NIAGARA FALLS, NY - The attorney assisting the Niagara County SPCA through one of its most troubled periods tells 2 On Your Side the agency will likely be ready to announce the appointment of an acting Executive Director on Wednesday.
The news comes one day after John Faso was fired from the post, following a scathing report of his management of the Rainbow Animal Shelter, and the dysfunctional nature of the board which hired and supervised him.
Attorney Paul Cambria also told WGRZ-TV that he is most grateful to the many agencies and individuals who have contacted him not only to offer advice on who to hire, but what they need to do to rebuild community confidence in the Niagara County SPCA.
They include Carol Tutzauer, President of Buffalo Humane, one of many animal rescue groups which will adopt as many animals as they can, and get them into foster homes, so as to cut down on the higher than average number of euthanasia incidents, the likes of which was seen under the final months of John Faso's tenure.
She says that perhaps most important, would be for whoever takes over to start working with organizations like hers.
"We have attempted to go there (Niagara SPCA) in the past, and they aren't very cooperative with rescue groups that wish to take animals that are slated for euthanasia," Tutzauer said.
"They absolutely have to work pro actively with pro animal groups because they need to move the numbers out. They don't have a huge shelter, and no shelter can handle all those animals without working with smaller animal rescue organizations."
Looking on with interest as well, are a number of municipalities who contract with the Niagara County SPCA for animal control services, a major source of income here, and who pulled contracts subject to corrections being made.
"We're going to ask for assurances that certain in humane practices that were described in the report have been ceased," said Paul Dyster, the Mayor of Niagara Falls, which is the largest of the communities and which spent $84,000 last year for animal control services.
"I think we're going to ask that we have the ability to send an individual , not necessarily a city employee but someone we appoint with knowledge of animal care, in to do impromptu inspections," Dyster said.
But Tutzauer believes the Niagara County SPCA, as it is set up right now, has a conflict of purpose, in that it operates as both an animal protection shelter and animal population control center.
"You cannot be there for animals and doing everything in your power to protect animals while you are doing animal control functions...They should get out the animal control business," she said. "It's a public service the municipalities are going to have to pick up."
Tatzauer concluded by saying that while whoever the choice is to lead the agency certainly has their work cut out for them, their task is not insurmountable.
"Absolutely not," she said.
Click on the video player to watch our story from 2 On Your Side Reporter Dave McKinley and Photojournalist Norm Fisher from Eden.
Click here to read Dave McKinley's latest blog (which also has to do with animals).
WGRZ-TV, wgrz.com