Researchers studying the heart rates of animals in order to better understand their emotional states have made some fascinating observations: The heart rate of animals increases rapidly when they have aggressive encounters such as fights, and decreases during friendly interactions such as grooming. For example, in greylag geese, the mean heart rate during aggressive interactions increases … Continue reading Treats on the Internets
The Robeson County pound in NC killed 62% of the dogs in its care in 2015. Expect that number to go up. Last month, the Robeson Co Board of Death Health adopted a policy which will, in effect, mean death for many puppies at the county pound. Specifically, any puppy under 4 months old eyeballed … Continue reading Robeson Co Moves to Kill More Shelter Puppies
The Robeson Co pound kills animals while half the dog cages sit empty. Supporters defend the practice, saying it reduces the spread of disease. This has not been the case at Robeson, where 700 dogs have been killed in the last 2 months. There are proven methods to reduce the spread of disease in shelters. … Continue reading Robeson Co Pound in NC on a Killing Spree
Robeson Co Animal Shelter has significantly lowered its kill rate due mainly to aggressive marketing of its pets on Facebook. This is good. But it’s not sustainable. Robeson Co rejects the no kill philosophy and instead keeps rescuers in crisis mode. The reason Robeson Co is killing fewer animals is because they are continually pummeling … Continue reading Robeson Co Animal Shelter: Still Failing
In 2010, Surry Co Animal Control in NC took in 3933 pets and killed 3548 of them. That’s a kill rate of 90%. The cost to taxpayers per animal handled was $119. Surry Co charges $100 for dogs and $90 for cats (vaccines and neuter surgery included). The median household income in Surry Co in … Continue reading National Animal Shelter Reform Week: Why NC Needs CAPA
You don’t have to say anything. I already know all of it. I can not personally save every pet on every kill list in every pet slaughterhouse in the country. I am focused on the big picture – systemic change, so that one day there will be no need to scramble every night, making desperate … Continue reading You don’t have to say anything.
The Good: North Carolina’s Robeson Animal Shelter, which has been closed most of this month for quarantine due to distemper, re-opened for adoptions this week. The Bad: Vaccination upon intake is still not standard protocol at Robeson and I haven’t heard whether they implemented any of the recommended changes from the HSUS evaluation in November … Continue reading I Survived Quarantine but Will I Survive Robeson?
In looking back, we look ahead. We see where we have succeeded and where we have failed. We refocus our efforts while making necessary adjustments. We learn as we grow. Here is a review of some of the notable stories from the blog over the past 12 months. I tried to focus mainly on local … Continue reading 2011 to 2012: Only connect…
Robeson Co Animal Shelter in NC recently failed two state inspections due to multiple issues including failing to maintain the shelter in accordance with standard disease control practices and failure to provide veterinary care for sick pets. The shelter manager explained the inspection failures as being due to overcrowding. She further described the arbitrary killing … Continue reading Robeson Co Animal Shelter: “Mostly Positive”
The problem with Robeson Co is not that the animal shelter allows pets in their care to suffer. And it’s not that the shelter needlessly kills the community’s pets via heartstick. And it’s not that the bureaucrats in charge defend the shelter’s cruel practices and shoddy leadership, even as the shelter fails inspection after inspection … Continue reading The Problem with Robeson Co
