Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega-Pederson is calling for a review of current practices within Animal Services after multiple allegations and audits.
PORTLAND, Oregon — Former employees of Multnomah County Animal Services are shedding light on what they call systemic animal neglect at the shelter.
"I don't think I went a single day without crying," said Kayla Popper, a former animal care technician with Multnomah County Animal Services. She quit her job in November after one year.
"The longer dogs stayed [at the shelter], the more you could see them deteriorate, the more you could feel them getting frustrated, getting depressed, kind of going crazy," she said.
Popper said on several occasions, she and other employees went to management with their concerns about staff shortages, animal overcrowding and lack of support from supervisors, with little or no change.
Ami Prevec is also a former care technician with Multnomah County Animal Services. She quit in January of 2022 after four and a half years.
"I just did not feel comfortable with what I saw as the inhumane treatment of animals," Prevec said. "The more I questioned it, the more I seemed to be out of favor with management."
Popper and a third former animal services employee also expressed concerns with what they felt was a culture of retaliation toward employees.
"I felt targeted and emotionally attacked by management," said Cora Burst, who worked as a care technician with Animal Services from spring of 2020 until...
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