Kane County Animal Control under fire

Questions continue to pile up regarding Kane County’s Animal Control operations, as allegations about illegal animal adoption procedures have added to lingering questions about the administration of the animal shelter.

Members of the Kane County Board’s public health committee confirmed even they don’t know the full story of why former Animal Control Director Mary Lawrie was suspended pending an internal investigation. Lawrie quit shortly after the suspension, but committee members said they never were told the outcome of the internal investigation. As a result, some committee members feel the county will hire a new director with no way to prevent any mistakes of the past.

“They tried to sell us on hiring a new animal control director without even giving us the job description at first,” committee member Melisa Taylor said. “I wanted that information because if Mary Lawrie applied because of a particular job description, then it’s a job description that didn’t work. We don’t know what happened with Mary. And if you don’t know what’s going on, you can’t fix it.”

Though the information has since been provided, Taylor still feels uneasy because it’s the same job description that resulted in Lawrie’s hiring. Moreover, Public Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert — who oversees animal control — told the committee when Lawrie was hired in 2007 she was the lone applicant. That statement was later disputed at a county board finance committee meeting by board member Cathy Hurlbut.

Kuehnert did not immediately respond to interview requests Friday.

Taylor and several other board members have advocated hiring a veterinarian to replace Lawrie, who was not a vet.

Public health committee member Jackie Tredup said she’s particularly troubled by the data on how many animals the shelter brings in versus how many are adopted or euthanized.

“They just don’t add up,” Tredup said.

And she not expecting any answers.

“Before every meeting, the committee chairman, Jeanette Mihalec, will call all of us on the committee,” Tredup said. “It’s gotten to the point where some of us don’t answer our phone when she calls because we get it ... they want everything to just go right through. ... You don’t want me asking any questions. Jeanette told me that’s not the case. She just wants to be able to answer them beforehand so the questions won’t be so in-depth during the meetings. That drives me nuts. If we’re not going to ask questions during the meetings, why are we even having meetings?”

Mihalec did not immediately respond to interview requests Friday.

Committee members who share that view pointed to the most recent committee meeting as a prime example. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, Michelle Alexander from the Sita Dog Sanctuary in Yorkville told the committee she believes animal control is in breach of county laws, which place an emphasis on rabies vaccinations, spaying and neutering, and microchipping to aid lost pets.

Alexander said animal control, even with its newest adoption forms, allows dog sanctuaries to take animal control animals that haven’t been vaccinated, neutered or microchipped, and the sanctuaries incur the costs.

Alexander brought those concerns to the committee’s attention, but committee members were not allowed to question Alexander nor Kuehnert. Mihalec told the committee she didn’t want to set a precedent of having to respond to comments from the public at meetings.

Alexander has said that the county’s policies discourage help from animal rescues.

“Why, if they have a vet on staff (to perform these procedures), would you burden the rescue to do that?” Alexander said. “We pay to help them!”

The Kane County state’s attorney’s office has signed off on the adoption procedures as fully compliant with state and county laws.