Carrico resigns as animal shelter manager
*Her 13-years of service had come under fire in recent weeks
*2 vacancies now at shelter
*Public meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. is a call for volunteers
* Queen City Animal Rescue president: 'it's a great thing'
By The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
CUMBERLAND, Dec. 14 -- Camille Carrico, the manager of the Allegany County Animal Shelter who came under fire for the manner in which she carried out her duties there, has resigned, effective Dec. 17.
Dick DeVore, chief of the county's emergency management division which oversees the animal shelter operations, confirmed the resignation Tuesday morning.
DeVore stressed that Carrico's departure is a "voluntary resignation ... It was not something the county requested."
Still, "I wasn't surprised that, ultimately, she decided to resign," DeVore said.
Carrico is leaving a position that pays nearly $41,000 after 13 years on the job. DeVore confirmed that a second vacancy was created when a full-time office associate also resigned.
Despite the personnel issues, DeVore said the shelter is open for business this week thanks in large part to a group of new volunteers.
"Yesterday, we worked shortstaffed," DeVore said. "We have a great group of volunteers. They really took good care of our animals."
DeVore did not confirm the shelter is working toward becoming a no-kill facility. Currently, animals are euthanized if they are deemed unable of being adopted. Space considerations within the facility also play a role in how long an animal might be kept before being euthanized.
"We're making great strides towards reducing the number of euthanasias that take place at our shelter," DeVore said.
He noted that no animal has been euthanized since Nov. 29. Queen City Animal Rescue, a new Cumberland-based nonprofit founded only this month in response to the shelter's previous manner of operations, said the shelter's kill rate prior to Nov. 29 was 85 percent.
"We're actively pushing adoptions, rescue groups, foster programs to get animals out of our shelter," DeVore said. "At this point, we don't have staff to be able to accomplish all those things."
The county is taking notes from operations at its counterpart in Washington County. Volunteers are charged with a myriad of tasks, DeVore said, including kennel cleaning, dog walking, adoption efforts and coordinating volunteer activities.
Only volunteers ages 18 and older are able to work in the shelter due to liability concerns, DeVore said. A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the animal shelter on Furnace Street in Cumberland to begin coordinating volunteer efforts. The meeting is open to the public.
For more information on volunteering, contact DeVore at 301-876-9155 ext. 100.
P.O. Box 651
Mount Savage, MD 21545
P.O. Box 651
Mount Savage, MD 21545
Sweitzer leading new Queen City Animal Rescue in Allegany County
By The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
CUMBERLAND, Dec. 14 -- Jodi Sweitzer had her doubts about pairing with Dick DeVore, who oversees operations at the Allegany County Animal Shelter.
In recent weeks, the shelter, under the daily supervision of manager Camille Carrico, has come under fire for what some believe to be a failed response to dogs living in an abandoned home in Cumberland.
DeVore was at the top of that agency. Sweitzer didn't know whether she could trust him. Along came Ollie, a pitbull-mix that needed help - costly medical help from a veterinarian.
"It would have been very easy" for DeVore to call the life-saving efforts quits after the first, failed, surgery, said Sweitzer, of Mount Savage. Instead, DeVore approved funding a second operation.
"I saw Dick was serious" about saving animals' lives, Sweitzer said. "He was willing to do whatever it took to save Ollie's life."
Sweitzer said Queen City Animal Rescue is to operate as a nonprofit organization under the umbrella of Charm City Animal Rescue. Charm City's president, Michelle Ingrodi, was the catalyst to having several dogs removed from the home on Raven Drive, off Valley Street.
Ingrodi is from Cumberland but now runs the Baltimore-based animal rescue. Sweitzer and her friend, Kerry Davis of Fort Ashby, W.Va., have been strong but backseat animal advocates for some time, Sweitzer said. Ingrodi helped bring animal welfare and animal rights to the front burner in Allegany County.
That was late November. Since then, Sweitzer said the shelter has agreed to halt euthanasia until its policy review is completed. Not a single animal has been euthanized since Nov. 29, DeVore said.
There's no website yet, but Sweitzer's group - Queen City Animal Rescue - is on Facebook, a leading social networking site.
"It's really enlightening," Sweitzer said. "It's kind of making me awestruck at the power of Allegany County. They're willing to fight for what they believe in."
Sweitzer called shelter manager Camille Carrico's resignation, effective this Friday, "a great thing" and emphasized the need for volunteers at the animal shelter.
"There have been people who have been offering to volunteer that were turned down," Sweitzer said. "They were told no volunteers were needed. Volunteers are always necessary because county budgets never allow for enough people to take care of the animals the way they need to be cared for.