The police department in Odessa, Texas runs the pound. Thousands of animals are impounded and killed each year, with the police department claiming most of them are “unadoptable”. One dog impounded on February 15 for quarantine was definitely not “unadoptable” – he had a family who loved him and wanted him back. Instead, he is now dead:
OPD says on Saturday, the dog pushed up a water bowl, escaped from the opening and out of exterior doors, which were open for ventilation.
The dog was found dead in the street later that day.
When municipalities insist that dogs be quarantined at the pound instead of at home, it’s purportedly being done in order to provide the highest level of safety to the public. That is, Odessa apparently doesn’t trust owners to quarantine their own dogs at home following a bite report and requires dogs be sent to the pet killing facility for the duration of the quarantine.
Pro tip: If your quarantine cages are such that all a dog has to do is push aside a bowl in order to escape not only the cage but the entire building, you aren’t protecting the public very well. I think a reasonable argument could be made that in fact you aren’t doing your jobs at all. But with a cited kill rate of 85% at Odessa’s so-called shelter, I guess everybody already knows that.
The Odessa police department will investigate itself in the case.
(Thank you Clarice for the link.)