WASHINGTON — A group of volunteers for a D.C. animal shelter believe they were retaliated against for blowing the whistle on conditions at the shelters.
More than two dozen Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) volunteers claim they were fired Tuesday after they had been outspoken about allegedly poor conditions in the kennels.
Christy Lambert tells WUSA9 she spends her weeekends volunteering at HRA's shelter on New York Avenue. She has been doing that since August 2023.
But an email Tuesday changed that. The Humane Rescue Alliance fired her and, she estimates, at least 20 other volunteers.
“My heart just dropped, “ Lambert said. “This just happened. We are still trying to figure out what is going on.”
Lambert said for months now, she and others have voiced their concerns about the conditions of the animals staying in the New York Avenue shelter.
“The kennel had lots of feces, pee, blood even, on the walls,” she said.
Lambert and other volunteers documented what they saw in video and pictures. They gave them to the management. By last fall, Lambert said when nothing had been done. the group wrote a letter.
“That highlighted our concerns that went to board members of HRA, city council members and the mayor,” Lambert said.
Then this week, the other shoe dropped. Lambert and more than two dozen other volunteers got the same email letting them know they had been fired from their volunteer roles, with no specific reason given.
“The volunteers they fired, these are people that have been there 10 plus years often times," Lambert said.
WUSA9 asked the Humane Rescue alliance why they fired the volunteers. A spokesperson sent this response:
“As a humane organization, we prioritize the wellbeing and safety of both animals and people. Here are the broad reasons why individuals are no longer provided the opportunity and privilege to volunteer at HRA. We aren’t attributing any of these reasons to any individual. Each individual situation is unique.
- Behavior to staff, or other volunteers, that left them feeling bullied, unsafe, disrespected, demeaned, or unable to fully perform or focus on their duties.
- Violations of organizational policy
- Violations of databases/information privacy
- Violations of employee confidentiality
- Unwillingness to comply with basic organizational protocols.
There are other examples as well. We are certain that no nonprofit organization would tolerate these behaviors, and while we attempted to work with all this over time, it became unsustainable, and we drew a line. Our volunteers and staff are expressing a sense of relief that we did so.
HRA’s responsibility extends not only to the welfare of animals, but also to the safety and wellbeing of our dedicated staff and volunteers. We remain committed to fostering an equitable workplace where everyone feels secure, valued, respected – and can thrive.
Volunteers are a valuable asset to HRA, and we look forward to investing our energy into the hundreds of active volunteers who dedicate time to our mission and help us care for tens of thousands of animals each year.”
When asked if she exhibited that behavior, Lambert emphatically replied, "no."
“Not at all,” she said. “Myself and my friends, we were nothing but respectful and kind.”
As upset as she is with her firing as a volunteer, Lambert said she is most concerned with the welfare of the dogs she won't get to help anymore.
“Just this morning I was looking at HRA’s website and the front page says ‘Volunteers Needed! Sign up today,'" she said.
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