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Shelter won't let family adopt cat

The manager of Friends of Strays said a disabled boy's "screaming" upset the animals.

By NICOLE BARDO-COLON
Published June 10, 2007

Wouter Vanderhorst, Matthew Vanderhorst (13), and Nadine Verdebout sit for a portrait with Faith (black dog) and Moe (kitten) at their Clearwater home on Wednesday afternoon, May 23, 2007. The family went to Friends of Strays last weekend and wanted to adopt a cat. The managers of Friends of Strays told them that because of their son, they would not be able to adopt.
	[Ted McLaren Times]

It had been more than two years since the family cat, Whooly, died. So on May 26, Wouter, Nadine, and Matthew Vanderhorst went to Friends of Strays in hopes of adopting a new feline.

After filling out a lengthy questionnaire, the Clearwater family made their way to the holding area where they eventually decided on a cat named Sunshine.

But the union hit a snag when a manager at the shelter told the family they would not be allowed to adopt the cat. The denial, they were told, was because of their son, Matthew.

According to his father, Matthew, 13, has been diagnosed with mental retardation. He is also developmentally delayed and has autistic tendencies.

"For us he showed his normal behavior, but for them that was not considered normal, " Wouter Vanderhorst said.

Charlene Klauck, who has been with Friends of Strays for 11 years, said she was concerned about the safety of the cat and said Matthew startled the cats with his screaming. Klauck said she did not ask the family about the child's disability or any other information regarding the child.

"I could tell he was retarded, " she said. "The way he was sitting there screaming and biting himself."

The Vanderhorsts said the agency passed judgment too quickly.

"We felt we were judged on his behavior and they didn't know anything about our history, his disability in general, how he functions and how we interact with him, " said Wouter Vanderhorst. "We were just appalled by the reaction, " he continued.

An official from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities agrees.

"They should have investigated the circumstances before they summarily denied the family a pet, " said Doreen Croser, executive director of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

"It depends on the child, " Croser said. "It could be mutually advantageous or it could be problematic."

She said it would be the same with a child without disabilities and that it just depends on the child.

"How many little kids poke their dog?" Croser said. "Some children are good with animals and some are not."

Klauck, the adoption manager at Friends of Strays, and Jean Bomonti, co-founder of the shelter, agreed that either Matthew could harm the cat or the cat could harm him.

"I am a pretty good judge of people, " Klauck said. "It would not have been a good situation for the kitten."

Lynn Curry, president and veterinarian technician at Friends of Strays, said they have a short amount of time to make a decision about a family.

"We do not discriminate based on disabilities, " she said.

Bomonti said they do not have a policy on the decision, but instead rely on their experience.

"We have been helping to adopt stray cats and dogs for 30 years, " Bomonti said. "In light of this experience with adoption, we are of the opinion this adoption is not appropriate."

Nadine Vanderhorst said her son was tired but did not exhibit violent behavior.

The Vanderhorsts are physical therapists and owners of Healing the Generations, a physical, occupational, speech and massage therapy facility in Clearwater. They said they treat disabled adults and children and are very familiar with the benefits animals can have.

The family has two dogs and a cat and recently adopted another cat from the SPCA after they were denied adoption at Friends of Strays. The Vanderhorsts' previous cat, Whooly, had an important impact on their son's life.

"This cat helped our son crawl for the first time, " Wouter said.

He said they occasionally bring their golden retriever into the office for the children, who enjoy interacting with the dog.

"You never indeed know how much an animal can change a special-needs child's life, " he said.

Friends of Strays is a private, not for profit organization, so it is able to have stricter policies than other pet shelters.

"We can deny an adoption for any reason, " Curry said. "We can just say we don't like the color car you're driving."

The organization's brochure states that it places "healthy stray animals in suitable homes."

Marissa Weeks from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Tampa Bay said they make decisions about adoptions on a case-by-case basis.

"With all of our adoptions we carefully screen whoever is going to adopt, " she said. "If there is a history of animal abuse, then we will investigate further and make a decision."

Klauck said she would not do anything differently.

"I feel sorry for the little boy, " Klauck said. "It's a shame that children have to be born that way."

The couple said they do not intend to take action against the agency. However, they said they would like a formal apology.

Nicole Bardo-Colon can be reached at 893-8779 or nbardo-colon@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 9, 2007, 21:26:09]