The Gaston County pound in North Carolina kills dogs and cats. A private citizen had hoped to open a no kill shelter in Gaston Co but recently announced the plan will not move forward. The local paper falls all over itself in its capacity as killing enabler:
Euthanasia by legal injection is common at the public shelter in Dallas, due to the volume of incoming animals and the need to free-up space.
It’s not “euthanasia” if the pet is healthy or treatable – it’s killing. If you can’t own it, maybe you shouldn’t be enabling it. Killing shelter pets is not an ethical means of freeing up space.
Officials say the problem stems from people not spaying or neutering their pets. That leads to residents who “surrender” animals, despite being informed by staff the dogs or cats will likely have to be euthanized.
Blame the public. The tried and true method for enabling shelter pet killing while maintaining the status quo. It’s a lame tactic that’s never ended the killing anywhere but hey, don’t let that stop you. No shelter pets in this country “have to be” killed – it’s a choice made by directors.
Gaston County Animal Control Administrator Reggie Horton said he’s proud of the strides that have been made there in recent years to get more dogs and cats into good homes.
“With everybody working together, we’ve been able to realize placement numbers that are just unprecedented,” he said.
Everybody is not working together in Gaston Co. I know this because the pound is killing pets instead of sheltering them. That means everybody at the pound is failing to do their jobs. Therefore, although some members of the public are working together to save pets from being killed in Gaston Co, it’s unfair to imply that shelter workers are doing their jobs and deserve credit for any animals the public has saved from their kill room.
Here are the “unprecedented” numbers which make Reggie Horton proud.
Gaston Co AC’s kill rate for dogs and cats:
I don’t see any significant improvement from 2010 to 2011. And while the 11% decrease in killing from 2011 to 2012 is good in the sense that less killing is better than more killing – it’s not acceptable. Shelter pets have the right to live. Gaston Co is infringing upon that right in the most violent manner possible – by killing the animals they are supposed to be sheltering.
Compare these numbers with the dozens of open admission shelters around the country who are saving 90% or more of their pets. That’s something to be proud of – and something Gaston Co could do too, if anyone in a leadership position demanded that people start doing their jobs. Instead the killing and enabling continues in Gaston Co and leadership is proud of it.
Every day (or so) I have high hopes I will open up to a conversation here and see that EVEN just one shelter has stepped up and decided to stop murdering of adoptable companion pets.
Another day.. Another heath breaking read..
Gaston used to be known as “gassing Gaston” since they killed the animals there by gas chamber. Even if they are not still murdering the innocents by this method, this is still a cruel & barbaric place for animals.