A group of 12 shelter animal advocates in Florida sent a letter to the governor and the state attorney general requesting an investigation of Putnam Co Animal Control for animal cruelty and other illegal acts. Among the allegations made in the letter:
- Animals are left to suffer in cages without treatment for serious injuries and illnesses. Some of them have suffered to death.
- Animals are killed via “cruel and barbaric methods” including heartstick without sedation.
- Dogs are left in the cages while they are being pressure washed.
- ACOs have taken pets from their yards and listed them as stray.
- Animals are not scanned for microchips upon intake.
- Microchipped/tagged animals are “routinely” killed without ever contacting the owners.
- Friendly animals are labeled aggressive and killed.
- Animals who have rescues or adopters on the way are killed.
- Animals are killed while cages sit empty.
- Sick animals are not isolated and the facility is not properly cleaned on a daily basis.
- Donated vaccines were left untouched in the refrigerator until they expired while county officials claimed that consistent vaccination upon intake has not been possible due to lack of vaccines.
- Repeated offers of veterinary care from various members of the community have been refused.
- Donated medicine and equipment have gone unused.
The letter specifically mentions that previous efforts to address the issues on a local level have failed. It sounds like at least one local official has read the complaint and swiftly issued a meh:
Brian Hammons, the director of Putnam County planning and development services who oversee the animal shelter says it has received the letter and had no plans on acting on it. And had no further comment.
I am not a public official so maybe I’ve got this all wrong buuuut: If I received a letter signed by 12 of my constituents alleging criminal acts being committed on a daily basis at a facility I’m in charge of, I’d be inclined to say something to the media that at least gave the impression I was vaguely concerned. Even if I wasn’t. Even if I had zero intention of performing due diligence and was content to let the alleged criminal acts continue unchecked. Even if my only action plan in response to the letter was to fold it up and use it as a coaster for my coffee, I do believe I’d try to avoid letting on about that publicly. Just to keep my job maybe. Or is Brian Hammons the One True King of Putnam Co?
(Thanks to everyone who sent me this story.)
First thing in the AM. Another HORROR story about animal abuse that is so sick.
Hammons, another worthless ASSHOLE, Just don’t understand how this kind of
thing happens. He is only one person and that’s a really large city.
Get people together and do something.
The only thing I can guess is that he has powerful backing from somewhere that he is able to be so blase about torturing and killing animals in his “care”. I hope the people who truly care will continue their efforts to shine a light on this cesspool.
There always seems to be apathy on the part of the officials overseeing ACs in this state. Doesn’t matter what the issue brought forth is, it is always met with “but we are already doing the best we can, we can’t possibly consider anything our citizens suggest”.
I say that as someone who has lived here almost eight years, not someone elsewhere looking down her nose at a southern state.
This is the pound that shows up frequently in my “networking” for cats. “Not visible to public; sits at the end of a dirt road beside the county landfill; run by the sheriff’s dept.” I have it memorized, like the faces of the cats, most of whom don’t make it out alive. And, I presume, end up in that landfill. Convenient.
Keep at it — be relentless — do NOT let them get away with their cruelty and horror — LIVES ARE AT STAKE! — Continue to speak out and tell everyone you know — each and every day do SOMETHING to bring this much needed change at this facility — who in the hell do these humans think they are?! — make them change or SHUT THEM DOWN — Animals at shelters are to be protected and held until adopted out into a caring situation — Get rid of those monsters in charge — this savagery against animals will continue UNLESS we stop the idiots dead in their tracks — they have no right to abuse and kill animals! BRING THEM DOWN! DO NOT GIVE UP!
AMEN to you Mari…They need stopped.
They probably need to go to the County Commissioners or whoever is above the Pound manager. The Governor is probably not going to do anything.
This is the same AC that Shirley posted the picture last year about where to take the dead animals killed in the field. I believe from what I’ve read the people have gone to the BOCC for years and nothing changes.
We ARE continuing this fight. That it has finally gotten media coverage is nothing short of a miracle. It is not Salmons alone. It is the Putnam County Board of County Commissioners. It’s rural Florida at its worst. Animals are not valued. The horrors that occur DAILY at PCAC (Putnam County Animal Control, aka the “shelter”) are numerous and never-ending. IF you wish to help us, please write to Gov. Rick Scott at email: rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com and tell him to investigate! The “shelter” is at the local landfill and the animals are given toxic water from the landfill well to drink. No vaccines (e.g., parvo) upon intake. No veterinary evaluations ever! If injured when they arrive, they stay like that until they are pulled by a rescue group or are “euthanized” by HEART STICK with NO ANESTHESIA. Yes. This fetid hell hole does nothing to nurture a lost or abandoned or unwanted animal. Parvo breaks out with alarming regularity — the place is loaded with feces and urine — and they can’t wait to KILL any dog that even looks ill. It is backwards, hateful, stingy, ignorant, cruel, evil. And heart-breaking. We are working every angle we can with NO COOPERATION. Shutting it down? Just this week SAFE–St. Augustine and NE Fla. Humane Society merged to open a real shelter in Hollister, FL, not far from Palatka and IN Putnam County. No idea what impact this will have. We need HELP to keep attention ON county officials. This struggle has been on-going for years. And still they KILL, NEGLECT, ABUSE, IGNORE, LIE, and DISTORT. Where do citizens go when they government is corrupt? You tell me. Thanks for reading.
Please keep trying to shut this shelter down. I will do what I can
Some of those accusations are not right. This one – ‘ACOs have taken pets from their yards and listed them as stray.’ No.. I don’t buy that. I also don’t buy that they don’t scan each animal for chips?
I’m not sure what you don’t buy, but I have no problem believing these things happen. They shouldn’t but they do.
Oh, please! LOTS of ‘shelters’ don’t scan for microchips, citing pitiful-ass ‘reasons’ such as “the animals won’t stand still” “we don’t know what to do with the number that comes up” “we can’t take the time” “scanner needs batteries” and lots of others. As for taking animals out of their yards, yes, that happens in places as well. Just because YOU don’t believe something doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Before I was given proof I didn’t believe a lot of stupid, horrible things happened in the world. Then I turned 8 and started learning Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny weren’t real, and there are people who beat the shit out of their own children on a regular basis, and I also learned that denying that bad things happen doesn’t make them not real and likely to happen again, and again, and again. The only way to stop a particular bad thing from happening is to admit it does happen and then commit to getting help to fix that one bad thing, and moving on to the next bad thing you can help with.
My shelter only scanned dogs. Dogs are licensed and bring in county money. Cats did not get scanned, ever. Couldn’t be bothered.
There is no regard for the sanctity of innocent lives. That they can be treated like trash without any conscience speaks ill of them, the state of Florida and our country. When animals lives are diminished, as they are in this facility, as they are in factory farms, it speaks ill of our society as a whole.
Sounds to me like they have been dick licking the ones that can actually stop this from happening. I would get the media involved and have them on this brian Hammons day and night like he was some big celebrity. Please don’t let them get away with this abuse and cruelty any longer. This sounds about like the kill shelter in New York. Thank you for all you are doing and I hope the ones who are allowing this to happen and the ones that are actually involved in the act are get what’s coming to them. Only sick people could involve themselves in such heiness acts.
What ever it takes-Save these precious animals and shut this place down!!!! Arrest all in charge for animal abuse………
Please have a heart! These animals don’t ask to be in the shelter. It is only through the fault of us humans they wind up there. Most people don’t realize animals experience the same feelings humans do. How would you like to be tortured in such a manner? Please investigate Putnam Co. Pound. These poor animals do not deserve to be treated this way.
This man needs to lose his position and someone else put in charge that will follow the rules. The first priority is to the animals that are suffering, needing forever homes. Geet his poor attitude out of there! Also he should be taken to court for his abuse.
Hello, all, I am a reporter for WUFT News in Gainesville, and was wondering if any of you had any direct personal experience with any of the accusations of the shelter and would be willing to speak to me about it. Thank you.
Sydney Zaruba
sydneyzaruba@gmail.com