Last Saturday, a rumor of a planned mass killing of dogs at the Chester Co pound in SC began circulating on Facebook. The county denies that any mass kill was ever going to take place. That same day, the county fired the pound’s director and will not say why.
Rescuers began showing up to pull dogs, fearing a mass kill. They allege the pound was filthy and overcrowded because “the previous director was not euthanizing enough animals or adopting enough of them out”.
Not killing enough. The article indicates the pound killed roughly 1/3 of the pets in its care last year.
A rescuer named Janet Richardson offered the following:
“Their hearts go out, and they’re thinking with their hearts, but in the end that’s not what’s best for the animals,” Richardson said.
What’s best for the animals is that they are well cared for until they are adopted out. Period. Thinking with one’s heart is not necessarily a bad thing. A compassionate director is part of the No Kill Equation.
Interim Director Mary Anne Tolbert worked at the shelter for several years and has just come back to take over operations. She said it was too hard for the staff there to put animals down. A lot of them were kept in the shelter much longer than they should have been.
“You want people in animal control who love animals for one thing, but sometimes, you get attached,” she said.
Again, a feeling of being attached to the animals in your care is not a bad thing if you work at an animal shelter. And needlessly killing friendly pets should be hard – for any human being.
“We’re all here for the same reason,” [Tolbert] said. “We should work together.”
Are we? I’m not so sure after reading this article. I “think” with my heart and love animals and get attached to strays. I believe every shelter pet has a right to live and should be well cared for until adopted. I’m here for no kill. What are you here for?
I’m here fur (for) no kill!!
I just don’t understand the mentality of “humans” who believe they are somehow doing the animals a favor by euthanizing them! I suppose if there are too many orphaned children in the world, then people would be doing them a favor by euthanizing them???? NO to both scenarios!!
Inevitably, the “kindness” of killing goes hand in hand with the “animal hoarding” type hysteria. As if the only two options are keeping too many pets in filthy conditions or killing them. Thankfully, dozens of open admission no kill shelters around the country are proving to the public that there is another option.
1 voice and Shirley, you both said it best. At least the director was fired ? Or did I miss somethin there ? Im trying to think of any positives in this at all but cant seem to find much lol
Euthanasia is doing animals a favor, because the word euthanasia is only correctly applied to those who are irremediably suffering. This is not euthanasia, it is killing. I so wish we could all stop using the word euthanasia when we are talking about murdering animals in pounds.
Tina, you’re so right! There’s a huge difference between killing healthy or treatable pets and ending the suffering of a pet that is in pain and can’t be treated. Using the word “euthanasia” for killing that does not meet the definition just sugar-coats what is really happening.
ANY TIME U KILL A CREATURE FROM GOD, IT IS A HORRIBLE THING!! THE SECRET TO KEEPING THEM ALIVE IS TO HAVE THE SHELTERS GO TO THE ANIMAL STORES SUCH AS PETSMART, ETC. AND HAVE SOME OF THE ANIMALS THERE. HOWEVER, IF AN ANIMAL GETS ADOPTED, IT SHOULD ONLY BE AFTER THE HOME OF THE ADOPTER HAS BEEN INSPECTED. TOO MUCH CRUELTY, IGNORANCE AND JUST PLAIN MEANESS OUT THERE…THESE LOYAL, HELPLESS COMPANIONS DO NOT DESERVE TO BE MISTREATED. THEY NEED LOVE AS THEY GIVE US LOVE.
And you are sooo right! It’s like giving away candy! I can’t believe the people pay and take them home same day! No check ups. You can’t tell by the cloth they where if they dogfighters or mistreat animals! Even non kill Shealters do this! I call this gamble with a animal life and than they say how greate they are giving on a weekend 10 dogs away and don’t ever go there to make a check up!!!
I was tagged to a few of the dogs at that shelter today on FB. I was in shock to see the piles of poop these dogs were standing in. That place is disgusting. I just went to copy so I could paste the pictures here and they have all been removed.
I forgot to add…. two of the dogs… someone took them out doors and took a few photos The dog with the badly swollen, bloody feet was not one of them.
with all the shelters killing animals I thought this post was very disturbing…
A Shelter Friend Hi Morgan McQueen Due unforeseen circumstances, the shelter has closed until Friday Feb 3 at 1:00 p.m. No Animal will be euthanized during this time period. When the shelter re-opens, they must have commitments or they will be put down immediately due to space constraints. If you are able to committ to Sue, could you please call Silvia so that she will know to pull the dog for you as soon as the shelter opens? 910 876 0539
What shelter does this message refer to?
The FB page “A Shelter Friend” says they work with area shelters. Most of the dogs they post are in Bladen County, NC. Their info page says Elizabeth, NC. all post say to call Silvia 910 876 0539 . Almost all the people trying to help any dog.. this woman doesn’t answer the phone.
I have tried to call her and never got a her to answer, left messages and she never returned my calls.
It is very confusing. Someone asked what the situation is for the shelter being closed.. they won’t give an answer…yet!
Of course! Nobody wonna get in trouple like always! First they post but when people realy have proof and some to say they don’t wonna take the heat! They sayed on tv this morning that every thing was a lug and People on facebook made it up!
I’ll be watching.. next time I’ll save the photos
Did it not occur to anyone to actually CLEAN the filthy shelter?
“Did it not occur to anyone to actually CLEAN the filthy shelter?” or ask for help with cleaning the shelter, or plan special adoption events and/or ask for foster families to move pets into homes?
Brainless idiots to say not enough killing. If no kill shelters can run things without killing animals then so should killing shelters, the difference is that people who run the No kill shelters have brains and know how to run, organize and rehome animals properly qualities the killing shelters obviously do not have. For a start they should think about sending dogs and cats to homes requiring therapy animals as well as domestic homes, for instance cats to old people’s homes, dogs to see children and adults in hospitals, dogs to help children with problems such as behaviour and learning, these are just a few, the list is endless where therapy animals could find homes. So many animals that could be found homes here as well as said earlier domestic homes, but ideas not used in killing shelters as they lack the brains and are too lazy to even think of ways to find homes for the animals.
I think it is this ignorant mindset which makes reform efforts to hard for people like me.
We once had a sheltie mix in Kennel 31 at the local shelter. We named her Hope (cliche, I know) and arranged to have her pulled. She was going to go to Pets Alive in New York. Upon learning of this plan, the shelter director/vet said to me, “I feel badly for that poor dog and the drama she’ll have to endure.” Uh, really? As opposed to you taking her from the wet kennel into the E room and putting a needle in her arm? As if that isn’t a permanent form of drama?
When rescuers treat killing as a merciful act, what message does that send? The wrong one from where I sit.
I have said this before and I know it always sounds harsh but I do wish some people in rescue would slow down long enough to educate themselves on why they have to keep rescuing so many animals in the first place. I don’t direct that comment to all rescuers by any means. My best analogy is this: if you are forever running down the street, singularly focused on X dog or Y cat, saying you have no time to live your normal life, let alone read a book called Redemption, you are doomed to repeat that process over and over and over again. As the No Kill Bus is loaded up with those who have chosen to educate themselves and who are saving thousands by addressing the systemic issues.
Maybe I’m just havin’ a bad day. Argh.
People who do this like me helping unadocatet people here in this country because where I come from we don’t have kill Shealters and people knowing they spay and nuder and dOnt let animals run loose! I put my mY money in your dogs and people like you Please have more hard before you open your mouth! Please we not selvisch! That’s the proplem here! First you than your animals and who care about the other one! Don’t post garbage please you don’t wonna hear the through coming from real rescue people there are a lot and if you need more to hear about I can inform them to get in touch with you and what you had to say!yes I don’t have a live but the rescue Shealter at home think I’m a saint doing the work for people like you! Be ashamed and trust me don’t try to respond . I’m a peacefully persOn but I talk for animals and people like you have no right to talk about real rescuers! You not one of it. Stay away!!! For the sake of Animals in need!
Hello Saint Karola,
Please consider yourself a new guest here and behave accordingly. Spirited disagreement is welcome, trolling is not.
I’m just telling the truth ! Let people know what’s for real! 15 years active Shealter work found the owners of missing pets and adopted out soooo many still have the old and sick ones and I payed this all with my money and give up my live to make a Diffrent in SC! Than I think I have the right to let this lady know that there are people who don’t have a live but do it for the Animals! That’s all I have to say because I have to do the Animals and don’t have anymore time! Thank you for let me doing this post. God bless and please don’t give up the Animals in S C because this State is the 2 Nd worded on in the Country!!
If you think my comment was directed at you personally, you are mistaken. I have no idea who you are.
If you think I am removed from “real rescue,” you are mistaken. You have no idea who I am.
I wish you the best in the reality in which you live.
Does the shelter not have a list of rescues they could contact to let them know that the shelter is full and/or over capacity and needs help? It would not take long to send an e-mail to the rescues!
There is no excuse, no reason to kill a healthy animal. Animals that are sick should have medical care, until they are well enough to be adopted out. No excuse for cruelty!