Orange Cove took over an animal shelter. Now the nonprofit’s workers allege neglect
Animal shelter workers in Orange Cove say they have been locked out of their facility and unable to properly care for more than 50 dogs and cats due to a battle over tax paperwork with the city.
Last week, the Orange Cove City Council canceled its contract with the Friends of Orange Cove Animal Shelter, a nonprofit that shelters the city’s dogs, for not filing taxes in 2014. But shelter director Adriana Figueroa says that was an honest mistake and the city is overreacting and putting animals in danger.
On Dec. 13, the day after the council meeting, Figueroa said her sole employee, who tends to the animals eight hours a day, was blocked from entering the shelter building, which the city has leased to the nonprofit for several years. Since then, Figueroa said, a city employee has taken over the shelter, but not adequately.
The dogs have not been walked and are fed through PVC pipe from outside their kennels because city workers are worried about their own safety, Figueroa said.
“We have dogs there that have medication, that need stitches. They’re using the bathroom in their kennels and then (the city workers) are hosing them down, which only moves their feces around and leaves the dogs wet,” she said. “They’ve just completely locked us out of the property and away from our dogs. My only concern is the dogs.”
On Tuesday, the Friends of Orange Cove Animal Shelter Facebook page shared a photo of injured dog paws, alleging someone allowed into the shelter to reclaim their pet since the city took over described neglect and “the smell of death” in the facility.
But city officials deny abuse.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” said Orange Cove City Manager Rudy Hernandez. “I do have a staff there that’s taking care of them, watering them, cleaning out feces and whatnot. There are some quite vicious dogs that don’t allow us to make contact, so safety measures are being taken. As far as walking the dogs, that’s something we have to work out in the city if that’s something we want to add to our job description.”
The State Franchise Tax Board confirmed in an email Wednesday that it has suspended FOCAS for not filing a 2014 tax return but would not release further details.
“We did not want to make this decision. But it’s like a driver’s license. If you have a driver’s license, you can drive. If you don’t, you can’t,” Hernandez said. “This issue is not between Orange Cove and FOCAS, it’s between them and the state tax board.”
FOCAS took over the no-kill shelter in 2016 as a volunteer group, after animal cruelty charges were filed against the former owner.
Figueroa, who became director of FOCAS in October, said she was the one who notified the city about the nonprofit’s Franchise Tax Board violation. According to Figueroa, the former FOCAS head did not file taxes in 2014 because the organization did not open a bank account or receive nonprofit status until 2015.
She says the problem is expected to be rectified soon, and that she has offered to work as a volunteer to care for the dogs during the 90-day deadline issued by the city, but officials have so far declined that offer.
“We can resolve our issues legally, and that can happen in a professional manner, but locking us out and completely taking over care of dogs, when the public works employes are not trained to deal with dogs, is just wrong,” Figueroa said. “The dogs are the ones that are suffering over this issue.”
The city gives $2,500 a month to FOCAS and owns the Second Street building that is home to the shelter, but when government officials were notified the nonprofit is suspended by the state, it became a liability for Orange Cove, said Mayor Victor Lopez.
“They are in violation and the council had to take action. Somebody’s got to be held accountable for not reporting those funds that were given to them,” Lopez said.
This story was originally published December 20, 2018 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Orange Cove took over an animal shelter. Now the nonprofit’s workers allege neglect."
