More caps from the most recent day I offered to help a dog in need at MAS. They were apparently too busy to reply:
MAS: Chokepole Haven
More caps from the most recent day I offered to help a dog in need at MAS. They were apparently too busy to reply:
I’ve not received any follow-up reply to the request I sent the other day either. No surprise.
Are there NO groups in Memphis that have taken any interest in this situation? Somebody who can be hands on?
Debbie- which request?
Re Chokepole Haven – this brings me to tears- the cruelty continues…..probably they give the dog his behavior test at that moment- awwww- sorry pup, you don’t pass – off to kill room soon! UGH!
I don’t even know what to say to pictures like this. I still find it hard to believe that the people of Memphis allow this kind of stuff to go on in this horrible place.
Just a thought – and I’m not even sure it’s a good one. It seems that utube tends to get a lot of “hits”. Is there a legal way to put together a utube video and then publicize the hell out of it so the people of Memphis can actually see what’s happening? Not sure what the mayor and his minions might do with that.
OTOH, check out Urgent Part 2 and see what a couple of folks at the last ACC meeting had to say. There’s a lot of cruelty and killing going on in lots of these big city facilities. We have to continue to step up.
For those of you who think it is the “people of Memphis” who allow this to continue, please tell me, what should we do and how do we go about doing it? Have you read anything in the Memphis papers at all? If so, it is probably slanted towards the political powers. Just how do we get reporters to cover our side when it is in their best interest not to? The Advisory Board meetings were a joke and now will be even more so, since the real advocates have been replaced.
I could go on for pages on what has been done and what people are trying to do. It is easy to say what you would do, just hard to implement it.
db, thanks for offering a solution and not criticism. We could use some good advice from fresh eyes.
Animal advocates are forming groups and we are getting ready for a fight. Please help us by offering suggestions. We can use all of those we can get.
it would be nice if any of the people/groups with national attention and forums did more than mouth a few platitudes about their concerns. I’m talking to you: Winograd, Keith, ASPCA, HSUS, BF et al.
Sure, MAS isn’t the only horrific shelter… and (shudder) it may not even be the worst.
But there are some extremely active folks willing to put themselves on the line over this issue. HELP THEM.
This brings me to tears. The cruelty continues. Helpless animals being treated so badly. Please tell me how I can help…
Hand out flyers at all your local vet office and grocery stores of this kind of abuse, get the public upset about it enough to want to protest, or contact a lawyer to try and get something done. Are there NO lawyers in tis city or state that can assist? I would expose this kind of abuse to as many people as you can locally. On the flyers, discuss the proper way to use a catchpole and how fatal it can be if used incorrectly as the MAS staff continues to show, while Matthew Pepper continues to ignore it.
FWIW and this is not in defense of MAS, that “choke pole” is being used properly so it is not choking the dog. If you look the pole is under the dog’s chin, applying pressure from the loop to the back of it’s neck in both cases. They are more commonly called rabies poles and are used to control strange dogs who are fearful and/or aggressive while keeping them at a distance so the handler doesn’t get bitten. Not every dog needs one, but if you have to force a strange dog to do something it does not want to do, and you use it properly, it is the safest way.
Um, excuse me, but a ‘rabies pole’ (and yes, that is the proper name) is supposed to go under one foreleg and then over the animal’s head so as NOT to cause ANY possibility of choking. That is NOT what I see in these pics. And for what its worth, I have been in the animal handling business for over 2o years and have had extensive training in restraint devices.
i’ve never heard of a rabies pole going under the arm before (i don’t have 20 years under my belt, but i do have 6)…how does the animal walk?
Anne: The loop goes over/under one foreleg and around the neck, as you would do for an animal with a neck injury in order not to mess up the surgery site on the neck. They have NO problem walking, and the weight of the loop closing is not restricted to their neck where it can choke them.
Not to mention, they use it WAY too often and they also drag dogs up from it so their body is dangling in the air too. That is not right.
I volunteered at the HSUS in high school and never ONCE had to use a catchpole and all the dogs were strange to me yet perfectly fine with me just using a leash. Never once was I biten or afraid to get a dog out using that. Ive also seen on Animal Cops where they only use catchpoles on very intense situations but most of the time use leashes and such. As I said, they use it way too often here. If you are that afraid of dogs, dont work where you are constantly surrounded by them.
For those of you frustrated with MAS, don’t forget that there’s a ChipIn for a billboard –
http://reformtheshelter.chipin.com/a-billboard-to-help-wake-up-memphis
$1, $5, $10, it all adds up. And wouldn’t it be nice if we got one right where Matthew Pepper could see it EVERY DAY?
I didnt’ know about the billboard but just did a chipin.. I have thought this would be good for awhile, as nothing else is working. I hope the billboard at least tells people if they take their animals to his place, they will more than likely DIE..
I chipped in as well, although not a lot it’s all I can do right now.
I hope the person(s) putting the billboard together have the, ahem, courage to use one of the worst webcam pics and bedamn Mr. Morris!
That dog was not vicious or threatening, so why the use of a pole that is only to be used for those reasons?
Check this like out that shows that they are not uing the catchpole correctly:
http://www.cspecialties.com/contents/en-us/Catch%20pole%20instructions.pdf
Sharon I don’t know what your professional background is, but mine has involved handling strange dogs in a variety of situations for more than 25 years. When I was subjected to handling scared out of their mind unknown dogs of a certain body posture and eye contact, I used a pole to move the dog with no contact to me, keeping us both out of trouble. How do you know that dog was not threatening? Both are obviously refusing to walk along, so I am guessing it may be policy there to avoid Worker’s Comp dog bite cases.
And as I did say in my previous post, I am not defending MAS, but these photos look rather benign compared to some Shirley has shown us.
That PDF is a good one, and I can tell you that I NEVER heard or learned that you should EVER use a rabies pole over the head only, no matter what kind of animal. You also have more control of their body if used over the leg/head as is correct.
I’m not sure why my profession is relevant. The catchpole guidelines are demenstrated and it specifically states not to drag or pull a dog. With the abuse and common disregard for the shelter policies at this place, am I to assume this was any different? It doesn’t look any more or less justified than any of the other pictures provided on this site. The guideline page that looks smilar to this PDF was convenietly missing in this shelter’s employee handbook and was discussed in detail at the last MAS board meeting. I watched it all on the youtube videos provided.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/MEMPHIS-STOP-THE-KILLING-NOW/
It’s almost unbelievable that this continues to happen … even though the shelter is fully aware that the world is watching. At this point – I wouldn’t put anything past them. Bravo Shirley for continuing to keep the spotlight bright. Not sure if you saw this story, but it’s heartbreaking: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/28/owner-fears-aging-pit-bull-euthanized/
I don’t have any training in anything related to animal handling. And I am afraid of dogs that bite. I only know that I would never drag any dog by a noose around the neck. Never ever.
I don’t have any training or experience either. I do know that every time I see a frightened dog on a catchpole, I have this splendid idea for a MUCH better use for them. Posting it publicly would probably get me in trouble, though.
I think the flyer idea is a good one, low cost and possibly there are shops and such that would let posters be placed. Petition old school, in front of libraries or shops, with permission of course. Hard to break through media but podcasts, you tube, face book and so on are a great help. I know there are lawyers who work on such cases also, ADL might have ideas? Vigil in front of the shelter? Baked sales for saving animals there?Booth at summer street fairs etc? Hey, even get a small group to march in a parade with a banner or something? Flashmob? (Might be particularly good at the opening day festivities around the new building.) I know there are many good and kind people there who are as frustrated as can be and would love to change this place into a real ‘shelter’.
ABSOLUTELY LOVE the flashmob idea! It could become a YouTube hit! What could we do? A die in? Drag each other around with chokepoles? Bark and howl and meow?
oh geez Morgana, I was thinking some kind of DANCING, lawl.
Naw, the dancing has been done to death…and so have the animals at MAS…we need to think about something more creative than that!!!
Thanks for the kind, caring responses. Please send messages to Mayor Wharton.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/mayoracwharton
mayor@memphistn.gov
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/28/owner-fears-aging-pit-bull-euthanized/
I shared this on Facebook. Hoping to bring more and more people to help with our cause. This brings me to tears.
Yesbiscuit, wanted to commend you for all the exposure you are generating for these issues through your blog. I think some of the issues are harder than others. For instance, were you to only find one picture like this, you would not know if it was a sever situation that needed to be handled in a certain way. However, the more you keep bringing issues to light, at a minimum the places exposed should start to change.