By VICKI URBANIK

In the wake of a horse death and neglect case that led to the resignation of the county’s animal shelter director, the Porter County Animal Welfare Board has instituted new procedures for logging complaints.

In the past, animal-related complaints were kept with the animal shelter director. But now, shelter employees will be instructed to make new complaint forms readily available to the public, and copies of all complaints will go to the animal welfare board as well as to the Porter County Commissioners.

Commissioners Robert Harper and John Evans both expressed hope that the new procedures will help prevent incidents such as the two recent cases involving animal neglect in Porter and Jackson Townships.

Evans said that giving just one person ultimate authority to investigate complaints could cause some complaints to be prematurely dismissed or overlooked. Harper said the complaint form will be used to track “any kind of complaint you can imagine,” from the price of shelter services to response time to cleanliness of the shelter. “Hopefully, we’ll be more aware of what’s going on,” he said about the animal shelter.

The new procedure might also signal a changing attitude about the proper role of the animal shelter, as it deals not just with the typical role of serving as “dog catcher” but as it handles more and more cases of animal neglect.

Residents Angered

The new complaint procedure comes in the wake of a neglect case in Porter Township, where a miniature horse that had been under the care of a former animal welfare board member had to be euthanized because of its emaciated condition. The owner, Bonnie Frye, has since been charged with 10 counts of animal neglect relating to the malnourishment of horses, goats and donkeys in her care. The case prompted the resignation of former Animal Shelter director Sandy Ogle, who officials said knew about the animals’ condition but didn’t act to resolve it.

The commissioners have appointed an interim director and are currently in the process of filling Ogle’s position.

The Frye horse case has prompted other complaints about the role that the animal shelter has played in animal cases. In a letter sent to the media, Boone Township resident Valerie Schulte and several of her neighbors are calling for the ouster of the entire Porter County Animal Welfare Board, due to what they described as repeated mistakes that have led to a crisis and a failed animal shelter.

In their letter, the residents bring up an incident from 2003, in which they said they made repeated complaints about neglected horses in their neighborhood. But, they wrote, their complaints were dismissed by a number of county officials. Ultimately, the Porter County Prosecutor’s filed charges, and the surviving horses were removed, according to the letter.

Schulte wrote that the incident of 2003 should have been the wake-up call for the animal board, and that both Ogle and the board members should have been replaced then.

Evans disagreed with replacing the entire animal board now. He said some people may not understand the magnitude of problems that the animal shelter officials face when dealing with animal complaints. “To berate them, to belittle them is terrible,” he said.

Evans added that the incident involving Frye’s horses was a tragic one, but that it was addressed once the problem came to light. He also emphasized that the commissioners do not take the animal complaints lightly.

He also said he has confidence in the current animal welfare board members.

“Those people that are on that board are sincerely devoted to the animals,” he said. “Their heart’s in the right place.”

Changing Attitudes

Harper, who made increased animal adoptions and lower euthanizations one of his priorities when he began his second term, agreed with Evans that the commissioners are very interested in what happens at the animal shelter. He, too, raised doubts about replacing the entire board, saying that they do not serve at the will of the commissioners but are appointed for terms.

But Harper also acknowledged that there has been a debate over the years over the proper role of the animal shelter and the board -- namely, whether its main function should be of animal control and capture or whether it should function also like a humane society, with pet adoptions and neglect investigations taking priority.

“Over the years, it’s been more seen as animal control,” he said.

But that may be changing. Harper said he believes the animal shelter should serve both functions and that it’s time to “rededicate our efforts” to the role of the animal shelter as a protector of animals. “It’s working to change an attitude,” he said.

He noted that the commissioners more than doubled the size of the board in recent years, and said that the board now consists of new members who are dedicated to animals.

Evans said he thinks the shelter might be dealing with more animal abuse cases because people are now more willing to make the reports. But he also said that as the county grows, all types of criminal cases will increase -- including cases involving animal neglect.

Posted 3/10/2008