In 2011, the Wake Co pound in Raleigh, NC took a puppy to a local TV station for a Pet of the Day feature, returned to the pound after filming and killed her. In 2012, they accepted an owner surrendered dog from someone who quickly changed her mind about giving up her pet. Although the owner returned to reclaim her dog within 45 minutes of surrender, the Wake Co pound had already killed him. This spring, an employee/volunteer was charged with raping dogs at the facility over an 18 month period during which no one at the pound apparently noticed anything was wrong.
Last month, a local news outlet filmed a sign on the Wake Co pound’s door that informed people surrendering pets of the extreme likelihood that the pets will be killed due to the shelter being full. The news story indicated Wake Co was shipping pets to Charlotte and South Carolina, a city and state that both kill shelter pets already, in order to avoid killing for space:
“We are doing our absolute best not to euthanize for space. That’s why we’re reaching out to our rescues not only out of state, but across the state,” said [Assistant Rescue Coordinator Cindy] Lynch.
Wake Co kills roughly half of the 13,000 pets in its care every year so I’m not sure how truthful the claim that they are trying their “absolute best” not to kill for space is. Shelters who actually shelter the animals in their care and do not kill for space often have a save rate in the 95% range. Wake Co doesn’t even come close.
On Saturday, Wake Co killed more than a dozen pets for space, according to a local news report. The director expressed surprise that people were still surrendering pets to a place with a sign on the door warning that they’d most likely be killed:
Dr. Federico, director of the Wake Animal Shelter said, “Some people are like ok, I can’t. Take them anyway. I don’t get that and they’re ok with that and leave them.”
Let’s get one thing straight. Dr. Federico is out of line in characterizing people who surrender their pets to Wake Co as being “ok with” killing. Overwhelmingly, people are not ok with killing shelter pets. Dr. Federico appears to be looking to hang the blame on the public for somehow approving of her killing of shelter pets. This is not only insulting but outright false. If you can’t own it, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it.
Do your job and shelter pets Dr. Federico. Don’t blame the public for the killing you do. Wake Co continues to function as it has for some time – as a pet killing facility employing people who hurt animals. There is no excuse.
it is definitely not right to kill dogs and cats for any reason.. the shelter director can see what she can do to provide shelter for the animals in her care, think inventively for solutions, ask the public to help and also ask tactical help from Nathan Winograd, Thomas Cole ( shelter-revolution) for caring for the shelter-pets ..
if she even takes one step to help the pets without resorting to kill them, am sure the caring public would take several steps to save and rescue all of them.. she just needs to tell everybody that she cares for the pets in her care and she is not going to kill them for any reason and ask for help.
They say that there’s a good chance the pet will be “euthanized” if given up. Not everyone knows what that means and the word is sufficiently distancing that if you do know, you may still be able to dissociate from it. They’re surprised that people are still willing to bring pets in to be killed, but not so surprised that they’re actually going to try sheltering/rehoming them.
I think many people who surrender truly believe that “it won’t happen to my pet” because they know their pet is wonderful and they think the only people who work at shelters love animals and therefore will recognize how lovely their pet is and get him adopted.
I think you are absolutely correct about that. They might have to kill other pets, but not mine. Unfortunately, this place (and so many others) sound like they indiscriminately kill most of them anyway.
It just makes me sick to even think about this happening.
Have just been doing some reading about turn of the century orphanages and baby farms, most of the children did have one parent, some had two but times were very hard and many couldn’t feed their children. So even with mortality rates very high in these places, in some places fifty percent, parents would leave their children, hoping against hope for the best. The same thing happens with pets, we know they are wonderful, we love them and think they will beat the odds. That’s hardly the same thing as being ‘ok with killing them”
No one is stepping up and exposing which shelter murdered these pets that had rescue. It is in NC…
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=194691690694314&set=t.100000705384440&type=1&theater..
Dot, is this the shelter?
http://www.shelbystar.com/news/local/were-euthanized-animals-really-on-hold-1.169908
No… this happened yesterday.. I just don’t understand why Jonny Beez won’t name the shelter. If this particular shelter is killing animals on the DUE OUT date.. then rescuers need to be there the day before. The woman drove all the way from Florida to pull these animals. Can you imagine gassing pregnant dogs and puppies.. this is really sick.
I need to clarify..this shelter does gas pregnant dogs..and puppies.. The woman that drove came to pick up Mother dogs and their babies.
“Cleveland County is one of 14 counties in the state that still operates a gas chamber to euthanize animals.
Mebane said animal control refused a $10,000 grant from the state humane society to shut down the gas chamber.
Lockridge said his reasoning for not ending the use of the gas chamber stems from his concern for his employees.
“I am as concerned with the mental health of my employees as I am with the animals. It’s a stronger mental strain on the employees to euthanize them individually,” he said.”
So it is okay to kill shelter-pets all together in a gas-chamber?
Hell, what sort of reasons do people give to gas innocent lives? this is so ridiculous.. all lives are precious.. and shelter-staff don’t seem to have any humanity left as a result of following protocol and pessimistic, cruel attitudes.
reading that just made me sick to my stomach…
Yeah.. the shelter-director cares for the mental welfare of his employees then let him do a brainstorming session with the staff and volunteers and think up ways of increasing adoptions of the shelter-pets till the shelter goes empty .. and all innocent pets are adopted.. and a No Kill shelter is realized..that should definitely bring down the mental strain of the staff.
Reblogged this on Sherlockian's Blog and commented:
Please be aware of this grim reality faced by shelter animals.
Sorry…it says your pet will likely be euthanized if left here. Then you blame it on the shelter because people are too uneducated to know what that means??? How stupid are you?!?
This made me so angry that I can’t stand it! There is no excusing the ignorant refusal of money to stop the use of gas chambers! I can’t stand it when they use lame excuses to kill dogs in this horrendous way! If this doesn’t bother the employees, nothing will! Mebane needs to be removed of all responsibility and replace with a humanitarian! Animals do matter and they don’t deserve this kind of murder! It’s time for a change!