Animal Control Head Resigns Over Employee Who Butchered, Ate Pig 'Fluffy' In Facility's Care (POLL)

Jim Crosby, the director of Bay County Animal Control in Florida, has resigned following an investigation that determined he had "condoned" the actions of employee Ivan Rogers, who, on June 17 took home a pig in the facility's care nicknamed "Fluffy," butchered, cooked, and ate it.

Surprisingly, Ivan Rogers remains employed by the animal shelter, indicating that the overseeing agency was more concerned with the organizational issues that allowed the incident to happen than the actual slaughter and consumption of an animal in their care. Local news station WJHG reports:

County officials released new information Thursday that was uncovered by an investigation launched by Mark Bowen, the Director of Bay County Emergency Services.

"I found that management [Jim Rogers] condoned what occurred at a certain level in the organization. When that happens it does not take the responsibility from the employee that engaged in the act, but obviously it changes the dynamic of what the corrective action needs to be," said Bowen.

County Commissioner George Gainer went so far as to say that "the pig didn't cause Mr. Crosby's untimely resignation," but was just the last straw in a series of institutional disagreements with Mark Bowen, the director of Bay County's Emergency Services

Rogers, who wrote in a written statement that he "failed to practice proper procedure" and "deeply regret(s)" the slaughter, received only a "very, very strong" reprimand.

The pig was turned over to the shelter on June 10 because its owners were "unable to keep (it) friendly." It was nicknamed "Fluffy" by employees, and at least two people expressed interest in adopting her. But for reasons still unclear, Rogers took "Fluffy" home on June 17 and ate it, and Crosby found out about it later.

The wife of the man who surrendered the pig to the shelter lamented Crosby's loss of his job:

"Peoples' lives are being ruined over this pig and that shouldn't be the case. This is ridiculous. It was a pig that had behavior issues that nobody could do anything with. We don't want any more lives ruined over this stupid pig."

Here is local television station WJHG's report on the incident:

Quick Poll

Should Jim Crosby, the facility's director, be fired for Ivan Rogers' actions?

Of course, it was his responsibility.

No, he found out about it after the fact.

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Quick Poll

Should Ivan Rogers be fired for killing, butchering, and eating "Fluffy"?

Yes, it was a despicable act.

No, it was a reasonable, utilitarian solution and a reprimand is enough.

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Comments

[AnimalLover6]

09:29 PM on 09/19/2010

Isn't it just charming how the pig's owner referred to him as a "stupid pig." No wonder he had behavioral problems. And I wonder how many people know that pigs are incredibly intelligent and sensitive animals. They have the intelligence of a two-year-old human child. One pig was found lying in the middle of a highway. When a driver stopped to investigate, the pig jumped up and "directed" the driver to a house on the side of the road. When the man entered, he found the pig's owner in a diabetic coma. But hey, ain't it godda*ned funny how that good ol' boy took the pig home and butchered it? Who knows how he did it? Who knows the terror and perhaps agony experienced by that poor animal? But what we do know is that most Americans have a stone-cold heart.

[Cori527]

05:22 AM on 09/15/2010

Ivan Rogers is absolutely foul and deserves to be out of a job.

[AMJ889]

02:09 AM on 09/12/2010

I have eaten plenty of pig. Its not like this guy killed and threw it away. Times are tough and this could of feed him and or his famliy. I did like the part about how the owner not wanting this stupid pig to ruin anymore lives..........

[leeada47]

01:58 AM on 09/09/2010

Eating bacon is a crime? 1000s of "Fluffys" are eaten every week. He was an unwanted pig except as dinner. Almost all pigs wind up as breafast lunch or dinner. Big Deal

[dasdraken]

09:33 PM on 09/08/2010

By County Policy Ivan Rogers couldn't be fired. He could only receive a written reprimand - which he did. The Director doesn't make Human Resource policy, the human resource manager followed county policy. Mark Bowen the Director of Emergency Services allowed an employee who STOLE county time by having state prisoners paint his personal vehicle receive a written reprimand. Another county employee who sexually harassed coworkers received written reprimands and mandated diversity training for the entire office not the single harasser. So, written reprimand was all that was called for. As a side note, one of the feral pigs recently caughtt by animal control was released into the nearest national forest. Bow season opens in two weeks. Anyone up for a pool on it's longevity?

[Candide33]

12:38 PM on 09/07/2010

Except for the fact that he did not adopt the pig, he didn't do anything wrong. If he would have paid the fee and filled out the paper work everything would have been ok. If they were gonna poison after 7 days any way, it is better that it was eaten. Do they ask people if they are gonna eat the cats and dogs they adopt? 15 bucks for a 35 pound dog is still cheaper than beef from the grocery store. But then again I am of the mind that you should never kill anything you don't intend on eating.

/s

[Steve41]

09:06 PM on 08/27/2010

Another question for all who feel that theft is the issue. Why are you so worked up about a petty theft, already handled by the employer, that happened(most likely at least) hundreds if not thousands of miles from your location?

[peacekitten]

11:43 PM on 08/27/2010

why doesn't it bother you that laws were broken that cost a life, and someone else their job?

are you always so contemptuous of rules and laws?

[Steve41]

08:20 AM on 08/28/2010

Why on earth would a petty theft(already punished administratively) 1800 miles away from me be an issue. To the best of my knowledge no charges were filed against anyone and would at best be a minor misdemeaner anyway. So, am I upset the employee didn't get a few hours of community service, not really. To be fair, I wouldn't be overly upset if a local store let a shoplifter go with a stern warning either, nor if they brought the police in for that matter.

[SpoonPlayer]

04:20 AM on 08/29/2010

Gee Steve41, do you spend this much time and energy defending all work-place thieves, or just those whose actions disgust vegetarians/vegans/animal-lovers?

It seems that a lack of ethics (or at least integrity) is contagious - perhaps the contagion is spread by meat. In your effort to defend your own consumption habits, you've sided with a low-life employee who decided to butcher and eat one of the animals that his job mandates he protect. His actions compelled his boss to resign in shame, and the image of this animal shelter has been severely damaged (possibly a crushing blow for a non-profit that relies on public trust and public donations).

Communities rely on animal shelters to care for and place as many unwanted companion animals (of all breeds) as possible. Shelters perform an important and difficult public service that benefit all members of the community. A single employee that could not control the whims of his palette has undermined this mission. I'm sorry that you don't see that as a big deal. Apparently, questioning the fate of one pig would force you to question the fate of all pigs - and that is clearly something you aren't willing or able to do.

[elcerritan]

06:48 AM on 08/29/2010

The employee couldn't control the whims of his color scheme?

If you read through Steve41's posts, he hasn't actually defended the guy and he never suggested that he shouldn't face any negative consequences for what he did. It seems to me that what Steve41 has mostly done is suggest that the reactions of some people to this incident are slightly overwrought. In fact, your idea that a low-key reaction is attributable not wanting to "question the fate of all pigs" is a good example of the kind of hyperbolic response Steve41 has commented on. I mean, we're not exactly talking about a doctor who kills his patient to harvest the patient's organs here, you know? Or maybe your life is so sheltered that you're not aware of the REALLY horrible things that people do, so this incident is inflated all out of proportion in your mind?

And stating that a lack of ethics or integrity is a contagion possibly spread by eating meat? Give me a break. Even assuming that you're being facetious (I certainly hope so), this is a new level of silliness, even for you. OK, we get it. You don’t eat meat, so you’re morally superior people who do. Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. We’ve heard it before. Be careful or you might break your arm patting yourself on the back.

[Steve41]

08:24 AM on 08/30/2010

Elcerritan covered most of the points quite well. Let me just state for the record that I have no more defended the employee in this case(already punished by his employer) than I have defended ridiculous and offensive statements such as "It seems that a lack of ethics (or at least integrity) is contagious - perhaps the contagion is spread by meat."

Perhaps you should address your statements regarding the pig's welfare to those stating that the issue here is the theft.

[peacekitten]

09:03 PM on 08/26/2010

Steve41 11:55 AM on 8/25/2010

Somehow I doubt that it would be as major of an issue for you though PK. I strongly suspect that you would not be up in arms about it.
==============================

quit projecting yourself onto me and making false assumptions about me.

i would have FIRED him in a HEARTBEAT even if the animal had been sent to a sanctuary, because he BROKE THE RULES. he was INSUBORDINATE. he has created a hostile environment for the remaining shelter workers, and if he is kept in the employ of that shelter, then the public will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the place cannot be trusted. what if the employees all decide to do whatever they want now? public TRUST is absolutely essential to gathering donations. money has to be allocated by the city government in order to keep the shelter running.

the fact that the employees there don't have the self-discipline and integrity to FOLLOW THE RULES for animal care and placement is a perfect excuse to cut already meager resources.

i am just absolutely amazed at how many people here seem to think that it's okay to pick and choose among rules that are in place for a REASON.

and YES, i would be just as upset had he broken the rules in this manner to send her to a sanctuary. it is ESSENTIAL to do such things BY THE RULES to ensure her future safety and security.

[Steve41]

10:51 AM on 08/27/2010

Don't go off on a random rant PK.

jumbotron16 07:24 PM on 8/25/2010
" He would be being revered and talked about as a hero. Admit it, PK! :/ "

peacekitten 12 hours ago (8/26/2010 9:10 PM)
"perhaps, but if i were the..."

If you would revere and talk about him as a hero, I have to doubt you would be "up in arms" if the employee was only reprimanded instead of being fired. However you do certainly have a right to your opinion, no matter how inconsistent.

[I-US]

06:09 PM on 08/27/2010

I think it's important to cite peacekitten's full response here:

“perhaps, but if i were the shelter director i STILL would have FIRED his a$$' in a heartbeat.

he broke the rules. period. and in doing so, he made it that much harder for any animal in future that made be an extraordinary circumstance such as this one, to get into the appropriate situation. others will suffer because of this and that is absolutely not to be tolerated.”

The "perhaps" is not in regard to what peacekitten would do (i.e., revere or not) but whether others would. jumbotron16's post does not ask for peacekitten to make an admission of personal action but rather to speculate whether the employee would be revered at all. peacekitten's response is pretty clear that the employee would be fired; there is no indication that the employee would be revered by peacekitten.

[peacekitten]

06:38 PM on 08/27/2010

h0ly c0w. what a great work of fiction you have concocted.

the fact that you are totally unable to see the fact that even when clearly stated that this employee would be fired by me REGARDLESS is quite disturbing. my argument has never changed on this issue, but you on the other hand have gone through all kinds of gyrations.

you have nothing, and you know it. now you're to the point that you are essentially cutting and pasting words together from magazine ads or some other random source in whatever order you see fit to try and make yourself seem superior. twisting other people's words is NEVER going to make you right. i might as well have written my post in binary code for all the sense you were able to make out of it.

[Bellla]

06:06 PM on 08/26/2010

All pigs are bacon to me. The animal had behavior issues, likely from being treated as a person rather than as a pig. If it were a "kill" "shelter" would it matter if somebody got some good out of a problem beast? My question is, did he share the meat or greedily eat it all himself? (and how did he dispose of the offal?) Butchering ain't easy...

[I-US]

12:09 AM on 08/27/2010

"All pigs are bacon to me."

Imagine more broadly the possibilities of the world around you.

[arunsjunk]

09:51 AM on 08/27/2010

All self-infatuated omnivores look foolish to me. The poster had behavioral issues, likely from being treated as a person rather than as a pig. If it were a messageboard, would it matter if he were ignored all the time in real life? My question is, did he have a point or just waste 5 seconds of my life? (and how did he dispose of logic?) Writing ain't easy ...

[grumpyfarmer]

07:53 AM on 08/26/2010

All the hand wringing over this pig reminds me of an incident that happened here a few years ago. A couple moved here from who knows where, bought a farm, some cows, goats, and pigs. The wife named all the livestock, talked about them as though they were people, but still sold and ate them with impunity.

The husband developed some health problems, perhaps stress related from living with his wife(she was a disagreeable sort). He ended up in one of those mobility chairs. One day he decided to ride it out to see his cows, turned it over, scared the cows, one kicked him in the head, it swelled up and he lost an eye, and was maybe going to die.

I saw his wife in town and even though I didn't like to talk to her did the polite thing and asked her how things were going. Unknown to me two traumas had occurred, Miss Piggy had developed a case of heat stroke the same day John had lost his eye. Her reply to my question was "well, it was touch and go for a while, but Miss Piggy is going to be fine". "I meant how is John doing". "Oh, I think he will be OK too".

When it is all said and done, this was still a pig, and I never met a pig I didn't want to eat.

[peacekitten]

09:06 PM on 08/26/2010

the ethos of eating meat is NOT the subject of this thread.

[I-US]

12:07 AM on 08/27/2010

Most of the time I find this kind of off-roading (going completely off topic) in the Politics section, but the comments on this issue completely floor me. If the article had been about a rat or snake being STOLEN by the employee and then eaten, I imagine the level of sophisticated comments would have risen to "ewww...," or "yuk," or "icky," or "tastes like chicken." Instead, they're stuck at "bacon, bacon, bacon," like the fictional dog in the Beggin' Strips commercial. But in BOTH instances these comments would still be missing the point of the article altogether.

[Descutner]

11:51 AM on 08/27/2010

Grandpa? Is that you?

[grumpyfarmer]

03:32 PM on 08/27/2010

Now that's funny!

[edejan]

06:58 PM on 08/25/2010

The employee should have been fired immediately. That animal was brought to a SHELTER. It's their charter to protect the animals brought there. If they didn't think the pig deserved protecetion, they should have NOT accepted it.

[grumpyfarmer]

07:55 AM on 08/26/2010

For all my belly laughing over this, you do have a point I guess. Even though a pig is generally destined for the table, taking an animal to a shelter is different than selling it at an auction, BUT..............

In the end as I know it, most animals who are not adopted do get put down in a shelter. So, the pigs future never was guaranteed.

[I-US]

12:11 AM on 08/27/2010

So go on, define "destiny" for us all.

[peacekitten]

09:06 PM on 08/26/2010

THANK YOU for see this situation for what it was.

F & F.

[Lynne Parker]

08:26 AM on 08/25/2010

If the employee had been from an Asian country where they eat dogs and had taken a dog home to kill and eat, would all of you defending the employee still be okay with that?

[jesoycristovao]

06:48 PM on 08/25/2010

The cute argument doesn't go far with all of us. Meat is meat.

[peacekitten]

09:07 PM on 08/26/2010

the cute argument is also irrelevant to this thread, as is the ethos of eating meat or not.

[jumbotron16]

07:23 PM on 08/25/2010

Yes, I would be OK with that. Well, as much as I am with the pig. The guy was definitely in the wrong taking the pig without permission.

[peacekitten]

09:24 PM on 08/26/2010

it would also be a violation of most shelter rules to knowingly adopt an animal out to someone who is going to do it harm. an employee who did so would also be fired for doing such a thing, as they should be.

if they choose to find someone privately that will supply them with dog meat, they can do so. but again, the person supplying it would then become a candidate for prosecution in most places.

if the laws were enforced in south korea for instance, they would also be prosecuted. it is illegal to eat and sell dog and cat meat there, but it does not stop the black market trade, and law enforcement generally looks the other way, except when they are on public display such as when they hosted the last olympic games.

[peacekitten]

02:55 AM on 08/25/2010

it's amazing how loudly guilty consciences bellow when a nerve gets touched.

[elcerritan]

11:36 AM on 08/26/2010

Lunatics have also been known to have shrieking fits.

[peacekitten]

08:50 PM on 08/26/2010

yes, many of them consisting of accusing people who choose to mix vegetarian choices into their diet of saying things they never said and then crucifying them for it.

[Puffff]

05:41 PM on 08/24/2010

The problem to me is not eating the pig per se but that it was supposed to be an animal shelter. Bounderies are good sometimes

[peacekitten]

02:27 AM on 08/25/2010

they are there for a reason.

[charles116]

01:28 PM on 08/24/2010

They should have gotten suspicious
when he changed FLUFFY'S name to CRISPY.

[edejan]

06:58 PM on 08/25/2010

Haha...NOT.