The set up: The Guilford Co pound killed 51% of its dogs and cats in 2012. The pound has a policy dictating death for all Rottweilers, Pitbulls and Chows, regardless of health or temperament.
The punchline, courtesy of the local paper: “Guilford County offering pet responsibility classes”
A cat rescue group in CA asks why the Lancaster pound is killing cats when there are so many empty cages. (Thanks Leslie for the link.)
Indianapolis ACOs confiscated pets left out during a recent snowstorm and issued more than 70 citations to owners. Several dogs froze to death. (Thanks Arlene for the link.)
Journalist Glenn Greenwald is also a rescuer of street dogs in Brazil. (Thanks Karen F. for the link.)
Sciencey: New information on the origins of cat domestication.
The etymology of the expression “Screw the pooch”
The policy on Guilford’s page –
“Rotweillers, Pitbulls and Chows
If you are surrendering a Rotweiller, Pitbull or Chow we recommend that you contact a rescue group before bringing into the shelter. We are not able to place these breeds into our adoption kennels. If you bring an animal to the shelter as a found / stray animal or surrender you can not call and check on the status of that animal once the holding period has expired.”
“You can not call and check on the status”. Translation – we cannot actually forbid you from calling us (because:America), but we won’t actually *give* you the status of the animal because the animal is dead and telling you that just brings up a whole bunch of unpleasantness that we’d rather not have to deal with. Just let us get on with our killing and don’t bother us about it, ok? Thanks.
And do all Rottie, Pit, and Chow mixes go into their kill pot, too? Who decides what breed a dog is? And if they’re *enough* of a Rottie, Pit, or Chow to be killed? Is being 1/4 Chow enough to sign a dog’s death warrant? 1/8? One drop of Chow blood? If I have a Lab with blue spots on his tongue, is he “Chow enough” to die?
Oh, I happened to look back at their page –
“Guilford County Animal Shelter Policies
Once the animal becomes the property of the Guilford County Animal Shelter it is at the discretion of the Guilford County Animal Shelter to do what is in the best interest of the animal. We do everything we can to put each animal into adoption but may not be able to if the animal has temperament issues or illnesses that we can not treat.”
Sooooooooooo…if you’re a Rottie, it is in your best interest to be dead. Ok. Got it.
I’d say in before Godwin, but I think I’m too late. They got there before me.
Oh God, it gets better. No, wait. Last one, I promise –
“Lost Pet Policies and Rules
When looking for your lost pet please do not call the shelter to ask if your animal is here.
You must come and make a positive identification of your pet.
We are open Monday thru Saturday 12-6 and Sunday 1-5.
If you locate your animal and want to redeem it before the holding period is over you may do so after all applicable fees have been paid.
All animals must receive a rabies vaccine if not current and a microchip if they do not have one.
You must have proof of ownership and rabies vaccine at the time of redemption and only the current owner can redeem their animal.
If you find your pet here after the holding period and want the animal back you will be required to adopt the animal if approved through our adoption process.”
Even if you can PROVE that the animal is yours, you have to be approved through our adoption process because now it’s legally OURS and we will decide how worthy you are as an owner to have your animal back.
Oh, and btw, if your neighbor dies and her cat gets taken in by animal control, no, you cannot claim the cat. You have to hope that the cat survives the hold time, then you have to hope that you pass our adoption process, then you have to come in during our limited hours and pay for the privilege of us not killing the cat. Have a nice day.
“If you locate your animal and want to redeem it before the holding period is over you may do so after all applicable fees have been paid.”
It’s like they are doing you a huge favor allowing you to pay the fines and take your pet out of their shelter before the holding period expires.
On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 12:43 PM, YesBiscuit!
I especially wonder about that policy in a situation like mine where a pet CAN’T be vaccinated for health reasons. Or with my other cat, who isn’t vaccinated because her individual circumstances don’t warrant it. It sounds like no matter how many pictures I brought in of myself holding that pet in my arms, I still wouldn’t be able to retrieve my own pet without that piece of paper.
They REALLY don’t want people reclaiming their pets.
The absolute-power tone and content of the Guilford “adoption contract,” and the way the document assumes the worst about the adopter, are chilling. The document even specifies post-adoption inspections.
http://www.adoptshelterpets.org/assets/Uploads/adoptioncontract.pdf
“All adoptions may be approved or refused by the Shelter Director or Designee.”
The adopter agrees “To allow the GCAS Animal Control Division to visit my premises to ensure that the terms of this agreement have been kept.”
When I first started following the No Kill movement, I didn’t really understand the connection between hostility to the public and a high kill rate, which is one of the key points in how No Kill analyzes the shelter system. But, to me, this shelter makes that connection very plain.
My local shelter (which by coincidence also goes by GCAS) outright says on their page that the application process is going to be drawn-out and frustrating. As so:
Therefore its important to understand two things:
The process is the same for everyone
It’s not our intention to frustrate you. Rather, everything we do is for the best interests of the animals in our care, and is aimed at giving them the best possible chance of finding a permanent home.
Here are the steps you’ll go through in the adoption process:
Before you can interact (that is, pet, cuddle, walk, and get to know) any animal that you’ve seen in our kennel, we’ll ask you to complete some paperwork. This paperwork must be completed first in order to minimize stress for you and the animals. Our process includes asking questions, asking to see proof of identity and, frequently, asking for veterinary references, particularly when you have other animals at home. This is simply to protect the health of adoption candidates and the pets you already have.
****
Yep…you can’t even TOUCH an animal without going through the full application process. That even includes at their Petsmart site…you can’t go into the little holding area to pet a cat without filling out a full application. This is a shelter that kills better than 85% of the cats that come through the door. And the application is very invasive, asking for your place of employment and if they can inspect your home. Oh, and say you want a barn cat? No cat for you. Planning to declaw or let your cat outside? No cat for you.
The application rule above just takes the cake for me. It’s the most unreasonable thing I think of.
These folks need to be put out of business. I’ve never heard such rubbish!
So happy that they offer pet responsibility classes, though. Are there enough pets left in town to even bother? I’m betting most of them end up dead.
I noticed that they believe that it’s best for the animals to end up dead . . . for maybe being one breed or another. I’ll bet feral cats or cats in general don’t fare as well as the dogs.
God help us all.