A video of a Frederick County Animal Control employee touting a recently formed pet advocacy organization has resulted in an ethics investigation.
The Humane Society of the United States and a Frederick resident both contacted the county about the actions of Diana Culp, who works as a humane educator for Frederick County Animal Control and serves as the co-director of the fledgling Humane Society for Shelter Pets. She is also a former employee of the Humane Society of the United States.
“What we [HSSP] are trying to do is connect people with shelters and rescues they want to donate to,” she said Wednesday.
As part of the organization’s efforts, members posted a video featuring Culp on its website in November. The video has since been removed.
Seated on the floor of the Frederick County Animal Control shelter and cradling a white-and-tan cat, Culp begins the video by speaking about the Humane Society of the United States.
“Most Americans believe that their local humane society and the Humane Society of the United States are part of the same organization,” she says. “They aren’t.
“Although raising awareness about animal welfare problems is important, far more of the money donated to the Humane Society of the United States should be used as intended — to address the suffering of abandoned and abused animals.”
Culp goes on to discuss the new group.
“Today, I’m working with a new organization — the Humane Society for Shelter Pets. And we can do better.”
Its goal, she said, is to help people directly connect with local shelters.
Animal Control Director Harold Domer confirmed that Culp is being investigated, but would not comment because the investigation is ongoing.
The Humane Society of the United States, the Frederick County Humane Society and Frederick County Animal Control are all separate entities, according to Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president of animal protection litigation and investigations for the Humane Society of the United States.
Humane Society of the United States officials, who say the organization feels attacked by HSSP, think Culp used her position with the county to lend credibility to the new organization. The CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle, sent a letter to Frederick County Commissioners President Blaine Young about Culp’s actions.
Frederick resident Cary Smith, a former Humane Society of the United States employee, also filed a complaint with the county ethics commission, suggesting Culp’s involvement with HSSP creates a conflict of interest.
The concluding section of the complaint reads: “Ms. Culp’s actions on behalf of HSSP impermissibly conflate her two places of employment and compromise both her independence and impartiality, in violation of the ethics code.”
“I filed the ethics complaint because [Culp] appears to be using her position with a county-funded shelter to attack legitimate animal protection organizations,” Smith wrote in an email. “Animals deserve better.”
Lovvorn said HSSP should not spend its time attacking other nonprofits.
The new organization’s claims that the national organization does not give enough of its funds directly to shelters are harmful, he said.
“It’s like saying that an AIDS charity should spend all its money on hospice and nothing on prevention,” he said, pointing out that HSUS works to prevent dogs and cats from ending up in shelters in the first place.
Culp said her intention was not to persuade people to choose between one organization or the other.
“My issue is that donors that I talk to think that money is going to go to a shelter, and it isn’t,” she said.
Culp said Domer knew she was going to be interviewed at the county facility on the day the video was filmed, though he did not know what the interview would entail. Culp did not believe she needed special permission for the shoot because she and other employees have previously been interviewed there for other purposes.
“It didn’t cost the county anything,” she said. Culp said she was not on the clock when she was interviewed.
Culp also writes a regular column on pet adoptions and care that appears in The Frederick News-Post on Sundays. As of Friday, she was still employed by Frederick County Animal Control.
