For those of you unaware, a few days ago Dr. Todd Faraone was fired from DuPage County Animal Care & Control. Why, no one knows (or, at least if anyone does, they are not saying). This past Tuesday, Feral Fixers president Tammy McAuley attended the County Board meeting - here are her comments:
I would like to convey what I learned from the public comment at the DuPage County Board meeting on 1/27/15. I'm expressing some personal opinions at the same time, these are not the official opinions of Feral Fixers, just my own. I hope you take the opportunity to formulate your own opinions on this matter and inform your own representatives of them.
The dismissal of Dr. Todd Faraone, Administrator/Vet, from DuPage Animal Care and Control has been very emotional. On Tuesday, during the County Board meeting, 4 representatives spoke about this ill-timed, ill-conceived and ill-informed action. They were very sad that Dr. Todd would no longer be at DACC, but what they were very passionate about was the way in which it was done and the clear lack of involvement and preparedness that the County Board exhibited in supporting the animals of DuPage County.
They brought up several key points, which I trust them to be correct in:
The Office of Emergency Management was unaware that Dr. Todd performed the surgeries himself, the speakers quoted 11,000 surgeries. OEM thought a network of local vets took care of the animals.
The DEA number that provides the animals at County with critical medications - that number leaves with Dr. Todd, DPACC has no ability to get life-saving controlled substances if there is no vet in charge.
No plans or arrangements were made with local veterinarians in advance to care for the animals already at County or the unknown number that could arrive unexpectedly, needing emergency care.
Since Dr. Todd took over as administrator, there have been two years running where no adoptable animal has been euthanized for cage space. A major feat.
While the County Board oversees the Office of Emergency Management which in turn oversees DPACC, NO COUNTY FUNDS SUPPORT DPACC, they are required to exist within the means of the rabies tag sales, adoptions and fines that they collect.
I convey this information not to attempt to get Dr. Todd's job back but in hopes that the climate could change at the County Board. The lack of information and caring that is clearly exhibited by this dismissal and lack of planning for the resulting crisis shows that the Rescue Community must make their voices heard to their County Board members and that they find a replacement, full-time vet immediately, they fill the open positions as soon as possible with employees that have ANIMAL experience, not bureaucracy experience and start to care about what happens to the animals in their County.
Currently the employees are doubling up on their jobs and responsibilities in order to get the basics done. That has to change and soon or the shelter will overfill and animals will suffer on a daily basis, not because of the employees but the constraints the employees have been placed under by extremely short-sighted and poor management.
Please visit the County Board website and contact your County Board member and the Chairman on this very important issue.
James Joseph oversaw DPACC, he has been nominated to take over the State of Illinois Department of Homeland Security. You can make your views known on his nomination at this website.
For those who can attend, there is a Judicial and Public Safety Meeting, Tuesday, February 3rd which would be another opportunity to voice your feelings about how DuPage County Board members have dealt with this situation.
Ghandi said "You can judge a society by how they treat their weakest members." Don't we all, as DuPage County residents have a responsibility to see that our interests are carried out?
Tammy McAuley
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