Fox 5 in San Diego reports that a shelter in Hinckley, Utah holds pets for 72 hours then shoots them (or runs over the pets with trucks) and dumps the bodies in a sewage pit. A UT animal advocacy website adds:
Mayor Donald Brown says the city’s policy is efficient and cost-effective. It is legal to shoot dogs and cats in Utah if done humanely with one bullet to the head. City maintenance supervisor Stephen Beagley said, “I have never a time when it took more than one bullet.” The city denied any allegations that the animals suffered from their policy.
The owner of property adjacent to the sewage pond differs:
Tamra Hanks says her property touches the site, and that cats wounded from bullets have crossed through her property, only to die a slow and painful death. Hanks said, “It’s probably one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.” As to the dogs in the massive grave, “They had collars on them. They were people’s pets.”
Long shot: Any readers from Hinckley, UT who can add anything to this story?
This is one of the most upsetting stories I have ever read. Why hasn’t Best Friends Animal Society publicized this and used their influence to stop this? There is a petition against this on the Care2 petition site, but I don’t know if you allow links to be published here.
Links ok.
There are two petitions against this:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-hinckley-ut-animal-brutality
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/we-shoot-the-pets-that-donrsquot-get-adopted-and-when-we-run-out-of-bullets-we-run-over-the-rest
I don’t have as much a problem with the shooting (if done properly, it can be a quicker death than barbiturates). Running animals over with trucks is inhumane, and I’m surprised it’s legal.
My problem is that a) they kill adoptable animals and b) that they might kill them using vehicles.
I would add to that:
Are they trying to locate owners of pets they pick up?
Are they offering pets to the public for adoption?
If the neighbor’s claim is accurate, apparently they aren’t doing the shooting in a way that consistently causes instantaneous death, nor are they verifying death prior to disposal.
Doesn’t Utah have some sort of animal cruelty laws that address this? Shooting might get by, but I can’t imagine that purposely running animals over can be legal.
That Fox affiliate is the only source I’ve found saying they run over pets. I’d be surprised if it was legal.
Would these lost souls consider it ‘humane’ if someone shot THEM in the head? After all…one shot and it would be over, so they wouldnt suffer, thereby making it ok to kill them……
(Sarcasm)
P.S. When dealing with a healthy living soul, there is no such thing as “humane” murder. Murder is cruel.
If Jack The Ripper had rendered his victims unconscious before cutting them into unrecognizable pieces, would it make him a “humane” murderer?
The murderers hide behind the “humane” myth, but it is transparent, and they are murderers, regardless of their excuses.