Which of the following is based on a true story?
- OJ Simpson to counsel men in advanced spousal conflict resolution techniques
- New diet book to be based exclusively on recipes from Jeffrey Dahmer
- Graduate of Ted Bundy Charm School to speak at conference on women’s rights
- MI shelter which kills roughly 7 out of 10 of its pets despite holding zero animal control contracts to mentor other shelters in the state
Unfortunately, the answer is not None of the Above:
Michigan Humane Society (MHS), under the umbrella of the Michigan Partnership for Animal Welfare (MPAW), will provide training and mentoring where it is most needed, establishing new communication platforms among groups, enabling inter-agency animal transport, and acting as a central resource for the state. MHS is the state’s largest animal sheltering organization. They have many specialists on staff in such critical areas as animal care, evaluation, medical treatment, cruelty investigation, adoptions, sterilization, shelter construction, animal transport, fundraising, legislation, etc. They plan to expand access to our experts so that northern organizations can benefit from their knowledge and experience.
Let’s clarify what that “knowledge and experience” is exactly. MHS provides animal control services for no city, county, region, town, neighborhood, street corner, or bus stop. In other words, they aren’t tasked with impounding strays or any other animals by any public entity. To put it yet another way, MHS only takes in the animals it wants to. MHS chooses to accept all animals brought through its doors. And then kills most of them. Because it wants to. I see no other possible explanation.
There is no standard excuse that that applies to MHS such as those that many pet killing facilities use in an effort to shift blame for the killing. “We have to protect the public from dangerous dogs and disease ridden cats.” “We are contractually obligated to accept all animals within the county/city.” blah. MHS does not have to protect the public from any animal. It has no contractual obligation with any government entity to accept any animal. MHS could, if it wanted to, turn away any animals it could not guarantee a right to live. Instead, it chooses to accept all animals, killing the vast majority of them.
The above linked article says MHS sent out a representative to visit with dozens of shelters already because “[r]elating to a very large organization like Michigan Humane Society can be intimidating”. I would posit that finding out how to do your animal control job from someone who doesn’t perform animal control but kills homeless animals anyway can be horrifying and revolting. The article adds, in reference to MHS:
[T]heir size and resources allow them to help link northern and southern groups together, so that we can all do a better job helping the animals in our care by working smart, collaborating, and leading the way for the nation.
Oh no. Please, don’t.