Sumner Co AC in TN is run by the sheriff’s office. From January through October 2012, the Sumner Co pound killed 62% of the pets in its care. From the September update to the pound’s website:
Is a 65% euthanasia rate good? When compared to other animal control organizations, yes … and hopefully it will continue to drop through increased adoptions and rescues.
Hoping did not apparently prove to be a successful action plan as the October update indicates:
A third of the animals taken in were owner surrendered and almost 2/3 were euthanized. Only 7% were rescued. SAD!!
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Our SSNA spay/neuter clinic has just surpassed 8,500 surgeries since opening almost 15 months ago … without their efforts, the numbers would be much much higher.
When a 2 year old Beagle called Rocky escaped from his Hendersonville yard recently, he reportedly ran to a dog park in his old neighborhood. At the park, a woman said Rocky bit her and AC impounded him for a mandatory 10 day quarantine at the Sumner Co pound. The owner counted the days until Rocky could be released and gathered up the $150 redemption fee.
On November 20, Rocky’s release date, the owner called AC to let them know she was on her way to pick up her pet and pay the fee. After hearing that, the person who answered the phone at the pound left her on hold for 8 minutes. The owner finally hung up and called back. That’s when she was told they had already killed Rocky.
The article makes no mention of anyone being fired or even disciplined for the killing of this pet whose owner wanted him back. There isn’t even so much as an apology offered. There’s just this:
Sumner County Sheriff Sony Weatherford said in a statement: “An internal investigation was conducted. No rules or policy was broken or violated. It was an unfortunate incident.”
The pet killing facility finds that killing a pet with an owner who wants him is perfectly in line with policy. Clearly, the policy at the Sumner Co pound must be: Kill, kill, kill.
The pound’s website says the kill numbers would be much higher if it wasn’t for spay-neuter. Was Rocky neutered? I don’t know. Would it have made a difference? I think not. Spay-neuter is not the miracle cure for shelter pet killing. Neither is hoping. The only proven method to end the killing is the No Kill Equation. Part of which is a compassionate director who removes the killing of healthy/treatable pets as an option and doesn’t characterize a 65% kill rate as “good”. There is obviously no such leader at the Sumner Co pound presently. To quote the pound’s website: SAD!!
over 70% of all owned dogs are already neutered..owned cats are even higher.. shelters usually do not keep stats on how many animals are castrated when they kill them.. this is just another sad story in a litany of sad stories
Inexcusable. When someone is coming for an animal at an AC KILL facility the very FIRST thing that needs to be done is LABEL THE CAGE! Forget anything else – DO IT. Make sure atleast THAT life is safe. Tennessee State Code says that Owner Surrenders can be euthanized IMMEDIATELY. Really? These are usually the most socialized, healthy and vetted animals to come in to a facility! But KILL them IMMEDIATELY they do. “An unfortunate incident.” A family member KILLED. Please know that Middle Tennessee is booming with WONDERFUL rescue people who are working hard to save lives through an Animal Control system that is badly broken and does NOT want to save lives.
The standard “shelter” system IS broken. It’s past due for substantial changes to be made throughout the system, beginning with protecting the lives of wanted pets. The excessive killing by the sadist in control is wrong in so many ways.
A civil suit against the shelter would be appropriate for the unnecessary killing of his dog. I would welcome seeing more suits against “shelters” until they finally get it right, or get out of the business of killing & turn it over to no kill advocates.