Madison Barkley Installments (copies)

This installment will illustrate how Boks/Barth just can't get their claims right.

On September 9, 2008, with the knowledge that L.A. Animal Services staff was about to present their vote of "No Confidence" in General Manager Ed Boks and Assistant General Manager Linda Barth to the Los Angeles City Council, Ed Boks wrote a letter to the City Council members.

The following is just one of the inaccurate claims Boks makes in his letter:

"In the past two years, we have become the number one pet adoption agency in the world, with over 25,000 adoptions annually."

Boks is absolutely correct about the total number of LAAS adoptions. In fact the exact number is 25,277 for the 12 months ending August 31, 2008.

http://www.laanimalservices.com/PDF/reports/CatNDogIntakeNOutcomes.pdf

But that does not make LAAS the "number one pet adoption agency in the world."

Ed, please provide your data on this astounding claim. For example, I am wondering how many annual pet adoptions are done in Switzerland. I also hear adoptions are pretty darn good in New Zealand. And France does well too. What data did you get for those countries, Ed?

OK, we know you did not even ask. You just made it up. Does the mayor consider that ethical?

Let's look at the real facts. It would take way too much time to research the adoption rate of the world, so I have decided to stick to the USA.

Boks conveniently chooses to report his number according to the method that give the best illusion of his success. For example, in this same letter, Boks uses a percentage and raw numbers for his increase in spay/neuter (we will address this in future installment.). However, when claiming to be "number one in the world" in adoptions, Boks choose to use ONLY the raw number. Why? Because as you will see in the chart below, the applicable percentage is not very impressive. In fact it is nothing more than average.

When you are dealing with statistics you cannot just state raw numbers without putting them in context. Outcomes depend on what comes in. That is, we have to count number of impounded animals in order to measure the success of how many animals were adopted.

Below is a chart that presents both intakes and adoption for LAAS and the national averages, representing adoptions in the context of impounds.

The LAAS figures are the latest (12 months ending August 31, 2008) from Boks' statistics. The national average figures for intake and adoptions are the current estimates taken from the Humane Society of the United States website showing HSUS estimates.

I was forwarded an e mail from a Bobby Fisher stating we should continue living with Boks/Barth. I guess that means that we accept Boks/Barth illusion of "No_kill, accept their number games and live with their 37% increase in euthanasia. In that same e mail a Michael O'Brian asked me to reveal my identity. Here is my response.

What matters is LAAS facts. LAAS facts will not change just because Michael knows the identity of Madison. Michael states that "Comments, statistics, figures etc. have very little effect on me and most rational people if the individual proclaiming them is hiding who they are". Madison's installments are not proclamations, nor are they speculations. Madison's installments are FACTS. Madison provides links and copies of internal e-mails and SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) that substantiate every installment. All of Madison's pieces can be verified by simply going to the provided links and doing the math or calling Ed Boks and/or Linda Barth and asking them for copies of the referenced internal e mails and Standard Operating Procedures.

As I stated in an earlier installment, Madison Barkley is a pseudonym. Why? Revenge by Boks/Barth is one reason. In revealing my identity I stand to lose my privileges and status which would hurt the animals. If I reveal my identity Boks/Barth would make certain that the flow of information that I now have at hand will promptly stop.

Madison is not just one person. Madison has many sources and what Madison post is a compilation of verifiable facts.

Madison's sources include LAAS staff as well as volunteers and rescuers. Each of them have reason to fear retaliation. Ed demonstrated his first step in retaliation with Kathy Davis at the East Valley Shelter on Sept 11th, 2008. The staff called in the union to protect them, rescuers or volunteer DO NOT have that same right to protection.

Now let's address Bobby Fishers statement "I will be the last one to say that Ed Boks is doing an outstanding job as the in charge for the pounds, but I do remember the previous people that held that position and how horrendous of a job they did." I will address each of Bobby's examples:

FACT: Bobby states, "They would have never dreamed of ever having new hope partner adoptions where rescue groups could get a discount or no fee to take animals; bottle feeding for kittens, etc. " Rescue group programs and discounts have existed in the past. New Hope is a new name given by Boks for a program that was previously invented. In Stuckey's era rescuers received a discount and the program was called "Adoption Partners". In Greenwalt's days rescuers received discounts and were called "Rescue Partners". In fact, the discounted rates have existed since Sharon Morris who was General Manager in 1998. A program Morris called "The participant Shelter program". As usual Ed renames an existing product and calls it his own and then takes credit for it.

IN FACT, because Boks/Barth's licensing record is so bad Boks/Barth had to find a way to recoup their uncollected licensing revenue (Laura Chick's recent audit put it at about one million dollars). So now Boks/Barth are requiring New Hope partners to submit their adopters private contact information to LAAS so they can recoup their losses.

FACT: Bobby states, "Not too long ago Boks even went to bat for Tia of the pit bull rescue to get a program where she could have used a closed city kennel in connection with people ex cons who wanted to work with the animals.". The Pit-bull Academy was pitched by Tia Torres and failed by Ed Boks and Linda Barth. The failure occurred when Boks/Barth decided, again, they did not have to follow city protocol. When City Council was made aware that Ed Boks and Linda Barth were creating a program behind their back, giving away city property without the knowledge of city representatives, ignoring union rules, failing to protect the city from liabilities and essentially spending our city's tax payer's money without permission, the program was cancelled.

Boks/Barth have demonstrated great difficulty following official protocol. Their arrogance causes more harm than good for the citizens and animals of our city.

FACT: Bobby states, "Unless, you have a proven individual from the rescue world THAT THE MAYOR AND COUCEL has signed off it would be foolish to expect a replacement to step in and turn things around." To be a good General Manager and Assistant Manager does not require one to be from "the rescue world". What is required is for that leader to have integrity and hear and fully understand the voices of the people he/she is leading. Ed Boks and Linda Barth have received much advise and feedback from various committees and Los Angeles rescuers willing to assist them in creating new adoption programs, owner retention programs and relinquishment counseling, just to name a few. They say they are open to listening but over and over their actions illustrate the FACT that they do not implement the suggestions given to them.

FACT: Bobby states "I read in one Email a complaint of too many dogs in kennel runs.... Hello, the alternative is simply to kill them faster". Boks/Barth's only solution for the overpopulation of our city shelters is warehousing or killing animals and then blaming shelter management for mismanaging their district when IN FACT they are simply following orders from Boks, Barth and Davis. Keeping animals for a longer period of time is a wonderful idea if it is backed up by a program that will assist in getting the animal out into homes. Without such programs or incentives, keeping animals is called Warehousing. Warehousing leads to overcrowding which results in medical and behavioral issues and inhumane conditions for the animals. Most tragic, the extended stay, without new adoption programs and incentives, still results in the same end, the death of the animals.

This is not a contest of personalities. What it is an examination of FACTS.

Madison

It has just come to my attention that my Installment #12 is being circulated with the subject line "Petition to fire Ed Boks".

I want to make it crystal clear that the only petition I support is the LAAS staffs' vote "of no confidence in Ed Boks as General Manager and Linda Barth as Assistant General Manager for LA Animal Services".

Although we share a common goal of seeing Ed Boks replaced, I am in NO WAY affiliated with the ADLLA.

This e mail is not intended to open up a discussion on Madison vs ADLLA. I do not want to detract from the issue at hand, which is, the removal of Ed Boks and Linda Barth for the sake of the citizens and animals residing in the city of Los Angeles.

Madison

PS: If you would like to attend the Personnel Committee Meeting in which the vote of no confidence will be heard, you are welcome to attend.

Here is the Daily News article about what led up to the Personnel Committee Meeting.

http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_10423320

Personnel Meeting is scheduled for October 7th at 6:00PM

Van Nuys City Hall
14410 Sylvan Street
Van Nuys, CA 91401
(818) 756-8121

Click Here for Directions to Van Nuys City Hall

	LAAS	NATIONWIDE Estimated Average (HSUS figures)
Adoptions	25,277	3 to 4 million
Intake	51,040	6 to 8 million
Adoptions as Percentage of Intake	49.52%	50%