If you've been watching the news in Houston, you know that problems with Houston's Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control has been under fire for quite sometime. 

 

Animal rights activists have been fighting for the health and wellfare of the animals at BARC for years after mistreatment of the animals by employees and deplorable conditions at the facility.  Recently there has been a big push by volunteers to help pick-up the slack at the facility. 

 

Change Corps was able to talk with Robyn Arouty, a volunteer and one of the leading activists leading the charge for change at BARC.  Below you'll see our interview with Robyn as well as how YOU can get involved volunteering at BARC starting today. 

 

Robyn -

I started with an organization called Weekends at BARC, walking & playing with dogs every saturday or sunday. soon i was fostering, assisting with adoptions, blogging about my experiences...then was asked to do weekly photography for the houston examiner featuring animals available for adoption. My background is in psychology and I worked in corporate america for several years, so I was quickly struck by the dysfunction of the BARC system as a whole...from an organizational psychology prospective, this system was so broken in every way. The big picture, the past, & the future haunted me & it was obvious that something had to be done on a much larger scale. My efforts turned to reaching out and lobbying for positive changes at BARC on a political level, with other animal welfare agencies & through social networking, especially on facebook.

 

Change Corps -  What are some of the biggest problems you see at BARC?

Robyn -

By history, there have been countless reports of animal abuse and neglect. Puppies being washed down broken kennel drains and dying in trucks with malfunctioning a/c systems. The facility has been unclean, thereby spreading distemper and parvo diseases like wildfire. Staff has been accused of being unfriendly, non-animal loving and incompetent...and many are not properly trained to use the shelter software, putting many precious lives at risk, many owners/pets not being reunited, etc. Vaccinations have not being given, retaliation against volunteers who whistleblow, and the worst thing is that houston has one of the highest euthanasia rates in the entire country...and the list goes, literally, on and on and on!

BUT, the good news is that in the last few weeks there have been some significant changes to the system. Mr. Gerry Fusco was hired as a consultant to turn things around at BARC. Without getting into all of the controversy, let's just say that he comes with an extremely high price tag for the city, which many people are not too pleased about. The city council needs to vote on whether his contract will continue for the remainder of its 6 month proposal. In the meantime, he is the interim bureau chief and answers to Stephen Williams, the director of Houston's Health Dept.

 

Change Corps - In your opinion how can we start to correct these problems?  Do you think more volunteer involvement is the answer or should the city of Houston be stepping up more?

 

Robyn -
Oh, please pardon the cliche, but it really will take a village. We need volunteers there on a daily basis, we need Houston to step up and fix *all* the problems...they need to make promises and then keep them. For example a new adoption facility has been in the works for several years. Where is it? In 2005, there was a task force that completed a very in depth report of the problems and the changes that needed to take place. The mayor promised...the health dept. promised...and nothing happened...in fact, things got even worse. Here are some photos I took with my cell phone last year. Dogs were forced to sleep in their own urine and feces...then when volunteers complained, many of the staff starved the animals in an effort to eliminate waste to clean up.

 

 

Change Corps -  How do you think we can work to solve some of the issues that plague BARC?

Robyn -

We have been very lucky lately to receive the media attention on these problems. The Houston Chronicle and all of the television stations have been providing coverage on a weekly basis. We intend to keep BARC in the limelight...they have yet to prove that consistency can exist in this organization. Our main hope is for a solid and strong advocate for the animals to take over as bureau chief in the next 6 months. BARC has had 4 different people in this director position in the last 5 years. Houston, we have a problem! And, I'm also happy to go on record as saying that we will not see permanent change until the mayor and the health dept. director are gone...happy trails to your senate seat Mr. White...there, I said it. Remember...it all trickles down...

 

Change Corps - You do a lot of promotion of animal adoption yourself, how much of a response have you seen from people in your online efforts?

Robyn -
Facebook has provided an amazing outlet for animal rescue. I have created a network of animal advocates across the country who can immediately see my posts and act on them. I'm so proud of the countless success stories of rescue, support, fundraising, etc. we see on a daily basis. I often post videos and articles about dog fighting and puppy mills and education about the importance of spaying and neutering. Everyday it is something different and there's plenty of work to be done. We completed a rescue transport of a boxer not too long ago...his fostermom contacted me, I posted his story on facebook with a photo, and a friend of one of my friends since the 2nd grade instantly fell in love with him! The hsus wrote an article about this fun event for their website as soon as "Gavin's Travels" completed the Dallas, TX to Buffalo, NY trip. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.hsus.org/about_us/offices_and_affiliates/regional_offices/central_regional_office/facebook_brings_a_dog_and_his_new_family_together_062508.html

Change Corps - How can ordinary people step-up and help out with the situation at BARC and with the overall problem Houston has with animal control?

 

Robyn -
BARC is located at 3200 Carr Street, near I-10E and 59N, off Collingworth Drive. (http://www.houstonbarc.com) Anyone who is concerned can help. There is a place for your skills in this mix, I promise. For example, We're currently trying to gather people to go out in force to put up posters to combat dog fighting in Houston. Yes, it's still a huge problem here. The United States Humane Society has created a national tipline...and they are offering a $5000 reward for any tips that lead to a conviction. We have narrowed down the zip coded areas and are ready to go. You would be amazed at the lack of education in this city...about spay/neuter, about dogs on chains (illegal!), about proper and responsible pet care. Education is key. Loving and playing with the animals at BARC is crucial to their socialization. Spreading the word about adoption events is very important. So, feel free to contact me anytime to discuss opportunities to assist in this fight. My email address is robyn@project71.com and you can find me on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/robyn.arouty  -  love making new animal loving friends!

 

You can follow the links listed above and help get involved with the volunteers who are working on a daily basis to improve the conditions at BARC and help to adopt out the many loving animals just looking for a home. 

 

Change begins with you. 

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