By Zach Patberg
The Queens Community Animal Shelter's dog training and bordering business — its main sources of revenue — is dropping, leaving less and less staff and money power needed to support the dozens of dogs and cats awaiting adoption, said Valerie Chalcrast, the shelter's animal behavior specialist.”I'm hoping for three more months,” she said.The shelter, at 89-10 Eliot Ave., found itself in a similar situation in August when the city marshal threatened to shut it down if the owner did not pay off an $18,000 debt to Verizon Yellow Pages by Aug. 18.Fortunately, community pet lovers and elected officials responded in droves, using personal donations and political sway to keep the shelter afloat. Days after receiving the marshal's Aug 4. notice, the animal haven raised most of the money. Verizon, bowing to pressure from the media and U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew Gardens), also agreed to settle the debt, which stemmed from unpaid advertisements in their yellow pages.But the shelter's current situation is different, Chalcrast said, since the problems came about gradually with no one source for the community to rally around. She said the owner, Robert DeFranco, who before had solicited loudly for the public's help, has so far declined to comment on his shelter's failing status. People close to him said he chose not to place any advertisements in the Yellow Pages this year as well — a loss of exposure that could have affected the shelter's business in training and boarding.One large setback has been the high employee turnover in recent months. Along with a steady revolving door of high school workers who cleaned the kennels and answered phones, higher-level employees have also quit, including the former executive director, Jill Morgenstern, according to Chalcrast.The end result was that those remaining had to take on a fuller load. For example, Boris Niyazov, the shelter's longtime trainer, is now also kennel manager. Chalcrast, who holds a doctorate in experimental psychology and works with the animals' aggression and phobias to make them more adoptable, has had to juggle several roles recently as adoption counselor, custodian and general manager.Chalcrast attributed the drop in staff to a tightening budget and conflicts with the owner, DeFranco.”He doesn't realize that basic needs have to be met. We're just living day-to-day here,” said Chalcrast, who was herself laid off last week from a six-month internship due to budget reasons.DeFranco did not answer calls seeking comment.Some basic urgently needed supplies include canned dog and cat food, treats, toys and blankets, not to mention money, said Chalcrast, who plans to stay on through March as a volunteer.If the shelter closes, its two dozen dogs and a few cats would probably be transported to one of the three shelters run by the city's Animal Care and Control, where homeless animals not adopted within a few days are often euthanized.Donations can be sent to the shelter at 89-10 Eliot Ave., Rego Park, NY 11374.Reach reporter Zach Patberg by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
