This website is maintained to keep track of Penny Cistaro since her “retirement” from the Kauai Humane Society following a devastating audit.

Since the 1970s, Penny Cistaro made a living from killing animals at taxpayers’ expense. Like many of the old school animal control workers, she continued to believe throughout her career that killing animals was giving them a “good death” (her words). In one month under her directorship at the Sacramento Animal Shelter, 700 cats and kittens were killed. Many people, including some of the top executives in animal welfare today, have been aware of Penny Cistaro’s malevolent career for some time. Together, we will keep watch to ensure that she is never able to return to a position of power over animals or people.

Click here to read about conditions at Kauai Humane Society during Penny Cistaro’s tenure as director. This document was compiled from testimony by employees who came forward to document abuse as well as emails obtained during the investigation into conditions. Note also that Ms. Cistaro brought a friend from the mainland, Kamilah Smith, and installed her in a supervisory position. Kamilah Smith neglected and abused animals with no repercussions, as evidenced from the testimony. According to employees, Kamilah dragged dogs by the scruff of the necks to the euthanasia room, yelling that she needed the “blue juice” to “kill something.” See pages 64-76 for examples of testimony. The last we heard, Kamilah Smith had been hired by the Oregon Humane Society.

August, 2017: Penny Cistaro left the subsequent director of the Kauai Humane Society to answer to the County of Kauai for the laws broken, funds misused, and records mismanaged by KHS during her tenure. In fact, Ms. Cistaro left the island entirely and moved to the Half Moon Bay area of California. We have received messages from former employees at other shelters Ms. Cistaro mismanaged, concerned that she would bounce back once again and re-enter the animal welfare world. Indeed she has: Penny Cistaro has joined the Board of Directors of a new farm animal sanctuary called Sweet Farm. Click here. She has been made Treasurer, of all things. (See audit detailing poor record keeping and comingling of funds, below.) Her bio states that she consulted for the Humane Society of the US, but does not mention that she was a “euthanasia expert,” something from which HSUS has distanced itself these days. At an HSUS expo, Penny Cistaro said, “We are not killing [animals in shelters]. We are taking their life, we are ending their life, we are giving them a good death… but we are not killing. And that’s why I cannot stand the term No Kill shelters.” We can only imagine that Sweet Farm is unaware of Ms. Cistaro’s history.

February 22, 2017: Hawaii News Now reported on the devastating audit of the Kauai Humane Society. See and read the coverage here.

February, 2017: The audit of Kauai Humane Society has been released. It was accepted by the Kauai County Council into record on February 22, 2017. The outside audit firm found that Kauai Humane Society did not use county funds solely for county-related activities and did not keep clear records, making it difficult for the auditors to do their jobs. Most importantly, in a sample of 45 cases of euthanasia, 30 animals were killed before the mandatory hold period had elapsed, breaking the state law. Extrapolated to the entire population of animals held at KHS, that means that approximately 66% of animals were killed by KHS staff before the mandatory hold period had elapsed. This amounts to thousands of animals over the audit period. Read the full text of the audit here.

August 30, 2016: The audit of the Kauai Humane Society conducted by an outside auditor is about to be released to the public. On this day, in a KHS staff meeting, Penny Cistaro announced her “retirement,” effective October 2016.

February 2016: The County of Kauai has executed a contract to audit the Kauai Humane Society. Read the contract here. Responding to an overwhelming lack of faith in the Kauai Humane Society’s practices by the residents of Kauai, the Kauai County Council voted in August, 2015 to hire an outside auditor to conduct an audit of KHS. There have been many reports of KHS using county funds for revenue-generating activities, in addition to management practices that lead to increased costs and reduced efficiency. Key features of the audit, listed in the contract, are:

Identifying deficiencies of internal controls
Ensuring that County funds are being used exclusively toward services require by the contract with no comingling of funds
Providing recommendations as to how or whether the services can be provided more cost effectively by the County itself, with the possibility of limiting the use of KHS
Recommending changes to the organization, the management and processes which will produce greater efficiency and effectiveness

December 2015: During this season of giving, we wish to give thanks to the many employees of the Kauai Humane Society who, in April 2015, spoke before the Board of Directors, telling their firsthand stories of neglect and abuse at KHS, as well as roadblocks to saving animals’ lives. For their bravery, they were rewarded with worse working conditions and the firing of two employees. We also give thanks to the hundreds of Kauai residents who have given testimony about their experiences with the Kauai Humane Society and Penny Cistaro. The legal battle continues and gathers momentum. We look forward to change in the New Year, bringing hope to the animals of Kauai and the people who care about them.

August 13, 2015: In an article in The Garden Island, Penny Cistaro is quoted as saying, “We are making great strides.” KHS reports that their intake rate fell by a total of 16% (15% for dogs). THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. Since there are clearly no fewer animals on the island, the drop in the intake rate means that people are afraid to bring animals to KHS. The report also states that the live release rate was up 6% from the previous year. The live release rate is the percentage of dogs taken in by the shelter that leave alive, whether adopted, transferred, or returned to their owners. Clearly, if fewer stray animals are being brought to the shelter, then the percentage of total intakes that are stray animals who are returned to their owners will rise, causing the live release rate to rise. In fact, the live release rate should have risen more, given the precipitous drop in intake. The KHS board and Penny Cistaro seem to be intentionally misinterpreting the statistics.

August 8, 2015: A guest editorial in The Garden Island makes a practical suggestion for oversight of the KHS board of directors.

August 5, 2015: The Kauai County Council has voted unanimously to require an audit of the Kauai Humane Society. The audit will be contracted through an outside firm.

The Kauai Humane Society receives $760,000 per year from the county, with the rest of its funding coming from donations and fees. KHS had $2.6 million in total revenue and support for the fiscal year ending June 2014, according to the KHS website.

“The fact of the matter is there is a concern, and the concern needs to be addressed, and the only way we can address it is through an audit,” Kauai County Council Chair Mel Rapozo said.

July 7, 2015: We have gathered statements from employees and co-workers regarding Penny Cistaro’s behavior at shelters she managed on the mainland. We are hoping to stop this abuse of animals and humans on Kauai, and prevent it from ever happening again, anywhere. Click HERE to read these statements.

July 3, 2015: Excellent coverage on the situation at KHS by Hawaii News Now. Click HERE to watch.

June 25, 2015: As many of you already know, the two long-term employees who spoke out publicly on this matter were terminated by KHS on Monday, June 22. There was a protest in their support on Tuesday morning, and a larger demonstration at the entry gate to KHS on Friday.

Additionally, a support fund has been started for the two employees who were dismissed. This dismissal was illegal and in violation of Hawaii’s whistle blower law, but in order to prove this a lawsuit must be filed. These two dedicated employees have given their all for the animals of Kauai, and are now left with few resources. To support these two brave souls and their legal defense, please click HERE.

June 6, 2015: We are now able to release a small portion of the binder that was provided to the KHS Board of Directors on April 28, 2015. This release does not include many pages of documentation submitted by KHS employees of animal neglect, animal cruelty, and bullying of employees who stood up for the animals. Read section 1 of the binder (with names redacted) HERE.

June 4, 2015: KHS Executive Director Penny Cistaro and KHS Board President Emily Larocque appeared on KKCR on June 2, 2015. In our opinion, they are spreading further misinformation. Read the Kauai Coalition for Animals rebuttal HERE.

We have repeatedly seen Penny Cistaro choose euthanasia as her ‘go to’ approach. We believe she has neither an open mind or progressive approach to saving animals. This is made evident in her strong resistance to programs that save lives – such as the Transfer Program, cooperation with fostering organizations such as the Kauai Community Cat Project, the Field Trip Program, and other such low-cost means of saving the lives of our animals.

On May 30, 2015, despite having seen dozens of pages of documentation of the above including photographs and detailed descriptions of animal abuse and neglect in statements signed by employees, the Board of Directors of KHS “unanimously re-affirmed its backing and confidence in Penny as our Executive Director”.

How has Penny mismanaged the shelter and broken the law?

Why did Penny kill our brothers?

Penny needlessly euthanized the Salt Pond Kittens
This video clearly demonstrates that Penny Cistaro needlessly killed kittens that had an appropriate foster home. It also shows that she misrepresented this fact to major donors. The kittens were not sick and weighed over one pound, which means they were eligible for foster care per Kauai Humane Society’s policy.

This is not the first or only example of Penny’s many decisions to execute animals who could easily have been adopted into loving homes. Euthanizing any stray animal before a 48 hour hold violates Kauai County Code (Sec. 22-24.4) (for cats) or Hawaii State Law (HRS §143-10) (for dogs).

Besides killing innocent animals for no reason, we believe that Penny Cistaro has:

Caused animal suffering: Penny Cistaro created a position, Animal Care Manager, and installed her friend, Kamilah Smith, in the position. Despite numerous complaints from employees that Ms. Smith was mistreating both animals and employees and not fulfilling the duties of her position, Ms. Cistaro did nothing. Employees reported that kittens, puppies, cats, and dogs were left without water or food. Cat cages went uncleaned. Kennels went unclean for so long that feces hardened and the kennels became difficult to disinfect. Housebroken dogs that were being boarded at the facility by island residents were left in their kennels from early afternoon one day until late morning the next, with no way to relieve themselves. As staff resigned, Ms. Smith did not properly train new staff, and the care fell further. There were outbreaks of disease, like ringworm. Though employees repeatedly brought the precipitous decline in animal care to Penny Cistaro’s attention, nothing changed.Ms. Smith refers to euthanasia chemicals as “blue juice.” Employees have quoted her as saying, “Where is the blue juice?….I need to kill this thing.” A former vet tech at KHS states that Penny Cistaro prefers a method of euthanasia that is stressful for animals and causes a slow death, and that she often left them dying under a towel, “….hours later, we would find deceased kittens or puppies in the laundry basket, as another employee has picked up the towel, not knowing there is a body inside.”
Depriving a pet animal of necessary sustenance and confining any pet animal in a cruel or inhumane manner is misdemeanor animal cruelty under Hawaii State Law (HRS §711-1109). Killing an animal in a way that is not in keeping with accepted veterinary practices is felony animal cruelty under Hawaii State Law (HRS §711-1108.5).
Misinformed the public: Penny Cistaro and the KHS Board of Directors have repeatedly reported that the euthanasia rate at the KHS shelter for 2014 was 52%. It is actually 70%, according to their own numbers, gathered by PetPoint software. Ms. Cistaro and her friends and allies on the board, Emily Larocque and Elizabeth Freitas, have repeatedly said euthanasia rates are down from last year, both at a gala fundraiser for KHS, and in the media, WEEKS AFTER being presented with the evidence of these misstatements. They only backtracked once the truth came out in The Garden Island News.The KHS mobile spay and neuter program has been shut down since 2013, when the van broke down. A new van was donated; however the program was never restarted. In an article on July 8, 2015 in The Garden Island about restarting the mobile spay and neuter program, Ms. Cistaro is quoted as saying “it was too short staffed and didn’t have the money to rev up the program again.” Ms. Cistaro is using her reasoning to seek more donations for the mobile spay and neuter program. HOWEVER, Dr. Dawn Ushio, the veterinarian at KHS had complained to the KHS board months before that the mobile spay and neuter van was never started up again, not because of a lack of funds, but because of inadequate staffing. Dr. Ushio said that inadequate staffing was a DIRECT RESULT OF PENNY’S MANAGEMENT. In other words, Ms. Cistaro did not care to staff one of the most important programs for controlling the pet population on the island. In fact, the County had asked that $50,000 of its $760,000 grant be dedicated to restarting the mobile spay/neuter service. In addition, KHS claimed at its Gala fundraiser that $17,000 of donations would go specifically to this program.
Created an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion: Employees at KHS have been afraid to speak out for fear of retribution. Out of 36 employees who worked for KHS at the time Ms. Cistaro became Executive Director, there are only 7 remaining. In other words, KHS has had an 80% turnover rate since Penny took over at KHS. Twelve brave employees finally stuck their necks out by signing a petition calling for Penny Cistaro’s dismissal. Letters were sent to the Board of Directors by the lead veterinarian and two managers, and were ignored by the Board President, Emily Larocque. Ms. Larocque then launched a campaign to discredit the whistleblowers by quoting false statistics and by conducting an “anonymous” survey in which employees were sat down one by one to fill out a form. According to a manager, Ms. Cistaro would tap employees on the shoulder and tell them it was their turn, then watch through the blinds. Of course employees were intimidated and did not feel free to give their opinions. Ms. Larocque and Ms Cistaro then used their claims of employee satisfaction in the media.
Sabotaged efforts of employees to save animals: We have repeatedly seen Penny Cistaro work to stifle the success of programs like the Shelter Pet Transfer Program, which places animals in mainland shelters with higher adoption rates. Employees have been forced to sneak animals out of the shelter to save their lives. In one example of Ms. Cistaro’s apparent preference for euthanasia over saving lives, for more than 10 months, the Oregon Humane Society offered to take KHS kittens. Ms. Cistaro refused. The Executive Director of OHS called Penny in March 2014 to discuss the transfer of kittens and how they would be able to get the kittens adopted because few were available at that time of year. Ms. Cistaro still refused, and KHS went the entire kitten season without transferring kittens, euthanizing kittens instead.

Why does Penny Cistaro order employees to kill puppies?

Why does Penny Cistaro euthanize adoptable dogs?

How has KHS abused the trust of the people of Kauai?

On June 16, 2015, on KKCR’s Community Soapbox, Felicia Crowden told the story of a young girl in need who, despite the ability to provide a very loving home for two kittens, and despite having been allowed by KHS to choose and bond with a pair of kittens, was turned down as an adopter by Penny Cistaro. Listen to this story here:

The following statements can be found in written response to our petition:

My animal care position was recently terminated by Penny Cistaro simply because she didn’t like me personally. I loved my job – I cared so much for the animals there (I feel like I cared more than any of my coworkers), I worked extremely hard, expressed my concerns with animal care and tried to make changes, I brought positivity to the workplace, greeted everyone with a smile, helped every customer to the best of my ability, and while working there the euthanasia rate fell more than 20% because of the constant love and care I was putting into each animal (mostly cats and kitties). When Penny terminated me, she said she ‘questions my commitment to the organization and the work that it does’. Which (excuse my language) is complete bullshit. I do not support anything that Penny Cistaro does or says – she is a cold hearted, manipulative, self centered sadist and she has no business being the executive director for the only humane society on our beautiful island of Kauai. We need a positive change. I hope her ‘day’ comes soon. Aloha.
— a concerned former employee, KAUMAKANI, HI

When there is so much fall out of employees in any business or organization…employees and volunteers…disgruntled and have no faith in the “leader”……its time for the leader to resign and leave. This has been a total black eye for the KHS (endangering the quality of care and donations). If the KHS director cannot get along with the Aloha spirit of the island, there might be a better place to work in another land. The Board of Directors need to take their “blinders” off, see the truth and let the axe fall if the director does not resign.
— a concerned veterinarian, KAPAA, HI

I am a certified veterinary technician, who was fired for not euthanizing a kitten.
— a concerned veterinary technician, LAWAI, HI

I had a Hunting dog picked up by KHS. It was picked up in a State hunting area with a tracking collar.

This was a lost hunting dog that The KHS had previously picked up in the past. It was chipped, and neutered by the KHS. Not knowing that it was in the KHS shelter I spent 1 week of gas and time everyday driving to Hanalei to look for this dog. Thinking that since the KHS installed the chip, they would call me if it ended up in there. Make a long story short. they picked it up and they had it for about a week. Only after I posted the picture on craiglist did a girl by the name of Dannielle call me and tell me that a dog that fits that description had been there for a week. Penny Cistaro wanted to charge me a fee for each day that the dog was there. When I asked her why they didn’t call me the day they received it because KHS place that chip there , she replied they could not read the chip. It was strange because it never happened before. I talked to her about other problems regarding the leash law and how the wording in the laws may make a hunting dog exempt off a leash in a hunting area. She was in no way interested in listening . You cannot keep a hunting dog on aleash when hunting pigs. It’s impossible. But of course she made up a lot of excuses for not wanting to waive any fines. From that time on I never cared for Penny. At least Dr. Becky listened. She was nice. Penny is all about money!
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

This Director must be terminated! I have been a supporter of the Kaua’i Humane Society for many years in the past, prior to this callous Director and appalled at the treatment of our beloved animals on island in the care of this Humane Society and the complete ineffectiveness of the Board to terminate this Director and regard the interest of the animals first and foremost..,not someone’s high paying and non-compassionate position!!!
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

I’ve received several e-mails on this issue. I’ve not signed the peition until now because I agree with Mr. Gordon. The board is not meeting its charter and I agree that a third party should be assigned the task of evaluating the current situation. To do nothing is nonsense and harmful to the animals we’re all trying to help.
— a concerned citizen, KILAUEA, HI

I was a donor and a member however, I will not give another dime, as long as Penny is in power. As a donor, Penny has been rude and curt, with me…every time we have spoke.
— a concerned citizen, HANALEI, HI

this woman is rude ..at least to me she was ..
— a concerned citizen, KEKAHA, HI

Independently I have become aware that what Cistaro says and what she does are repeatedly diametrically opposite. She has ruined the reputation of KHS and, more important, has ordered killed many dogs and cats at a rate far higher than the national average. She has a single minded solution: KILL the animals…she does not like the Foster, Transfer, or Field trip “Adopt me” programs and will end them if she is not removed immediately. The telling fact: Just ask Sacramento if they would ever have her return to run their program…NEVER! She did the same thing there…the difference: Their Board did what they needed to do. The KHS Board should be replaced at the same time she is fired. Also a full audit must be don of all the monies KHS has received during her tenure….including everything she has personally taken or received.
— a concerned citizen, KALAHEO, HI

I have had personal experience with Penny Cistaro and it was exceedingly unpleasant and unnecessary. I was a staunch supporter, donator and foster home. While a shelter has many difficult decisions to make every day and a strong person needs to be at the helm, Penny seems to be the extreme alpha personality and has neither animal or human interests as a consideration.
— a concerned citizen, KALAHEO, HI

I’m signing this because the khs is not doing their job. They are suposto save animals not kill 2 times a week. My uncle lives in kekaha and he said that 2 times a week KHS dumps 2 truck loads of animals at kekaha dump and that it’s so hard to watch because it’s not just old or sick animals it’s babie’s too. And it’s so sickening and heartless that they would do that. We need all new people at KHS so that the animals of Kauai have a chance.
— a concerned citizen, KOLOA, HI

ive seen the care drop…I’ve been lied to about animals I turned in for adoption,I’ve called for nurturing and been turned away…I am sad that this is even called a shelter..it has lost any confidence I had in them….I’ve been helping gather animals for neutered and spayed procedures for over 10 yrs, I’m unaffiliated with any group,I do this for the animals…please..something needs to be done
— a concerned citizen, ANAHOLA, HI

I’ve had a horrible experience with Penny, I had thought I was alone in my situation till all of this came to be. Please continue your efforts to have her dismissed as director and anyone else who continues to do harm or is negligent when it comes to helping our island animals.
Thank you!
— a concerned citizen, LIHUʻE, HI

This seems to be the only way to get the Board’s attention. Saying they stand behind Penny 100% is a slap in the face to the employees, medical staff, volunteers, and donors. The place is a physical, medical, and emotional mess. It must be fixed immediately.
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

Overwhelming evidence suggests Penny Cistaro would rather put animals to death than finding humane solutions. I brought a hunting dog to the KHS and sId if the owner was unable to pick her up I would adopt. I never got a phone call and later found out the dog was euthanized the day I brought her in.
— a concerned citizen, KALAHEO, HI

I have witnessed firsthand that penny Castro is extremely pro euthanasia. Money is her primary concern. I have personally experienced her distaste for the transfer program as well as the Field trip program. I quote “It makes my skin crawl every time I see them leave the building on a field trip”. The Field Trip Program as well as the Transfer program has saved many lives and fortunately was implemented and had publicity before she arrived. It has become incredibly difficult to save lives at the Humane Society with Penny as the executive, furthermore the quality of care for the animals has decreased with her in power.
— a concerned citizen, LIHUE, HI

Recently picked up my dog from boarding and he had an infection after being neutered. A veterinarian had replied that it wasn’t the 1st infection from surgeries done by the shelter. In addition, it took a week for them to call us back after leaving an urgent message about our dog’s situation.
— a concerned citizen, KAUMAKANI, HI

Ive always gone to the humane society. 8 yrs ago i adopted a dog from them. Well about a month ago we needed to move and i couldnt take him with us. So my coworker took him for a bit until we found another house and i could bring my dog with me. Well Benji got out, and went somewhere around the kapahi neighbor hood, but we couldnt find him. He had a chip in him, so i went to the humane society to see if someone brought him there. The girl at the front desk was no help. I filled out a paper and they told me i had to come back on monday. Well i live in kapahi and i work 10 hour shifts, so i needed to make the time to go and i did. When i went ther it was so sad to see the animals looking so depressed and on top of that there were hardly any animals. That is the first time i have seen it like that since moving here in 1989. But of course i didnt find my dog. I can only pray that she didnt get ahold of him and do what Ive been hearing she is good for. I am still searching for him and will continue to go and check at the humane society for him. Please fix this problem. Thank you
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

Our family made a substantial donation toward a structure in the park and when we asked for proof of the donations in honor of Helen Williams Reid after Peggy arrived, our calls were not returned nor were we sent any documentation. Instead we did not know how much more to donate to complete our responsibility, so we stopped donating as did our Mainland family.
— a concerned citizen, PRINCEVILLE, HI

I have dealt with the Humane Siciety on a regular basis for the 8 years I have lived here. Unfortunately, it was a positive experience until her administration took over. I have had several bad experiences, one resulting in the euthanasia of one if my cats without my consent.
— a concerned citizen, PRINCEVILLE, HI

Penny needs to be replaced! The island of Kauai is speaking out, she is not managing the KHS well and the BOD needs to be reassigned because obviously they are in the wrong as well. You know there is something wrong with the care of these animals if a Veterinarian is saying they are being neglected!!
— a concerned citizen, LAWAI, HI

I know of someone who wanted to adopt an older dog becuz their stay with KHS was almost over and they got rejected.
— a concerned citizen, LIHUE, HI

I had the most horrific experience with the worst custmer service ever. They refused to return our cat and then proceeded to extort money and lied about funding.
— a concerned citizen, HANA, HI

I was chocked after reading about what’s happening at KHS. A friend of mine adopted a kitten that was sick and died after a week, leaving her children very upset, she was afraid to go back for another cat and be charged for mistreatment. I wanted to neuter my cats but when I went to the website I would have to pay $50 dollars a cat, I thought it was a donation , I think many people on this island can’t afford that.
— a concerned citizen, PRINCEVILLE, HI

They put a dog I wanted to sleep without any good reason. Also my daughter gave them beautiful healthy half Siamese kittens and they killed them all that same day. Horrible pathetic Flea infested place. Just pray your pet never winds up there.
— a concerned citizen, ANAHOLA, HI

I’m signing this because I have witnessed the welfare of current animals up for adoption at KHS. Every time I go in, there are many dogs that are filthy with major flea, skin problems that seem to not be taken care of prior to being on the adoption floor. I have also witnessed the euthanasia rate jump higher since 2012. Not acceptable, especially when there are several programs that can save many, many animals.
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

that person PENNY CISTARO I have personally had a negative experience with… she is rude and a liar .
and banned me from ever adopting .
as they released a very sick cat for adoption ..to me ..and I screamed at them they should have never ever release an animal to adopt in that condition ..I was defending the poor cat .who was very sick .and had to be returned for treatment ..I stood up to them and they did not like it .
so to spite me she would rather kill a poor innocent animal then let me give it a good home and a good chance at life..
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

I know several people who have brought in animals they found abandoned, perfectly adoptable, euthanized. I know people who were treated inappropriately by this women.
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

I am singing this because Penny Cistaro is a lying ,cheating, manipulative,evil person who does not belong in the Humane Society at all.
She got money from the County of Kauai to buy 5 new pick up trucks for the KHS and she only bought one and won’t tell anybody what she did with the rest of the money,she is wasting
( and probably pocketing ) the tax payers money. A private wealthy donor donated a huge amount of money( I think it was 50.000 ) to be used to improve the cat holding areas and she decided to buy a new phone system with the money instead. She is dishonest and has no compassion for the animals. I want her GONE !!!!!!!!!!!
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

I was so disappointed with all I had to go thru to simply get a feral cat registered in our name. A pet we had taken care of for months and even after we had followed the policies at KHS. It took so many phone calls and the effort of my own Vet to make this happen. Ridiculous since we are loving and capable pet owners that simply wanted to give this cat a decent home. The last thing we wanted to do was leave him at KHS where they can barely feed the animals they have in their care as it is. The story ends well as we have this kitty with us permanently thanks to a lot of hard work, tons of phone calls and also due to the diligence of one employee at KHS that got it right…Christina … thank you again!!! I will never do any business with KHS ever and obviously poor management starts at the top so hopefully this will get sorted out for the benefit of our animals. It seems that Penny Cistero is not the person we thought she would be in this role. Euthanasia is so out of our realm of acceptance…unless it is absolutely necessary and all avenues have been exhausted to save a little one.
— a concerned citizen, PRINCEVILLE, HI

There is so much to this people don’t know. I have fostered countless puppies for the society so that they make it to 8 weeks when they can be transferred. If it were not for fosters, they would be terminated (oh sorry….euthanized … No no….Given a good end to life at the ripe age of 6 weeks) instead of held for 2 weeks and transferred to the mainland. We have been part of several times where the humane employees “hide” an animal from penny until I can get there to foster.
However, if Penny is involved in finding the animal and it reminds her of her own pet, she will tell the workers to keep the animals in circulation even if the animal’s temperament testing shows possibility of aggressive behavior.
I have been witness to her being sweet as pie to me and then turning around and scolding an employee for not answering the phone quickly enough.
She shows a good face to the public and makes a good bottom line for the board. She makes her employees lives hell. Unless of course they were hand picked by her for positions they were not qualified for.
Finally, although she is promoting the pet transfer and field trip programs to the press now, she has been fully against these programs behind the scenes. She doesn’t like to transfer puppies to the mainland. She is against field trips because of the possible liability.
It’s all about the bottom line people. The animals might as well be inventory. Inventory with too much overhead for Penny and the board.
— a concerned citizen, LIHUʻE, HI

I don’t agree with her policies. I had been a monetary supporter of the KHS until I was made aware of what was happening there. I believe in a no kill shelter and with all the money that is raised and given and all the donations, I find it hard to believe it isn’t one. I say get rid of her and find someone more compassionate and animal friendly.
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

Former employee that has been a supporter now disgusted.
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

When I heard Dr Dawn Ushio is ready to resign I knew for sure there is a problem. She has always been the most loyal of all. I loved my years at the shelter, but it has been changing in my eyes since Dr. Becky left. It’s very depressing when I go there now.
— a concerned citizen, KEKAHA, HI

I am the individual that intervened and contacted Sue Scott. I inquired as to what was going on. The two kittens were just captured. I asked that the kittens be turned over to me. Penny C refused, in fact she was adamant that the kittens were going to be euthanized. That’s when I called Sue. We were on speakerphone and had this conversation about rescuing the kittens and that Sue was going in the next morning to discuss this matter. They stopped trying to catch the other 4 kittens, wrapped things up and left. I returned the next day before Mana B arrived. Successfully trapped three kittens. Later that week caught the runt of the litter. Despite the mother being dead for days, the kittens were in excellent condition. My colony of cats lived about 100 yards away.
— a concerned citizen, HANAPEPE, HI

The evidence speaks for itself this person has no interest in saving kittens and treats them like rats being disposed of. We love the humane society but feel that the best interest of the animals is not being met with the current director. We are having to take in cats and kittens because we don’t want them to be killed at the humane society. I used to think of the humane society as a place that saved animals. I hope you will consider the poor animals who have been killed when obviously there are people willing to foster them but and not being given the chance. There are other prions and the community is willing to help so putting them down is not the answer. We need to work together and this will not happen with Penny Cistaro she has shown us what a heartless lying person she really is. Please remove her asap! Thank you!
— a concerned citizen, LIHUE, HI

I too used to be an employee at KHS and witnessed much of what has been reported.
— a concerned citizen, LIHUʻE, HI

Do not be fooled by Ms. Cistaro’s P.R. Façade. She prefers killing dogs, puppies, cats and kittens over finding homes for them and promoting spay and neutering. She’s a tried and true cold blooded killer devoid of anything that even resembles remorse.
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

I have had bad experiences with unnecessary euthanizations
— a concerned citizen, KAPAA, HI

The following statements were submitted via our contact form:
My husband and I adopted two dogs from KHS in November of 2014 and we couldn’t be happier. Penny was of very little help and actually made this huge process more difficult than it had to be. I followed up with her right after our precious dogs arrived and the first thing she said was, “Oh, you’re the people who adopted the crazy dogs.” She has no business working with animals.
— an adopter, Minnesota

All of my dealings, with Penny, have not gone well.
She is rude and curt. I will not donate until she is removed.
— a former major donor, KAUAI, HI

When reports of someone comes from all of his/her previous employments and it’s negative, one must realize that, like that one person said, the spots of a leopard do not change.
Why keep a heartless admin in a loving position- it doesn’t work!!!
I was a teacher of veternarian Dawn, and this girl has no mean bones in her body. Listen to her, she would be the best reasonable advocate of a shelter for all animals!!!!! she is so modest and humble and will have your shelter thrive. Please make this shelter safe for animals so workers like Dawn will not leave where they’re needed.
— a concerned citizen, KAUAI, HI

…the volunteers and employees let me know a Penny was going to euthanize this sweet scared dog named Peeta and if they transferred him there was a home waiting for him. So I adopted him got a crate and his new family paid for his transfer and I get updates and pictures regularly. He was such a great dog, totally adoptable just scared in the kennel. Happy, healthy and in love with his new life! I have been training dogs for over 22 years and find most of their behavioral evaluations to be incorrect, I am 100 percent on board with letting Penny go, we can find someone else. Yes, there are dogs that need to be euthanized but not all of them and we need to do more as a community to solve this issue!
— a concerned citizen, KAUAI, HI

I am a former employee of khs for almost ten years. I have remained active as a dog trainer and volunteer until recently. Things have reached a critical stage there. We must request as a community for honesty. We can not count on the board of directors as they have repeatedly blindly backed Penny. I feel the head in the sand approach has got to stop.
— a concerned citizen, KAUAI, HI

How would removing Penny benefit the people and animals of Kauai?

Has Penny ruined other animal shelters?

The following statements can be found in written response to our petition:

I worked for her at the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services. All of these things happened there and more. She then moved on to the Sacramento SPCA and did the same things….then on to Kauai Humane. This pattern goes back many years with her starting with Peninsula Humane Society.
— Supporter, Sacramento, CA

She had many animals KILLED in Sacramento, CA ILLEGALLY! The shelter Vet asked me to foster puppies but Penny made staff KILL the puppies though I said I’d foster them. Many animals were killed before their mandated hold time was up. Many volunteers left, me included, because she basically was on a murderous rampage.
— Supporter, Sacramento, CA

I am very familiar with her practices at the City of Sacramento Animal Shelter, we all worked very hard to get her to leave and she finally left to pull the same stuff at our Sacramento SPCA. Too bad shelters don’t do their research before hiring, she has a long sordid history.
— Supporter, Sacramento, CA

good or bad health she kills animals. Rather then sending them to homes rescue or foster. She was a cancer to the city of Sacramento!!! She should not be [allowed] to be around animals. she says one thing to your face and then as soon as you turn your back for a sec she kills animals. she is the devil!!!! Watch out for your animals and other pets.
— Supporter, Rio Linda, CA

I worked under penny while her brief reign over the Sacramento SPCA took place was appalled at the things that took place! This person has no need what so ever to ever work within the animal field! She lacks compassion, empathy, and any logical concern what so ever that is required to work within the shelter realm someone please stop this woman’s non stop killing spree her record within the endless number of shelters she has worked at and the failings that took place while she was there is evidence enough!
— Supporter, Sacramento, CA

[I met] Ms. Cistaro once about 2 years ago at the Sacramento SPCA. She approach my dog, there for behavior training, and was nearly bitten. Her reaction, to this event that was provoked by her own behavior, was completely unprofessional and rude. The whole episode clearly demonstrated her ignorance of animal behavior. She, in fact, violated a basic rule everyone teaches their children: don’t pet a dog without asking the owner. I am saddened to learn she has yet another management role in animal services. It should not continue.
— Supporter, Sacramento, CA

This woman almost ruined the Sacto City Shelter in CA. I don’t want the same thing to happen in Kauai. She doesn’t have the best interest of the animals at heart. Her priorities are not in line with the Shelters’ goals and mission statement. This woman is DANGEROUS to all living creatures. She must be fired and prosecuted for her actions.
— Supporter, Tacoma, WA

The following statements were submitted via our contact form:

So, so sorry you are having to deal with this. I know Penny all too well from her time here as the ED of the Whatcom Humane Society. We all celebrated when she left here, and just wondered how long until her reign of death showed up again somewhere else.
— Supporter, Bellingham, WA

I worked for Penny at the Peninsula Humane Society. Though she was hard working, most of her work was destructive – both to the animals of San Mateo County, and to the employees who worked for her. In fact, because of her lack of management skill, the formerly happy shelter employees and animal control / humane officers actually voted to unionize under her reign of terror. Like your situation, the board didn’t want to hear about it and didn’t do anything about her until the heart and soul of a once great model humane organization had been eviscerated.
— Supporter, Bay Area, CA

I worked with Penny in the early 1990’s and all I can say after reading the article is a leopard DOESN’T change its spots! Penny has ALWAYS been about power NOT the animals!
— Supporter, Bay Area, CA

Why have employees been afraid to speak up?

Please sign our petition here.

Send us email if you would like more information, or if you would like to share your experience with Penny Cistaro.

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