DETROIT – A former worker said the facility at Detroit Animal Control is deplorable, dogs living in their own feces, and many animals are infected with parvo and other diseases and left untreated.
Brittany Roberts says she had to endure all that while working at Detroit Animal Control, a job she was passionate about but was fired from last month because she says she questioned what was going on.
"They weren't being fed properly. They were throwing food on the floor with feces. There were no bowls. They were never let out of their cages to go to the bathroom so they were stuck in there 24/7," said Roberts.
Roberts says she reported the violations to her supervisors, and they were never addressed.
"All the dogs were coughing and sneezing and had mucus coming out of their noses. I mean, I pretty much would watch them come in healthy, and within a few days, they'd have some sort of respiratory issue or diarrhea," said Roberts.
Roberts started taking pictures of what she saw, including dogs that died because of sickness or lack of food. She said one dog was hit by a car and left in a wheelbarrow for days without any treatment.
She said the drains in the facility didn't work, allowing urine and feces to build up in the animals' cages, and there was an infestation of rats, roaches and other disease hazards.
Local 4 reached out to the city of Detroit for comment, and they released this statement, saying in part:
"The city is committed to ensuring the humane treatment of all animals in the care of Animal Control. Just today, we announced a new partnership with the Michigan Humane Society that will place dozens of dogs at Animal Control into caring foster homes each month. We also transferred oversight of Animal Control to the city's health department."