The sucksational Coffee Co pound in TN is once again in the news. Animal advocates recently attended a public county meeting to voice serious concerns about how dogs are being treated at the pound. Among the allegations being made against the two man operation:
- Dogs are being starved.
- Cages are being hosed and bleached with dogs inside the cages, even in winter, causing icicles to form on the dogs’ fur and their feet to burn.
- The two ACOs ride around the county together “on calls” all day long, leaving the facility mostly unattended and numerous calls unanswered.
Area advocates would like to be allowed to volunteer at the pound in order to help walk and socialize dogs and to make sure they are fed properly. Pound director Kevin Brown warned any potential volunteers that if they convince the county to implement a volunteer program, they will all be under his authoritah and he might not let them interact with the dogs at all. He might just have them painting walls or whatever he feels like ordering the peons to do since he has absolute power. And they can’t say a thing about it because he is King Sucksauce.
(Sidenote: Why are the directors of every frelling hole from hell “shelter” obsessed with putting fresh paint on the walls? Does huffing that new paint smell make watching pets suffer more exciting? WHAT. IS. IT?)
Commissioner Steven Jones was unmoved by the photographs and vet bills presented by rescuers as evidence of dogs being starved – a problem the county held an “emergency” meeting about in December which still hasn’t been remedied:
“The mayor and I have been out there and every time we have the bowls have always been full of food,” said Jones.
Oh really. So let’s break this down:
- Evidence of dogs starving.
- Bowls always full of food.
I’m no county commissioner but it seems to me that if dogs are leaving bowls full of food to sit there, that food has got to be so contaminated that even a starving dog won’t touch it. Are the bowls “cleaned” with bleach the way the cages are – that is, the bleach is left to sit there and do its corrosive thing? Are these always-full food bowls sprayed with water/bleach/waste during cage cleaning like the dogs are? Does anyone check if the food in the bowls is moldy or wormy or otherwise needs to be dumped?
As far as the unanswered calls to help animals in need, the King does not wish to be disturbed:
Brown said he did not want calls forwarded from the shelter landline to his work cell phone to make up for employee absence at the shelter because they receive too many calls.
Plus it sounds like work. Slippery slope there.
Anyhoo the county is going to buy the pound a scale and a color printer to aid in the documentation process for impounded animals. So they can document dogs being starved, I guess. Apparently after the last rabble rousing, the county bought a giant board for the ACOs to write dog information on. That’s reportedly still sitting there, new in the box. Maybe they can add the scale and the printer and make some sort of artistic installation, if it pleases the king.
(Thanks Devry and Clarice for the link.)
Those voicing their concerns and gathering evidence should not give up and continue to be strong. The food bowls may always be full when Commissioner Steven Jones and the mayor visit if their visit is not unannounced. Perhaps word is given that Commissioner Steven Jones and the mayor will be visiting so bowls are filled prior to arrival…and/or they’re liars.
Do not give up. This king of horrors and his minions need to be thrown out of the kingdom. Bet they don’t do much in the way of adoptions or work with rescues. Can’t have the irresponsible public witnessing all of the abuse and neglect. Damn them all!
Sounds like an asshole on a power trip.
You know, when we brought concerns about how visitors to the shelter were being treated (ignored, curt behavior, unhelpful staff) to the county administrator, he was shocked. After all, every time HE’D been down to the shelter, the staff was always courteous and accommodating. We pointed out that as their BOSS, he was probably getting a different view of things than Joe Public was. He wasn’t entirely sure that that was the case…
So, the question is, are the County Commissioners here complicit in the abuse or just willfully ignorant? Someone needs to ask them that in the next public meeting.
Outrageous. They really should NOT be called “shelters.” I was fighting them back when they were called pounds (for impound facility). About 35 years ago, knowing the power of words, the people who run these hell holes decided to change what their hell holes are called, instead of cleaning up their act. So they came up with the word “shelter,” and “animal CARE and control” to spiff up their image. They no doubt saw how corrupted alleged “humane” societies and “SPCA’S” were getting donations pouring in from people who responded to the false P.R.
Now, having worked for two city governments, and dealt with the mayors, city councils, city managers, county supervisors, etc., I’ve come to realize that majority of these people care about their own advancement, their image, their money, doing what will get them re-elected, what will get them the perks, etc. Dealing in truth, and doing what is right, is not on their agenda. I was naive 40 years ago, thinking that if we got rid of the decompression chamber, the cruel, selfish people would go away with them. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. One man said to me, “I can appreciate what you are trying to do, but it is like trying to roller skate uphill. That’s OK. As long as we are really AWARE of what’s going on, we can keep holding these vacuous people’s feet to the fire until they are compelled to do the right thing, in spite of themselves. Or, wouldn’t it be nice if we could overthrow the political agendas and replace them all with real human beings.
Pound director and his side kick need replacing. That is ridiculous. Use county lock up folks to pain idiot. Volunteers are there for the animals. What is wrong with you people? Takes two to go on a ride around town? They need to be drug tested for weed and meth. There should never be.a time when the shelter is closed or off limits to the public. Me”irule here” needs to learn.yhat taxpayers are paying his salary and thus are his bosses!
I keep wondering if there are any laws that protect shelter animals. I know there are animal cruelty laws that are sometimes enforced, sometimes ignored for the public but isn’t there any sop for shelters?
I have never had a job that simply consisted of what was easy if I felt like it that day.
I have always been accountable to someone, how do I get one of these jobs where I can decline to do most of it, do some of it very poorly and still pull down a paycheck?
These “shelters” are nothing more than Death Camp Prisons, and it’s the dog breeders and puppy millers who should instead be “living” in those cages! When will those in power get a brain and put an end to the licensing of puppy mills and dog/cat breeders and SHUT THEM ALL DOWN so that people can finally get a handle on this horrific homeless animal problem and put an END to this sadistic killing machine these POUNDS are and always have been? Poor sweet dogs, by the trillions…each and every frightened, innocent one…having been murdered in those places after sentences of misery. This is so damned criminal that there are no words strong enough! I DESPISE DOG BREEDERS and they’ve got to STOP.
How can you look at this story and blame breeders? It’s not an “overpopulation” issue here. It’s sadisitic assholes who want to joyride all over creation and refuse to do anything they are paid to.
Trillions? Please provide a legitimate source with throughly vetted research showing where even one trillion animals have been killed in animal controls in recent times.
We have have dozens, if not hundreds, of “rescues” importing animals into the US daily. Yet somehow, they are NEVER to blame for American animals being killed. Only breeders. Because, there is a magic wand that will give us dogs in 20 years if ALL breeding ends now.
All animals have to come from somewhere.
You might want to address who you’re talking to, Alice.
From the ASPCA: “Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).” That means in a hundred years we’ve murdered about 270 million dogs & cats for being “extra.” So, “trillions” was an exaggeration, big freaking deal. Each and every life brought into this world for the “pet” trade and then horribly taken and discarded like trash is a crime that defies any numbers.
Are you actually defending the practice of people breeding more dogs & cats into this godforsaken world? If so you are a despicable human being and probably a breeder. If so, recheck what I said about breeders and realize you have no business be talking to me.
Alice shouldn’t get such a nasty reply. Not everyone wants – nor should they have to – to get a dog or cat from a shelter. Purposeful breeding, done by those who actually give a damn – so NOT puppy millers and idiot backyarders who only see a dog as a source of money, not a valuable member of the family – is not the problem. Many people, for very good reasons, want a particular breed of dog or cat, and their reasons (hopefully well-thought out ones) shouldn’t automatically get them labelled as bad people. When I was younger, if I’d had the right situation, I would have done whatever I could have to find a good, ethical breeder of a very high quality Rottweiler, and I would have paid a lot of money for one. Why? Because just picking one up from someone who advertised on Craigslist that they had ‘huge, bad-ass’ Rotties (I’ve actually seen those words and similar used), is NOT the smart thing to do with a number of breeds.. If I had wanted a dog to do a specific task or hobby, I should be able to find the right dog, from the right place, and get one as a puppy, or an adult, because I could know more about its background and temperment than I would if I’d gone to a shelter, where they might know nothing about any of the dogs there.
I have gotten 11 dogs in the past 21 years (have 4 right now) – 6 have been purebreds, and the rest mixes, and 3 were actually picked up on the streets of various Cleveland neighborhoods (and all were ‘rescues’ of various kinds), so it’s not that I am some kind of ‘purebreed snob’ but I do understand and support ethical breeders and those who have reasons of their own to get a specific breed. They aren’t bad people, and I hate when others insist everyone should HAVE TO get every dog from a shelter, no matter what.
How many people started ranting about breeders and “trillions” being killed? On a post about bastards going on joyrides rather than keeping the “shelter” open none the less. Their behavior would be the same if there is one or one hundred dogs in there. They and their enablers alone are to blame.
By the way, “exaggeration” is a big deal. If you ever want to be taken seriously you have to have proven facts behind you. Not hysterical rants that more than ten fould reality.
You mean the ASPCA that loves to take donations, but gives 1% at most to animals in need? Oh yes, such a reliable source there. It’s not like they have an interest in making people open their wallets. Oh wait.
Do you realize there are laws requiring certain bloodlines for dogs if any evidence gathered is to be used in court? Do you realize some humans lives depend on service animals? Animals that have be bred to have certain traits and be trained from birth? Guess where they come from. Breeders.
I am defending people reponsbly ensuring there will be animals for me to have in my life 20 years from now. Because I for one did take elementary school biology and know they have to come from somewhere. No, I am not a breeder. I am a rescuer. A rescuer who is sick of people importing thousands of unvetted animals into this country in the name of “rescue”, all the while blaming breeders who are not displacing any animal.
Some people want a certain breed of animal. They want to make sure the animal they take into their home will fit and be there for the entire lifetime of the animal. No amount of ranting and raving will change that. No amount of screaming “adopt don’t shop” is going to get people looking for a Japanese Chin to take a bully type with no known history.
You know what else drives people to breeders? Rescues. Rescues who come up with standards no one can live up to. Rescues who put into contracts they can take an animal back for any reason they want then take said animal for no good reason years down the road. Rescues who steal owned pets from loving homes because they can. Who wants to take in and fall in love with an animal that can be ripped away at any time or is potentially stolen?
Alice, you deceptive, manipulative piece of “work,” it makes no difference that the source of number of animals murdered in shelters worldwide yearly came from ASPCA. It’s simply a statement of fact, not an endorsement of ASPCA, at all. You actually think ANY healthy animals being killed for your convenience and because of your disgusting habit of bringing puppies into this world is justifiable? So, according the the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society, “Number of cats and dogs euthanized by U.S. shelters each year: 3 – 4 million (nearly 10,000 animals killed every day).” That’s in the USA alone, and only in shelters. Many more, and many “purebreds,” are subject to abuse, neglect, all sorts of horrendous fates, because they end up unwanted and dumped out on their own when your customers tire of them. You like those stats better? You disgust me. Special place in hell for animal breeders. Every puppy bred and sold by one of you means another dog dies, and the sorts of people who buy your “product” do not deserve dogs if they can’t take them as is, rescue them, and love them like family. Now, cease and desist from your tirades directed at me, you really have no business doing so. What you need to do instead is get out there and bow and scrape and beg real animal rescuers to forgive you people for causing their lives to be consumed by heartbreak and rescuing homeless dogs, and give them heaps of your ill-gotten money to provide better care for their animals, instead of your outrageously disgusting criticisms of them for being strict when adopting out animals. Un-freaking-believable! You really are despicable.
To correct my misstatements: It’s not “trillions” as stated in my first comment, but millions, as in about 2.7 million dogs & cats deliberately killed because of being homeless in pounds each year in the USA alone. I had written that the 2.7 million killed per year was “worldwide,” but no, that is in the USA only. Thus, every litter of puppies deliberately brought into this world is a crime committed by a cruel and thoughtless malignancy of a human being. The puppies/dogs are no less wonderful and precious and deserving of all things good, always, but the people who bring those angels into this hell have got a whole lot to answer for. Any “real dog rescuer” who views dog breeders as necessary has something seriously twisted going on in his/her mind. Go ahead and ban me from your blog if you hate what I say, but these things must be faced and breeders/exploiters stopped if animals are ever to be properly respected by humans. Until then, “unwanted” dogs/cats will be banished to miserable death prisons run by questionable people, as society thinks of those dogs as trash and the pound the disposal site. That’s the same society breeders are creating all those puppies for.
“Thus, every litter of puppies deliberately brought into this world is a crime committed by a cruel and thoughtless malignancy of a human being. The puppies/dogs are no less wonderful and precious and deserving of all things good, always, but the people who bring those angels into this hell have got a whole lot to answer for.” Laura, you are a nasty person – far more despicable in your irrational hatred and deliberate refusal of any opinion other than your own.
You really aren’t helping your cause as far as being taken seriously. What “product” do I have exactly? How do I have a “habit”? I rescue. My personal pets are altered. Just because I support breeders doesn’t mean I breed.
Go back and read your own posts before you talk about “tirades”. You are the one who started ranting and raving about “trillions” of animals and then use stats from a very shady source. The ASPCA does nothing to help homeless animals. All they do is take money away from true rescue. The same goes for the H$U$.
You do realize the numbers include the hundreds of places like this right? Places that have sociopathic assholes who WANT to kill. Places that never even try to save. Until all of them have been kicked out and there is universal effort to save, you cannot blame breeders. These places kill while kennels sit empty. So it has nothing to do with numbers.
I am a real animal rescuer. I am third generation. I know what real rescue is and it is NOT hysterical ranting and raving about breeders while “rescues” import thousands of unvetted dogs into this country. Those dogs are far more likely to take a place of a dog in a kill facility than any dog from a breeder.
Purebreds are a real thing. They have been a real thing for thousands of years. People are going to want purebreds for thousands of years more. That is something you nor anyone else can ever change.
Alice, since you are a ‘rescuer,’ and not a breeder yourself (I hesitantly take your word for it), why the rabid defense of breeding, and the continued manipulation (selective breeding) of canines to fit the selfish desires of people? Selective breeding and in-breeding has caused a lot of physical problems, and the numbers DO impact the suffering and killing. If the numbers were drastically reduced, there would be no pounds. There really is no such thing as a “purebred” dog, because if one goes back far enough in each “breed,” there is a mixture going on. People want what they call “purebreds” (those whose genetics have been purposely tampered with) for self-centered reasons, from whatever service the dog can provide to them, to just simply what the dog looks like. People’s egocentrism is a universal theme, from how we treat all the animals, to using each other. If all the breeding stopped completely, and all dogs went extinct, it would be better for them than the utter misery so many millions of them endure to their their dying day. But I know that it’s a losing battle to expect the selfishness to end. The world is also overpopulated (by a couple billion) homo-sapiens, too, but trying to dissuade people from enthusiastically reproducing is also impossible.
Sue, you are obviously entitled to your opinions, uninformed as they may be, but you are not entitled to treat anyone disrespectfully here. tbh, I’m not sure why you are here since you apparently disagree with everyone and everything, include the basic premise of this blog. If you are just here to troll, that is not allowed. If you are here bc you believe you can get us all to change our beliefs if you repeat enough wrongisms and be mean to people, I can tell you that’s not going to work. Cease and desist. One time warning.
There is no excuse or forgiving of an establishment, that is responsible for the humane treatment and care of its residents, to do the exact opposite of its duty. Animals have rights. They should not be mistreated, especially by those who are tasked to prevent them from being mistreated.
@YesBiscuit: I believe you’re mistaking Sue for me…I’m the “unacceptable troll” you seem to be referring to. And if you’re in defense of anonymous “Alice” and dog breeding, and find anything I or Sue said as wrong, then what’s up with that? Alice seems so proud of her so-called “third generation” tradition of being “in animal rescue”…as if it’s a desirable and fun hobby, something she hopes to share with a 4th, 5th, 6th generation…and on and on. Who wants that? It’s: “Heck, let’s all hope dogs continue to be born at a rate than will never even remotely match the number of real homes available and that they continue being dumped and roaming the streets (such as in Detroit and Houston!) and subject to nightmarish unspeakable abuse and deaths, outside of lack of shelter, lack of love, fear, desperation, and starvation, all while breeders continue deliberately creating more puppies for fun and profit, just so we can have this fun, self-fulfilling hobby. Hooray!” Then these “Alices” can make themselves feel good by pointing only at the horrible shelter operators/workers and blaming them for those hell holes existing and for seeing wonderful dogs as nothing more than things to be made dead and gotten rid of to make room for continually more and more and more. WHILE BREEDERS KEEP ON BREEDING DOGS. And Alice doesn’t like strict adoption rules either and hates when rescuers bring in foreign dogs such as those from China which makes her good ol’ USA hobby a bit less fun & jolly. That sounds like a real rescuer to you? Now, if you have a problem with what I said, you’re free to delete it all, I do not care. Your “warning” would have been directed at Alice for defending breeders if you were thinking clearly and honestly.
Laura, you are speaking as if you, and you alone (okay, Sue is chiming in with you), have every right answer and anyone who thinks differently is not only uniformed, but a bad person. Dial back your vitriol – it doesn’t help your cause to be so sanctimonious.
Laura wrote:
Let’s be clear: I do not hate, or disagree with, or whatever way you want to frame it, what you say. I am flat out telling you that what you are saying is wrong. Not a matter of opinion, not a viewpoint – your facts are wrong. In addition, your behavior here is terrible. Straighten up and fly right.
@YesBiscuit (and exclusive clique): Go ahead and point out one wrong fact other than the “trillions” (which is probably true in number of dogs killed for convenience throughout human history) and “worldwide” as opposed to “USA only,” which were both corrected by me. And the approximate 3 million or so healthy dogs killed in USA shelters alone each year only shows that things are even worse than I suspected…the number worldwide must be far beyond staggering and horrifying. Since even ONE healthy dog of any kind killed for being homeless is too many!
The only “terrible behavior” here is your and your friends’ subtle yet evidently vehement support of dog breeders as a needed part of society, while they should not be tolerated by even ONE animal rescuer or any decent person anywhere. If, as evidenced by your statements, you have a soft spot for puppy breeders and think this world is a great place to continually bring more dogs into, do state it openly and explain why you hold that position. It’s popular in the “no kill” community to say that there’s no dog overpopulation…which I’ll bet the breeders love. But it is simply a huge lie.
It’s not enough to self-righteously commiserate with your friends here and say how terrible the dog death prisons are while doing nothing to stop the flow of puppies deliberately brought into this world. Good homes are too hard to come by for dogs/cats as it is, and with the constant influx from breeders and mills it makes things many times much more horrible. As long as everyone is tolerating and even appreciating dog/cat breeders, “my cause,” as you and your friends refer to it, is utterly impossible. It should be YOUR cause too, and the cause of all dog/animal lovers. Dogs should be very hard to come by, only in the most loyal, responsible and loving of homes, and those people in those homes do not think of dogs as things to manufacture specific to whims or to buy and sell.
And I’m already straight and flying right. Perhaps you need to follow your own advice.
I don’t feel as though I treated anyone disrespectfully. I am allowed to use the word “selfish,” am I not? Because, that’s as harsh as I got, and I do believe that many people are succumbing to their own selfish desires instead of considering each and every one of these animals’ lives. I’ve been an activist since 1972, and in the 70’s I was asked to be a county pound inspector under the direction of supervisor Baxter Ward. For what reason, I am not sure, because nothing was done to improve the situation for all those animals – frightened, suffering, and being killed for no reason. Breeding does, indeed, contribute to the problem. Many of my rescues were purpose bred dogs (sold for hundreds of dollars, and then horrifically abused, and in the shadow of death), but I obviously could not take them all, and far more of them suffer and perish than breeders care to admit. I understand Laura’s anger and frustration, because she is also an activist who cares deeply about each and every one of these poor souls, who are victims of the general apathy, and (I’ll mention it again) selfishness.
Well, if I have sheep and I want a dog to work those sheep, I’m very likely to purchase a purpose-bred dog for the job. I don’t think that makes me selfish, but maybe you do. That’s okay.
But the idea of grouping people into categories is problematic, since many good breeders are also rescuers…
So, I have to say, yes, I am VERY against some breeders – Hunte Corp et. al. along with Joe Amish for whom dogs are simply livestock upon which to make money. These aren’t so much breeders as “producers”.
But am I going to vilify the guy who has been working on his breed lines’ health and temperament and working ability diligently for decades and now is breeding dogs of such quality that he has a waiting list three years out for his puppies? This man who offers health guarantees, a lifetime take back plan for all dogs, and he does breed rescue on the side – is he a bad person contributing to the deaths of dogs in shelters? No, he is not.
But let’s be clear, when a dog ends up in a shelter – be he purpose-bred or back yard pup or mill mongrel – that dog deserves to be treated humanely and with every effort to get that dog back out of the shelter alive and well. Because the MOMENT that dog crosses the threshold of that shelter, he is the shelter’s responsibility. And the choices made there have NOTHING to do with breeders, irresponsible public, or any other damn thing – all choices made in the shelter regarding that dog’s safety and well-being are ON THE SHELTER STAFF. And if that dog ends up dead, that has ZERO to do with breeders. Zero. And everything to do with the people at the shelter. Everything.
Yes, I do. I’ve always had both feet planted in rescue. Many of the dogs I rescued who were purpose bred never were in a “shelter” (and I don’t consider them shelters). One was put on a chain, beaten, kicked and starved almost to death (a Great Dane, actually purchased from a breeder who lived just blocks from me, went to a different city and was then dumped in horrific shape at a veterinarian’s office back in our city), another was also frequently chained, and kicked often, also had an eye infection from having his head shoved in holes that he dug for entertainment while chained (a Scottish terrier, purchased and then given as a gift. The owner had threatened to kill him, and his stepdaughter, afraid that he would go that extra step, finally stole the dog from the home and met me at another location). A German shepherd, purchased by one of those military macho types (like the police and sheriffs who torture their K9’s behind the scenes) and then kept tied to a fence out in the blistering heat and the driving rain, short enough to the fence that he had to stay sitting until the “owner” retrieved him for whatever event, or “training” he wanted to take him to. The person (a relative) who reported it to me said she couldn’t take it anymore. The dog was suffering and crying. So many others…., so many not being saved. As long as people consider them something to be manipulated, designed, etc., to serve one’s own purposes, instead of a soul inhabiting a body (no matter what kind of body) that is suffering – as long as they are seen as something that may be used, instead of beings who deserve happiness, and can be chosen for certain traits. Well, when that perception is translated into the same thing with people, it’s called eugenics.
What you describe has nothing to do with breeding and everything to do with people being assholes.
My county prosecuted a case of cruelty. The dog was a Pit Bull mix. Who was adopted from a rescue group. This dog was locked in a tiny cage and starved.
The point is, abuse and cruelty have nothing to do with the dog. And everything to do with humans.
But you must remember that for every asshole out there, there are 20 decent people doing decent things. And some of those things involve dogs.