Washougal animal shelter makes changes after criticism

The West Columbia Gorge Humane Society in Washougal is changing some of its procedures after fielding criticism from some benefactors.

The saga started in mid-June, when longtime animal shelter supporters John and Janice Boyer of Portland traveled to Washougal to drop off a check for the animal shelter.

The Boyers, who have donated to the Washougal animal shelter since 2012, said they were puzzled when they discovered the shelter’s doors, 2675 Index St., Washougal, were locked during posted business hours.

Before leaving, the Boyers encountered another confused shelter visitor in the parking lot. They said a woman driving a white SUV, holding a cat carrier approached Janice, saying she and her partner had called the Washougal animal shelter earlier that morning, but no one picked up and they had not received a call back. The couple in the SUV told Janice they wanted the shelter to take the stray cat because their neighbor had threatened to drown the animal.

“The man said to Janice that they had been calling everyone they knew for two days and, ‘You have to understand, we are trying to save the cat because one of our neighbors said to us that if the cat ever came onto their property, they would throw it in their pool,’” John told The Columbian in a phone interview.

With seven cats of their own at home, Janice declined to take the cat off the couple’s hands. But she later regretted the decision.

“I realize now that I should’ve taken the cat,” Janice said. “They didn’t give us their phone number. We didn’t look at their license plate. We failed to prevent all this in the first place by not connecting with them. We feel awful.”

The couple also blames the Washougal shelter.

“The cat would be here if only they had consistently and effectively done their job,” the Boyers said in an email to The Columbian. “All of this is important because of the life of this cat and other animals in the community and not just our desire to adopt the cat.”

Shelter Executive Director Micki Simeone said West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, which asks visitors to make appointments, keeps its shelter doors locked during business hours to limit the number of people in the buildings.

“I know it’s not ideal,” Simeone said. “Like I told the Boyers, we get plenty of negative Google reviews because of it. But it’s the only way that we’ve been able to control the number of people entering the building and allow us to meet the needs of the people that have appointments.”

Simeone said the shelter plans to post a sign on the door telling visitors to knock if they arrive during business hours.

The Boyers are still concerned about the shelter’s policies.

“How could (they) have failed when the couple was parked outside their building and standing outside with the cat in a carrier and had called ahead?” the Boyers said in the email.

Simeone said she believes the couple hoping to drop off the cat called the shelter before 12:30 p.m. June 19 and did not leave a voicemail. The call was one of 56 calls the shelter received that day, she said.

The shelter is open 12:30-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday by appointment. Simeone said shelter employees do not answer phone calls until the shelter opens but the shelter has enabled call recording. She called the Boyers “lovely people” who have “a passion for animals,” and said she has been trying her best to help them.

Simeone reached out to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington in Vancouver to see if the cat ended up there but had no luck. On July 15, she put a call out on social media, writing the shelter is “urgently trying to track down the very concerned couple from Washougal who brought a stray cat to our shelter on June 19.”

The cat is described as an adult medium-hair brown tabby with white on its forehead, nose, neck and chest.

“We all get so many cats that fall under that description, so it’s tough to narrow that down,” Simeone said. “But I tried.”

The Boyers have remained in contact with Simeone and have offered to adopt the cat and cover its medical expenses.

But the couple said they are still frustrated by what they view as the shelter’s lack of urgency.

The Boyers have urged the Washougal shelter to place ads in local newspapers and suggested the shelter hire a private investigator to track down the cat.

The Boyers have said they wonder if “the actions taken by the shelter in this particular incident reflected a more systemic issue with how the shelter responds to the community in general.”

Simeone said it’s upsetting to hear that type of criticism.

“We’re trying to do good things, and then somebody gets upset with us,” Simeone said. “And I get it. They’re upset. Things like this happen. But there’s only so much we can do.”

Simeone said she still hopes the cat will turn up.

“That’s my prayer right now,” Simeone said. “It’ll make me feel better, and it’ll make the Boyers feel better.”

Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; [email protected]