Andrea Rosebrock 
UPDATE 11/7/09 – Evening – The Harrisburg Humane Society “Fur Ball”
Updated link above with full story coverage.
What is the popular *euphemism* for the Harrisburg Humane Society lately? The Harrisburg IN-Humane Society! Their concern for Baron in the eyes of the public is fake, laced with scorn towards Baron’s owner, and indifferent towards the animals in their possession.
Aren’t we up in arms over the conditions at the Memphis Animal Shelter? Let’s add another one to the mix.
First up…Baron is not being housed in a kennel at the HHS facility. Get this, he’s locked away in an office. For the entire time he has been at that shelter, he has been locked in a 6×6 office, with no windows, and absolutely no human contact except when he is walked twice a day. Once at 8:30 AM and again at 7:30 PM – and only if there is no one around to see. He is not allowed out, or to be seen by anyone. There is only one window in that office towards the hallway, but it is kept covered so that no one from the public nor even the volunteers can see him. The pictures of Baron playing in a nice big dog run at the shelter were staged, and he was never actually put in that run, except for the photos to be taken.
Just so you all know, Miles Thomas only had ONE visit with Baron all this time. For an hour. Just one. Baron is being treated no better than a prisoner in isolation.
We have an affidavit that was filed to the courts regarding this, you can read it HERE.
Also described in this document are the overcrowded conditions of the shelter. Let’s step back for a moment and review the statement from the Department of Agriculture in an article from the Patriot News/Pennlive.com
A Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspector warned the Harrisburg Humane Society last month that a number of its cages were too small for the dogs being housed, according to department press secretary Justin Fleming.
Fleming sought to correct a earlier statement made by his staff that the animal agency was warned by the state that its Swatara Township, Dauphin County, kennel was overcrowded following a Sept. 22 inspection. That was not the case, Fleming said.
As a nonprofit shelter, the Humane Society is allowed to have an unlimited number of dogs provided there is ample space so as to not endanger the welfare of the dogs, Fleming said. At the time of the Sept. 22 inspection, the Humane Society housed 178 dogs, including 20 puppies, he said.
The state does require that dogs have at least six inches of head room in their cages. The state inspector found that a number of dogs at the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area were in cages that were too small for them, Fleming said.
Not the case, huh? According to this document:
- Three dogs are being kept in the back locker room.
- There are fourteen dogs in crates being housed in the crematorium which is used once a week.
- And Baron is being kept isolated in an office.
These are humane and safe? Dogs being housed in the crematorium while it’s in use?
That pretty much blows away the Department of Agriculture’s statement to the press. They observed their own laws being broken and they have the nerve to state it’s not overcrowded? Plus just a number of dogs in cages too small? There are 50 to 60 dogs in CRATES! And several of them in the crematorium!
Not only that, but this person observed a white pit bull being put down because it didn’t like cats and the staff didn’t have time to work with him.
There’s more. Another affidavit was filed with the courts documents animals in distress from severe giardia infestation. Giardia is a protozoan parasite that lives in the intestine of affected animals and is contagious to other dogs, cats and can affect people. Giardia in dogs can cause diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, poor condition, or death. These animals suffer covered in their own feces. Apparently this has been going on since December 2008. That document is found HERE.
These are disgusting developments that shows this animal shelter – this humane society – is pretty much a disaster. And yet this organization is concerned about the welfare of Baron. His owner, a homeless senior citizen can’t take proper care of him… they say. Releasing him to the home where Miles Thomas currently stays is not good enough and they want 100 percent access 100 percent of the time to monitor what goes on there.
They can’t even manage their own facility! Who are these people to dictate who is or is not fit to take care Baron? Or any animal.
The residents of Harrisburg need to demand another clean sweep of the Harrisburg Humane Society management staff. Clearly the people in charge are not fit to run this organization.
Poor dogs are suffering from parasites and other infections. They are being released to foster homes with these infections. Dogs are being euthanized without any proper behavior evaluations. And Baron the collie is being isolated practically 24/7.
This isn’t an animal shelter. This is a crime scene.
**********************************
Thanks Andrea, I cannot even begin to convey how upset, angry and just plain old pissed off I am over this entire debacle!
See all the background on Miles Thomas and Baron;
- Harrisburg Humane Society Took Away the Last Friend He Had on Earth – VIDEO
- Update on Miles Thomas and Baron the Collie
- No Settlement Over Baron the Collie
- Baron Returns to Miles Thomas!
- Baron the Collie: The Battle Continues
The two documents, affidavit,s that Andrea mentions I just received earlier this evening, about an hour after they were filed with the federal court. These documents, one by an ex-employee and the other by a volunteer, both detail the cruel conditions that Baron has been kept in for months now, among other things, and you have to ask yourself who would make decree that this poor dog be locked up and isolated? Who’s in charge?
Amy Kaunas is the Shelter’s Executive Director is that means anything and has been since 2006. From the Shelter’s website, the description of her position is as follows; “In her position, she works collaboratively with the community to ensure the health and safety of all animals and also oversees all shelter operations and the overall execution of the organization’s strategy. “
Doesn’t seems like she’s doing her job too well considering the ongoing conditions at the shelter and this disaster which is the Miles Thomas case. Is part of her job inflicting abuse and cruelty on animals? You may want to note that prior to her becoming the shelter’s exec. directory, Kaunas was an attorney. Wonder if there’s any connections, social or networking that she could be calling on….
Check out this page for the Human Society – HERE. It’s the contact/info page for the staff including Amy Kaunas. There’s also the shelter manager, director of animal care and director of public relations. Don’t you think all these people need to be contacted to ask about the deplorable conditions at this shelter as well as the cruel treatment that Baron has been receiving for months?
Another person who needs to be the recipient of our communication is the Humane Society Board president, Ken Hugendubler, but as yet I haven’t been able to find any contact info for him. I have previously received some interesting info about him and his connection which as I also have not been able to independently verify I won’t pass on but if they are true, ans I have little doubt that they are, says quite a bit.
This must come to an end! The game… power play, that the humane society insists on continuing is beyond the pale! Do they plan on killing Baron and coming up with an excuse why he died? What are they gaining in the end besides bad publicity and their name smeared all over? This is yet another shelter that is overdue for a clean sweep and no one is listening! It’s time to raise our voice and spread the word. Contact anyone and everyone and share this info. Contact the shelter’s staff and ask them to be accountable. We must take action and do it now before it is too late!
UPDATE 11/7/09 – Evening – The Harrisburg Humane Society “Fur Ball”
Tonight is the night of the Harrisburg Humane (In-humane) Society’s black tie gala, the “Fur Ball.” Mile Thomas is standing outside of the Crown Plaza Hotel in Harrisburg with some friends demanding that he be allowed to purchase one of the $115 tickets to the ball after being turned down earlier because they said he didn’t RSVP early enough.
He intends to ask each and every person who has bought a ticket into this black tie gala, to please give him his dog back!
Take a second a send him good wishes and just say, “Go Miles!”
I’ll let you all know how things went when I find out. Sending Miles all the support I can! 
Update – Same evening, later….
Tonight, when Miles Thomas arrived, they refused to sell him a ticket to the fur ball.
So instead, he tried to rent a room.
Guess what????????
The Crown Plaza Hotel REFUSED TO RENT HIM A ROOM, as instructed by the Harrisburg Humane Society.
THE FRICKIN HARRISBURG HUMANE SOCIETY TOLD THE CROWN PLAZA HOTEL TO REFUSE TO RENT A ROOM TO A HOMELESS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They then called the police….
More to come….
By the way, anyone want to contact the Crown Plaza Harrisburg and let them know what you think of this. Maybe ask them since when the HHS runs their hotel and tells then who they can and cannot rent rooms to…
Contact Info
Crown Plaza
23 S Second St
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 234-5021
Corp Info
InterContinental Hotels Group
PO Box 30321
Salt Lake City
Utah
84130-321
Telephone: +1 800 621 0555
Fax: +1 801 975 1846
Online contact form – HERE
The way they are treating Baron could lead to his ruin. Isolation has a devastating effect on dogs, and those effects are all too often irreversible. They get to the point where they are terrified of everything, and sometimes that fear pushes them over into aggressive behavior. This sort of treatment is nothing short of cruelty!
This is what I wrote to that POS Amy.
Amy,
Why don’t you do the right thing and let Baron go back to his owner. You are no more than a waste to society. The conditions you have at your facility as in other Humane Society’s is the reason I stopped supporting them. You don’t deserve to be around any animals. You put on a good show. And the picture I saw on the web-site. Are you people terrorist in disguise or what? Those people that you staged look like Arabs. OMG, what is happening to this country. It is people like you that we should be looking up to that are making it bad. Dogs be kept in a place where dogs are put to sleep. What the hell is that? Let Baron go back to the man that loves him and will cherish him for all his remaining years. Baron will be well taken care of, even after his beloved owner is gone.
You keep Baron in a room with NO windows and walk him twice a day (as you say). You are another person that will not being in that wonderful place we call Heaven in the end. Dog backwards is GOD and he surely doesn’t want waste like you.
What does it take to get through to you and the likes of you? Let Baron go back to his owner.
M. Golia
My letter to Charlotte
Charlotte,
Let Baron go back to his owner. The photos on your web-site look like they are fake. None of the animals in the photo look happy. I bet it was hard to find a happy animal to pose with. You are keeping Baron in your facility and I think you should do the right thing and let him go home to his owner. He will be well taken care of and his owner will love him unconditionally until the end of his days. If you can’t see fit to do this, then perhaps you are in the wrong line of work. Don’t you have a conscience? How do you sleep at night. I no longer support any Humane Society and people like you and Amy and others are the reason for that. I used to donate quite a bit to a couple of Humane Societies but have since stopped after finding out that the Humane Societies are no more than
In-Humane Societies.
You are another person that won’t make it to Heaven when your days are over. God doesn’t want continuous murders in his domain. That is just what the Humane Society has become.
Let Baron go back to his owner and do the right thing.
M. Golia
The people in the picture above look like terrorist. What gives with these people? That was the first thing that came to my mind. The courts should really go after this In-Humane Society and shut them down. I no longer support any Humane Society.
The picture looks the way it does because the faces of the people were blacked out. They were not employees of the humane Society, but independent evaluators, who were there to rescue that dog, and they were with a respected (and well run) rescue. The faces were blacked out so that they would not be retaliated against by anyone. They were as upset about the condition of the dogs as well.
D.
Just for the record, the picture looks bad because of the exposure. They are not purposely trying to look like hooded terrorists.
It also looks like they are heavily clothed so there is probably little to no heat in there during the winter. We don’t know when this pic was taken.
I’d like to know why they don’t air the truth on the Animal Planet show.
I haven’t the words, just a terrible sadness for both man and dog … Our thoughts are with you. Idea: Why not send a group like the guys from Rescue Ink to go in and get him? I’m sure they would be only too willing to help…
why aren’t other athourities stepping in and taking these animals out of this situation? if it was a person holding animals in these conditions they would be confiscated.
i think we should go there and kidnap all the animals.
I am sickened by this. How dare they do that to Baron – lock him up in isolation like he is a criminal? All these people associated with the HS need to be fired immediately, and held responsible for any and all deaths and illnesses of any of the animals there.
As far as the Dept of AG – well in my eyes they are a bunch of yahoos also. It is all a big game to these people, who don’t have any care or compassion for the animals.
I am all for going there and taking those animals as Bernice says. Andrea, contact your buddies at Rescue Ink. Let’s see what that pos Amy has to say to those guys!
this pocrap amy ought to be in prison along with the rest of the shelter staff. to do this to poor defenseless animals is cruel and inhumane. i will try to contact rescue inc and see if they can help expose these monsters for what they are and if god forbid they kill baron and lie about it, well there will be hell to pay! enough of these lying pos, free these animals from this disgusting place so they can have some kind of loving homes and normalcy.
The Department of Agriculture, especially for PA is just as incompetent. Remember, they were exposed for passing Derbe Skip Eckhart and his Almost Heaven Kennels for years overlooking gross violations. It wasn’t until they were exposed by the media, and other agencies looked at them and the department reports that he got closed down. The inspectors involved were “reassigned”.
It’s a crime that the regulatory agencies up the line cannot be responsible at their jobs.
Can’t say much for Dept of Ag here in IL. No one wants to put their ass on the line, but it is so wrong, when conditions that animals are living in is nothing I would want any of my boys near.
Wake up America – what is going on in our country where people are afraid to speak up for “fear” of what their associates, friends and family think of them?
Well there is one word that comes to mind and that is not shelter but killingstation as they call the municipal pounds in Spain where thousands of discarded galgoes and other dogs are killed inhumanely anually. This is to remind us all that not everything that shines is gold.
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how this has been allowed to continue. Shouldn’t they be held in contempt of court for going against the Judges orders? Didn’t the Judge rule in favor of Baron’s owner? Why is this being allowed to continue, and why aren’t people out in front of the shelter making a huge ass scene? None of this is making any sense to me.
Is this bitch so arrogant and egotistical that the law doesn’t apply to her and she doesn’t have to follow the ruling of the court? What is so special about Baron, about this one dog that she will not let him go home?
Perhaps we will never know what her motives are or understand her reluctance to treat this dog with compassion and dignity. However I think she will pay the prize for her neglect and outright evil. I mean she is the leader of that “shelter”. I believe that it is imperative that people in a position such as hers should be compassionate and caring individuals without prejudice and grudge towards the animals they are supposed to help and protect. The fates will eventually get even with such a caracter it is just a question of time. Let us hope she is paid back in spades for her evil deed.
Thanks for the information, painful as it is to read. Better to know than not. I can’t get over the fact that this is the group all outraged about Baron occasionally spending time in a car, so they grab him and stick him in a tiny office? With no companionship? Are they trying to kill him? Don’t answer that, it seems clear. I can’t write what I really think of this situation while keeping my language pg.
WAIT 1 SECOND IF MY MEMORY SERVERS ME RIGHT WASN’T THIS UP BEFORE A JUDGE? WELL IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, THAT JUDGE SHOULD ORDER THAT BARON SHOULD BE TURNED OVER TO HIM IMMEDIATLY & HE SHOULD THEN GIVE BARON BACK TO MILES & IF THEY REFUSE TO GIVE BARON TO THE JUDGE THEY SHOULD BE HELD IN CONTEMT OF COURT. THIS JUDGE HAS THE POWER TO DO THIS SO WHY IS HE NOT DOING HIS JOB. IF I WAS THIS JUDGE THIS WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEN SETTLED PEROID.
I thought the same thing, Moe, thank you D for clearing that up, so glad Baron has them on his side.
How can anyone work for such a place and not go out of their way to care for this poor boy, imprisoned for sure, and wrongfully, no crime commited, just a dog who needs someone to see him for a living creature, deserving of love.
Mail sent, yeah, they need to hear from us, they sure do!
Everyone take a second to check out the latest update above – UPDATE 11/7/09 – Evening – The Harrisburg Humane Society “Fur Ball” You’re gonna love it.
Send Miles some good luck wishes, he can use them!
Miles, we all wish you the BEST of LUCK, maybe someone in this dinner will wake up. This ought to be good. Keep us posted Dee. I wish I could be there. Maybe if they don’t let him in, someone in there will say something. Let’s see how good some of these people are.
Will definitely keep posted on this as soon as I hear how things went. Praying hard for Miles right now. He’s needs all the support he can get. Thanks Moe!
D.
I just sent Amy the following little note to make her night.
I hope you let this man attend the dinner. I hope he tells everyone there just what you have been doing. Maybe we will all get lucky and you’ll choke on your dinner, then we won’t have to worry about you being in contact with any more fur babies.
M. Golia
Unbelieveable that this group is going ahead with a $1,000 per table event given how many animal lovers in Harrisburg have had more than enough of the HHS after the Miles Thomas fiasco, I hope there are lots of empty seats
http://www.humanesocietyhbg.org/index.php?pr=Fur_Ball
Another update to this evening’s events…. unbelievable!!
As posted above….
Update – Same evening, later….
Tonight, when Miles Thomas arrived, they refused to sell him a ticket to the fur ball.
So instead, he tried to rent a room.
Guess what????????
The Crown Plaza Hotel REFUSED TO RENT HIM A ROOM, as instructed by the Harrisburg Humane Society.
THE FRICKIN HARRISBURG HUMANE SOCIETY TOLD THE CROWN PLAZA HOTEL TO REFUSE TO RENT A ROOM TO A HOMELESS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They then called the police….
More to come….
Note – contact info for the Harrisburg Crown Plaza and Corp Offices are at the bottom.
They “called the Police”…for what??? that Mileshad the nerve to stand on the sidewalk….guess they thing they own that too…..this has you know what so deep going on..that they are going to eventually choke on it MAS should tell these people and that poor excuse for an Excutive Director, little less a human being, that you can only cover your sins for so long before you finally have to pay the piper.
Let us be not only instrumental in saving Baron’s life and getting him back to Miles, but also get HHS and Ms Kaunas to have to pay that piper. And this is a matter of saving Baron’s life, as if his current situation keeps up it will surely kill him.
This becomes more bizarre by the moment, I emailed the Intercontinental Hotel Groups guest relations department with a link to the story and a request that they look into the situation.
If a group such as the Harrisburg Humane Society can decide who is welcome to be a guest at their hotels, I for one will never stay in one of their 3,800 hotels again and will encourage everyone I know to do the same.
What the hell is wrong with Amy Kaunas? If she had set out to destroy any good will some people may still have toward her organization, she couldn’t have done a better job than by holding Baron hostage.
Couldn’t agree more Nancy, now we just need to get the word out far and wide about this debacle! Just imagine how many other charities host events at hotels owned by this corp?? Would it make a difference to them if they knew what was going on here?
D>
Let me start with this…..that picture of Ms. Kaunas with that black Great Dane……look at this dogs eyes. They don’t look like happy eyes to me!
This is just getting worse and worse. Miles deserves to have Baron and vise a versa. Baron would have a far better likfe and home that what he is going through now. Too bad someone couldn’t steal him and get him back to Miles. This is just making me sick! I despise those people, with every part of me! I pray someone does something to save Baron and reunite him with Baron.
I’m particularly disturbed/saddened by this event. It seems like the Humane Society would be much better off putting their efforts towards a situation where a companion animal was actually being mistreated. I appreciate all rescue and advocacy groups but sometimes people get a narrow view of what is healthy and acceptable. Miles was happy and Baron was happy. I used to work in downtown Chicago and would often see a few homeless dog/human teams on my way to work. A lot of people had the same reaction I did – a feeling of humbling awe that two creatures could comfort and support each other in the loneliest of situations. That’s why we tamed the dog in the first place.