SAN ANTONIO--- Former employees and volunteers say Cheryl Wildenstein, who runs Animal Friends Humane Society, is cruel to animals. The former workers joined the owner of the shelter property in court to ask a judge to grant an eviction notice to Wildenstein.
The former employees say Wildenstein keeps dogs locked in cages too many hours each day. In court documents, they also claim the shelter operator didn't keep necessary medical records or get routine vaccinations for cats and dogs--which has led to many illnesses. The workers says this makes it hard to find adoptive homes for the animals.
The former employees believe Wildenstein is a hoarder. They says she keeps too many animals on the property, has made many excuses for not granting adoptions, and has kept dead cats in a freezer. According to court documents, the shelter manager didn't allow pets with identification to be returned to their owners unless those owners were persistent or asked police for help.
One former worker, Lissa Tuttle, says she and others have used their time to bury animals and their own money to buy medicine. Alice Lang, who adopted a dog from Animal Friends, says she started volunteering after her adoption. She says she then discovered horrible conditions for animals. She told us the shelter operator wouldn't allow people to check the back of the property, where many dogs remained locked in cages, and said only few animals were kept up front for visitors to see. Lang says she left after six months of work.
Some neighbors have signed a petition. They want Wildenstein to go because they believe she is abusing animals and because foul odors from animal urine and feces fill the air. A former worker told us sometimes the shelter operator would leave feces on the floor for hours as she worked around it.
The property owner, Laura Alderman, is hoping a judge will grant her permission to evict Cheryl Wildenstein. However, Alderman says the judge had delayed making a decision on the issue.
The shelter is a no-kill facility but former workers say animals are dying from a lack of proper care. The shelter's website is asking for help to find homes for animals and help with relocating the shelter operation.
