Friends of Laurie Hollywood!
Donation protected
Help Laurie Hollywood!
Laurie and Forest
Laurie Hollywood is one of the most compassionate people in the world. Since 2005, Laurie was the shelter manager at the City of Stamford Animal Care and Control Shelter in Stamford CT. In those 9 years, Laurie found homes for 3,033 animals....1,458 dogs, 1,399 cats, 64 rabbits, 52 birds, 25, hamsters, 7 guinea pigs, 5 ferrets, 3 pigs, 8 reptiles, 10 roosters and chickens, 1 goose and 1 hedgehog. In 2008, under Laurie's direction the Stamford Shelter found homes for 392 animals giving it the highest adoption rate (of 97.3%) and the lowest euthanasia rate among municipal shelters in Conn. Laurie refused to accept the notion that time, space and breed should dictate which animals live or die. Laurie's motto was "safety first" and that was all about finding the right home for each animal.
Laurie accepting a donation of cat beds
In April 2009, Laurie was honered by the American Red Cross as an animal rescue hero. She has also been named Stamford's Employee of the month. Laurie has done all of this understaffed and on a very limited budget.
Laurie and Lucy
http://stamford.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/a-day-in-stamford-with-the-animal-control-office
Laurie put the "care" in the Stamford Animal Care and Control Shelter. Under Laurie EVERY animal had an opportunity for for adoption and EVERY animal got the medical care it needed.
For all of these abandoned pets....Laurie was their angel!
Laurie and Shorty
Some of the programs that Laurie started that made the Shelter a success are:
forming a pertnership with OPIN Pets (Outreach to Pets in Need) to help provide the animals with extraordinary medical care such as emergency care, treatment, dental care and much more!
Offering free dog training to the public and shelter dogs once a week
Low cost spay and neuter referrals
SNIP, a $10 spay and neuter service for owners of pitbulls and pitbull mixes
AND MUCH MORE!!
Laurie and Squirt
Now Laurie needs our help!
On June 18 2014 after a legnthy inverstigation Stamford Mayor David Martin announced that Laurie Hollywood had been fired.
The reason...of the 3,033 animals that Laurie found forever homes for there were reports of 3 bites. 2 did not ever break the skin. 1 that was described as "serious" required 3 stitches. All 3 of these incidents happened weeks (and in some cases months) after the dog in question left Laurie's care! They also accused Laurie of not disclosing the dog's history, failing to report bites or injuries and falsifying a dog's record to cover up a history of biting. For those of us who know Laurie, we know that these accusations could not be further from the truth. Laurie's motto was "saftey first!". Laurie ALWAYS disclosed the dog's history. During the investigation, letters were sent to anyone who adopted a dog since 2011 asking about "aggressive behavior" and saying that these dogs could be returned to the shelter. How many were returned? 1...a shih tzu!
2 days later Laurie was criminally charged with 3 counts of reckless endangerment. Laurie's attorney, Mark Sherman states that "Laurie is only guity of being too compassionate and denies the charges". He states that this case is really about cronyism and whistleblowing.
We know Laurie is innocent. She would never put anyone at risk and she would not jeopardize the future of animals that she so dearly loved and cared for by being negligent. We know that Laurie is a scapegoat and that the truth will come out! We believe that the current Mayor of Stamford David Martin and others just want to return the shelter to its previous "high kill model". They want a dog pound, not an animal care and control shelter. Laurie was the face of "care".
Laurie and Forest
We won't let that happen! Following Laurie's dismissal hundreds of Stamford residents have rallied for her to be reinstated. So far, the mayor's office has not responded. We want this page to help raise money for Laurie's legal fees. We also want to protect the 17 dogs still at Stamford Animal Care and Control whose futures without Laurie are uncertain.
Laurie and a visting Girl Scout troop
Please help us keep the "care" and help us keep Laurie Hollywood!
Letters to the editor, Stamford Advocate
June 26, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Animal-shelter-is-a-disgrace-5583097
June 27, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Shelter-woes-are-fault-of-city-5585745.php
June 20, 2014 Article in Stamford Advocate by Jenny Colucci
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Colucci-I-remember-the-darkness-5568621.php
June 12, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Stamford-needs-to-let-Hollywood-get-back-5548602.php
May 24, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Animal-shelter-an-overlooked-city-5502939.php
May 12, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Animal-shelter-faces-looming-threat-5472531.php
Praise for Laurie from the Vice President of CT votes for Animals!
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Continue-good-work-of-animal-shelter-688928.php
Support for Laurie and the need for a new shelter
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Op-Ed-Save-funding-for-desperately-needed-animal-4263717.php
Call for a new shelter Jan. 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Angela-Carella-Cold-snap-heats-up-call-for-new-5129778.php
The Past, Present and Future of Shelters by Jenny Colucci
Jan 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/Colucci-The-past-present-and-future-of-the-5142972.
https://www.facebook.com/StamfordAnimalShelter#
Facebook page that supports the Stamford Shelter
https://www.facebook.com/opinpets#
Facebook page for Outreach to Pets in Need
Laurie and Forest
Laurie Hollywood is one of the most compassionate people in the world. Since 2005, Laurie was the shelter manager at the City of Stamford Animal Care and Control Shelter in Stamford CT. In those 9 years, Laurie found homes for 3,033 animals....1,458 dogs, 1,399 cats, 64 rabbits, 52 birds, 25, hamsters, 7 guinea pigs, 5 ferrets, 3 pigs, 8 reptiles, 10 roosters and chickens, 1 goose and 1 hedgehog. In 2008, under Laurie's direction the Stamford Shelter found homes for 392 animals giving it the highest adoption rate (of 97.3%) and the lowest euthanasia rate among municipal shelters in Conn. Laurie refused to accept the notion that time, space and breed should dictate which animals live or die. Laurie's motto was "safety first" and that was all about finding the right home for each animal.
Laurie accepting a donation of cat beds
In April 2009, Laurie was honered by the American Red Cross as an animal rescue hero. She has also been named Stamford's Employee of the month. Laurie has done all of this understaffed and on a very limited budget.
Laurie and Lucy
http://stamford.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/a-day-in-stamford-with-the-animal-control-office
Laurie put the "care" in the Stamford Animal Care and Control Shelter. Under Laurie EVERY animal had an opportunity for for adoption and EVERY animal got the medical care it needed.
For all of these abandoned pets....Laurie was their angel!
Laurie and Shorty
Some of the programs that Laurie started that made the Shelter a success are:
forming a pertnership with OPIN Pets (Outreach to Pets in Need) to help provide the animals with extraordinary medical care such as emergency care, treatment, dental care and much more!
Offering free dog training to the public and shelter dogs once a week
Low cost spay and neuter referrals
SNIP, a $10 spay and neuter service for owners of pitbulls and pitbull mixes
AND MUCH MORE!!
Laurie and Squirt
Now Laurie needs our help!
On June 18 2014 after a legnthy inverstigation Stamford Mayor David Martin announced that Laurie Hollywood had been fired.
The reason...of the 3,033 animals that Laurie found forever homes for there were reports of 3 bites. 2 did not ever break the skin. 1 that was described as "serious" required 3 stitches. All 3 of these incidents happened weeks (and in some cases months) after the dog in question left Laurie's care! They also accused Laurie of not disclosing the dog's history, failing to report bites or injuries and falsifying a dog's record to cover up a history of biting. For those of us who know Laurie, we know that these accusations could not be further from the truth. Laurie's motto was "saftey first!". Laurie ALWAYS disclosed the dog's history. During the investigation, letters were sent to anyone who adopted a dog since 2011 asking about "aggressive behavior" and saying that these dogs could be returned to the shelter. How many were returned? 1...a shih tzu!
2 days later Laurie was criminally charged with 3 counts of reckless endangerment. Laurie's attorney, Mark Sherman states that "Laurie is only guity of being too compassionate and denies the charges". He states that this case is really about cronyism and whistleblowing.
We know Laurie is innocent. She would never put anyone at risk and she would not jeopardize the future of animals that she so dearly loved and cared for by being negligent. We know that Laurie is a scapegoat and that the truth will come out! We believe that the current Mayor of Stamford David Martin and others just want to return the shelter to its previous "high kill model". They want a dog pound, not an animal care and control shelter. Laurie was the face of "care".
Laurie and Forest
We won't let that happen! Following Laurie's dismissal hundreds of Stamford residents have rallied for her to be reinstated. So far, the mayor's office has not responded. We want this page to help raise money for Laurie's legal fees. We also want to protect the 17 dogs still at Stamford Animal Care and Control whose futures without Laurie are uncertain.
Laurie and a visting Girl Scout troop
Please help us keep the "care" and help us keep Laurie Hollywood!
Letters to the editor, Stamford Advocate
June 26, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Animal-shelter-is-a-disgrace-5583097
June 27, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Shelter-woes-are-fault-of-city-5585745.php
June 20, 2014 Article in Stamford Advocate by Jenny Colucci
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Colucci-I-remember-the-darkness-5568621.php
June 12, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Stamford-needs-to-let-Hollywood-get-back-5548602.php
May 24, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Animal-shelter-an-overlooked-city-5502939.php
May 12, 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Letters-Animal-shelter-faces-looming-threat-5472531.php
Praise for Laurie from the Vice President of CT votes for Animals!
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Continue-good-work-of-animal-shelter-688928.php
Support for Laurie and the need for a new shelter
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Op-Ed-Save-funding-for-desperately-needed-animal-4263717.php
Call for a new shelter Jan. 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Angela-Carella-Cold-snap-heats-up-call-for-new-5129778.php
The Past, Present and Future of Shelters by Jenny Colucci
Jan 2014
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/Colucci-The-past-present-and-future-of-the-5142972.
https://www.facebook.com/StamfordAnimalShelter#
Facebook page that supports the Stamford Shelter
https://www.facebook.com/opinpets#
Facebook page for Outreach to Pets in Need
Organizer
Pamela Giambrone
Organizer
Stamford, CT