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| - This is a review that my boyfriend wrote on a recent experience we had with a particular staff member at the NVSPCA. This is not a review of the facility itself.
On December 21, 2012 my girlfriend notified me that the Las Vegas SPCA had just acquired 28 Australian Shepard puppies and were in desperate need of foster parents for them. I went to the SPCA and spoke with a woman named Lorraine (not sure of the spelling) who gave me 2 female puppies to foster. Lorraine said that they needed us to take care of them for 3 weeks, but to please let them know if any sort of circumstances were to arise that would unable us to fulfill the timeline. If so, we could and should bring them back before the three weeks. At the time we were absolutely willing to accommodate that time frame and did not anticipate any such circumstance that would prevent us from caring for them for the 3 weeks.
After having the puppies for 8 days, we realized that our commitment took a lot of time and energy, but we were happily determined to make it work. I work two jobs (one being a night shift) and my girlfriend has a full-time job, Monday-Friday. We were making it work as best we could and knew that it was important to care for them for the requested 3 weeks. We bought them toys, collars, puppy pads, wet food to supplement the dry food that the shelter provided, food/water bowls and training treats. They were bathed every other day and were well cared for. So despite our work schedules, we did our very best to give them as much attention and love as possible. Then an unanticipated situation arose. We live in a town home, which means we share walls with our neighbors. The puppies could get very loud at times (sometimes late at night/early in the morning), which led to noise complaints. With heavy hearts we had to take the puppies back to the SPCA. I know that we were just foster parents, but that does not mean that we were not getting attached to them and did not love them. We even wrestled with the idea of adopting them, but we knew in our hearts that our place was just not big enough. We already have two older dogs. The only thing that made returning them a little easier is the thought that the SPCA would take proper care of them and find them good homes soon.
On December 29th, I brought the puppies back and explained the situation to a volunteer. This was not before I called and left a voice mail earlier, but my call was never returned. The volunteer who greeted me said she would relay the message to someone who could help me. The woman who fostered them out to me, Lorraine, came out, grabbed the kennel and went back to her desk (setting the puppies beside her) to continue eating without any acknowledgement to me at all. It was very upsetting! Her cold and unprofessional attitude made a heartbreaking situation almost unbearable. My girlfriend and I did everything we could to help and to be treated like that by Lorraine was absolutely unacceptable. Is this how they treat all people wanting to help them - volunteers, foster parents, people who donate money and supplies? I hope that Lorraine's terrible attitude has not and will not deter future volunteers and donors. The NVSPCA is a wonderful organization and it is no secret that they need all the assistance they can get. Lorraine's poor behavior does not give our community a positive reflection of the staff at the Las Vegas SPCA. At first, my encounter with Lorraine had me feeling completely discouraged from ever wanting to foster again, along with making any donations to the NVSPCA. However after thinking about it for a while, I realized that would only negatively affect the animals and that goes against my moral fiber. The well being of every animal at the SPCA relies on people caring and that is why my girlfriend and I wanted to foster in the first place. We care and want to help. We did learn from this experience and the next time we do foster, we will be in a place with a more adequate setup (a place where we do not share walls with our neighbors). I hope that Lorraine remembers why she works at the NVSPCA and uses that to adjust her awful attitude.
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