The Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA has long been a source of pride for the Charlottesville community as a no-kill shelter with a hefty donor base. Last week, a letter from 57 current and former staff and volunteers at the shelter claimed that shiny reputation is a mirage. The letter writers, including multiple former high-level staffers, accuse CASPCA Executive Director Angie Gunter of creating a hostile work environment and allege “current animal care practices are deeply concerning and merit investigation.”

“The thing that upset me the most was the large number of animals we were transferring in from out of state,” said Katie Roche, who worked as an educator and as adoption and intake coordinator at CASPCA from 2018 to 2021. 

“We were transferring in more animals than we could house and were relying on fosters for the care of those animals,” Roche said in a Thursday, Jan. 26  interview on Charlottesville Right Now. “The overflow of animals were kept in crates in the basement where they did not have freedom to move around. They would have to sit in their own feces and urine for hours.”

Roche said that she took her concerns to her immediate manager, who shared them with executive leadership, but nothing was done. 

Claire Allen, a former adoption and intake manager at CASPCA who also served as dog care lead during her tenure between 2015 and 2018, said she also had serious concerns about the sheer volume of the animals that were being held in unfit conditions. Those conditions included being crated for at least 23 hours a day, sitting in urine and feces and without fresh water because staff was overwhelmed by the numbers. 

Both Roche and Allen said the numbers at the shelter were driven up by animals brought in from other places to help the shelter qualify for more grant money.

The letter from current and former staff members to the board details the specific ways Gunter allegedly created a hostile environment including a “demeaning, divisive, and punitive” management style that creates a “culture of fear.”

While Allen says she personally experienced a hostile work environment in her interactions with Gunter, both she and Roche say their primary concern is the welfare of the animals held at the shelter. They also worry about community safety, if aggressive dogs are adopted out without proper behavioral assessment. 

Neither Gunter nor the board responded to a request for comment, but the board said in a statement that it has “heard the concerns” and  “intends to pursue diligently the goals of making the shelter a better place for both the animals and the hard-working employees and volunteers on whom they rely,” but will not be changing leadership.  

“We believe that Angie Gunter is the best person to lead this effort forward,” the statement reads.  

Roche called the statement “a slap in the face.

“A lot of people were brave enough to come forward and share their concerns,” she said. “ For the board to shut us down like that was insulting.” 

WINA has reached out directly to Gunter and to the board but has not received a response.

You can hear the full interview with Roche and Allen here. – Courteney Stuart

More information on the situation can be found at the CASPCA Concerns Facebook page.