<p>Animals sit in the dog run at Pet Rescue in Hermiston in this 2005 file image.</p>

Suzanne Phillips, a veterinary technician in Hermiston, has always volunteered at local animal shelters putting in hours at about a dozen total over the years.

Soon after she moved to Hermiston in 2010, she checked in with the Humane Society of Eastern Oregon, known locally as Hermiston Pet Rescue, to start volunteering there.

She got an email back from manager Beau Putnam that read: Right now we are good on volunteers. It continued to say that she should fill out a volunteer form and she would get a call if she was needed.

Phillips, 29, visited a few times after that and never saw volunteers on the grounds. The incident set off her suspicions, which have only grown as of late. She created a blog, eowatchdog.blogspot.com, to voice her concerns.

The more people you talk to, the more you hear people with issues with the place, Phillips said.

Hermiston Pet Rescues executive director Jackie Alleman is growing wary of what she sees as unwarranted public scrutiny. She said that the shelter has no legal obligation to host volunteers, but it does have some work on-site.

Alleman flipped through a binder full of filled-out volunteer forms for the shelter. She said that Pet Rescue does not keep track of the number of volunteers that actually spend time in the building, but estimated two to three help with the animals per week.

It’s very strange for an animal rescue or shelter to say they dont need more volunteers, Phillips said in her blog. One of the most important parts of a functioning shelter system is a robust volunteer program. This is especially true for shelters on a shoestring budget.

But Alleman argued that the training and supervision involved with hosting volunteers makes it a consuming endeavor for Pet Rescue.

Serving both Umatilla County and the city of Hermiston, the shelter receives the majority of funding from local government. Pet Rescue has revenue of about $120,000 per year in recent years, but accountant Paul Barnett said the shelter has not yet been able to build up a significant reserve. Alleman said that the shelter prides itself on keeping a tight budget.

Pet Rescue is a family-run organization that became a non-profit several years ago. Allemans mother opened it 20 years ago and now Putnam, her son-in-law, manages it. He began working there five years ago and slowly took over responsibilities.

Alleman is no longer a paid employee, but lives on-site and receives about $40,000 per year in rent from the shelter.

Hermiston city manager Ed Brookshier said the shelters service is satisfactory for the city, adding that currently Pet Rescue is the only option.

Frankly, there is no other service around, Brookshier said. Its a difficult service to maintain in any area. Some larger counties provide their own shelter but we wouldnt be able to afford that.

Yet Phillips claims Pet Rescues service if far from satisfactory. It is a debate between people who all describe themselves as animal lovers.

Pet Rescue euthanizes nearly half of the thousands of animals it brings in each year in line with national averages for animal shelters. Both Alleman and Putnam are certified euthanasia technicians.

Its not something Alleman likes, but she said she could never keep the shelter afloat and help 232 dogs and 67 cats get adopted in the last year if they didnt turn to euthanasia.

We have to make hard decisions every day, Alleman said. If we didnt, this shelter would have shut down 19 years ago.

Alleman said she is not one to ask for other peoples money and push for donations for the shelter.?Yet Phillips said many animal shelters are not overpopulated, theyre undermarketed.

I dont see (Pet Rescue) in the community, Phillips said. I dont see them walking the dogs. I dont see booths or collection jars. They dont advertise (and) then they say, We would love to do this, but we dont have the money, we dont have the volunteers.

Pet Rescue does have a close partnership with Washington State University, which provides a portion of the vaccinations at the shelter. WSU?then receives euthanized animals from the shelter for veterinary training.

Alleman said the shelter no longer lets the dogs out to exercise because they dont have the time. In order to prevent the spread of viruses, each dog has to be taken out one at a time.

Pet Rescue does not require spaying and neutering before adopting an animal, something Phillips disagrees with.

Alleman said she agrees that spaying and neutering is important, but also said she wants to adopt as many animals out to forever homes as possible, and that includes people who dont agree with spaying and neutering. She added that Pet Rescue gives a $50 discount to anyone who spays or neuters their animal within 60 days after adoption.

Phillips ended up volunteering at an animal shelter in the Tri-Cities where, she said, she feels wanted.

Pet Rescue, Alleman said, is doing the best it can.

When I was young I used to think I could save the world, she said. Now that Im older, I realize I just cant.

Contact Natalie Wheeler at nwheeler@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.