Perry, OK Asplains Pile of Dead Dogs Behind Pound

After photos of dirty kennels and decomposing dog carcasses behind the pound in Perry, Oklahoma were posted on social media, area residents were outraged.  The Perry ACO explained to the local news that he normally buries the dogs killed at the pound but the hole digging thingy broke so he had to use a pit to toss the bodies in and wait until the pit was full before covering it over.  Also:  he took the job to “help animals”.

Not to be outdone, the city manager issued the following statement:

There have been some disturbing and disgusting photos from the City of Perry’s animal shelter posted on Facebook, the worst being dead dogs in various states of decomposition. I want to assure Perry residents that the these conditions are being addressed.

For the last several months, the city of Perry has been working with a group of local volunteers to improve the conditions at the shelter. This volunteer group is now organized as the Perry Humane Society, and their concern for humane treatment of animals is to be commended. Their willingness to be part of the solution in addressing issues at the shelter is very welcome. With the help of city funding, private donations, and volunteer time and effort, an addition to the existing animal shelter building is under construction. When the addition in completed, there will be runs to allow the animals to go in and out of the building and will be a major improvement over what we have now.

The City of Perry encourages responsible pet ownership. Unfortunately that isn’t always the case. When Animal Control picks up animals, their goal is to reunite animals with their owners or find new responsible owners. Euthanizing animals is done as a last resort and is handled by a local veterinarian. As I understand the procedure, two injections are given. One to sedate the animal and the second to put it to sleep. It is done as humanely as possible, but is not a pleasant part of their job.

The City has been exploring alternatives to disposing of euthanized animals. I was contacted by the city of Stillwater about a month ago offering Perry their old incinerator that is due to be replaced. We will evaluate its condition and whether it is a viable and cost-effective alternative. Other alternatives for disposing of euthanized animals are also being discussed.

The Perry Humane Society has also been assisting Animal Control by helping advertise animals at the shelter available for adoption. Animal Control has also been releasing animals to the Humane Society that are available for adoption to responsible owners instead of having to be euthanized. Unfortunately, not all dogs are good candidates to be released for adoption. Because of the liability that the City of Perry bears for animals that are released to someone other than their owner, we use our best judgment and a lot depends on the age of the animal. If we err, it is going to be on the side of caution.

My message today is to let Perry citizens know that the City of Perry has been addressing the conditions at the Animal Control Shelter and will continue that effort with the help and involvement of the Perry Humane Society.

So basically:

• There’s going to be a new addition to the killhole.  (New things fix everything, even lack of compassion!)
• The public is irresponsible.
• The homeless animals are killed humanely, probably.
• The city might start incinerating dead pets instead of leaving them out back to rot, if it’s cheap enough.  If not, they’ll find some other cheap way to get rid of the bodies.  Because there are gonna be bodies.  Lots.
• The city is letting rescuers save some dogs but is refusing to allow other dogs a chance to live, based mainly upon age.  If the city makes a mistake in its most excellent judgment (on age, I guess), better to kill an animal than risk allowing him to live and uh, age.
• Everything’s fine, move along.

Welp, totes reassured over here.  Sounds like the experts are ON IT.

(Thanks Clarice for the links.)