SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 | 9A
MANAGEMENT from page 1A
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Murray continued, “It doesn’t
matter if it’s Marina (Lewis)
working in the shelter, or me
working in the lab; what we are
is animal care welfare people.
That means we care for ani-
mals.”
Murray began working at
OCHS on Aug. 24.
Lewis, who began work at the
shelter on Aug. 17, has most
recently been employed as an
assistant shelter manager in Pla-
no, Texas, but has been involved
in many different aspects of the
effort to help unwanted or ne-
glected animals.
“I’ve spent the last few years
of my professional career work-
ing in the animal welfare indus-
try, both in no-kill shelters and
in the veterinary field. I worked
in an emergency veterinary hos-
pital, where I learned so much
about veterinary policies and
techniques. I have spent the last
half year as an assistant shelter
manager in Plano,” she said.
Lewis and Murray were both
initially hesitant to consider
working at OCHS, in part be-
cause of the tumult surrounding
the shelter in the last year.
Lewis had done considerable
research online to determine if
she felt able to help the organi-
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Staff members of Oregon Coast Humane Society stand with Board President Shauna
Robbers (back row, third from left), Executive Director Bob Murray (back row, third from
right) and Shelter Manager Marina Lewis (back row, second from right).
zation turn itself around. Once
she read the news and posts
concerning the OCHS, she
started to seriously consider ac-
cepting the position.
“Overall, what I saw was
that they just needed help, not
that they were doing anything
wrong,” she said. “It seemed
like it had changed hands many
times, always very messily, and
no one was sticking around to
lead them to the changes that
needed to happen. As a result,
the animals and the people
that care for them were suffer-
ing, and that was something I
couldn’t ignore.
“I met all of these wonderful,
dedicated, hardworking and ex-
tremely passionate — but also
exhausted — people, and I could
not abandon them.”
Murray was similarly hesitant
about taking up the numerous
challenges facing the OCHS
when he considered becoming
its executive director.
“At first I wasn’t going to take
the position. I live in Albany, so
it’s 95 miles from here. But I got
a chance to walk through the
facility and as soon as I met the
staff and I saw the condition of
the facility, I thought I might be
able to help,” he said.
Both new members of the
OCHS leadership team realize
there are a number of hurdles
that stand in the way of imple-
menting a vision for OCHS, but
both are eager to begin what
will undoubtedly be a long-term
process.
“I think part of the shelter’s
problem has been our complete
lack of transparency, which I
am trying to fix,” Lewis said.
“Right now, there are literal-
ly mountains of things that I
need to accomplish. But I have
identified a few things that
need immediate attention, in-
cluding the way our animals
are housed, that needs to be
changed immediately.”
She said the cat facilities may
remain as they are, but the dog
quarters are in “desperate need
of a complete overhaul,” due
mostly to when they were built
decades ago.
Murray also has a list of proj-
ects that he will be working on,
agreeing with Lewis that the
most pressing is a much-need-
ed upgrade to the kennels that
house the shelter’s canines.
“I’ve identified a highly prac-
ticed and well-regarded archi-
tect and construction firm from
Washington that specializes in
animal facilities. They give op-
tions for repair, deconstruction
and even construction in a new
area, and these options will be
presented to the board for their
consideration,” Murray said.
He added that the assessment
and analysis of the main OCHS
Shelter would be done free of
charge, with various options
highlighted for ease of transi-
tion and for cost considerations.
Looking to the future, Murray
has a great deal of confidence in
the staff and the board at OCHS.
He said he is pleased to be work-
ing with Lewis at this critical
juncture for the organization.
“A focus for the both of us
is getting out on the floor with
the staff, working with them
and finding out where training
is needed, learning from them
and, most importantly, bonding
as a team,” Murray said.
In addition to the new em-
ployees, Robbers had more good
news to share with supporters of
the shelter.
“The DOJ just emailed me to-
day, and they feel they are now
able to close our case and we no
longer have to report to them,”
she said.
For information on volunteer-
ing at the OCHS or becoming a
supporting member, call 541-
997-4277 or stop by the facility,
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