After several dogs died at the Huntsville pound in AL this month, the director, who is also a veterinarian, issued a plea for fosters to take dogs. Many of the dogs were suffering from a respiratory virus (vaccination upon intake, anyone?) and a bacterial infection and she wanted them out of the building so her staff could properly clean (maybe they should have been cleaning properly all along?). She told the local news that owners of vaccinated dogs needn’t worry about taking in her sick dogs from her contaminated facility (!) and threatened to kill the dogs if the public didn’t step up. (Thanks Brie and Adrianne for the link.)
The Clayton Co pound in GA killed 23 animals last Thursday, 7 of whom were slated for rescue. The pound director claims he didn’t know the pets were going to rescue and says he’s continuing on his path to making the pound no kill. Which seems to be going super. (Thanks to everyone who sent me this story.)
A rescue volunteer in Macon, GA was arrested on a burglary charge related to her work with the rescue. The group had learned she was keeping animals at an abandoned home without electricity or running water but after she was jailed, the vol refused to reveal the animals’ location. The group was eventually able to find the home and save 15 cats and 1 dog who were left in small carriers inside the hot home. One cat had already died. The vol has been charged with 17 counts of aggravated animal cruelty, all felonies. (Thanks Arlene for the link.)
Scientists agree: everyone loves cute animals, even toddlers. It’s apparently a trait we’re born with, which makes you seriously wonder how pound workers can kill adorable animals for a living instead of doing their actual jobs. (Thanks Valerie for the link.)
In February 1953, one of Ernest Hemingway’s beloved cats was gravely injured. Hemingway shot him to end his suffering then wrote this letter about it.
Cat feeding unit designed for multi-cat homes uses facial recognition software to dispense food fairly and prevent piggy kitties from taking over the world. (Thanks Valerie.)
A dog rescue romance novel, free on Kindle. Alternate titles, I has them: Rawhide and Prejudice, 50 Shades of Bichon Frise, A Walk to Remember for 8 Seconds and Then I Need Another One… (Thanks Karen for the link.)
Housekeeping note: I sincerely wish I could write about all the stories people send me but that just isn’t possible. This is one of the reasons I put up an Open Thread every week or so. Please feel welcome to use the blog’s most recent Open Thread to share stories and links any time. Just because there aren’t enough hours in my day to write about the story you sent does not mean it’s not worth sharing. The Open Thread is the place where you can tell your own animal related story, if you like. To find the current Open Thread, scroll down and locate the Recent Posts section in the sidebar. Click on Open Thread. You are magic.
Re: Clayton County. Partners has a long, ugly history. More than I can get into here. Nutshell: they would raise hundreds of dollars for dogs, then never say where they ended up. They would claim that money for dogs that were adopted by private citizens or killed would be placed into a “general fund”, but would never say how or where it was applied.
I know on more than one occasion they would continue to raise money for a dog that was no longer there, and would delay updating status on dogs to do this (they were the only source for information) They refused to get a not for profit status, because they would be forced to disclose how much money they would get and what they did with it.
Anyone remember Bridges? The GSD that was killed while on a choke pole by the “boarding facility”? That was Partners.
Clayton county kicked them out recently. Because evidence was coming out that they were warehousing dogs in very, very bad conditions out of state. Dogs that they pulled for the pledges. So they may well be trying to get people whipped into a frenzy so they will be allowed back in.
For the record, I am not defending Clayton’s choice to murder these dogs. That was a choice. But I do question the source of this information, and who these so called “rescues” were that pulled those dogs.
The state of Georgia requires that all shelters and animal rescues be licensed by the state’s Dept. of Ag, and the list of licensed rescues is publicly available. There is no Partners With Clayton County Animal Control on that list and their FB page says this about them: “This group is helping animals get adopted/rescued from the Atlanta Metro area by networking/marketing and fundraising for them.” I would like to know what is going on there. It certainly appears that there is a great deal of corruption surrounding the Clayton County AC. However, it would appear that Partners is not licensed to be “warehousing” animals, as you claim. So, was there another, licensed rescue involved in this incident you are describing and blaming on Partners?
They have/had people (most of whom were out of state) claiming to be a rescue to take the dogs. They were dumped and not cared for. Those operating Partners knew how to twist the laws in their favor. They didn’t take the dogs officially for themselves. But they were the sole group handling any and all funds. They were also the only ones any rescue could go to in order to pull a dog.
The corruption in Clayton runs deep. And it goes beyond Partners. My point is, this is not an innocent rescue with only the best intentions for the animals calling out a bad AC. This is a group concerned only with money trying to force their way back in. And I question if there were any official rescue pulls at all.
Out of state rescues need a license to pull. Whoever is doing the pulling needs a license. Licensed rescues should be able to work directly with the AC without a middleman required if they so desire.
Thank you for the story about Hemingway. Even already knowing how much he loved his cats, this gives me a new appreciation for him.
Here’s something on the internet that’s so not a treat: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/29/houston-cop-forces-family-to-leave-blind-chihuahua-at-roadside-to-die-in-traffic-stop/
My blood boils …
More on Clayton: http://www.news-daily.com/news/2014/jul/29/animal-control-we-did-not-throw-out-group
The group that took on the cats from the arrested volunteer, Macon Purrs N Paws, could really use some help. The bills are going to be really high and they are reaching out to anyone who can lend a hand or a dollar. Their facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/maconpurrs in case anyone can help.
Every negative thing said about Partners with Clayton County Animal Control is right on the money.It is horrible and the media is pandering to Partners and the animals pay the price.