When June Woodall went to the El Reno pound in Oklahoma to reclaim her family’s lost dog, she found him in terrible condition and took him to her vet. The vet determined he was extremely dehydrated. The dog’s urine was black. He had been at the pound for 2 days because the place is not staffed, making it difficult for the public to get inside.
Ms. Woodall went back to the facility later that week, concerned for the welfare of the pets still housed there. She took video of caged pets in filthy conditions with no water or a very small amount of dirty water. Outside, there were animal bones and piles of fur on the ground near the dumpster.
“So, I posted on Facebook trying to get some help. I called the after-hours number, and they said there’s nothing they can do. The police department answered. They said the guy was off work,” Woodall said.
The police department is responsible for running the pound:
“It’s not manned here, but we have two full-time animal control officers. They’re in and out, dropping off animals and then back out on calls,” said Lt. Greg Meeks with El Reno PD.
With one of those officers on vacation, Meeks said it’s been a tough week.
[..]
He said the animals are fed and provided water daily.
If a dog in your care for 2 days is pissing black, your “daily” watering would appear to be insufficient.
Lt. Meeks also told KFOR that people tie animals outside the facility since it’s usually closed. He says the remains filmed by Ms. Woodall may have been dumped there too.
Maybe, although it seems extremely implausible to me that someone would dump bones and piles of fur next to a dumpster at a pound. Most likely the pets were left there in some other state, prior to the extensive decomposition evident on the video. I guess my question is: How do they know that one or more of those pets were not left there ALIVE, perhaps tied to the dumpster or immobile from injury or old age? They say people leave pets there regularly and they don’t know anything about how the bones got there.
In fact Lt. Meeks told News9:
“People will drop off animals, tie them up to the poles in front of the shelter or just tie them to the door knob or dump them off at the dumpster and we asked they don’t just dump the animals because it may be an hour or so before an animal control officer gets back and we want to make sure the animals are left in a safe manner,” El Reno police Lt. Greg Meeks said.
An hour or so. Bones and fur. Reconcile at will.
Here are a couple of screenshots from the video posted by Ms. Woodall. The first shows kittens who appear to be sick and the second shows dogs in a dirty kennel with what appears to be a gaping hole in the floor, possibly an uncovered drain:
I get someone going on vacation but come the hell on. This place either needs to be staffed properly, possibly with the help of volunteers if the police will unlock the doors, or they need to shut it down. Because this is unacceptable. I hope local residents will demand immediate reform in El Reno.
(Thanks Clarice.)
Another police-run horror show. Great.
Just great.
Demand change and fight for it – that’s the only way it’s going to happen.
As someone who lives in rural Ok and has in the past worked with numerous pounds/shelters in other rural areas all over Ok. This is perfectly NORMAL conditions for the small county pounds. No I am NOT condoning this at all! IT IS ABUSE of the highest order. I ran a rescue that had just been open for ten months and the conditions at this shelter are WORSE than what I am now a convicted felon for! Oklahoma has a dismal record of animal sheltering. As long as someone makes some noise something will be done on the surface but the minute the attention goes somewhere else it will be back to abuse and neglect and animals suffering at the hands of those that are suppose to be “HELPING” them. El Reno is just one of the hundreds of small rural shelters that I have personally seen and condemned! The really really sad part is no human will be made to pay for the abuse and death of these animals
These so called shelters are murdering houses of abuse. All kill shelters need to be closed!
We went no
Kill over 10 years ago and never looked back!
So, you workers there, if we can call you workers- are abusers!
My motto is all abusers must die!
I hope the actual euth doers- i wish their families dead! Sorry! Abusers gotta die!
We don’t wish death on people here Bob. Having an emotional reaction to reports and images of neglect is understandable. But, despite the current environment, there still is a line and wishing death on people crosses it.
I always think I’ve seen the worst then a mess like this comes to light. I wonder how this police force treats people? Cuz abuse of animals seems to correlate to abuse of humans if the opportunity arises.
And stealing from someone much wittier than I, I hope the people responsible step on Legos from now to eternity.
All of the kittens shown on the news broadcasts shown on Saturday DISAPPEARED – by Monday afternoon they were ALL GONE. The Police Chief says a rescue took all 20+ kittens. When asked which rescue, he said he didn’t know. WHERE ARE THE KITTENS?
Time for a FOIA request of records, I think.
Please “LIKE” the new facebook page of volunteers trying to save the pups and kitties
https://www.facebook.com/Saving-El-Reno-OK-Animals-at-Animal-Control-1764913443749501/
Bob there are no workers but 2 police officers… There are several people that would love to volunteer but we were told NO by the chief of police!! I personally know one person that took a puppy to a foster home, i dont know about the rest at this point..
Jenn, people need to speak up and demand change. Demand to be able to go in and volunteer. These police officers and animal control officers work for the taxpayers. Volunteers are the taxpayers, so they work for y’all. Volunteers/taxpayers need to point that out. The judge sided with the volunteers up north when volunteers were banned. They won the right to go in.
Totally insane!! PLEASE PLEASE HELP THESE POOR ANIMALS!!
WHERE IS THIS PLACE OF HORROR?! OK. AMI RIGHT?! ONE OF THE WORST CASES IVE HEARD ABOUT!! NEEDS TO BE REPORTED TO THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES!! NOT THE POLICE!!!
PLEASE UPDATE!! ASAP!!
Unbelievable negligence!! MUST BE REPORTED TO THE PROPER AUTHORITIES!!
CAN THE HUMANE SOCIETY STEP IN AND SAVE THESE POOR ANIMALS?! I AM APPALLED THAT SUCH A HOUSE OF HORRORS EXISTS!! PLEASE PLEASE HELP!
UPDATE ME PLEASE!!
The community must come together and organize volunteers to care for the animals and try to find rescue services to take them. Perfect place for community service, even from nearby cities. Just requires some calling and networking. Surely hope this issue can be resolved.
How terrible, this is just heartbreaking I wish I could take all the abused animals and give them care and love ,it just makes me. Sick to see such abuse ,I don’t wish any one dead but I understand how Bob feels ,someone who loves animals like I do its just so hard to see them being abused ,no animal should be mistreated at all ,I live in ky but if I lived there I would get a group of people to stand in front of this place with sings and go all over town demanding them to open their doors to let people in to at least help these poor animals ,I hate to fact that animals are at humans mercy ,they are so helpless and that not fair but then if one could try to do something it would be killed for being a mean dog ,but humans can be mean to them and that’s ok, what a sick world we live in
I have to wonder why chief of police doesn’t want volunteers when they can’t seem to afford a decent sshelter. Most would take the help. The 20 kittens taken by 1 rescue. Not buying it, they died from the heat and your covering your but otherwise you’d release the name of rescue. Cats can have heat strokes and that’s exactly what happened. Can’t believe this is happening so close to home. Its going to take alot more than posts to turn this around. Your community is going to have to make a stand which looks like your doing. Now you need to get humane society involved., the media. And if all of this is a lie as one person said, just one mind you, then I guess the truth will come out
The person saying it’s not true is the Animal Control Officer’s wife. And her friends that work with her at the grocery store. And also the wife of a county sheriff that is friends with the Animal Control officer. Hardly Objective opinions.
Go to the local politicians to discuss a volunteer program. Someone offer to be the co-ordinator.
Please someone in this area keep us posted on what is going on and remember if you don’t help these poor animals then who will ,I’m in Kentucky so I can’t but they need your help ,please someone hat lives there step up to the plate and help these babies ,one animal at a time ,until there all taken care of and loved ,what ever I can do I would be glad to ,we can maybe start getting some donations from every where to help feed and clean and cool these babies.who is with me