Recently a couple of articles were purchased from the archives of the Ithaca Journal. These articles tell the tale of Nathan Winograd at the Tompkins County SPCA, a tale of deceit that continues to this very day. The publicly available abstracts are presented for both articles.
The first of these two tales is that of the protection of a puppy mill by Winograd while in Tompkins.
The Ithaca Journal - Ithaca, N.Y.
Author: LaMattina, Diana
Date: Feb 22, 2003
Abstract (Document Summary)
According to Winograd, the investigator informed him there were numerous complaints with the kennel and the dogs' care. According to Winograd, he has been aware of what he termed "unfit conditions" at the Groton kennel since he began working at the SPCA a year and a half ago.
A year and a half these dogs were left in these conditions. The reason is that Winograd wanted to save his numbers. Imagine the amount of suffering that occurred during that time.
"Many of them were so filthy that your hands turned black from touching them. The conditions were pretty shocking and horrifying, and she wouldn't allow us to go back to the kennel cages," said Christine Thomas. "Some of them had mammary tumors from being bred and bred. They were all filthy with urine and feces. Their coats were so matted, we had to shave several of them."
"My goal was to reduce the number gradually over time, so it's manageable," Winograd said.
You don't wait to reduce numbers gradually when the animals are in these conditions. Many, if not most, of the dogs were old and not the adoptable types. They needed extensive medical, lots of money for a private shelter whose director never raised the contract amounts of the contract cities. HE LEFT THEM THERE !!
This blogger is familiar with this story personally. I spoke with Patricia Sipman. Patricia Sipman described the incident. She also took the time to relay this incident to the Rancho Cucamonga City Council who was considering hiring Winograd at the time. Sipman is a native of San Dimas, next door to Rancho.
Sipman had just moved to Ithaca from California. She had been a paralegal in Pasadena. She went to the Tompkins County SPCA to adopt that day. While sitting in the lobby, a Cornell student brought in a pitiful Pit Bull. The student was the owner. Sipman said the dog was extremely ill, emaciated, mange ridden to the point of little hair left, stunk with blood coming from sores. She petted the dog in sympathy. Sipman has wondered what happened to that poor dog.
The counter people went to get Winograd. He came out, look at the dog from the distance, and said "We don't take dogs like that" and walked back into his office. Sipman was mortified at this and wrote a letter to the Ithaca Journal.
Jan. 28, 2004
"I visited the shelter often last fall and saw a dog turned away. It was not vicious; indeed I petted it. It was underfed, neglected, had advanced contagious mange and perhaps other health problems.
When I asked, I was told that the SPCA routinely rejects such animals, but conveniently no statistics reflect this. The dog could and should have been quickly, humanely euthanized."
Patricia also went on in her letter to speak of the deceit of the stats provided by the TC SPCA.
"Tompkins County SPCA Executive Director Nathan Winograd has said ".....a no-kill shelter was a fantasy. In five years, we have reached that goal." If the director is referring to his facility as no kill when in fact 2,012 animals were killed since 1999, he's still fantasizing. Likely the "no-kill" facilities he transferred 882 animals to are, like Tompkins County, euthanizing animals."
Patricia told me also that Winograd sent 3-4 nasty emails to her afterwards. Most rational people would try to explain their actions, especially to a taxpayer/concerned citizen, but not Winograd. He called her names, childish behavior as Patricia said.
So here are two documented cases of the true nature of Nathan Winograd. His dedication to his program at the expense and suffering of animals is unconscionable. Ask him to provide any documentation of his accusations of others.
THIS IS PAT DUNAWAY
