On Saturday November 2, 2013, Memphis Animal Services impounded 3 Pitbulls estimated to be 12 months, 7 months and under 6 months of age respectively. MAS is closed on Sundays and Mondays. On Tuesday, November 5, the owner of the 3 dogs came to the pound to reclaim his pets. MAS advised the owner that it would cost him $363 for each of the dogs over the age of 6 months and $163 for the puppy who was less than 6 months old. This would be a total of $889 to get back his 3 pets that he came promptly to reclaim. How many of you could come up with this kind of cash? I could not. The owner paid the ransom for the least expensive dog and signed a surrender form for the other two, who were both apparently healthy according to pound records. MAS killed them both. Their names were Beauty and Rocko.
This was a case where the dogs had a home and an owner who wanted them back. But due to the exorbitant fees charged by MAS, made even higher by the crappy MSN law in Memphis, 2 of the 3 dogs weren’t allowed to go home. Instead of sending the 3 dogs home, MAS sent 2 of them to the kill room. For what? To punish an owner because he didn’t have his dogs neutered? To set an example for the community?
MAS apparently has hundreds of empty cages. But space is so desperately “needed” that even animals with homes must be killed – erm…
Good going Memphis. Your suckass MSN law and disgraced animal “shelter” have earned another spot on humanity’s wall of shame.
Nobody WANTS to kill animals. Except when they totally obviously do.
There has GOT to be a better way! There are PLENTY of people that would have helped raise the funds to help the owner get his dogs back – if only we’d known!!!
There is a better way: Memphis taxpayers could storm the mayor’s office and demand MAS stop killing healthy/treatable animals.
In any case where a pet has an owner (except animal cruelty cases obviously), MAS should be legally required to give the animal back, regardless of the owner’s ability to pay the fees. The fees need to be brought way down, in line with reasonable expenses incurred by the facility. And owners who can not pay should be told to send in monthly payments or apply for a grant from a group such as the “Friends of MAS” – assuming that group helps people get their pets back from the pound.
It’s interesting that they phrased it as “did not want to pay the fees” rather than the likely more accurate “couldn’t pay the fees.” Those fees are absurd.
Killing apologist language. It seems obvious to me that an owner who shows up at the pound the day they re-open isn’t there because he doesn’t “want” to get his pets back. The pet killers phrase it as “didn’t want to pay fees” to make the killing of these young, healthy, beautiful animals seem in some way justified. Which it isn’t.
I agree..
Why the hell are MAS’s reclaim fees so damn HIGH??? They are not only prohibitive, they’re punitive. And now no one wins – not the shelter, not the owner, not the dogs. How is this “serving the community” in any form?
1. Apparently it’s very expensive to not feed dogs and they need to recoup their non-expenses.
2. The magic of MSN adds an extra helping of punishment to owners.
If the owner can’t afford to neuter, he probably can’t afford to pay the fines so having these punitive fees in place serves ONLY to kill more animals. Which is what MSN and MAS do best. Combined, they are an unstoppable killing machine. Unless anyone local cares to stop it, that is.
MAS always takes the easy way out. And the City of Memphis government stands behind them. If citizens stormed City Hall — I would not put it past them to order the killing of all animals and just say there was an infection going around. City of Memphis gov’t could care less.
Although I totally agree with you about the fees, I do have to wonder what the situation is. By first glance, it would appear that the dogs had a litter(the under 6 months). And giving them both back without would prob result in more. It does seem like there could of been something to work out with the family. Do they not have a low income program or anything to help them out?? Payment plan etc?
It def should not be choose option A or death……
The female is listed as 7 months old. If the age of the puppy under 6 months was 2 months, that means she would have gotten pregnant at the age of 3 months which is impossible. It doesn’t matter anyway. Giving them back is the only conscionable choice, regardless of whether they had a litter or were going to have a litter or 100 litters. Helping them with low/no cost spay-neuter would be the obvious thing to do – obvious to everyone except MAS.
On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 10:24 AM, YesBiscuit!
Memphis Animal Shelter has a torrid history of abuse; the cloaking ability that has been given to them by the powers that be allow the majority of their evil deeds to be hidden from the public. The killing of these healthy, beautiful dogs for the owner’s inability to pay the ransom is atrocious!
How in the world does this #!%& go on? How does the community let it? How do the people who work there live with themselves? Where did they come up with the number for the fees? The owner can’t pay the exorbitant fees to take them home, so their alternative is to put them to death? There aren’t even words to describe how wrong this is, and these people evidently get away with this all the time.
This has been going on for a very long time at MAS. The problems start with the mayor on down to the workers. They seem to enjoy killing animals, they seem to not enjoy reuniting animals with their owners or finding new owners. The “Friends of MAS” seem to enjoy protecting the animal killers, too. It’s a cesspool of depravity and violence.
RIP Pups, you deserved so much better.
The fees are outrageous for 2 days of being there! If they were found and brought to the shelter and the owner came to claim them there should be a small boarding fee! It’s more expensive to euthanize an animal than to board it for a few days! Even if the owner didn’t show up for over a week, why not post something on a website or call a rescue??? So quick to put them down, so sad…
I have a long-running email relationship with Bobby White, the mayors chief of staff in Memphis : ) I write to politely inquire about the latest story and let them know WE see what’s going on, he tells me about all the FABULOUS people that work in animal control and how NO ONE would even THINK about hurting an animal and they’re all just doing their jobs blah blah blah. Then we go a couple of rounds where I ask precise questions about an incident caught on tape, that he says he can’t or won’t respond to, and he finishes with the cherry on top of “Why not come down to our shelter and pick out a new pet? We have many to choose from. Thanks for your interest.” Then I reply with something like too bad you traded in your soul, might be nice to have one and we go our separate ways until the NEXT story of betrayal and death, like we see here today. Guess I’ll email my old friend in a few : )
I am on the banned list, I’m sure. The only time anyone will speak to me is by phone and when I tell them what my call is about I get the royal run-around.
You go girl….
As a Memphian this doesn’t surprise me at all. No time was given to notify the ABUNDANT amount of rescue organizations that we have. The people that run the place don’t care at all. Most of the MAS employees treat their job like its part of a community service sentence. The city built them a new building and hired a new director, but the policies never changed. We adopted a boxer from there a few years back. They held him until he was neutered. (Which took a whole week for some reason!) Then they called us and told us that he snapped at the operating vet so the would like to euthanize him and we should pick another dog. We promptly told them to go fuck themselves and that we would be there in moments to retrieve OUR dog. He’s been the most well behaved and grateful dog we’ve ever owned ever since. There should be no MAS at all. They do not help anything at all. I’ve even witnessed them trying to take dogs right out of owners yards. They are a huge joke and the entire MAS organization along with the city government should be investigated on a federal level.
I think regressive shelters do this kind of thing as a money raiser, because they know good and well the community isn’t going to voluntarily give them money. And when –whoops!–the owner can’t afford to whip out $900 in cash, they are “forced” to kill the pets involved. I was involved in a rescue some 15+ years ago when a certain central California town raided a hoarder and took some 200 cats. They warehoused them all on a big warehouse they rented without climate control, and just threw cats into groups not knowing if the cats knew each other or not. They “allowed” me to pay them $900 to rescue 3 of the cats, after they had kept them some weeks calling them “evidence”. The owner wanted them to be able to get out of there so she signed them all over to the shelter. For my $300 each, nothing had been done to the cats–they had a single veterinary inspection, no treatments, no vaccines, no spay or neuter, nothing. So, spend only enough on the cats to keep them alive and charge rescuers $300 each to rescue them–sounds like a great money maker, doesn’t it?
OMG that makes me sick perfectly, beautiful, healthy dogs.. murdered for no reason….
Just ridiculous. It would be cheaper to keep the dogs in boarding. Where does that damn owner reclaim money go to anyways??? I suppose I could understand an $800+ fee if the dogs had been at More Animals Suffering for months, but that would never happen, the dogs would have been killed before that would have happened. Is there a way to FOIA request how that money is spent?
THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS TO CHARGE THE MAN SUCH AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE FOR HIS OWN DOGS!!!! THEN, TWO, TWO, TWO….GET KILLED!!!???? ARE THE COUNTIES SO DESPERATE FOR MONEY???? SICK WORLD.
What they COULD have done was require that the owner pay to spay or neuter the dogs, at a low price, and then given them back to him with a warning to keep his dogs inside the home. But it is so typical of these city agencies whose interest is not where it should be!
Makes sense! That’s why MAS won’t look at this option! They’re a bunch of heartless stupid people! There has to be something we can do to close this inferior, stupid place! They don’t care what people think or they simply don’t care! They need to be closed down! This has gone on long enough! Before I die, I want this place eradicated!
Really? Whats wrong with this place? The owner comes to retreive his dogs and you charge him a ripoff amount?Pathetic.This public facility that is to provide services to the public needs some serious change in management.Where is the community support? Must be oh just realized what state this is.Never mind no need to explain I totally believe apathy.
I was looking for a happy ending in which someone had a heart and helped with the fees. I am sickened by the lack of humanity. The more I know of humans, the better I like my dogs. I have to wonder how those people sleep at night.
Just disgusting.
My heart is broken. I don’t believe in KILL shelters, there are sooooo many other alternatives to killing animals.
Wake up people! This has been going on for years in Memphis. They kill over 10,000 dogs a year at MAS! It all starts at the top. If we had a better director who was interested in moving the shelter toward a no kill shelter like many other cities have done, then the numbers would be dropping drastically. Don’t you get it? HE DOESN’T CARE! Nothing is going to change until the community unites and demands that the killing stop. If I owned a home near there, I wouldn’t be able to sleep just knowing that they are killing animals day and night. My friend and I were looking at a dog to adopt when a worker pulled it to the back to euthanize it. We pitched a fit and literally got the dog off the kill table. Another friend was 4th on the list to get a gorgeous pit and was waiting for a fence check. What happened? They killed the dog! The statistics should be shameful and embarrassing to all the people of Memphis. WE SHOULD DEMAND THAT MAS BECOME A NO KILL SHELTER! Too many innocent pets are euthanized needlessly every year. There is just no end to the killing!
Someone(s) local needs to step up for these animals and get something done. I agree that this is a long-standing problem, and that it will continue until the community steps up. But it takes someone who isn’t afraid to rattle some cages (metaphorically) and pull together all those who want to see change and are willing to take action.
Too often, when people complain (volunteers, the public) they are simply banned from the facility. Someone needs to move beyond that. We, out of towners/staters, will support you any way we can, I’m sure. But we can’t do it for you.
Someone please, please take that important first step and set up an organizational meeting for those who are willing to get involved. I know there are good people in the Memphis area.
Memphis, can you imagine how this poor owner feels?
Were these fees to pay for shots and neutering? In my city of Los Angeles, rabies and retrieval is about $100 including a fee for a license. If the dog in not neutered and over six months, I believe, the license goes up from $20 to $100 or the dogs can be neutered at a nominal amount I think about equivalent to the licensing fee so it would have been $500 for all three.
And there are rescues in our city that could have been contacted to help. I am quite sure a waiting time could have been worked out.
What comes to mind is the question, “What is the purpose of a City Shelter?”
Memphis City Pound, a hellish place , staffed by human trash, with a long, long history–and nothing has changed in spite of having a new building and a new director. The mentality remains the same and innocents are slaughtered.
Isn’t there a good way to educate the citizens of Memphis about dropping off innocent animals at Memphis Animal Services? To bring a lost pet or to surrender a pet there is a sure death sentence for a dog or a cat. I cringe when I am there, and people are surrendering their pets for whatever reason. People need to be aware that there is only about a 10% chance that the animal will survive. And yes, there are rescues available to help, but since rescues aren’t given any notice as to which pets are on the daily euthanization list, there is little they can do. It appears that MAS would rather fight against rescue groups than to work with them to save pets. However, this varies from supervisor to supervisor. It’s a shame that the caring employees really aren’t the ones making and implementing the policies. They are forced to do what they are told to do from the higher ups. We need to do a better job of educating the public about what goes on there. It’s a death camp.
By the way, there is one Supervisor at Memphis Animal Services who has a heart and does an amazing job of working with rescue groups. His name is Glenn Andrews. If we could get a new, more progressive director who would work with the public in a positive manner, he most certainly would get my vote! His tireless work as an advocate for poor, helpless animals does not go unnoticed.
Glenn Andrews is, I think, the perfect example of what a kill shelter does to an otherwise decent person. Here is Glenn Andrews – http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/what-happened-to-this-dog-2/ dragging an almost unconscious dog (who is spasmodically gasping for air because he’s been dragged by a too-tight noose around his necks for who knows how long) through his own urine down a hall way. Mr. Andrews appears to be unable to gauge how much pain and suffering he is inflicting on this animal.
But I also hear that Mr. Andrews fosters in his own home and tries to help some animals get out of MAS alive.
In a compassionate environment, I suspect that Mr. Andrews would have become a very competent and caring person. Unfortunately, he is not in a compassionate environment, he is at MAS – a place that essentially functions as a slaughterhouse for pets. A place that nurtured animal abusers and their abuses, not only shielding them, but *encouraging* them to continue with their private horror show in the kill room every day.
Blogging on YesBiscuit is a great way to let out frustrating feelings about all the killings, but at some point in time, we must make some kind of statement to the mayor about our intense dissatisfaction with the state of affairs at Memphis Animal Services. If my math is correct and over 10,000 dogs are killed every year at that facility, then the average number of dogs euthanized every day the shelter is open is 40!. Since dogs are probably not killed every day, that means on some days as many as 200 are killed in a single day. Does this not remind you of the gas chambers and fire pits of Auschwitz where helpless people were tortured and killed needlessly? The unfortunate animals at MAS are just as helpless as the people of Auschwitz were. We must be their voice! We can not allow this to continue! All rescue groups and concerned citizens must unite and make a difference for these animals! Otherwise, this downward spiral will continue for many years ahead. At some point, the killing must stop. Should we organize a protest? We need to quit talking about how terrible this is and take action. Someone please tell me what we can do to stop the needless killing! I will help in any way possible!
Here is a brochure outlining a plan which could be put to use in Memphis:
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/politadvocacy.pdf
On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:26 PM, YesBiscuit!
IF I thought I had a snowballs/ chance in hell to take over the shelter I would seriously consider moving. I live in California and am currently enrolled in the No Kill Shelter Management program offered through the University of the Pacific. I’ll finish up in April and be actively seeking work, although I may turn my attention to getting a job in Oakland since they seem to be only a step or two ahead of Memphis in terms of lunacy.
The bigger problem you have in Memphis is a city staff that thinks everything is hunky dory at the MAS. Until you can convince even ONE person in authority (mayor, city council member, anyone, anyone….) to DO something you’re going to need to mount a serious campaign to “over throw” the current management. Look at how Austin did it, they formed a non-profit and it took two years to transform their shelter. A town just north of me did the same thing, formed a non-profit and took over but again, it took two years. Look at it this way – you can either get a concerned group of citizens together NOW and put in the work so that in 2 years (or maybe less) you can clean up this mess or two years passes and nothing happens.
There is a woman named Holly Gordon that started the “Girl Rising” movement. Her motto is “Just do Something”, one that I live my life by. So, Ben Fergson, if you need help you can email me and I’ll do what I can to support you. Just do Something : )
A No Kill Management Program! I did not know that such a degree existed! Now why can’t Mayor Wharton and Janet Hooks bring in someone with specialized training like Loran to run MAS? Just because someone has an MBA doesn’t mean that they have the qualifications to run a shelter. This sounds like the kind of leadership that we desperately need at the Memphis shelter! We must overcome the “Ignorance Is Bliss” philosophy that currently abounds. Perhaps if the mayor and his staff took a tour of MAS on a high kill day and viewed a truckload and/or a firepit full of euthanized dogs, it would change their thinking on the topic. I think their day of enlightenment is long overdue! Austin and so other cities have been successful in achieving no kill public shelters, so I see no reason why Memphis can’t achieve this goal as well. If Mayor Wharton cares about the legacy he is leaving in Memphis, it seems to me that he would be on board to progress towards a no kill shelter in the city! To remain quiet about the atrocities that exist at MAS makes us just as guilty as the ones who endorse and carry out the killings!
Wharton is fully aware, and still refuses to do anything about the atrocities that happen daily at MAS. The only thing that has ever made a dent is when there is so much publicity that they have to do something (ie when we try to get animals out, when there is proof on the videotapes that are no longer available to the public, when an individual whose animal has been lost or killed files a lawsuit – something public that they can’t sweep under the rug). Wharton doesn’t give a rat’s ass about those animals, nor does the director, staff or “friends” group. So – who in Memphis is willing to step up and take action? How many more cats and dogs, puppies and kittens have to die before the people of Memphis have had enough?
What about legal action against the City of Memphis?
Someone has to initiate that legal action – and that means locals will have to step up and take action. There have been instances of “workers” being prosecuted and some get off with a slap on the hands. This is a “good ole boy” town if there ever was one.
If someone is willing to fight that . . . you will have my support!
EUTHANIZED this morning!!! Last night in person, we put our name in the computer at Memphis Animal Services to adopt Tony, a beautiful 7 year old Lab today. We called this morning to tell them what time to expect us today only to get the news that he was killed this morning. I am so devastated that I can’t even talk right now.
I’m sorry this happened Ben. Did they say he had become medically hopeless and was suffering or offer any explanation of any kind?
On Wed, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:46 PM, YesBiscuit!
Medically hopeless since last night? NO! We knew he was heartworm positive, but that was not going to stop us from adopting Tony. His heartworm positive 7 yr old sister was adopted last week. I believe this happened because of their total lack of communication between departments at MAS! You would think there would be an ADOPTION ALERT of some type after our names were in the computer, but maybe they read the computer notes AFTER they are through with all the killings of the day.
Checking the computer notes in case a potential adopter’s name has been added before killing an animal sounds like something that someone who didn’t WANT to kill animals would do.
Oh Ben, I’m so sorry. I know you tried to “do something”. Don’t give up, you have a good heart. As hard as it is, get your story out. And just keep doing it. I have it a regular thing on my calendar now to go speak in front of one of our city council meetings in HOPE that they hear what I have to say. It feels like I’m tilting at windmills but I’m persistent.
Would it be possible to get the news media involved! Maybe they can help start making changes at this disgusting facility!
Ben, I’m so sorry to read what happened to Tony and I have no trouble believing that these “workers” do not bother to read notes in the computer, check emails, or phone messages; they simply check in and begin their killing. There was a notorious frightful director/heartstick dog killer at Robeson County, North Carolina for years (who was finally removed). His name is Jeff Bass. He would kill the exact dogs who had rescue on the way and would particularly delight in killing the dogs whose rescues were stuck in traffic–I would sit up all night, desperately cross-posting and trying to monitor his “killing patterns” in real time, to get a sense of how he operated, and it was worse than a horror film–a decidedly sick individual in a good-old-boys town, in a state in which the useless governor, Bev Perdue, was bombarded with thousands of emails weekly, detailing his abuses, and she didn’t raise a finger to investigate. Local activists had him on tape laughing and swearing at the dogs as he killed them, and guffawing with his buddies who visited for the duration . Bev Perdue, was bombarded with thousands of emails daily, detailing his abuses, and she didn’t raise a finger. What occurred with your adoption of Toby, happened to me at Ohio’s Trumbull County Pound . I adopted Carlos the previous evening, the human trash running the place never even checked the emails from the evening before. They walked in and fired up the gas chamber and Carlos left in a black plastic bag. I am not surprised that many of these dog pounds are sited next to landfills. The mentality that exists boggles the imagination. Loran, please do what you can, I’m in Connecticut, but am heartsick at this daily mindless killing at the New York Animal “Care” and Control ‘Shelter”–what I read here about Memphis must be stopped. If there is one organization I have full faith in, it’s No Kill Revolution, here on Facebook, they are doing wonderful things.
And so it goes on! We need action! There has to be a solution and it’s going to take many of us to get it stopped! I’m tired on what goes on and officials don’t care. Anybody have any connection to news media? This has to come out big time!
Yes, we need action at every level. The Bureau of Land Management who are responsible for the care and maintenence of our Wild American Horses and Burros are brutally rounding them up, killing many in the process, allowing others to go to slaughter, branding them, and penning them without proper care for decades while giving cheap leases to ranchers and frackers. This is against the original legislation passed in 1971 with 92% public approval and unanimous votes in congress. The BLM is blackmaling the Native Americans to slaughter their horses and as many American horses as possible or they will not renew their grazing permits.
Shelters are killing cats and dogs early and often and sometimes brutally also. Gassing and heartsticking both should be outlawed.
Money and influence is being used to discredit organizations like HSUS and PETA who work to improve animals lives.
Americans do not realize that the meat they eat is no longer raised on family farms rather on factory farms where gruesome inhumane violations happen to them.
What happens to animals in Asia is heartbreaking where they skin them alive for fur and torture them to death for food.
I spend several hours every day doing what I can to stop it. More and more people are learning about these atrocities. That is step one.
Finding people willing to donate to the end of these causes is next.
Ending these practices is last.
As we grow in numbers, I hope we can make positive changes sooner than later!
Elaine, while I agree with you about the BLM and their horrible horse ‘management’ actions, I think you must be unaware that peta believes that the best way to ‘improve’ an animal’s life is to kill it to ‘release’ it from the ‘tyranny’ of being an owned pet or a free feral cat. That’s not what most normal people think as an ‘improvement.’ As far as ‘discrediting’ hsus, they act shamelessly to separate people (who care about animals but don’t really check out what they actually do) from their money while using that money to 1)pay for more advertising, 2)pay outrageous salaries, and 3)pay for ‘incentives’ to get people to give them money in return for address labels or a tote bag or something else, as well as 4) pay for travel expenses (and fancy jackets) for their team members to use with getting their name in the media when they ‘help’ in ‘busts’ of ‘hoarders’ who more often than not could have used real, substantive help (that hsus has a shit ton of dollars they could use) to vet and rehome animals the so-called ‘hoarder’ needs help with. You may think those animals are helped by being taken away, but since hsus doesn’t run a single shelter, they dump those animals on actual brick-and-mortar shelters and rescue groups – and don’t give them funds unless shamed into it when their deceits are exposed, and then only token amounts – and then use the photos from these ‘busts’ as part of their marketing campaigns to get more donations for animals they are NOT taking care of, but implying they are or did, and the whole cycle starts all over. Oh, and they use donation money to support dog killers like Michael Vick, so really, don’t drink any more of their Kool-Ade, please.
Memphis Animal Services’ Advisory Council meets tomorrow night at the main Public Library on Poplar. I believe the meeting is at 6 pm. Attendees can write down a question on a piece of paper, then direct their question to the council. Who is going to be there to offer support for the thousands of animals that are needlessly killed every month before they can be networked for adoption. PLEASE ATTEND. WE NEED TO SHOW THEM THAT CITIZENS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HIGH KILL RATE AND NO EFFORTS TO LOWER THE NUMBERS. In other words, nothing is being done to move closer to becoming a no kill facility. Will I see you there??? This is our first opportunity to show up in numbers!
Ben, have you been able to get in touch with any other No-Kill supporters in Memphis? Sadly, most of us here live elsewhere, and we can’t be there, but maybe an appeal on a public access bulletin board, or even flyers in local stores and vet offices – but not the office of the shit vet Tower – for any meetings after tomorrow. Maybe trying to get the ear of a reporter on tv or other media, and while it’s a long shot, you could reach more people in Memphis that way. Good luck, and please let us know what happens at the meeting. I’m sure we’ll chip in with the kind of support we can from farther away – just let us know!
(Not trying to horn in there, Shirley!)
THE STAFF AT MAS IS THE DEVIL’S SPAWN!
KateH – you have been bamboozled by the very people who hate animals and are filled with greed. Go to Bermanexposed.org and you will find one organization that is paid to disparage the names of Animal Helpers like HSUS and PETA.
Oh, come on, Elaine. I’ve been to hsus own website and saw how they spend the donations – you’re the one who’s been bamboozled. Are you okay with them supporting Vick, which is just one, although a huge one, of the crappy things they do? And if you don’t know that peta kills – yes, kills – 97% of the animals it gets its hands on – which certainly is NOT helping them – you need to learn that they are led by a pyscho, who’s bamboozled people left and right. Just put ‘peta puts animals in dumpster’ into your search engine, for cryin’ out loud! Or read Shirley’s posts or pages about them – the links are on the right side of the blog as you scroll down.
Elaine, if you don’t like Rick Berman (and I don’t much, either), go to CharityWatch.com and see the info about how hsus donations are spent.
HSUS was just very instrumental in fighting off the opening of American horse slaughterhouses. I am very grateful for their help. And I despise Berman.
Sorry, but no pity for the owner from me. FIX YOUR PETS!!! Especially pitbulls! A pack of unaltered unvaccinated pits is NOT something I want wandering the streets. The owner sounds very irresponsible.
No pity for the owner? Whose circumstances you don’t know? Perhaps the dogs belonged to a roommate or a neighbor and the owner took them in when they were abandoned. Perhaps he yanked them away from dogfighters and was saving the money to s/n. Perhaps he didn’t KNOW about s/n and just needed some education.
Hey, maybe the owner was irresponsible. Does that mean his dogs should be killed out of hand? Is that justice?
Do you have any pity for the dogs? Or was it ok to kill them because they were pitbulls?
Christina – not everyone knows that fixing their pets is a GOOD thing, or can afford it. Just this last weekend, in one of the largest cities in my state and one known for progressive rescues and shelters, a woman showed up with her dog for free vaccinations. She had not had him fixed and when one of the volunteers spent some time in GENTLE conversation, with no judgment attached, discovered her base fear was that her guy would be hurt. When they again GENTLY explained all they do to make sure the dog isn’t in pain she readily agreed to have him fixed. Not everyone is educated in the benefits of spay/neuter. We tend to learn about animals from our family and if someone hasn’t bothered to educate themselves on modern animal protocols AND has the finances to take care of things they let things slide. It has been proven time and time again that if you provide low-cost or even free services people WILL step up and use those services. Rather than bash people for their perceived beliefs why not support low-cost services and help get the word out?
And you’ve never had a dog get out of your yard? Never had the gas guy or some kid leave the gate open accidently? Accidents happen. This owner showed up promptly when the facility opened and they CHOSE to punish him rather than work with him. If they wanted to make money they could have given him back all three dogs for the price of the one he could afford, saving them the costs of food, housing and a kill technician, not to mention disposal of the bodies. This wasn’t so much about the money as the power they held. The people in charge in Memphis have no soul, this case is a clear example of that. Would it make any difference to you if the dogs killed were labs? Or poodles? Or greyhounds?
There are people on this earth who hate animals. I call those who slaughter horses, “Horse Haters” and dogs, “Dog Haters”, and so on. It is established that certain persons get off on harming animals and usually graduate to harming humans eventually. I do not know if they are born that way or if they were environmentally bruised sufficiently to become “Haters”, but what I do know is we cannot stop watching the store and doing what we can to remove the “Haters” from positions or locations of power, authority and proximity to innocent animals.
Y’know … among the things I will never understand, is why some people – all too many – think it’s a good idea to kill pets to punish and control their owners.
In a domestic situation, this would be considered brutally abusive. But to some in the animal welfare community? Hey, it’s the owner’s fault for being ‘irresponsible,’ or (as I suspect is truly meant) groupthink-noncompliant. And never mind just whose hand is on the needle.
Some days my opinion of people is so low, I could use it to raise earthworms.
In some cases I get the sense that the line of thinking has to do with “teaching folks a lesson”. As if somehow, the target audience of purported lesson-needers is keeping tabs on the body count at the local pound and following up with finding out the reasons ostensibly given for killing each pet. And then this target audience will collectively learn their lesson and stop being poor and/or in need of education. Problem solved.
Meanwhile, I’m reminded of this – Jack Kittel’s ‘Psycho’
HSUS does exposes’ like this https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=9A01CF23728678E7853E89A49C2C748C.app322b?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=6357&autologin=true&s_src=em_ha013014