmed

Why?

Mohave County

1100 Empire Drive Lake Havasu, 86404 Arizona, United States of America

Phone:

928.855.5083

Web:

Categories:

Animal Services

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Mohave County Victoria Cowper paid nearly 500,000 Animals Taking Hours to Die / Killed by IP injection hitting organs witnesses tell of Horrifying Deaths and Suffering Lake Havasu, Arizona

A post from an animal advocate; There are more witnesses coming forward and we must help these animals to safety from the hands of these monsters. Evidence can be seen in the files, blood covers the walls of the shelter where animals flail and throw themselves against the wall where they are dying. This is horrific and this is happening in Mohave as well as many of Americas shelters. Victoria Cowper belongs behind bars and we will not stop until she is there.

Please forward to all your animal-loving friends and they to

theirs.

For them to say that this is "all about nothing" and that "it'll blow

over",

indicates non-compassion and non-concern about all those critters,

not just in Lake Havasu's "Humane" Society, but in Kingman's

too.

If you care about the safety and health, and freedom and welfare

of every dog and cat

imprisoned in these torture chambers - and appalled at the $100,000

salaries allowing these atrocities to occur and re-occur and

re-occur, then write letters to the editor, write your

state representatives, spread the word - THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.

We are the eyes and ears of these poor innocent critters!!!!

Attached the WAHS leadership roster again. There was a board

meeting last night and Linda B. is convinced that this is the most

arrogant group of people she has ever met. (and she was in politics, hard

to believe) they feel this is going to blow over and its all about

nothing. We need to ramp up the letter writing campaign to the board

and council.

We have been dealing with this board for over 7 months trying to

enlighten them and requested a change in their policies. We have not

moved them even an inch. We need public outrage to help move

them. Even Sylvia Clark, after two meeting with them stepped

down out of frustration. Please click on the attachment

identified as concerned citizens

Stop donating, your dollars are supporting a directors salary of

over 100K (we believe close to 125K, but cannot verify that

number)

remove Councilmember Margaret Nyberg from the board, she is

Victorias close friend and cannot be objective.

All animals should be pre-sedated just like the Vets do.

See attachment Concerned citizens

The board needs to step down, they are ineffective

We can also use some letters to the editor [email protected]

300 words or less

Pams letter is below and she makes some very good points, especially

about the financials. They do not operate like other 501C3s and

post financials. Also cannot find the tax return for

2009/2010. ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

Thanks, Robin

Attached

are articles from the Today's News Herald regarding the

investigation of the Western Arizona Humane Society (WAHS).

Also attached is the contact information for the WAHS's Board

of Directors and Lake Havasu City Council Members.

My

husband & I are donors to the WAHS, and we have been for many

years. I find the news of this investigation very disturbing and

want to know more. I want reassurance that ALL animals are

being treated humanely - I want to know what the euthanasia policy is, how

many animals are euthanized annually at each shelter, and what training

the employees that are conducting the euthanasia have received.

The term euthanasia literally means "good death."

By most humane/animal welfare organizations, this is interpreted as a

quick, painless, and humane method of dying.

According to AZ State

Legislature 13-2910:    http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/13/02910.htm&Title=13&DocType=ARS

A.

A person commits cruelty to animals if the person

does any of the following:

      2.

Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fails to provide medical attention

necessary to prevent protracted suffering to any animal under the persons

custody or control.

      3. Intentionally,

knowingly or recklessly inflicts unnecessary physical injury to any

animal.

      4. Reckless or knowingly

subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment.

G. For

the purposes of this section:



2. Cruel Mistreatment means to torture or otherwise inflict

unnecessary serious injury upon an animal or to kill an animal

in a manner that causes protracted suffering to the

animal.

      3. Cruel Neglect

means to fail to provide an animal with necessary food, water, or

shelter.

The responsibility of determining

if these laws and/or others have been broken is now in the hands of the

LHCPD and other legal bodies.

There are many questions that

must be sufficiently answered for me to continue my financial support of

the WAHS. Each individual must make that same decision for

his-/herself.

All charities must have money to

operate; charities are businesses, too - but in all personal and corporate

charitable donations, one should ask, how much of my monies are benefiting

the cause to which I have donated, how much is benefiting individuals at

the charity, and how effective are the business practices of the charity

(is it efficient)? Where is the transparency of the WAHS for the

monies donated, received in grants, or paid by the City for its Animal

Care, Control and Shelter Contact # FIN09-0057?

The IRS

states that under IRC 6104, nonprofit organizations must make their three

most recent annual returns publicly available. I can find no

financials posted on their website -   http://westernarizonahumane.org/, but had to search

other sources. (Note: I cannot find any requirements by the IRS for a

501c3 to have its financials posted on its website - however, it is

considered a reasonable and customary practice with today's available

technology and the focus on transparency.) According to the attached

WAHS IRS Form 990 for the fiscal year 07/01/08-06/30/09 (I am requesting

the 2009-2010 Form 990. The 08-09 was available from a source other than

the WAHS online.) - total revenues were $2,315,273.

Salaries/benefits paid were $611,449. We have a small shelter. The

shelter also has volunteers. What is the ratio of

employees/volunteers to animals? With revenues at $2,315,273

(inclusive of a city contract) why would the shelter be unable to provide

sufficient food for the animals under its care (as suggested in the WAHS's

public request for food donations)? In the projected budget for FY 09/10

to the City from WAHS - it is written $4000 is for food and kennel

supplies - $750 is for lab and medical supplies - $4700 for vaccines. A

renovation was recently completed of the front offices/waiting room area

of WAHS. What was the amount spent on the renovation of a non-animal care

area? I have been told there was a recent renovation of the feline area.

Is this area being sufficiently used? When was the last renovation made to

the canine kennel areas? Are these areas sufficiently cooled in summer and

heated in winter based upon Humane Society of the United States

Guidelines    http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/policies_and_guidelines/guidelines_for_animal_shelter_operations.html?

According to the WAHS's Request for Proposal (RFP # P09-0057)

submission to the City to provide Animal Care, Control and Shelter (which,

according to RFP # P09-0057, is under the jurisdiction of the City) - the

"Fixed Firm Price for contract year 2009/2010 within the parameters and

exceptions as previously noted would be $541,000." What is the

actual amount paid by the City to WAHS?

According to # 4 PROVIDER

GUIDELINES, The selected provider shall . . . provide the most humane (compassionate) services possible

to animals through Animal Care, Control and Shelter services under

this contract.

Why does the Today's News

Herald write "concerned residents contacted the police with

allegations of possible procedural and animal-cruelty violations . . ." -

what oversight is provided by the Board of Directors of WAHS? The contract

with the City appears to have been awarded in 2009 - what oversight has

been conducted by the City for Contract # FIN09-0057 and for taxpayer

monies? Please look at the attached list of WAHS Board of Directors and

City Council Members.

In looking at the names of the Board of

Directors and for City Council, I know many of these people. Many of these

individuals have professed to be animal lovers. It is disheartening to

think that any of these individuals would allow minimal treatment or

inhumane treatment of animals or ignore allegations of inhumane

treatment. It is also disheartening to think that any of these

individuals would fail to be proactive in their roles and duties to insure

the most humane treatment of animals and

to insure compliance with a City contract. I find all of this

very disturbing.

My husband and I are animal lovers.

We have been donors to WAHS for about ten years. The results of this

investigation will affect many decisions - continued support (including

monetary) of the WAHS and/or voter support of City Council

members.

Please read the attached

documents. If you have concerns and/or questions, please inquire

further, as I am doing. I hope that you will please forward the

information to others and contact the WAHS Board of Directors and your

elected City Officials with your

concerns/questions.