02/02/2023
Below we have copied and pasted the original accusations brought against VCK by L&M Executive board. ( Douglas Ashbrook & Diane Kath) Dr. Steve Munday would not even speak with us when these accusations were made even though he is the President of rescue. Douglas Ashbrook stated he was speaking on behalf of the entire executive board.
Also, just 2 days prior to these accusations being made we had just had our 9th year of perfect inspections by county animal services.
Please copy and paste or just forward to as many people as you know so that we can get the truth out to so many blinded and lied to supporters of L&M.
VCK response to L&M accusations per Doug Ashbrook in a meeting at VCK dated 7/21/2020
1. First accusation: VCK provides a lack of quality care
· VCK takes pride in what we provide to each animal that comes to our facility. From intake to outtake the animals are provided with love, care, and devotion. While we are not medically trained professionals we do go above and beyond with care and with what we can do. Every animal is given a thorough hands on exam, bathed, provided with any medications, microchipped. Each dog is provided a safe and stressless environment and is taken out daily between 45-60 minutes for exercise, play time, and human socialization with VCK staff. The dogs are also fed twice a day and checked in on several times a day by various VCK staff members. Our main priority at VCK is the well-being of every dog we encounter.
2. Second accusation: VCK lets lesions and infections go unnoticed
· VCK understands that all dogs’ conditions upon arrival to our facility are different. While we do have 9 years of experience and over thousands of dogs who have made their way through our facility, we still unfortunately are not medical professionals and as previously stated we do above our best to make sure the dogs are taken care of properly. If need be, we make the proper medical arrangements to get the dogs the care they need. While, some things are easier to spot with the naked eye other infections are not as detectable. If any VCK staff notices any unusual behavior, lesions, infections they are to immediately report to VCK management and the animal will be removed from the kennels to avoid spreading illness and will be properly examined and VCK management will take the proper course of action for what is in the animals best interest.
3. Third accusation: VCK lets dogs leave with tumors and ear infections
· VCK understands that every dog is different and while some tumors might be visible other tumors i.e. tvt tumors can take as little as two days to protrude and be visible. Many factors can contribute to this including but not limited to the stress of the animal. Ear infections are not always visible, but dogs are checked for infection and the proper action taken ensuring the safety and health of the animal. We do not purposefully ever let a dog leave with infection.
4. Fourth accusation: VCK management not on premises during business hours
· While VCK management does not feel the need to provide hourly updates to our whereabouts most of our time is spent outdoors in the kennels. On the rare occasion that VCK management is not on the premises we are usually grabbing material to better our quality of care and facilities for the dogs. VCK management also reserves the right for one and a half hours lunch break which ordinarily is used for dog related needs. VCK always puts the animals first hence our request for one-hour minimum notice for incoming/outgoing dogs. We truly try our hardest to accommodate the needs of the rescue but unfortunately with lack of notification it sometimes does not work this way. VCK is always open to constructive criticism and guidance in ways for bettering our policy and procedures.
5. Fifth accusation: VCK lacks providing list of dogs and details pertaining to dog
· Being a staff member of VCK entails being able to adapt to all situations. VCK has multiple animals and while we have staff who know our dogs in depth, there unfortunately is not enough time in a day for staff to write a detailed report. If VCK had the ability to hire someone solely for reporting/admin it would increase the reporting as well as give the rescue exactly what they claim VCK is lacking. VCK will be sending a proposed, updated pricing list and if approved will give us the ability to hire additional staff which in turn will help with what the rescue is additionally asking from VCK. As the dogs in our care are our number one priority, we will do our best to accommodate the needs of the rescue i.e. updated lists, hand on dogs, more interactions.
6. Sixth accusation: VCK management lack of compassion and friendliness to fosters/transports
· VCK takes pride in our communication with fosters/transports. We do everything within our reasonable power to accommodate the needs of the fosters/transports. We offer dates/times and availability to the fosters/transports and try our best to fit what works for their schedules as well as what is best for the dogs. VCK is happy to answer any questions or concerns fosters/transports may have regarding the animal and give as much information as we can to help ensure a smooth transition for the dog. VCK stands by the fact that our compassion is for these animals to have the best chance of finding a forever home and VCK does not do anything to sabotage these chances by being rude or uncompassionate.
7. Seventh accusation: VCK does not give effort into taking pictures of dogs
· VCK are not professional photographers. Our main priority upon intake is making sure the dog is comfortable and its well-being. We take a photo upon intake via cell phone to identify the animal these however are not quality photographs for adopters/website. These animals come into our facility fearful, sometimes aggressive, and stressed. While the animal gets acclimated to our facility it can take sometimes up to two weeks to gain that dogs trust and confidence enough to retake a better picture. VCK is willing to do so upon the rescues request but the ability to do so is dependent on the animal and time.
8. Eighth accusation: lack of communication between L&M admin and VCK
· VCK has numerous times as of late had to provide documentation showing lack of communication between L&M admin and VCK. As previously stated, our request for an hours’ notice has gone overlooked on several occasions. VCK has had instances of being told a dog was on the way and the animal ends up showing up several minutes later not nearly enough time to prepare for their arrival. The lack of communication has caused hostility it seems when documentation of these events come to light. VCK wants to make these transitions as smooth and effortless as possible for all involved as well as the dogs which is why 1-hour rule is implicated. VCK also deals with tardiness and adapts to change with ease but these events do disrupt the daily routine for our facility.
