This dog was apparently killed before the shelter opened on Thursday.The shelter needs someone trained in proper use of the control pole so that situations like this don't happen.Incoming dog tries to resist being pulled into kennel.This dog does not want to go in either so lies down as his leash is being pulled.After being forced into the run, the dog tries to squeeze out through the food bowl opening.Not coming back.MAS kills 77% of the pets at the shelter. Many of them are never offered for adoption or rescue.This beautiful dog appears curious as he comes into the shelter.A few minutes later, it's not hard to tell from the body language how this dog is feeling.Trapped cat brought into the shelter. MAS has no TNR program so feral cats are killed.Another trapped cat - this one didn't want to move into the shelter's feral cat box so out came the pole.Cat yanked out of his cage during cleaning.Cat being handled like he's vermin.An ACO walks a large dog on a choke pole past three dogs tied to cages.Someone put bandannas on 2 of these dogs.Anyone minding the store? When someone came to retrieve these 3, it appeared as if 2 were placed in kennels with stop signs saying not to put dogs here and the black dog was taken to the kill room.
No matter where you live, you can make your concerns about the shelter known to the following individuals:
Keep your letters succinct and respectful. Let the city leaders know that people from all over are condemning what is going on at MAS. Remind them there is a viable alternative: make Memphis a no kill community. Include a link to this primer on no kill.
Please use your voice to speak for all the pets in the MAS incinerator today and those still hanging on at the shelter, behind closed doors, never to be seen by the public. Share this info with the many caring pet owners you know so that they can write letters too.
How you manage to report this every day and not murder someone is beyond me. I usually have to wait a few days in between visiting this blog, because I tend to turn into a crazy person afterwards.
Seriously, though. Good work. I wish I lived closer to the MAS. Actually, no I don’t. I’d probably be one of those extreme animal activists and do something bad to these people.
If anyone has experience with making videos for YouTube, could you possibly assemble a video from some of the photos along with captions explaining what the viewer is seeing? And then let it go viral. I can’t even look at these photos all the way through without taking a break–they are so sad and disturbing. Maybe it’s just the effect of seeing relentless evil going on day after day in such a routine, ho-hum way. I believe a video would have tremendous impact.
Jeanne- THAT is a brilliant idea! I have no idea how to do that but if someone else does, please let us know when it’s done and we will spread the word- and it will spread like wildfire. I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!
Sent letters to all…but let’s keep them coming folks. I send a new round each week…at some point that have to acknowledge me! :) This place is AWFUL…pushing for change when they are shutting out the community is really hard. Pepper is constantly changing what he is saying based on WHO he is talking to. Bouncing from shelter to shelter and his kill rate remains the same no matter where he’s placed. I think it’s beyond time to remove Pepper – if he desires a public job so much let him be a trash collector…at least then the animals might have a chance – as long as he’s not running them over with his truck that is.
“Mayor Wharton” ; “Janet Hooks, Director, Public Services and Neighborhoods” ; “Matthew Pepper, Director, Memphis Animal Services” ; “Cindy Sanders, MAS Advisory Board” ; “Jackie Johns, MAS Advisory Board” ; “Allen Iskiwitz, MAS Advisory Board”
Memphis – STOP the shelter killing!
I will never visit Memphis TN again as long as they have a shelter that treats homeless animals in such horrid ways and kills such a high percentage of them. So much is wrong that could be made right with the right caring shelter director that did what was the best for all of the animals there – working to get as many as possible to leave the place ALIVE!
The high kill rate can be lowered with the RIGHT people, programs, handling, and cleaning practices. So why are your citizen paying the shelter director a huge salary when he is not performing at his job in a way that benefits both the animals and the people of Memphis?
Running a shelter right can actually save the city and tax payers money so there is no excuse about a tight budget.
Thank you for writing and for sharing your letter here. I know sometimes people are looking for ideas on what to say in a letter so by sharing yours here, you are helping to give others some ideas on what they can write.
This type of letter will probably do the most good. The Mayor does not give one flit about animals.
But he does care if his tourist dollars drop and he just hates to make one more negative list.
Memphis is already in the top ten of worst cities based on infant mortality, crime, sports, etc.
Comments about Nazis (though I think we can all agree it fits), etc. will be the ones he will let the press see, labeling animal people as pure crazy emotion. He does this every time an animal issue is at stake.
How dare you assholes treat these animals this way. I wish I could be there to give you the same treatment. You do not need to kill them either, they are loving caring animals that deserve to live. I cannot stand you son of a bitches.
I have always been an animal-lover but recently I jumped on the bandwagon with all the coverage of Patrick the Pitbull and I am now one of the Directors for the Paws For Patrick Project here in Washington State. I will be writing my own letters to cover this outrageous handling of these precious animals but most of all I am going to sharing this with all of the others in our network and believe me, there are literally hundreds of thousands of them out there and we will give this Mayor some “visibility” he won’t soon explain away.
Keep posting and sharing this everywhere – social media is an awesome tool when you want big exposure and thats what MAS is about to get. They won’t able to hide anything after we are done with them.
As soon as I am done writing a few letters to those local contacts I am then going to contact some news station in the area and direct them to these photos and see what happens then.
This is absolutely not going to get swept under the rug.
Ok, well I have lots of work to do tonight – be all well and lets get this out there.
Hello, Can people still send in letters to get this situation at this “shelter” changed? If so, I will post this link on my facebook page and on No Kill pages on facebook too. Thank You.
I tweeted and facebooked (do same): Call for action to stop the mass killing of #pets in the Memphis TN #aimalshelter http://ow.ly/4wF9C Please SHARE!
Also email letters to all of the people in the article above!
How you manage to report this every day and not murder someone is beyond me. I usually have to wait a few days in between visiting this blog, because I tend to turn into a crazy person afterwards.
Seriously, though. Good work. I wish I lived closer to the MAS. Actually, no I don’t. I’d probably be one of those extreme animal activists and do something bad to these people.
If anyone has experience with making videos for YouTube, could you possibly assemble a video from some of the photos along with captions explaining what the viewer is seeing? And then let it go viral. I can’t even look at these photos all the way through without taking a break–they are so sad and disturbing. Maybe it’s just the effect of seeing relentless evil going on day after day in such a routine, ho-hum way. I believe a video would have tremendous impact.
Jeanne- THAT is a brilliant idea! I have no idea how to do that but if someone else does, please let us know when it’s done and we will spread the word- and it will spread like wildfire. I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!
Sent letters to all…but let’s keep them coming folks. I send a new round each week…at some point that have to acknowledge me! :) This place is AWFUL…pushing for change when they are shutting out the community is really hard. Pepper is constantly changing what he is saying based on WHO he is talking to. Bouncing from shelter to shelter and his kill rate remains the same no matter where he’s placed. I think it’s beyond time to remove Pepper – if he desires a public job so much let him be a trash collector…at least then the animals might have a chance – as long as he’s not running them over with his truck that is.
Here is what I sent:
“Mayor Wharton” ; “Janet Hooks, Director, Public Services and Neighborhoods” ; “Matthew Pepper, Director, Memphis Animal Services” ; “Cindy Sanders, MAS Advisory Board” ; “Jackie Johns, MAS Advisory Board” ; “Allen Iskiwitz, MAS Advisory Board”
Memphis – STOP the shelter killing!
I will never visit Memphis TN again as long as they have a shelter that treats homeless animals in such horrid ways and kills such a high percentage of them. So much is wrong that could be made right with the right caring shelter director that did what was the best for all of the animals there – working to get as many as possible to leave the place ALIVE!
The high kill rate can be lowered with the RIGHT people, programs, handling, and cleaning practices. So why are your citizen paying the shelter director a huge salary when he is not performing at his job in a way that benefits both the animals and the people of Memphis?
Running a shelter right can actually save the city and tax payers money so there is no excuse about a tight budget.
All the city leaders need to read the primer on no kill – http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/pdf/nokillprimer.pdf
Your city’s shelter horrid show is on the Internet where many people are reading/watching and they do NOT like what they are seeing.
Please read all the questions people have for Matthew Pepper here: Questions for Matthew Pepper – http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/questions-for-matthew-pepper/
Thank you for writing and for sharing your letter here. I know sometimes people are looking for ideas on what to say in a letter so by sharing yours here, you are helping to give others some ideas on what they can write.
This type of letter will probably do the most good. The Mayor does not give one flit about animals.
But he does care if his tourist dollars drop and he just hates to make one more negative list.
Memphis is already in the top ten of worst cities based on infant mortality, crime, sports, etc.
Comments about Nazis (though I think we can all agree it fits), etc. will be the ones he will let the press see, labeling animal people as pure crazy emotion. He does this every time an animal issue is at stake.
What a hell hole!
How dare you assholes treat these animals this way. I wish I could be there to give you the same treatment. You do not need to kill them either, they are loving caring animals that deserve to live. I cannot stand you son of a bitches.
Letter sent to the mayor – working on the others!
Thank you db. Every letter helps.
I have always been an animal-lover but recently I jumped on the bandwagon with all the coverage of Patrick the Pitbull and I am now one of the Directors for the Paws For Patrick Project here in Washington State. I will be writing my own letters to cover this outrageous handling of these precious animals but most of all I am going to sharing this with all of the others in our network and believe me, there are literally hundreds of thousands of them out there and we will give this Mayor some “visibility” he won’t soon explain away.
Keep posting and sharing this everywhere – social media is an awesome tool when you want big exposure and thats what MAS is about to get. They won’t able to hide anything after we are done with them.
As soon as I am done writing a few letters to those local contacts I am then going to contact some news station in the area and direct them to these photos and see what happens then.
This is absolutely not going to get swept under the rug.
Ok, well I have lots of work to do tonight – be all well and lets get this out there.
Hello, Can people still send in letters to get this situation at this “shelter” changed? If so, I will post this link on my facebook page and on No Kill pages on facebook too. Thank You.