Absolutely tragic. The question is…was that woman told would they likely be killed if she surrendered them Was she counselled on any alternatives if she needed any sort of help to be able to keep them. These are soulless, gutless SOBs that work there and don’t revolt against taking these beautiful dogs to be killed without even a chance at a new home. Every employee in that place is complicit is this mass murdering if they do not take action to stop it.
MAS SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. I agree with Scarlett, gutless SOBs!! Apart from a handful of employees the majority are cold and seem to enjoy the killing!!!
How close to the shelter door are people allowed to stand so that they might tell those bringing animals in that their dogs are going to be killed without an iota’s chance of finding another home? If people could let the ‘irresponsible public’ know exactly how things go at this slaughterhouse, maybe a lot more people would join in protesting the system. There’s nothing like giving owners the info on how to watch the webcams to see what happens to their pets.
I understand the idea behind wanting to inform owners. But the counseling needs to be more expansive than simply telling them the dogs will likely not be given any chance of adoption and will be killed. People need to be provided with solutions. Whether the pet is being surrendered due to barking, scratching the kids, eating the furniture, the owner’s inability to pay for food – whatever – they need solutions. By the time they get to the shelter, we have to assume they believe they are out of options. If we can provide them options during a counseling session (which is something MAS should be offering), we may enable them to keep their pets.
In addition – and this is very important IMO – we have to be careful to bear in mind that some surrendering owners truly are out of options. We can not provide a solution to everyone. Some people really need a safe haven to take over care of their pets for them. That’s what shelters are for and that’s one reason why people pay their taxes – to be able to use the service when they need it. A good counselor is going to engage the surrendering owner in conversation in such a way as to avoid making owners who NEED the shelter feel guilty. As for someone who simply does not care about the pet (though they are a minority in society, there are heartless people in all walks of life), a good counselor will recognize that in those cases, it is the pet who is truly in need of the shelter’s services. We absolutely do not want to discourage those people from surrendering because the pet needs a safe haven and that’s what the shelter can provide.
@ yesbiscuit –
I could not agree with you more. It is the shelter that should improve, not the owner that should feel too guilty to take their pet there.
The uncaring owners would just take the pet home and allow it to starve on the end of a chain.
You know, I read in the Commercial Appeal those surrendering their pets are cautioned by the volunteers that the dogs would in all likelihood be killed.
I saw no sign of anyone cautioning the owners about anything in those photos.
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More agreement right here! Just posted a beautiful 4-year-old black lab on the lab board. She wound up at a vet clinic where she may be put down if she can’t be placed soon. She’s now in TN after being sold to a research lab as a puppy by a Mississippi pound, then sold to a univ. research lab. When Katrina hit, a student at the lab escaped with her and she eventually got adopted–but by an abusive family. She lived in a tiny pen outdoors and either escaped or more likely was dropped off somewhere by the owner. Recently spotted wandering in a storm–and was taken to the vet by a decent, caring person.
If this dog could have gone to a REAL SHELTER at any point in her tale of woe, she might have been enjoying a happy, normal life all these years. It’s not too late–she still has a chance–but how much better if our country had a decent sheltering system.
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I know that it’s the shelter’s job to help people – and that they are doing an incredibly piss-poor job at all facets of their job. And yes, I also know that most of the people dropping off dogs have run through some to all of their options (depending on the person and situation). I was so disgusted by what I’ve been seeing from the majority of the staff at MAS, that I sort of lashed out in anger. I’m not blaming the people bringing dogs in, which is why I put single quotes around the words ‘irresponsible public’ – I don’t buy into the shelter blaming everything they do on the public. Once the animals are inside the building it is up to the director and his staff to do their very best for the animal, not their very least. I just think that if more ‘regular’ members of the community were looking at the webcams, they’d get as incensed as we are. Most of us are too far away. I know it’s a harsh thing to say, but someone who had their pets killed at MAS, and knew about it the way we do, from watching the webcams and knowing what it means when the pets are taken down the hallway, would be furious and most importantly, would be in Memphis, able to get closer to the buck-passing mayor, council, and director, to demand change. I know it would be painful as hell, but someone closer to the situation can also be closer to solution.
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So outrageous. More of the same. I thought MAS SAID it provided food and such for families that could not do so themselves – or was that another ‘shelter’ somewhere? Oh yes, somewhere over the Rainbow. I grieve these two dogs and all the others. MEMPHIS STOP THE KILLING NOW!!!
Absolutely tragic. The question is…was that woman told would they likely be killed if she surrendered them Was she counselled on any alternatives if she needed any sort of help to be able to keep them. These are soulless, gutless SOBs that work there and don’t revolt against taking these beautiful dogs to be killed without even a chance at a new home. Every employee in that place is complicit is this mass murdering if they do not take action to stop it.
MAS SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. I agree with Scarlett, gutless SOBs!! Apart from a handful of employees the majority are cold and seem to enjoy the killing!!!
How close to the shelter door are people allowed to stand so that they might tell those bringing animals in that their dogs are going to be killed without an iota’s chance of finding another home? If people could let the ‘irresponsible public’ know exactly how things go at this slaughterhouse, maybe a lot more people would join in protesting the system. There’s nothing like giving owners the info on how to watch the webcams to see what happens to their pets.
I understand the idea behind wanting to inform owners. But the counseling needs to be more expansive than simply telling them the dogs will likely not be given any chance of adoption and will be killed. People need to be provided with solutions. Whether the pet is being surrendered due to barking, scratching the kids, eating the furniture, the owner’s inability to pay for food – whatever – they need solutions. By the time they get to the shelter, we have to assume they believe they are out of options. If we can provide them options during a counseling session (which is something MAS should be offering), we may enable them to keep their pets.
In addition – and this is very important IMO – we have to be careful to bear in mind that some surrendering owners truly are out of options. We can not provide a solution to everyone. Some people really need a safe haven to take over care of their pets for them. That’s what shelters are for and that’s one reason why people pay their taxes – to be able to use the service when they need it. A good counselor is going to engage the surrendering owner in conversation in such a way as to avoid making owners who NEED the shelter feel guilty. As for someone who simply does not care about the pet (though they are a minority in society, there are heartless people in all walks of life), a good counselor will recognize that in those cases, it is the pet who is truly in need of the shelter’s services. We absolutely do not want to discourage those people from surrendering because the pet needs a safe haven and that’s what the shelter can provide.
@ yesbiscuit –
I could not agree with you more. It is the shelter that should improve, not the owner that should feel too guilty to take their pet there.
The uncaring owners would just take the pet home and allow it to starve on the end of a chain.
You know, I read in the Commercial Appeal those surrendering their pets are cautioned by the volunteers that the dogs would in all likelihood be killed.
I saw no sign of anyone cautioning the owners about anything in those photos.
More agreement right here! Just posted a beautiful 4-year-old black lab on the lab board. She wound up at a vet clinic where she may be put down if she can’t be placed soon. She’s now in TN after being sold to a research lab as a puppy by a Mississippi pound, then sold to a univ. research lab. When Katrina hit, a student at the lab escaped with her and she eventually got adopted–but by an abusive family. She lived in a tiny pen outdoors and either escaped or more likely was dropped off somewhere by the owner. Recently spotted wandering in a storm–and was taken to the vet by a decent, caring person.
If this dog could have gone to a REAL SHELTER at any point in her tale of woe, she might have been enjoying a happy, normal life all these years. It’s not too late–she still has a chance–but how much better if our country had a decent sheltering system.
I know that it’s the shelter’s job to help people – and that they are doing an incredibly piss-poor job at all facets of their job. And yes, I also know that most of the people dropping off dogs have run through some to all of their options (depending on the person and situation). I was so disgusted by what I’ve been seeing from the majority of the staff at MAS, that I sort of lashed out in anger. I’m not blaming the people bringing dogs in, which is why I put single quotes around the words ‘irresponsible public’ – I don’t buy into the shelter blaming everything they do on the public. Once the animals are inside the building it is up to the director and his staff to do their very best for the animal, not their very least. I just think that if more ‘regular’ members of the community were looking at the webcams, they’d get as incensed as we are. Most of us are too far away. I know it’s a harsh thing to say, but someone who had their pets killed at MAS, and knew about it the way we do, from watching the webcams and knowing what it means when the pets are taken down the hallway, would be furious and most importantly, would be in Memphis, able to get closer to the buck-passing mayor, council, and director, to demand change. I know it would be painful as hell, but someone closer to the situation can also be closer to solution.
So outrageous. More of the same. I thought MAS SAID it provided food and such for families that could not do so themselves – or was that another ‘shelter’ somewhere? Oh yes, somewhere over the Rainbow. I grieve these two dogs and all the others. MEMPHIS STOP THE KILLING NOW!!!
Don’t forget about the candle lighting tonight everyone!