James Pumphrey Out As Wenatchee Valley Humane Society Executive Director
The abrupt departure follows more than a year of complaints from community members, and former staff about a toxic work environment and mistreatment of animals
Wenatchee Valley Humane Society Board President Patrick Davidson confirmed Monday that James Pumphrey is out as the executive director of the non-profit animal shelter and veterinary clinic.
The abrupt departure follows more than a year of complaints from former staff members that Pumphrey fostered a “toxic work environment” and “bullied” them, as well as complaints from community members mostly centered around the shelter’s “Return to Home” program for cats.
“They’re turning out totally adoptable kitties in the middle of the streets in the winter and the summer in the heat,” wrote animal rights advocate Cami Crocker.
Suzann Lombard used to be a WVHS volunteer and donor, but she quit after giving her time and money to the organization after Pumphrey came on board.
“All shelters are a mess but this one was a mess because they put adoptable cats out in the cold and put down so many others,” said Lombard. “And then there was his toxicity and harassment.”
She said she and other volunteers would return depending on who takes the helm. She also said she would start donating again.
Davidson would not say if Pumphrey resigned or was terminated, but wrote that he was “an integral part” of the WVHS and “in his tenure made significant contributions to the organization’s growth and success.”
The board of directors will select an interim executive director and announce that appointment this week.
“We are grateful for the continued support of our community and remain dedicated to our mission of providing a safe haven for animals in need. We wish James Pumphrey all the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service to the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society,” wrote Davidson.
Pumphrey’s short tenure at the WVHS is the latest stop on what has been a rocky road of a career. Before coming to the Wenatchee Valley, he was the COO at The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas for just four months before he was terminated after two North Las Vegas city councilors called for an investigation after KTNV 13 Las Vegas aired a series of reports revealing that shelter was in crisis.
Former staff members at that shelter also reported that animals were not getting proper care and that the staff was overwhelmed.
Back in 2007 when Pumphrey was the newly hired shelter operations manager at the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, New Hampshire, he faced an investigation into “animal cruelty and negligence” after former employees went to that shelter’s board citing “deficiencies in animal care, procedure, and responsibility” under his watch.
Ultimately, those claims were not proven. You can read more from that chapter of Pumphrey’s past here.
Back in North Central Washington, the WVHS has been without a full-time veterinarian since last August after Dr. Hayley Barkoviak left the organization. That development was not covered by regional media outlets at the time and when I reached out to her, Barkoviak declined to comment.
For Bonnie Helvey and Louise McEwen, Pumphrey’s departure, whatever the circumstances, is long overdue.
Helvey and her husband David run the Animal Rescue Friends Society of Grant County, and they have been a part of a group trying to get the WVHS board of directors to oust Pumphrey for a while now.
Last year David sent the board this letter outlining their concerns.
When she learned that Pumphrey was out she was relieved.
“I don’t know who ultimately got it done,” she wrote. “But it’s taken way too long and many animals lost their lives for no reason.”
McEwen said she hopes that the WVHS board does a better job of researching the next executive director before hiring a full-time replacement. She also said employees and volunteers deserve to be treated better and local cats and dogs deserve a better chance at life and adoption, not to be dumped or euthanized.
“It’s a relief to know Pumphrey is gone,” she wrote. “So many innocent cats and dogs lost their lives because of him. We’ve tried for almost two years to get him replaced. Finally we can move forward.”
According to Pumphrey, the former staff members, volunteers and animal welfare advocates are “keyboard warriors” who didn’t understand the science behind these policies.
You can listen to a full-length interview I did with Pumphrey and Dr. Barkoviak in February 2023 in which he addresses several specific complaints about the treatment of animals under his watch, among other things. I sat down with them before I wrote my first article about this subject.
For context, we started that interview by addressing the contentious interactions the WVHS was having with community members on Facebook.
I would like to hear his side of this story. I think there are reasons for the catch, neuter, release program but again, I've always found the shelter in almost perfect condition and have adopted several animals from there, including recently. Everyone was professional and animals looked well cared for. Vets are hard to recruit right now with large signing bonuses even at private animal care facilities. Let's get more info.