Shais_Mom,

Yup! That's the one!

I wrote the letter this morning. I got the name of the President of the Board of Directors and I will be mailing the letter out today. Here's what it says:

Dear Ms. Cote:

My name is Donna Ploss and I am a volunteer at the Dearborn Animal Shelter. I am writing this letter on behalf of the hundreds of cats whose lives hang in limbo at the hand of the shelter’s director, Elaine Greene.

I began volunteering at the shelter back in April. At orientation, I was told that the ONLY time any animals were euthanized was if they were very ill or a danger to themselves and other people.

Since that time, Ms. Greene, who takes it upon herself to decide the fate of the animals, has euthanized many cats. Why??? Because they were critically ill?? No. Because they were a danger to themselves or others??? No. Simply because SHE “suspected” they had ringworm or because the cats were “too old to be adopted”. Yet she decides to keep other animals, such as dogs, which also have skin conditions and are deemed unadoptable because they are either food or dog aggressive. At no time were any cultures done to rule out ringworm. I guess Ms. Greene didn’t think they were worth the bother.

Ringworm is easily treatable and contagious ONLY if contact is made with the area. It is not an airborne disease such as Distemper, which can be fatal.

The dictionary defines “shelter” as a place to provide cover and protection. Nowhere does it say, “kill”.

These animals depend on us for love and care while awaiting new homes, something their humans could not or would not provide. Ms. Greene’s job is to do just that. It is quite obvious that Ms. Greene’s judgment has become impaired. It’s time to find someone who has the animal’s safety and well being at heart, rather than Ms. Greene who is more concerned about cage space and whether a cat’s age will prevent it from finding a permanent home.

I am respectfully requesting that Ms. Greene be held accountable for her reprehensible actions, and that the Board of Directors request Ms. Greene’s resignation.

Respectfully submitted,



Donna E. Ploss