“I feel that some detailed financial, paperwork, and computer investigation should be conducted within the Lowndes County Animal Services office. Taxpayer’s dollars are spent to keep these animals of Lowndes County safe, and I’m sure if the citizens of Lowndes County were aware of some of these things they may be very hurt and disgusted with the Board of Commissioners for not making sure the right measures are being taken to do what is right for this office.”
Here is a transcription. -jsq
My Name is Amanda Jordan. From June 2005 to December 2007, I worked for the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Office with the Animal Services Division. Linda Patelski was the director and my direct supervisor during that time. I enjoyed my job as a shelter attendant dearly. It was such a pleaser to see animals get adopted to new homes or returned to their owners if they were picked up by Animal Control officers.
As rewarding as it was, I also had other jobs that were not as pleasurable. Euthinizing animals were sometimes heartbreaking. While some animals were injured, sick, or feral, others were perfectly healthy and just needed a home. Due to the lack of space in the facility they had to be euthanized. I recall a full term pregnant female dog came into the office. Normally, this would be a reason to put a dog down due to the inability of space to house a mother dog and her puppies. Because this particular mother dog was some sort of small breed and her puppies expected to be small breed Linda Patelski (the director) decided we must keep these puppies for adoption. Even with the risk of diseases they were saved for the adoption room as other healthy dogs were put to sleep to accompany the space for the puppies. The shelter also has
a very large fenced area in the back of the building. For roughly 15 to 18 months Linda kept her own personal horses there. She had two horses that she decided to keep at the office as she did not have another place for them to stay until she could buy land to put them on. I am sure she never paid a boarding fee to the county for keeping them there, as her reason for bring them there to begin with was she did not want to pay what she was paying to a boarding facility.
I also recall during my time there when the office took in a pot belly pig. This pig had his tusk and his testicals. I was instructed to hold this pig weighing about 50 to 60 pounds with a short (3 foot) rabies pole (loop stick) while Linda had cut off his tusk with bolt cutters and also neutered him herself in the intake area of the shelter. Ms. Linda said she worked for a hog confinement for several years and done this kind of stuff on a daily basics. As I held the pig, instructed by the Director, he squealed non stop as she only wearing a pair of gloves with a scalpel blade she cut the pigs testicals as a Veterinarian would do if they were to neuter an animal. The pig was not giving in medication for pain nor was he put on antibiotics for possible infection.
I was hurt during all of this from holding the loop stick while the pig pulled, jerked, and squealed out of pain from Ms. Linda attempting to neuter the pig. I wrote out a statement for the admin building for workman’s comp as I was hurt on the job and stated in my statement that I was hurt while assisting Linda in neutering a pig. The Shelter had a Veterinarian that was paid for by the county office but Linda chose not to let him do the neuter.
When I left the Shelter in December I was never happier. I left of good terms as if I ever needed to go back there I would be considered. This is just a small amount of things I have seen go seriously wrong in this office. I feel that some detailed financial, paperwork, and computer investigation should be conducted within the Lowndes County Animal Services office. Taxpayer’s dollars are spent to keep these animals of Lowndes County safe, and I’m sure if the citizens of Lowndes County were aware of some of these things they may be very hurt and disgusted with the Board of Commissioners for not making sure the right measures are being taken to do what is right for this office.Susan Leavens obtained Amanda Jordan’s statement 31 May 2011 from Shirley J. King, Open Records Coordinator, Shirley.King@agr.georgia.gov, in response to an open records request she filed 25 May 2011. The text of that request is appended.[signed] Amanda S. Jordan [Date] 5-13-10
[notarized ] Kathy Greer 5-13-10
-jsq
I would like all information regarding the investigation done by pat Smith from the statements from Ronnie Ganas, Amanda Jordan, and my self Susan Leavens that was turned in June of 2010, I would like all corrispondance from Vennessa Green, Pat smith, Cora Potter and any other person involved in the investigation regarding my statements and the other people I spoke of, in Feb. 2011 there was a meetin between the Lowndes County Manager Joe Prichard, Lowndes county shelter director Linda Patelski, and the Lowndes county attorney with Cora Potter, Pat smith, Vennessa Green and several other people I would Like all notes, and findings from that meeting, any information regarding this ivestigation of animal cruelty an neglect that department of agriculture has and there findings.
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A non licensed person neutering a live animal in a county funded animal control facility?
That would be Practicing Vet Medicine Without A License – a misdemeanor. And there are Workman’s Compensation forms that substantiate this incident?
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Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 43-50-45, any person who practices veterinary medicine without a valid license in violation of this article is guilty of the misdemeanor offense of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and, upon conviction thereof, must be punished as provided in this Code section. However, each act of such unlawful practice constitutes a distinct and separate offense.
O.C.G.A. § 43-50-45 provides that upon being convicted a first time under this Code section, such person must be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00 for each offense. Upon being convicted a second or subsequent time under this Code section, such person must be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.00 for each offense, imprisonment for not more than 12 months, or both such fine and imprisonment.
O.C.G.A. § 43-50-45 provides that the board or any citizen of Georgia may bring an action to enjoin any person from practicing veterinary medicine without a valid license. If the court finds that the person is violating, or is threatening to violate, this article, it enters an injunction restraining him or her from such unlawful acts.
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Note: “…….or any citizen of Georgia may bring an action to enjoin any person from practicing veterinary medicine without a valid license…..”
The fact is there were two pot belly pigs, Amanda had gotten hurt while holfing the first one, the second one was held by a volunteer… and they say this stuff never happened.
Susan Leavens
While I’m not an attorney, the way the law reads, according to the Ga. Veterinarian Practice Act, the neutering of a live animal would be considered a “veterinary surgery” – which is required to be performed only by a licensed Veterinarian.
http://sos.georgia.gov/acrobat/PLB/laws/07_Veterinary_43-50.pdf
(11) ‘Practice veterinary medicine’ or the ‘practice of veterinary medicine’ means:
(A) To diagnose, treat, correct, change, relieve, or prevent animal disease, deformity, defect, injury, or other physical or mental conditions, including the prescription, administration, or dispensing of any prescription drug, medicine, biologic, apparatus, application, anesthetic, or other therapeutic or diagnostic substance or technique on, for, or to any animal, including but not limited to acupuncture, animal dentistry, manual or mechanical adjustment procedures, physical therapy, surgery, diagnostic veterinary pathology, any manual, mechanical, biological, or chemical procedure used for pregnancy testing or for correcting sterility or infertility, or to render advice or recommendations with regard to any of the above; but not including such administration or dispensing pursuant to prescription or direction of a licensed veterinarian;
There are employees there that have gotten verbal warning for advising adopters over the phone a diagnosis of gerardia and the animal would test posative to parvo aka acting like a veternarian… The verbal warning came from the person who casterated the hogs.
Outsider Looking In,
Joe Prichard verified the hog was neutered by Linda but he didn’t believe it was inhumane, I guess he can make his own laws as he goes, Linda’s verbal warning was not given until after GDA contacted him, so he justified it until he was called on it by GDA. Certainly the castration of any animal by an employee would be wrong since the county has a paid veterinarian on staff.
Susan Leavens