Recent concerns voiced over the management of the Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society, employee turnover rates and alleged problems with the adoption process have been discouraging to members of the organization’s board of directors, who say they have seen nothing but positive changes take place within the shelter in recent months.

GMHS board president Richard Crowder, vice president P.B. White and executive director Nichola Redmond sat down Tuesday morning with this reporter to discuss some of the new processes that have been implemented at the shelter, each designed to make the lives of the animals and their future families more promising.

Redmond said she couldn’t speak to anything that occurred prior to when she came on board as executive director in December, but said since then, there has been “very little turnover.

“With any other job situation where you have people starting at minimum wage, if they find a better opportunity, they generally move on,” Redmond said. “The staff members we have are extremely dedicated and committed. They do a fantastic job and work very, very hard. They do it because of the passion they have for their work. It’s not just a job to them.”

According to Redmond and Crowder, some inaccuracies were presented in a letter to the editor that was printed in last week’s Gazette-Journal. She said the former employee named in the letter left on her own accord. Another employee that was named still works at the shelter while a third employee mentioned hasn’t been with the GMHS in more than a year.

Crowder said it has been frustrating for those on the GMHS board of directors to see the negative publicity, “because there has been a dramatic improvement during the last 90 days. For those of us who embrace and believe in fairness, you can’t help but to feel a little hurt,” he added. 

Redmond said there have been a number of changes that have taken place at the GMHS since she began, mostly dealing with the adoption process for animals. “It’s sometimes hard for people to adapt to change,” she said. “Not everyone is comfortable in that environment.” However, she said the staff members that are currently at the shelter are very excited about the changes.

Crowder said the humane society hired an outside consultant for the first time to help select the new executive director. The board met for hours upon hours last summer reviewing the 72 applicants who had applied for the job. He said Redmond was chosen because of her extensive experience in animal behavior and training.

With that experience, Redmond said she has changed the way animals can be adopted. For example, when someone comes in wishing to adopt an animal, they first meet with the shelter services coordinator, who completes an initial assessment of what the individual or family is looking for. The person adopting the animal then meets with the team leader for either dogs or cats. The team leader learns more about what interests the potential owner has such as running, children, neighbors, etc.

The team leader will then introduce several animals that seem to fit with the potential owner(s)’ lifestyle to make sure everyone is comfortable. If the owner(s) and the animal don’t immediately hit it off, they will have other opportunities to socialize with the animal they would like to adopt.

“It’s a team decision,” Redmond said. “We want to find the right match to not only benefit the families in the community but also the animals in the community. They are equal parts to the equation.”

“One of the goals of the organization is to decrease our rate of recidivism,” Crowder added. “We also want people in the community to have a good experience; not only this time, but times in the future.” If an animal is paired well with an owner, this makes the overall experience for both owner and animal much better, he added.

Redmond said when she first came on board at the shelter, she was receiving call after call of complaints about the GMHS adoption procedure. “A lot of the complaints were legitimate, such as why it was taking two weeks to adopt an animal,” she said.

“Do I wish I could wave a magic wand and have all of these things perfect in an instant?” Redmond asked. “Yes. But that’s not real life.”

Crowder said prior to Redmond’s coming on board, he personally received many of the complaint calls. He said he visited other shelters and saw where their procedures were very similar to what the procedures are now at GMHS.

Another change, Redmond said, is in cleaning the shelter. It is now cleaned in a way that helps eliminate upper respiratory conditions in cats. “When I started in December, there were 40 to 50 cats on medication for upper respiratory infections,” she said. “Today, there is one.”

The better health of the animals has meant better relationships with neighboring SPCAs such as Virginia Beach and Richmond to help adopt animals that remain at GMHS for a period of time. 

Also, animals are examined when they first come into the shelter and tested for conditions such as feline leukemia and feline AIDS. Cats and dogs, she said, are also now spayed or neutered as soon as possible to help cut down on the waiting time for those seeking an adoption.

As for procedures dealing with euthanasia, Redmond said the only animals that are euthanized are those with terminal diseases that can be spread to other animals. Also, she said the community does not currently have adequate resources to handle feral cats, so those animals are euthanized.

Redmond said one of the goals of the GMHS is to establish a partnership with the community so that feral cats can stay in place after being spayed or neutered. She said someone would monitor them for veterinary care and provide food for them on a regular basis. She said GMHS would work to help fund caring for the feral cats.