Friends of MCHS: Merry Ellen Poole

Originally from Alabama, where she started the humane society in her hometown of Montgomery, AL, Merry Ellen Poole was an active foster mom, taking in cats, dogs and white rats. “My love of animals started way back in college,” she said. “It’s in my blood. While a student, I used to take home stray kittens and puppies, in addition to my class assignments. I even encouraged my professors to adopt the animals!” That passion stayed with her when she moved to Maryland.

Moving Animal Control to the Police Department

Merry Ellen served four years as the last civilian director of the Animal Control Division during the 1980s, a period she recalls as the best years of her professional life. Appointed by then-County Executive Neal Potter, she coordinated her work with a contract administrator who managed the legal and fiscal agreement the county had with MCHS to manage the county animal shelter.

ACD was transferred to the MC Police Department and renamed the Animal Services Division. This transfer was a good fit organizationally. “Animal control issues such as enforcement and investigation were typically handled by the police department,” Merry Ellen said, “so this move made sense to me.” She strongly advocated for the animal rescue police officers to get periodic animal training worked into their schedules so that they would better understand how to handle rescued animals properly. A training schedule was implemented soon after.

Merry Ellen fondly remembers her tenure as ACD director and a strong working relationship with the Montgomery County Humane Society. “I adored the Humane Society because of all the dedicated people working there.” She also recalls that the kennel staff had a very positive attitude and was very supportive of her work in animal control. “I give them lots of credit for what they accomplished, given their challenging circumstances and resources.”

Shelter Philosophy

“A shelter is a reflection, for good or bad, on its community,” Merry Ellen said. “The shelter staff should be caring and knowledgeable about the animals and the physical plant should be clean and sanitary. The (MCHS) shelter staff is fantastic. However, in my humble opinion, MC needs a new and improved shelter facility. This is a wealthy area and I don’t understand why the powers that be don’t provide more resources for it.”

In fact, she recalls that when she headed ACD, funds were so tight that even small items like office supplies were donated to the shelter. Now, if the shelter building is not improved, she fears, it could end up compromising the safety and welfare of the animals.

Her sense of what the priorities should be includes:

• Construction of a new state-of-the-art shelter building. The current facility is more than 30 years old and in desperate need of repair.
• Free or pay-what-you-can-afford spay-neuter services. This would take care of the chronic cat population problem.
  
• Higher salaries for employees. Current salaries are very low compared other non-profit pay scales.
  
• Expanded humane education programs for the community. Classes should start early and be offered often, when children are still young so that the messages are learned earlier and become part of their moral character.
  

“It’s crucial that citizens be made aware that it is not socially acceptable to be cruel to animals,” Merry Ellen said.

Farm Animal Rescue at the Shelter

While she was ACD’s director she wanted to build a barn behind the shelter on Rothgeb Drive to house rescued farm animals. The county council denied her request because it would cost too much money to build and maintain. Their priority was to use county funds for rescue purposes rather than building this structure. To this day, Merry Ellen regrets not pushing harder for the barn.

A Happy Ending Rescue

A Bethesda mail carrier once noticed a bad odor emanating from a house to which he was delivering mail. He notified the ASD about the situation. When officers arrived at the house, they discovered an elderly woman living alone with 40 cockapoos – both dead and alive – in her house. The living dogs were brought to the shelter and the old woman was put in a nursing home. Her house was condemned.

Many of the shelter’s volunteers came in after hours to “clean up” these dogs. The clean-up took so long that some volunteers were at the shelter until 4 a.m. “A front page article in the Montgomery Journal appeared soon after the incident, recounting the story and the selfless dedication of these volunteers,” she recalled. For their hard work, the volunteers were recognized at a special ceremony by then-County Executive, Neal Potter, at Rockville City Hall.

Getting More Animals Adopted

Merry Ellen pointed to two new strategies that helped significantly increase the number of animals getting adopted.

First was the Humane Society’s purchase of the animal Mobile Adoption Unit (MAU) van. For special events the van travels to local commercial neighborhoods with adoptable animals on board. “Going out into the community or visiting a pet retail store like PetSmart with the MAU is a much better adoption tactic. Rather than having the public come to the shelter, we began to realize that by going out to where the adopters are, we got more animals adopted.”

Next she appeared on a Channel 9 “Pet Adoption” segment for an interview about the shelter. After her appearance, the shelter began receiving many more phone calls from viewers interested in animal adoptions. “The interview gave us a lot more exposure in terms of making many more people aware of and interested in animal adoption.”

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Timeline: 1958-1979

May 24, 1958

• Articles of Incorporation approved in Minutes -- Corporate Ledger -- Humane Society of the United States, Montgomery County Branch

July 7, 1958

• Articles of Incorporation recorded at the Maryland State Courthouse in Annapolis
  

February 1, 1961

• Articles of Incorporation amended to change name to Montgomery County Humane Society, Inc.

October 1978

• 20th Anniversary Humanitarian Awards presented
  

1978

• Cared for 18,000+ animals
  

March 9, 1979

• Spay-Neuter Clinic opens (see Animail, Spring 1979)
  

August 1979

• 1st Annual Obedience & Fun Show for Dogs
  
• Dues were $5 for a single membership, $8 family, $3 junior, $100 sustaining, and $500 life

1979

• MCHS receives HSUS accreditation
  
• An editorial by Bob Horowitz in the Montgomery Journal (now defunct) leads to withdrawal of a proposal to reorganize / transfer the county's Animal Control function (see Animail, Fall 1979)
  

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Friends of MCHS: Ruth Hanessian

[insert Photo (at her store) of RH with one or more store animals]

MCHS: An indispensable resource

Ruth Hanessian is president of Animal Exchange, a Rockville store that specializes in birds and small animals.  She considers MCHS an indispensable animal resource for the county.  In fact, when customers ask her for advice on where to go to adopt dogs or cats, she always refers them to the shelter.  "MCHS provides an essential service to the community by providing a place where people can go to adopt animals," she said.

From her perspective, care and concern for animals are similar and give rise to care and concern for children in distress.  Both are part of the same deep concern and passion for living things.  "It is so important to care for any animal that needs help, whether two-legged or four-legged," she explained.  The child welfare movement may have gotten its start, she thinks, because of the hard work of the animal welfare community.  "Both animals and children need compassion and caring to thrive and survive."

Close encounter with the shelter

In 1974 Ruth adopted an Irish setter from the shelter, who lived with her for 10 years.  The shelter already was conducting home visit inspections and interviews to determine whether potential animal owners would make acceptable animal adopters.  Obviously, Ruth passed the test!

Training for animal handlers

As a great believer in education, Ruth conducts a training class for animal handlers entitled Animal Exchange Pet Shop Management.  As part of the curriculum, trainees watch the documentary, The Animals Are Crying (1971), directed by Peter A. Beltz.  It's included, she explained, because it is so realistic.  "It shows actual situations with animals that could happen in real life."  After viewing the movie, trainees are encouraged to discuss the situations depicted -- "throwaway" animals, give-ups, adoption, the decision to spay or neuter -- with each other.

Ruth also takes the trainees to the shelter to hear firsthand the conversations of owners who are "giving up" their pets.  After they complete the course, all trainees take a written test to determine their animal knowledge proficiency.  All are given a certificate upon completion of the course.  Ruth hires some of the trainees to work in her store, and many go on to work at the shelter or other pet supply stores in the area.

Most exciting change at the shelter

Over the years Ruth has observed a noticeable decrease in the number of animals brought to the shelter.  She attributed this drop to a couple of factors:  increased urbanization of the community, which decreased the habitat area for wild animals, and more responsible decision-making about animals.  She credited the shelter's education program for this change.  "It is really having a positive impact in our community," she said.

Recommended changes

• Increase amount of fines for runaways -- Ruth believes that if increased fines were imposed for each succeeding offense, and if the boarding fees for these runaways at the shelter were also increased, the number of repeat offenders would be decreased.

• Decrease number of bird flyaways -- Given that Ruth has a bachelor's degree in ornithology from Cornell University, it's understandable that she has strong opinions about how the shelter should handle birds when they are brought in.  She advised, "I always trim their feathers to prevent them from ever flying away again.  That's what I do in my shop and it works."  That would decrease the number of birds the shelter cares for that need to get adopted.

Backbone for humane treatment

Ruth paid her highest compliments to MCHS and its staff.  "Thank goodness MCHS is there.  Otherwise, our community would look like some parts of Brazil, where feral dogs are free to roam all over the place and runaway kittens are gassed (using gas from tailpipes of the police cars).  MCHS guards against these inhumane situations from happening."

And thanks to the county's Animal Services Division, she added, "There are so many concerned and caring officers who do an outstanding job every day.  Often, they find themselves in dangerous situations and yet they are able to respond to each call in a professional and respectful manner.  I have the highest admiration for them."

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Friends of MCHS: Margie Callahan

[insert Photo of MC with one or more animals to accompany article]

Margie Callahan served as a shelter pre-adoption interviewer-investigator for a year in the early 1990s, and also as a member of the Animal Matters Hearing Board from 1994 to 1996.  Only one family was denied adoption during that time, she recalled, because they had just moved into their new home and were still in the process of getting settled.   The house didn’t even have furniture!  Margie was reluctant to bring a needy animal into this chaotic environment so she deferred adoption and suggested that the family contact her at a later date.

Margie remembered working with Carol Johnson, who used to be the shelter’s kennel director and later became director of its computer network operations.  “Carol did a fantastic job managing the kennel to keep it running smoothly. She is a very talented, admirable person,” Margie said.

Former volunteer and board member Fumi Winter was another stand-out in Margie's recollection.  One time there were two dogs attacking each other.  "Without any hesitation or concern for her own safety," Margie said, "Fumi went over to the fighting dogs and sat on one of them to stop their fighting.  She sat there until they were secured in a safe area."

New physical plant needed for the shelter

Like many others, Margie feels the shelter building is too small and in too poor physical shape to deal effectively with the number of animals that pass through its doors. “Given the increasing number of animals that need special attention, the building needs to be bigger to comfortably accommodate all of them.”

There are negative ramifications from the lack of space.  “One time (a number of) Chow dogs were brought to the shelter because they had been abused by their owners.  Several Chows needed separate quarters because the barking of the other dogs upset them.  This put a severe strain on the shelter’s resources because it was too small to accommodate their needs."

Adopting Cosmo, the shelter cat

Cosmo was a big, fat cat who arrived at the shelter in 1996.  In fact, he was sent back to the shelter quite a few times for running away.  His future was precarious, to say the least, since he would have been euthanized if no one had adopted him.  Margie heard about him and went to the shelter to meet him.   “I immediately fell in love with him and adopted him.   I saved the cat’s life!”

How he got his name is a good story.  “He was a very good jumper," Margie said.  "He loved jumping from counter to counter and onto the top of cupboards.  His behavior reminded me of the character Cosmo Kramer on the 90s hit TV show, Seinfeld.  Hence I named him Cosmo.”

Currently Margie owns six cats and two dogs.  She spends about $50 a month on pet food, quite an expense in today’s economic climate.

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Friends of MCHS: Nancy Dacek

[insert Photo of ND with one or more animals to accompany article]

Nancy Dacek served on the Montgomery County Council from 1990 until 2002, with responsibility for budget and animal control issues.  She was instrumental in transitioning the county's Animal Services Division (date) from a stand-alone department to a division of the MoCo Police Department.   This move has helped MCHS be more efficient at doing its job by making it easier to communicate with both groups.

Dacek proposed this change to the County Council and it passed for several reasons:  As part of the police force, ASD would have more legal authority to enforce the Animal Control Laws, and as a unified team, ASD and the police could deal more effectively with animal control and rescue.  So far the realignment has been a win-win situation for both.

Raising public awareness of MCHS

While serving on the MoCo Council, Dacek raised public awareness of the unique importance and value the Humane Society has played in the lives of its citizens through some key legislation.  In 1998(?) she collaborated with the HS and some interested individual citizens to revise some of the Animal Control Laws.  Among the revisions she worked on were whether a dog could be chained in a backyard; providing water and shelter for all dogs; and issues related to spaying and neutering.

"No bad dogs"

From time to time there have been attempts to amend the Animal Control Laws.  A few years ago, there was an attempt to ban ownership of certain breeds of dogs such as rottweilers and pit bulls because of their presumed aggressive natures.  Dacek opposed this amendment to the law.   Others did as well and the proposal was defeated.

“There are no bad dogs, only bad owners,” she said.

Other issues

Dacek served on the Public Safety Committee during her tenure with the Montgomery County Council.  She dealt with animal control issues that came before the committee.  Her advocacy led to an increase in the number of officers in the Animal Services Division, and purchase of new, better equipped animal control vans for the division.  She also succeeded in getting a much-needed salary increase for Humane Society employees.

A new shelter = Today's greatest need

MCHS desperately needs a new housing facility, Dacek said.  “The building is more than 30 years old and, because of its advanced age, is very run-down and in poor physical condition.”   While on the Council she worked tirelessly to achieve this goal, but unfortunately, funding was not appropriated.  (Note: The county has since developed plans to build a new shelter.)

In a July 2001 news release Dacek was quoted, “The Humane Society does great work for Montgomery County.  This agreement (the contract under which MCHS, a private nonprofit, operates the animal shelter for the county) makes sure MCHS can keep on doing great work.  Council staff, the Police, and the County Executive were enormously helpful in making sure we drafted a fair deal for all.  Montgomery residents – and Montgomery animals – are the big winners.” 

By the way, Nancy is a proud beagle owner. 

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Animal Services Division Vignette: Suzanne Lemich Gust

[Photo of SLG-- with one or more animals]

A lifelong animal lover and caregiver

Suzanne has been personally and professionally involved with animals all her life, so it’s no wonder that she ended up working at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter.  She attended dog grooming school and worked as a veterinary assistant to learn about animal health and how to perform certain procedures.  Her current family includes two dogs and a cockatiel, all adopted from the shelter. 

"Fourteen years ago I fostered and then adopted a German shepherd from the shelter.  She was in really bad shape; she had been abused and neglected by its owner.  As if these problems weren’t bad enough, she had lost one of her legs and suffered internal injuries when she got loose, ran in the street, and was hit by a car," Suzanne recalled.

Prior to becoming office services coordinator for the ASD, she worked at the MCHS from 1990-94 in a variety of positions as an administrative aide to the executive director.  She supervised fundraising activities, conducted home interviews for potential adopters, and presented humane education programs.  She also was a member of the Animal Matters Hearing Board from 1991 to 1993.

In addition to her position with ASD, Suzanne has served as the rabies coordinator for the County and is familiar with animal health laws.   In this capacity she is responsible for minimizing the health risks wild animals with rabies may pose to the community.  For example, if a wild animal such as a raccoon is found by police, past experience has shown there is a high likelihood that it will be rabid. 

"After the animal is brought to the shelter, it is quarantined for 10 days," Suzanne explained. "An animal that has bitten a person is placed under quarantine for 10 days.  On the other hand, animals that have been bitten by another, unknown, animal are quarantined for either 45 days (if they have a current rabies shot) or 6 months (if they do not have a current rabies shot).  If no rabies is present, the animal is released.  However, if the animal has rabies, it is euthanized and sent to a lab for testing."

Compassion for people

Both the monthly Bereavement Seminars and the Safe Haven Program are Suzanne's initiatives. The Safe Haven Program offers boarding, at MCHS’ expense, for pets of domestic violence victims at an undisclosed location for up to two weeks.  "These programs broadened the Humane Society’s involvement within the community by helping citizens cope with pet loss and providing a temporary pet sanctuary," Suzanne observed.

Tales of hogs and exotic birds

• Four or five years ago, a couple of hogs were being transported by truck for slaughter.  Somehow they both fell off the farmer’s truck in Rockville and were running around the neighborhood.  ASD rescued the hogs and brought them to the shelter.  MCHS decided to save the hogs’ life by paying the farmer a few hundred dollars for both animals.  Subsequently, the hogs were transferred to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville to live out their natural days.

• Every so often exotic birds such as peacocks, ostriches, and emus escape from their enclosures.  On one occasion, an emu got loose from a private "exotic" farm.  The bird was eventually captured by throwing a blanket over its head and tying its strong legs together so it would not kick the ASD officers.  During capture, the officers had to be very careful not to break its neck.

[Note:  ASD officers receive special education and training about different animals such as birds, horses, and reptiles.  They also learn specifics about salt water vs. fresh water fish.]

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Animal Services Division Vignette: Police Chief Wayne Jerman

[Photo with one or more animals]

Currently Chief of the Investigative Services Bureau and Assistant Chief of Police in the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Wayne Jerman served as director of the Animal Services Division from September 2002 to May 2005.   "I received a first class education in the animal care field," he said of his time there.

Getting new Animal Control laws on the books

In 2002 the County Council passed a law for microchipping animals, a law Chief Jerman strongly supported.  It required that before animals left the shelter they must be microchipped. It took teamwork between himself and his staff and two members of the MCHS Board of Directors -- Sharon Kessler, then-executive director, and Margaret Zanville, then-board president, of MCHS at the time.  As a result, this new law made the ASD’s job much easier in tracking and returning stray animals to their owners.

More recently, the County Council passed the “Leash Law.”  This requires that animals, when outside, must be on a leash at all times -- voice control isn't enough.   According to Chief Jerman, this new regulation greatly reduced unwanted animal contact with the public and also lowered the number of animal bite incidents.

Humane education, Chief Jerman believes, goes a long way toward educating people about proper animal treatment and care.  Raising the community's awareness of compassion results in fewer charges of neglect and abuse, he said.

A rescue story to remember

Several years ago the ASD was called to a neighborhood in Silver Spring because there were many snakes and other reptiles crawling around on the street!  There were also offensive odors coming from a warehouse nearby that belonged to the Reptile Connection pet store in Silver Spring.

ASD investigated the complaint and discovered that the warehouse was full of sick and dead reptiles.  Upon further investigation, the officers found thousands of snakes, mostly “exotic” reptiles -- some snapping turtles, scorpions, and caimans in the warehouse.  ASD caged up the living reptiles and boxed up the venomous snakes.  With the help of MCHS, many were sent to zoos, private caregivers, and foster homes.  As you might expect, ASD conducted a thorough investigation of the business and found that many animals had died from neglect.  The proprietor of the pet store was charged with animal cruelty, found guilty, and put out of business.

Honoring Maryland's first sucessful felony prosecution against animal cruelty

[double-check details of this story in back issue of Animail]

In 2003, an ASD officer brought charges against the owner of a pit bull puppy. Apparently the owner had killed the dog by beating it to death with his fists.  Upon hearing about the case, the Humane Society of the United States posted a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator of this heinous crime.

Two witnesses provided key testimony that led to the perpetrator’s arrest and conviction.  In exchange for their testimony, the two witnesses, who were not identified, split a $5,000 reward ($4,000 from the HSUS and $1,000 from the Montgomery County Humane Society).

With the successful prosecution of this case, HSUS honored three Montgomery County officials (then State’s Attorney Douglas F. Gansler, Assistant State’s Attorney Alex Foster, and Officer Herbert Emerson of the Montgomery County Police Department Animal Services Division) for their work in bringing about the first conviction of animal cruelty under Maryland’s then one-year-old Felony Cruelty Law. 

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