Shelter debate has two sides

The stories involving the Orange County Humane Society shelter on

Newland Street have been nothing less than heart-wrenching.

There have been descriptions of animals living in filthy,

overcrowded conditions. Former volunteers have given accounts of

animals going without medical treatment. And then there is the one

story of the clumsy euthanasia of a dog. It is no wonder that former

volunteers and members of the community are protesting these sad

stories. One even has filed a complaint with the state Veterinary

Medical Board against the shelter’s owner, veterinarian Samir Botros.

It is not a one-sided battle, however. Other people who have been

to the shelter report none of the problems and recount seeing animals

housed in clean, appropriate cages. And Botros has denied the charges

and called the attacks part of a personal battle against him, waged

by former volunteers, whom he dismissed after ongoing wrangling over

how the shelter should be run.

The one point everyone seems to agree on is that the shelter now

is clean and its animals well-treated. For that, we all can be

thankful.

We also can be thankful that an outside group is looking into the

allegations -- the Costa Mesa City Council. It has a three-year

contract with Botros to house stray animals, and council members want

to make sure those animals are being treated right. The city is

scheduled to announce its findings Friday.

Those findings, we hope, will signal an end to this upsetting

saga. If the city determines that the shelter is failing to provide

adequate care and treatment, then the appropriate action should be

taken, and those raising the questions can feel vindicated. But if

the city decides that at this point the shelter and Botros are

fulfilling their part of the agreement, then that, too, should settle

things down, and those raising the concerns also should feel

vindicated and accept that they were able to get their questions

answered.