Sierra County Humane Society Inc

NOTICE TO THE ANIMAL WELFARE VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY.
Sierra County Humane Society wishes to inform the animal welfare community that non-profit organizations such as ours must be on watch against malicious and unfounded attacks by unscrupulous persons using social media.
Since the spring of 2013, we have been under internet attacks from a person calling herself Kelly Facto. She uses various names; Kelly Mimms, Kelly Lynne are the ones we know of. In the Fall of 2012, this person was accepted for a work-camping position at Desert Haven Animal Refuge, the no-kill animal sanctuary owned and operated by our non-profit organization. At the time, she was accompanied by a male companion, Paul, who we later discovered had a police record.
These people came to work-camp for us in the fall of 2012. Our organization was forced to evict them because of the disruption and chaos they had created among our group in the short period of time they were there. Since then, Kelly Facto has waged a personal vendetta against our organization using social media.
We wish to share this information with everyone as a warning. The chaos that can be caused to your organization by Kelly Facto is something to be avoided at all costs.
For further information regarding this advisory, please feel free to contact the SCHS Board of Directors at our www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com web site.
The SCHS Board

Before going further, I do not want to discourage anyone from volunteering at or donating to the Sierra County Humane Society (SCHS). I am an ardent believer in the no-kill movement and animal welfare. For the time being, Desert Haven it is the only no kill animal refuge and SCHS the only humane society directly available to the Truth or Consequences area. Even if I have severe reservations about its management and oversight, it truly is better than nothing and with public accountability, it has the basic assets to further its mission and earn it the privilege of havering not for profit status. And I love the animals I have cared for there for the past three plus months as a workcamper.

I found the work camper positions at Desert Haven while looking for volunteer opportunities in this area. It felt like complete serendipity. We had decided to explore this region as a possible home-base and wanted to find good work to do while here. Working with SCHS seemed perfect. The perks of the RV space were nice but not necessary. All we wanted was a good place to do good work. We would have followed the volunteer vacationer mode if that was on offer. Unfortunately, despite my partner's and my love for the animals, our enjoyment of the work, deep like for our co-workers, it turns out were were getting involved in a situation mired in mediocrity and minimal standards overseen by a person who has no leadership abilities. I truly wish mediocrity was the worst of our experience.

That being said, I have a decade of experience in the not for profit sector. I am deeply concerned about accountability and transparency because they are the foundation of public trust. After three months of association, I know the President and Board could and should be doing so much better and feel it is time for a complete change in leadership. What good does the basic infrastructure do if the SCHS isn't meeting its mission, only provides a project of appearances and a look at facts on the ground and public records erodes the confidence of volunteers and donors alike?

The heart of any organization is its human resources. From my experiences, observations and conversations, SCHS, or more specifically Eliana Aubin, burns people out hard and fast. This is especially true for the workcampers. In our three plus months here, we will be the third rv to drive off well before our commitment ends. A tremendous part of the problem is the caustic culture of communication Eliana Aubin fosters. Honestly, I should have left the day she screamed in my face about something that had nothing to do with me. I have never volunteered or worked at a place where leadership screams at, belittles, insults and abuses people in the way we have experienced and observed. Dealing with the president of SCHS is very much akin to being in an abusive relationship if you are a workcamper. She even committed physical assault on me just prior to our departure and I know she has grabbed and shoved others as well. Admittedly, treatment is different if you are a local volunteer - they have the ability to avoid Eliana and are given wide latitude in their performance, to the point where hitting a dog with a spinning leash is okay. I am not surprised after briefly encountering a Board member who's dog had a shock collar and whom she struck with a metal chain. Evidently, standards are low.

Being able to retain human resources, employ their skill sets appropriately and create a work environment where people can maintain enthusiasm and work to best of their abilities should be part of Eliana's job. She isn't doing it and the Board is not providing the oversight to make sure she does.

Her job is also about maintaining and furthering the mission statement. As stated on the Desert Haven website and SCHS tax returns, the mission of SCHS is "The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals[,] Relief of Animal Suffering[,] Extension of Humane Education. Towards these ends, SCHS does little. For the sake of brevity, I won't address each failing but will provide some insights. How is the extension of humane education achieved when according to the Schedule O of SCHS's 990 tax return of 2012, a grand total of $20.00 was spent towards that end? Financial responsibility is one thing, this is a failure to maintain mission. When I would inquire about various ways we could do outreach and expand humane education, I was constantly met with indifference or the statement that there aren't enough volunteers. Eliana has a point about the volunteers, but that situation rests squarely on her shoulders. The Desert Haven website claims to do educational outreach to local schools. Institutional memory of at least the past year and the totes of humane education coloring books dry rotting on site shows otherwise. As to relief of animal suffering, while there are basic standards of care and the staff, workcampers and volunteers do amazing with the minimal time and care guidance provided, the lack education on animal wellbeing on the part of leadership of SCHS actually can promote such suffering.

My husband and I realized one of the dogs at the refuge was at least semi-feral. As such, dealing with this dog and ensuring her wellbeing is much different than for the others. When I presented an article of well done protocols for feral dogs to Eliana with the hopes of having them implemented for Lucy and any other feral dogs brought to the refuge, I was told I was allowed to share them, but others don't have the time or interest. It is a true shame as shortly there after, another feral dog came into care. Because this dog is cute and little, it is easy to want to treat her as domestic, but she isn't and treating her as domesticated has a negative impact on her well being and rehabilitation. There isn't even provision of basic training for the dogs to make them more adoptable or time given to provide grooming, which for the long haired animals does create a health concern. Also, it should not be a struggle for the Animal Care Coordinator to get approval for appropriate treatment of the animals. Additionally, Eliana should be far more thoughtful before stating such things as volunteers should stop pain management medications for a 14 year old dog with body wide arthritis and painfully bad teeth. Food and shelter are great, but if animal welfare was so important, meaningful protocols aimed at rehabilitation, wellbeing and promoting adoptability would exist.

Additionally, the President and Board are fiduciaries and have responsibility to maintain transparency and accountability. This may be the greatest failing. I will admit, it was a tremendous red flag for me when Eliana declared in a meeting that none of us were to concern ourselves with actual operations. She then hung up a graphic displaying the chain of command. The issue is that the tax privilege of a 501(c) 3, the not for profit status, means there should be absolutely no room for doubts about operations. From my observations and public records research, the cracks in the financial facade are wide enough to drive a garbage truck through. For starters, the Desert Haven website claims Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe is owned and operated by SCHS. That gnawed on me while looking at SCHS's tax returns. Paws & Claws appears nowhere on the 990. I could not find an independent not for profit status for Paws & Claws. When I went through public records, the actual property owner is Eliana Aubin. Does that mean the rent we constantly hear about making for Paws & Claws actually goes to her? Why wouldn't she seek to extend the 501(c) 3 to the store? Do all proceeds past rent and utilities actually make it to SCHS? Does any of this present a potential conflict of interests and if so, are any such conflicts addressed and appropriately noted in Board records? This is especially hard to clarify as no meaningful accounting or inventory system exists for Paws & Claws. It is a cash only operation where the minimal tracing of transactions is limited to a notebook. No receipts are given for purchases. How are people who donate to or purchase from Paws & Claws provided meaningful assurance that proceeds go where they are suppose to? This doesn't even go into the lack of sensible practices at the store itself. Her refusal to engage in such things as sales events and her inability to maintain volunteers/workcampers has created a situation where donations literally molder in the adjacent lot. That is incompetent management of assets and resources provided by the community, and in conjunction with so much more is a breach of fiduciary duty (a good brief can be found at http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fiduciary_duty). I won't bother to go into the health and safty hazards I encountered at the store.

In trying to clarify things for myself, I made a public records request for a copy of the business license as I could not find one displayed at the store. I was completely surprised when the Clerk initially told me she could find no license at all. I am waiting for an official response to my request so there is a chance one may turn up. I have yet to look into the full public record for Desert Haven's RV camp ground. Additionally, I am perplexed as to why Eliana Aubin would provide 1099 (independent contractor) tax forms to people who by every appearance are common law employees? If even just one person filed IRS form ss-8, she is inviting a lack of confidence in her legitimacy as leadership. If she is unclear of their actual tax status, why hasn't she filed the ss-8 herself?

There are a plethora of other issues, but in short, it is time for public accountability, transparency and positive change for the Sierra County Humane Society.

Sincerely,

Kelly Facto
Concerned former workcamper