Resignations, documented concerns at Memphis Animal Services in recent months

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In the first half of this year, 14 people left Memphis Animal Services, including two veterinarians who’d been there for years.

WREG Investigators continue to dig deeper into mounting concerns at MAS.

At a Memphis council committee meeting on Tuesday, there were more questions than answers regarding an investigation surrounding MAS and its director Ty Coleman.

He was placed on leave pending an investigation on June 28th , just days after a dog died in the outdoor play yard. Preliminary assessments say it was heat related.

“There are serious allegations,” the mayor’s Chief Operating Officer Antonio Adams said at the meeting. “Before we put those things out publicly, we should allow this investigation to rest. Then we allow his due process.”

Coleman was hired as interim director in 2023 and earned the official title in January.

Since January, records uncovered by WREG Investigators show 14 employees have left including a veterinarian assistant, shelter supervisor and pet resource specialists. A majority cited personal reasons.

The list also included two longtime veterinarians, who notified Coleman they were leaving in April.

One of vets had been with MAS for more than a decade. The other since 2018. She wrote in her resignation letter, “The environment as it exists is not one I find compatible with my values and processes.” It didn’t go into further detail.

When they left on May 31, MAS no longer had any vets. It caused the clinic’s premise permit to briefly lapse.

We asked the mayor’s office when they found out the vets were leaving and what action was taken between April and July to ensure clinic operations weren’t disrupted. As of Friday afternoon, we haven’t heard back.

WREG Investigators also found out right before Coleman was placed on leave, he created a new role called Clinic Manager “in the absence of leadership in the clinic.”

We requested that role’s duties, but we’re told there are “no responsive records” with that information.

The woman assigned to the new position had supervised customer service like adoption services and maintaining shelter records.

She has no state license but has been assessing animals medical conditions.

MAS told us in a statement in part, she “has 20 years of clinic experience as a veterinary assistant (or pet nurse), which does not require a license,” and “the pet nurses currently on staff are doing these same visual assessments every day and entering treatment plans based on the standing protocols authorized by the vet we have on staff now.”

That vet is part time. MAS hasn’t answered how often that vet is at the clinic.

“We desperately need to start staffing up,” Adams admitted to councilmembers.

He said staff is their biggest priority. They are even approaching former employees to see if they will return.

There’s a new interim director until the investigation is complete, and they’ve mapped out short and long term goals.

Some of the goals address deficiencies listed in two national assessments commissioned by Coleman in recent months by the Best Friends Animal Society , which is a nonprofit with the goal of reducing euthanasia in animal shelters.

The final reports noted a “lack of centralized leadership and accountability.” It also stated there was a lack of guidance, unprofessional culture, and they “witnessed several occasions where supervisors displayed behavior that was considered unprofessional (including yelling during conversations, responding rudely to directives and slamming doors).”

They also cited issues with organization, standard operating procedures and disease control protocols.

The new interim director said another concern they are trying to address is the backlog of dogs that need to be spayed or neutered because the vets left. She said as of Tuesday, 93 dogs have an adoption or foster placement but can’t be released until that surgery happens.

WREG Investigators asked the state if they’ve received any complaints. They said the information is confidential unless there’s a proceeding where the license has been called into question.

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