To the Animal Control Officer Who Said No - Thank You

The ironically named Animal Protection and Safety Shelter in Houston, Alaska had 4 dogs and 4 cats in need of homes, until this week:

Some of the four dogs and four cats had been unclaimed at the facility since November, and the city wasn't prepared to keep them forever, said department head Sgt. Charlie Seidl, who shot them.
"We stretched out as long as we could," Seidl said. [...] "And like I said, we can't hang on to them indefinitely."

Right. You stretched it out as long as you could, maybe you should get a medal.

No one at the Houston city offices seemed prepared to take credit for directing the action. Several involved parties, including Seidl, said Mayor Roger Purcell ordered the animals put down.
[...]
The chain of events recounted by [Evelyn] Rohr [a shelter volunteer] also included an order from the mayor to police to kill the animals after an officer at the shelter -- who could not be reached for comment Tuesday -- refused to do it.

Amidst the horror of this betrayal and brutal killing of helpless shelter pets, I want to say one thing that might otherwise be overlooked. Someone whose job it was to care for the shelter's residents was told to shoot them all. That person said no. He or she might be at risk for losing his or her job over this, I don't know. But I know it's easy to flap our gums and type our blogs about how we would all do the right thing if faced with similar circumstances. It's not so easy to actually stand up and do that thing. In this economy. In a small town. In a remote state. But this person did it. Whoever you are, I say thank you.

Why Don't Residents Bring Strays to Local Animal Shelter?

Residents of Barnwell Co, South Carolina are reportedly concerned about the high number of stray pets in the area. There is an animal shelter so I wonder why people don't take strays there so they can be cared for until they find permanent homes. Maybe it's because they know that's probably not what will happen to pets admitted to that shelter. Standard operating procedure at the shelter apparently includes a local Veterinarian who comes by on Fridays to kill pets for space but the shelter fills up again by Monday.

Anyone else see the insanity here?

The community should feel confident that any pet taken to a shelter will be sheltered and, in most cases, properly cared for until adopted by a new owner. That's what animal shelters are for - to temporarily care for lost and homeless pets until they can be reunited with their owners or new, permanent homes can be found.

A weekly shelter cycle of death and despair serves neither the pets nor the residents of the community and obviously isn't helping with the local stray problem. So why would we continue funding such an enterprise? Wouldn't the limited available funds be better spent saving animals' lives and offering more low cost neuter clinics? There is already a team of community volunteers in place - let's not squander their good faith investment by putting them to work on killing pets instead of saving them. I'm sure that's not what they signed up for when they agreed to donate their time.

The answers to the area's stray problem lie within your grasp, Barnwell County. Reform: It's a good thing.

Your Opinion Please: The Debate Over Debarking

It seems like the debate over whether debarking a dog is cruel often comes down to this:

“You may think it’s horrible,” she said. “But if I had to give up my dog or get the surgery, I would choose the surgery.”

It's a hard point to fault. Most owners are aware when they get a dog that the dog will bark. But some dogs turn out to be really, really good at it. And while the owner cycles through various remedies, the dog just keeps barking. Eventually someone complains and the owner must make a decision: Give up the dog or give up the dog's vocal cords.

What do you think? If the owner has made meaningful efforts to curb the barking and it comes down to a choice, would you rather see the dog rehomed/surrendered to a shelter or have debark surgery?

Dogs Illegally Seized in SD

In September of last year, a group called Second Chance Dog Rescue, along with HSUS, seized 172 dogs from a breeder in Turner Co, South Dakota. The entire investigation and seizure was riddled with problems - of the U.S. Constitution variety - and a pdf detailing the case can be found here. A judge ruled this week that the seizure was illegal.

At the time of the seizure, HSUS stated it was "collecting evidence" and removing dogs. Now that the raid has been deemed illegal, HSUS appears to be walking back its involvement:

"The request that was made to us was specifically for handling animals and so that is what we come in under was that an actual request for physically handling those animals, and not developing the case," Senior Director of the HSUS Puppy Mills campaign Stephanie Shain said.

Anyone have an HSUS decoder ring to figure out exactly what they are saying here?

Tuesday, the HSUS told KELOLAND News it was simply asked by Second Chance to help with the removal of Christensen's 172 dogs and did not have any involvement in the case, obtaining the warrant or making sure what they were doing that day was legal.

I'm not a lawyer but don't all of us, including HSUS, have an obligation to make sure what we're doing is legal every day? I mean, even if we're just walking down the street, we're supposed to make sure we are complying with the law and especially if we are entering someone else's property and taking their dogs.

If someone is allegedly committing animal cruelty, I am 100% in favor of conducting a legal investigation and, if that investigation yields criminal charges, prosecuting to the full extent of the law. But these kind of shenanigans? Oh hell no. If we allow illegal searches and seizures, what will faux law enforcement animal groups like HSUS do next? I don't want to find out and I'm glad the law is being upheld in this case.

Treats on the Internets

Baltimore Co police documents portray dog groomer as a "nurse" to dogs used in alleged dogfighting ring

18 year old in NC charged with dogfighting, aspired to be the "next Michael Vick"

21 dogs seized in VA from man with previous cruelty convictions in and out of state

Owner of a dog who died at ASPCA veterinary hospital files suit after allegations the Vet kicked the dog

AVMA threatens Veterinary Information Network News Service with legal action over investigation

VA businesswoman produces raw food products for pets with ingredients from local farms

Lovely piece in the NY Times about two dogs who lived in an apartment building on the Upper West Side

Animal Photographer Harry Whittier Frees

Harry Whittier Frees (1879 - 1953) photographed live animals in costumes and elaborate settings without special effects. He is best known for his picture postcards which were a new and popular medium at the time. Frees' original photos are black and white, some were colorized after his death. I have read that he "rented" his subjects from breeders and pet shops in addition to using his own pets and those of friends.

Stray Dogs in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a little smaller than the state of Connecticut. Like some of the southern states, rescues in Puerto Rico send some of its stray dogs (known as "satos" locally) to the Northeast for adoption. Since shelters in the Northeast are short on dogs and Puerto Rico has an estimated 150,000 stray dogs, it makes sense to network on rescue efforts:

After nearly 15 years of Sato importation, New England is surely home to the highest concentration of these former strays of anywhere off the island. And they have a devoted following. Satos tend to be on the small side (under 30 pounds) and they come in many unusual combinations, just like Valiente [a Chihuahua/Border Collie mix]. Chihuahua genes are pretty common, as are enormous ear spans, stubby legs, and a penchant for sun bathing. Their gratitude at being given a second chance is often palpable.

Approximately 2000 stray dogs are rehomed in this manner every year in Puerto Rico. Which leaves us 148,000 more in need of help. The state is roughly 3500 square miles in size. If the estimate on stray dog numbers is accurate, that works out to approximately 43 strays per square mile. Think of a square mile in your neighborhood. Now put 43 stray dogs in there. Repeat the exercise times 3500 square miles and you can imagine the challenges and difficulties facing rescuers in Puerto Rico. I wonder if there is any access to low cost neuter in the state or if they even have any actual shelters. I wonder what more they need by way of assistance. Anyone?

Death of Innocents

I can't point to a specific reason why this story bothers me so much but it probably has to do with the Mother pushing the kid off that dark, point-of-no-return cliff called compassion:

As punishment for bad grades, a Georgia mother forced her 12-year-old son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer, police said.

The Mother has been arrested and charged with animal and child cruelty, along with battery. But the thing is, justice can never be served. What justice could there be? Obviously nothing can bring back the hamster but for the kid - well, this can't be undone. He's been violently and cruelly robbed of something intangible which no child should have to live without, and by his protector in this world - his Mother.

Treats on the Internets

TN taxpayers still paying the salaries of suspended Memphis Animal Shelter staff

KC Dog Blog: The False Solace of Vilification

SC Lt. Gov. Bauer finds himself in a hole, keeps digging

LAFD defends rescue of German Shepherd from L.A. River

Pet Connection: Do Animals Need Laws Protecting Them from Shelters?

Chicago requiring criminal background checks & fingerprinting for shelter volunteers

Anyone seen this movie? Netflix doesn't seem to have it and I'd like to see it.

No Help for Trapped Cat in Houston

If the power company called and asked if it was ok if they turn off your power briefly while someone rescues a cat stuck on a power pole, would you be ok with that? I would. Normally when my power goes out, it just happens - I don't get any advance notice. And I, like everyone else, deal with the situation until it comes back on. But in the case of a cat in need of help in Houston, no one even asked:

Lauren Kutac’s 8-month-old kitten spent 47 hours on the pole located in the backyard of her home in southwest Houston before she was electrocuted in the middle of the night.
[...]

The cat lover said she called several agencies including the Houston Fire Department, the SPCA, the Houston Police Department, and CenterPoint while she was sitting on the pole. They all declined her request for help.

“Not one person could help me,” she said.
[...]
CenterPoint Energy makes the decisions regarding the power pole. A company spokesperson said they could not turn off the power because it would affect several customers throughout the neighborhood.

I repeat: No one even asked.

The Houston SPCA spokesman, Meera Nandal, brings her usual fail:

“It’s a big misconception that [cats] should be free roaming and it’s OK for them to be outdoors, but actually, they need to live indoors,” said Nandlal.

kthx. So I guess it's the stupid owner's own fault the cat got stuck in the first place so the cat should just have to die. *cough*prevention-of-cruelty*cough*

The opportunity to help a pet owner in need, get some positive publicity for your shelter and educate the public while you're at it just got sucked into your vortex of pigheadedness. Thanks for playing.

I wonder where the owner will look when she's ready to get another cat? I'm guessing NOT the HSPCA, maybe not any shelter, after this experience.

You Learn Something New Every Day, Screwworm Edition

I'm not familiar with screwworms but apparently they are as nasty as they sound (pdf):

Screwworms are fly larvae (maggots) that feed on living flesh. These parasites infest all mammals and, rarely, birds.
[...]
Female flies lay their eggs at the edges of wounds or on mucous membranes. When they hatch, the larvae enter the body, grow and feed, progressively enlarging the wound. Eventually, they drop to the ground to pupate and develop into adults. Screwworms can enter wounds as small as a tick bite. Left untreated, infestations can be fatal. Screwworms have been eradicated from some parts of the world, including the southern United States, but infested animals are occasionally imported into screwworm-free countries. These infestations must be recognized and treated promptly; if the larvae are allowed to leave the wound, they can introduce these parasites into the area.

Haiti is one of the countries where screwworms have not been eradicated. There is some concern that refugees coming to the U.S. from Haiti might bring pets infested with screwworms. The state of WA addressed this concern (veterinary inspections required for dogs coming from Haiti) but I could not find anything for South Carolina. I did come across a mention of the subject regarding FL but no specific policies or protocols are provided.

Bonus: Humans can host the larvae too! The pdf linked above has lots more gory details, if you are so inclined.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Clarksdale, MS: We have space at our shelter for 60 pets but do you think we could make room for just one more?

(Repeat times 400 or so):

The ASPCA removed more than 400 cats and dogs from the Clarksdale, Mississippi shelter on Sunday, January 24, 2010.

Tim Rickey, the ASPCA's Senior Director of Field Investigations and Response, says many of the animals appear to be healthy, but some have medical conditions, including mange, as well as injuries and bite wounds from living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions.

"What we've found," says Rickey, "are more than 400 animals living in a space designed for about 60. Our goal is to export as many of the animals as possible to other agencies where they can be placed up for adoption."

What's Stopping Us?

All aspects of the No Kill Equation are intertwined and it would be foolish to think we can single out one or two tenets and solve the problem of killing pets in shelters. Having said that, I sometimes think about doing something along those very lines. That is, I consider what single thing could happen today to bring us dramatically closer to being a no kill nation. The two most obvious to me are:

1. All those killing homeless pets in this country simply stop. They adopt the no kill philosophy and begin to implement the changes needed in their communities. And in the meantime, they stop killing pets.
2. We increase shelter adoptions a little bit. Nathan Winograd breaks down the math for us here.

Now of those two ideas, I think it's unrealistic to expect the first would happen today. Changing philosophies takes time. Especially when many shelters are still very far away from the no kill philosophy and consider killing to be a "kindness" they perform because they love pets or a "necessity" due to so-called pet overpopulation. As for the second, I think yes, that could happen today.

How?

The first and most important point to my mind is to stop blaming the public. We don't want potential adopters to feel guilty for buying a pet from a responsible breeder by perpetuating the myth that a shelter pet must be killed for every pet purchased from a responsible breeder. There is room in no kill, and in fact a need for, responsible breeders selling pets to people. In addition, we don't want the public to feel guilty that animal shelters exist. For example, when we wag our fingers at owners who do not neuter their pets and state that they are the reason we must have shelters and in turn "must" kill pets, we demonize both potential adopters and the shelters themselves. More education, assistance and understanding - less judgment.

Secondly, let's recognize that there is a group of people in society who would like to add a pet to the family but are not sure how best to obtain one. This is our target market. If we can influence some of the people in this group to adopt from a shelter, we can make that giant leap toward no kill I dream about. The good news is that the potential adopters are out there and the pets are out there. The bad news is that there is a gap between the two preventing them from connecting. It is this gap we must bridge and everyone must pitch in if we are to be successful.

Shelters must make themselves as inviting as possible to the public by keeping pets and facilities clean, keeping their doors open when people are most likely to visit, getting pets out to high traffic locations such as pet supply stores, and maintaining reasonable guidelines for approving adopters. To meet these goals, high quality, committed leadership is essential and more volunteers will be needed:

Some pets will need more than a bath in order to look presentable. If you have basic grooming skills, your help is needed.

Other pets will benefit from some time in foster care to learn basic manners. For example, a large dog who has been taught not to jump up on people and not to pull on the leash is going to be far more adoptable than one who hasn't. If you have basic obedience training skills, your help is needed.

Orphaned kittens who need to be bottle fed around the clock in order to survive their first weeks of life arrive at shelters every Spring. If you have the ability to offer a temporary home to a litter of kittens in need of care, your help is needed.

Shelter cats who have been handled lovingly by humans are going to be more adoptable than those who haven't. If you have cat petting skills, your help is needed.

Dogs who have been walked are going to have less anxiety when visitors stroll through the shelter than those who haven't and as such, will be more appealing to adopters. If you have dog walking skills, your help is needed.

Sick or injured pets will require more veterinary care than healthy pets to make them adoptable. If you have veterinary skills, your help is needed.

Caring for pets costs money and shelters want to keep adoption fees as low as possible in order to encourage adoptions. If you can donate money to your local shelter, your help is needed.

Educating the public about the availability of shelter pets and how to responsibly care for pets over their lifetimes is essential. If you have a digital camera and know how to create a website to advertise shelter pets, your help is needed. And if you have good written and/or verbal communication skills and know how to make people feel good about themselves while learning something, your help is needed. (Lecturing finger-waggers need not apply.)

You get the idea: Your help is needed. If we all pitch in and work to bridge the gap between adopters and shelter pets, we could bump up shelter adoptions enough to make enormous strides toward becoming a no kill nation. It could happen today.

Humanity Fail, Courtesy of SC Lt. Governor

In case you were wondering why SC Governor Mark Sanford wasn't tossed out on his Appalachian Trail hiking ass, it's because our Lt. Governor, who would have been his replacement, is a freak. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination and as such, spoke at a town hall meeting last night on the subject of providing government assistance to those in need:

"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that. And so what you've got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don't know any better," Bauer said.

Setting aside the equivalency Bauer draws between stray pets and poor people - yeah I know, that's a HUGE one to try and set aside - I can't help going back to the words "ample food supply". The idea that we would deny any living creature - mind you, Bauer was discussing kids who get free lunches at school - an "ample food supply" when it is within our power to give them access, well that's not the America I grew up in nor is it the South Carolina I have grown to love.

We feed stray pets for many of the same reasons we provide free school lunches to low income kids:

1. We are a humane society.
2. We have enough resources to share so that no living thing needs to go hungry in this country.
3. We feel a sense of responsibility to those in need because they are members of our communities.
4. We're not freaks.

Although there was no chance I would have worked to support Bauer's campaign before, I now have extra motivation to work for his defeat. Game on, dirtbag.



It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them. - Dalai Lama

Los Angeles Fire Department Heroes

The news hasn't been very good this week but it cheers me to know that there is still room in our hearts to make the saving of one dog national news. Thank you LAFD for rescuing this poor dog who had gotten himself trapped in the L.A. River. The heart stopping end of the rescue is on video here.

This is What Animal Shelters are for

I have no idea why Karen Erby of York Co, SC allowed her puppy to deteriorate to the point where she couldn't walk or even lift her head. Maybe she really was trying to nurse her back to health as she claimed when surrendering the dog to authorities and maybe somehow, despite the dog's deathly physical appearance, she actually believed she was making progress. Or maybe she just did not care very much about how long or how terribly the dog suffered. Or maybe it's some other reason.

Whatever the case, I can understand how someone - not necessarily Ms. Erby, but a dog owner in general - might find herself with a sick dog and no financial means to care for her. If this situation befell me, I would first take the dog to my regular Vet for an evaluation and ask if she'd would be willing to work with me on financial arrangements. Depending on circumstances, I might seek a loan from a family member to help pay for care. But failing all reasonable options, I would not leave a dog in the condition Ms. Erby's pup was in chained in my yard, pour motor oil on her and hope for the best. (Rubbing motor oil on mange does not cure the condition, despite whatever old wives' tales you may have heard.)

This is what animal shelters are for. They are a safety net for pets in the community who need help and have no one able to provide for them. It's tragic that so many people have come to regard shelters, rightly in some cases, as death houses. We need to change the public's perception of shelters but in order to do that, shelters must stop killing pets. Euthanasia is a kindness - a means to end the suffering of a medically hopeless pet. Animal shelters do offer this service but the overwhelming majority of shelter pets who die in this country are not euthanized - they are killed. Again, I have no way of knowing Ms. Erby's motivations but it strikes me as plausible that she, or others faced with a sick pet, might consider that a pet is better off in agony on a backyard chain than going to a shelter. This must change.

We are a no kill nation. Join us.

TN Dog Rescue Sticks to Dognapping Story

(See previous post for background.)

I have come across a couple postings from the owner of the facility the dogs were allegedly stolen from and they appear to be current. In short, the owner maintains the dogs were stolen but the stabbing did not take place and the robbery was not witnessed. If interested, read for yourself here and here. The first link also contains a slideshow of the dogs.

Added: A few more details on the case from a local TN paper.

NC Judge Rules Pitbulls Not Weapons

A NC Pitbull owner was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after his two dogs bit a 6 year old boy multiple times. The judge in the case ruled that Pitbulls do not fall under North Carolina's legal definition of "weapon" so the charges were dismissed. He also encouraged legislators to change that definition.

TN Dognapping Story

I held up on posting about the alleged theft of a dozen rescue dogs from a dog training facility in TN because I couldn't shake the nagging question: Who would want to steal a bunch of rescues?

[T]here were nine Doberman Pinschers taken, one hound mix, one Black Lab, and one Miniature Pinscher. One dog had three legs, and another was blind. The dogs were all rescued, waiting to be adopted.

Not exactly loot you can take to the local pawn shop and turn over for some quick cash. But Twitter has been abuzz with pleas for helping to find these dogs so I've been following the story. Today I read:

Police report that Ashli Thomas, 24, of Newbern Drive, Johnson City has been arrested for filing a false police report.
[...]

According to the Johnson City Police, Thomas admitted she “made the story up because she had left the dogs unattended and had not been caring for the dogs properly.“

The owners of the business, Brad and Tamara Josselyn, along with Thomas, have been charged with eight counts of animal cruelty.

Now understand that this woman fabricated a story which included one of the dognappers stabbing her with a knife. So I'm assuming she had some sort of knife wound to show investigators. After learning that the whole robbery story was false, I can't help but wonder:

1. What actually happened to the dogs and where are they?
2. What could be so bad that someone would stab herself in order to offer a convincing story to the police?

I'll be staying tuned for further developments.

Don't Try This at Home

This snippet, taken from an internet posting on the subject of people breaking up fighting dogs, caught my eye:

When my two dogs fight I can put my hands or face right between them without the slightest fear of being bitten.

Let's assume that we are all in agreement that freedom from fear does not equate with actual safety. That aside, I interpret the sentiment to be one of "I know and trust my own dogs so well that normal safety measures do not apply in my interactions with them". While I can understand the sentiment on a certain level - after all, many of us feel that the bond we have with our dogs is special - I would offer that the feeling is misguided. It is perhaps akin to "I'm such a safe driver, I don't need to wear a seat belt".

Reality is comprised of each of our interpretations of life colliding. We think we can predict events based on past experiences or even a sense of faith. To some extent, this is not only possible but in fact useful. But nature - which includes animal behavior - has a way of upsetting the apple cart on a regular basis by reminding us of a basic truth: Life is uncertain.

Putting one's hands/face between two fighting dogs - regardless of any bond one feels with those dogs - is just bad judgment in my opinion. Humans may be top of the food chain but we can not control everything in life and certainly not dog behavior. For myself, I don't want to take too many chances - I've only got one pair of hands, one face and one, you know - life.

Treats on the Internets

Interesting write-up on stray dogs in Moscow

IL shelter charged with cruelty forced to turn over pets to other shelters

Consumer Freedom asks if there are many animals for HSUS to "save" in Haiti

Cesar Millan announces a Shelter Animal Physical Enrichment program

Seattle Humane Society offering free neuter and vaccines to Pitbulls

HuffPo argues that schoolkids deserve better than pet food - to which I would respond that pets deserve better than pet food

Video of kid showing her pig in competition

A glimpse into the world of hunting cottontail with Beagles

This Seems Wrong

Regarding a MN puppy mill investigated by a Boston TV station and others:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its final decision and order, stated that [Kathy] Bauck is "unfit" to be licensed because she operated her kennel in a criminally improper manner.

And by "criminally improper" they mean:

[...] emaciated dogs, sick dogs and others being dunked in a tub of diluted but toxic insecticide that is only supposed to be used on swine.
[...]
The government is revoking Bauck's license to deal dogs based on her conviction of animal cruelty and torture in March 2009. The year before, she pleaded guilty to practicing veterinary medicine without a license. Both times Bauck spent time in jail.

OK so this all sounds pretty bad. And my first reaction was "Thank goodness the government finally did something to help these dogs!" But:

Bauck will still be allowed to keep her animals because they're considered her personal property.

And she can continue selling dogs online since the USDA doesn't regulate that. But she has to wait 2 years before re-applying for a USDA license so I guess that'll learn her. As for the dogs, well we can always hope the Boston TV station, the animal activists, the U.S. justice system and the USDA are all wrong and Ms. Bauck really takes great care of her pets.

Rescued Rescue Dog in Haiti

A Border Collie rescue, now trained for SAR, finds 3 girls in the rubble in Haiti.

Sidenote: I was watching a sad story from Anderson Cooper on CNN this weekend where a Mother was pleading for days for a team to look for her daughter in a toppled daycare center. The Mother had heard the girl apparently but by the time a SAR team arrived on site, there was only light tapping. Cooper reported that despite the high tech equipment and listening devices, SAR dogs were "the gold standard" when it came to looking for definite signs of life. Apparently ambient noise can cause false positives on surveillance equipment so the dogs' noses are the definitive determining factor in whether to continue rescue efforts at a site. In this case, multiple SAR dogs failed to alert so the team left in order to head to a site where dogs had alerted. Cooper reported the Mother stayed behind, hoping for a miracle.

Where Do You Stand?

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

Body Language: It's Important

I'm unable to hear the accompanying audio on this clip right now (I will later) but from the video, it's apparent that no one was heeding the dog's or the reporter's body language prior to the bite. Thankfully the handler took immediate control of the situation afterward so no further damage was done. But it would have been nice to see that kind of quick thinking as the situation escalated and before the bite occurred.

Before You Donate

HSUS has already begun rattling the disaster relief donation pan. Now HSUS can spend their money any way they like - although I take issue with their tax-exempt status - and that's their right. But in the interest of full disclosure, which HSUS seems to have a hard time with in general, anyone considering donating to HSUS to help animals in Haiti (or to help pets here at home even) should research exactly how the organization spends its cash. For example, direct mail services and lobbying. And it's a good time to review how HSUS performed with the last boatload of cash it received from donors during a natural disaster - Hurricane Katrina. Add to these their more recent deceptive fundraising ploys such as asking for money to care for Michael Vick's dogs when they didn't have the dogs and were actually lobbying for their deaths as well as the Fay debacle, then decide for yourself if you trust your donation will be used how you wish it to be used.

I always research before making a donation to any group - animal related or otherwise. There are unfortunately more than a few "charities" out there who exist to help only themselves.

Treats on the Internets

The pdf of the complete Petsmart survey results is available. I was particularly interested in the details provided on pages 10, 15, 18, 19, 30 and 42.

Smartdogs has an excellent, detailed review of the oft cited University of PA study regarding "confrontational training methods" and the negative responses evoked in dogs

KC Dog Blog looks at the kill numbers in Los Angeles after the city's second year of mandatory spay-neuter - not good, again

Neat vid of dog who heads for safety ahead of recent earthquake in CA

Alaskan wildlife photographer notes that lone wolf plays with dogs

PETA is reportedly yanking the ad featuring an image of FLOTUS used without permission

Veterinary drugs recall expanded

The AVMA has a summary of animal related legislation in the US for 2009

I always knew

Help for Haiti

I will be updating this post with new info as I come across it. I haven't yet found any search and rescue dog teams indicating they are heading to Haiti so if you hear something, please post in the comments.

How to donate:

Text message:

• Text "YELE" to 501501 - Charges $5 to your phone and sends that $5 to earthquake relief in Haiti via Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti org
  
• Text “HAITI” to 90999 - Charges $10 to your phone and sends that $10 to Red Cross for Haiti aid

Mail:

• American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013
  
• US Fund for UNICEF, 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
• Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030
• Partners In Health, P.O. Box 845578, Boston, MA 02284-5578
  

Phone:

• Donations to the International Response Fund - 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish)
• Unicef - 1.800.FOR.KIDS (1.800.367.5437)
• Doctors Without Borders - 1-888-392-0392
  

Web:

• Red Cross
• Red Cross donation form
• Yele Haiti
• Yele donation form
• Unicef
• Unicef donation form
• Doctors Without Borders
• Doctors Without Borders donation form
• Partners in Health
• Partners in Health donation form

You can evaluate a charity by using Charity Navigator. There is a list of highly rated groups involved with Haiti relief at Charity Watch.

The WSPA says it's heading to Haiti to treat injured animals.

USAID is responding to the disaster with personnel and 6 SAR dogs.

Discovery News has a piece on SAR dogs and handlers heading to Haiti from around the globe

Breaking Down the Petsmart Survey

USA Today has a piece on the survey commissioned by Petsmart which asked 3000 adults questions about spay-neuter and shelter kill numbers. The article dives in head first on "pet overpopulation" which is unfortunate since there is no such thing. The longer we perpetuate that myth, the further we are away from having a real societal discussion on the inherent value of pets' lives.

The piece also focuses on how the public grossly underestimates how many pets are killed in shelters every year. I don't see this as significant because even though the numbers guessed by many respondents were significantly lower than the commonly reported estimates, they were still huge numbers - one hundred thousand, one million, etc. The public knows that many shelters are needlessly killing pets in this country, they just don't know the estimated numbers.

The important takeaways from the survey results to my mind are:

• Roughly 7% of dog owners and 10% of cat owners reported unplanned litters: This is not a shocking response in my view. The survey did not delve into such things as whether the pups/kittens from these litters were placed responsibly with screened homes and lifetime return guarantees but then again, we know that not all planned breedings result in responsible placements so there ya go.
• 24% obtained their pet from a rescue group or shelter: This is good! Granted this is a small scale survey in comparison to the entire pet owning country but if we could see 24% adoption rate in every community, we'd be in like flynn.
• 31% didn't neuter their pet because of cost: The article mentions that there are many options for low cost neuter surgery. Apparently there aren't enough. Or if there are, why doesn't the general public know about them? The other important consideration which the piece doesn't mention is no cost neuter. There are some people who, out of the goodness of their hearts, will share what little food and warmth they have with a stray pet but can't afford to neuter that pet at any price. We need volunteers and subsidized programs in order to offer no cost neuter to that segment of the pet owning population. Now.

Recipe Requests?

I always enjoy attempting to come up with recipes for various types of dog treats (lots of attempting involved). And I take requests! Do you have a need for a recipe for a treat you haven't come across or maybe you have but it didn't turn out? Perhaps with certain ingredients included or excluded? Please let me know and I will do my best to produce something useful, or at the least edible.

WSB-TV Obtains More Vick Dogfighting Docs

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

”All of the pit bull dogs were destroyed after they lost a fight or refused to fight,” an unnamed confidential witness told investigators. “The dog that won the fight was the only dog that was allowed to live.”
[...]
In April 2007, Vick tested several dogs to determine if they had the predisposition to fight and if they were capable of winning. Vick ordered six or eight dogs destroyed because they did not meet his standards. The witness said Vick personally helped drown three or four dogs, a process that took two people to hold the animal’s legs while the dog’s head was held under water. Vick also hung dogs. The witness told investigators Vick, Peace and Phillips “seemed to get an ‘adrenaline high’ when killing the dogs.”

And although Vick reportedly invested huge sums of money in the dogfighting scheme, he apparently wasn't concerned about making any of it back:

“Vick never took portions of the winning wages,” according to a summary of an interview with one of the witnesses, whose identity was redacted from the records.

Witnesses said Vick, known as “Ookie” at the kennel, would bankroll bets for others but he didn’t claim any winnings. He also didn’t take the cash prize for the winning dogs.

Apparently Ookie didn't torture and kill dogs for the money, he did it for some nobler purpose.

It's Cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside, Part 2

Dogs in the southern US are freezing to death. From Texas:

Beaumont Police say a dog found dumped in a trash can died from the cold or starvation and animal control officers have seized three other dogs that appear to be malnourished and suffering from exposure to the freezing temperatures.

All four dogs are pit bulldogs.

[...]

"Three were chained to fixed objects in the yard. One had a wooden dog house and two others had plastic dog houses. They're alive but appear to be malnourished and suffering from exposure to the cold. One is in a dog house and won't come out. It's so cold it can hardly move."

There is a slideshow at the link of the dogs and their inadequate dog houses and poor conditions.

When Sadistic Freaks Get to be Their Own Boss

An Animal Control officer in Canton, Mississippi has been fired after authorities were led by a citizen tip to the remains of more than 100 dead pets in a creek. Alonzo Esco collected paychecks from the city for 3 years while he allegedly shot pets to death and dumped them:

Esco has not been charged with any crime as authorities consider their options for prosecution, Madison County District Attorney Michael Guest said Thursday.

The most Esco likely would face is multiple counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, which is punishable by up to six months in jail, Guest said.
[...]
[Canton Alderman Charles] Weems said Esco was the only person in animal control, a division within the Canton Police Department. As an animal control officer, Esco could kill animals, but only if they were maimed or a threat to the community, Weems said.

Let me guess what the defense will be. Or maybe, since it's just a misdemeanor, he won't bother. If the MS justice system doesn't take animal cruelty seriously, why should a murdering AC officer?

Esco also provided animal control duties for Madison County until the county's contract with the city expired at the end of 2008, Board of Supervisors President Tim Johnson said.

Attention Madison County: Check your creeks.

Canton police opened the investigation when a woman filed a complaint after a pet she wanted to adopt never turned up at the Mississippi Animal Rescue League.

Yeah, I bet.

It's Cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

It's cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

It's cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

It's cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

From Spartanburg:

Authorities accuse a South Carolina man of letting a pit bull and five puppies starve and freeze to death in his backyard.
[...]
Investigators said a combination of starvation and exposure to freezing temperatures killed the animals.

It's cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

It's cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

It's cold: Bring Your Dogs Inside

Oh yeah and feed them too. Nursing bitches living outdoors in Winter need much more food than normal. How much more depends upon litter size. But at the very least they need to be fed enough so they don't die.

CO Dog Stolen, Dragged to Death

In Colorado last month, 32 year old mom Melissa Lockhart allegedly stole 2 dogs from the bed of a pickup truck because she thought the dogs were "abandoned". A witness wrote down Lockhart's license plate number at the scene of the crime. One of the dogs ended up back home with the owners but the second dog, Buddy, was found dead at the CO National Monument.

Lockhart had reportedly taken Buddy to the home of her brother, 37 year old Steven Romero and told him to "get rid of the dog". Romero allegedly drove Buddy to the national park, tied him to the back of his truck and dragged him to death, dumping the remains at the side of a snowy road. Both Lockhart and Romero have been arrested. I'm guessing that because Romero tortured the dog to death in a national park, he may get sentenced to a term in federal prison. Lockhart will probably face a much lighter punishment for the theft of the dogs.

Treats on the Internets

This year's No Kill Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. on July 31 and August 1

Rescued Shar Pei gets an extreme makeover to prevent blindness

Ezra Klein on why dog owners make cities safer

PETA uses image of FLOTUS in an ad without permission

Carson Shelter in Gardena, CA temporarily short on space during remodel

Pet Connection has news of an online petition regarding Michael Vick's "courage" award

Bigfoot mystery finally solved?

Must see TV that never was: Poochinski

FL Kill Shelter Receives Needed Aid, Says Meh

Pasco Co Animal Services in FL kills approximately 60% of the dogs and 85% of the cats in their care. Now a group of area Veterinarians is trying to reduce the kill numbers by providing shelter management software, supplies and volunteering to perform surgeries and hold off-site adoption events. In addition, the group intends to apply for a $20,000 grant for TNR efforts. The county, instead of expressing gratitude, seems suspicious at best:

Assistant County Administrator Michele Baker said she needed more information about the tracking software to determine how it would benefit the department and to ensure there isn't a duplication of services.

"It's going to require close coordination to be effective," she said.

Baker expressed some reservations about the grant proposal, saying she wanted to make sure the department wouldn't be required to provide matching funds.

"We are open to any suggestion that could help us reduce the feral cat population," she said. "If there's no match required, then yay."

Read as: If they're really willing to do all the work for us and we don't have to lift a finger, then uh - yay, I guess.

The Vets are also encouraging the county to participate in the next Pet Adoption Expo at the FL State Fairgrounds where hundreds of homeless pets find new owners. The reason the shelter hasn't participated previously? "[T]hey can't send a staff member for the day." The Vet group will probably round up volunteers to work the booth, which the shelter could have and should have done on its own. But apparently they just keep their noses to the killing grindstone and can't really be bothered with much else.

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men

How an elaborate plan to prosecute animal cruelty in PA fell victim to politics:

On Oct. 7, a group of animal-welfare advocates and a veterinarian flew to the auction in southeast Ohio on a jet owned by a friend of a board member of Main Line Animal Rescue, based in Chester Springs. Their goal: Find sick animals among the nearly 400 purebred dogs from Pennsylvania that were to be sold by kennels downsizing or going out of business as a result of the state's more stringent kennel law.

After a veterinarian picked out 12 dogs she believed to be in the poorest health, the animals were purchased and brought back.

[...]

Cari Thomson, the vet who went to the auction, said that she had later examined eight dogs and that six had severe periodontal disease and several had serious skin and ear infections.

She said their conditions had constituted "gross neglect."

Main Line Animal Rescue racked up $30,000 in vet bills treating the 12 dogs, founder Bill Smith said.

The attorney for the dogs' breeders denies any allegations of cruelty and states the dogs were given a clean bill of health by a Veterinarian prior to auction.

Enter the political posturing:

The Pennsylvania SPCA charged six, all in Lancaster County, with animal cruelty.

Now those charges have been dropped, in a spat between the Lancaster County prosecutor and a PSPCA lawyer.

District Attorney Craig Stedman said the PSPCA had dropped the case after meeting Dec. 21 with one of his deputies.

Sue Cosby, executive director of the PSPCA, said Stedman had told her that, after a review, he decided he could not prosecute the cases and recommended that the PSPCA drop them.

Without his support, Cosby said, the organization had no choice, even though she believed the evidence supported the charges.

[...]

"They kept us out of the loop and surreptitiously filed charges," Stedman said in an interview Wednesday. "Bill Lamb is not a member of law enforcement and not a special prosecutor. The best way to handle cases is to work with our office. We're the legal experts."

And so, one jet plane, several animal advocates, and $30,000 later, we have a plan to prosecute cruelty and no results. I'm glad 12 dogs were saved from auction - which is a terrible way to sell a dog to my mind - but I can't help wondering if the extensive resources utilized in this failed scheme could have been used more wisely.

Hell, Alaska

Warning: If you click the below link to read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News, you will see a photo of a dead dog.

We need animal shelters to care for our communities' lost and homeless pets until they can be reunited with their owners or adopted to new ones. The city of Dillingham, Alaska runs an animal shelter and apparently employs an animal control officer to care for the dogs. In early December, a city employee noticed the snow surrounding the windowless warehouse which serves as the dog pound was pristine - seemingly no one had been to the pound in some time. The employee got the police chief and drove to the shelter to check on the dogs.

Inside, they found the heat had been turned off. There was a 50 pound bag of kibble but no water. Trash and feces covered the floor and every single dog in the city's care - six at the time - was dead:

"I've never seen animals desecrated quite to this extent," said Jim Hagee, a Chugiak veterinarian who frequently practices in Dillingham. "The cannibalism is really what got to me."
[...]

Decomposed dog carcasses were in cages or curled on the plywood floor.

A black husky found inside a plastic bag was likely one of the first to go, Hagee told police in his report. A 14-week-old Rottweiler puppy wearing a pink camouflage collar was one of the last.

Hagee estimates the dogs were left to fend for themselves for four to six weeks.

As for the AC officer who was paid to care for the dogs:

City officials say the dogs had been in the care of Community Service Officer Travis Barnett. He has been suspended without pay.
[...]

Police wrote that Barnett admitted to "abandoning his duty to care for or humanely euthanize two dogs in his care," according to a Dillingham police report provided to Hagee.

Barnett said a third dog was left dead at the shelter and he didn't know where the other three came from, according to the report.

He didn't know where three of the dogs came from. Well let's see, maybe they heard your hellhole of a shelter was such a happenin' joint, they flew in from Hawaii to check the place out. Maybe they were left by aliens. Jesus Tap Dancing Christ.

The city opened its shelter in 2005. Prior to that, strays were kept at a local pet boarding business owned by Deanna Hardin:

[S]ince word of the dead dogs surfaced in a radio report in December, some people are reluctant to report strays to the city, Hardin said.

Yeah, I'd guess so.

Ms. Hardin is seeking a contract with the city to resume caring for the community's strays since the current "shelter" has been closed.

Whatever the outcome of the city's investigation and future shelter arrangements, it's too late for a Rottweiler puppy wearing a pink camo collar and 5 other dogs.

Treats on the Internets

The ice... is gonna break!

Lawrence Humane Society workers in Kansas now carrying concealed weapons

South Carolina: Clemson University kills squirrels after birth control attempt fails

Lassie Get Help: "Living on nothing but food stamps" - with dogs [and Western values]

The Pitbull who injured a SC girl has been euthanized due to the severity of his injuries. The girl's Father, who apparently owned the dog and left the kids home alone while he went to the store, may be charged with "keeping a dangerous animal or having an animal creating a nuisance". No word on child neglect charges.

Via this post on the Poodle and Dog Blog, I came across this debunking of New Zealand reseachers' claim that owning a medium sized dog is worse for the environment than driving an SUV.

TX exotics dealer who had tens of thousands of animals seized by authorities accuses an employee of intentional animal neglect in order to further his cruelty claims made as an undercover PETA investigator.

Amidst tragedy, a humane society stands together

Dinner at Chez Dog

A warm meal for a cold night:

• Applesauce (pictured) - I often seem to have a bag of old apples. I don't know what else to do with them but make applesauce. I added cinnamon and some salt substitute while cooking.
• Oatmeal - In warmer weather I usually just soak oats overnight in liquid but it's nice in Winter to actually cook them plus it helps warm up the kitchen!
• Yogurt - I usually make this once a week, a gallon at a time and then use it by the quart for dinners. It helps to cool off the oatmeal which stays hot for a long time after cooking.

I added flaxseed meal and calcium before serving.

Dude - What?

The Danville Area Humane Society kills approximately 90% of the pets they get their murdering hands on and is under the direction of HSUS BFF Paulette Dean. Ms. Dean was recently named "Person of the Year" by the VA Voters for Animal Welfare. And if you're done swallowing that mouthful of irony, open wide:

The Danville Area Humane Society announced Monday that it plans to build a no-kill adoption center for Danville and Pittsylvania County next to the existing city animal shelter.

Executive Director Paulette Dean said she believes the new adoption center will help solve the overpopulation problem and decrease the need for euthanasia of animals.

*monocle pop* *spittake*

The slaughterhouse-shelter side by side design aspect is wonderfully convenient. So with one hand, Ms. Dean can fundraise for the no kill shelter while the other hand can reach across the way and keep killing pets by the thousands.

In most cases I would extend support to anyone claiming to adopt the no kill philosophy but in this case, there is obviously no one adopting even the most fundamental tenent of no kill - which is, actually to not kill pets. You can't run a pet slaughterhouse at 666 Main St. and open up a no kill shelter at 668 Main St. and expect no one to notice the hypocrisy. Instead of asking the public for 3/4 of a million bucks to build the new shelter, why not just stop killing pets at the existing place? Ask the public for help doing that, and then ask for more once you've proven you are committed to no kill. As things stand, sorry - no sale.

Memphis Animal Shelter Claims Another Victim

The lethal Memphis Animal Shelter added another sad story to its archives this week:

Rita Leone picked out a 10-month old Golden Retriever mix at the shelter December 26.

"He was very sweet, very friendly easy-going, calm dog," said Leone.

But when she showed up, cash in hand to take him home this morning, he was gone.

"I went to the cage," said Leone. "The door was open, no dog, the bed was flipped over, I said 'Oh my God!'"

Her dog had mistakenly been euthanized.

"I said what you did was wrong unacceptable, you have enough dogs in here that are homeless nobody wants. I'm willing to adopt this dog and you euthanize it?" said Leone.

Or, put another way, "You have enough unadopted dogs here to sate your thirst for killing and yet you gotta kill mine too?"

This poor dog who, for whatever reason, had an unlucky start in life, was fortunate enough to be adopted from a torture hole masquerading as a shelter. This should have been his best day ever. Instead, the shelter killed him.

I say again: This place needs to clean house and toss every employee who was not a whistleblower out on their asses. To quote Tiger: Huge.

Paws Up for Gwinnett Co Jail in GA

This is exactly the kind of program we need in the South:

With a sharp decline in inmate population over the past month, Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway plans to devote a portion of the county jail to save dogs' lives.

The jail will serve as a foster home for the Society of Humane Friends, a licensed pet rescue agency.

With six open housing units that can accommodate up to 72 inmates, the sheriff is devoting one ground unit to the program. He will assign a dog to each of the 10 inmates in the unit.

The dogs will have access to a fenced grassy area for exercise, Conway said, and trainers will come in to work with the inmates on grooming and training the animals. The program will begin as soon as he puts up the fence.

Yes, yes, yes! More proof that each of us can do a little something. And when we do, it adds up to a big something.

Ten dogs is not that big of a deal in terms of jail space, Conway said, adding that he is keeping 20 rescued dogs at his home.

No county money will be spent, and the Society of Humane Friends has already agreed to donate food and veterinary care, he said.

"I'm committed to either paying for it out of my pocket or through donations," Conway said. "This is great for the inmates. It will socialize the inmates as well as the dogs."

Dennis Kronenfeld, president of the local chapter of the Society of Humane Friends, said the program is already in correctional facilities in 17 states.

Everybody wins.

Thanks to reader Valerie for mentioning this story to me.

Kitteh Vids

I'm not a huge consumer of videos so I miss a lot but wanted to share these two:

Cat bowl
and
Tickle Me Kitten

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

I know it's customary to review the year, or in this case the decade, at the end but I'm not really a look-backer. Suffice to say that I hope every year is better than the last and ultimately I guess I see them as being that way either on their own merits or out of an abundance of optimism.

I hope we can save more pets in need in 2010 and I hope that fewer pets need saving. I hope more shelter workers embrace the idea of sheltering and trample the idea of killing underfoot. I hope owners who keep their dogs chained 24/7 make a space in the laundry room with a cozy old blanket for their dogs to come in at night and during bad weather. I hope every dog gets more walks and every cat gets more lap time. I hope more people get to experience the special bond between humans and pets. I hope we all have enough to eat and that we share our healthy table scraps with our pets. I hope the sick can be well again or at least have their spirits lifted by a shaggy head resting on the side of the bed. I hope we can love unconditionally, judge less and understand more.

I think 2010 is going to be the best year ever.


*Title quote attributed to Oscar Wilde.

Dinner at Chez Dog

OK I made this awhile back and never dl'd the photo off the camera so here's what I think I put in this dish:

• Manicotti stuffed with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese and carrots that had been put through the food processor, topped with shredded fresh mozzarella
• Roma tomatoes, olive oil, and italian seasoning

It was my usual use-all-leftover-bits type meal and I remember I needed to use the manicotti because I was emptying the weevil cupboard.

Survivor: N. Augusta

I've got an idea for a reality TV show: Let's leave kids home alone with a dog and see what happens. It's already going on, so why not film the fun?

A pit bull attacked a 5-year old girl in the backyard of a North Augusta [South Carolina] home Monday, sending her to a local hospital.

It happened on the 200 block of Ashley Circle in North Augusta while the girl was playing in the backyard with the pit bull dog, when things turned violent.

The girl's 10-year-old step brother went outside and hit the dog multiple times trying to get the dog off the girl, but it didn't work.

When it didn't work, he went inside and grabbed a knife before coming outside and stabbing the dog multiple times in the back, according to Sgt. Dave Myers from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

The dog didn't come off the girl, so the boy went next door to Ricardo Hill's home to get help.

"The boy next door told me the kid was attacking his sister," Hill said. "So when I got over there the pit bull was on top of the baby. So my first instinct was to get him off so I got a folding chair and hit him."

The dog then let go of the young girl's neck and ran out into the street bleeding, Hill said.

From another story on the incident:

The two were at the home on Ashley Circle and briefly without adult supervision when the attack occurred, deputies said. The adult at the residence had gone to the store, [Sgt. Dave] Myers said.

[...]

Officials said the girl is recovering and doing well.

The dog was picked up by Aiken County Animal Control.

At this time, the animal has not been put down, according to officials.

I can't wait to see what happens in next week's episode!


Worth repeating: Unsupervised kids=bad. Unsupervised kids + dog=also bad.

Garland Animal Shelter Gives Up Gas Chamber

Garland, Texas has an animal "shelter" that kills a lot of pets. Sometimes they admit pets directly into the gas chamber which is the killing method they prefer, since it saves 4 pennies per dead pet. There has been a struggle between the shelter and community to get rid of the gas chamber. The community has now gotten its wish and a local newspaper columnist is less than enthused:

Starting Friday, lethal injection will replace carbon-monoxide gas as the city's primary method of euthanasia.
But what a lousy victory. Because either way, almost 6,000 dogs and cats, puppies and kittens will still end up dead and in the city's garbage dump this year.

Right. That sucks. And while we can be happy that the gas chamber will no longer be used as the primary killing method, what we need to focus on now is how to decrease the killing. At least with the gas chamber issue resolved, we don't have to be continually sidetracked with the tired old arguments about how the AVMA hearts gas chambers.

Contrary to misimpressions you may have gotten, Garland has always been using a euthanasia method fully endorsed and approved as humane by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Oh geez.

In fact, as I talked to Garland city officials about this situation, they seemed eager for me to actually witness the gas-euthanasia process. And so I did.

Mention of carbon-monoxide euthanasia creates images of a crude hose-and-tailpipe contraption. In fact, the city uses a commercially built system – a stainless-steel box about five feet on each side, attached to industrial-type bottles of CO.

Oh well I didn't realize it was a commercially made gas chamber. That sounds lovely. Does it sparkle?

Animals are placed in separate cages (up to four at a time) and rolled into the box. I watched as a single animal – a 55-pound pit bull – was rolled in.

A glass door makes the whole process highly visible. And it doesn't take long.

The dog sat docilely, looking back at me looking at him. The gas quietly hissed. And in about a minute, the dog suddenly wobbled, his eyes lost focus and he toppled over.

It was sad, quick work. And I wished that this dog's lousy owner could have been forced to watch.

Since the column notes that the dog was picked up for roaming and was well fed and wearing a harness, how can you be so sure the owner is "lousy"? True, the owner did not reclaim the dog but then, this shelter does have a history of gassing pets within minutes of admission. I don't know how long this dog was held but in the absence of sufficient evidence to the contrary, I'm not ready to label anybody "lousy". Maybe the owner is in the hospital or maybe he doesn't know where to look for his dog. Maybe he is avoiding looking at the shelter because he knows it only as a place that kills 6000 pets a year.

The column's author watched this dog die and wished that the owner could have seen it. You know what I wish? I wish the dog could have been adopted out by the shelter, relocated to a shelter in another area where he could have been adopted or released to a rescue group. I wish he could have been lovingly cared for by those charged with sheltering the community's lost and homeless pets until a permanent situation could be found for him. I wish that he was, you know, not dead.

We've got to find a way to wake up irresponsible pet owners. Sentencing them to a day of death-chamber duty might be a start.

Blaming the public for the killing that goes on at the local shelter has never helped anyone. Yes there are irresponsible pet owners just as there are irresponsible Mothers, drivers and gun owners. They are part of our society but the ones who are willfully irresponsible are, I believe, a small minority. With education, public outreach and access to community services, many "irresponsible owners" will do the right thing by their pets. They just need a hand up. Less judgment, more understanding.

We are a humane society of people who care about pets. Join us.

When Will We Achieve No Kill?

I received as a Christmas gift the book Disposable Animals - Ending the Tragedy of Throwaway Pets by Craig Brestrup. I've only just started it but already I've come across a concept I wanted to discuss regarding who is to blame for the killing of shelter pets. So pull your chairs in a circle book club members, turn to page 17 and read along with me:

"The truly guilty, being the source of the problem, are those who choose to have animals without choosing to do so in a morally responsible way. That way would be to recognize the value inherent in the life of an animal and to actively respect it, to take charge of its reproduction, to recognize that to take in an animal is to take on a relationship of commitment for his or her lifetime. When we achieve that vision, the killing simply stops."

I try very hard to keep my mind open when I come up against ideas my brain hates. On the one hand, I can hardly disagree with the idea of people owning pets "in a morally responsible way". (While we're at it, how about everyone consuming the Earth's natural resources in a morally responsible way. And raising children in a morally responsible way. Etc.) But on the other hand, I have to ask if there is one widely agreed upon morally responsible way to own pets. I don't think there is. In fact, one of the tragedies of life is that every one of us believes he is a pretty good fellow all around. (I could say almost everyone if you want to include the rare few who know their actions are evil but choose to be that way.)

If we look at the specifics of the morally responsible way to own pets offered by the author, we are faced with many questions.

• "Recognize the value inherent in the life of an animal" - This will clearly mean different things to different people. A farmer raising a pig for food will regard that animal as having value, as will a dog fighter regard his dog, and an apartment dweller regard his cat.
• "Take charge of its reproduction" - In the case of someone who breeds his dogs as often as physically possible for the purpose of selling the puppies - he has taken charge of the reproductive aspects of the animals. Likewise with the owner who neuters his dog before the animal ever reproduces. Perhaps the intended meaning will become clearer later in the book, I don't know.
• "Take on a relationship of commitment for his or her lifetime" - Does this mean every owner must keep every pet he takes on, even if his life circumstances change so significantly as to make keeping the pet impossible? If the owner screens prospective buyers and rehomes his pets when necessary, has he failed to meet his moral obligations?

Finally, the conclusion reached by the author "When we achieve that vision, the killing simply stops" seems, at best, unlikely to me. The idea that if we had a utopian society, everything would be swell sounds fine, but how is that applicable to reality? In real life, we will always have a need for shelters. Even if we sprinkle magic moral responsibility dust over all of humanity, we will still need shelters. People move/lose jobs/die unexpectedly. Pets slip out doors and dig under fences. Some pets end up living as ferals while others are born into it. Life is untidy. Just as there will always be a need in society to look after homeless/orphaned/lost children, the elderly and the handicapped, so will we need to look after pets.

And someone will work at one of those shelters and believe it is a "kindness" or a "necessity" to kill a healthy/treatable pet. When we have replaced all of those shelter workers with compassionate people who embrace the idea of no kill, when every community has implemented the No Kill Equation, when we stop blaming the public for the atrocity of killing shelter pets, when we learn to judge less and understand more - then the killing will stop. Not in a fantasy world but in real life. Not in some distant future but in our lifetime. It could happen today. We are a humane society and a no kill nation of pet lovers. Join us.

Lying about No Kill on the Web: A Tutorial

How to spread myths about no kill shelters on the internet:

1. Compile a list of the most common lies spread by those opposed to the no kill movement
2. Turn around and list them as facts
3. Frame your article as if you are "dispelling some myths" when you are actually perpetuating them.
4. Voila - Mission Accomplished!

Truth.

One of My Fave Xmas Songs

Wiki entry

Hector Rules

Hector, a rescued Pitbull formerly owned by that courageous hero Michael Vick, visited school kids in MN this week to help educate them about the breed. The article doesn't tell a whole lot but the accompanying photo is worth a thousand words. Maybe next week, Hector can teach the Eagles about real courage.

If Only in My Dreams

I hope one Christmas to be thinking about all the shelter pets in this country who are waiting for their future families to find them because we don't kill homeless pets anymore, we adopt them out. But that won't be this year.

From North Carolina:

When Brunswick County Health Department officials began considering whether to buy a new gas chamber to euthanize animals the county couldn't adopt, they knew they wanted one large enough for the shelter's largest animal cages.

A small chamber, Health Director Don Yousey said, would mean that at least some of the animals would have to be forced into the enclosure with a choke stick, a situation that would have been unnecessarily traumatic for both the condemned animal and the person charged with ending its life.

[...]

The need to euthanize animals because there are no homes for them is an unpleasant reality, but a reality nevertheless.

The "unpleasant reality" is that shelter pets are needlessly killed due to a widespread myth of pet overpopulation.

The Brunswick County animal shelter, for instance, takes in about 6,000 dogs and cats a year, Yousey said. Of those, about 5,000 must be euthanized because they are sick, injured, vicious, feral or just can't find humans to adopt them before their waiting time runs out.

That's an 83% kill rate. I believe Brunswick Co has forfeited its right to call its pet killing facility a "shelter".

The shelter uses both lethal injection and carbon monoxide poisoning, depending on the age of the animal and its physical condition as well as the potential safety risks to shelter workers. Puppies and kittens don't die well in gas chambers, and animals with respiratory problems might suffer needlessly there, so they get lethal injections, Yousey said.

Puppies and kittens don't die well in gas chambers. How annoying of them.

"A lot of animals we get down there, they are terrified with you being around, just because you're human," said David Stanley, the health department's director of environmental services[...]

Maybe they're terrified of you because you're not human. Maybe they are frightened by the stench of death in your slaughterhouse "shelter". Maybe they have seen their neighbors get dragged by "choke sticks" into the gas chamber and heard them scream as they struggle against the carbon monoxide.

"It's a horrible job," he said. "It's a thankless job. [Shelter workers] hate it."

You want to be thanked? Try directing your resources toward saving the pets you are supposed to be sheltering and not toward buying a super sized gas chamber.

We are a humane society of pet lovers. Join us.

First Lady, Kids & Bo Visit Children's Hospital

Article on the visit here