CALDWELL -- Two of the of the top leaders at the West Valley Humane Society have stepped down, the animal shelter announced Monday.
Board President Brenda Cameron resigned Friday, followed by Interim Executive Director Susan Woodward's resignation on Saturday. The reasons for the resignations were not made clear in the shelter's press release.
But the departures come after months of community backlash against the shelter over perceived missteps, including a case in January in which a dog belonging to a Caldwell family was mistakenly put down after being picked up as a stray. West Valley Humane Society's then-Executive Director Jonathan Perry was fired after the shelter says they learned he lied to the owners, telling them their pet had been adopted by another family instead of put down.
The shelter settled a lawsuit with the dog's owners earlier this year.
Linda Dripps has been named Interim board president, and said in a statement the shelter planned to restructure its leadership.
"With the assistance of professionals from the Idaho Humane Society, West Valley Humane Society will immediately begin to restructure shelter management," the statement reads. "The goals of providing best practices in shelter animal welfare and fulfilling all aspects of the organization’s mission statement are the focus of the changes."
A new executive director will be hired after a reorganization of the board, Dripps wrote.
In the meantime, the shelter is seeking volunteers willing to help out at the shelter. Anyone interested in joining the volunteer team is asked to visit the West Valley Humane Society website to learn more.
