Lake Tahoe Humane Society disbands, turns operations over to Truckee Tahoe group

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Almost two years after their executive director embezzled almost $60,000 from the Lake Tahoe Humane Society (LTHS), the nonprofit tasked with helping local pets, is folding after 51 years of serving the South Lake Tahoe community.

A new board of directors had taken several steps, including the sale of their Emerald Bay Road building and laying off of employees, to get LTHS back on their feet but could never get the nonprofit's community standing back.

But, not all is lost and the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (HSTT) is taking over services for the South Shore and adding the region to their operations, enabling them to cover the entire Lake Tahoe Basin.

The LTHS Board of Directors decided that the best for the community would be to transition services for the South Lake Tahoe area to HSTT and dissolve their organization. This solution will immediately restore animal welfare services in South Lake Tahoe, while creating a circular support system of shared resources for comprehensive care of pets around the lake.

Along with an aligned mission and long-term vision, the LTHS board members will join the HSTT team to deliver top-notch services to animals in the Lake Tahoe basin and beyond, stretching as far north as Sierra County and as far south as areas in Douglas and El Dorado Counties.

“We have been providing animal welfare services to Truckee, North Lake Tahoe and Sierra County for over 15 years and are equipped with the resources and contributor support to help the people and pets in the South Lake Tahoe region as well," said Stephanie Nistler, Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe’s executive director. "In doing so, we will be able to offer the region a more cohesive, further-reaching pet care network for Tahoe animals, starting immediately."

The LTHS board broke the news on their website and via a joint press release with HSTT.

"We’d like to take this time to express our gratitude for your support in the past year and ask for your continued support as we embark on a new future for the sake of our animals," said the LTHS board on their website. "We realize that the suspension of the Lake Tahoe Humane Society services took a toll on the community and our goal was to restore those much needed services. With that in mind, we are excited to announce that the Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe will expand their services to our community. As you read this, your first impression may be that we gave up and handed things over but to the contrary, it is the exact opposite. Our current Board of Directors will be rolling up our sleeves and digging in right alongside them. HSTT is an amazing organization with tremendous expertise and experience and we are excited to bring this opportunity to the community. Please consider continuing to support the cause for the sake of our animals."

HSTT has been serving the community for almost 25 years and has been voted North Tahoe/Truckee’s Best Non-Profit by community members the past 16 of 17 years. HSTT will provide spay and neuter vouchers to qualifying members of the South Lake Tahoe community based on household income, starting early 2019. To apply for a voucher, visit www.hstt.org/community-spayneuter-programs.

ACT, the Animal Coalition of Tahoe, also provides spay and neutering to pets in the South Shore community.

LTHS once provided free pet food for those needing help on the South Shore and that will continue with food available at Bread and Broth located at 2377 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 on Fridays & Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The ex-director, Niki Congero, was arrested in Tennessee on August 1, 2019, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2018 and was sentenced to six months in jail. She served 89 days and was released October 28 (due to time served). Part of her probation is to repay all of the embezzled funds. It is unknown at this time if anything has been repaid and where the repayment funds will go in the future.

Upon her departure from LTHS, Congero left the nonprofit with thousands of dollars in debt to local veterinarians as well as others. She gambled the money away at Dotty's Casino in Stateline and used agency money for family phones, furniture and other expenses.