Former employee suing SCRAPS for firing her, allegedly killing dog she sought to adopt to hurt her
A former employee of the county-run animal shelter who has publicly claimed the organization improperly euthanized dogs is suing the organization, alleging wrongful termination, blacklisting her from employment at other shelters and “executing” a dog she was trying to adopt
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Stephanie Hayden filed suit Wednesday against the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service, where she was employed as a part-time Lifesaving Programs assistant, whose duties included assessing the behavior of animals in the shelter. She was fired in May. She is seeking damages for her loss of employment and a declaration that SCRAPS wrongfully fired her, among other relief.
“Ms. Hayden looks forward to proving that she was retaliated and then blacklisted against for opposing what she believed were violations of the law,” said Matthew Crotty, an attorney with the Riverside NW Law Group, who is representing Hayden.
Spokane County spokesman Patrick Bell declined to comment on pending litigation.
Hayden alleges that she was recommended by her direct supervisor, Nick Hobbs Doyle, to be hired to a full-time position in March, and was endorsed by SCRAPS Director Jesse Ferrari to a shelter behavior affiliate position on April 26. Sixteen days later, she was fired, allegedly in retaliation to events during the interceding two weeks.
On April 28, Ferrari reportedly stated his desire to euthanize two dogs, Nancy and Domino, which Hayden opposed, believing that they did not meet the legal requirements to be put down under the organization’s interlocal agreement with the city of Spokane.
That agreement stipulates that euthanasia is only allowed when an animal in the facility’s care is found to be in the process of dying or determined by a licensed veterinarian or animal behavioral specialist to suffer from an irremediable prognosis, which can refer to either health or behavioral issues.
Domino and Nancy were both slated for euthanasia due to reported behavioral issues. But Hayden argued to Ferrari that neither dog was irremediable, to which Ferrari stated that “the dogs had been sheltered too long,” according to the lawsuit. Hayden later publicly stated that SCRAPS leadership had undermined Domino’s treatment plan.
Domino was euthanized on April 30. After an outpouring of community support for Nancy, she was released on May 5 to Spokane Valley-based K9 Tracking and Recovery and underwent training with Maranda Voge, a handler with the organization Colorful Canines. Voge reported the issues previously identified were correctable, and the dog’s behavior had markedly improved within days of Nancy’s removal from SCRAPS.
On May 4, Ferrari started documenting alleged performance issues with Hayden, she alleges. She was fired May 12 for failing to see the “big picture,” the lawsuit alleges. She later reportedly received a copy of her employment file that contained no critical write-ups of her performance.
Hayden, former volunteers and others in the community began publicly accusing leadership of improper euthanasia, including to the Spokane City Council and Spokane County Commission.
Hayden believes Ferrari then spoke negatively about her during a June 7 meeting with numerous animal care organizations, including the Spokane Humane Society. She alleges that this caused her to not receive a response to applications for employment with that agency. In July, she filed a tort claim against SCRAPS related to her alleged wrongful termination.
In August, Hayden interviewed with Bark, a local tavern that partners with the Spokane Humane Society to allow people to interact with dogs up for adoption. She reportedly was offered a job the same day, only to have the offer revoked four days later because she “could not work with” the humane society, according to the lawsuit.
Bambi
When Hayden was fired on May 12, Ferrari allegedly said she could no longer adopt Bambi, a mixed breed husky-type dog in SCRAPS’ care because he wanted to seek legal advice, according to the lawsuit. She claims that the decision to halt the adoption violated county policy which requires an identifiable reason to reject an adoption.
In a June email, Ferrari elaborated, according to the lawsuit.
“After consulting our Legal Team, unfortunately at this time we’re unwilling to accept the risk involved with adopting Bambi out as there are many unknowns about her behavioral issues,” Ferrari wrote as part of an email included in the lawsuit.
In a risk assessment published by the county, Bambi was considered to require “moderate” behavioral management, including sedation during veterinary exams, segregation if there were any visitors and requiring a muzzle when off a prospective owner’s property.
Behavioral notes from January through May state that Bambi was reactive to strangers but was “able to be redirected” and “slow to trust, fearful of quick movements initially.” However, “once trust is earned, she is a sweet playful dog who leashes easily, walks gently and seeks attention.”
Hayden responded to Ferrari objecting to his email, noting that Bambi had no history of bites and “is not deemed dangerous or potentially dangerous.” She alleged SCRAPS days earlier had adopted out two dogs with “documented severe bite histories …”
On Sept. 20, Bambi was euthanized, one of 14 dogs the organization put down in a single day, drawing outcry from community activists who believed the organization was improperly killing animals under Ferrari’s leadership.
There is no indication in documents published by the county that she was suffering from irremediable health or behavioral issues.
SCRAPS leadership has previously denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the animals the shelter has slated for euthanasia were suffering from severe medical conditions, were aggressive or both and were beyond help.
Hayden’s suit claims that SCRAPS knowingly had Bambi killed so as to inflict emotional pain on her.