Decision Makers:
Lifeline Animal Project
For the past several years, our foster program has run on Marti's dedication far more than it has run on any official structure the shelter provided. We are writing this petition because her resignation means the loss of the person who has, in practice, been holding the entire Lifeline Dekalb County Animal Services foster network together.
Marti has helped save thousands of cats through every season of intake, including stretches this year when she was the only person managing the foster program at all. She regularly worked late into the evening to support fosters. Beyond her official duties, she built and structured a Discord server, entirely on her own time and at no pay, so fosters could share knowledge, ask questions, and support each other. None of this was compensated. It was work she chose to do because she cared about the animals and the people caring for them.
Many of the undersigned fosters are with this program specifically because Marti was there to guide us. Without her, that guidance simply did not exist elsewhere in the organization, and we fear it will diminish further.
What we're asking leadership to do:
1. Publicly acknowledge Marty's contributions to the foster program and to the animals it served.
2. Investigate the management practices that led to her resignation. This role has a documented history of high turnover and burnout that points to a structural problem.
3. Hold accountable those responsible for how she was treated, with real, meaningful consequences.
4. Implement structural fixes immediately: documented processes, adequate staffing, and real support for whoever holds this role, so it never again depends entirely on one person's unpaid goodwill to function.
5. Establish clear, reliable communication with all fosters, including reliable on-call support for fosters providing medical care to animals, often at their own expense and on their own time.
We are not asking for Marti to return to an environment that treated her this way. We are asking leadership to make sure no one who takes on this role after her is set up to burn out the same way.
24 Comments
Marti has been incredibly impactful in the adoption of my cat and fostering of kittens. She is more important than leadership realizes. She definitely the reason why I became invested in Dekalb. Thank you Marti and You deserve better.
Marti has always been extremely kind and helpful to me and everyone else. She has gone above and beyond for all of the foster parents and cats time and time again. She’s spent countless late nights taking care of kittens while attempting to find fosters. Losing her will be detrimental to Lifeline’s cat foster program and the lives of many, many kittens.
Marti has transformed the kitten foster program. Losing her is a massive blow to animal welfare in our county, and leadership must take accountability for the conditions that pushed her out. We need structural change and real support.
I would not be fostering or volunteering if not for Marti. I wouldnt have had the knowledge to raise/save the lives of SO many kittens if not for Marti. I wouldnt have my first ever kitten if it were not for Marti. THOUSANDS of kittens are alive and well because of her knowledge and experience. I have never met anyone more dedicated to a cause than Marti Watson. Marti sacrifices the tiny amount of free time she has to be available 24/7 to her fosters. She goes above & beyond, always.
Marti is genuinely such a good and helpful person. The most responsive, on top of everything, hard working person at DCAS. Staff, volunteers, and the animals will suffer greatly in her absence.
Marti is the reason I continued to foster. The genuine care and compassion she shows towards animals is what inspired me to continue to foster.
Having fostered kittens for DCAS for the past 10 years, I have seen the many positive changes that Marti has made to the foster program and for care of the cats and kittens there. It was because of her that I sometimes took on more challenging kittens. I knew I would have her support. She wanted nothing but the best for all the kittens. This is a huge loss for DCAS. Leadership needs to take accountability and fix the things that pushed a great employee out the door.
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Decision Makers:
Lifeline Animal Project
For the past several years, our foster program has run on Marti's dedication far more than it has run on any official structure the shelter provided. We are writing this petition because her resignation means the loss of the person who has, in practice, been holding the entire Lifeline Dekalb County Animal Services foster network together.
Marti has helped save thousands of cats through every season of intake, including stretches this year when she was the only person managing the foster program at all. She regularly worked late into the evening to support fosters. Beyond her official duties, she built and structured a Discord server, entirely on her own time and at no pay, so fosters could share knowledge, ask questions, and support each other. None of this was compensated. It was work she chose to do because she cared about the animals and the people caring for them.
Many of the undersigned fosters are with this program specifically because Marti was there to guide us. Without her, that guidance simply did not exist elsewhere in the organization, and we fear it will diminish further.
What we're asking leadership to do:
1. Publicly acknowledge Marty's contributions to the foster program and to the animals it served.
2. Investigate the management practices that led to her resignation. This role has a documented history of high turnover and burnout that points to a structural problem.
3. Hold accountable those responsible for how she was treated, with real, meaningful consequences.
4. Implement structural fixes immediately: documented processes, adequate staffing, and real support for whoever holds this role, so it never again depends entirely on one person's unpaid goodwill to function.
5. Establish clear, reliable communication with all fosters, including reliable on-call support for fosters providing medical care to animals, often at their own expense and on their own time.
We are not asking for Marti to return to an environment that treated her this way. We are asking leadership to make sure no one who takes on this role after her is set up to burn out the same way.
24 Comments
I wouldn’t be a DCAS foster without Marti’s expertise and the love and care she has for both her fosters and the kittens. She makes fosters feel seen and heard and it’s devastating that these circumstances ultimately led to her resignation. The DCAS foster program won’t be the same without Marti’s guidance and support!
Marti has been incredibly impactful in the adoption of my cat and fostering of kittens. She is more important than leadership realizes. She definitely the reason why I became invested in Dekalb. Thank you Marti and You deserve better.
Marti has always been extremely kind and helpful to me and everyone else. She has gone above and beyond for all of the foster parents and cats time and time again. She’s spent countless late nights taking care of kittens while attempting to find fosters. Losing her will be detrimental to Lifeline’s cat foster program and the lives of many, many kittens.
Marti has transformed the kitten foster program. Losing her is a massive blow to animal welfare in our county, and leadership must take accountability for the conditions that pushed her out. We need structural change and real support.
I would not be fostering or volunteering if not for Marti. I wouldnt have had the knowledge to raise/save the lives of SO many kittens if not for Marti. I wouldnt have my first ever kitten if it were not for Marti. THOUSANDS of kittens are alive and well because of her knowledge and experience. I have never met anyone more dedicated to a cause than Marti Watson. Marti sacrifices the tiny amount of free time she has to be available 24/7 to her fosters. She goes above & beyond, always.
Marti is genuinely such a good and helpful person. The most responsive, on top of everything, hard working person at DCAS. Staff, volunteers, and the animals will suffer greatly in her absence.
Marti is the reason I continued to foster. The genuine care and compassion she shows towards animals is what inspired me to continue to foster.
Having fostered kittens for DCAS for the past 10 years, I have seen the many positive changes that Marti has made to the foster program and for care of the cats and kittens there. It was because of her that I sometimes took on more challenging kittens. I knew I would have her support. She wanted nothing but the best for all the kittens. This is a huge loss for DCAS. Leadership needs to take accountability and fix the things that pushed a great employee out the door.
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I wouldn’t be a DCAS foster without Marti’s expertise and the love and care she has for both her fosters and the kittens. She makes fosters feel seen and heard and it’s devastating that these circumstances ultimately led to her resignation. The DCAS foster program won’t be the same without Marti’s guidance and support!