Protesters knock Hempstead animal shelter

Animal advocates protested what they described as mismanagement and deficient care at the Hempstead Town Animal Shelter during a rally outside the agency's Wantagh offices headquarters Thursday.

About 35 people turned out, including Derek Donnelly, an organizer for a group called Hope for Hempstead Shelter. Donnelly and others said the town touted recent rescues of animals found in horrid conditions in two Rockville Centre homes to distract the public from the shelter's problems. Mike Deery, a town spokesman, rejected the charge.

"Anyone who would say that cannot be someone who loves animals," Deery said. "We had shelter staff removing encrusted feces from animal fur, bathing urine soaked animals."

Protesters have turned up regularly at Town Board meetings since October, when Hempstead banned three volunteers from the shelter amid an internal probe of the agency. The town brought concerns to the Nassau district attorney's office, which is also investigating the shelter. Details of the probes haven't been made public, although Hempstead officials have said administrative matters are at issue, not mistreatment of animals.

Donnelly said the shelter is a job mill for those with political connections and had a bloated budget of $7.1 million last year.

"This should be the Taj Mahal of shelters," Donnelly said. "For $4 million we could house these animals at a hotel for 365 days."

Deery said the shelter is professional with workers who in many cases have decades of experience. He defended agency spending, saying outlays for medical care and food exceed those of other shelters in the region.

"We spend money where it counts," Deery said. "We're not going to skimp when it comes to taking care of our animals."