The city of Brinkley, Arkansas has fired its sole employee who was paid to work at the pound after a dog was found starving in the facility. The German shepherd dog called Lucy had been in the pound since June and was taken by a rescuer last week. A vet determined she was 30 pounds underweight and sick. Brinkley mayor Billy Hankins was shown pictures of Lucy and swiftly fired the pound employee:
“In no circumstance would I ever do this to an animal, no way. If I had of known about the condition of this dog before the 16th of October, there would have been immediate action,” Hankins said.
The Brinkley city attorney said the city will investigate itself in the matter. But the rescuer is not satisfied and has retained an attorney:
According to the dog rescuer’s attorney, Clint Lancaster, the investigation is not good enough for her.
“My client has given me a recording which I am not authorized to release which tends to indicate that the mayor knew this was going on for [quite some time],” Lancaster said.
Hmm. The two people who volunteer at the pound say they have been locked out for the past month. But now the mayor says he’s meeting with the volunteers about how to improve conditions at the facility and it’s conceivable that the city might go so far as to maybe even paint the place, possibly:
“We’re looking at even painting it, trying to brighten it up, anything that is necessary to make this where we feel like the dogs are safe ,” Hankins said.
You know what would brighten up the Brinkley pound for Lucy? Groceries. Someone doing his job. Unlocking the damn place so volunteers can get in.
But the mayor says not to criticize because actually, they could be worse:
“Once we pick a dog up and impound him, after 5 days if the dog has not been claimed by the owner then we take charge in a humane matter. As far as disposing of the dog, that would be euthanized,” Hankins said.” I might say there has been 50 dogs, at least the report I’m getting, we have saved their lives by not sticking with this ordinance.”
Maybe 50 dogs (somebody said, I think) we let people save, even though we could have killed them under the ordinance we made, but we let the public take them out alive because we’re awesome like that. True, we paid one guy to run the pound while we provided no oversight whatsoever and he wasn’t even managing to throw food down regularly for the animals but hey, we could be even more killy so shut up.
In the meantime, the irresponsible public has removed all the dogs from the Brinkley pound while the city investigates itself and the mayor browses paint color palettes online. The city isn’t taking in more dogs until the current crisis is resolved. Or at least painted over, I guess.
(Thank you Arlene for the link.)
Thankfully, the awesome Jean Harrison of Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has pulled all dogs from this hellhole.
She is an amazing woman. If you want to be informed and entertained, check out their facebook page. I’m not surprised that she has taken the dogs. I hope they shut down that place!
Okay, peeps, this is where you have a chance to really help these dogs. BFDR is taking on some huge responsibilities and financial challenges with 18 dogs, in terrible shape, all heartworm positive, most very fearful. They had to let one go already for severe medical needs and Jean Harrison said that the remaining will likely be in foster care for a long while.
If you are in the Nashville area and can help foster, please go to the BFDR facebook page and let her know you can help. If you aren’t local, please send a small donation to help with these dogs. I know that many of us are really stretched financially, but if everyone sent in a small donation, it would quickly add up.
BFDR will do everything possible to get this facility either fixed or shut down. Let’s support her the best way we can.
Lucy was saved by an Arkansas Rescue. She couldn’t wait on Big Fluffy Dog Rescue. She was dying. http://www.facebook.com/lucygsd
Oh hooray, another city official who is apparently completely okay with mass pet slaughter. If he did indeed know of conditions before this, I hope he is held legally accountable (and his next election is very, very uncomfortable).
This is one of those moments when I can’t tell if the powers that be are actually that stupid or whether they think the public is that stupid. Paint? Is it edible? Because that might be workable.
The answers, or “answers” we get make no logical sense. The volunteers are locked out, the animals were starved but hey, we probably didn’t kill as many of them as we could have. Maybe. So stop paying attention to us, it’s annoying? That’s the answer? Oh, and paint. Umm, yeah.
Beige – lets paint the ceiling beige. I cannot stop laughing at this.
It is really ready for prime time. Put the Mayor on SNL.
I’m sick of the political act of stupidity politicians use to cover their asses! I can’t find a sensible reason for the abuse and neglect! The dogs are of main importance and not the covering their asses! I hope people remember and these bastards are never reelected!
All the investigations occurring need to be established as one main group of individuals who have the animal’s well being as the main objective! Shelters are no longer meeting the reason we have shelters….for taking good care of the animals and helping them find decent homes! However, as crooks will do what’s best for them, they will always find a way to manipulate the system to provide personal gain for themselves!