LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sunday morning, dozens of pet owners were shocked to be turned away at the front doors of the Animal Foundation after finding a letter on the door saying they were closed.
More than half-a-dozen employees quit on the spot on Sunday morning, forcing the shelter to close to the public.
In a resignation email, the eight employees expressed longtime concerns that led to their decision to leave.
"We have tried to do our best for the animals without any improvement or any change," they wrote in the email, which Las Vegas Councilwoman Victoria Seaman shared with KTNV.
WATCH: Councilwoman's surprise Animal Foundation inspection leads to calls for change at the shelter
Seaman recently did a surprise inspection at the publicly funded shelter and told KTNV she was "appalled" at the conditions inside, which she recorded. She says she was not surprised to hear the employees resigned.
“For nine months, I’ve been hearing from staff on the inside and volunteers, on how horrific the [Animal Foundation] is. They’re very top-heavy,” Seaman said.
Kelsey Pizzi, a spokesperson for the Animal Foundation, declined an on-camera interview but said only the shelter's lost and found department was closed on Sunday.
Pizzi said the closure was due to staffing issues and that 116 animals were brought in to the shelter the day before.
The Animal Foundation's executive director, Hilarie Grey, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the resignations.
KTNV's 13 Investigates reported extensively on the crisis within the walls of the Animal Foundation.
WATCH THE SIX-PART SERIES: 13 Investigates allegations of pets in peril at The Animal Foundation
Whistleblowers allege the shelter neglects animals and sometimes fails to notify pet owners when lost animals turn up there — a failure that, in one instance described to KTNV, resulted in a local dog owner's pet being euthanized.
Pictures of the shelter conditions prompted City Manager Jorge Cervantes to notify Animal Foundation executives that they'd violated their agreement with the city, and giving them 48 hours to send the city a plan to correct the issues.
FOLLOW-UP: Pet owners, employees, local leaders want accountability from The Animal Foundation
Seaman scheduled an item for discussion on the Las Vegas City Council's Oct. 19 meeting agenda to address what she found during her surprise inspection.
