Pueblo animal shelter manager on leave amid investigation

A day after Community Animal Services of Pueblo confirmed that its staff veterinarian is no longer working there, we’re now learning that the organization’s manager has been placed on indefinite leave.

Linda Mitchell, a manager with Community Animal Services of Pueblo, is currently on leave, but the shelter wouldn’t specify why. This confirmed by Pueblo County Commissioner Chris Wiseman.

Mitchell was the voice for PAWS for Life when the private no-kill shelter in Pueblo was campaigning to become the new vendor of the city and county’s animal shelter.

It’s happening as the Colorado Department of Agriculture is conducting an investigation into the animal shelter. The shelter remains fully operational, and the animals remain their top priority. It is unclear if the animals’ well-being played any role in how this investigation got started.

Board President Ruth McDonald said the shelter doesn’t want to comment on any personnel changes. McDonald said, “There are corrective actions being taken, including staff evaluations and training.”

Just yesterday, it was announced Dr. Joel Brubaker is no longer with Community Animal Services of Pueblo as their veterinarian. Because of this, the shelter already appears to be running into problems.

Pueblo resident Betty Baca brought a badly injured cat to the shelter Tuesday, but was turned away.

“We asked if they could nurse it back to health or euthanize it,” said Baca. “She said, ‘no, we don’t do that’.”

Baca was eventually redirected by staff at the shelter to another shelter with a vet, however, Baca was unhappy about it being a taxpayer in the city and county.

Community Animal Services of Pueblo admitted to the ‘Pueblo Chieftain’ newspaper that an error was made in turning a person away and will transfer animals to other vet clinics in the future until they hire a new vet.

When a shelter is without a vet they are required to have a contingency plan in place to transfer the animals elsewhere.

As for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, details surrounding their active investigation remain unclear.

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Staff veterinarian Dr. Joel Brubaker is no longer with Community Animal Services of Pueblo amid an investigation into the shelter.

Last Friday, it was announced that the Colorado Department of Agriculture is currently conducting an investigation into Pueblo’s animal shelter. It’s not yet clear if Brubaker was fired or if he resigned. He was hired by Paws for Life to be the staff veterinarian.

Specifics surrounding the investigation are still unclear on Monday, but shelter staff are speaking out.

Staff from Paws for Life, a Pueblo no-kill shelter who took over as the city and county’s vendor for the shelter earlier year, are taking the investigation as a learning experience.

“We regard this as an opportunity to better care for our animals,” said Ruth McDonald the President of the Board of Animal Welfare and Protection Society. “It helps us know some things we need to do but we are going to look at it as an opportunity to help our animals.”

McDonald says they are fully cooperating with the investigation.

Last Friday, investigators with the Colorado Department of Agriculture along with a police escort came to inspect the Community Animal Services of Pueblo facility and look into its records.

Since then, an inspection report has been written and shared with the shelter. Staff say the report has already led to change.

“We are taking steps that were recommended in the report and we have taken some personnel steps as well,” said McDonald, likely alluding to Brubaker’s departure.

McDonald would not go into specifics on what those steps and what personnel changes were made, but did say many of them were easy fixes.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture would not share their findings publicly as the investigation is still ongoing.

The shelter remains fully operational, and the animals remain their top priority. It is unclear if the animals’ well-being played any role in how this investigation got started.

In a Facebook post, the animal shelter pointed to anonymous tips as the reasoning for why the department of agriculture started the investigation.

“We are dedicated to the health and welfare of our animals,” said McDonald when asked if the shelter animals had ever been in harm’s way since they took over at the beginning of this year.

Pueblo County Commissioners would not answer questions at this time until the investigation has concluded.

When asked if the shelter would come out of this investigation unscathed McDonald said they look at this as an opportunity to improve.

In a recent report, the shelter’s save rate raised from 88 percent to 95 percent since Paws for Life took over as the city and county shelter’s vendor at the beginning of this year.