The 57 cruelty charges against 3 current and former Gallia Co dog wardens in Ohio stem from illegal killing protocols at the Gallia Co pound according to Gallipolis city solicitor Adam Salisbury. Specifically at issue is the allegation that the wardens were injecting sodium pentobarbital into a shoulder or hip muscle of shelter pets before injecting it into the heart muscle, causing needless pain and suffering.
The Ohio SPCA however is alleging a different type of cruelty entirely – at least with regard to 11 dog carcasses they obtained and had necropsied at Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Teresa Landon with the Ohio SPCA says the intramuscular injections were not evident at the time of necropsy:
“There is no evidence of (the dogs) being injected (with sodium pentobarbital) in the muscles,” Landon said, citing OSU’s necropsy results. “They were injected in the heart and lungs.”
Good, right? Because we were concerned the dog wardens, all trained and certified in proper euthanasia protocols, had possibly gotten lazy or just didn’t care about the animals they were killing. But it looks like we can cross lazy off the list:
[M]any of the [necropsied] dogs suffered “body changes compatible with blunt thoracic and head trauma” before and during the euthanasia process.
“Several dogs were bleeding on the head or had blood coming out of their mouth,” [Landon] said. “They died horrible deaths.”
For anyone not sure of what they just read, Ohio SPCA appears to be alleging that the Gallia Co dog warden beat the dogs about the head and chest and/or strangled them before and while he was jabbing a syringe full of Fatal Plus into their hearts. In addition, the Ohio SPCA’s report includes witness testimony indicating dogs at the Gallia Co pound were trapped using a squeeze gate on the kill room wall. The witness alleges dogs were never sedated prior to heartsticking (as required by law), were often jabbed multiple times in the heart and would sometimes stagger around the kill room for 30 minutes before finally dying. The gruesome torture inflicted on these poor pets put me immediately in mind of the Memphis kill techs, finally brought to justice in 2012 after an undercover police officer witnessed them sadistically killing dogs and cats at the pound.
While the new allegations in the Gallia Co case step the heinous nature of the charges up a notch, Gallia Co sheriff Joe Browning seems more concerned with finding out how the Ohio SPCA got the 11 carcasses they sent for necropsy:
It was not clear Saturday night if whoever took the dog carcasses from Gallia County could face charges. Browning said Saturday night that the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office “will have to look into it.”
Yeah, definitely find and charge that person. That’s the real crime here.
The two current dog wardens are sitting at home being paid by taxpayers. All 3 have entered not guilty pleas.
(Thanks Arlene and Clarice for the links.)
Let’s hope justice prevails and something vile happens to them all.
Not that it will suddenly turn him into a normal human, but Sheriff Browning’s response puts me in the mood to write him a concise, carefully-worded letter regarding priorities, taxpayer-funded positions, sadism, and the law.
And while I’m in a writing mood, I’m going to send the Ohio SPCA a thank you note and a check. Those folks do some tough work, and the past couple months have been very tough for them (check their Facebook page to view some of the horrific situations they’ve been dealing with this winter).
Holy shit. Tell me again why we allow these monsters out on the streets?
Almost unbelievable! But shockingly and disgustingly true. Fire those wardens and prosecutute them for cruelty. Long term prison time and a very large fine sounds like the minimum punishment they should receive!
Ohio now has passed a law regarding shelters and abuse by staff listed as a felony. No way should they get by with any of the horrible treatment. Ohio needs to charge them with a felony for each count.
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/state/ohio-governor-signs-nitros-law-animal-cruelty-by-kennel-owners-employees-now-a-felony
Actually, the law only applies to for-profit businesses – municipal ‘shelters’ are not bound by this law. Non-profit rescues/shelters and municipal ‘shelters’ can be prosecuted under animal cruelty statues, although they seldom are, but it takes a strong, ethical prosecutor to go after them, and I’m glad Gallipolis city has one.
Pretty important to know who trained them. If three “trained” officers from one agency were performing euthanasia incorrectly, it’s important to know if they were trained together. Any licensed veterinarian is approved to “certify” humane workers to perform the procedure. Some national groups offer the training, too. This is too bizarre. They were doing it wrong, repeatedly. How could they not know?
This absolutely makes me sick to my stomach. There is no reason other than they enjoyed the torture and killing of these animals. They need to be taken off the streets and put away for a long, long time. This is not a case of being poorly trained. They enjoy killing!
RIP – these animals will never again know the cruelty of man
We have a very similar major issue here in Canon City, CO. at the Humane Society of Fremont County. A group of us ere have spoken up at City Council meetings and a television station has followed this for a while. seems as though it has been swept under the rug. I keep hoping that some organization could be appointed to investigate these so-called shelters.
I keep a candle lit for all of these defenseless, voiceless, and innocent animals, these souls that have suffered at the cruel minds and hands of ruthless individuals. I want nothing more than these individuals replaced with caring people that are interested in the welfare of our innocent animals. RIP sweet angels~~~Run Free!
It’s so heart-wrenching to read of these cases. It’s equally painful to know that the cases that make the news are just the tip of the iceberg. Most violence to and killing of animals is done in secrecy. There is no one to cry and mourn their tragic deaths. The most dangerous predator on earth is a human without a conscience.
I’m sick of the cruelty and abuse these jerks get away with! Who in hell makes the decision to term the staff not guilty and put them back to start the same process all over again! We love the animals, but somehow these assholes don’t know what love and caring is! I really hope that someone with brains and common sense will step up and do the right thing! Animals don’t have a voice, but we do and united we can put the heat on them to do the right thing and end the suffering!
On the Gallia County Animal fb page, someone asked if they had the ability to scan pets for microchips. The answer, “no, unfortunately we don’t.” How can they not have a chip scanner? Did any of the abused and killed dogs have owners?
OMG. They don’t even scan for chips?! That’s … abhorrent.
While I agree fully that it’s unacceptable that the facility has no scanner, I also have to admit it fits the profile. That is, someone who is allegedly strangling dogs WHILE jabbing them in the heart repeatedly with Fatal Plus, knowing they’ve been tagged for rescue – that person could have 100 scanners and 100 owners standing at the lobby counter trying to reclaim their pets and it wouldn’t make one iota of difference.
People keep saying that the guy in charge is a good guy, pro rescue. But he had this monster working for him. The “he’s a good guy” doesn’t add up. And you then throw in the fact that they don’t even own a scanner (the most basic of equipment) and I’m going to have to call bullshit on the “he’s a good guy” thing.
So what happened in this case? The last date I can find on a post is May, 2014, with no info on the disposition of the case.
One found not guilty and the other two received slaps on the wrist.
http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/Ohio-SPCA-Releases-Findings-in-Gallia-Co-Animal-Shelter-Investigation-250904901.html
http://www.mydailysentinel.com/news/news/152737640/Gallia-man-found-not-guilty-for-dog-deaths