I-Team: Council member wants investigation of animal shelter

PROVIDENCE—A City Council member is calling for an investigation into the Providence Animal Shelter.

The NBC 10 I-Team has reported on allegations of animal abuse, shoddy administrative practices, sexual misconduct and unauthorized euthanasia of animals at the shelter.

The Cicilline administration is being criticized for not doing enough to straighten out the alleged problems at the shelter.

“We brought plenty of evidence. We had photos. We had witnesses. A former employee was with us, and she was still an employee at the time. She ended up getting fired. We had a vet tech with us who was from one of the animal hospitals that was treating some of these animals,“ said Dennis Tabella of Defenders of Animals. “Absolutely nothing was done.“

Tabella asked Providence City Council member John Lombardi to take some action.

Lombardi introduced a resolution calling for an investigation of the animal shelter, and he wants a commission set up to find a better way to run the place.

A few years ago, Lombardi got an anti-gas chamber euthanasia ordinance passed in the city.

“I received a call about a month ago, indicating that they were circumventing the anti-gas chamber euthanasia ordinance by sending some of the animals to Smithfield, which is certainly a breach of the law,“ Lombardi said.

Lombardi said the police department, which oversees the animal shelter, and the Cicilline administration have not made the shelter a high priority.