On the same day that leadership at Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA delivered an optimistic message about the future through a new consultant, multiple longtime volunteers were told they will not be welcomed back at the shelter that’s been rocked by controversy since January.

“This shelter, not just for me, but for so many people, is a beacon of hope because you have maintained lifesaving rates, you have made sure that every animal is treated with dignity and respect, and they know they’re loved here,” said national shelter consultant Kristin Hassan at a morning press conference on Wednesday, August 30, the second day of her three-day, in-person visit.
Several hours later, some of a dozen volunteers who were instructed to take the summer off, met with CASPCA interim executive director Sue Friedman, who told them their time off is permanent.
“I was hopeful that at the end of the three months, things would settle down and we would be welcome back,” said former volunteer Beth Gould  in an interview on Charlottesville Right Now. 
The CASPCA controversy erupted in January with an anonymous letter from former staff and volunteers expressing alarm about a toxic work environment under former executive director Angie Gunter and poor conditions for the animals. Many of those anonymous letter writers later spoke publicly, and an independent investigation by McGuire Woods law firm ended with Gunter’s departure and multiple recommendations for improving shelter operations.
In an interview on Charlottesville Right Now before the decision to permanently release the dozen volunteers, Friedman said she’d explained her reasoning to each of them at private meetings. But Gould said neither she nor the other experienced volunteers who were let go were ever given any specific reason for being censured. Gould says she was told only that she’d caused “drama and trauma.” In her eight years volunteering at CASPCA, she could not recall any interactions with staff members or other volunteers that could have prompted such a description.

“When I had my one-on-one meeting with her back in June, I asked her, ‘Well, what am I going to learn over these next three months when I come back? How will I change when I don’t know what I did wrong,'” she said.

At the press conference, Hassan emphasized the importance of community involvement and stressed the need to work together.

“Communication going both ways, going all ways is critical right now,” she said. “People need to understand the why of why things are happening, why they’re not happening, why certain animals are staying longer than others. And so this team is really committed to improving that communication and making sure that the whole community really understands so that everybody can be one team helping the animals.”
Gould expressed a similar desire along with confusion.
“We don’t understand why they would want to dismiss 12 loyal, talented volunteers that care for the dogs and for what purpose,” she said. “We just wanted to be part of the team. We wanted to work with them, and we all want what’s best for the shelter and for the dogs.”