I took the title of this post from the reader who sent in these screengrabs from MAS last night. The first two shots are 15 seconds apart and appear to show an ACO trying to get a dog on a chokepole into a bottom kennel. The third shot is 30 seconds after the second one. The webcams usually refresh after 15 seconds, but not always. The ACOs typically bring an impounded dog off the truck and place the dog in a kennel. This is visible on the webcams daily.
As we are continually reminded, we don’t know what happened in the second before or after each shot was taken. What does it look like to you?
Update: The same reader just sent me these two photos from this afternoon. It looks as if the black dog was in that upper cage, a chokepole was used to remove him from it and he was taken to a kennel more fitting to his size. At least, that’s my interpretation.
Looks to me as if yet another idiot is poking something in the above cage with his pole…
Please tell me he didn’t end up picking up that dog by the neck. In other words, I hope Donna’s right.
Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking- that he picked the dog up by the pole rather than lifting him up. If they are that afraid of dogs they should NOT be working there!!
I’m thinking that a dog that looks like he weighs around 40 lbs got hoisted by the neck with a chokepole and shoved in an upper kennel.
Me too….!
me three
Me four.
me 100.
The amount of time lapse does not allow for the dog to be placed in a lower cage (oh and those are puppy cages, they are quite small)have the choke pole removed and latching of the door , then moving the pole to “poke” at something in an upper cage. Also the officer is clearly hoisting the pole upwards having to support it with both hands.
30 seconds allows you enough time to hoist the dog and put it in the cage.
Who is this guy?
I know from reading Facebook, a whole bunch of dogs will be killed tonight because of showing signs of illness( coughing) They only have until seven. It is awful and remnicient of the disaster a few months ago. The information was found at the Friends of MAS facebook site.
I am so upset by this – those two cockers and that poor 4 month old shepherd pup are breaking my heart. :(
Does anyone know if they are spaying/neutering dogs and then putting them back in the ward rather than trying to send them out almost immediately to a home to recuperate? I thought I read that some of the dogs about to be killed tonight had just been spayed and then showed signs of URIs but I could be wrong.
Seems that he took the poled dog in that upper kennel..!:o(
CRY FOUL!
It sounds like so far, our best case scenario is that between photos 2 and 3, he managed the black dog into the lower kennel, got the noose off, closed the cage door, suddenly noticed a dog in an upper kennel who looked like he needed a good poking, opened that door up and shoved the chokepole inside to harass that dog.
And the worst case scenario is that he hoisted that black dog up by the neck and shoved him in an upper kennel.
To be honest, I can’t think of anything else besides those two but maybe someone else can.
I am thinking that this is actually your worse case scenario…unfortunately.
I thin it’s safe to say that there are a bunch of bubble heads working at MAS…people that should NEVER be allowed to work with animals EVER again.
I’d like to put the ACO in a kennel with the chokepole!
I don’t even like the word, “chokepole!” What a bunch of sadistic, low life creeps over there who are paid with our tax dollars! IS ANYONE LISTENING??
I’ve always heard it called “catchpole” until this blog. I think that is a better word.
Funny you should mention that–up here we call it a “rabies pole” (also a stupid name but at least it helps suggest that it should only be used on dogs you don’t know rather than for routine handling.) Although women are perfectly capable of as much cruelty as men–witness Ms. “Kill the Kitty”–sometimes I wonder if the catch/choke/rabies pole isn’t also an attempt to feel superior when one is, um, inadequate…
We don’t need people like that working in shelters
Don’t forget, not enough S/N and iresponsible pet owners is all that’s wrong with this animal shelter!
The new building will instill morals into people who think hoisting a dog to an upper cage by a noose is A-OK.
Architecture is a powerful thing…
lools like to me he picked the dog up by the neck with that stick and put him “upstairs”…… would like to do the same to HIM !!!
looks like he picked the poor dog up by the neck with that stick and put him “upstairs” Somebody should do that to HIM !!!
Wharton must have taken this man behind his house and said this is how ya put a choke pole on a dog and said this is how you drag one down and totally manhandle one and of course Pepper said, well we don’t know what happened before or after or in between….this idiot does not know how to use a choke pole other than to manhandle a dog he doesn’t want contact with..PERIOD, I could teach a kid how to manipulate the pole and pick up the dog at the same time in 5 minutes…the damage and pain this person could cause is just beyond his senses much less compassion, oh thats right, there just dogs, who cares…Pepper, these idiots you have working for you are just that, idiots, idiots that you claim can do no wrong that you stand behind…ever herd of “riding a dead horse to the ground”, well Pepper, the horse is dead and your riding it to the ground, you have no control over your staff, they do what they want to do because they know you can’t do diddly. You can blame the public on not having control or fixing there animals, that can be fixed, YOU can’t fixed stupid.
Stupid starts at the very top in this facility! Can you just imagine that poor dog in a cage that small, being put in there the 27th at 23:55 and taken out today, the 28th at 13:02 for a larger kennel? Imagine that pole hauling you into the air by your neck? Can you just imagine that poor dog laying in his own body fluids, most likely not even room in that cage for a water bowl nor food?
This place needs to be closed down. ASAP
I know this dog is in the stray area so he won’t be listed online or be seen by the public unless he gets selected as one of the lucky few “adoptables” but I think I’ve got a clever marketing idea for him:
“The strongest neck in the South!”
Lemons———->Lemonade?
Oh, lordy, does that mean Pepper will now be dancing around dressed as a lemon?
Please don’t give Pepper any more ideas…unless it’s to quit his job!
Maybe he is being sweet and scratching the back of a dog in the top kennel with the chokepole? Didn’t a volunteer tell us how much the shelter workers like the animals and are nice to them? And that Mr. Pepper is always working to make things better for the animals. So all must be just peachy keen there and we don’t have any call at all to worry. — NOT
HELP WANTED: Sick sadistic drones all may apply at your local shelter. No brains or heart required. Applicants may apply to my cat Biscuit she is the one with a human sized chokepole. How do these people sleep at night? Do they tell their kids what they do at work? What would happen on a bring your kid to work day? Pay attention son daddy is going to show you how to kill a puppy. Just sickening
All of the sick dogs were adopted today. It was honestly a miracle.
Seriously? Maybe St. Francis of Assisi decided to take a walk over from the foundation grounds and check out what was happening at MAS and finally saw that he needed to work some magic for these animals. Whatever the reason, nice to hear happy news from there.
ALL of thm??? Truly a miracle! Do we know if they were posted as urgents or if the shelter reached out to rescue groups or was it the other way around? Just trying to guage how “involved” the shelter was in seeing this happen….
Do these ASSHOLES even know how to handle an animal? For crying out loud, they don’t have cooties and they don’t ALL bite! SHEESH!!!
I think the high rate of injury for staff shows that they definitely *don’t* know how to handle an animal. And since training this year has been cut to 8 hours rather than 24 (per Mr. Pepper’s performance goals) I guess we shouldn’t expect any improvement in skills any time soon.
WTF? I put on my reading glasses to try to get a closer look at the third photo and I *still* can’t think of any plausible explanation for the worker’s posture. Regardless of whether we are looking at two different dogs or the same dog, whatever he is doing is just plain wrong. What (I guess I mean who?) triggered the raid the first time? The camera may have captured a criminal act and Mr. Pepper needs to explain this one away pronto or I think it is time for another raid. (Don’t know how it works in TN but maybe one of the calls should be to the State Police.) The number of dogs who have died *in their cages* seems suspiciously high to me and the images above cause me to wonder if we are witnessing one of the causes…
doesn’t this make us all proud? We are the taxpayers, we are paying for this from these “civil servants” who are anything but civil! I am outraged and ready for a total reorganization of not only our MAS but our city government from the top down!
What do i think ? I think they ought to fire the bastard !! And then hire people who have been thoroughly screened, and trained to treat animals like they would children, with dignity and care and respect ! I can not believe the people that the state and county hires to do this job. They treat animals like garbage ! Like they hate animals and hate their job !! Anyone who loves animals would love a job like this ! And do you think this kind of stuff would happen if the one’s working there loved their job ? Not hardly !!! Hire animal lovers, not animal haters !!!!
I can’t help noticing the empty whelping boxes leaning up against the kennel. I offered MAS to help get the word out about any mama dogs with litters (or pregnant dogs). Now I’m hearing rumors of nursing bitches being left outside in these severe storms with their broods (along with all the sick dogs) and at least 2 mamas and litters killed in the last 24 hours. I don’t understand this. Why not at least let the public know these dogs are in need? How can anyone help if the shelter doesn’t make it public that dogs are in need?
This is the newly hired animal control officer.
He is still on probation and can easily be terminated for this action.
The union does not represent workers until they have been there six months.
There is no excuse for Pepper not to fire this one.
Let’s get the letters to the Mayor, Pepper and Hooks going with copies of the photos attached.
And yes, the dog was placed in the top of three cages.
I have just written Ethel and I also reminded them about poor Charlotte – the kitty in labor who was tormented with the kitty tongs in her cage. I hope we’ll hear that these matters are being investigated and that shelter policy does not allow for this kind of mistreatment.
What about getting this to the state’s Attorney General to investigate or maybe Animal Legal Defense?
My thoughts exactly! It’s criminal, some of the things going on here at MAS. Health Department too should get involved. The procedures at this facility leave a lot to be desired.
Why wont the media pick up this? Can someone start posting these photos on craigslist ad asking for people to demand change?