Why does the Humane Rescue Alliance Insist on Eating Its Own?

For those animal lovers and pet guardians who are not avid social media users, the group of volunteers who were fired by the Humane Rescue Alliance earlier this week "fired" back at HRA yesterday via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, and a host of other platforms that this aging brain cannot handle. Volunteers for HRA Reform are gaining more supporters and followers online, and number around 60 in-person members. I am quoting below from their public statement. You should know this is a grassroots group of mostly working and retired professionals from a wide range of work backgrounds. They've been out in the world, made their own way, made tough decisions. They have been around the block and this ain't their first rodeo. I take their improvement efforts seriously.

"On Tuesday, March 5, the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) fired over two dozen more volunteers in an effort to silence our expressions of concern about their care for animals and lack of services. (This brings the total to 30+ volunteers.) While HRA may think they have had the final word, we still have a lot to say.

"HRA’s decision to eliminate thousands of volunteer hours represents a serious threat to the well-being of DC’s animals, who are our main concern. As HRA volunteers, we were leaders, dog and cat caretakers, foster parents, dog and cat foster case managers, training and behavior modification assistants, and mentors for new volunteers. Now our absence will have grave consequences for the animals and for the people directly caring for them — unless HRA steps up.

"Increasingly, HRA has failed to provide animals with adequate care. Dogs at the city-owned New York Ave facility often spend days in their kennels without a break. Kittens were victims of an overly aggressive euthanasia policy, which was only suspended because of the efforts of now-fired volunteers, and still hasn't been revised. We have many more examples to share, and we will. But for now, volunteers are essential to the well-being of the animals in HRA’s care, and the jobs of already overworked and underpaid frontline staff are now even harder.

"This must be addressed.

"We continue to call on the HRA Board of Directors to step in and demand answers and accountability from HRA’s executive leadership. We ask Board members to make unannounced visits to the shelter locations, and engage with Volunteers for HRA Reform to discuss our concerns. More than 60 volunteers with decades of commitment and thousands of hours of service to HRA have been publicly raising concerns — it’s time to pay attention.

"DC Health and the DC Council must also step up to ensure HRA is providing humane living conditions and adhering to the terms of their multi-million dollar contract for animal control. When the current contract expires in June 2024, DC Health should propose a new contract with clear, measurable standards and a competitive bidding process. If the scope of services is too large for any one contractor to realistically perform them all, the contract should be divided into pieces to allow other organizations to bid.

"The reason we volunteered for HRA is because we care about the welfare of DC’s animals, and we will never stop advocating on their behalf."

As a donor who is getting ready to write an annual check, it saddens and angers me that the Humane Rescue Alliance has a virtual monopoly on animal welfare in our District. I wish there were other viable options for low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine services, for low-cost wellness exams, for assistance with outdoor community cats, and for compassionate commitment to taking in and restoring vulnerable animals to health and adoptability. But there really aren't any.

Yet I -- like many others -- still believe there is time for HRA to right its ship and become the animal welfare organization that we know it can be. It can start by listening to these volunteers and taking their concerns and suggestions seriously.