Customer service is the signature of any business. Nowhere is it more important than when dealing with people in distress — which is why we found this incident so disturbing.
It involves a woman’s attempt to retrieve her lost dogs, which had been taken to IndyHumane — the new identity the Humane Society of Indianapolis has chosen. Their website proclaims that
We respect every animal that comes through our door as a valued life…
We recognize the strong bond between humans and animals and are compassionate in the decisions we make and the actions we take that impact that relationship.
We can be trusted to do what we say we will do. We tell the truth, even when it may be painful. We make decisions based on what we believe is the right thing to do for the animals, their owners and their prospective owners.
But Ashley Scott, the Boone County resident who became separated from her dogs, discovered that just because an organization has “humane” in its name doesn’t necessarily mean that is reflected in its practices. Instead of compassion, Ms. Scott was treated with suspicion and rudeness, and threatened with having her precious pets turned over to Indianapolis Animal Care & Control where, as they pointed out, “they euthanize dogs every other day.”
That doesn’t sound like valuing the animal’s life, respecting the strong bond between humans and animals, or being compassionate in decision-making to us.
Read Ashley Scott’s story here.
There seems to be a vast disconnect between IndyHumane’s projected image and reality.
Humane: characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, especially for the suffering or distressed.
Empathy: the capacity to recognize feelings that are being experienced by another sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion.
Neither of these qualities, however much they are trumpeted on IndyHumane’s website, was apparent in the interaction Ms. Scott had with the people representing IndyHumane. Threatening to send her dog to a kill shelter as a psychological weapon is profoundly disappointing. Add to that the lack of compassion shown to the woman who was just trying to save an animal’s life, and the resulting picture certainly doesn’t match the values and vision IndyHumane claims.
Painting a warm and fuzzy picture of loving, compassionate care and everything being “all about the animals” is an outstanding way to entice people to open their wallets. But when the reality contradicts the image, it’s deception. Whether intentional or not.
One has to wonder — what if, unbeknownst to the people she was dealing with, Ms. Scott had been a generous donor?
John Aleshire, Executive Director of The Humane Society of Indianapolis and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church has it right when he says
“We can’t be the Humane Society if we’re not showing respect, love and compassion. These are as natural to us as breathing.”
We agree, Mr. Aleshire. At least, with the first sentence.
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