The MDAR head of the shelter and rescue division (Patricia Cabral) and the inspector (Jessica Edwards) are both completely incompetent at doing their jobs. 
 
The shelter and rescue division portion of the MDAR is meant to help shelters and rescues save animals and guide the shelters and rescues in the right direction for compliance under the new laws. Unfortunately, this is not happening. Instead, Patricia Cabral has decided to bury her head in the sand and ignore everything her inspector, Jessica Edwards, has been doing. Meanwhile, Jessica Edwards is like a puppy on the loose, running around and putting her nose into everything except being helpful, all the while, pooping all over the rescues she’s supposed to be helping! 
 
The Guinea Pig Sanctuary in Salisbury, Massachusetts is only one of their many targets. If they have their way, all the guinea pigs would be killed, and the rescue would be shut down. Euthanasia is meant as a ‘mercy killing’ so this would not be that as there is NO real reason to kill this many guinea pigs. Instead of guiding the Sanctuary, they have taken to scare tactics such as threatening arrest, threatening a cease-and-desist order, and threatening to euthanize all the guinea pigs. 
 
The Guinea Pig Sanctuary has been at its current location since March of 2020. In that time, there has never been any help from the MDAR as far as regulations. In fact, the Sanctuary didn’t even hear from the MDAR from August 2020 until September 2021. If they were in fact, “not in compliance” then why now, almost two years later, is it such an issue? Also, please note that there has NEVER been even one complaint against the Sanctury! This invaluable community resource also works with many groups for special needs children and adults under their ESGP (Emotional Support Guinea Pigs) program. They support the community in many other ways also, such as providing an outlet for kids who need community service hours and helping mental health groups with therapy guinea pigs. They are truly an unsung hero among rescues.  
 
The Sanctuary was forced to shut down their food pantry. Fine, so be it. Now the MDAR is trying to control other portions of the Sanctuary, when truly their only focus should be on the Shelter and Rescue side. The MDAR has overstepped their boundaries several times including, but not limited to: lying about the Sanctuary’s standing with the IRS, lying about the Sanctuary’s standing with the Attorney General’s office, lying about the levels of ammonia, and lying to the landlord of the space the Sanctuary occupies! What is going on?  Is this real life right now? 
 
If you live in Massachusetts, this is where part of your tax dollars are going. They are being spent to fund the MDAR’s spree of shutting down shelters and rescues that are doing the best they can during this explosion of unwanted animals. They are not breeding or killing these animals, yet the MDAR is more concerned with these smaller rescues than they are about the guinea pigs in fish tanks at pet stores, the illegal breeders in Massachusetts, or even the fact that people are throwing these animals outside because there are already a limited number of rescues available. 
 
Even if you don’t live in this state, I ask that you join the village in the fight to get Patricia Cabral and Jessica Edwards to step down from their positions since they do NOT have the well-being of animals as their focus. Anyone working within the shelter and rescue division should be working WITH the Massachusetts shelters and rescues instead of working AGAINST them. Neither one of them is above the law but that isn’t stopping them from doing things that are illegal against the Sanctuary and other rescues in this state. It is nothing short of bullying, harassment, and scare tactics.  
 
Please help us spread this message before it is too late, and we lose another valuable rescue resource in our state.