MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. - A woman says she was suspended from her job for
spending too much time trying to rescue a squirrel trapped in the
ceiling of the library where she works.
Cindee Goetz said she contacted a friend who owns an animal-removal
business about the animal after a company hired by the library tried
using a trap that would kill it.
"It's a real pickle to be in, all over me being compassionate toward
animals," Goetz said. "They said I went around the chain of
command. I was paying more attention to the animal than I was my job."
Judy Hamilton, the library's executive director, said the suspension
followed other animal problems with Goetz. The library had to be most
concerned about the safety of its visitors and the possible cost of
damage by the squirrel, Hamilton said.
"I don't want that squirrel to die, either, but I can't allow a live
animal to be headquartered in that building," Hamilton said. "It's
a severe situation I can't ignore. I'm not running a squirrel
condominium here."
Goetz said that she was reprimanded last year for caring for an abandoned
bird during work breaks while keeping it in a garage at the library
branch in LaPorte.
Goetz, who owns an animal shelter, said she planned to return to her
job after the one-week suspension.
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