Barrow County Animal Control Officer Danyal Harper has been on the job for nine years and was promoted to director of the long-troubled Georgia pound on March 25. Then an anonymous tipster sent screencaps of ACO Harper’s Photobucket account to the local news and all hell broke loose. So what was ACO Harper posting on Photobucket? Compassionate people will find these descriptions difficult to read:
The first item was a short clip from a You Tube music video about a board game called “Euthanasia!” that “makes you want to kill your pets.”
When a character on the video asks, “What am I going to do with all these kittens?” the other players respond, “Euthanasia!” And on the game board is a silver device called “The Pound” where the plastic kittens are dropped to their deaths.
Harper also posted an actual photo of a dog copulating with a duck; a photo of two gun-toting GI Joe dolls in camouflage standing on the carcass of a dead squirrel; two photos of “Free Cat” roadside signs posted next to dead cats; and a poster of a kitten that states: “KITTENS. You have to love them. God knows you’ve killed so many already.”
More:
One of the posts includes a satirical advertisement for a Cat Carrier— a contraption with a “stabilizer screw” on one end and muzzle on the other— that’s designed to transport a cat. An “endorsement” states that the device helps mold the cat “into a well-mannered creature God intended.”
Another is a photo of a dead cat with a sign pointing to it saying “Free Cat” and underneath is written “Charitability: At least your heart is in the right place.”
Although news outlets characterized the disturbing images as “dark humor” and “off-color”, there is no indication from ACO Harper as to whether he thought the images were dark, funny, some kind of turn-on, or anything else since he emptied his Photobucket account and hid from reporters:
11 Alive went by the animal control office where we were told Harper was on duty, but that he did not want to comment on the controversial pictures.
At a hastily called meeting yesterday, the Barrow Co Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to yank ACO Harper’s promotion. But he’s still the senior ACO for the county because, you know, it’s not clear whether the postings are indicative of any really serious problems. In order to determine that, the county will investigate itself.
I am not a psychiatrist but I get gallows humor. Totally. I have many years of experience with it as a coping mechanism. This ain’t that. Anyone who reads the descriptions and/or sees these images should be immediately struck by how NOT THAT they are. Why is Barrow Co still paying this guy to handle animals? Would any of the county commissioners like to volunteer their kids or grandkids to be under this ACO’s care? Perhaps a kiddie camping trip in the woods with ACO Harper, just to show the community they have full faith in the guy? [tumbleweed]
(Thank you Clarice for the links.)
Doesn’t take much to see that this is one sick person. He clearly gets off on this sort of thing and, besides that, has absolutely no sense that it’s offensive and, well, just sick. I cannot imagine that he is allowed to work with any living being. Betcha if you looked, you’d find that he tortured and killed animals as a young boy and has continued that. This guy needs some serious help – not a job working with animals. I haven’t read anything quite this scary in a long time. We’ll be hearing more about him.
Just left a comment on the linked story. Surprisingly, I was the first one! That’s scary, too.
My heart is pounding and my throat is constricting–reactions from reading this. I recently moved to GA with my family of rescues…
I am so thankful for the anonymous tipster.
This man is sick. And they promoted him to AC Director last week! Who’s been watching him and this facility and the animals…UGH. You know he’s an abuser…is he from Memphis? They are considering firing him? Considering??
Kind of hard to get your brain around this, isn’t it?
He should have already been been fired and put to sleep himself. The world has no use for people like this.
Words again fail me, so they might not promote the sociopath but don’t want to fire him? Brilliant call, just the kind of person you want in a position of power over helpless sentient beings. I”m not going to sleep tonight thinking of this.
this man is a sicko and he should not be allowed to do anything at all with animals.
My job used to be almost entirely Hospice work, which meant usually within a few months the person I was caring for was dead. I get dark humor, sometimes it’s the only thing that can get you through a rough night.. however, like you I feel as if this is crossing the line.
I hope this guy gets in trouble but as the past has shown us these people tend to get away with murder.
More troubling that this psychopath’s demented fantasies is the fact that THEY’RE STILL EMPLOYING HIM TO WORK WITH COMPANION ANIMALS: HOW SICK AND TWISTED IS THAT??!!
Is there something in the water, or have they simply inbred for far too long???
Why can’t the superiors recognize a sick sociopath? He needs to be fired, period! This is not what a shelter is meant to be! Anyone who gets a kick out of killing helpless animals is a sick bastard and he should be removed totally!
AC Officer Harper has resigned.
http://m.onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-04-04/barrow-county-animal-control-officer-resigns-wake-photo-scandal
Pathetic, offensive, and disturbing! Is it any wonder this country’s “shelter” system is so horribly fucked up?!