St. Clair County Animal Services gets mixed reviews from animal-welfare and rescue groups

As an animal-welfare group calls for changes at the St. Clair County Animal Services Department, the department has gotten mixed reviews from area animal groups.

Animal Services has been criticized by a group called the St. Clair County Animal Welfare Advocates, a group that has called for the Animal Services Department to become low-kill, and for a new person to run the department to replace Animal Services Director Jim Jacquot.

The group has asked for animals to be vaccinated for parvovirus as soon as they are taken into Animal Services and for changes in cleaning procedures.

Other animal groups such as Partners for Pets and Stray Angels say good things about the department.

Lisa McCormick of Partners for Pets has not participated in the meetings between county officials and members of the Animal Welfare Advocates group.

McCormick said she has been pulling animals from St. Clair County for three to four years, and could go to the department anywhere from one to three times a week.

She said the shelter will see what animals are available after they’ve been held for seven days.

“We have a good relationship with one of the employees there,” McCormick said.

She added the department is good about calling a veterinarian when there is an injured animal, and the department is good when the pet rescue’s shelter manager brings up a concern.

“We have seen changes made in the last few years that have come from concerns brought to their attention by other groups,” McCormick said. “I felt like they were making progress. It just doesn’t happen overnight.”

Sara Cordevant is the vice president of Stray Angels, an organization that connects the county’s agency with rescues to take animals.

Animal Services employees tell Stray Angels what animals are available, and might be euthanized. Stray Angels forwards the information to rescues.

“Animal Services has taken baby steps to making improvements,” Cordevant said.

She pointed to Animal Services updating its websites, and doing away with required tracking forms.

Animal Services allows Stray Angels to take pictures and videos of dogs and cats so they can be shared with animal rescues. Before that, if there was a dog that could be taken from Animal Services, Stray Angels had to find pictures of similar animals.

“We are very gracious for what Jim has allowed us to do,” Cordevant said.

“As long as he’s open to things to happen, we can make it a better connection and save more lives and get more rescued and get the euthanasia rate down,” Cordevant said. “He has to be willing.”

However, some rescues have not had good relationships with Jacquot and the Animal Services department.

The Spencer Pet Rescue in O’Fallon was banned from Animal Services several years ago, said Jeanette Stunkel, director of the pet rescue.

Stunkel said Jacquot is difficult to work with.

“He’s a nightmare,” Stunkel said. “If they don’t like one of your volunteers, they will refuse to work with you.”

Stunkel echoed the call of Animal Welfare Advocates for Jacquot to be replaced.

“He needs to be out of there, (but) that’s something I don’t foresee happening,” Stunkel said.

Stunkel remembers a time when someone brought a stray into Animal Services, but wanted to ultimately adopt the dog after a required seven-day hold.

When the person went to formally adopt the dog, he couldn’t get the dog back. A rescue group from Missouri had to be brought in to pull the dog.

“It’s just one horror story after another,” Stunkel said.

Dawn Fischer, who runs Dachshund Rescue St. Louis, based in Highland, called St. Clair County Animal Services employees rude.

“I get crap from them,” Fisher said. “It’s not good to deal with them.”

Fischer did pull one dog from St. Clair County more than a year ago, but had to have it euthanized because the dog was a biter, she said.

Fischer added she’s had to deal with confusion over whether appropriate paperwork was in order.

“My past experience has not been good, so I choose not to deal with them,” Fischer said.

This story was originally published July 9, 2016 at 9:31 AM with the headline "St. Clair County Animal Services gets mixed reviews from animal-welfare and rescue groups."