New Lawrence Humane Society director responds to allegations from previous job
Before the Lawrence Humane Society chose her as its new executive director, Dori Villalon worked as vice president of the San Francisco SPCA. An online petition garnered more than 500 signatures, calling for her resignation or firing. The petition alleged, under Villalon’s management, the SPCA unnecessarily euthanized animals and treated volunteers and employees disrespectfully – leading to a massive exodus.
Former SPCA volunteer Kin Tso started the petition. Tso wrote in an email Thursday afternoon that he was afraid Lawrence would offer Villalon the director job, and warned the community to brace for impact. Villalon resigned from her position at the SPCA in March 2010, and says she’s never met or spoken with Tso. She says the SPCA became more transparent under her leadership, as the shelter published euthanization statistics for the first time.
“(The SPCA) had a very strong commitment to transparency – something that I fully believe in now, and I know my board here also believes in,” Villalon said. “And when you start putting out statistics and you start sharing with the community what’s going on, it can generate a lot of emotions.”
Villalon says the euthanizations were last result – a policy the Lawrence Humane Society also follows.
“We want to have euthanasia (as) the very last option,” Villalon said, “and be something that is truly just relieving suffering and protecting our public.”
Former humane society board member Joan Noller said in March that she would not donate any more time or money to the shelter after its longtime director, Midge Grinstead, resigned. Noller said at the time other donors and volunteers planned to do the same thing. Villalon, however, says she hopes to gain support by building a bigger base of volunteers and donors.
“My approach on the volunteer program is if you want to come in and be trained, you can do anything,” Villalon said. “We would love to have you do adoption counseling, clean the kennels, help with intake – really make it an interesting volunteer job.”
Villalon says she has several goals in mind to improve operations at the shelter, including bringing on a full-time veterinarian and instituting pre-adoption sterilization for all animals.