Following up on yesterday’s story about Victoria Beasley, former Community Liaison of the Lake County Animal Control (LCAC) center in Indiana, more information has come to light. Beasley’s position was eliminated by the Director of LCAC, Deborah Mandich-Nowland, when she rescued two adult Pitbull Terriers and their five puppies from a neglectful home.
The sheriff’s office and Mandich-Nowland agreed that removing the Pits from their situation required a warrant even though the Lake County Ordinance Title IX of the General Regulation, Chapter 90 states otherwise. After Victoria refused to return the animals to an environment where the basic comforts of life (water, food and shelter) were not provided these seven dogs, the Director did.
Since the Pitbulls were returned, one of them has jumped the fence on the property and chased two children that were riding their bicycles. Just yesterday the adult dogs were found wandering outside the fenced-in property although the puppies were still inside the fence, but again without food, water or shelter.
It has also been reported that one of the dogs literally jumped into the automobile of a passerby, posing a dangerous situation for both the dog and for those in the vehicle. Still nothing is being done to protect anyone, canine or human, despite numerous phone calls about the occurring situations.
Last Saturday the Sheriff’s Office held their first annual bike ride fundraiser originally developed to help support the shelter. Unfortunately, due to the on-going bad publicity of the transpiring happenstance, the event took a turn for the worst. Many people of the public showed up to picket outside the park’s entrance. The local press had a field day with this. The situation is very sad.
Not only has Victoria experienced the wrath of the Director, but other hardworking employees have experienced the same write-ups for doing the jobs they pledged to do and helping animals in desperate need. Without the dedicated souls that have sincere love and appreciation for animals, the rescued animals of LCAC are not being networked, advertised or placed into forever loving homes. There has even been talk that regular donors will no longer be supporting a center that refuses to do whatever it takes to fulfill its mission which is to ‘not only strive to maintain a healthy, safe and comfortable atmosphere for any animal that stays in our facility, but we also do our best to find good, loving homes for all our animals.’
The original Facebook page that was begun three years ago for LCAC was eliminated due to more bad press. A new one was started up and entitled ‘friends of lake county animal control’ and people are posting their protests on this social networking site in addition to being there in person to protest.
The Director began her own separate Facebook page at this point entitled ‘Lake County Sheriff's Animal and Adoption Center’. The site was never properly maintained and has since been shut down because the director was sick of the posts once again protesting the situation with Victoria Beasley’s demise.
In the heart of it, the Shelter still has a job to do but seems to be failing at that as well. Those close to the shelter have noticed that no dogs are being walked or are in the fenced-in play areas and Director Mandich-Nowland is refusing to return any phone calls. The question that everyone has is ‘what is going to happen to the dogs of Lake County that need help?’
A second protest has been planned for Saturday, June 16th. Protesters plan to gather outside of the Government Complex. Director Mandich-Nowland has fought back against the protestors stipulating that whoever attends the protest will be banned from ever entering the shelter again; threatening harassment charges if any one of these people of the public even phone in about the situation at hand. A petition as well as a Facebook page have been started to get Victoria back into the position that she knows and loves.
Should a person’s ego come before the animals’ welfare? If this is a government agency, run by the sheriff’s department, is not democracy still a part of our nation? Are the first amendment rights of Lake County being jeopardized by one individual?
Those concerned will just have to wait and see. More to come as details are provided.
Comments