MAY 13, 2009

       Last week in this column I told you about how businesses that already make a lot of money from your patronage want even more and how it is getting out of hand.

       But what about a non-profit organization looking to give animals a good home?

       Last summer I began inquiring about a dog at Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter. I emailed using a link on the shelter’s website. I never got a reply. I figured the dog had been adopted so I didn’t think anything of it.

       In the fall I noticed the dog was still on there. On November 28, I sent another email to the shelter asking about the dog. I never heard back. I also called in mid-January and spoke to a woman regarding the lack of response and she insisted she would have the executive director get in touch with me. “How can we find the animals homes if we don’t get back to people?” Good question, but I never heard back.

       I decided to see what kind of a response I would get if the subject line of my email was “donation.” I sent a query and within hours I received complete instructions for making a donation from executive director Carla Martinelli-Irvine.

       Questioning the response time and also the lack of response to adoption inquiries, Martinelli-Irvine confirmed receipt of the November email and said it was returned, but nothing from the summer and nothing about the phone call.

       “I keep a record of all queries and return them as expeditiously as possible,” said her email. When asked if the staff member with whom I spoke passed along my message regarding my inquiries, I did not get an answer.

       Was it coincidence my correspondence fell through the cracks both electronically and verbally on the phone? Perhaps. Will I give them the benefit of the doubt? No.

       In the end, the shelter apologized for the mix-up and informed me the dog I wanted was rescued a week earlier.