Screengrabs from Mayor Wharton’s FB page. Click to enlarge.
This is what the Mayor posted above:
The dogs in MAS’ stray area haven’t gone through behavioral screenings or health check-ups. Once we allow time for their owners to claim them and we determine they are healthy and have a good temperament, we offer them to the public for adoption.
Is that true Mayor Wharton? Because it would seem to be at odds with the “Lucky 30” policy that was implemented after Matt Pepper took over your city’s pound. That is to say, there are only 30 cages designated as adoption cages for the hundreds of dogs MAS has on hand at any given time. If MAS is truly offering all the healthy, friendly dogs it has for adoption, how is it that 77% of the pets are still being killed?
Does a dog with an ear infection qualify as “healthy”? How about a coughing dog? These are both treatable conditions and given that MAS has a vet on staff, I hope that pets in need of vet care are provided with same. I haven’t seen evidence of that but I’m open to hearing any that anyone can offer.
What constitutes “good temperament” at MAS? If a dog dislikes being hoisted up by a noose around the neck or picked up by the forelegs, does that disqualify the dog from being deemed “good temperament” by MAS? Are behavioral evaluations performed outside the shelter by a qualified individual after the dog has gotten a 10 minute walk? Because what appears to be visible on the webcams is a worker of unknown qualifications taking a dog out of a kennel he’s been hosed down in, walking the dog around the shelter amidst hundreds of other barking dogs suffering in their kennels, and then putting him back. Maybe there’s more that is not visible on the webcams as far as the behavioral evaluation goes. Again, I’m open to hearing about it.
I’m trying to sort out where the disconnect is here. Because if what the Mayor says is true, why are so many dogs from the stray area visible on the webcams daily being taken to the kill room? Why can’t I find any listings for them online? How come when I inquire about wanting to help dogs in the stray area, I usually receive no response from MAS? Which was Mr. Kissyface – unhealthy or unfriendly?