Humane Society quitting Tri-Cities animal control. Who will take over now?

Benton-Franklin Humane Society will stop running the Tri-City Animal Shelter on Friday, and Pasco is hunting for someone to take over operations.

Pasco officials have posted four job listings as they work to bridge the gap until another nonprofit can be found to run the shelter and provide animal control for Pasco, Richland and Kennewick.

The Humane Society stepped in eight months ago to take over animal services for the three cities after city officials and police received tips about inhumane conditions at the shelter under a previous nonprofit.

A surprise inspection turned up 30 sick and dying cats stacked in carriers inside a filthy outbuilding. They also discovered four malnourished dogs.

The condition of the animals was only the start of the problems facing Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation, which had been running the shelter for nearly a year.

Pasco has filed a civil suit, looking to reclaim nearly $25,000 in bonuses paid to the organization’s leaders, and the group’s chief financial officer is facing criminal charges for siphoning $300,000 to buy a house.

That’s when Benton Franklin Humane Society leaders jumped in to help. Earlier this year, Pasco officials said the nonprofit planned to stay on for two years.

But now they’ve decided not renew their contract when it ends Friday.

The society’s Executive Director Autumn White told the Herald they intended to commit to running the shelter for at least six months.

“We then agreed to extend the emergency contract an additional 45 days to allow (the Tri-Cities Animal Control Authority) to prepare for our departure,” she said.

She said the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter and the Humane Society have different missions with a common denominator of helping pets.

“It is the mission of the BFHS to help and house unwanted, homeless animals,” she said. “The animal control facility assists in enforcing code, admitting stray pets and reuniting lost pets with their person.”

While the Humane Society may be leaving, about a dozen employees are expected to stay working at the shelter and become temporary city employees, said Pasco City Manager Dave Zabell.

He told the Herald that will allow the shelter to continue operating. There also are several volunteers pitching in.

“The temp employees and the cadre of volunteers stepping up will assure the shelter remains operational and the animals in its care are well taken care of,” he said. “We are fortunate to have a very committed and talented volunteer group.”

Longer term, Pasco officials have asked for proposals from other organizations to take over operating the shelter for the cities — for what will be the third time in two years.

While the initial request was posted on June 29 with a July 8 deadline, it has been extended to Aug. 5.

So far the city has received no responses, Zabell said.

New shelter

The change in management won’t delay the November 2022 groundbreaking for a new Tri-Cities Animal Shelter, said Zabell. The three cities have agreed to spend $6 million to replace the aging shelter buildings.

Calls for a new facility date back to at least 2011, and the three cities agreed to work on a replacement after a 2016 study confirmed the need.

The main 7,000-square-foot metal building dates to the ’50s. And two outbuildings were added in the ‘70s. Past directors have pointed out that the buildings have been a struggle to maintain.

It was operated as a Human Society shelter until animal control services took over 20 years ago.

Shocking conditions

While Pasco is responsible for finding an organization to run the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter, it’s funded through a joint effort of Pasco, Richland and Kennewick.

They brought on Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation to run the shelter and provide animal control starting in January 2021 on an $875,000 annual contract.

The city of Pasco ended the contract with the nonprofit in November after city officials and police raided the shelter and found animals in cramped and filthy conditions without the medical attention they needed, according to police reports.

The Humane Society along with the help of several area rescues stepped in to find homes for many of the 240 animals while they cleaned the facility. A Facebook post at the time by the Humane Society described the conditions at the shelter “shocking.”

“Our time at TCAS has been a difficult journey down a road full of unexpected turns,” according to the post. “We were initially asked to care for the animals, yet we have accomplished so much more. And let us be clear — your kind words and actions fed our determination to show up every day and do the hard work.”

The Benton-Franklin Humane Society was established in 1966 and runs a private, nonprofit adoption center in Kennewick. They continued to operate both of the shelters after November.

They held strays at the Pasco facility for 72 hours and then transfer them over to the Kennewick building, according to the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter website.

Taking over the shelter meant more work as they had to adapt to running both of the shelters, according to posts.

“Thanks to you, we were able to jump in and assume care of the animals without hesitation.,” according to the post.

Benton-Franklin Humane Society will continue to operate its Kennewick shelter on Seventh Avenue in Kennewick.

Outstanding legal issues

The leaders of Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation continue to face legal problems in connection with their shelter operations.

Mostly, the concerns center on a $545,000 donation from the estate of a retired railroad engineer.

The organization’s former chief financial officer Julie A. Chambers, 50, continues to face charges of first-degree theft and money laundering after she allegedly used $300,000 to pay for a Richland home. Her trial is set for Sept. 14.

Pasco also filed a civil suit over the $10,000 bonuses paid to Chambers and former shelter Director Rebecca Lynn Howard and the former shelter manager Justin Hernandez.

More than eight months after Pasco officials found the sick animals, prosecutors have yet to file an animal cruelty charges. Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant is asking the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office to review the case to avoid a conflict of interest.

Prosecutor Kevin McCrae told the Herald in late June that his office was still reviewing it. He could not be reached this week for an update.