Animals Denied Basic Care at Alachua County Animal Resources

Updated Dec 1| Alachua County’s media relations were contacted about the contents of the email on November 22 and they didn’t respond. GnvInfo reached out to ACAR today to ask if they’d like to respond to anything in the email or this article.

After four months working at Alachua County Animal Services (ACAR), a desperate former employee sent an email pleading with the Alachua County Commission to help improve conditions at the shelter.

Under current management, there have been several instances of extreme cruelty and failure to comply with basic hygiene and animal care practices. The former employee, a veterinary nurse, states that staff would leave the cats with soiled bedding and mold growing in their bowls. Staff were reportedly told to simply shake the blankets out and place them back in the kennels, without further need for daily cleaning. Photos of the conditions include feces, old food, and mold growing in the kennels after the staff had "cleaned" them.

The attending veterinarian on duty, Dr. Samantha Stephenson, reportedly neutered a six-month-old kitten with an open fracture to the hind leg. She applied a simple vet wrap to the exposed bone and left on vacation for over a week without any further treatment prescribed. The cat only received one standard administration of pain medication and was left untreated for his injuries, even when the smell of decaying flesh was obvious from outside of the room where the cat stayed.

When the former employee pointed out the inhumane treatment, Director Julie Johnson reportedly questioned how they could tell the cat was in pain. Julie Johnson refused any suggestions to have a rotating vet or a rescue organization step in to help the kitten get proper treatment for his broken leg. 

This is not an isolated incidence of extreme cruelty; in another instance, Dr. Stephenson performed surgery on a puppy. During which, the puppy required resuscitation. Dr. Stephenson reportedly declared the puppy “brain dead” and left the puppy unmonitored and alone in a kennel for approximately 24 hours. The puppy’s cries were heard from outside of the medical ward, concerning both staff and visitors. When this was brought to Dr. Stephenson’s attention, she instructed staff to ignore the cries despite the obvious reason for concern. This puppy went on to suffer through the night, only to be euthanized the next morning.  

Routine veterinary care for the cats was reportedly denied by the veterinarian on duty; when the former veterinary nurse offered to administer medication to the cats affected by eye infections, Dr. Stephenson dismissed the concerns and stated they would naturally heal. 

ACAR does not have an established system for feeding neonatal kittens, despite being one of the only shelters in the county where stray kittens can be brought. 

Newborn kittens need to be fed every two hours, but at ACAR, the kittens are placed in a kennel and only fed if and when a staff member remembers to feed them. The staff was reportedly told if they do not want to care for kittens, they can take them to the “blue room,” where animals are euthanized. 

According to the former staff member, they had tried to help with foster placement for the kittens and suggested a foster group formation to help share the responsibilities of nighttime feedings. Sarah Gilley, who serves as the Education, Volunteer, and Outreach Coordinator, reportedly denied any opportunity for them to help improve the current situation.

At some points, the whistleblower brought home over 10 kittens to ensure they were being taken care of and fed routinely overnight. 

To add to this, the staff routinely designated certain cats to “return to field.” Meaning that they would release the cats in their parking lot. Many of these cats, some of which were surrendered by a previous owner, were not previously kept outside. It is standard practice for shelters to sterilize stray cats and release them back into their former colony, but the practice described is far beyond what would be considered typical or standard practice. 

Others who sought help from the shelter were told they should return the animals to where they found them if they were not able to foster the animals themselves. 

ACAR is a county-run and funded shelter, but the county commissioners haven't demonstrated accountability for the animal abuse or taken appropriate actions. Commissioners Ken Cornell, Mary Alford, Marihelen Wheeler, Anna Pritzia, and Chuck Chestnut were emailed directly by the former employe but haven't given a public statement. 

Assistant County Manager Gina Peebles wrote a response stating that "[Dr. Stephenson] follows protocols established by the ASPCA” and disregarded other concerns listed in the email. Shelter director Julie Johnson and attending vet Dr. Samantha Stephenson haven't made any statements about the treatment of animals in their care.

If you want to demand a response from the county commissioner's their contact information can be found here.