From the HSUS statement on the Alabama 44 posted on their website:
It has come to our attention that four of the dogs sent to the Lincoln County shelter were deemed unadoptable and may have been euthanized via the gas chamber method of euthanasia. […] It is deeply disturbing to us that these dogs may have been euthanized by this method, and we are disappointed and saddened that we were not notified in advance so that we could look for other options for the dogs. [emphasis mine]
Per the Lincoln Co Animal Shelter records on those 4 dogs, they were gassed to death. In reviewing the records below, note that in the state of North Carolina’s report, it was indicated “for any shelter information sheets (disposition records) that did not state that the method of euthanasia was by injection, it meant that the animal had been euthanized by using the CO chamber or, where indicated, had been adopted”. Further, there is no indication on the records that HSUS wanted to be contacted in the event LCAS decided to kill the dogs.
(To view the shelter records for the 4 gassed dogs in Google Docs, click here.)
It is also worth noting that the dogs were kept alive only 10 days at the shelter. This is in no way a reasonable amount of time for any scared, unsocialized dog to learn to trust. Therefore, I don’t consider these dogs to have been hopeless cases where all good faith attempts to help the dogs adjust had been exhausted and they were still deemed a threat to humans. Furthermore, the odds that all 4 of the dogs would have reached the end of their rehabilitation efforts and been deemed hopeless on the same day are ridiculous. Ten days in a kill shelter to a group of adult dogs who have never known life beyond their backyard pack is nothing. Which is apparently the value HSUS and LCAS had assigned them.
But that’s not the value of these dogs to a true humane society – small h, small s. And as such, I’d like to post the photos of the dogs to honor their memory.
Thank you for memorializing these dogs. We at Welcome Home Sanctuary devote our work to such dogs that fall through the cracks of human society, and I can vouch for your educated opinion that 10 days in a chaotic KILL shelter is no way long enough (no amount of time is long enough) for these dogs to be socialized. What the Alabama 44 really needed was to be parced out to rescues who deal with difficult/feral dogs and their rehabilitation, and given the chance to be turned around. I have done it time over again, and it TAKES time – lots of it. Now, alot of people like HSUS would likely say “why spend the time on THESE dogs, when there are so many who have no issues who can easily be adopted out”? Well, in that case, my response is “Why then, don’t we kill every criminal, every juvenile delinquent, and every person with even a hint of antisocial tendencies? No, becuase they are HUMAN, we work to rehabilitate them and give them a second chance. Humans, however, to the better degree, have a choice about their behaviour, but animals at our hands aren’t always given that choice. The Alabama 44 were never given that choice, not out of malice, but out of ignorance, and if a human being deserves a second chance, then certainly dogs like these deserve the same.” This is so outrageous it gags me.
It sad enough having to deal with death in shelters…but to take dogs from what was supposed to be a bad situation, give them 10 DAYS to do a complete turn-around, deicde they aren’t doing a quick enough turn around and KILL them – is TERRIBLE! Then for it to take HSUS a MONTH+ to ADMIT this to everyone is another unspeakable act!!!
What did HSUS think we’d all forget about the dogs and we’d just go away with no answers?!?!? All 4 of those dogs who are gone – are gone BECAUSE of HSUS! HSUS dumped them at a high kill gas shelter – insisted they had to use whomever offered to help – but NEVER bothered to involve the local ACO – who may have had different options…but we wouldn’t know that because HSUS decided to keep the local ACO out of the loop, as well.
THIS MAKES ME VERY, VERY ANGRY!!! I mean, hell, I knew this was HSUS…and THIS is what they do – in fact I’m wondering if they think their hands are cleaned since they dumped them at a shelter and the shelter did the killing not them? Does Pacelle honestly believe for one friggin minute that he actually washed his hands on the situation and his hands are blood free in these deaths? I think it’s time for Pacelle to come out of his clean well-kept office and spend some time in the trenches now….I think maybe good ole Wayne should be volunteering at a shelter – preferrably a high kill shelter – he can clean crap & pull the animals for euthansia for the shelter!
Thank you, YB for sticking to this story until we had confirmed information on the whereabouts fo those dogs. Sadly, this is the outcome we expected and now it’s just been confirmed. I apologize for getting so upset – but for HSUS to have all their millions and just keep pumping money into making more laws instead of helping enforce the laws we already have aqnd using their money to actually HELP these animals at these shelters, from these raids, etc. HSUS sucks~!~!~!
Who in this world can you trust?
NOT the HSUS that is for sure.. These dogs would have been MUCH better off left in their home.. and not “rescued”. They were not HW + had food and water….. perhaps taking a few a at a time .. or having potential new owners come to the property to pick them up .. and a volunteer be there to help give shots etc.. perhaps just a little in home help not a “clean sweep”.. we see what happened.. a sad ending with dear dogs.. and HSUS is off to do another “factory fundraisnig ” scheme.. Dead dogs.. who?? what?? where??
The sad fate of these 4 dogs makes me cry.
However, I love what Erica said “Does Pacelle honestly believe for one friggin minute that he actually washed his hands on the situation and his hands are blood free in these deaths? I think it’s time for Pacelle to come out of his clean well-kept office and spend some time in the trenches now….I think maybe good ole Wayne should be volunteering at a shelter – preferrably a high kill shelter – he can clean crap & pull the animals for euthansia for the shelter!”
I think that H$U$ does think that and that Wayne SHOULD be getting his own hands dirty.
Evelyn, Wayne (AND Ed Sayres, CEO of ASPCA)are reportedly said to be paid a half million a year (mind you, these are both NON PROFIT organizations!)and neither of them are in the trenches – Sayres called for his limo driver last year at 9:30AM to head home after sending word to put down OREO, the dog that was beaten and then thrown off a 6 story building in NY, and several rescues and sanctuaries were offering to take her and do more work on rehabilitation (tho the kennel people posted pics of playing and loving with her that were quickly taken down!), and Wayne showed up at the town meeting to celebrate Michael Vick’s return from prison rehabilitation with two bodyguards waiting when he stepped out of HIS limo! That’s where the millions of dollars donated to both these behemoths go – NOT to help the animals! It’s an abomination.
Mourning these victims, and the horrendous method by which they were killed as if trash.! May they be somewhere…please, far from this cruel earth, surrounded by the love they deseve.
Thank you so much for following through on this story. It has to be very emotionally draining for you to do so.
Fire the CEO of HSUS. Make HSUS commit to not killing rescues they retrieve from hoarders and other bad situations
This leaves me with such a helpless feeling inside. When all is said and done and we now know the full story, what are we left with?
The indifference to animals is pervasive and doesn’t change because community officials still see cats and dogs as just pieces of personal property. Why should they care? The only ones complaining about this stuff are “crazy cat ladies” (they call us “activists”) so they just keep nodding like bobblehead dolls in the hopes we’ll just get tired and go away.
So then what? Do we turn our anger and concern toward shelter managers? We tell them to “think outside the box” but the box is all they know. So the killing continues. And shelters still show “no vacancy” signs out front because their tiny cages are full.
Out of frustration we turn to the “experts” who have a formula for success. They say “do these steps” and you’ll be golden. Your problems will be solved overnight. These little armies of The Formula invade a community and piss off all those in power. Now all that’s left is screaming and door slamming.
We need a better way. We need our self-proclaimed leaders like Wayne Pacelle, Ed Sayres, Nathan Winograd, Greg Castle and Ingrid Newkirk to stop passing the offering plate and get involved WITH US. That is leadership. What we have from them now is fancy panhandling without involvement. But not just panhandling – every one of them wants us to buy their goodies for sale in the lobby after the show.
Why do we keep trying to follow them? They’re corporate suits and know nothing about dogs and cats. Not one of them is an experienced animal handler. Why do we think they know what they’re talking about?
Dogs and cats are social beings. They do not belong in cages – ever. So why do we support their use?
And why do we allow shelters (caged prisons) to just kill their prisoners who are less than perfect? Not one of those experts above knows the solution. But the first commenter, Morgana, does. And I do. And so do thousands of rescuers across the country. We who are experienced in rescue know, in varying degrees, how to rehabilitate these challenges.
In her comment, Morgana offered the real solution. She wrote, “I have done it time over again, and it TAKES time – lots of it.” So which of our leaders is going to finally wake up and learn from us that shelters suck – we don’t need cages and those animals that can’t live nicely with others must be given to all the Morganas to be redeemed.
That’s the solution. Shelters and shelter leaders must go the way of dinosaurs. Their time is at an end. This “Alabama 44” crap cannot be allowed to continue like this. It happens every single day across this country. This is not a remote case.
There is a place to read about this SOLUTION. It’s not in a book you have to buy. There is no national conference you have to reserve a seat at. No fancy speakers in suits who don’t have hands-on experience, and the info is offered for free. You just have to read it and believe.
This is what Wayne, Ed, Nathan, Gregory and Ingrid (and all shelter directors) don’t know, but should = http://tinyurl.com/36mnkfw
@drd: THAT is exactly what I envisioned for our Sanctuary, only with us as live-in help. The economy nixed that. But that is one way to go, along with broad anti-breeding-for-profit laws. If we don’t fix the problem at the root, this will never, ever end.
When Nathan first started out, and sent out his little NL through snailmail, I signed on, eager to join the “next wave” in helping companion animals. The public and private shelters caught on soon after, and well enough with the “no ADOPTABLE animal will ever be euthanized by our ‘no kill’ facility”. Nice bit of BS semantics there. Soemone still plays god and determines who is and who is not adoptable and in fact, what constitutes “adoptable”. Then they call themselves ‘no kill’ and voila! NKN. Horsehit. Nobody wants to take on the issue at the root – backyard breeders, so-called AKC breeders (glorified backyard breeders) and of course, puppy mills (but thank goodness that is being acted upon), because of the AkC’s lobbying power.
I suggest that we take one day’s load of dead animals from just one state, and dump them in front of Sasha and Malia’s bedroom windows. That might fire up a little storm.
For all other parts of this whole thread- i totally agree- then I see your idea of the solution- alter ALL dogs! OK- if that really happened- then what? There would be no more pet dogs in a short time! That IS NOT the solution!
Of coarse- getting rid of the back yard breeders and puppy mills is the answer. Also, education- the people BUYING puppies need much better educated! They should be demanding better breeders! Proper health testing of all parents- etc. Breeders who are committed to their breed- and the dogs they breed – for life! Thats the answer- not eliminating pet dogs- thats insane!
i agree with Laura
Not all ‘so-called AKC breeders’ are backyard breeders as you claim
My dog is from an AKC breeder- that’s because she’s from hunting lines (and if they want to compete outside of NAVHDA, well they need to be AKC registered). But that doesn’t mean i didn’t have to wait 2 years to get this puppy
Dr D & Morgana,
So I guess I’m not the only one who is disappointed in the lack of support and sell out from the NKN movement.
Since most of us have thus far been blocked or criticized for daring to comment it is an area to explore on our own blogs.
That’s the beauty of cyberworld – it doesn’t have to be for sale.
Another request to everyone – Please stay on topic and do not use this space for criticizing others who have blocked you elsewhere online. Thank you.
Folks, please refrain from attempts to smear Nathan Winograd and the No Kill movement, whether such attempts be rooted in deliberateness or sloppy thinking. He is not “corporate” by any stretch of the imagination and he certainly does not deserve to be lumped together with Sayres, Pacelle, Newkirk, et al. The abuse of language in animal welfare, specifically the term “adoptable” predates Winograd by quite a while. Such abuse of language is endemic to the killing paradigm, and something he has worked to counter. Just look at the glossary in ‘Redemption’:
“Adoptable: see ‘Unadoptable….Unadoptable: The term ‘unadoptable’ is supposed to mean an animal whose prognosis for rehabilitation is poor to grave, or in the case of dogs, vicious with a poor prognosis for rehabilitation. In reality, the term is misused to provide political cover for population control killing. As a result, the term has become virtually meaningless.”
The No Kill Advocacy Center has clearly spelled out criteria for determining if animals are healthy or treatable:
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/documents/Matrix.pdf
Real No Kill shelters save all that are healthy or treatable. It is actually pretty clear. Efforts to muddy these waters both tedious and irritating.
@Valerie:
The problem with the MAtrix of NKN, and your definitions of adoptable/unadoptable come down to one thing: the people who are making these determinations. What training do they have? How are they to know that a feral dog is redeemable? Will they all require degrees as ethologists? Who determines that for instance, Jane doe won’t walk into the shelter, see the dog suffering from some kind of cancer, and want from the bottom of her heart to give that dog the best s/he can have for the remaining time, and even (MERCY!)take the dog to a doggie oncologist to see what options there are? Why must an animal like that die in under cold uncaring hands, or at the best, hands that are so used to killing that it’s “just another unadoptable”? Its very nice to delude ourselves that making the NKN Matrix the new law of the land will work, but communities and municipalities are still going to be hiring the same old same old, and they are, for the most part, hardly entitled to make these determinations based on sound science and medical opinions.
No insult to Nathan intended…I know he is doing the good work, and I also know the adoptable thing predates him, but once he came out with NKN, the killers really co-opted it even more. I appreciate your concern. But can someone tell me: why is nobody addressing breeding in this discussion, or is it too OT?
Less than two years ago, HSUS arranged for more than 140 dogs and puppies “rescued” from pit bull breeder Ed Faron to be killed rather than saved by rival animal organizations. The Wilkes County dogs were also gassed to death.
Thanks for a brilliant job investigating the fates of the Alabama 44 and for shedding light on how little has changed at the deplorable HSUS.
@Sara: Less than one year ago, the HSUS arranged to help rescue and evaluate 200 hundred dogs from a fighting operation in Ohio. Many of these dogs are available for adoption today. Less than two years ago, the HSUS organized to help with 500 fighting dogs in Missouri. Some of those dogs are still available for adoption as well. They have OBVIOUSLY changed their policy vis a vis dogs from potential fighting busts (and YES, there is plenty of evidence that the NC bust was a bust not dogs wrongly seized from a hapless breeder), but you’ve conveniently kept that out of what you just said, I notice.
Do you (YesBiscuit) happen to know when those Google docs were made available on the internet and have you tried to tell HSUS about their existence? It’d be interesting to see what they have to say.
Jennie, LCAS records are available to the public as they are a taxpayer funded shelter. I put these on Google Docs last night. I have no idea when HSUS may or may not have seen them. No one at HSUS will speak to me but several of their staff are subscribed to this blog so perhaps if they hadn’t asked to look at the LCAS records before, they have seen them now, I don’t know.
First of all the dogs recued in OH are from a SUSPECTED dog fighting operation…they have yet to prove that this was the case. Maybe he did breed the dogs to be sold to fighters, but there is no evidence that he fought said dogs.
While HSUS has cahnged their policy on pit bulls this is what it now says –
” 1) The HSUS has a new policy of recommending that all dogs seized from fighting operations be professionally evaluated, according to agreed upon standards, to determine whether they are suitable candidates for adoption. Dogs deemed suitable for placement should be offered as appropriate to adopters or to approved rescue organizations. The HSUS will update its law enforcement training manual and other materials to reflect this change in policy.
2) The groups agree that all dogs should be treated as individuals, and they are the true victims of this organized crime. They also agree to support law enforcement and animal control agencies when decisions must be made regarding the dogs deemed unsuitable for adoption and in cases when rescue organizations and adopters are unable, within a reasonable timeframe, to accept dogs from such raids that have been offered for adoption.
3) The organizations will form a working group to develop future protocols for cooperation in addressing the needs of dogs seized in raids, such as how to assist with the housing of fighting dogs, how to conduct professional evaluations, and how to screen potential adopters.”
And, in regards to BSL this is what they have to say – “Opposing Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), a shortsighted and ineffective response to dog bites in a community, is another priority for The HSUS. By placing bans on specific dog breeds (most often pit bulls) BSL unfairly targets dogs who are most often not problematic, because irresponsible owners are not likely to abide by laws in the first place”
This took place well over a YEAR ago…they still have yet to show us ANYTHING from this “group” that was supposed to be formed to discuss what happens in the future with pit bulls. Not a word since this was first published on HSUS’ website.
From my experience with HSUS – if you don’t ban with them then they consider you against them. If you dont’ agree with their ideas and how they go about doing things they block you and cut off further contact. Recently Wayne was quoted in a Nebraska paper as talking about how ANY group needs to be open to dialogue and receptive to accepting change…yet the HSUS is one of the groups that refuses to listen to ANYONE who opposes them and instead refers to them as animal abusers. So how in the world can we EVER expect to see change within a group that denies they need it and consistently acts as if they are above the law, and in some cases like they ARE the law?
@Jennie: As far as the minor role HSUS played in the professional law enforcement/Humane Society of Missouri-facilitated dogfighting bust, I have two words for you: Faye and Fay.
Re the Ohio case, I’m pretty sure that it is a hoarder/breeder/druggie situation and not a dogfighting operation. Reports on HSUS’s actions there are mixed, which, for HSUS, is a tiny step forward. Neither of these cases, however, has anything to do with the HSUS-facilitated, needless and cruel deaths of these four adorable dogs.
dogs.
The Ohio case – Actually it began as a drug bust type situation and they discovered the numerous amount of animals – 200 dogs and 300 other animals – and the HSUS was then called in for their removal as the majority of dogs were pit bull – type dogs that were being bred. They labeled it as a fighting operation but are unable to substantiate it as they found nothing to indicate there were fights going on – they made the assumption that due to the large amount of pits that it was a fighting operation and tooted their horn as such. This has led to so many people thinking this was a major dog fighting bust – which, of course, is going to have people opening up their pockets because, of course, we don’t want to see dogs fought and feel horrible when we hear of it. It was primarily an issue of money, yet again, for HSUS. Unfortunately they are still insisting it was a fighting bust – even though court records, and even media in Ohio have/and continue to use the words “suspected” due to the lack of evidence.
Obviously, with 500 animals I am sure that this person probably wasn’t able to provide the best of care for all the animals, but this is just my opinion – he may have had family & friends helping care for them…not 100% sure at all.
And you are right – it doesn’t relate to the AL 44 posting…EXCEPT that is shows that HSUS is capable of lying to get around any perceived roadblocks they may encounter…and when they ad these labels to their “rescue” efforts they actually get more people to financially support them “for the good deeds they do”.
It’s striking and sad how beautiful the coats of these dogs are in the photographs. They look so healthy. It’s hard to believe that they are dead.
Thank you for staying on this. I hope the fate of the disappeared (the three still unaccounted for) emerges. Clearly, that information will not come from HSUS. As they write in their December 29th statement, they have “moved on.”
I have to step in here with a reality check from experience.
Heavily-coated dogs — and chows, chow mixes are the type-specimen for this phenomenon — can be in VERY poor condition, can be SKELETAL under their coats, and it’s not possible to tell without putting hands on.
By the time the neighbors know that the chained-out Chow is in trouble, he’s dead.
That said, I can see Murray’s hipbones in his photo. Not a good sign.
I speak up on this issue when I see people claiming this because I was involved in a very large rescue of beautiful heavily-coated dogs, and many members of the public, as well as the black-helicopter folk who were claiming that the puppymiller was just a little old lady who loved her dogs, and the dogs were obviously JUST FINE based on the photos.
I put hands on them. They were not just fine. Not at all.
Admitting that these dogs were in a bad situation in no way excuses HSUS for failing to help them.
Understood and thanks for the correction.
To clarify, there was never any direct allegation of these dogs being emaciated or starved. Per HSUS:
“We were horrified to find dogs who had not been provided socialization or veterinary care, and who had not been spayed or neutered. The dogs, who appeared to be inbred, were being kept alive with a minimum of food and water, but were turning on each other.”
While none of us commenting here put our hands on these dogs, I did speak with one person who did. Of the 44 dogs taken from the owner, 42 were characterized as healthy and given health certificates from a vet. 2 pups appeared to be sick.
None of the other people I’ve spoken to who have had direct contact with SOME of the dogs said they were emaciated or anything close.
I just wanted to clarify that as being a non-issue for this case. It was apparently the lack of socialization and lack of neutering that were the main issues.
“By the time the neighbors know that the chained-out Chow is in trouble, he’s dead.”
Slightly off-topic but this put me in mind of something similar I heard about horses. Now I don’t know horses at all so can’t say if that’s accurate but it always stuck with me because horses have very short coats and I would *think* you could see starvation pretty readily.
Shirley, I think the issue with horses is more what I think of as “bonsai syndrome.”
By the time the little bonsai tree shows that it is in trouble with the slightest symptom, it is already in a downward slide that can’t be turned or braked. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)
Horses have super-finicky innards. They are less tolerant of short-term total starvation than are carnivores. Same is true of rabbits and ruminants. They can get to total organ failure without visible emaciation if they have no food at all.
However, horses that are chronically starved / malnourished can look like walking skeletons and still come back with expert rehab. Emphasis on the “expert.” Overfeeding will kill them where they stand.
Being in rescue in southern al. , i admire and thank you for keeping us informed on the al. 44. this info will be posted on facebook, and 1000’s of people will cont/ to read about the hsus dirty little secrets. thanks again
Thank you for being so diligent with tracking down these dogs. And thank you for showing them as individuals who matter. I think this kind of reporting can go a long way toward making the big animal welfare agencies accountable and that is a big part of the problem imho.
So thanks, it’s important work and must be horribly emotionally hard. You are part of the solution.
That is why I hate the world yeah i have issues and the world has caused it the sooner i’m out of here the better im tired of the stupid ppl
im not saying all ppl are stupid but why are we harboring fugitives and giving them three meals a day letting them sleep comfortably in hopes they will change while we are killing animals after we give up on them in 10 days we def have to get our priorities straight and doing something nothing makes me madder than hearing about a dog being euthanized especially heart stick and gassing than anything else for no reason
Anyone that thinks prison for people are intended to bring about rehabilitation probably subscribes to the notion that HSUS and other organizations like them have animals best interests in mind.
@Lezlie: Don’t be too quick to check out – yea, stupid ppl are a pita, but the IGNORANT are redeemable….haha, some irony.
I was involved in a discussion on the differences of stupid and ignorance just the other day. The person who began the discussion put it quite clearly – stupid is something that you can not recover from…ignorance is a lack of knowledge and THAT is something that we can change.
Sorry – I know this is OT, but thought it interesting as I had never thought of it that way.
Good Night Sweet Princes<3
please stop if you cannot keep them lower the fee so that people can get them .i would love to have one more baby but 100-250 $ is so much.
@YesBiscuit: Do we know for sure what happened to the others? The ones that are still up for adoption and so forth? AND, have they found the pup that got away?
If you want to see the most current list, I’ve got it here: http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/update-on-the-alabama-44/
There are 16 dogs under the “unknown” status. The pup that escaped has not been found to my knowledge and she is included in the 16 unknowns. 10 of the 16 are (or were?) at Nashville humane Association. They are not giving out any info on the status of the dogs but did say they’d be put on their website when available. None listed as of yet.
Thanks, I have been following your updates religiously. So they won’t say anything about those dogs, eh? Has anyone called them for follow-ups or just by email? I guess the HSUS slapped the rules down on that one!
Please feel welcome (anyone) to call Nashville Humane Association if you’d like to try. The person I spoke to on the phone was not forthcoming. Of course some people just don’t like me (which is totally weird).
I was just on their website, and they have several animals without pictures…how would we know from the description if they were one of the 44?
You’d need to get someone on the phone there who was willing to try and get dogs adopted by providing info.
I’m not a dog expert but as a longtime dog owner and dog lover! to me in these photos of the dogs, they look in good condition, bright eyes,good coats, and they are alert and not cowering or being aggressive. Maybe the situation could have been remedied by assisting the owner! how about using all that money to help feed and alter the dogs until they could be adopted? maybe rushing in to “rescue” is not the answer if the dogs are in decent health which seemed to be generally the case. I have 6 cats(3 are my son’s he cannot keep right now) and 1 dog and the vet bills can be daunting if someone gets ill. Vet care has become very expensive and I could see someone getting in over their heads easily.
Very wise observation, Deb. The problem with realistic and helpful assistance to overwhelmed owners is that there is no publicity for HSUS – the generally good condition of these dogs would not make for appalling video. And, they don’t do that anyway. Doublespeak is their primary language. HSUS patronizes animal lovers, including real experts. Thank you to Shirley for repeatedly calling them out on their deplorable behavior – ‘deplorable’ is one of those words that HSUS uses to justify what amounts to theft of animals. What is ‘deplorable’? In this case, they used another one of their favorite buzz words, “hoarding”. This case doesn’t seem to meet the criteria for that word, either. Since the conditions of these dogs and their surroundings apparently wasn’t shocking enough for the media, HSUS slapped that label “hoarder” onto these overwhelmed owners to justify the seizure. HSUS gives it’s own meaning to the word “deplorable” throughout this sad case. Maybe they are aiming for better ratings for their train wreck of an Animal Planet show.
In the category of following up, I did send an email to the state’s HSUS rep more than three weeks ago as a resident of Alabama. I kept it diplomatic. I asked for an explanation of why HSUS was called, who they notified of their presence, why the dogs were taken and the status of all of the dogs. Although I have since been forwarded other email messages from the rep (indicating she is wired for sound and not off on vacation somewhere), I have received no reply and now consider my email message as having been ignored. I did not receive even a short reply directing me to the statement which appears on the HSUS web site.
I expected no less.
I have also encoutnered the same problem when dealing with HSUS on ANY issue. They send out this “statement” that never really touches on any questions you have asked and IF you dare to send a follow-up pointing this out – you never hear back from them. Then if you dare to e-mail them again on ANY subject they will send out the same PR crap they always spew forth and again will nto respond in any REAL way.
Way to be accountable to people who may or may not be your donor, huh?
This breaks my heart. Gassing is proven INHUMANE! ;(
Murderers in prision are no longer put in the gas chamber, so why is it ok for innocent animals. they did nothing wrong. The owners should be punished not the animals its not their fault.
This sickens me.
This organization is the worse. Please tell people not to send money to them. They wasted thousands of dollars helping a back street breeder regain her breeding dogs from a rescue whom saved them during the Katrina disaster. They paid for air fair and hotels for these 2 breeders. That is what they did with money donated to help animals!!!
every “Dog” has its day…their’s is coming and they damn well know it.
Too true…
Here is some interesting news: I checked out the microchip numbers on the records for the dogs listed as killed by Lincoln County AC. The first one “Buddy” has the same number as the dog “Chester” at The Humane Society of Charlotte, and the third dog “Murray” has the same number as “Chow Phat” at the same shelter.
Oh geez. Another mystery? Hopefully just some paperwork screw-ups. Let’s hold our breath until HSUS clarifies.
WHO actually microchipped these dogs? HSUS?
Yes, that’s my understanding. Chipped by HSUS at staging area in AL before leaving for dispersal.
Then this should be VERRRRY interesting…can’t wait till their “response” comes back.