The former executive director of Adopt-A-Dog Inc., who claims she rescued the Armonk organization, is suing for severance pay.
Courtney Bellew, of White Plains, is demanding $19,312 for 90 days of severance she says she was promised, according to an April 1 complaint filed in Westchester Supreme Court.
Adopt-A-Dog was founded in 1981 to rescue unwanted and abandoned dogs and place them in homes. Last year, according to its annual report, it placed 312 dogs.
Bellew claims that Adopt-A-Dog hired her as the executive director in 2021 because of her success as a founder and director of SNARR (Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation) Northeast Animal Rescue Inc., Brewster.
Adopt-A-Dog was on the verge of closing, the complaint states, due to high expenses, few adoptions, decreased donations and low public involvement.
Under Bellew’s direction for three-and-a-half years, she claims, Adopt-A-Dog achieved its most success in more than a decade. Adoptions increased from 60 a year to almost 400, and payroll decreased while donations and volunteerism increased.
But in May 28 she was asked to step down because of conflicts with her work at SNARR and her duties as founder and owner of a veterinary hospital (Hub Veterinary Group, Port Chester), according to the complaint.
Adopt-A-Dog asked Bellew to continue working for 30 days to ease the transition to a new director, the complaint states. She agreed to do so for 90 days of severance at her current salary, beginning after her last month of work.
She worked the last 30 days, according to the complaint, but Adopt-A-Dog has refused to pay the severance.
Bellew accused Adopt-A-Dog of breach of agreement and demanded the full severance, $19,312.50, plus interest.
Adopt-A-Dog did not reply to a message asking for its side of the story.
