Report: Vick OK'd for home confinement
RICHMOND, Va. -- Imprisoned NFL star Michael Vick will be allowed to serve the last two months of his sentence under home confinement because there is no room at a halfway house for him, a government official told The Associated Press Thursday.
"He also admitted to participating in the killing of several underperforming dogs."
Vick will be on electronic monitoring and will only be allowed to leave home for activities approved by his probation officer, the official said. He is eligible for release in July.
Officials of some other NFL teams have said they are not interested in Vick because they would rather not face the wrath of pet lovers and groups such as PETA, which has been a constant fixture at Vick's hearings.
Falcons pursuing trade of Vick
Dimitroff confirms decision on QB, who is expected to be released from prison in July.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank has said that Vick was not part of the team’s future. However, Dimitroff’s comments were the first indication that the Falcons were actively seeking to trade Vick.
The Falcons must attempt to trade Vick because if they release him his contract would place a heavy burden on their salary cap. Vick has a lucrative contract that runs until 2013. It calls for him to receive a base salary of $9 million and a bonus of $6.43 million in 2009. The remainder of the contract is worth $45.11 million, with another possible $3 million in Pro Bowl bonuses. A portion of Vick’s signing bonus will count against the salary cap if he is traded or released.
In November, The Associated Press contacted the other 31 teams about acquiring Vick. Most refused comment, citing league tampering rules. However, six teams said they would not shut the door on acquiring Vick.
NFL suspends Vick indefinitely
"Your admitted conduct was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible. Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by your actions," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to Vick.
"The defendant will plead guilty because the defendant is in fact guilty of the charged offense," the plea agreement said.
Vick also agreed that "collective efforts" by him and two others caused the deaths of at least six dogs.
Around April, Vick, Peace and Phillips tested some dogs in fighting sessions at Vick's property in Virginia, the statement said. "Peace, Phillips and Vick agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road and all of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning.
"Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick," the summary said.
Michael Vick Updates
What happened to Michael Vick's dogs ...
By Jim Gorant
Since being rescued 20 months ago from the dogfighting ring financed by Michael Vick, all but a few of the abused pit bulls have been recovering in sanctuary, foster care and adoptive homes. Now even the most traumatized of them can have a happy new year.
PETA wanted Jasmine dead. Not just Jasmine, and not just PETA. The Humane Society of the U.S., agreeing with PETA, took the position that Michael Vick's pit bulls, like all dogs saved from fight rings, were beyond rehabilitation and that trying to save them was a misappropriation of time and money. "The cruelty they've suffered is such that they can't lead what anyone who loves dogs would consider a normal life," says PETA spokesman Dan Shannon. "We feel it's better that they have their suffering ended once and for all." If you're a dog and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggests you be put down, you've got problems. Jasmine has problems.
According to court documents, from time to time Vick and his cohorts "rolled" the dogs: put them in the pit for short battles to see which ones had the right stuff. Those that fought got affection, food, vitamins and training sessions. The ones that showed no taste for blood were killed -- by gunshot, electrocution, drowning, hanging or, in at least one case, being repeatedly
slammed against the ground.
PLEA AGREEMENT
"In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILLIPS, VICK and two others ............
to dtermine which animals were good fighters. PEACE, PHILLIPS, and VICK agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs that did not perform well in......and all of those dogs were killed by various methods , including hanging and drowning, VICK agrees and stipulates that that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of PEACE, PHILLIPS, and VICK.
signed by Michael Vick on page 23
Records show how Vick burned through fortune
The day he went to jail, Michael Vick bought a $99,000 Mercedes.
Altogether on Nov. 19, 2007, Vick spent $201,840. But for the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, the day was most remarkable for how it ended: behind bars, beginning what would be a nearly two-year sentence in a notorious dogfighting case.
From Aug. 27, 2007, the day he pleaded guilty in a Richmond federal courthouse, until Nov. 19, the day he bought the new Mercedes before reporting to jail, Vick shelled out $3,627,291.
In 2006, for instance, he bought his sister, Christina, a GMC Yukon. The next year, he gave a Lincoln Navigator to Tameka Taylor, the mother of his first child. The mother of Vick’s other two children, Kijafa Frink, got a Land Rover; her mother, a Cadillac Escalade.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Woman faces animal cruelty charges
Dog was dragged by truck for several blocks to SEAACA shelter.
Prada, a 1-year-old pit bull, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries when she was dragged behind her owner’s truck, on its way to the SEAACA animal shelter in Downey. Photo courtesy SEAACA
DOWNEY— Animal cruelty charges against a 25-year-old Norwalk woman are being sought by the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority in Downey.
On. Dec. 4, the woman pulled into the SEAACA shelter after dragging her 1-year-old pit bull behind her truck. The dog had either jumped or fallen from the truck bed when its leash became caught in the tailgate.
“She tried hard to balance but to no avail,” said SEAACA Director of Operations Aaron Reyes.
Appearing unaware that someone was following behind her and honking to get her attention, the woman continued dragging the dog on asphalt streets for several blocks. Shocked bystanders unleashed the bloodied, unconscious dog after the truck stopped at the shelter.
The owner of the dog denied knowing that the dog had been dragging behind the truck and said she was bringing it to the shelter to be put to sleep because it suffered from mange.
The dog, who’s name is Prada, is being treated for her injuries. According to Reyes, the dog’s mange is also treatable.
“She is doing well. We are trying to control infection and we are winning that battle,” Reyes said. “She is in great spirits – a real trooper.”
Prada’s former owner now faces felony animal cruelty charges, as well as a local municipal ordinance charge for illegally transporting an animal, and a state vehicle code violation.
“This is a perfect example of what can happen and why you have to be aware when transporting animals,” Reyes said. “Even if you have had success before transporting in the back of your pickup truck – don’t do it. Ideally, put a beach towel on your seat and strap them in or use a carrier.”
Prada will be available for adoption once she is healed from her injuries. Described by Reyes as having a “very sweet disposition and loving people,” SEAACA employees sit with her daily, stroking her head until she falls asleep.
“The ultimate goal is for her to leave here to a loving new home,” Reyes said.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Pit bull dragged by truck up for adoption
DOWNEY - A pit bull who was dragged behind her owner's pickup truck on her way to an animal shelter will be available for adoption on Thursday from the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority Animal Care Center in Downey.
Center officials are requesting Bluebell go to a home where she will be the only animal.
"She has shown a tendency to become agitated in the presence of other animals, so we're going to be particular with her new owner and living arrangements," said Aaron Reyes, the authority's director of operations.
People interested in adopting Bluebell will be asked to complete an application and be interviewed. If there are multiple qualified adopters, a lottery-type drawing will be held to determine who will receive her.
Bluebell, who was formerly known as Prada, has healed from the injuries sustained in the dragging "and her skin condition is almost completely healed," Reyes said.
Her medical costs soared, but were offset by nearly $1,000 in donations, Reyes said.
Additionally, "Bluebell has been flooded with toys and fresh blankets thanks to the many donations received for her care," Reyes said.
The adoption fee is $100, which includes her spay procedure,vaccinations, micro chip, de-worming and flea treatment.
More information about Bluebell and other animals at the shelter, located at 9777 Seaaca St., is available by calling (562) 803-3301.
Center officials are requesting Bluebell go to a home where she will be the only animal.
"She has shown a tendency to become agitated in the presence of other animals, so we're going to be particular with her new owner and living arrangements," said Aaron Reyes, the authority's director of operations.
People interested in adopting Bluebell will be asked to complete an application and be interviewed. If there are multiple qualified adopters, a lottery-type drawing will be held to determine who will receive her.
Bluebell, who was formerly known as Prada, has healed from the injuries sustained in the dragging "and her skin condition is almost completely healed," Reyes said.
Her medical costs soared, but were offset by nearly $1,000 in donations, Reyes said.
Additionally, "Bluebell has been flooded with toys and fresh blankets thanks to the many donations received for her care," Reyes said.
The adoption fee is $100, which includes her spay procedure,vaccinations, micro chip, de-worming and flea treatment.
More information about Bluebell and other animals at the shelter, located at 9777 Seaaca St., is available by calling (562) 803-3301.
A meeting of the minds- Best Friends/HSUS on the APBT
February 23, 2009 : 8:44 PM ET
The Humane Society of the United States on February 23 issued an interim policy recommending all dogs be evaluated as individuals, and is calling a meeting of leading animal welfare organizations concerning dogs victimized by dog fighting.
Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer and president of the Humane Society of the United States, suggested the meeting of major stakeholders in Las Vegas to work through the associated issues. This meeting is in response to concerns expressed by Best Friends Animal Society in December 2008 regarding HSUS policies related to animals confiscated in dog-fighting busts.
Pacelle said the meeting, scheduled for April, will include the participation of national stakeholder organizations that deal with pit bulls. The meeting was in the planning stages before Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson Jr. ruled that 145 pit bulls, including approximately 70 puppies, confiscated from Wildside Kennels in Wilkes County, North Carolina, would be euthanized without evaluation to determine suitability for placement.
The new interim policy announced by the HSUS, pending the outcome of the meeting, recommends that local law enforcement and animal control evaluate such dogs as individuals rather than as a category before any decision is made regarding their future.
“We expect government, corporations, and individuals to constantly re-evaluate how they deal with animal issues,” Pacelle said. “Likewise, we regularly review our own policies and procedures here at HSUS, and we think it is important to talk with professional colleagues in the movement to examine issues related to the disposition of fighting dogs.
“I am pleased to discuss these issues with personnel from Best Friends and other organizations interested in the welfare of pit bulls.”
Julie Castle, director of Community Programs and Services for Best Friends said, “There had been more than enough airing of feelings and outrage that the dogs were not evaluated prior to being summarily euthanized. It was time to hit the reset button on this in order to move things forward in a constructive way. Mr. Pacelle was open and receptive to what we had to say and we are looking forward to our meetings in April.”
Best Friends, through its campaign, “Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dogs,” is looking forward working cooperatively with HSUS, according to Castle.
The campaign is aimed in part at educating the public and the media about pit bulls in order to help save the breed’s reputation. “Our goal is to bring positive change to lives and image of pit bulls,” she said.
Written by Best Friends staff
Photo of Meryl, a Vicktory dog, by Gary Kalpakoff
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Adair County Man Charged With Nearly 300 Counts of Animal Cruelty
KY
An Adair County man talks to WBKO, the same day he pleads "not guilty" in court to nearly 300 counts of animal cruelty.
We spoke with him and workers at an Adair County animal shelter who are now caring for hundreds of dogs and cats.
It all started Friday when David Howery was arrested by sheriff's deputies.
Howery is the owner of the Clean Slate Animal Rescue in Columbia, a center set up to give rescued animals a temporary home.
When sheriff's deputies raided his shelter they say they found dead animals next to live ones, as well as feces and urine contaminating the rooms.
But what was temporary housing, Howery says, turned out to be more long-term--and animal shelter employees are now working around the clock caring for the remaining animals.
"This has been one of the worst situations I have ever been a part of," said Garrett Luttrell, an employee at the Green River Animal Shelter.
It's been a long weekend for the shelter.
"We're full to capacity," he said.
Employees are working non-stop, caring for more than 270 malnourished dogs and cats.
"I wouldn't starve myself the way he did these dogs," Luttrell said.
Shelters and rescue groups from across the state are stepping in to help, including Warren County's.
"I would like to say I've seen worse, but this tops. Maybe not the number of the animals but the condition of the animals," assured Hannah Pepin, with the Bowling Green-Warren County Animal Adoption Center.
The shelter and Bowling Green's "RePets" are bringing some of the animals back to help out where the Green River shelter can't.
"They don't have the funding for any kind of medical treatment these guys are going to need," Pepin said.
For David Howery, he lived here with the animals, in this make-shift shelter that was once a school he said he bought on e-bay.
He says the information getting out isn't all true.
"I believe what we're looking at here is a lack of understanding. Not a misunderstanding, but a lack of understanding on the efforts of rescuers," Howery said.
Howery says the reason he had so many animals is because they go unwanted by so many in Kentucky.
But what Howery wouldn't say is whether or not numerous reports of dead animals in his rescue shelter were true.
"Dead animals in the building? We're not going to comment on that. Not at this time," Howery said.
Howery says he plans to hold a press conference to address the media on the issue.
Meanwhile, Green River Animal Shelter Director Jim Blair says the shelter is in need on dry dog food and cleaning supplies to continue caring for the animals
An Adair County man talks to WBKO, the same day he pleads "not guilty" in court to nearly 300 counts of animal cruelty.
We spoke with him and workers at an Adair County animal shelter who are now caring for hundreds of dogs and cats.
It all started Friday when David Howery was arrested by sheriff's deputies.
Howery is the owner of the Clean Slate Animal Rescue in Columbia, a center set up to give rescued animals a temporary home.
When sheriff's deputies raided his shelter they say they found dead animals next to live ones, as well as feces and urine contaminating the rooms.
But what was temporary housing, Howery says, turned out to be more long-term--and animal shelter employees are now working around the clock caring for the remaining animals.
"This has been one of the worst situations I have ever been a part of," said Garrett Luttrell, an employee at the Green River Animal Shelter.
It's been a long weekend for the shelter.
"We're full to capacity," he said.
Employees are working non-stop, caring for more than 270 malnourished dogs and cats.
"I wouldn't starve myself the way he did these dogs," Luttrell said.
Shelters and rescue groups from across the state are stepping in to help, including Warren County's.
"I would like to say I've seen worse, but this tops. Maybe not the number of the animals but the condition of the animals," assured Hannah Pepin, with the Bowling Green-Warren County Animal Adoption Center.
The shelter and Bowling Green's "RePets" are bringing some of the animals back to help out where the Green River shelter can't.
"They don't have the funding for any kind of medical treatment these guys are going to need," Pepin said.
For David Howery, he lived here with the animals, in this make-shift shelter that was once a school he said he bought on e-bay.
He says the information getting out isn't all true.
"I believe what we're looking at here is a lack of understanding. Not a misunderstanding, but a lack of understanding on the efforts of rescuers," Howery said.
Howery says the reason he had so many animals is because they go unwanted by so many in Kentucky.
But what Howery wouldn't say is whether or not numerous reports of dead animals in his rescue shelter were true.
"Dead animals in the building? We're not going to comment on that. Not at this time," Howery said.
Howery says he plans to hold a press conference to address the media on the issue.
Meanwhile, Green River Animal Shelter Director Jim Blair says the shelter is in need on dry dog food and cleaning supplies to continue caring for the animals
Monday, February 23, 2009
Man Faces 195 Animal Cruelty Charges-KY
Man Faces 195 Animal Cruelty Charges
The owner of an Adair County animal shelter is facing several counts of cruelty to animals.
50-year-old David Howery owns Clean Slate Rescue.
He is facing 195 counts of cruelty to animals.
240 dogs and 31 cats have been removed from his care and taken to a county-run shelter where the staff is working overtime to nurse the animals back to health.
Countless farm animals were also removed from Howery's care. They are being treated at a local farm.
If you'd like to help these animals, you can donate by visiting greenriveranimalshelter.org or urky.org.
Seized dog died; owner suing SPCA
Seized dog died; owner suing SPCA
EAST PRICE HILL - After Paulette Evans' husband died, her son didn't want her to be alone, so he bought her a puppy named Rock.
"I just treated him like he was my baby," Evans, 54, said from her East Price Hill home. "Rock and I went everywhere. I slept with him."
Cincinnati officials, though, seized the dog last summer, insisting it was a pit bull terrier, a breed banned in the city. They took it to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Cincinnati. Police charged Evans with three crimes involving the banned breed.
While there, officials refused to let Evans visit the dog and didn't tell her the pet had died until weeks later, when she showed up in court to defend herself against the criminal charges.
Now, she's suing the SPCA.
"That was not just a dog. That was my companion," Evans said.
157 dogs found in house
Playwright says rescuing stray animals has taken over his life
TIJUANA — As a leading Baja California playwright, Edward Coward has won prizes and much critical praise for his powerful, heartrending pieces. But now he is at the center of an all-too-real saga featuring the plight of the city's abandoned dogs.
The 42-year-old Tijuana native has been the target of both fury and praise since the discovery of 157 canines crammed inside a three-bedroom house he rented in the comfortable middle-class neighborhood of El Mirador. Scenes of filth and overcrowding have been playing out on newscasts since Feb. 13, when state health officials raided the residence and municipal workers seized the dogs.
“I cannot stand to see an animal looking for help,” Coward said in an interview this week, at a second house on a hilltop across the city in Colinas del Sol, where he has been keeping 25 dogs. “Once you've opened your eyes to the problem, you can't close them anymore.”
Local pit bull a finalist in national 'spokesdog' contest
Click here for full sotry
By ANDREW WALLMEYER
Thanks to the support of Gazette readers, local therapy dog Ruby Bettendorf was one of the top three vote-getters in a national contest to find Milk-Bone's 100th anniversary "spokesdog."
The pit bull and her owner Pat Bettendorf, of Scandia, recently traveled to Los Angeles to find out if they won the contest, which will pay the top dog $100,000 and fly them around the country to appear at promotional events.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
John Goodwin, Wayne Pacelle, and the HSUS
John Goodwin made this statement regarding the Wild Side Kennel dogs-
John Goodwin Responds About WSK Destruction
________________________________________
Those particular fighting dogs in Wilkes County, NC were very, very
different than the Vick dogs. Whereas Michael Vick was a pro football player that fought dogs as a hobby, the breeder of these dogs was a globally recognized professional dogfighter. Vick was not a good breeder, and he lost most of his fights. His dogs were a poor representation of true fighting dogs. With the Wilkes County dogs, even the puppies as young as 8 weeks of age where attacking each other and drawing blood. We had to buy new cages to separate litters of young pups.
With the Vick dogs it cost nearly $1 million to “rehab” 49 dogs, and still half of them are in solitary kennel runs, unable to socialize with other dogs. In this case there were 127 dogs, and they are far more aggressive than the Vick dogs.
The “misleading claims” have come from a couple of individuals that never saw these dogs, and choose to throw stones on the internet. I saw these dogs, and in fact handled many of them while they were being evaluated. These dogs would most certainly kill any other dog they could get to.
It is very sad that people are also missing the bigger story, that our work has shut down one of the top breeders of fighting dogs in the United States. Dogfighters are seeing their hero’s go to prison. This is having an effect, and many dogfighters are leaving that world behind as they recognize the cost of doing business is too great. HSUS is the only organization in the United States that has an entire campaign that works full time on animal fighting issues.
I support pit bull rescue, but there has to be a group that goes farther and hits at the root of the problem. That is what we are doing by putting leaders in the dogfighting criminal underworld out of business.
Lastly, Wilkes County euthanizes 3,000 healthy, adoptable animals a year simply because there are not enough good homes opening their doors to these needy animals. I find it disturbing that the groups clamoring for media attention over these 127 dogs raise no fuss, and offer no assistance, for the other 3,000 dogs put down in that county each year.
Sincerely,
John Goodwin
Manager, Animal Fighting Issues
The Humane Society of the United States
Hmmmmmm Mr. Goodwin, have you forgotten your earlier statements on the Michael Vick dogs? Because the things you said then aren't the same things you are saying now...perhaps you will spout whatever line of bullshit seems to support you decisions in the killing of innocent dogs? That sounds more like it to me.
Let's go back to the Michael Vick dogs....
HSUS never had these dogs in their custody, yet HSUS asked for money To 'care for" them...
you MUST READ the eye-opening article written by the Center for Consumer Freedom on this.
In the article by the New York Times,
Government Makes a Case, and Holds Dogs as Evidence
you were reported as saying "Officials from our organization have examined some of these dogs and, generally speaking, they are some of the most aggressively trained pit bulls in the country,” Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Hundreds of thousands of less-violent pit bulls, who are better candidates to be rehabilitated, are being put down. The fate of these dogs will be up to the government, but we have recommended to them, and believe, they will be eventually put down.”
Pacelle said the Humane Society normally advocated that fighting dogs be put down shortly after being seized.
“Four months is a long time, a long time to be warehoused,” he said. “They may be walked only once a day, if that. We don’t know how well they are being kept. They are likely being held in cages for months on end.”
But Pacelle said his organization supported the government’s efforts. “It is lose-lose for the dogs,” he said. “They either die a gruesome death as a dogfighter in action, or they will be killed because they are not adoptable.”
Michael Vick's pit bulls get a second chance
In this article, it was stated "John Goodwin, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society and a proponent of euthanizing fight dogs, is skeptical of the emerging reports of the Vick dog recoveries."
"The behavior is bred into them," he said. "... These pit bulls should never be left alone with other dogs, because you never know when that instinct to fight another dog is going to surface."
I bet if it had been YOUR idea to rehabilitate these dogs, you would have been loving the glory, but guess what John? YOU WERE WRONG! You just wanted these dogs DEAD.
In this article, Fighting dogs face grim future Wayne Pacelle made these statements on the Michael Vick dogs and "fighting" dogs in general...
"It's very difficult to deprogram that behavior once it is instilled," Pacelle said. "Even if you can do it to some degree, all it takes is one lapse in the animal's behaviors to kill another animal or exhibit some other type of aggression."
Humane Society Fighting Investigator Talks About Rehab for Dogs
On the HSUS website, Subject Experts-JOHN GOODWIN
MANAGER, ANIMAL FIGHTING CAMPAIGN it says "Mr. Goodwin has been quoted in numerous newspapers on animal fighting issues and has appeared in over two hundred news broadcasts, radio interviews and televised debates regarding animal protection issues. He has been featured in coverage from CNN, NPR, Court TV, MSNBC, ESPN, the Associated Press, USA Today, and The New York Times."
I hope these people (along with everyone else supporting you and your cronies) will wake up and realize-you are not an expert on anything except lies, deceitful BULLSHIT and the KILLING of innocent dogs.
John Goodwin Responds About WSK Destruction
________________________________________
Those particular fighting dogs in Wilkes County, NC were very, very
different than the Vick dogs. Whereas Michael Vick was a pro football player that fought dogs as a hobby, the breeder of these dogs was a globally recognized professional dogfighter. Vick was not a good breeder, and he lost most of his fights. His dogs were a poor representation of true fighting dogs. With the Wilkes County dogs, even the puppies as young as 8 weeks of age where attacking each other and drawing blood. We had to buy new cages to separate litters of young pups.
With the Vick dogs it cost nearly $1 million to “rehab” 49 dogs, and still half of them are in solitary kennel runs, unable to socialize with other dogs. In this case there were 127 dogs, and they are far more aggressive than the Vick dogs.
The “misleading claims” have come from a couple of individuals that never saw these dogs, and choose to throw stones on the internet. I saw these dogs, and in fact handled many of them while they were being evaluated. These dogs would most certainly kill any other dog they could get to.
It is very sad that people are also missing the bigger story, that our work has shut down one of the top breeders of fighting dogs in the United States. Dogfighters are seeing their hero’s go to prison. This is having an effect, and many dogfighters are leaving that world behind as they recognize the cost of doing business is too great. HSUS is the only organization in the United States that has an entire campaign that works full time on animal fighting issues.
I support pit bull rescue, but there has to be a group that goes farther and hits at the root of the problem. That is what we are doing by putting leaders in the dogfighting criminal underworld out of business.
Lastly, Wilkes County euthanizes 3,000 healthy, adoptable animals a year simply because there are not enough good homes opening their doors to these needy animals. I find it disturbing that the groups clamoring for media attention over these 127 dogs raise no fuss, and offer no assistance, for the other 3,000 dogs put down in that county each year.
Sincerely,
John Goodwin
Manager, Animal Fighting Issues
The Humane Society of the United States
Hmmmmmm Mr. Goodwin, have you forgotten your earlier statements on the Michael Vick dogs? Because the things you said then aren't the same things you are saying now...perhaps you will spout whatever line of bullshit seems to support you decisions in the killing of innocent dogs? That sounds more like it to me.
Let's go back to the Michael Vick dogs....
HSUS never had these dogs in their custody, yet HSUS asked for money To 'care for" them...
you MUST READ the eye-opening article written by the Center for Consumer Freedom on this.
In the article by the New York Times,
Government Makes a Case, and Holds Dogs as Evidence
you were reported as saying "Officials from our organization have examined some of these dogs and, generally speaking, they are some of the most aggressively trained pit bulls in the country,” Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Hundreds of thousands of less-violent pit bulls, who are better candidates to be rehabilitated, are being put down. The fate of these dogs will be up to the government, but we have recommended to them, and believe, they will be eventually put down.”
Pacelle said the Humane Society normally advocated that fighting dogs be put down shortly after being seized.
“Four months is a long time, a long time to be warehoused,” he said. “They may be walked only once a day, if that. We don’t know how well they are being kept. They are likely being held in cages for months on end.”
But Pacelle said his organization supported the government’s efforts. “It is lose-lose for the dogs,” he said. “They either die a gruesome death as a dogfighter in action, or they will be killed because they are not adoptable.”
Michael Vick's pit bulls get a second chance
In this article, it was stated "John Goodwin, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society and a proponent of euthanizing fight dogs, is skeptical of the emerging reports of the Vick dog recoveries."
"The behavior is bred into them," he said. "... These pit bulls should never be left alone with other dogs, because you never know when that instinct to fight another dog is going to surface."
I bet if it had been YOUR idea to rehabilitate these dogs, you would have been loving the glory, but guess what John? YOU WERE WRONG! You just wanted these dogs DEAD.
In this article, Fighting dogs face grim future Wayne Pacelle made these statements on the Michael Vick dogs and "fighting" dogs in general...
"It's very difficult to deprogram that behavior once it is instilled," Pacelle said. "Even if you can do it to some degree, all it takes is one lapse in the animal's behaviors to kill another animal or exhibit some other type of aggression."
Humane Society Fighting Investigator Talks About Rehab for Dogs
On the HSUS website, Subject Experts-JOHN GOODWIN
MANAGER, ANIMAL FIGHTING CAMPAIGN it says "Mr. Goodwin has been quoted in numerous newspapers on animal fighting issues and has appeared in over two hundred news broadcasts, radio interviews and televised debates regarding animal protection issues. He has been featured in coverage from CNN, NPR, Court TV, MSNBC, ESPN, the Associated Press, USA Today, and The New York Times."
I hope these people (along with everyone else supporting you and your cronies) will wake up and realize-you are not an expert on anything except lies, deceitful BULLSHIT and the KILLING of innocent dogs.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Coalition Urges HSUS to Revise Policy on Dogs Seized in Fighting Busts
Full article here
"The court-ordered destruction Monday of 145 dogs, including about 75 puppies, which were seized from a fighting dog breeding operation in December, was based on the faulty assumption that all dogs seized in dog-fighting related busts should arbitrarily be deemed dangerous and euthanized. We are disheartened and shocked that HSUS, a leader in the animal welfare community, would testify in court for the automatic destruction of puppies and dogs, who had not been given the opportunity to be evaluated as individuals, based on this policy. The Michael Vick dogs have proven how antiquated this approach is."
Wilkesboro, NC (Vocus) February 19, 2009 -- The court-ordered destruction Monday of 145 dogs, including about 75 puppies, which were seized from a fighting dog breeding operation in December, was based on the faulty assumption that all dogs seized in dog-fighting related busts should arbitrarily be deemed dangerous and euthanized.
The decision to kill the dogs was supported by the largest animal welfare organization in the country, the Humane Society of the United States. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, representatives of HSUS testified in Wilkes County Superior Court that the dogs had to be destroyed because they had been 'bred for generations to be aggressive.' HSUS reasserted its outdated policy, written more than 20 years ago: 'Any dog who has been specifically bred or conditioned for fighting, or for which there is evidence that the dog has been used for fighting should not be placed for adoption by an animal shelter but humanely euthanized as soon as legally possible.'
A Best Friends Animals Society-led coalition offered resources to the county for evaluation, spay/neuter, and support in finding homes for qualified dogs. These animal welfare organizations, which have extensive experience with rescued fighting dogs, urged Wilkes County to accept their offer of support for an alternative approach, such as was used in the Michael Vick case. The coalition includes BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls), Animal Farm Foundation, Villa Lobos Rescue Center, Downtown Dog Rescue, The Sula Foundation and Our Pack.
“We are disheartened and shocked that HSUS, a leader in the animal welfare community, would testify in court for the automatic destruction of puppies and dogs, who had not been given the opportunity to be evaluated as individuals, based on this policy. The Michael Vick dogs have proven how antiquated this approach is,” said Ledy VanKavage, an attorney with Best Friends Animal Society.
In 2006 HSUS advocated that all of the dogs from the Michael Vick dog fighting case be put down for the same reasons they used when recommending the killing of the Wilkes County pit bulls. In that case a federal court appointed a Special Master to oversee the evaluation of Vick’s dogs, all of which were adults. Many of the Vick dogs are now in adoptive homes, and at least two of the so-called “aggressive fighting dogs” are therapy dogs that visit hospitals to cheer up ailing patients.
Refusals to grant homeowners insurance for dog owners may soon be a thing of the past
"Massachusetts’s legislation is presently working on a bill, which would make it illegal for insurance companies to refuse homeowners insurance to people who own a specific breed of dogs. This bill will protect responsible pet owners, and will still allow insurance companies the ability to protect themselves, by adjusting rates, or refusing coverage, to homeowner who’s dogs have been legitimately deemed “dangerous” based on tangible incidents, and not inequitable dangerous dog regulations.
Discrimination related to dog breeds is in itself an active legislative bill, due to ongoing controversy supporting that it’s “whose dogs” and not “which breeds” are perilous within our communities."
Refusals to grant homeowners insurance for dog owners may soon be a thing of the past
Discrimination related to dog breeds is in itself an active legislative bill, due to ongoing controversy supporting that it’s “whose dogs” and not “which breeds” are perilous within our communities."
Refusals to grant homeowners insurance for dog owners may soon be a thing of the past
North Carolina Dogs Seized in Dog Fighting Raid are Dead
For more on this and the position of HSUS as articulated by John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues, read Animal Law Coalition's report below.
Original report: Wilkes County, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson today ordered the deaths of 127 pit bull type dogs seized in a raid. The dogs were owned by Ed Faron, a breeder who used and sold the dogs for fighting.
At a hearing today to determine the dogs' fate, prosecutors and other Wilkes County officials as well as the Humane Society of the U.S. argued that the dogs are dangerous and would pose a risk if adopted. HSUS and county officials had handled the dogs and said that even the puppies were aggressive, and the dogs would kill other animals.
A number of people and animal welfare organizations including Bad Rap, had offered to adopt the dogs. The dogs that belonged to Michael Vick were evaluated and placed with several organizations and some are now in homes.
John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for HSUS, said, "I saw these dogs, and in fact handled many of them while they were being evaluated. These dogs would most certainly kill any other dog they could get to.
"It is very sad that people are also missing the bigger story, that our work has shut down one of the top breeders of fighting dogs in the United States. Dogfighters are seeing their heros go to prison. This is having an effect, and many dogfighters are leaving that world behind as they recognize the cost of doing business is too great. HSUS is the only organization in the United States that has an entire campaign that works full time on animal fighting issues.
"I support pit bull rescue, but there has to be a group that goes farther and hits at the root of the problem. That is what we are doing by putting leaders in the dogfighting criminal underworld out of business.
"Lastly, Wilkes County euthanizes 3,000 healthy, adoptable animals a year simply because there are not enough good homes opening their doors to these needy animals. I find it disturbing that the groups clamoring for media attention over these 127 dogs raise no fuss, and offer no assistance, for the other 3,000 dogs put down in that county each year."
Goodwin also cited the cost of rehabilitating the Vick dogs - more than $1 million - and noted most are still in individual runs in shelters and not in homes.
NC Dogfighting Ring: "These red marks are actually from his hip bones protruding out of his back"
NCDogfighting Ring
Eleven pit bulls and two rottweilers are now in care of the Tri-county animal shelter in North Carolina.
Some of the dogs have wounds and scars all over their bodies. One has a broken leg - all of them underfed.
The Gates County Sheriff says it's all part of an illegal dogfighting ring. Tonight, sheriff deputies are still looking for Jackie Parker, the man they believe is responsible.
Sheriff Edward Webb says one of his officers went to this home on Kellogs Fork Road and first noticed a rottweiler chained up on the side of the home with a noticeable broken leg. The officer then went to the back of the home and found 12 other dogs in chains.
"It has the barrels and the chains tied around to the different trees and around in the lot they would have to keep the dogs separated, but they had them spread out throughout the lot", says Webb.
Deputies say the dogs all belong to Jackie Parker, who lives in this home. Webb says the home was loaded with things like steriods and syringes. Police believe Parker was using it to run a large scale dog fighting operation. They even found a book listing some of the dogs fights and other dog fighting tools including a home-made treadmill.
"What we have here... this is what's left of an old deer leg... deer foot and what they would do is hook up the dogs and slide this back and forth, and the dog of course is hungry so of course he's going to run."
Sheriff Webb also says he believes all of the dogs were tortured and taught to fight.
Now, all thirteen dogs are fighting to stay alive at the Tri-county animal shelter. Animal control Officer Lacey Wilkins says most have scratches and cuts all over their bodies. One dog was so malnourished that it doesn't have enough skin on his back.
"These red marks... are actually from his hip bones protruding out of his back," Wilkins says."They were living off peanut butter mixed with dog food. Peanut butter is not enough to sustain a dog."
Wilkins says the dogs are just happy now to have a roof over their head and access to clean water and food.
Sheriff Webb says Jackie Parker told him he will turn himself in Thursday morning. Parker is facing 17 charges which include animal cruelty and dog fighting charges.
So what's next for the dogs that survived this abuse? The Sheriff's Office says they will probably stay at the shelter for the next six to eight months, even though the shelter is at capacity.
Animal control says it's up to veterinarians to decide if these dogs can be saved or if they are too vicious and will have to be put down.
Copyright © 2009, WTKR-TV
Owner now says she never gave slain chimp Xanax
By JOHN CHRISTOFFEREN, Associated Press Writer John Christofferen, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 18, 6:20 pm ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – As authorities considered criminal charges, the woman whose 200-pound domesticated chimpanzee went berserk and mauled a friend backtracked Wednesday on whether she gave the animal the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Sandra Herold told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she never gave the drug to her 14-year-old chimp, Travis, who was shot dead by Stamford police Monday after he grievously wounded Herold's friend Charla Nash.
However, Herold said in an interview aired Wednesday morning on NBC's "Today" show that she gave Travis the drug in some tea less than five minutes before he attacked Nash — she even showed a reporter the mug. Police have said Herold told them that she gave Travis Xanax that had not been prescribed for him earlier on Monday to calm him because he was agitated.
In humans, Xanax can lead to aggression in people who are unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
"Xanax could have made him worse," if human studies are any indication, Coccaro said.
The chimpanzee's rampage forced Herold to stab her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pound him with a shovel.
"For me to do something like that — put a knife in him — was like putting one in myself." she said Wednesday. "Then he turned around and like, 'Mom, what did you do?'"
Herold's voice was filled with fear and horror in 911 tapes released by police Tuesday night.
Travis can be heard grunting as she cries for help: "He's killing my friend!"
The dispatcher says, "Who's killing your friend?"
Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"
After police arrived, one officer radioed back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."
Doctors at Stamford Hospital said Wednesday that it took four teams of surgeons more than seven hours to stabilize Nash, 55. Hand specialists, plastic surgeons and specialists in orthopedics, ophthalmology and trauma have treated Nash, who has made slight progress but remained in critical condition, Dr. Kevin Miller said at a news conference with the victim's family.
Nash's brother, Mike Nash, did not take questions from reporters but said the family is grateful for community support it has received.
"It should be known that people who were complete strangers to us prior to this have selflessly offered their assistance to our family," he said. "We are eternally grateful to them and to all of you who are keeping Charla in your thoughts and wishing her well."
Police have said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. A pet owner who knew or should have known that an animal was a danger to others can be held criminally responsible.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that a defect in Connecticut's laws allowed Herold to keep the chimp in her home, probably illegally. There are rules requiring large primates to be registered by the state, but officials have some discretion in enforcing them and violations carry only minor penalties, he said.
"This animal probably was illegally kept, so far as that statute is concerned," Blumenthal said. "Clearly, some kind of permission was necessary for this animal to be at that residence."
Herold, a 70-year-old widow whose daughter was killed in a car accident several years ago, told the AP the chimp "was my life" and that she "never, never, never" gave it Xanax. "He never had anything but love."
Herold speculated that Travis was being protective of her when he attacked Nash, who she said was driving a different car, wearing a new hairstyle and holding an Elmo stuffed toy in front of her face as a present to the chimp.
"She had the toy in front of her. This was just a freak thing," Herold said.
Herrold said Nash is a close friend who traveled with her to a Connecticut casino on Valentine's Day.
"It was the most horrible thing that could ever happen," she said.
Authorities are trying to determine why the chimp, a veteran of TV commercials who could dress himself, drink wine from a glass and use the toilet, suddenly attacked. A test for rabies was negative, Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said Wednesday.
Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. After the animal lunged at Nash when she got out of her car, Herold ran inside to call 911 and returned with a knife.
After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property. An officer shot the chimp several times after it opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in.
Travis appeared in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger, and at home he was treated like a member of the family. Don Mecca, a family friend from Colchester, N.Y., said Herold fed the chimp steak, lobster, ice cream and Italian food.
Primate experts say chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years, but in her "Today" interview, Herold rejected criticism that they are inappropriate pets.
"It's a horrible thing, but I'm not a horrible person and he's not a horrible chimp." she said.
Connecticut law requires primates weighing more than 50 pounds to be registered with the state. But state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dennis Schain said Herold's chimp was exempted because it did not appear to present a public health risk and was owned before the registration requirement began.
Blumenthal, the attorney general, sent letters to legislative leaders and DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy, asking them to support a proposed law that would ban all potentially dangerous exotic animals, such as chimpanzees, crocodiles and poisonous snakes, from being kept in a residential setting in Connecticut.
McCarthy is seeking a similar law banning large primates. Her agency is also asking the public, police officers and animal control officers who are aware of large primates being kept as pets to report the animals to the agency.
STAMFORD, Conn. – As authorities considered criminal charges, the woman whose 200-pound domesticated chimpanzee went berserk and mauled a friend backtracked Wednesday on whether she gave the animal the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Sandra Herold told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she never gave the drug to her 14-year-old chimp, Travis, who was shot dead by Stamford police Monday after he grievously wounded Herold's friend Charla Nash.
However, Herold said in an interview aired Wednesday morning on NBC's "Today" show that she gave Travis the drug in some tea less than five minutes before he attacked Nash — she even showed a reporter the mug. Police have said Herold told them that she gave Travis Xanax that had not been prescribed for him earlier on Monday to calm him because he was agitated.
In humans, Xanax can lead to aggression in people who are unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
"Xanax could have made him worse," if human studies are any indication, Coccaro said.
The chimpanzee's rampage forced Herold to stab her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pound him with a shovel.
"For me to do something like that — put a knife in him — was like putting one in myself." she said Wednesday. "Then he turned around and like, 'Mom, what did you do?'"
Herold's voice was filled with fear and horror in 911 tapes released by police Tuesday night.
Travis can be heard grunting as she cries for help: "He's killing my friend!"
The dispatcher says, "Who's killing your friend?"
Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"
After police arrived, one officer radioed back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."
Doctors at Stamford Hospital said Wednesday that it took four teams of surgeons more than seven hours to stabilize Nash, 55. Hand specialists, plastic surgeons and specialists in orthopedics, ophthalmology and trauma have treated Nash, who has made slight progress but remained in critical condition, Dr. Kevin Miller said at a news conference with the victim's family.
Nash's brother, Mike Nash, did not take questions from reporters but said the family is grateful for community support it has received.
"It should be known that people who were complete strangers to us prior to this have selflessly offered their assistance to our family," he said. "We are eternally grateful to them and to all of you who are keeping Charla in your thoughts and wishing her well."
Police have said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. A pet owner who knew or should have known that an animal was a danger to others can be held criminally responsible.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that a defect in Connecticut's laws allowed Herold to keep the chimp in her home, probably illegally. There are rules requiring large primates to be registered by the state, but officials have some discretion in enforcing them and violations carry only minor penalties, he said.
"This animal probably was illegally kept, so far as that statute is concerned," Blumenthal said. "Clearly, some kind of permission was necessary for this animal to be at that residence."
Herold, a 70-year-old widow whose daughter was killed in a car accident several years ago, told the AP the chimp "was my life" and that she "never, never, never" gave it Xanax. "He never had anything but love."
Herold speculated that Travis was being protective of her when he attacked Nash, who she said was driving a different car, wearing a new hairstyle and holding an Elmo stuffed toy in front of her face as a present to the chimp.
"She had the toy in front of her. This was just a freak thing," Herold said.
Herrold said Nash is a close friend who traveled with her to a Connecticut casino on Valentine's Day.
"It was the most horrible thing that could ever happen," she said.
Authorities are trying to determine why the chimp, a veteran of TV commercials who could dress himself, drink wine from a glass and use the toilet, suddenly attacked. A test for rabies was negative, Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said Wednesday.
Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. After the animal lunged at Nash when she got out of her car, Herold ran inside to call 911 and returned with a knife.
After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property. An officer shot the chimp several times after it opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in.
Travis appeared in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger, and at home he was treated like a member of the family. Don Mecca, a family friend from Colchester, N.Y., said Herold fed the chimp steak, lobster, ice cream and Italian food.
Primate experts say chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years, but in her "Today" interview, Herold rejected criticism that they are inappropriate pets.
"It's a horrible thing, but I'm not a horrible person and he's not a horrible chimp." she said.
Connecticut law requires primates weighing more than 50 pounds to be registered with the state. But state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dennis Schain said Herold's chimp was exempted because it did not appear to present a public health risk and was owned before the registration requirement began.
Blumenthal, the attorney general, sent letters to legislative leaders and DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy, asking them to support a proposed law that would ban all potentially dangerous exotic animals, such as chimpanzees, crocodiles and poisonous snakes, from being kept in a residential setting in Connecticut.
McCarthy is seeking a similar law banning large primates. Her agency is also asking the public, police officers and animal control officers who are aware of large primates being kept as pets to report the animals to the agency.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Travis the Chimpanzee
STAMFORD, Conn. -- The owner of a chimpanzee that violently mauled a family friend at a Stamford home Monday claims the animal was suffering from Lyme disease.
Police said they are working to get the 200-pound chimp's medical records to corroborate the story. Officials said they are investigating what medication the animal was taking and how long he may have had the disease.
The pet chimpanzee, named Travis, attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash at its Rockrimmon Road home Monday afternoon after it got out of the house.
“The animal is so intelligent, he grabbed the keys, unlocked the kitchen door to allow itself out," Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said.
Nash was coming with an orange toy to help Travis' 70-year-old owner, Sandra Herold, calm the animal, who police said had been agitated all day.
Herold gave the chimp tea laced with Xanax in an attempt to calm him. When that didn't work, police said Herold called for Nash's help.
Police said Travis violently attacked Nash as she exited her vehicle. They called the attack "lengthy and vicious."
Herold called 911 and went to help her friend. Police said she stabbed Travis, whom they said she raised like a child, several times with a kitchen knife before police arrived. Police said Herold also tried hitting Travis with a shovel in an attempt to get him to stop attacking Nash.
“She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed her chimp," Conklin said.
Police said Travis can be heard screaming during Herold's 911 call.
Police said Travis then ran over to police cruisers and broke a mirror off one of the vehicles before opening a cruiser door. Stamford police said the chimp moved as though he was going to attack the officer, prompting the officer to shoot the animal in the chest at close range.
Travis then ran off, and police said officers following the blood trail found him dead in his living quarters inside the home.
Nash was transported to Stamford Hospital with life-threatening and "life-changing injuries," police said. Neighbors told Eyewitness News that the chimp bit the woman's hands off.
"He bit both of her hands off," said Herold's friend, Lynn Mecca. "The cop said he was eating … it’s terrible. I don’t want to talk about it."
“I would have never thought Travis was capable of doing this. I don't think anybody was," said Michael Grant, who’s known Herold for years. “Last time I saw Travis, he was in one of the upstairs windows giving monkey cries in the neighborhood. You'd think you were in Africa."
Police said Herold was also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. The officer whom the chimp lunged at was transported to the hospital for shock and trauma treatment, police said. The officer has since been treated and released.
Doctor: Psychosis, Rage Common With Lyme Disease
Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a Lyme disease specialist in New Haven, sees patients from across the country.
Jones said common behaviors of the disease are psychosis and rage.
"Sometimes they have to be on psychotropic medication to control it, then they have to come off," he said. ""We've had several children who've had such bizarre and violent reactions that they've had to be hospitalized in a psychiatric unit."
Jones said he has also seen family pets with the disease act out.
"They are very strong, very powerful animals. Just because it is raised by humans does not make it domesticated. It is still a wild animal and wild animals can have unpredictable episodes of aggressive behavior."
-- Dr. Colleen McCann
Primatologist, Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo
"I have had kids here who have had pet dogs and cats with behavioral changes from Lyme disease," Jones said. "It's usually not just irritability, but rages and depression."
Dr. Colleen McCann, a primatologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo said the most serious issue that would explain the chimp's behaviors is that its owner treated it as a pet.
"Aside from the issue of Lyme disease, chimps can cause grave danger to humans when kept in private ownership," she said. "They are very strong, very powerful animals. Just because it is raised by humans does not make it domesticated. It is still a wild animal and wild animals can have unpredictable episodes of aggressive behavior."
Police said experts may study the chimp's brain tissue to help determine what caused its aggressive behavior.
Travis Starred In National Ads
Neighbors told Eyewitness News that Travis was like a part of Herold's family and that she viewed him as her own child. "She lived for this chimp," said Mecca. "This chimp was like her child."
Neighbor Tony Marcari said he used to play around with Travis and wrestle with him. He said the animal always knew when to stop and paid close attention to his owner.
"He listened better than my nephews," Marcari said. "I just don't know why he would do that."
Other neighbors said Travis was well-known around town and that he used to play with police officers, pose for photos and even appeared in several commercials, including ads for Coca Cola and Old Navy.
Monday was not the animal's first encounter with the law. The chimp escaped from a vehicle in downtown Stamford in 2003 for several hours before police put down the animal with a tranquilizer gun. Police described that incident as somewhat playful and mischievous.
Officers used cookies, macadamia treats and ice cream in an attempt to lure him, but subdued him only after he became too tired to resist.
At the time of the 2003 incident, police said the Herolds told them the chimpanzee was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control, police said.
Lawmakers Call For Renewed Chimp Act
The chimpanzee attack has sparked lawmakers and the Humane Society of the United States to renew calls for passing the Captive Primate Safety Act.
U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, and Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, along with the Humane Society, lead the call for the legislation, which would prohibit interstate commerce in primates for the pet trade, making it illegal for individuals to buy or transport a pet primate across state lines. It would have no impact on zoos or research.
"Given the patchwork of state and local laws and the interstate nature of the primate pet trade, a federal response is urgently needed," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society. "Primates are wild animals who can attack and spread disease, and they don't belong in our bedrooms and basements. It's time to end this dangerous monkey business."
Connecticut allows primates as pets with a state permit. The rule grandfathered animals who were already in the state on Oct. 1, 2003, but only for smaller species that weigh up to 50 pounds at maturity. The permit requirement applies to all chimpanzees. Twenty states and the District of Columbia prohibit keeping primates as pets.
Police said they are working to get the 200-pound chimp's medical records to corroborate the story. Officials said they are investigating what medication the animal was taking and how long he may have had the disease.
The pet chimpanzee, named Travis, attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash at its Rockrimmon Road home Monday afternoon after it got out of the house.
“The animal is so intelligent, he grabbed the keys, unlocked the kitchen door to allow itself out," Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said.
Nash was coming with an orange toy to help Travis' 70-year-old owner, Sandra Herold, calm the animal, who police said had been agitated all day.
Herold gave the chimp tea laced with Xanax in an attempt to calm him. When that didn't work, police said Herold called for Nash's help.
Police said Travis violently attacked Nash as she exited her vehicle. They called the attack "lengthy and vicious."
Herold called 911 and went to help her friend. Police said she stabbed Travis, whom they said she raised like a child, several times with a kitchen knife before police arrived. Police said Herold also tried hitting Travis with a shovel in an attempt to get him to stop attacking Nash.
“She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed her chimp," Conklin said.
Police said Travis can be heard screaming during Herold's 911 call.
Police said Travis then ran over to police cruisers and broke a mirror off one of the vehicles before opening a cruiser door. Stamford police said the chimp moved as though he was going to attack the officer, prompting the officer to shoot the animal in the chest at close range.
Travis then ran off, and police said officers following the blood trail found him dead in his living quarters inside the home.
Nash was transported to Stamford Hospital with life-threatening and "life-changing injuries," police said. Neighbors told Eyewitness News that the chimp bit the woman's hands off.
"He bit both of her hands off," said Herold's friend, Lynn Mecca. "The cop said he was eating … it’s terrible. I don’t want to talk about it."
“I would have never thought Travis was capable of doing this. I don't think anybody was," said Michael Grant, who’s known Herold for years. “Last time I saw Travis, he was in one of the upstairs windows giving monkey cries in the neighborhood. You'd think you were in Africa."
Police said Herold was also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. The officer whom the chimp lunged at was transported to the hospital for shock and trauma treatment, police said. The officer has since been treated and released.
Doctor: Psychosis, Rage Common With Lyme Disease
Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a Lyme disease specialist in New Haven, sees patients from across the country.
Jones said common behaviors of the disease are psychosis and rage.
"Sometimes they have to be on psychotropic medication to control it, then they have to come off," he said. ""We've had several children who've had such bizarre and violent reactions that they've had to be hospitalized in a psychiatric unit."
Jones said he has also seen family pets with the disease act out.
"They are very strong, very powerful animals. Just because it is raised by humans does not make it domesticated. It is still a wild animal and wild animals can have unpredictable episodes of aggressive behavior."
-- Dr. Colleen McCann
Primatologist, Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo
"I have had kids here who have had pet dogs and cats with behavioral changes from Lyme disease," Jones said. "It's usually not just irritability, but rages and depression."
Dr. Colleen McCann, a primatologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo said the most serious issue that would explain the chimp's behaviors is that its owner treated it as a pet.
"Aside from the issue of Lyme disease, chimps can cause grave danger to humans when kept in private ownership," she said. "They are very strong, very powerful animals. Just because it is raised by humans does not make it domesticated. It is still a wild animal and wild animals can have unpredictable episodes of aggressive behavior."
Police said experts may study the chimp's brain tissue to help determine what caused its aggressive behavior.
Travis Starred In National Ads
Neighbors told Eyewitness News that Travis was like a part of Herold's family and that she viewed him as her own child. "She lived for this chimp," said Mecca. "This chimp was like her child."
Neighbor Tony Marcari said he used to play around with Travis and wrestle with him. He said the animal always knew when to stop and paid close attention to his owner.
"He listened better than my nephews," Marcari said. "I just don't know why he would do that."
Other neighbors said Travis was well-known around town and that he used to play with police officers, pose for photos and even appeared in several commercials, including ads for Coca Cola and Old Navy.
Monday was not the animal's first encounter with the law. The chimp escaped from a vehicle in downtown Stamford in 2003 for several hours before police put down the animal with a tranquilizer gun. Police described that incident as somewhat playful and mischievous.
Officers used cookies, macadamia treats and ice cream in an attempt to lure him, but subdued him only after he became too tired to resist.
At the time of the 2003 incident, police said the Herolds told them the chimpanzee was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control, police said.
Lawmakers Call For Renewed Chimp Act
The chimpanzee attack has sparked lawmakers and the Humane Society of the United States to renew calls for passing the Captive Primate Safety Act.
U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, and Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, along with the Humane Society, lead the call for the legislation, which would prohibit interstate commerce in primates for the pet trade, making it illegal for individuals to buy or transport a pet primate across state lines. It would have no impact on zoos or research.
"Given the patchwork of state and local laws and the interstate nature of the primate pet trade, a federal response is urgently needed," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society. "Primates are wild animals who can attack and spread disease, and they don't belong in our bedrooms and basements. It's time to end this dangerous monkey business."
Connecticut allows primates as pets with a state permit. The rule grandfathered animals who were already in the state on Oct. 1, 2003, but only for smaller species that weigh up to 50 pounds at maturity. The permit requirement applies to all chimpanzees. Twenty states and the District of Columbia prohibit keeping primates as pets.
Pit Bulls Destroyed
Pit Bulls Destroyed
WILKESBORO - Wilkes County Animal Control destroyed 146 pit bulls yesterday, following an order issued Monday by Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson Jr. The dogs were associated with Wildside Kennels, whose owner, Ed Faron, 61, was convicted last week of 14 felony counts of dog fighting.
Authorities seized 127 of the dogs in a raid on Faron's property on Dec. 10, 2008. The rest of the dogs have been born since the raid. The county had acknowledged that some litters had been born, but yesterday was the first time the county released the actual number of dogs involved.
According to the judge's ruling, state law defines dogs as dangerous if they are involved in a dog fighting operation and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed. Authorities said that Faron bred and sold fighting dogs.
The raid was the result of a 3-year investigation by The Humane Society of the U.S., in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office. Representatives of The Humane Society told the judge that the dogs should be destroyed, because they had been bred for generations to be aggressive.
A number of animal rescue groups had offered to place the dogs, but none of their representatives were at Monday's hearing when the judge was considering what should happen to the dogs.
Man charged with abusing pit bull
I hope this sorry piece of shit rots in hell.
HUNTINGTON — A criminal complaint charges a Huntington man with shaking and slamming down his pit bull.
It was one of three charges facing Thomas Delbert Sealey. The 37-year-old was charged with felony animal cruelty, misdemeanor fleeing on foot and a contempt order in family court. The contempt order caused bond to be denied.
Criminal complaints charge Sealey was at his 11th Street residence Tuesday night when neighbors heard “the defendant making several loud thumping noises” in the laundry room. The complaint states Sealey had his pit pull and was shaking the animal and repeatedly slamming it to the floor.
Sealey followed the shakes and slams by kicking the dog, the complaint states.
“The neighbors advised that the dog was whining and yelping as the defendant was beating the dog,” the complaint states.
The Huntington Police Department responded to the scene, but Sealey fled on foot. The complaint states Sealey ran back inside the house and ignored commands to stop. He was located in an upstairs attic room.
The complaint states Sealey claimed to have fled to escape the contempt warrant in Cabell Circuit Family Court.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Their beautiful faces...RIP
Click here for the video...may these faces haunt every person who had anything to do with this decision.
Wilkes begins to put down pitbulls seized from breeder.
Wilkes County Animal Control began this morning to euthanize more than 127 pit bulls associated with Wildside Kennels, an operation that bred fighting dogs, according to county officials. The county was carrying out a judge's order from Monday.
The dogs were seized Dec. 10, 2008, in a raid on the kennel and had been held as evidence in a case against kennel owner Ed Faron and two associates. Faron was sentenced last Thursday to 8 to 10 months in prison for 14 felony counts of dog fighting. The last of the three defendants was sentenced Monday and the dogs were ordered destroyed.
According to the judge's ruling, state law defines dogs as dangerous if they are involved in a dog fighting operation and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed.
The dogs should all be euthanized by the end of today, county officials said. The exact number of dogs is still unclear because several litters of puppies had been born since the raid.
The raid was the result of a 3-year investigation by The Humane Society of the U.S., in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
Wilkes begins to put down pitbulls seized from breeder.
Wilkes County Animal Control began this morning to euthanize more than 127 pit bulls associated with Wildside Kennels, an operation that bred fighting dogs, according to county officials. The county was carrying out a judge's order from Monday.
The dogs were seized Dec. 10, 2008, in a raid on the kennel and had been held as evidence in a case against kennel owner Ed Faron and two associates. Faron was sentenced last Thursday to 8 to 10 months in prison for 14 felony counts of dog fighting. The last of the three defendants was sentenced Monday and the dogs were ordered destroyed.
According to the judge's ruling, state law defines dogs as dangerous if they are involved in a dog fighting operation and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed.
The dogs should all be euthanized by the end of today, county officials said. The exact number of dogs is still unclear because several litters of puppies had been born since the raid.
The raid was the result of a 3-year investigation by The Humane Society of the U.S., in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
Aren't responsible enough to control your dogs? Just shoot them!
That's what this genius did...shot these dogs for being...DOGS. Can't control your dogs? well, just shoot them. What in the hell is the world coming to??
Man shoots, kills fighting family pit bulls
Staff Report
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A fight between two family pit bulls resulted in both dogs being killed after they bit their owners as they tried to separate them. Bruce Evans shot the canines belonging to his wife and daughter about 10:35 a.m. Monday.
Volusia County Animal Control Officer Becky Wilson and sheriff's deputies said Shamsi Evans' dog, Tony, bolted out the door of their home at 767 S. State Road 415, and attacked Zeus, a dog belonging to her daughter, Shanna Evans, which was outside at the time.
Shanna Evans lives in a separate residence on the property.
"The two dogs do not get along," Wilson said.
When the two women tried to intervene, they both got bitten on the finger.
Wilson said Bruce Evans heard the commotion and unsuccessfully attempted to halt the fight by firing a .45-caliber pistol five times in the air and into the ground. When they did not separate, he shot both animals, shooting one three times and the other twice.
Bruce Evans told sheriff's deputies based on the dogs' history of violence against each other, including an incident three years ago where he was mauled, "the only safe recourse was to kill the dogs."
"No charges are pending at this time," Wilson said.
She called the incident unfortunate, saying both animals were well-cared for and loved.
The Evans did not return telephone messages seeking comment.
Pit bull could lose legs if not treated
Penny, a pit bull puppy, was found in Prunedale with broken front legs.
By MARIA INES ZAMUDIO • MZAMUDIO@thecalifornian.com. • February 16, 2009
A 5-month-old pit bull could lose her two front legs if she's not treated by an orthopedic surgeon.
The puppy was found in Prunedale on Saturday with both of her legs severely broken.
Now, the Animal Friends Rescue Project, a local animal rescue group, is trying to raise the $3,000 needed to pay for the puppy's treatment, said Alexandra McCabe, executive director for the nonprofit.
It is still unclear what happened to the pooch -- named "Penny" by her caregivers -- but it's likely the abandoned dog was struck by a car, McCabe said.
"It seems unusual that both of her legs were broken," she said. "If she is not treated, it could lead to amputation."
Kingsport woman accused of abusing two pit bulls
By Kacie Breeding
Published February 16th, 2009 | 3 Comments
UPDATE: Cindy Nelson, 29, 615 Gillespie Ave., turned herself in around 11:30 p.m. Monday.
----------
KINGSPORT — Police have charged a Kingsport woman with aggravated animal cruelty due to the condition of her two pit bull terriers.
On Feb. 5, a Kingsport Animal Control officer went to 615 Gillespie Ave. to check out a complaint of animal neglect.
The officer found one dog chained to a doghouse with no food or water in sight, and another chained to a pickup truck it was lying beneath — with no sign of food or water there either, according to Kingsport Police Department Detective Melanie Adkins.
The dog chained to the doghouse looked like it was starving, so the officer spoke with the owner, Cindy Nelson, 29, and told her he’d be back the next day to see if anything changed, Adkins said.
On Feb. 6, the officer found the dogs still chained and without access to food and water.
“Nothing had changed,” said Adkins.
The officer described the woman’s attitude toward the dogs’ plight as one of “total indifference,” Adkins said.
When Adkins contacted her Monday evening to let her know they’d taken out a warrant for her arrest, Nelson said she would turn herself in. Late Monday night, she still had not done so.
Adkins said when Nelson is arrested she would be held in lieu of $2,000 bond.
When someone from the animal shelter came out to rescue the dogs, the officer got the one dog out from under the truck where it was chained. It was a black male pit bull, and it couldn’t even walk, Adkins said.
“He had to carry the dog to the truck. He was so emaciated that his shoulders, ribs, backbone, pelvis were all protruding. You could see all of his bones. His abdomen was kind of tucked under, and he’s kind of bowed over. They bow over when they’re starved. His eyes are kind of sunken. He had severe frostbite. He had ulcerations to his ears, his feet and his rump area.”
“The ulcerations were infected. There was several inches of the tail that was completely eradicated, just completely gone from the frostbite. Now the veterinarian has said that somewhere down the road, they’re going to have to amputate. He also had swollen lymph nodes, which indicates a systematic infection,” she added.
The charge Nelson faces is due to the condition of that dog. Although both dogs were emaciated, Adkins said, no charges have yet been filed in connection with the other dog, a brown female.
The vet believes the dogs must have been suffering for at least several weeks, if not months, said Adkins. The woman’s neighbors have also said they’d seen the dogs in the same condition for quite some time.
Kingsport Animal Shelter Director Tracy Couch said that over the past 10 days, the dogs — which they’ve named Peaches and Bravo — have improved considerably. Because the dogs have shown no signs of aggression and seem to have a playful temperament, Couch said she is hopeful they’ll be able to adopt them out eventually.
Meanwhile, Peaches is believed to be about 1½ months pregnant.
For information on how to make a donation of money or supplies for these and the other animals at the shelter call 247-1671 for details.
Judge orders that pit bulls be destroyed
RIP all Wildside Kennel Dogs...
County law requires action; Humane Society, others back the court's decision
By Monte Mitchell | Journal Reporter
Published: February 17, 2009
WILKESBORO
A Superior Court judge yesterday ordered that Wilkes County destroy more than 127 pit bulls seized from a dog-fighting ring, angering people who had offered to adopt the dogs or help with their placement.
"Those dogs are going to be killed solely because of prejudice," said Ledy VanKavage, an attorney for Best Friends Animal Society, which had offered to pay to have the dogs evaluated and to spay or neuter the adoptable dogs.
"They should be judged as individuals just as people are," VanKavage said. "It's a massacre."
County officials have said they would abide by a judge's order, but that the judge didn't have a lot of choice. They said that state statutes define dogs involved in dog-fighting operations as dangerous and that a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed. That was yesterday's finding by Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson Jr.
The 127 pit bulls, including about 60 puppies, were seized on Dec. 10 during a raid on Wildside Kennels. It's unclear exactly how many dogs there are now. The dogs are being held in a secret location, and several litters of puppies have been born since the raid. After court yesterday, county officials estimated that there are about 150 dogs now.
Kennel owner Ed Faron, 61, pleaded guilty Thursday to 14 counts of felony dog fighting and was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison. His adopted son, Donni Juan Casanova, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of felony dog fighting and was given a suspended sentence of 6 to 8 months.
Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25, the third defendant in the case, pleaded guilty yesterday to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals. She had originally been charged with felony dog fighting.
Lunsford is Casanova's fiancée and had been living at the house less than a month at the time of the raid, her attorney said, and her role was to feed and water the dogs. Lunsford was sentenced to 45 days, which was suspended for 24 months of supervised probation.
A judge had awarded the dogs to Wilkes County last month after Faron failed to pay $52,925 that the county had requested for boarding and care of the dogs.
Wilson ordered the dogs destroyed yesterday after hearing from a prosecutor, the attorney for Wilkes County government, Wilkes County's animal-control director and two representatives from The Humane Society of the U.S., who all called for the dogs be euthanized.
Amanda Arrington, N.C. director for The Humane Society of the U.S., and Chris Schindler, the agency's deputy manager of animal-fighting law enforcement, both told the judge that these particular dogs have been bred for aggression. The Humane Society of the U.S. was the lead agency involved in the undercover investigation that led to the arrests.
Wilkes Animal Control Director Junior Simmons told the judge that some of the dogs that were puppies when they were seized in December are already showing aggression toward each other.
"They're not just play fighting," he said. "They're starting to draw blood."
Best Friends Animal Society, which operates one the nation's largest animal sanctuaries, had contacted County Attorney Tony Triplett within days of the December raid. The group had offered to work with rescue agencies to place the dogs.
But when Judge Wilson asked yesterday if Best Friends had gotten involved at the last minute, Assistant District Attorney Fred Bauer told the judge that the group had called him last Thursday and Friday, and had called his boss, District Attorney Tom Horner, yesterday.
"That's just totally misconstruing the contacts we had with the county attorney and the attempts we tried to have with the DA," VanKavage said.
She said she left a message for Bauer a month ago, on either Jan. 13 or 14, and had made at least three attempts to contact the DA's office. "I left a message for Fred Bauer and he never returned my call," she said.
After court yesterday, Bauer said he couldn't recall if he'd gotten a message from Best Friends, but that he didn't intend to mislead Wilson and would clear it up with the judge today if there was any misunderstanding.
The case had been set for trial next month. People working on rescuing the dogs thought they had more time.
VanKavage said that when she learned about yesterday's ruling she called Wilkesboro attorney William Burke to seek an injunction against destroying the dogs. She said Burke reported that when he got to the courthouse shortly before it closed, the judge was gone and the order was already signed. She said that Burke told her he thought the dogs would be dead before he could get the request before the judge.
It was unclear last night if the dogs had already been destroyed.
VanKavage said that Bauer misrepresented her side's interest to the judge and it affected the proceeding.
"I think the judge wanted to hear our side of it and if we'd gotten some notice, we could have gotten into that courtroom, but the DA's office chose to stonewall us and because of that, these puppies died," she said.
The Humane Society had to buy additional cages to separate some of the dogs because of their aggressiveness, Bauer told the judge.
Simmons told the judge that Wilkes County picks up about 5,500 dogs and cats a year, and places about 1,500 in homes. The rest are euthanized.
■ Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Seized dogs to be euthanized
Are you happy now, John Goodwin?? HSUS??How about you Ingrid and all your sick followers? These dogs deserved a chance, and had people willing to try and give them that and because of your sick desire to cull the whole breed, they will now DIE...127dogs, dead....does that make you happy? And to the judge that ordered this, you should have been man enough to make your OWN EDUCATED decision instead of relying on the BULLSHIT fed to the media about these "fighting" dogs.
What a sad day....RIP to all the WSK dogs...I will go home and give all my dogs (Pit Bulls INCLUDED) extra loving tonight....I hope everyone that had a say so in the decision of the fate of these dogs is haunted by th eimages of these dogs for a long time!
Seized dogs to be euthanized
by Staff
Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson ordered this morning that 127 pit bulldogs seized in a Dec. 10, 2008 raid in Wilkes County be euthanized. The dogs were seized at Wildside Kennels on Mertie Road near Millers Creek.
The judge heard arguments from several individuals in Wilkes Superior Court, including representatives form the Humane Society of the United States and the prosecutor, that the dogs would pose a threat if adopted into families. Members of several animal advocacy groups, as well as individuals, had asked to be allowed to adopt the dogs.
The ownership of the dogs was awarded to the county when the owner of Wildside Kennels, Ed Faron, 61, of Mertie Road failed to pay the county for the care of the animals.
Faron was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison last week after pleading guilty to 14 counts of felony dog fighting.
Donni Juan Casanova, 18, was given a suspended sentence of six to eight months after entering a guilty plea of to one count of felony dog fighting. Casanova is the adopted son of Faron.
The third defendant in the case, Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25, was sentenced this morning to 45 days, suspended for 24 months of supervised probation. She entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals.
JUDGE ORDERS PIT BULLS TO BE EUTHANIZED
WILKESBORO
A Superior Court judge this morning ordered that 127 pit bulls seized in a raid of a breeder of fighting dogs should be euthanized.
Judge Ed Wilson entered the order after hearing arguments from Wilkes County officials, from the prosecutor and from The Humane Society of the U.S. that the dogs are dangerous and would pose a risk if adopted into homes.
A number of animal lovers and animal advocacy groups have offered to adopt the dogs.
The dogs were seized Dec. 10, 2008, during a raid on Wildside Kennels in Wilkes County.
When Wildside Kennels owner Ed Faron failed to pay the county for the dogs' care after they were seized, a judge awarded ownership of the dogs to the county.
Faron, 61, pleaded guilty last week of 14 counts of felony dog fighting and was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison. His adopted son, Donni Juan Casanova, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of felony dog fighting and was given a suspended sentence of 6 to 8 months.
Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25, the third and final defendant in the case, pleaded guilty this morning to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals. She is Casanova's fiancé and had been living at the house less than a month at the time of the raid, her attorney said, and her role was simply to feed and water the dogs.
Lunsford was sentenced to 45 days, which was suspended for 24 months of supervised probation.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Animal cruelty by youngsters seen as symptom of bigger problem
Statistics show many violent adult offenders started early
* By Deirdre Conner
* Story updated at 6:28 PM on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009
A case that shocked the region is sparking discussion about the link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence.
When Georgia authorities announced in late December they were investigating the case of three kittens so severely tortured and burned that two eventually died — and another had to have part of its ears amputated — people throughout the community donated thousands to help pay the vet bills and up the police reward for tips in the case. They asked: Who could do such unspeakable things to an innocent animal?
When Brooks County police arrested a teenager this month in connection with the horrific crime, they wondered: Could a person capable of being so cruel to animals be a danger to people, too?
The answer, prosecutors and the public increasingly believe, is yes. But laws differ on counseling requirements, and statistics on animal cruelty are not tracked as carefully as other violent crimes.
Studies suggest that a high proportion — somewhere between one in four to two in three — of violent criminals harmed animals as children and teens, according to a briefing by the U.S. Department of Justice. There also is evidence to suggest that people who have been prosecuted for animal cruelty are significantly more likely to have committed other crimes, it said. And domestic violence experts say abusers often hurt family pets as a form of control over their victims, pointing to statistics showing that half or more battered women report their pets were killed or threatened by their abuser.
Yet it’s not as simple as saying that someone who tortures animals will go on to do the same to people. Researchers do not agree on how likely it is that animal abusers will go on to become violent toward people. Much is still unknown about animal cruelty, which is often committed in private and because of that, some believe, under-reported. Incidence of the crime is not collected uniformly by national authorities that track murders and thefts.
When children or teens intentionally inflict pain on an animal, it’s not only a crime — it’s a symptom, said Sharon Youngerman, who has worked with kids in abusive situations and now the executive director of Quigley House, a shelter for battered women in Clay County.
“When you’ve got animal cruelty, chances are you’ve got some sort of domestic violence or child abuse in the home,” she said. Boys especially tend to abuse animals as a way of acting out their own abuse, or domestic violence they witness in the family.
Enforcement and investigation of such crimes is important, Youngerman said, to stop current abuse (of both the animal and potentially of the perpetrator) and prevent future violence. Doing so sends a message that such behavior is not acceptable and forces the perpetrator, at least in Florida, to get psychological help, she said.
Quigley House added a kennel last year to its shelter in hopes of saving animals — and the women who wouldn’t leave them behind.
State Attorney Angela Corey said she has not given much study to the issue, but “my personal philosophy is that anyone that would harm an innocent animal would be capable of harming an innocent human being.”
She said the office is prosecuting cases including a suspect accused of severely beating a canine officer.
That stance is no longer limited to animal advocates, said Laura Bevan, Southeast regional director for the Humane Society of the United States. Most people in the public are more aware that violence toward animals can be a predictor of violence toward humans, she said, a change from decades ago when most states didn’t even have felony penalties for animal cruelty (and a handful still don’t).
These days, felony animal abuse can mean prison time, up to five years in Florida and Georgia, although a review of recent local cases shows the maximum sentence is rare. Both states have fairly stringent animal abuse laws, Bevan said.
In Florida, however, those convicted of felony animal cruelty must have psychological counseling or anger-management classes. Georgia’s law, passed in 2000, has no such requirement, although it provides that the judge may require psychological evaluation.
Counseling, especially for children and teens accused of hurting animals, can make a difference, Youngerman said.
It’s something that should be required in the Georgia law, too, said Mechelle Sullivan, the foster adoption coordinator for the Humane Society of Valdosta, which put up some of the reward money in the case. Anger in the area has been running high about the case.
“This is what scares me personally, is, you take a 17-year-old kid who’s messed up, and you throw him in jail, and you don’t do any counseling … they come out meaner, harder, madder at the world, and what are they going to do?” she said.
When considering the crime could be a predictor of future violence, it’s important to consider the nature of the crime, Bevan said.
“When you talk about people torturing and burning and cutting and shooting — all of those things where there’s intent to inflict pain and suffering — someone who gets pleasure in that is a dangerous person,” she said.
Neglect cases — where animals are starved, hoarded or left to suffocate in hot cars — are also horrifying. But they don’t necessarily indicate that the person is violent and a danger to people, Bevan said, and very small children simply may not know better.
Education may not stop a truly disturbed person, but for children, learning about how to treat animals with compassion can make a difference and even prevent cases of animal cruelty, said Danya Parks-Freel, operations director at the Jacksonville Humane Society, which has a variety of educational programs for children, teens and adults.
“They have the potential to break cycles,” she said. If children see animal abuse at home, they may believe that’s the norm, she said.
Youngerman thinks the difference between cruelty and neglect or ignorance is usually clear. Awareness of the extent of the problem and its complexity, she said, is not.
“I think pet cruelty in general is something people don’t think enough about,” she said.
deirdre.conner@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4504
* By Deirdre Conner
* Story updated at 6:28 PM on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009
A case that shocked the region is sparking discussion about the link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence.
When Georgia authorities announced in late December they were investigating the case of three kittens so severely tortured and burned that two eventually died — and another had to have part of its ears amputated — people throughout the community donated thousands to help pay the vet bills and up the police reward for tips in the case. They asked: Who could do such unspeakable things to an innocent animal?
When Brooks County police arrested a teenager this month in connection with the horrific crime, they wondered: Could a person capable of being so cruel to animals be a danger to people, too?
The answer, prosecutors and the public increasingly believe, is yes. But laws differ on counseling requirements, and statistics on animal cruelty are not tracked as carefully as other violent crimes.
Studies suggest that a high proportion — somewhere between one in four to two in three — of violent criminals harmed animals as children and teens, according to a briefing by the U.S. Department of Justice. There also is evidence to suggest that people who have been prosecuted for animal cruelty are significantly more likely to have committed other crimes, it said. And domestic violence experts say abusers often hurt family pets as a form of control over their victims, pointing to statistics showing that half or more battered women report their pets were killed or threatened by their abuser.
Yet it’s not as simple as saying that someone who tortures animals will go on to do the same to people. Researchers do not agree on how likely it is that animal abusers will go on to become violent toward people. Much is still unknown about animal cruelty, which is often committed in private and because of that, some believe, under-reported. Incidence of the crime is not collected uniformly by national authorities that track murders and thefts.
When children or teens intentionally inflict pain on an animal, it’s not only a crime — it’s a symptom, said Sharon Youngerman, who has worked with kids in abusive situations and now the executive director of Quigley House, a shelter for battered women in Clay County.
“When you’ve got animal cruelty, chances are you’ve got some sort of domestic violence or child abuse in the home,” she said. Boys especially tend to abuse animals as a way of acting out their own abuse, or domestic violence they witness in the family.
Enforcement and investigation of such crimes is important, Youngerman said, to stop current abuse (of both the animal and potentially of the perpetrator) and prevent future violence. Doing so sends a message that such behavior is not acceptable and forces the perpetrator, at least in Florida, to get psychological help, she said.
Quigley House added a kennel last year to its shelter in hopes of saving animals — and the women who wouldn’t leave them behind.
State Attorney Angela Corey said she has not given much study to the issue, but “my personal philosophy is that anyone that would harm an innocent animal would be capable of harming an innocent human being.”
She said the office is prosecuting cases including a suspect accused of severely beating a canine officer.
That stance is no longer limited to animal advocates, said Laura Bevan, Southeast regional director for the Humane Society of the United States. Most people in the public are more aware that violence toward animals can be a predictor of violence toward humans, she said, a change from decades ago when most states didn’t even have felony penalties for animal cruelty (and a handful still don’t).
These days, felony animal abuse can mean prison time, up to five years in Florida and Georgia, although a review of recent local cases shows the maximum sentence is rare. Both states have fairly stringent animal abuse laws, Bevan said.
In Florida, however, those convicted of felony animal cruelty must have psychological counseling or anger-management classes. Georgia’s law, passed in 2000, has no such requirement, although it provides that the judge may require psychological evaluation.
Counseling, especially for children and teens accused of hurting animals, can make a difference, Youngerman said.
It’s something that should be required in the Georgia law, too, said Mechelle Sullivan, the foster adoption coordinator for the Humane Society of Valdosta, which put up some of the reward money in the case. Anger in the area has been running high about the case.
“This is what scares me personally, is, you take a 17-year-old kid who’s messed up, and you throw him in jail, and you don’t do any counseling … they come out meaner, harder, madder at the world, and what are they going to do?” she said.
When considering the crime could be a predictor of future violence, it’s important to consider the nature of the crime, Bevan said.
“When you talk about people torturing and burning and cutting and shooting — all of those things where there’s intent to inflict pain and suffering — someone who gets pleasure in that is a dangerous person,” she said.
Neglect cases — where animals are starved, hoarded or left to suffocate in hot cars — are also horrifying. But they don’t necessarily indicate that the person is violent and a danger to people, Bevan said, and very small children simply may not know better.
Education may not stop a truly disturbed person, but for children, learning about how to treat animals with compassion can make a difference and even prevent cases of animal cruelty, said Danya Parks-Freel, operations director at the Jacksonville Humane Society, which has a variety of educational programs for children, teens and adults.
“They have the potential to break cycles,” she said. If children see animal abuse at home, they may believe that’s the norm, she said.
Youngerman thinks the difference between cruelty and neglect or ignorance is usually clear. Awareness of the extent of the problem and its complexity, she said, is not.
“I think pet cruelty in general is something people don’t think enough about,” she said.
deirdre.conner@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4504
Fayette, MO BSL
FAYETTE, Mo. | An animal control ordinance that bans getting new pit bulls and requires all dogs to be registered goes into effect this week in a central Missouri town.
The new restrictions in Fayette also limit each home to only three canines unless the owners have registered the animals before the Tuesday deadline.
The City Council unanimously approved the new rules. Other neighboring towns have similar restrictions on pit bulls.
Current pit bull owners will have to show proof of $100,000 of liability insurance, muzzle their pets when they are being walked and provide secure confinement for dogs kept outside.
Any pit bull puppies born in Fayette after Tuesday must be removed from the city after they are 8 weeks old.
Pit bulls get bum rap, Humane Society says
MURRAY — There was no excessive barking, no biting and no visibly aggressive behavior among the dozen happy, playful pit bulls and pit-bull mixes hoping for a new home.
The pleasant scene was exactly what the Humane Society of Utah wanted in a special gathering Friday to illustrate that often-feared dogs, if properly trained, are lovers not fighters.
Gene Baierschmidt, Humane Society of Utah executive director, said pit bulls are the most difficult breed to place. Of the 150 total adoptable canines in the kennel, 12 are pit bulls, dogs he says are a victim of perception.
"Any breed is capable of biting," he said. "The biggest biters are cocker spaniels."
There are misconceptions about pit bulls, and the only real problems arise from owners who train their animals to be aggressive, Baierschmidt said.
"There is a continuing debate about pits, and some cities have even enacted bans on private ownership of these dogs," he said. "But they've gotten a bad reputation because irresponsible people have exploited the very characteristics that can also make them loyal, affectionate pets."
Specifically, he says, the dogs are eager to please their human caregivers. If they fall into the hands of people who take advantage of the animals' strength, energy and devotion to train them as fighters, they will, indeed, become aggressive and dangerous.
Kenyon is home!
Kenyon spent a total of two years in foster care with me, due to no fault of his own. He FINALLY found his forever home in RI, and is settling in nicely. Kenyon is an awesome boy who will make a wonderful companion to his new family, congratulations to Kenyon and to his new family!!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Goodwin wants all Wild Side Dogs DEAD
Dog-fighting 'godfather' given prison
Pit bulls are scheduled to be euthanized, but advocates want mercy
WILKESBORO - A nationally known pit-bull breeder based in Wilkes County pleaded guilty yesterday to 14 counts of felony dog fighting and was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison, according to the Wilkes County Clerk of Court office.
The breeder, Ed Faron, 61, also must serve a lengthy period of supervised probation when he gets out of prison, and may not own, possess or care for any dogs, as part of the plea agreement. Exact terms of the probation were unclear yesterday.
Faron is to report to prison on March 5. His adopted son, Donni Juan Casanova, who was also arrested in the raid, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of felony dog fighting, according to the clerk's office. Casanova was sentenced to a six- to eight-month prison sentence that was suspended, and he was ordered to serve 24 months of supervised probation, including six months of intensive probation.
Wilkes County has possession of the 127 pit bulls that were seized in a raid on Faron's Wildside Kennels property in a mountainous area off Mertie Road on Dec. 10. The county was awarded custody of the dogs by a judge last month after Faron failed to pay nearly $53,000 the county had asked for their care. A large number of puppies have since been born, and the dogs are being held at undisclosed locations.
The court file yesterday did not include notice about the disposition of the dogs, according to the clerk's office.
John Goodwin, the manager of animal-fighting issues for The Humane Society of the United States, said yesterday that a judge will decide the fate of the dogs later. The Humane Society worked for three years on the investigation, in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
Goodwin said that Faron was one of the nation's largest breeders of fighting dogs and wrote a book many consider to be the bible of the underworld of fighting dogs.
"I think this is showing dog fighters that even their godfathers are being prosecuted and sent to prison," he said.
Goodwin said that the dogs have been bred for fighting and it would very difficult and expensive to re-train the dogs, even the puppies, so that they could be adopted.
County officials have said that the dogs would be euthanized. Officials did not return a phone message yesterday.
"I think there's a county ordinance that requires it," Goodwin said. "It's not a matter of would, could or should. It's the law."
Other animal advocates believe that the dogs should be adopted to homes. Best Friends Animal Society, which runs one of the nation's biggest animal sanctuaries, has offered to have the dogs spayed or neutered and to assist the county with placing them.
"To make the judgment that all these dogs are dangerous, solely on basis of their breed, is simply wrong," Ed Fritz, a spokesman for Best Friends, said in an e-mail.
Best Friends has been working to rehabilitate 22 of the pit bulls seized in the Michael Vick dog-fighting case, a continuing work that has been featured on the National Geographic Television series DogTown, which is set at Best Friends' 3,700-acre animal sanctuary in Utah.
Sheila Carlisle of Morganton said she has been helping to care for the grown pit bulls and many puppies, and that the dogs are adorable.
"I've fallen in love with them," she said. "I don't want to cause anybody any problems with the court system, but I want these dogs saved."
Pit bulls are scheduled to be euthanized, but advocates want mercy
WILKESBORO - A nationally known pit-bull breeder based in Wilkes County pleaded guilty yesterday to 14 counts of felony dog fighting and was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison, according to the Wilkes County Clerk of Court office.
The breeder, Ed Faron, 61, also must serve a lengthy period of supervised probation when he gets out of prison, and may not own, possess or care for any dogs, as part of the plea agreement. Exact terms of the probation were unclear yesterday.
Faron is to report to prison on March 5. His adopted son, Donni Juan Casanova, who was also arrested in the raid, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of felony dog fighting, according to the clerk's office. Casanova was sentenced to a six- to eight-month prison sentence that was suspended, and he was ordered to serve 24 months of supervised probation, including six months of intensive probation.
Wilkes County has possession of the 127 pit bulls that were seized in a raid on Faron's Wildside Kennels property in a mountainous area off Mertie Road on Dec. 10. The county was awarded custody of the dogs by a judge last month after Faron failed to pay nearly $53,000 the county had asked for their care. A large number of puppies have since been born, and the dogs are being held at undisclosed locations.
The court file yesterday did not include notice about the disposition of the dogs, according to the clerk's office.
John Goodwin, the manager of animal-fighting issues for The Humane Society of the United States, said yesterday that a judge will decide the fate of the dogs later. The Humane Society worked for three years on the investigation, in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
Goodwin said that Faron was one of the nation's largest breeders of fighting dogs and wrote a book many consider to be the bible of the underworld of fighting dogs.
"I think this is showing dog fighters that even their godfathers are being prosecuted and sent to prison," he said.
Goodwin said that the dogs have been bred for fighting and it would very difficult and expensive to re-train the dogs, even the puppies, so that they could be adopted.
County officials have said that the dogs would be euthanized. Officials did not return a phone message yesterday.
"I think there's a county ordinance that requires it," Goodwin said. "It's not a matter of would, could or should. It's the law."
Other animal advocates believe that the dogs should be adopted to homes. Best Friends Animal Society, which runs one of the nation's biggest animal sanctuaries, has offered to have the dogs spayed or neutered and to assist the county with placing them.
"To make the judgment that all these dogs are dangerous, solely on basis of their breed, is simply wrong," Ed Fritz, a spokesman for Best Friends, said in an e-mail.
Best Friends has been working to rehabilitate 22 of the pit bulls seized in the Michael Vick dog-fighting case, a continuing work that has been featured on the National Geographic Television series DogTown, which is set at Best Friends' 3,700-acre animal sanctuary in Utah.
Sheila Carlisle of Morganton said she has been helping to care for the grown pit bulls and many puppies, and that the dogs are adorable.
"I've fallen in love with them," she said. "I don't want to cause anybody any problems with the court system, but I want these dogs saved."
Animal Control adopts new pit bull policy
Emily Longnecker/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The new director of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control has a new policy on the handling of pit bulls brought into the shelter.
Doug Ray says stray pit bulls that come in will be adopted out if they're not aggressive. That wasn't the case until Ray got on scene January 12th.
"A pit bull came and was held the mandated straight period which was four days and after that it was euthanized unless it went to rescue," said Ray.
Now those same non-aggressive pit bulls will get the chance to go to a good home.
"I don't treat pits any differently that I treat a Lab or I treat a Rottie," added Ray.
The only exception is when it comes to the adoption process.
"We do a home inspection to make sure the dog is going into the right home," said Ray.
And two weeks after someone adopts a pit bull, Ray says there's a follow-up visit. But not everyone likes the new policy. Ray says he's been the target of vandalism and threats.
"My front windshield was smashed. I've had cans of dog food thrown at my car. I've received two different notes put in my car pretty much telling me I was set up to fail and for me to go home," Ray said.
Ray isn't sure if the trouble comes from a heightened sensitivity to pit bull attacks after two pit bulls mauled 68-year-old Brenda Hill on the steps of her home. Doctors had to amputate Hill's left leg.
Rays says those two dogs were scheduled to be put down Thursday night and there was no question about that being the right course of action.
That's just what Hill's son Gregory Gilbert says should happen.
"I have no sympathy for the animals and I have no sympathy for the owner," said Gilbert.
Hill's son says he doesn't agree with Ray's changes to the pit bull adoption policy. Gilbert does not believe stray pit bulls should be adopted out.
"I'm not saying that they're all bad. No, they're not. But you never know how that dog is going to react with a family," said Gilbert.
Ray says that's true for any dog, not just pit bulls.
"We're really cautious of what we're releasing in the street," said Ray.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Pit Bulls and Dog Fighting: The HSUS and ASPCA Over Step Their Authority
Thank you Jason, Angel, Honey and Patch of Pit Bull Lovers for this (hopefully) eye-opening piece on the HSUS and ASPCA...it's way past time for people everywhere to wake up and realize what the organizations are REALLY about.
PLEASE read the full posting here The Pit Bull Lovers Blog
"The HSUS and the ASPCA are theives who are profiting from illegal seizures of perfectly healthy animals who are well cared for and loved."
"Even if someone is fighting their dogs it is still not right to steal their dogs and kill them because they say they can’t rehome them due to the fact they were used for fighting. Fighting dogs, by nature and a rule, are excellent dogs with people."
"American Pit Bull Terriers are noble canines that deserve our respect and our love. Not our hate and contempt. Allowing anyone to come in and say, “Well you have a Pit Bull, we are going to take them now without any reason whatsoever and kill them because well, they are fighting dogs.” Is stupid and it must stop right now."
PLEASE read the full posting here The Pit Bull Lovers Blog
"The HSUS and the ASPCA are theives who are profiting from illegal seizures of perfectly healthy animals who are well cared for and loved."
"Even if someone is fighting their dogs it is still not right to steal their dogs and kill them because they say they can’t rehome them due to the fact they were used for fighting. Fighting dogs, by nature and a rule, are excellent dogs with people."
"American Pit Bull Terriers are noble canines that deserve our respect and our love. Not our hate and contempt. Allowing anyone to come in and say, “Well you have a Pit Bull, we are going to take them now without any reason whatsoever and kill them because well, they are fighting dogs.” Is stupid and it must stop right now."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Alderman Resigns As McKamey Board Chairman
Alderman Resigns As McKamey Board Chairman
by Judy Frank
posted February 9, 2009
Dan Alderman, who replaced founding chair Barby Wilson as head of the board of directors of the Animal Care Trust, resigned from that position Monday.
His resignation comes just eight days ago after McKamey’s executive director, veterinarian Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter, resigned from her position.
"I have been a longtime supporter of Dr. Amanda and her vision for the McKamey Center," Mr. Alderman said.
"Now that she is leaving to return to private practice, the center will be going through a transition period to new leadership. As a member of the 'old guard' on the Animal Care Trust board, it seems a natural time for me to step aside so new leadership on the board can manage this new phase at the center."
The board chairman apparently resigned from the board itself as well as the chairmanship.
This past weekend, McKamey’s website listed Animal Care Trust officials as: Dan Alderman, Chair; Ann Ball, Vice Chair; Jack Kruesi, Treasurer; Mary Dubé, Secretary; and Marie Chinery, City of Chattanooga representative.
Monday evening, however, the list had been changed to read: Ann Ball, Chair; Jack Kruesi, Treasurer; Mary Dubé, Secretary; and Marie Chinery, City of Chattanooga representative.
Mr. Alderman also is not included on the list of members in the new version.
Two members’ names, Katrina Craven and Ellen Whittaker, also were missing from the list posted Monday evening.
Members of the Animal Care Trust – which oversees McKamey Animal Center – have been reworking their 2008-2009 budget, seeking ways to reduce expenses while dealing with huge numbers of abandoned, unwanted and stray animals from throughout the city.
McKamey treasurer Jack Kruesi has been spearheading the budget review. This weekend Mr. Kruesi said his review was nearly complete, and had been turned over to Mr. Alderman.
According to Mr. Kruesi, McKamey is on sound financial footing. He said the center’s past problems arose from the fact that its opening coincided with kitten season, so that it was inundated with more animals than originally expected.
“As with other agencies faced with overcrowding, we tried to solve the problem by pouring labor to it,” he explained.
Now the 2008 kitten season is just a memory and the number of animals in McKamey – which once swelled to about 850 – is now about 435, or about 20 percent below capacity.
Consequently, the center has been able to reduce the number of full-time and part-time employees from between 40 and 45 to slightly more than 30.
He said board members and employees already are planning for this year’s kitten season, which will begin this spring. Currently plans are to make widespread use of regular volunteers to help care for the anticipated influx of animals.
The bulk of McKamey’s operating funds, about $1 million, comes from its contract with the City of Chattanooga. Since the center receives only 8.5 percent, or about 1/12, of that total each month, he said, it still has adequate funding.
Board members of the Animal Care Trust will meet from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday at McKamey Center. The meeting, as are all board meetings, is open to the public.
by Judy Frank
posted February 9, 2009
Dan Alderman, who replaced founding chair Barby Wilson as head of the board of directors of the Animal Care Trust, resigned from that position Monday.
His resignation comes just eight days ago after McKamey’s executive director, veterinarian Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter, resigned from her position.
"I have been a longtime supporter of Dr. Amanda and her vision for the McKamey Center," Mr. Alderman said.
"Now that she is leaving to return to private practice, the center will be going through a transition period to new leadership. As a member of the 'old guard' on the Animal Care Trust board, it seems a natural time for me to step aside so new leadership on the board can manage this new phase at the center."
The board chairman apparently resigned from the board itself as well as the chairmanship.
This past weekend, McKamey’s website listed Animal Care Trust officials as: Dan Alderman, Chair; Ann Ball, Vice Chair; Jack Kruesi, Treasurer; Mary Dubé, Secretary; and Marie Chinery, City of Chattanooga representative.
Monday evening, however, the list had been changed to read: Ann Ball, Chair; Jack Kruesi, Treasurer; Mary Dubé, Secretary; and Marie Chinery, City of Chattanooga representative.
Mr. Alderman also is not included on the list of members in the new version.
Two members’ names, Katrina Craven and Ellen Whittaker, also were missing from the list posted Monday evening.
Members of the Animal Care Trust – which oversees McKamey Animal Center – have been reworking their 2008-2009 budget, seeking ways to reduce expenses while dealing with huge numbers of abandoned, unwanted and stray animals from throughout the city.
McKamey treasurer Jack Kruesi has been spearheading the budget review. This weekend Mr. Kruesi said his review was nearly complete, and had been turned over to Mr. Alderman.
According to Mr. Kruesi, McKamey is on sound financial footing. He said the center’s past problems arose from the fact that its opening coincided with kitten season, so that it was inundated with more animals than originally expected.
“As with other agencies faced with overcrowding, we tried to solve the problem by pouring labor to it,” he explained.
Now the 2008 kitten season is just a memory and the number of animals in McKamey – which once swelled to about 850 – is now about 435, or about 20 percent below capacity.
Consequently, the center has been able to reduce the number of full-time and part-time employees from between 40 and 45 to slightly more than 30.
He said board members and employees already are planning for this year’s kitten season, which will begin this spring. Currently plans are to make widespread use of regular volunteers to help care for the anticipated influx of animals.
The bulk of McKamey’s operating funds, about $1 million, comes from its contract with the City of Chattanooga. Since the center receives only 8.5 percent, or about 1/12, of that total each month, he said, it still has adequate funding.
Board members of the Animal Care Trust will meet from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday at McKamey Center. The meeting, as are all board meetings, is open to the public.
Chattanooga: Tough times at McKamey center
Open for just seven months and running low on cash, the operators of the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center face tough decisions.
And now they’ll have to do it without two of their top leaders.
On Monday, just a week after the center’s executive director, Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter, said she would part ways with the facility, the McKamey board chairman also resigned.
Dan Alderman would not say why he was leaving, but there were signs from others close to the center’s operations that issues with finances were at the heart of both departures.
While the shelter has placed many animals in homes, officials say it’s been flooded with pets over the past seven months. With that high head count came low charitable donations and a fixed $1.1 million allocation from the city. Leaders say the center was over budget every month since it opened.
“We feel like Amanda did a wonderful job,” said Ann Ball, the former board vice chairwoman who now steps into Mr. Alderman’s position. “Just look at that building ... she’s widely respected in the community, but we need someone who is a business manager, someone who is more than a vet, and Amanda realizes that.”
Three telephone messages left by the Times Free Press seeking comment from Dr. Wojtalik-Courter were not returned over the last week.
The Chattanooga-born, Yale-educated veterinarian oversaw the construction of the $6.5 million facility on North Access Road, but the opening was not smooth.
The McKamey center almost immediately was overwhelmed by a seemingly unending flow of kittens — a usual product of summertime breeding. Then dogs at the shelter were stricken with kennel cough. In the months that followed, the center packed in 300 animals beyond its capacity.
McKamey was formed when the city announced it would pull its contract from the Hamilton County Humane Education Society and instead hand over animal collection — previously a division of the police department — as well as care and adoption services to McKamey. The Humane Society, located in Highland Park, still handles strays for the unincorporated county and a handful of outlying communities.
On Wednesday evening, the center’s board will hold its first meeting since the resignations. The center’s Web site lists a new operations manager, Paula Hurn. Ms. Ball said she wasn’t sure if the board was leaning toward hiring a full-time veterinarian to replace Dr. Wojtalik-Courter as well as someone to handle finances.
BIG HEARTS ON A BUDGET
Chattanooga City Councilman Jack Benson, the center’s biggest booster on the council, said he was distressed to see animals in cages lining the 26,000-square-foot facility as the center’s population swelled beyond its intended 500-pet maximum.
Ms. Ball said there were 800 animals at the facility at one point. Both she and Mr. Benson said that sort of unyielding compassion can’t happen at a facility charged with accepting an entire city’s strays.
“We are not a no-kill shelter. We never have been. As long as you are the city’s animal shelter ... you have to take every animal that is brought to you,” Ms. Ball said. “You can’t warehouse animals. It’s not anything that anyone wants to do, but being a no-kill shelter is where we would like to be ... we are not there yet.”
Dr. Wojtalik-Courter and others have said center workers would not kill animals for space reasons. Ms. Ball said she did not know if healthy, adoptable animals had been euthanized since the facility was opened. But Mr. Benson said such measures are necessary if the facility is going to stand on its own and operate within the funds allocated by the city.
“I went over there a week or two ago and all the employees were all enthused and celebrating ... because they had just adopted a dog that had been in the shelter since July,” Mr. Benson said. “That’s wonderful, but we’re not in the kennel business. We are in the animal shelter business.”
THROWING A BONE
Ms. Ball said the facility had both misjudged its expenses and run over budget, but it also had been hurt by a slowdown in charitable giving.
She said recently implemented controls are aimed at tamping down expenses between now and the end of the fiscal year. The board is working on a new financial plan, and Ms. Ball said shelter officials likely will ask the city for more money.
Mayor Ron Littlefield still supports the shelter, but he’s not promising any additional financial support, said Richard Beeland, the mayor’s spokesman.
“There were some issues with the shelter in the beginning ... and we’re working to come to a solution on those,” Mr. Beeland said. “But we’ll just have to wait and see on the funding issue.”
Mr. Benson said he would support such a request only if the shelter could show it had solid financial controls. He said the city may be able to offer a loan to the facility if it continues to run in the red.
“We can help see them through, but we want to make sure this doesn’t occur every year,” Mr. Benson said.
And now they’ll have to do it without two of their top leaders.
On Monday, just a week after the center’s executive director, Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter, said she would part ways with the facility, the McKamey board chairman also resigned.
Dan Alderman would not say why he was leaving, but there were signs from others close to the center’s operations that issues with finances were at the heart of both departures.
While the shelter has placed many animals in homes, officials say it’s been flooded with pets over the past seven months. With that high head count came low charitable donations and a fixed $1.1 million allocation from the city. Leaders say the center was over budget every month since it opened.
“We feel like Amanda did a wonderful job,” said Ann Ball, the former board vice chairwoman who now steps into Mr. Alderman’s position. “Just look at that building ... she’s widely respected in the community, but we need someone who is a business manager, someone who is more than a vet, and Amanda realizes that.”
Three telephone messages left by the Times Free Press seeking comment from Dr. Wojtalik-Courter were not returned over the last week.
The Chattanooga-born, Yale-educated veterinarian oversaw the construction of the $6.5 million facility on North Access Road, but the opening was not smooth.
The McKamey center almost immediately was overwhelmed by a seemingly unending flow of kittens — a usual product of summertime breeding. Then dogs at the shelter were stricken with kennel cough. In the months that followed, the center packed in 300 animals beyond its capacity.
McKamey was formed when the city announced it would pull its contract from the Hamilton County Humane Education Society and instead hand over animal collection — previously a division of the police department — as well as care and adoption services to McKamey. The Humane Society, located in Highland Park, still handles strays for the unincorporated county and a handful of outlying communities.
On Wednesday evening, the center’s board will hold its first meeting since the resignations. The center’s Web site lists a new operations manager, Paula Hurn. Ms. Ball said she wasn’t sure if the board was leaning toward hiring a full-time veterinarian to replace Dr. Wojtalik-Courter as well as someone to handle finances.
BIG HEARTS ON A BUDGET
Chattanooga City Councilman Jack Benson, the center’s biggest booster on the council, said he was distressed to see animals in cages lining the 26,000-square-foot facility as the center’s population swelled beyond its intended 500-pet maximum.
Ms. Ball said there were 800 animals at the facility at one point. Both she and Mr. Benson said that sort of unyielding compassion can’t happen at a facility charged with accepting an entire city’s strays.
“We are not a no-kill shelter. We never have been. As long as you are the city’s animal shelter ... you have to take every animal that is brought to you,” Ms. Ball said. “You can’t warehouse animals. It’s not anything that anyone wants to do, but being a no-kill shelter is where we would like to be ... we are not there yet.”
Dr. Wojtalik-Courter and others have said center workers would not kill animals for space reasons. Ms. Ball said she did not know if healthy, adoptable animals had been euthanized since the facility was opened. But Mr. Benson said such measures are necessary if the facility is going to stand on its own and operate within the funds allocated by the city.
“I went over there a week or two ago and all the employees were all enthused and celebrating ... because they had just adopted a dog that had been in the shelter since July,” Mr. Benson said. “That’s wonderful, but we’re not in the kennel business. We are in the animal shelter business.”
THROWING A BONE
Ms. Ball said the facility had both misjudged its expenses and run over budget, but it also had been hurt by a slowdown in charitable giving.
She said recently implemented controls are aimed at tamping down expenses between now and the end of the fiscal year. The board is working on a new financial plan, and Ms. Ball said shelter officials likely will ask the city for more money.
Mayor Ron Littlefield still supports the shelter, but he’s not promising any additional financial support, said Richard Beeland, the mayor’s spokesman.
“There were some issues with the shelter in the beginning ... and we’re working to come to a solution on those,” Mr. Beeland said. “But we’ll just have to wait and see on the funding issue.”
Mr. Benson said he would support such a request only if the shelter could show it had solid financial controls. He said the city may be able to offer a loan to the facility if it continues to run in the red.
“We can help see them through, but we want to make sure this doesn’t occur every year,” Mr. Benson said.
PETA dresses in KKK garb outside Westminster Dog Show
I don't even know what to say.....at least maybe this will wake up some of the unsuspecting PETA supporters...how do you even come up with such an idea?!
Full article here
PETA supporters Caleb Wheeldon, foreground, and Andrea McIntyre hand out leaflets outside Madison Square Garden during the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York. PETA contends that the American Kennel Club promotes pure-breeding of dogs that is harmful to their health.
Full article here
PETA supporters Caleb Wheeldon, foreground, and Andrea McIntyre hand out leaflets outside Madison Square Garden during the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York. PETA contends that the American Kennel Club promotes pure-breeding of dogs that is harmful to their health.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Dog advocates rally
Click for the full article
Dozens of owners urge legislators to abandon a proposed pit bull ban
Legislators will likely not pass the bill, but a growing group of dog owners is reacting quickly and loudly to stop the legislation before it can get anywhere.
Sen. Brian Taniguchi, chairman of the Judiciary and Government Operations Committee, said there will likely be no hearing on this proposal.
"I'm not really inclined to hear this bill," said Taniguchi (D, Manoa-Moiliili-McCully-Makiki). "It was a little surprising that we got such a huge number of people. I've gotten a lot of e-mails and faxes on this."
United States-The Humane Society of the United States Sleaze, Politics, Lobbying and alleged Corruption.
A MUST READ on the HSUS
7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS
Amanda Nolz
BEEF Magazine
February 5th, 2009
It’s no secret that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) isn’t the organization it pretends to be. Instead of using its money to save pets and care for animals, HSUS utilizes their monetary gifts in their work as a lobbying giant. Their main goal is to eliminate animal agriculture in this country, and they are finding success by passing legislation that makes food production more costly than ever before. I was sent this Center for Consumer Freedom article titled, "7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS," and I thought I would share it with all of you. Undoubtedly, it will be some good coffee talk at the local elevator or cafe this weekend.
"7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS"
1) The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a "humane society" in name only, since it doesn’t operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere in the United States. During 2006, HSUS contributed only 4.2 percent of its budget to organizations that operate hands-on dog and cat shelters. In reality, HSUS is a wealthy animal-rights lobbying organization (the largest and richest on earth) that agitates for the same goals as PETA and other radical groups.
2) Beginning on the day of NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s 2007 dogfighting indictment, HSUS raised money online with the false promise that it would "care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case." The New York Times later reported that HSUS wasn’t caring for Vick’s dogs at all. And HSUS president Wayne Pacelle told the Times that his group recommended that government officials "put down" (that is, kill) the dogs rather than adopt them out to suitable homes. HSUS later quietly altered its Internet fundraising pitch.
3) HSUS’s senior management includes a former spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), a criminal group designated as "terrorists" by the FBI. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle hired John "J.P." Goodwin in 1997, the same year Goodwin described himself as "spokesperson for the ALF" while he fielded media calls in the wake of an ALF arson attack at a California veal processing plant. In 1997, when asked by reporters for a reaction to an ALF arson fire at a farmer’s feed co-op in Utah (which nearly killed a family sleeping on the premises), Goodwin replied, "We’re ecstatic." That same year, Goodwin was arrested at a UC Davis protest celebrating the 10-year anniversary of an ALF arson at the university that caused $5 million in damage. And in 1998, Goodwin described himself publicly as a "former member of ALF."
4) According to a 2008 Los Angeles Times investigation, less than 12 percent of money raised for HSUS by California telemarketers actually ends up in HSUS’s bank account. The rest is kept by professional fundraisers. And if you exclude two campaigns run for HSUS by the "Build-a-Bear Workshop" retail chain, which consisted of the sale of surplus stuffed animals (not really "fundraising"), HSUS’s yield number shrinks to just 3 percent. Sadly, this appears typical. In 2004, HSUS ran a telemarketing campaign in Connecticut with fundraisers who promised to return a minimum of zero percent of the proceeds. The campaign raised over $1.4 million. Not only did absolutely none of that money go to HSUS, but the group paid $175,000 for the telemarketing work.
5) Research shows that HSUS’s heavily promoted U.S. "boycott" of Canadian seafood—announced in 2005 as a protest against Canada’s annual seal hunt—is a phony exercise in media manipulation. A 2006 investigation found that 78 percent of the restaurants and seafood distributors described by HSUS as "boycotters" weren’t participating at all. Nearly two-thirds of them told surveyors they were completely unaware HSUS was using their names in connection with an international boycott campaign. Canada’s federal government is on record about this deception, saying: "Some animal rights groups have been misleading the public for years … it’s no surprise at all that the richest of them would mislead the public with a phony seafood boycott."
6) HSUS raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, supposedly to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But comparatively little of that money was spent for its intended purpose. Louisiana’s Attorney General shuttered his 18-month-long investigation into where most of these millions went, shortly after HSUS announced its plan to contribute $600,000 toward the construction of an animal shelter on the grounds of a state prison. Public disclosures of the disposition of the $34 million in Katrina-related donations add up to less than $7 million.
7) After gathering undercover video footage of improper animal handling at a Chino, CA slaughterhouse during November of 2007, HSUS sat on its video evidence for three months, even refusing to share it with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. HSUS’s Dr. Michael Greger testified before Congress that the San Bernardino County (CA) District Attorney’s office asked the group "to hold on to the information while they completed their investigation." But the District Attorney’s office quickly denied that account, even declaring that HSUS refused to make its undercover spy available to investigators if the USDA were present at those meetings. Ultimately, HSUS chose to release its video footage at a more politically opportune time, as it prepared to launch a livestock-related ballot campaign in California. Meanwhile, meat from the slaughterhouse continued to flow into the U.S. food supply for months.
blog.beefmagazine.com
7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS
Amanda Nolz
BEEF Magazine
February 5th, 2009
It’s no secret that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) isn’t the organization it pretends to be. Instead of using its money to save pets and care for animals, HSUS utilizes their monetary gifts in their work as a lobbying giant. Their main goal is to eliminate animal agriculture in this country, and they are finding success by passing legislation that makes food production more costly than ever before. I was sent this Center for Consumer Freedom article titled, "7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS," and I thought I would share it with all of you. Undoubtedly, it will be some good coffee talk at the local elevator or cafe this weekend.
"7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS"
1) The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a "humane society" in name only, since it doesn’t operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere in the United States. During 2006, HSUS contributed only 4.2 percent of its budget to organizations that operate hands-on dog and cat shelters. In reality, HSUS is a wealthy animal-rights lobbying organization (the largest and richest on earth) that agitates for the same goals as PETA and other radical groups.
2) Beginning on the day of NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s 2007 dogfighting indictment, HSUS raised money online with the false promise that it would "care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case." The New York Times later reported that HSUS wasn’t caring for Vick’s dogs at all. And HSUS president Wayne Pacelle told the Times that his group recommended that government officials "put down" (that is, kill) the dogs rather than adopt them out to suitable homes. HSUS later quietly altered its Internet fundraising pitch.
3) HSUS’s senior management includes a former spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), a criminal group designated as "terrorists" by the FBI. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle hired John "J.P." Goodwin in 1997, the same year Goodwin described himself as "spokesperson for the ALF" while he fielded media calls in the wake of an ALF arson attack at a California veal processing plant. In 1997, when asked by reporters for a reaction to an ALF arson fire at a farmer’s feed co-op in Utah (which nearly killed a family sleeping on the premises), Goodwin replied, "We’re ecstatic." That same year, Goodwin was arrested at a UC Davis protest celebrating the 10-year anniversary of an ALF arson at the university that caused $5 million in damage. And in 1998, Goodwin described himself publicly as a "former member of ALF."
4) According to a 2008 Los Angeles Times investigation, less than 12 percent of money raised for HSUS by California telemarketers actually ends up in HSUS’s bank account. The rest is kept by professional fundraisers. And if you exclude two campaigns run for HSUS by the "Build-a-Bear Workshop" retail chain, which consisted of the sale of surplus stuffed animals (not really "fundraising"), HSUS’s yield number shrinks to just 3 percent. Sadly, this appears typical. In 2004, HSUS ran a telemarketing campaign in Connecticut with fundraisers who promised to return a minimum of zero percent of the proceeds. The campaign raised over $1.4 million. Not only did absolutely none of that money go to HSUS, but the group paid $175,000 for the telemarketing work.
5) Research shows that HSUS’s heavily promoted U.S. "boycott" of Canadian seafood—announced in 2005 as a protest against Canada’s annual seal hunt—is a phony exercise in media manipulation. A 2006 investigation found that 78 percent of the restaurants and seafood distributors described by HSUS as "boycotters" weren’t participating at all. Nearly two-thirds of them told surveyors they were completely unaware HSUS was using their names in connection with an international boycott campaign. Canada’s federal government is on record about this deception, saying: "Some animal rights groups have been misleading the public for years … it’s no surprise at all that the richest of them would mislead the public with a phony seafood boycott."
6) HSUS raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, supposedly to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But comparatively little of that money was spent for its intended purpose. Louisiana’s Attorney General shuttered his 18-month-long investigation into where most of these millions went, shortly after HSUS announced its plan to contribute $600,000 toward the construction of an animal shelter on the grounds of a state prison. Public disclosures of the disposition of the $34 million in Katrina-related donations add up to less than $7 million.
7) After gathering undercover video footage of improper animal handling at a Chino, CA slaughterhouse during November of 2007, HSUS sat on its video evidence for three months, even refusing to share it with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. HSUS’s Dr. Michael Greger testified before Congress that the San Bernardino County (CA) District Attorney’s office asked the group "to hold on to the information while they completed their investigation." But the District Attorney’s office quickly denied that account, even declaring that HSUS refused to make its undercover spy available to investigators if the USDA were present at those meetings. Ultimately, HSUS chose to release its video footage at a more politically opportune time, as it prepared to launch a livestock-related ballot campaign in California. Meanwhile, meat from the slaughterhouse continued to flow into the U.S. food supply for months.
blog.beefmagazine.com
PETA wants to take a bite out of pit bull breeding
PETA's a "friend" of the APBT, right? Yeah, right. See for yourself.
PETA supports legislation that bans the breeding of pit bulls, along with spaying and neutering legislation as the most effective way to combat the "tragic companion animal overpopulation problem."
Although the pit bull that attacked a child at a baby sitter's home on Barclay Road in Newport News was neutered, PETA's position is about more than behavior. Taken to its logical conclusion, it would lead to the phasing out of a breed.
PETA argues the breeding ban would save a lot of canines from suffering.
"Over and over again, PETA rescues pit bulls like these from people who beat, starve, and neglect them; chain them to metal drums as 'guard' dogs; or train them to attack people and fight other animals," PETA's Web site states.
PETA supports legislation that bans the breeding of pit bulls, along with spaying and neutering legislation as the most effective way to combat the "tragic companion animal overpopulation problem."
Although the pit bull that attacked a child at a baby sitter's home on Barclay Road in Newport News was neutered, PETA's position is about more than behavior. Taken to its logical conclusion, it would lead to the phasing out of a breed.
PETA argues the breeding ban would save a lot of canines from suffering.
"Over and over again, PETA rescues pit bulls like these from people who beat, starve, and neglect them; chain them to metal drums as 'guard' dogs; or train them to attack people and fight other animals," PETA's Web site states.
Michael Vick's dogs recover
Click here for the slideshow
Full article
They could be your dog, your neighbor’s, even one of those you see in a magazine being doted on by a celebrity owner.
These, though, are Michael Vick’s dogs.
Fourteen months after some experts left them for dead — in fact, said they should die — they are alive and thriving at the Best Friends Animal Society in the rocky red hills of Utah, rewriting the book about what pit bulls really are and what they can be.
Most of these dogs will find homes someday. None of their ilk, however, will be welcomed next week at America’s best-known dog show, Westminster, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The American Pit Bull Terrier is the country’s iconic and most divisive breed, but it isn’t on the American Kennel Club’s list of accepted breeds. The AKC recognizes a cousin, the American Staffordshire Terrier, instead.
Friday, February 6, 2009
McKamey Center Operation Model Is Not Working, But Best Is Yet To Come - And Response (7)
Click here for article
The McKamey Center has entered the third quarter of operation. The budget, the programs in place, and the state of management gives us a good idea whether the path we have taken is working successfully. It is not. The resignation of Dr. Amanda is timely and needed. I respect her for putting the Animal Care Trust's mission first and stepping down. She has done an incredible job of getting this wonderful facility constructed and open.
The Center needs a director of the clinic and another director for Shelter/Adoption and Animal Services. It is my opinion that the current Animal Service is providing more service to the community than prior arrangements under the Police Department and Neighborhood Services; but we can do better. Until spay/neuter laws are enacted and overpopulation is under control, the Animal Service budget and number of officers will need to remain in tact.
I was one of the original Animal Caretakers. I think it was necessary for me to do that job to know first hand what our shelter workers are being ask to do in regard to best care for our animals. The job of Animal Caretaker is the first line connection with animals being cared for at any shelter. The education and emotional support needed ensures how the animals are cared for. The Animal Caretaker job is physically and emotionally intense; not everyone is cut out to do it; not everyone can even go inside an animal shelter. McKamey Center's Caretakers are committed and dedicated. We need to support that and respect it from a management and community level, and provide the Volunteers necessary for the Caretakers to do their job.
I was surprised to learn, when the Center opened, that Dr. Amanda did not ask the city for an increase in budget; an increase in what the city was contracting with the Humane Educational Society (HES). The McKamey Center opened in July 2008 with a budget of a little over $1M annually to cover shelter operations, staff pay and benefits, and Animal Services. As with HES, the city did not provide any money for education of the shelter workers or the community. The McKamey Center requires an increase in budget for operations and education. The Center has operated over budget since the day it opened. The ACT board has moved to balance the budget. This decision, however difficult, was the responsible thing to do.
In order to balance the budget, some animals will likely have to die due to the overpopulation issue. Until we get this issue under control (with Spay/Neuter laws) animals are going to have to die. The McKamey Center inherited this problem; it did not create it. It is important for the community to accept responsibility for the overpopulation issue.
I have been involved with this issue since 2001. From the beginning, I have advocated for more education
and more emotional support for shelter workers. If the community and city take responsibility for providing this support, more animals will get adopted and less animals will have to die.
I wish Dr. Amanda and Scott (her husband) well. Both have given much to this issue. It is my hope that they will continue to support and work towards the success of the McKamey Center. We need their continued support of the "crown jewel of Chattanooga, a place for education, advocacy and compassion". Thank you Dr. Amanda and Scott. Thanks also to all the Volunteers that have hung in there during our growing pains. And much appreciation goes to those serving our animals on the Animal Care Trust board. The best is yet to come. Watch for and join us in our new Membership Program.
Lou McKenzie
Volunteer
* * *
How can any spay/neuter program be mandated when we don't demand the same of welfare recipients?
"Animal rights advocates" will often attribute human rights to animals and, to be sure, there ought to be laws against animal cruelty. If we're to give them some rights other than what is humane, why not all of the same rights as a human being?
If we're going to continue to hand out money, food stamps, subsidize shelter, subsidize utilities, medical care that's better than what those of us who pay for own receive, and all the other benefit programs as well as handing out tax "refund" checks to people who pay no taxes it's an easy step to start handing out money for puppies. The more puppies the more cash and benefits to be charged to the taxpayer.
But we'll continue to have vans seize critters from the puppy mills, and leave the baby mills alone ... and we'll call this sanity.
Royce E. Burrage Jr.
Royce@OfficiallyChapped.org
* * *
I have just read Ms. McKenzie's article and am appalled that she sees more animals dying as a solution to McKamey's problems. McKamey is the "crown jewel of Chattanooga, a place for education, advocacy and compassion" because it is a low-kill facility. Changing that is going to drive support away.
I also find it disappointing that the Chattanoogan has not done its homework regarding this article. As I recall, Ms. McKenzie was previously a staff member of McKamey and is no longer a staff member of McKamey. I am curious to know why she presents herself as a volunteer.
I am quite sure that the general public has no idea how difficult, time-consuming, physically and emotionally draining it is to work at McKamey. I 'am' a volunteer and I see what the staff goes through everyday. Supporters of McKamey need to know that our staff members often work eight-hour shifts in the trenches cleaning cages, scooping poop and doing laundry. They have been called upon to work ten straight days without a break. They have gone out and asked the people they know and the public for monetary help. In fact, people should know that almost every extra dollar raised for the center has been as a result of staff and volunteer effort.
Ms. McKenzie states that, "The resignation of Dr. Amanda is timely and needed. I respect her for putting the Animal Care Trust's mission first and stepping down. She has done an incredible job of getting this wonderful facility constructed and open." Ms. McKenzie is wrong about Dr. Amanda's resignation. It is neither timely nor needed.
I truly hope that the center will find a way to continue the work it started, but this type of sweeping change is 'not' the way to do it. Three quarters is not an adequate amount of time to make an accurate evaluation. When McKamey opened its doors, within days it was at full capacity due to the lack of responsibility among the public. Spay/Neuter laws are an absolute necessity, but that is going to take time. It has taken thousands and thousands of hours by a lot of dedicated workers since that time to organize and respond to this demand. The center is just now beginning to get ahead of the wave.
People now are bringing in unwanted animals because they trust that McKamey is a low-kill facility. How many people will start dropping fertile animals in "rich" neighborhoods rather than bring them into a facility where they will be spayed/neutered before they are, hopefully, adopted?
I am saddened by the loss of Dr. Amanda for the animals, for the center, for the staff and for myself. I cannot imagine that anyone could do anything more or better than she has with her unflagging energy and devotion to the care of all the innocent lives that the Center has sheltered. This unfortunate turn of events may be McKamey's biggest challenge to date.
Hedi Courter
Hixson
* * *
The whole Mckamey Center ordeal is more complicated than any of us know. It's not as simple as Dr. Amanda stepping down or why she should or shouldn't. None of us know what is really going on. Just because someone is a volunteer there does not mean that they are in the know of what is going on behind closed doors, so-to-speak.
All living creatures should be given the same rights as human beings. Every life has a right to exist and carry out their own purpose on the planet, whatever that may be.
What a lot of human beings fail to realize or understand is that the cat & dog overpopulation problem was and is created by human beings. Since we humans domesticated dogs and cats and have forced them to live alongside us, it is our responsibility to respect and protect them. Spaying and neutering does just that. Why let more dogs and cats come into this world why hundreds of thousands die in shelters daily? It makes no sense. Until we can catch up with all the homeless pets in shelters, breeding should be stopped or have a choke hold put on it. I am certain that no law enforcement agency will ever be able to force people to spay and neuter their pets. The only way to accomplish such a feat is to offer that service free. I know it sounds crazy but there are so many people that will not spay or neuter their pets for five dollars. I have even had people tell me they think it is wrong to spay and neuter their dogs or cats. Education is key here and eventually, the funding for free spay and neutering will have to be brought about in all cities all over this country. This will have to come from the higher ups in Washington. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.
Brandy Fullerton
East Ridge
* * *
I, too, am appalled that she thinks more animals dying as being a solution to McKamey’s problems. I don’t doubt that Ms. McKenzie has put in a lot of time with the McKameyCenter, but she seems just a little hard-hearted. She responded to an article I had written in the Times Free Press concerning my call to the Center about an animal that had been hit beside the road but was not dead. It took 1 ½ days for them to show up. Her response to me was to take the animal to a clinic. Well I have done that many times and if you don’t have the money up front (sometimes as much as $300-$400 ) they will not do a thing. So what I gathered from Ms. McKenzie was they were busy so if you don’t have the money yourself to take it to a clinic – just “too bad” for the animal. It can just lay beside the road until it dies.
I also was shocked that you have to call for an appointment to bring in an animal. If you find a starving, sick, or injured animal – what are you supposed to do? It looks like just ignore it if you don’t have the money to spend on it yourself. At HEC you do not have to call for an appointment. But they are Hamilton County only.
Over the years I can’t tell you how much money I have spent on strays. I have three in my home now that I have had for some time. I have also spent countless hours trying to find home for strays that I just couldn’t take in anymore.
For the people that do try to help these poor strays I highly recommend Wally’s Friend’s. This place is wonderful and a “life saver” to help people with the low cost of spaying and neutering their pets.
Charlotte Page
Chattanooga
* * *
First of all, Mr. Burrage is dead on. Keep up the fight against hypocrisy and ignorance. Next, let's go to Ms. Fullerton. My remarks are not intended as a personal attack, merely illustrating the hypocrisy of most "animal rights" believers. I can only assume by your remarks that you are vegan. Are you really saying that all living creatures should be given the same rights as human beings?
Let's see. You want spay and neutering to be free. So, to be consistent, spay and neuter human beings to achieve population control. How do we control the dog on cat hate crimes? No dog should be denied service at any restaurant because of species. Let's all eat next to the cockroaches, after all, they are living creatures that should not be denied. How do we protect the innocent mosquitoes when they feed, surely you propose we never use insect repellant. How about while driving, when we accidentally hit a squirrel are we to be charged with negligent homicide?
Come on. Either one believes that humans are a higher life form or they believe we should live in caves with no resemblance of modern conveniences. Anywhere in between and someone would be a hypocrite. Which are all of you who profess equal rights for animals?
Personally, I will continue with the knowledge that humans are different and above all other life forms.
Marty Nix
Lookout Mountain
* * *
I have two warehouses in Chattanooga and I have been invaded by stray cats. I am generally an animal lover, but the tom cats spray their territory and the warehouses are starting to smell like stray cats.
I called McKamey to inquire as to what to do with these animals. I was told to catch the wild cats, bring them to McKamey and pay $25 per animal dropped off. They would spay or neuter the cats and turn them loose again. Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?
Five cats, that's $125, and they may be back next week? McKamey exterminated 150 animals in December, according to their website, and they can't add a few more to the list?
Harry Presley
Chattanooga
Pharry752@aol.com
* * *
The letter submitted by Lou McKenzie contains many disturbing statements, especially coming from one claiming to be an animal advocate. She says that restructuring is needed, but does not explain why. She says that Dr. Amanda needed to step down, but does not say why, or how her stepping down will improve McKamey's operations. If there is any financial consideration involved, surely funding two positions (Clinic Director and Adoption/Shelter Director) will cost more than having one person doing both, especially since that one person does the work for the pay of one half of the salary she was supposed to receive.
In addition, Ms. McKenzie's mention of the necessity of euthanasia startled me. The most important factor in having a no-kill or low-kill shelter is the belief of those responsible that it absolutely can be done. An attitude of "well, we'll do it the old way until the public decides to listen to us about spay/neuter, then we'll change" is a recipe for failure. It is 'planned' failure.
Yes, we need sterilization laws, and the sooner the better, and they need to be enforced. However, killing animals at McKamey won't make that happen any sooner. It can be worked on from the outside while people with a core commitment to ending killing-for-space are doing their job at McKamey and other places with similar beliefs.
If anyone wants to support killing for space, they need to go over there and do it. Carry little Galore or Briscoe or Hobie down to the smelly euthanasia chamber. Since Ms. McKenzie left McKamey and in a long letter to other staff explained that she just didn't have the type of personality that could handle that environment, she should leave the decisions about who is worth fighting for and who isn't to the people who know the animals and their potentials.
I was one of the original caretakers too. I still am. If my understanding is correct, based on reading what the board and others are stating as their reasons, assuming them to be truthful, the largest problem is money. It is only money that stands in the way of fulfilling our mission. It seems to me that the first, best response to that is to raise more money, and ask for a larger budget next year.
Not "depopulating." I know money is tight for everyone but I have not seen any concerted effort at fundraising lately, except what we, the employees have done. I have several ideas which I have offered but have received no response.
Surely no one really believed that the need for fundraising was over when the building was finished? The building is just a building.
This "crown jewel" is insignificant compared with the dedication, passion, hard work, and long-term commitment needed to run it day to day. If it was all only ever about the fancy building, then all the nay-sayers were right - it 'was' a colossal waste of money. A beautiful, state-of-the-art, people- and pet-friendly building, without the commitment to change the way animal care and control is done, is just a dolled-up farce. It is the worst kind of lie, which perpetrates itself on those who refuse -or who do not realize that they should - look beyond the surface of things.
It seems so ironic to me that we at McKamey prepared to weather the storms of the disbelievers, that we stayed on the lookout for those who were against what we believed in from the start, those who do not think animals deserve our respect and care. But, of course, they were powerless in the face of the determination and conviction of those doing the work - led by Dr. Amanda. Powered by Dr. Amanda. Buoyed up, whipped into shape, carried along at weak moments, even 'fed' by Dr. Amanda. But the real attack came from within.
Dr. Amanda is perfect for the job of executive director and veterinarian. All the good that has happened so far, all the lives saved, all the energy and the desire to do just a little bit more - has come from her.
Ms. McKenzie and I have worked together in trying to reduce the population of feral and stray cats. I am committed to continuing to work with her in those efforts. But I believe that she is misguided about McKamey, and I only hope that the real vision of a shelter that puts animals at the top of the 'unexpendable' list, will not perish because of these events.
Mary Keebler
Chickamauga, Ga.
The McKamey Center has entered the third quarter of operation. The budget, the programs in place, and the state of management gives us a good idea whether the path we have taken is working successfully. It is not. The resignation of Dr. Amanda is timely and needed. I respect her for putting the Animal Care Trust's mission first and stepping down. She has done an incredible job of getting this wonderful facility constructed and open.
The Center needs a director of the clinic and another director for Shelter/Adoption and Animal Services. It is my opinion that the current Animal Service is providing more service to the community than prior arrangements under the Police Department and Neighborhood Services; but we can do better. Until spay/neuter laws are enacted and overpopulation is under control, the Animal Service budget and number of officers will need to remain in tact.
I was one of the original Animal Caretakers. I think it was necessary for me to do that job to know first hand what our shelter workers are being ask to do in regard to best care for our animals. The job of Animal Caretaker is the first line connection with animals being cared for at any shelter. The education and emotional support needed ensures how the animals are cared for. The Animal Caretaker job is physically and emotionally intense; not everyone is cut out to do it; not everyone can even go inside an animal shelter. McKamey Center's Caretakers are committed and dedicated. We need to support that and respect it from a management and community level, and provide the Volunteers necessary for the Caretakers to do their job.
I was surprised to learn, when the Center opened, that Dr. Amanda did not ask the city for an increase in budget; an increase in what the city was contracting with the Humane Educational Society (HES). The McKamey Center opened in July 2008 with a budget of a little over $1M annually to cover shelter operations, staff pay and benefits, and Animal Services. As with HES, the city did not provide any money for education of the shelter workers or the community. The McKamey Center requires an increase in budget for operations and education. The Center has operated over budget since the day it opened. The ACT board has moved to balance the budget. This decision, however difficult, was the responsible thing to do.
In order to balance the budget, some animals will likely have to die due to the overpopulation issue. Until we get this issue under control (with Spay/Neuter laws) animals are going to have to die. The McKamey Center inherited this problem; it did not create it. It is important for the community to accept responsibility for the overpopulation issue.
I have been involved with this issue since 2001. From the beginning, I have advocated for more education
and more emotional support for shelter workers. If the community and city take responsibility for providing this support, more animals will get adopted and less animals will have to die.
I wish Dr. Amanda and Scott (her husband) well. Both have given much to this issue. It is my hope that they will continue to support and work towards the success of the McKamey Center. We need their continued support of the "crown jewel of Chattanooga, a place for education, advocacy and compassion". Thank you Dr. Amanda and Scott. Thanks also to all the Volunteers that have hung in there during our growing pains. And much appreciation goes to those serving our animals on the Animal Care Trust board. The best is yet to come. Watch for and join us in our new Membership Program.
Lou McKenzie
Volunteer
* * *
How can any spay/neuter program be mandated when we don't demand the same of welfare recipients?
"Animal rights advocates" will often attribute human rights to animals and, to be sure, there ought to be laws against animal cruelty. If we're to give them some rights other than what is humane, why not all of the same rights as a human being?
If we're going to continue to hand out money, food stamps, subsidize shelter, subsidize utilities, medical care that's better than what those of us who pay for own receive, and all the other benefit programs as well as handing out tax "refund" checks to people who pay no taxes it's an easy step to start handing out money for puppies. The more puppies the more cash and benefits to be charged to the taxpayer.
But we'll continue to have vans seize critters from the puppy mills, and leave the baby mills alone ... and we'll call this sanity.
Royce E. Burrage Jr.
Royce@OfficiallyChapped.org
* * *
I have just read Ms. McKenzie's article and am appalled that she sees more animals dying as a solution to McKamey's problems. McKamey is the "crown jewel of Chattanooga, a place for education, advocacy and compassion" because it is a low-kill facility. Changing that is going to drive support away.
I also find it disappointing that the Chattanoogan has not done its homework regarding this article. As I recall, Ms. McKenzie was previously a staff member of McKamey and is no longer a staff member of McKamey. I am curious to know why she presents herself as a volunteer.
I am quite sure that the general public has no idea how difficult, time-consuming, physically and emotionally draining it is to work at McKamey. I 'am' a volunteer and I see what the staff goes through everyday. Supporters of McKamey need to know that our staff members often work eight-hour shifts in the trenches cleaning cages, scooping poop and doing laundry. They have been called upon to work ten straight days without a break. They have gone out and asked the people they know and the public for monetary help. In fact, people should know that almost every extra dollar raised for the center has been as a result of staff and volunteer effort.
Ms. McKenzie states that, "The resignation of Dr. Amanda is timely and needed. I respect her for putting the Animal Care Trust's mission first and stepping down. She has done an incredible job of getting this wonderful facility constructed and open." Ms. McKenzie is wrong about Dr. Amanda's resignation. It is neither timely nor needed.
I truly hope that the center will find a way to continue the work it started, but this type of sweeping change is 'not' the way to do it. Three quarters is not an adequate amount of time to make an accurate evaluation. When McKamey opened its doors, within days it was at full capacity due to the lack of responsibility among the public. Spay/Neuter laws are an absolute necessity, but that is going to take time. It has taken thousands and thousands of hours by a lot of dedicated workers since that time to organize and respond to this demand. The center is just now beginning to get ahead of the wave.
People now are bringing in unwanted animals because they trust that McKamey is a low-kill facility. How many people will start dropping fertile animals in "rich" neighborhoods rather than bring them into a facility where they will be spayed/neutered before they are, hopefully, adopted?
I am saddened by the loss of Dr. Amanda for the animals, for the center, for the staff and for myself. I cannot imagine that anyone could do anything more or better than she has with her unflagging energy and devotion to the care of all the innocent lives that the Center has sheltered. This unfortunate turn of events may be McKamey's biggest challenge to date.
Hedi Courter
Hixson
* * *
The whole Mckamey Center ordeal is more complicated than any of us know. It's not as simple as Dr. Amanda stepping down or why she should or shouldn't. None of us know what is really going on. Just because someone is a volunteer there does not mean that they are in the know of what is going on behind closed doors, so-to-speak.
All living creatures should be given the same rights as human beings. Every life has a right to exist and carry out their own purpose on the planet, whatever that may be.
What a lot of human beings fail to realize or understand is that the cat & dog overpopulation problem was and is created by human beings. Since we humans domesticated dogs and cats and have forced them to live alongside us, it is our responsibility to respect and protect them. Spaying and neutering does just that. Why let more dogs and cats come into this world why hundreds of thousands die in shelters daily? It makes no sense. Until we can catch up with all the homeless pets in shelters, breeding should be stopped or have a choke hold put on it. I am certain that no law enforcement agency will ever be able to force people to spay and neuter their pets. The only way to accomplish such a feat is to offer that service free. I know it sounds crazy but there are so many people that will not spay or neuter their pets for five dollars. I have even had people tell me they think it is wrong to spay and neuter their dogs or cats. Education is key here and eventually, the funding for free spay and neutering will have to be brought about in all cities all over this country. This will have to come from the higher ups in Washington. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.
Brandy Fullerton
East Ridge
* * *
I, too, am appalled that she thinks more animals dying as being a solution to McKamey’s problems. I don’t doubt that Ms. McKenzie has put in a lot of time with the McKameyCenter, but she seems just a little hard-hearted. She responded to an article I had written in the Times Free Press concerning my call to the Center about an animal that had been hit beside the road but was not dead. It took 1 ½ days for them to show up. Her response to me was to take the animal to a clinic. Well I have done that many times and if you don’t have the money up front (sometimes as much as $300-$400 ) they will not do a thing. So what I gathered from Ms. McKenzie was they were busy so if you don’t have the money yourself to take it to a clinic – just “too bad” for the animal. It can just lay beside the road until it dies.
I also was shocked that you have to call for an appointment to bring in an animal. If you find a starving, sick, or injured animal – what are you supposed to do? It looks like just ignore it if you don’t have the money to spend on it yourself. At HEC you do not have to call for an appointment. But they are Hamilton County only.
Over the years I can’t tell you how much money I have spent on strays. I have three in my home now that I have had for some time. I have also spent countless hours trying to find home for strays that I just couldn’t take in anymore.
For the people that do try to help these poor strays I highly recommend Wally’s Friend’s. This place is wonderful and a “life saver” to help people with the low cost of spaying and neutering their pets.
Charlotte Page
Chattanooga
* * *
First of all, Mr. Burrage is dead on. Keep up the fight against hypocrisy and ignorance. Next, let's go to Ms. Fullerton. My remarks are not intended as a personal attack, merely illustrating the hypocrisy of most "animal rights" believers. I can only assume by your remarks that you are vegan. Are you really saying that all living creatures should be given the same rights as human beings?
Let's see. You want spay and neutering to be free. So, to be consistent, spay and neuter human beings to achieve population control. How do we control the dog on cat hate crimes? No dog should be denied service at any restaurant because of species. Let's all eat next to the cockroaches, after all, they are living creatures that should not be denied. How do we protect the innocent mosquitoes when they feed, surely you propose we never use insect repellant. How about while driving, when we accidentally hit a squirrel are we to be charged with negligent homicide?
Come on. Either one believes that humans are a higher life form or they believe we should live in caves with no resemblance of modern conveniences. Anywhere in between and someone would be a hypocrite. Which are all of you who profess equal rights for animals?
Personally, I will continue with the knowledge that humans are different and above all other life forms.
Marty Nix
Lookout Mountain
* * *
I have two warehouses in Chattanooga and I have been invaded by stray cats. I am generally an animal lover, but the tom cats spray their territory and the warehouses are starting to smell like stray cats.
I called McKamey to inquire as to what to do with these animals. I was told to catch the wild cats, bring them to McKamey and pay $25 per animal dropped off. They would spay or neuter the cats and turn them loose again. Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?
Five cats, that's $125, and they may be back next week? McKamey exterminated 150 animals in December, according to their website, and they can't add a few more to the list?
Harry Presley
Chattanooga
Pharry752@aol.com
* * *
The letter submitted by Lou McKenzie contains many disturbing statements, especially coming from one claiming to be an animal advocate. She says that restructuring is needed, but does not explain why. She says that Dr. Amanda needed to step down, but does not say why, or how her stepping down will improve McKamey's operations. If there is any financial consideration involved, surely funding two positions (Clinic Director and Adoption/Shelter Director) will cost more than having one person doing both, especially since that one person does the work for the pay of one half of the salary she was supposed to receive.
In addition, Ms. McKenzie's mention of the necessity of euthanasia startled me. The most important factor in having a no-kill or low-kill shelter is the belief of those responsible that it absolutely can be done. An attitude of "well, we'll do it the old way until the public decides to listen to us about spay/neuter, then we'll change" is a recipe for failure. It is 'planned' failure.
Yes, we need sterilization laws, and the sooner the better, and they need to be enforced. However, killing animals at McKamey won't make that happen any sooner. It can be worked on from the outside while people with a core commitment to ending killing-for-space are doing their job at McKamey and other places with similar beliefs.
If anyone wants to support killing for space, they need to go over there and do it. Carry little Galore or Briscoe or Hobie down to the smelly euthanasia chamber. Since Ms. McKenzie left McKamey and in a long letter to other staff explained that she just didn't have the type of personality that could handle that environment, she should leave the decisions about who is worth fighting for and who isn't to the people who know the animals and their potentials.
I was one of the original caretakers too. I still am. If my understanding is correct, based on reading what the board and others are stating as their reasons, assuming them to be truthful, the largest problem is money. It is only money that stands in the way of fulfilling our mission. It seems to me that the first, best response to that is to raise more money, and ask for a larger budget next year.
Not "depopulating." I know money is tight for everyone but I have not seen any concerted effort at fundraising lately, except what we, the employees have done. I have several ideas which I have offered but have received no response.
Surely no one really believed that the need for fundraising was over when the building was finished? The building is just a building.
This "crown jewel" is insignificant compared with the dedication, passion, hard work, and long-term commitment needed to run it day to day. If it was all only ever about the fancy building, then all the nay-sayers were right - it 'was' a colossal waste of money. A beautiful, state-of-the-art, people- and pet-friendly building, without the commitment to change the way animal care and control is done, is just a dolled-up farce. It is the worst kind of lie, which perpetrates itself on those who refuse -or who do not realize that they should - look beyond the surface of things.
It seems so ironic to me that we at McKamey prepared to weather the storms of the disbelievers, that we stayed on the lookout for those who were against what we believed in from the start, those who do not think animals deserve our respect and care. But, of course, they were powerless in the face of the determination and conviction of those doing the work - led by Dr. Amanda. Powered by Dr. Amanda. Buoyed up, whipped into shape, carried along at weak moments, even 'fed' by Dr. Amanda. But the real attack came from within.
Dr. Amanda is perfect for the job of executive director and veterinarian. All the good that has happened so far, all the lives saved, all the energy and the desire to do just a little bit more - has come from her.
Ms. McKenzie and I have worked together in trying to reduce the population of feral and stray cats. I am committed to continuing to work with her in those efforts. But I believe that she is misguided about McKamey, and I only hope that the real vision of a shelter that puts animals at the top of the 'unexpendable' list, will not perish because of these events.
Mary Keebler
Chickamauga, Ga.
Malnourished dogs rescued during raid - KY
"A Franklin County couple have been charged with animal cruelty after officials removed 11 pit bulls from their property - leaving nearly 50 dogs behind."
"Sandra Coy, 52, and William S. Coy, 44, both of 3387 St. Johns Road, were served Sunday with multiple misdemeanor cruelty to animals charges after Franklin County Sheriff's deputies and animal control officers raided their property Dec. 14."
"Clark said 11 malnourished animals, two of which ultimately died from their treatment, were taken from the Coys' property in December."
Click here for the full article.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
New ordinance to ban pit bulls, existing dogs grandfathered-MS
By LACEY MCLAUGHLIN
Staff Reporter
RIDGELAND - Under a proposed animal control ordinance, current pit bull owners would be allowed to keep their dogs as long as they are registered, but new ones would be banned from the city.
Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on the proposed ordinance at a public hearing set for March 17.
The issue has been discussed and debated by city officials for several months now following an altercation between two neighbors.
During the Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, City Attorney James Gabriel resubmitted a proposed amendment to the animal control ordinance that would effectively ban American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Wolf-dog hybrids.
The new proposal includes a grandfather clause that would allow residents to keep up to three banned breeds that are currently present in the city.
However, from the date the ordinance is set, owners will have 60 days to register the banned breeds.
Also included in the amended ordinance is a stipulation that any dog deemed "dangerous" will be required to present proof to an animal control officer that a safe and secure enclosure is provided for the animal and be subject to routine inspections.
Requirements also call for the owner and dog to register for a training course and complete the course within six months of registration to keep the dog.
Mayor Gene F. McGee said he thought the revised ordinance provided guidelines that protect responsible dog owners.
"Hopefully they can accept the ordinance that the city has put together," he said. "The grandfather clause provides language for responsible dog owners."
Under penalties stipulated in the ordinance failure to comply would result in up to a $1,000 fine or jail time.
Alderman-at-Large Gerald Steen said he is a firm believer that there is enough evidence to show that Pit Bulls are dangerous breeds and supports the ban, but said he would keep an open mind during the public hearing.
"I am open minded to listen even though I haven't been swayed yet," he said. "I would like to get all the facts because this is a sensitive issue."
An amendment to the current animal ordinance was proposed during a board meeting last October and was delayed after several citizens attended the meeting to voice their concerns.
Citizens voiced their concerns again during a meeting last November. The board agreed to explore different options and gather more information about the legality of a breed-specific ban.
The proposed ban is the result of a dispute between two neighbors on Ralde Circle in which one neighbor considered the other's dogs to be a threat.
Gloria Grantham of Ralde Circle was the owner of four pit bulls and a Rottweiler when her neighbor, April Scott told the board in September that the Grantham dogs were dangerous.
In May the city granted the Granthams a special permit to keep six dogs, despite a city ordinance allowing no more than three. Later the board revoked that permit due to the Scott's complaints.
Staff Reporter
RIDGELAND - Under a proposed animal control ordinance, current pit bull owners would be allowed to keep their dogs as long as they are registered, but new ones would be banned from the city.
Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on the proposed ordinance at a public hearing set for March 17.
The issue has been discussed and debated by city officials for several months now following an altercation between two neighbors.
During the Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, City Attorney James Gabriel resubmitted a proposed amendment to the animal control ordinance that would effectively ban American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Wolf-dog hybrids.
The new proposal includes a grandfather clause that would allow residents to keep up to three banned breeds that are currently present in the city.
However, from the date the ordinance is set, owners will have 60 days to register the banned breeds.
Also included in the amended ordinance is a stipulation that any dog deemed "dangerous" will be required to present proof to an animal control officer that a safe and secure enclosure is provided for the animal and be subject to routine inspections.
Requirements also call for the owner and dog to register for a training course and complete the course within six months of registration to keep the dog.
Mayor Gene F. McGee said he thought the revised ordinance provided guidelines that protect responsible dog owners.
"Hopefully they can accept the ordinance that the city has put together," he said. "The grandfather clause provides language for responsible dog owners."
Under penalties stipulated in the ordinance failure to comply would result in up to a $1,000 fine or jail time.
Alderman-at-Large Gerald Steen said he is a firm believer that there is enough evidence to show that Pit Bulls are dangerous breeds and supports the ban, but said he would keep an open mind during the public hearing.
"I am open minded to listen even though I haven't been swayed yet," he said. "I would like to get all the facts because this is a sensitive issue."
An amendment to the current animal ordinance was proposed during a board meeting last October and was delayed after several citizens attended the meeting to voice their concerns.
Citizens voiced their concerns again during a meeting last November. The board agreed to explore different options and gather more information about the legality of a breed-specific ban.
The proposed ban is the result of a dispute between two neighbors on Ralde Circle in which one neighbor considered the other's dogs to be a threat.
Gloria Grantham of Ralde Circle was the owner of four pit bulls and a Rottweiler when her neighbor, April Scott told the board in September that the Grantham dogs were dangerous.
In May the city granted the Granthams a special permit to keep six dogs, despite a city ordinance allowing no more than three. Later the board revoked that permit due to the Scott's complaints.
Pit Bull ordinance tabled- Decorah,IA,
Castalia's proposed Pit Bull ordinance has been muzzled - at least for now.
After hearing objections, the Castalia City Council Monday night tabled an ordinance which would have banned Pit Bulls and regulated the ownership of those dogs located within the city before the adoption of the ordinance.
The ordinance was proposed after a Pit Bull was observed running at large in the city.
The dog's owner, Jarrod Haug, told the Council his dog happened to get loose that day and it has never harmed anyone, according to City Clerk Chris Bodensteiner.
He also said he's owned the dog since it was six weeks old. Haug told the Council it shouldn't single out one breed of dog, since any animal can turn viscious.
Haug rents his house from Susan Haberkorn, who also told the Council she was opposed to the ordinance.
Bodensteiner said the Council did not receive any comments in favor of the ordinance, but did receive a letter from the American Humane Society that dispelled several Pit Bull myths.
After about a 20-minute discussion, the Council voted unanimously to table the ordinance. Council members voting were Dennis Wilkins, Joe Moellers and Larry Brockway. Council members Wayne Corlett and Jamie Smith were absent.
Currently no cities within Winneshiek County have Pit Bull ordinances and few Iowa cities have adopted them.
In other matters Monday, the Council scheduled a public hearing for Monday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. on the proposed fiscal 2010 budget. The March meeting starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
There will be no change in the tax rate, which is currently $8.10 per $1,000 of taxable value.
The Council also approved a $20 per month raise for the city clerk, who has not had a raise since 2002. In addition, the Council approved a $50 donation for Postville High School's post prom activities.
After hearing objections, the Castalia City Council Monday night tabled an ordinance which would have banned Pit Bulls and regulated the ownership of those dogs located within the city before the adoption of the ordinance.
The ordinance was proposed after a Pit Bull was observed running at large in the city.
The dog's owner, Jarrod Haug, told the Council his dog happened to get loose that day and it has never harmed anyone, according to City Clerk Chris Bodensteiner.
He also said he's owned the dog since it was six weeks old. Haug told the Council it shouldn't single out one breed of dog, since any animal can turn viscious.
Haug rents his house from Susan Haberkorn, who also told the Council she was opposed to the ordinance.
Bodensteiner said the Council did not receive any comments in favor of the ordinance, but did receive a letter from the American Humane Society that dispelled several Pit Bull myths.
After about a 20-minute discussion, the Council voted unanimously to table the ordinance. Council members voting were Dennis Wilkins, Joe Moellers and Larry Brockway. Council members Wayne Corlett and Jamie Smith were absent.
Currently no cities within Winneshiek County have Pit Bull ordinances and few Iowa cities have adopted them.
In other matters Monday, the Council scheduled a public hearing for Monday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. on the proposed fiscal 2010 budget. The March meeting starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
There will be no change in the tax rate, which is currently $8.10 per $1,000 of taxable value.
The Council also approved a $20 per month raise for the city clerk, who has not had a raise since 2002. In addition, the Council approved a $50 donation for Postville High School's post prom activities.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Justice for Katrina dogs: Amherst man jailed, fined $63,000 for negligent care of animals
ELYRIA — A 40-year-old Amherst man who had a kennel and advertised as a dog trainer named "The Dog Guy Don" was sentenced to 12 months in the Lorain County Jail yesterday for bilking more than $36,000 out of a nonprofit group in Utah who provided care for dogs rescued after Hurricane Katrina.
Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge James Miraldi ordered Donald Chambers to pay a $1,000 fine and $62,124 in restitution to the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah.
Prosecutors say Chambers was given $36,720 and 28 dogs from the Best Friends Animal Society. He was supposed to use the money to care for the dogs until they were adopted. Only three of the dogs were placed in homes and most of the dogs have died.
"He took money to train dogs, then brought them to the pound to be killed," Prosecutor Peter Gauthier said.
"Many times we have more compassion for animals than our fellow man and in some cases (the defendant) will be looked at differently because his crime was against animals," defense attorney Bill Willis said. "Some people want him to get a harder sentence."
Chambers told the judge he just had bad business skills. "I try to do right and support a family, but I made some bad business decisions." Chambers has since closed his dog business and worked as a tow truck driver.
Before imposing his sentence, Miraldi told Chambers, "Your involvement in this process goes way beyond bad business. You went through the deceitful process of taking money and letting these dogs die. I think you have some sociopathic tendencies to behave the way you did."
Three representatives from the Best Friends Animal Society flew in from Utah for the sentencing. They were given a chance to speak before Miraldi imposed the sentence.
"These were innocent dogs caught in the middle of a person's greed right after they had survived a horrific tragedy," said Tammy Rolfe, of the Best Friends Animal Society. "These dogs lost their lives because of his greed. Mr. Chambers allowed dogs to be killed and thrown away like trash."
Added Best Friends representative Mike Harmon, "At any point he could have contacted us and said he was over his limits and we would have taken the dogs back."
Several members of the Chambers family were in court to show their support for him. They all walked out in tears when the deputy handcuffed Chambers and took him away to begin serving his sentence. No one in the Chambers family wanted to comment about the case.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/amherst_man_guilty_of_fraud_fo.html
Donald D. Chambers, 40, of Amherst, was sentenced this morning to a year in prison, fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $62,124 in restitution to the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah.
Chambers had told the nonprofit group caring for dogs rescued after Hurricane Katrina that he would take some of them and find them homes.
He received 28 dogs from the Best Friends Animal Society and $36,720 to care for them until they were adopted.
Chambers didn't spend the money on the dogs, and just three of them landed in homes. Most are dead.
Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Miraldi sentenced Chambers today for fraud. He pleaded guilty Oct. 24.
"This is about a person who took advantage of a dire situation during Katrina and used money and the animals for his own profit," a Best Friends spokesman said.
Spokesman John Polis said of the 28 dogs given to Chambers, just three were placed in homes. Ten were euthanized at the Lorain County Kennel. One died in a dog fight. One died of untreated heartworms. Three died and were tossed into a trash bin. Six are unaccounted for. Best Friends took back three of them.
Best Friends spent $27,000 on travel and attorneys fees to see that Chambers is punished, Polis said. The restitution order includes that expense.
The relationship between Chambers and Best Friends began when he presented himself as Don the Dog Guy, who had a kennel and training facility in Lorain County. He traveled to Best Friend's sanctuary and spent time with dog trainers there.
"He was very personable, charming and seemed to understand dogs and have training skills," Polis said.
"He was paid $1,000 for each dog he took for training and placement. He claimed to have placed the dogs and sent convincing photos and wrote stories about the dogs for our Web site," Polis said. "Don actually was quite popular with the trainers here and had somewhat of a following on our Web site."
Once the fraud was detected, Best Friends made many visits to Ohio to find out the dogs' fate and meet with police, prosecutors and shelter officials.
When Chambers was given the dogs; "We simply needed to try and place as many dogs from Katrina as possible," Polis said. "The last thing we thought was that someone would try to con us with such an elaborate scheme."
Interesting comments from people who say they know Don...
Comments on this story
Rallies across state to protest pit bull ban
Dog supporters flood legislators with e-mails about Senate Bill 79
Pit bull terriers are known as a strong, courageous and loyal breed of dogs, but Hawaii politicians are finding out the dogs are nothing compared to their owners.
At the request of a constituent, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa introduced Senate Bill 79, which if passed into law would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to own or sell a American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier.
While Hanabusa doesn't like the legislation, she introduced it because a constituent asked for it to be discussed.
Within days, pit bull owners were meeting on all islands to protest.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 pit bull owners and other dog supporters are planning a rally at Magic Island. Last weekend, a rally of about 75 was held in Hilo, and similar events are planned for Maui and Molokai, according to organizers.
There is no formal organization, but breeders and those who enjoy the breed say the legislation is discriminatory.
"I teach my children not to judge people by how they look, and the government would take away your dog because of how it looks," said Stacie Mahoe, mother of five and owner of nine pit bulls. "How do I explain that to my children?
"We would be losing members of our family," said Mahoe, who is also a softball coach at Kapolei High School. "The dogs are part of my family."
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) agrees, saying "the position is well taken," adding: "I think they have very legitimate arguments. They say the legislation should not be breed-specific."
Pit bulls have caused two deaths in Hawaii and last month, there were three reports of pit bulls biting people.
Monty Garcia, a breeder who is helping to organize the rallies, says the breed is both popular and misunderstood.
"People love them because they are loyal and dedicated. ... We put on an annual show to show the dog's good side," Garcia said.
Legislators say they have been flooded with e-mails, getting an average of 150 each.
"It is going to be an issue," said Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Waimanalo-Lanikai). "In the last generation, dogs have become part of the family and taking away part of your family would be a serious intervention."
Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa-Honouliuli-Ewa Beach) said he doubted it was much of an issue, but added, "For those who love pit bulls, it is a big issue."
Hanabusa said the e-mails coming to her office show that "people are learning the legislative process."
"For an issue as volatile as this, the e-mails have been very respectful," she said. "And there is no legislation that gets people excited as about their dogs."
Pit bull terriers are known as a strong, courageous and loyal breed of dogs, but Hawaii politicians are finding out the dogs are nothing compared to their owners.
At the request of a constituent, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa introduced Senate Bill 79, which if passed into law would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to own or sell a American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier.
While Hanabusa doesn't like the legislation, she introduced it because a constituent asked for it to be discussed.
Within days, pit bull owners were meeting on all islands to protest.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 pit bull owners and other dog supporters are planning a rally at Magic Island. Last weekend, a rally of about 75 was held in Hilo, and similar events are planned for Maui and Molokai, according to organizers.
There is no formal organization, but breeders and those who enjoy the breed say the legislation is discriminatory.
"I teach my children not to judge people by how they look, and the government would take away your dog because of how it looks," said Stacie Mahoe, mother of five and owner of nine pit bulls. "How do I explain that to my children?
"We would be losing members of our family," said Mahoe, who is also a softball coach at Kapolei High School. "The dogs are part of my family."
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) agrees, saying "the position is well taken," adding: "I think they have very legitimate arguments. They say the legislation should not be breed-specific."
Pit bulls have caused two deaths in Hawaii and last month, there were three reports of pit bulls biting people.
Monty Garcia, a breeder who is helping to organize the rallies, says the breed is both popular and misunderstood.
"People love them because they are loyal and dedicated. ... We put on an annual show to show the dog's good side," Garcia said.
Legislators say they have been flooded with e-mails, getting an average of 150 each.
"It is going to be an issue," said Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Waimanalo-Lanikai). "In the last generation, dogs have become part of the family and taking away part of your family would be a serious intervention."
Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa-Honouliuli-Ewa Beach) said he doubted it was much of an issue, but added, "For those who love pit bulls, it is a big issue."
Hanabusa said the e-mails coming to her office show that "people are learning the legislative process."
"For an issue as volatile as this, the e-mails have been very respectful," she said. "And there is no legislation that gets people excited as about their dogs."
Rallies across state to protest pit bull ban
Dog supporters flood legislators with e-mails about Senate Bill 79
Pit bull terriers are known as a strong, courageous and loyal breed of dogs, but Hawaii politicians are finding out the dogs are nothing compared to their owners.
At the request of a constituent, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa introduced Senate Bill 79, which if passed into law would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to own or sell a American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier.
While Hanabusa doesn't like the legislation, she introduced it because a constituent asked for it to be discussed.
Within days, pit bull owners were meeting on all islands to protest.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 pit bull owners and other dog supporters are planning a rally at Magic Island. Last weekend, a rally of about 75 was held in Hilo, and similar events are planned for Maui and Molokai, according to organizers.
There is no formal organization, but breeders and those who enjoy the breed say the legislation is discriminatory.
"I teach my children not to judge people by how they look, and the government would take away your dog because of how it looks," said Stacie Mahoe, mother of five and owner of nine pit bulls. "How do I explain that to my children?
"We would be losing members of our family," said Mahoe, who is also a softball coach at Kapolei High School. "The dogs are part of my family."
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) agrees, saying "the position is well taken," adding: "I think they have very legitimate arguments. They say the legislation should not be breed-specific."
Pit bulls have caused two deaths in Hawaii and last month, there were three reports of pit bulls biting people.
Monty Garcia, a breeder who is helping to organize the rallies, says the breed is both popular and misunderstood.
"People love them because they are loyal and dedicated. ... We put on an annual show to show the dog's good side," Garcia said.
Legislators say they have been flooded with e-mails, getting an average of 150 each.
"It is going to be an issue," said Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Waimanalo-Lanikai). "In the last generation, dogs have become part of the family and taking away part of your family would be a serious intervention."
Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa-Honouliuli-Ewa Beach) said he doubted it was much of an issue, but added, "For those who love pit bulls, it is a big issue."
Hanabusa said the e-mails coming to her office show that "people are learning the legislative process."
"For an issue as volatile as this, the e-mails have been very respectful," she said. "And there is no legislation that gets people excited as about their dogs."
Pit bull terriers are known as a strong, courageous and loyal breed of dogs, but Hawaii politicians are finding out the dogs are nothing compared to their owners.
At the request of a constituent, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa introduced Senate Bill 79, which if passed into law would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to own or sell a American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier.
While Hanabusa doesn't like the legislation, she introduced it because a constituent asked for it to be discussed.
Within days, pit bull owners were meeting on all islands to protest.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 pit bull owners and other dog supporters are planning a rally at Magic Island. Last weekend, a rally of about 75 was held in Hilo, and similar events are planned for Maui and Molokai, according to organizers.
There is no formal organization, but breeders and those who enjoy the breed say the legislation is discriminatory.
"I teach my children not to judge people by how they look, and the government would take away your dog because of how it looks," said Stacie Mahoe, mother of five and owner of nine pit bulls. "How do I explain that to my children?
"We would be losing members of our family," said Mahoe, who is also a softball coach at Kapolei High School. "The dogs are part of my family."
Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) agrees, saying "the position is well taken," adding: "I think they have very legitimate arguments. They say the legislation should not be breed-specific."
Pit bulls have caused two deaths in Hawaii and last month, there were three reports of pit bulls biting people.
Monty Garcia, a breeder who is helping to organize the rallies, says the breed is both popular and misunderstood.
"People love them because they are loyal and dedicated. ... We put on an annual show to show the dog's good side," Garcia said.
Legislators say they have been flooded with e-mails, getting an average of 150 each.
"It is going to be an issue," said Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Waimanalo-Lanikai). "In the last generation, dogs have become part of the family and taking away part of your family would be a serious intervention."
Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa-Honouliuli-Ewa Beach) said he doubted it was much of an issue, but added, "For those who love pit bulls, it is a big issue."
Hanabusa said the e-mails coming to her office show that "people are learning the legislative process."
"For an issue as volatile as this, the e-mails have been very respectful," she said. "And there is no legislation that gets people excited as about their dogs."
ARC Bans Pit Bull, Owner Calls It Service Dog
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
Sannase Cary and Sebastian
CBS
A woman and the animal she calls her service dog were kicked off of the American River College campus over fears that the dog, a pit bull, is a threat to students.
Pit bull Sebastian is Vannase Cary's constant companion, and provides both protection and a half-hour warning before she suffers an epileptic seizure. Vannase loves him, but teachers and staff at American River College don't feel the same way.
"He's reactive," said ARC counselor Jennifer Scalzi. "He's been aggressive with other dogs."
Vannase says she's heartbroken that Sebastian was banned from campus, "even though he's been certified through the county as a service animal," she said.
However, campus counselors say they weren't able to find any certification for Sebastian. CBS13 contacted Sacramento County officials, who said there's no county agency that regulates service dogs.
"There is no group that will certify a bully breed," Vannase said, but pointed out the pit bull's animal tag and regulatory number.
The tag only means that Sebastian is a licensed dog in the county -- he's never even had any training as a service dog.
"There's always the possibility of getting her a real, certified service dog she can bring on campus," Scalzi said.
Until then, Vannase has a choice: class or Sebastian.
"I have to pick my dog, because he's given me my life back," she said.
The Norfolk-based organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) favors "breed specific" legislation aimed at pit bulls.
The Norfolk-based organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) favors "breed specific" legislation aimed at pit bulls.
"We know attacks by pit bulls on small children are more likely to end in life threatening injuries or death," said Daphna Nachminovitch of PETA.
"They are very determined dogs and when they lock onto their victim it's hard to let go. Their jaws have to be pried apart. They also shake their victims which can cause a great deal of damage to babies," she said.
PETA favors legislation making the spaying and neutering of pit bulls mandatory.
NEWPORT NEWS - The infant who was mauled by a pit bull in Newport News on Monday remains in critical condition but is expected to survive.
Doctors believe the 8-month-old boy will recover from the severe facial injuries he suffered when he was attacked by his baby sitter's 11/2-year-old neutered male pit bull terrier, Newport News police spokesman Lou Thurston said Tuesday. The attack happened Monday morning at a home on Barclay Road in the Deep Creek area of Newport News.
The animal, which had been adopted from the Peninsula SPCA, was euthanized after the attack.
A spokeswoman for the Peninsula Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said animals are carefully vetted and the puppy showed no signs of aggression when it was adopted more than a year ago.
"We are just terribly saddened to learn of this tragedy and our thoughts are with the family," said Denise Waters, a spokeswoman for the Peninsula SPCA.
The child's family has declined to comment, and police have not identified either the child or the sitter by name. Thurston said the incident is being investigated as a potential case of child neglect, but no charges have been filed.
The attack has again focused attention on pit bull terriers and the national debate on whether legislation should be targeted toward the breed.
But Waters said the SPCA avoids labeling of breeds.
"Just like you can't stereotype a certain type of person, we try not to profile by breed," she said. "It's not that cut and dry."
Waters said extensive consultations take place with adopters to make sure dogs are a "good fit" and the animals are rigorously assessed and trained.
However, pit bulls have been involved in a number of high-profile attacks on the Peninsula in recent years.
Last July in Newport News, Beonquay Charmane Earley, 31, of Portsmouth suffered severe injuries after she was attacked by her former boyfriend's two pit bull terriers at Oak Place in Newport News.
The high incidence of pit bull terrier attacks has led for calls for legislation against the breed in a number of states.
Ohio — where all dogs of a "breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull" are automatically considered to be vicious — is the only state to pass legislation aimed specifically at pit bulls. The dogs must be kept on the owner's property on fenced yards or other locked enclosures, and owners must maintain at least $100,000 of liability insurance coverage.
A spate of high profile attacks on children by pit bull terriers led the British government to pass the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991. The act states that anyone who owns a "type of dog known as a pit bull terrier" must have it neutered, and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public.
The Norfolk-based organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) favors "breed specific" legislation aimed at pit bulls.
"We know attacks by pit bulls on small children are more likely to end in life threatening injuries or death," said Daphna Nachminovitch of PETA.
"They are very determined dogs and when they lock onto their victim it's hard to let go. Their jaws have to be pried apart. They also shake their victims which can cause a great deal of damage to babies," she said.
PETA favors legislation making the spaying and neutering of pit bulls mandatory.
Although Virginia has a dangerous dog registry, it currently avoids singling out breeds and states: "No canine or canine crossbreed shall be found to be a dangerous dog or vicious dog solely because it is a particular breed, nor is the ownership of a particular breed of canine or canine crossbreed prohibited."
Newport News City spokeswoman Kim Lee said the only dog on the city's registry is the German shepherd.
Adam Goldfarb, an issues specialist with the Humane Society of the United States, said all dogs should be supervised around children.
"Pit bulls can be wonderful pets for the right people, but they are not right for everybody. Kids and dogs isn't a breed issue. Dogs need to be supervised at all times when they are with children."
Goldfarb said the Humane Society also recommends dogs should be socialized with people and other dogs.
"Training is essential for every dog," Goldfarb said.
Pit bull terriers were first bred in 17th-century England by crossing terriers and bulldogs and were often used in dog fights because of their strength. They were brought to the United States in the 1800s by Irish immigrants coming to Boston, and then subjected to further breeding that gave rise to the American versions.
Pit bull incidents became so frequent in Boston that in 2004 city officials passed regulations requiring all pit bulls to be spayed or neutered and to be muzzled in public. Owners are required to display warning signs outside their homes, the Boston Globe reported recently.
"We know attacks by pit bulls on small children are more likely to end in life threatening injuries or death," said Daphna Nachminovitch of PETA.
"They are very determined dogs and when they lock onto their victim it's hard to let go. Their jaws have to be pried apart. They also shake their victims which can cause a great deal of damage to babies," she said.
PETA favors legislation making the spaying and neutering of pit bulls mandatory.
NEWPORT NEWS - The infant who was mauled by a pit bull in Newport News on Monday remains in critical condition but is expected to survive.
Doctors believe the 8-month-old boy will recover from the severe facial injuries he suffered when he was attacked by his baby sitter's 11/2-year-old neutered male pit bull terrier, Newport News police spokesman Lou Thurston said Tuesday. The attack happened Monday morning at a home on Barclay Road in the Deep Creek area of Newport News.
The animal, which had been adopted from the Peninsula SPCA, was euthanized after the attack.
A spokeswoman for the Peninsula Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said animals are carefully vetted and the puppy showed no signs of aggression when it was adopted more than a year ago.
"We are just terribly saddened to learn of this tragedy and our thoughts are with the family," said Denise Waters, a spokeswoman for the Peninsula SPCA.
The child's family has declined to comment, and police have not identified either the child or the sitter by name. Thurston said the incident is being investigated as a potential case of child neglect, but no charges have been filed.
The attack has again focused attention on pit bull terriers and the national debate on whether legislation should be targeted toward the breed.
But Waters said the SPCA avoids labeling of breeds.
"Just like you can't stereotype a certain type of person, we try not to profile by breed," she said. "It's not that cut and dry."
Waters said extensive consultations take place with adopters to make sure dogs are a "good fit" and the animals are rigorously assessed and trained.
However, pit bulls have been involved in a number of high-profile attacks on the Peninsula in recent years.
Last July in Newport News, Beonquay Charmane Earley, 31, of Portsmouth suffered severe injuries after she was attacked by her former boyfriend's two pit bull terriers at Oak Place in Newport News.
The high incidence of pit bull terrier attacks has led for calls for legislation against the breed in a number of states.
Ohio — where all dogs of a "breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull" are automatically considered to be vicious — is the only state to pass legislation aimed specifically at pit bulls. The dogs must be kept on the owner's property on fenced yards or other locked enclosures, and owners must maintain at least $100,000 of liability insurance coverage.
A spate of high profile attacks on children by pit bull terriers led the British government to pass the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991. The act states that anyone who owns a "type of dog known as a pit bull terrier" must have it neutered, and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public.
The Norfolk-based organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) favors "breed specific" legislation aimed at pit bulls.
"We know attacks by pit bulls on small children are more likely to end in life threatening injuries or death," said Daphna Nachminovitch of PETA.
"They are very determined dogs and when they lock onto their victim it's hard to let go. Their jaws have to be pried apart. They also shake their victims which can cause a great deal of damage to babies," she said.
PETA favors legislation making the spaying and neutering of pit bulls mandatory.
Although Virginia has a dangerous dog registry, it currently avoids singling out breeds and states: "No canine or canine crossbreed shall be found to be a dangerous dog or vicious dog solely because it is a particular breed, nor is the ownership of a particular breed of canine or canine crossbreed prohibited."
Newport News City spokeswoman Kim Lee said the only dog on the city's registry is the German shepherd.
Adam Goldfarb, an issues specialist with the Humane Society of the United States, said all dogs should be supervised around children.
"Pit bulls can be wonderful pets for the right people, but they are not right for everybody. Kids and dogs isn't a breed issue. Dogs need to be supervised at all times when they are with children."
Goldfarb said the Humane Society also recommends dogs should be socialized with people and other dogs.
"Training is essential for every dog," Goldfarb said.
Pit bull terriers were first bred in 17th-century England by crossing terriers and bulldogs and were often used in dog fights because of their strength. They were brought to the United States in the 1800s by Irish immigrants coming to Boston, and then subjected to further breeding that gave rise to the American versions.
Pit bull incidents became so frequent in Boston that in 2004 city officials passed regulations requiring all pit bulls to be spayed or neutered and to be muzzled in public. Owners are required to display warning signs outside their homes, the Boston Globe reported recently.
Massive Cock Fighting Ring Busted
Whitfield County Deputies bust a massive cock fighting ring involving nearly a hundred people.
The Whitfield County Sheriff says he's never seen a cock fighting ring this large. His deputies found fifteen dead roosters on the scene and eighteen that appeared ready to fight - all for money.
"All around the front here they were just lined up," Hilda Gaston points to the road in front of her house.
Gaston is showing us where twenty-five or thirty cars lined the road this weekend.
"And then whenever the Deputies kept coming I thought oh lord there must be something bad wrong," Gaston says.
Gaston watched Whitfield County Deputies converge on the property on Bellwood Drive - so today we made the same trip. At first glance the property seems normal with two tailors and a single pen with a rooster inside. But if you cross the field next to the tailor you'll
find an old chicken house concealed by thick brush and trees.
Our crew walked through the brush and found the chicken house where deputies say that the chicken fighting ring took place. Deputies say after they arrived on the scene eighty to one hundred people took off running into the woods.
"But they were able to take about seven individuals into custody, did find a number of dead carcasses and did find a number of chickens who were prepared to fight or had already fought," Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood says.
A fight that left plenty of carnage. It didn't take us long to discover a number of dead rooster carcasses scattered along the side of the chicken house. Inside, we noticed several of the blood sport's survivors strutting inside of the ring - better known as the cockpit.
"I don't like that, I love animals and I wouldn't, I don't approve of it," Gaston says.
Deputies arrested and charged Adolfo Perez and Octavio Aguilar along with four other men and two juveniles. All six face aggravated cruelty to animal charges, charges which cut Gaston the wrong way after the roosters waged war inside of the walls in the chicken house.
"It's cruel, it's cruel, dog fighting, chicken fighting, I even think boxing is cruel," Gaston says.
Besides the aggravated cruelty to animals charge, all of the men arrested also face gambling and obstruction of officers charges as well.
The Whitfield County Sheriff says he's never seen a cock fighting ring this large. His deputies found fifteen dead roosters on the scene and eighteen that appeared ready to fight - all for money.
"All around the front here they were just lined up," Hilda Gaston points to the road in front of her house.
Gaston is showing us where twenty-five or thirty cars lined the road this weekend.
"And then whenever the Deputies kept coming I thought oh lord there must be something bad wrong," Gaston says.
Gaston watched Whitfield County Deputies converge on the property on Bellwood Drive - so today we made the same trip. At first glance the property seems normal with two tailors and a single pen with a rooster inside. But if you cross the field next to the tailor you'll
find an old chicken house concealed by thick brush and trees.
Our crew walked through the brush and found the chicken house where deputies say that the chicken fighting ring took place. Deputies say after they arrived on the scene eighty to one hundred people took off running into the woods.
"But they were able to take about seven individuals into custody, did find a number of dead carcasses and did find a number of chickens who were prepared to fight or had already fought," Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood says.
A fight that left plenty of carnage. It didn't take us long to discover a number of dead rooster carcasses scattered along the side of the chicken house. Inside, we noticed several of the blood sport's survivors strutting inside of the ring - better known as the cockpit.
"I don't like that, I love animals and I wouldn't, I don't approve of it," Gaston says.
Deputies arrested and charged Adolfo Perez and Octavio Aguilar along with four other men and two juveniles. All six face aggravated cruelty to animal charges, charges which cut Gaston the wrong way after the roosters waged war inside of the walls in the chicken house.
"It's cruel, it's cruel, dog fighting, chicken fighting, I even think boxing is cruel," Gaston says.
Besides the aggravated cruelty to animals charge, all of the men arrested also face gambling and obstruction of officers charges as well.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Texas Senate Bill would make it unlawful to restrain dogs outside except in pens, fenced yards
By Vince Leibowitz of Capitol Annex
A bill by State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) would make it unlawful to restrain a dog outside unless the dog was in a pen or under certain other limited circumstances.
The bill, SB 634, would amend a section of the Texas Health and Safety Code enacted last year as a result of House Bill 1411 which limited the hours a dog could be restrained outside.
The bill enacted last year allowed dog owners to restrain dogs outside using a chain, tether, cable, or trolly system if the restraint didn’t unreasonably limit the dog’s movement, and it was not:
(1) between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.;
(2) within 500 feet of the premises of a school; or
(3) in the case of extreme weather conditions, including conditions in which:
(A) the actual or effective outdoor temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit;
(B) a heat advisory has been issued by a local or state authority or jurisdiction; or
(C) a hurricane, tropical storm, or tornado warning has been issued for the jurisdiction by the National Weather Service.
Under Seliger’s bill, a dog left outside would have to be in a fenced enclosure of not less than 150 square feet for each dog over six months old, and tethering or chaining a dog wouldn’t be allowed except in limited training or agricultural circumstances.
Needless to say, Seliger’s bill takes a good law that was passed last session and makes it ten times worse. Prohibiting a dog from being restrained at any time isn’t beneficial to dog owners and isn’t beneficial to dogs. It is, however, part of a nationwide “anti-tethering” move sweeping cities and states that is aimed at specific breeds but instead hurts all dogs and dog owners. For some reason, people have it in their heads that tethering a dog at all will make it mean or put the dog in harm’s way.
For one thing, tethering is often as much for a dog’s protection and safety as it is for anything else. For example, if someone is at work all day, keeping their dog safely chained in the shade with a dog house, food and water (so long as it isn’t too hot or cold) is much safer for the dog than running the risk that it will jump a fence and get lost or injured (believe it or not, most dogs can jump a standard chain link fence, and many dogs can even jump wooden privacy fences; most municipalities don’t allow fences to be built tall enough to adequately secure some dogs, and “electrical” fencing options are either illegal in many municipalities, won’t stop a dog with a large body weight, or are actually more cruel than tethering). Too, it protects the dog from people who may actually seek to do the animal harm by harassing it over or through a fence.
Bills like Seliger’s are legislators’ and the animal rights community’s attempt to rectify the bad behavior of a few dog owners by punishing all dog owners. Because a lot of breed-specific legislation geared to address pit bulls has been declared unconstitutional (a lot of cases are still in the appeals pipelines) on its way up the judicial ladder, instead of targeting dog owners who actually abuse or neglect their dogs, bills like Seliger’s deprive loving, caring dog owners of their right to protect their dogs.
As the proud “parent” of three dogs, I can tell you that when my dogs are outside, even when I am outside if I’m doing yard work or something like that, they are tethered for their own safety and protection. Unless it is very hot or very cold, the dogs are tethered when I’m at work unless someone is home to watch them. Even though I have a large fenced yard, I do this so they don’t get lost, stolen, or hit by a car. Why? Here is an example of why:
One of my dogs loves pretty much everyone and has never met a stranger. If a stranger came up to the fence, she’d jump up and that person could reach right over and pick her up without any problem because she’s not afraid of people. We live in an area that has a lot of puppy mills and is near the infamous First Monday Trade Days in Canton where dogs are sold in the deplorable conditions of “Dog Alley.” Every month, around the first of the month, you see an influx of posters at Wal-Mart and the grocery store of people posting rewards for their newly missing dogs in parts of five counties. Why? Because people steal the dogs to resell at what is billed at the world’s largest flea market. It happens, and every few years a ring of dog thieves that has been operating in several counties–stealing unrestrained dogs right out of their yards–and reselling at First Monday is discovered and caught.We also live on a dead end road with only a few homes where hardly anyone is home during the day, meaning it is a great place to target to steal dogs. And, a locked gate doesn’t help if your dog has never met a stranger and can jump even a wooden privacy fence in a single bound.
I personally don’t want my dog falling victim to that. So, when she is outside, she is restrained so she can’t jump the fence (all of my dogs are high jumpers, and the size fence that would be needed to keep them from jumping it isn’t allowed under any city’s code of ordinances I’ve ever seen).
Another reason that allowing dogs to be tethered at least some of the time is that it protects them from unnecessary injury or death. Even the most well-trained of dogs will be tempted to jump a fence by a stray cat, a squirrel, or another neighborhood dog. Once the dog jumps the fence, it could be hit by a car and killed or injured by another animal. Allowing dog owners to protect their dogs by tethering them prevents this, and keeps the dogs safe.
This bill is allegedly aimed at making the quality of life for dogs better. And, perhaps, for abused dogs, it might make life better (although a dog abuser isn’t likely to follow the law anyway). For my dogs, it won’t. It would mean they’d have to spend more time in the garage–like they do in extreme heat or cold when I’m at work–at a “doggie daycare,” something they do not like; or in individual all-sided pens that can be locked and situated where the dogs can’t be stolen (again, something they don’t like, and leaving dogs loose in the yard isn’t an option due to the possibility of theft or injury if they get out, even with a locked gate).
If this bill passes, I will be very unhappy. What’s worse is that my dogs will be unhappy.
A bill by State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) would make it unlawful to restrain a dog outside unless the dog was in a pen or under certain other limited circumstances.
The bill, SB 634, would amend a section of the Texas Health and Safety Code enacted last year as a result of House Bill 1411 which limited the hours a dog could be restrained outside.
The bill enacted last year allowed dog owners to restrain dogs outside using a chain, tether, cable, or trolly system if the restraint didn’t unreasonably limit the dog’s movement, and it was not:
(1) between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.;
(2) within 500 feet of the premises of a school; or
(3) in the case of extreme weather conditions, including conditions in which:
(A) the actual or effective outdoor temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit;
(B) a heat advisory has been issued by a local or state authority or jurisdiction; or
(C) a hurricane, tropical storm, or tornado warning has been issued for the jurisdiction by the National Weather Service.
Under Seliger’s bill, a dog left outside would have to be in a fenced enclosure of not less than 150 square feet for each dog over six months old, and tethering or chaining a dog wouldn’t be allowed except in limited training or agricultural circumstances.
Needless to say, Seliger’s bill takes a good law that was passed last session and makes it ten times worse. Prohibiting a dog from being restrained at any time isn’t beneficial to dog owners and isn’t beneficial to dogs. It is, however, part of a nationwide “anti-tethering” move sweeping cities and states that is aimed at specific breeds but instead hurts all dogs and dog owners. For some reason, people have it in their heads that tethering a dog at all will make it mean or put the dog in harm’s way.
For one thing, tethering is often as much for a dog’s protection and safety as it is for anything else. For example, if someone is at work all day, keeping their dog safely chained in the shade with a dog house, food and water (so long as it isn’t too hot or cold) is much safer for the dog than running the risk that it will jump a fence and get lost or injured (believe it or not, most dogs can jump a standard chain link fence, and many dogs can even jump wooden privacy fences; most municipalities don’t allow fences to be built tall enough to adequately secure some dogs, and “electrical” fencing options are either illegal in many municipalities, won’t stop a dog with a large body weight, or are actually more cruel than tethering). Too, it protects the dog from people who may actually seek to do the animal harm by harassing it over or through a fence.
Bills like Seliger’s are legislators’ and the animal rights community’s attempt to rectify the bad behavior of a few dog owners by punishing all dog owners. Because a lot of breed-specific legislation geared to address pit bulls has been declared unconstitutional (a lot of cases are still in the appeals pipelines) on its way up the judicial ladder, instead of targeting dog owners who actually abuse or neglect their dogs, bills like Seliger’s deprive loving, caring dog owners of their right to protect their dogs.
As the proud “parent” of three dogs, I can tell you that when my dogs are outside, even when I am outside if I’m doing yard work or something like that, they are tethered for their own safety and protection. Unless it is very hot or very cold, the dogs are tethered when I’m at work unless someone is home to watch them. Even though I have a large fenced yard, I do this so they don’t get lost, stolen, or hit by a car. Why? Here is an example of why:
One of my dogs loves pretty much everyone and has never met a stranger. If a stranger came up to the fence, she’d jump up and that person could reach right over and pick her up without any problem because she’s not afraid of people. We live in an area that has a lot of puppy mills and is near the infamous First Monday Trade Days in Canton where dogs are sold in the deplorable conditions of “Dog Alley.” Every month, around the first of the month, you see an influx of posters at Wal-Mart and the grocery store of people posting rewards for their newly missing dogs in parts of five counties. Why? Because people steal the dogs to resell at what is billed at the world’s largest flea market. It happens, and every few years a ring of dog thieves that has been operating in several counties–stealing unrestrained dogs right out of their yards–and reselling at First Monday is discovered and caught.We also live on a dead end road with only a few homes where hardly anyone is home during the day, meaning it is a great place to target to steal dogs. And, a locked gate doesn’t help if your dog has never met a stranger and can jump even a wooden privacy fence in a single bound.
I personally don’t want my dog falling victim to that. So, when she is outside, she is restrained so she can’t jump the fence (all of my dogs are high jumpers, and the size fence that would be needed to keep them from jumping it isn’t allowed under any city’s code of ordinances I’ve ever seen).
Another reason that allowing dogs to be tethered at least some of the time is that it protects them from unnecessary injury or death. Even the most well-trained of dogs will be tempted to jump a fence by a stray cat, a squirrel, or another neighborhood dog. Once the dog jumps the fence, it could be hit by a car and killed or injured by another animal. Allowing dog owners to protect their dogs by tethering them prevents this, and keeps the dogs safe.
This bill is allegedly aimed at making the quality of life for dogs better. And, perhaps, for abused dogs, it might make life better (although a dog abuser isn’t likely to follow the law anyway). For my dogs, it won’t. It would mean they’d have to spend more time in the garage–like they do in extreme heat or cold when I’m at work–at a “doggie daycare,” something they do not like; or in individual all-sided pens that can be locked and situated where the dogs can’t be stolen (again, something they don’t like, and leaving dogs loose in the yard isn’t an option due to the possibility of theft or injury if they get out, even with a locked gate).
If this bill passes, I will be very unhappy. What’s worse is that my dogs will be unhappy.
McKamey Animal Center Director Resigns
Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter
Hard Hit By Economic Downturn, Board Works To Revamp Budget
Seven months after the McKamey Animal Center opened its doors and began operations, the shelter’s executive director has resigned.
In a letter dated Sunday, Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter said, “it is time for me to return to private practice and directly providing animal care on a daily basis.”
Her last day on the job, she told McKamey Board Chairman Dan Alderman in the letter, will be April 30.
However, Mr. Alderman indicated the outgoing director has agreed verbally to help out after that date if a new executive director cannot be found that soon.
“Dr. Amanda has been an extraordinary executive director and she leaves with the sincere thanks of the Animal Care Trust board of directors,” he said.
The director’s resignation comes as members of the Animal Care Trust – which operates McKamey – rework their 2008-2009 budget, seeking ways to reduce expenses while dealing with huge numbers of abandoned, unwanted and stray animals from throughout the city.
McKamey treasurer Jack Kreusi has been spearheading the budget review, Mr. Alderman said, and the board’s executive committee will meet Wednesday to review the latest figures.
Mayor Ron Littlefield, asked about McKamey’s troubles, said the city remains committed to the animal shelter and will not let it go under financially. “If they need more money, we’ll find a way to get them more money,” he said last week.
McKamey, which was formerly open 12 hours a day in an attempt to maximize adoptions, has cut back on hours, Mr. Alderman noted. It is now open for adoptions and admissions from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Pet owners who want to relinquish their animals are required to call the center and make an appointment to do so, rather than just showing up with the dog(s) and/or cat(s).
The board has also discussed reducing, from two to one, the number of field officers on trucks that pick up animals, Mr. Alderman noted. Since he is not involved in day-to-day operations, he said, he does not know whether that change already has been made.
The letter of resignation says:
February 1, 2009
To the members of the board of the Animal Care Trust:
There comes a time in each person’s life when she must examine the commitments she has made – to herself, her family and her community. My commitment to the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center has been one born of passion, hope and unflagging optimism.
I joined the Animal Care Trust as a non-voting (Hamilton County Veterinary Medical Care Association) board representative five years ago and was impressed by the mission statement:
The mission of the Animal Care Trust/McKamey Animal Center is to protect animals from neglect, abuse and exploitation; to advocate for their interests and welfare; to reduce the unwanted pet population through an effective spay/neuter program; and to inspire and educate the citizens of the City of Chattanooga toward an awareness and compassion for all living things.
When I was asked to serve as the Executive Director, I was honored and buoyed by the task. To have an opportunity to not only be a part of, but spearhead the creation of an animal center that would provide not just a new resource and shelter to the community, but also a center of activism, advocacy and information in my field of interest – animal care and welfare – was a dream come true.
Designing, building and envisioning the function and flow of the McKamey Center was a consuming passion. As many of you know, I could walk the rooms even before the floors were poured.
Creating the policies and finding the team members to realize the vision and mission of the Trust/Center was an exciting process. To have the opportunity to work with and draw from some of the most innovative programs in the country and to realize the potential for Chattanooga was exciting beyond words. The individuals on our staff have proven their love of, and commitment to, the center, the animals, and the citizens of Chattanooga time and time again.
Leading the design and build out of the center and watching it grow and develop has been the greatest gift of all. To be able to be a part of this startup process has been challenging, informative and inspiring. The animals that have been saved, the individuals who have been helped, and the people who have donated their time, money and love have made every hour spent at the center a joy.
While I have made innumerable friends (animal and human), learned invaluable lessons, and been changed by every life I have encountered, it is time for me to return to private practice and directly providing veterinary care on a daily basis.
The center will continue to thrive and grow under its mission of protection, advocacy, prevention and hope, and I will continue to support it in any way I can be of help.
Please accept this letter of resignation as recognition of the center’s success. It is ready and able to stand on its own, with your and the community’s support.
My last day will be April 30, 2009, and I am available to help in the transition to a new executive director during this period. This fulfills my contractual obligation of 90 days notice and makes me available to help the center during this time of change.
Thank you for the opportunity this experience has afforded me and for allowing me to realize my dream in the creation of the center.
Sincerely, Dr. Amanda Wojtalik/Courter, Executive Director
This is the bio on Dr. Amanda from the McKamey website:
Our Executive Director, Dr. Amanda Wojtalik-Courter, is a Chattanooga native who set her sights on helping animals when she was very young.
Dr. Amanda graduated with honors from Hixson High School. She received her B.S. in Zoology, summa cum laude with Highest Honors, from the University of Georgia in 1995. At Georgia she was awarded the University of Georgia Foundation Fellowship; a four-year, full fellowship top award for entering freshman; and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society.
She did her post-graduate work at Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where she earned a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology in 1997. She was recognized with a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship; Harry S. Truman Graduate Fellowship for Public Service; and Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship.
Dr. Amanda graduated from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001.
After earning her DVM, Dr. Amanda returned to her hometown and has practiced veterinary medicine in Chattanooga ever since.
After a national search, the Animal Care Trust Board of Directors unanimously chose Dr. Amanda as the Executive Director of the planned animal care center that would care for Chattanooga’s unwanted and homeless animals. Dr. Amanda worked with a nationally recognized firm to design the facility, and was there every step of the way during construction.
Today, due in large part to the efforts of Dr. Amanda, the McKamey Animal Center is a crown jewel for Chattanooga, a place of education, advocacy and compassion.
DMX Dogs for adoption
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's no-kill animal shelter, MASH, was created to house and care for animals that have been abused or neglected by their caretakers and rescued by the Animal Cruelty Investigative Unit. The purpose of the shelter is to provide a safe, healthy and healing shelter for these tragic animals, who must necessarily await the outcome of their owners' cruelty cases in court. Hopefully, their ultimate outcome will be adoption into loving, permanent homes.
The first shelter opened by Sheriff Arpaio is in the First Avenue Jail, located at First Avenue and Madison Street, Phoenix, Arizona. This 30-year-old jail previously held inmates, but was closed for repairs to plumbing in December 1999. Though no longer suitable for housing inmates, the jail looks like paradise to the four-footed victims now housed and recovering there.
The MASH location in the First Avenue Jail is air-conditioned, and the cells have been reconditioned to comfortably house animals. Some critics have said that it's inhumane to put dogs and cats in air-conditioned quarters when inmates don't have air conditioning. A good answer came from one of the inmates assigned to care for the dogs. When asked if she was resentful about not having air conditioning, she gestured to some of the dogs and said, "They didn't do anything wrong. I did."
Persons adopting animals from the MCSO Animal Safe Hospice must promise to treat their adopted animals with care and affection, and:
Provide adequate meals and water
Provide a safe environment
Check animals daily (including ears and toes) for anything harmful to them - like burrs, foxtails, ticks and fleas
Brush and bathe animals regularly, and keep their nails clipped
Use flea and tick prevention
Do not hit the animals, even with a rolled-up newspaper
Use praise and humane obedience training
Obey all leash laws
Return unwanted animals to a "no-kill" shelter, or to MASH
All MASH animals available for adoption have started their shot series and have been spayed/neutered. Persons adopting animals will be responsible for continuing shot series and ongoing medical care, if needed.
Remember:
Animal cruelty is a violent crime and should be taken seriously.
Animal abuse often occurs in homes where domestic violence, child abuse, and/or elder abuse are present.
FBI studies confirm that several murderers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam) and Albert DeSalvo (the Boston Strangler), all tortured and mutilated animals as children.
MCSO Animal Cruelty Investigators depend on the public to spot and report animal abuse.
For more information or donations, call Sgt. Sherry Beckley 876-7203 or e-mail mash@mcso.maricopa.gov.
The first shelter opened by Sheriff Arpaio is in the First Avenue Jail, located at First Avenue and Madison Street, Phoenix, Arizona. This 30-year-old jail previously held inmates, but was closed for repairs to plumbing in December 1999. Though no longer suitable for housing inmates, the jail looks like paradise to the four-footed victims now housed and recovering there.
The MASH location in the First Avenue Jail is air-conditioned, and the cells have been reconditioned to comfortably house animals. Some critics have said that it's inhumane to put dogs and cats in air-conditioned quarters when inmates don't have air conditioning. A good answer came from one of the inmates assigned to care for the dogs. When asked if she was resentful about not having air conditioning, she gestured to some of the dogs and said, "They didn't do anything wrong. I did."
Persons adopting animals from the MCSO Animal Safe Hospice must promise to treat their adopted animals with care and affection, and:
Provide adequate meals and water
Provide a safe environment
Check animals daily (including ears and toes) for anything harmful to them - like burrs, foxtails, ticks and fleas
Brush and bathe animals regularly, and keep their nails clipped
Use flea and tick prevention
Do not hit the animals, even with a rolled-up newspaper
Use praise and humane obedience training
Obey all leash laws
Return unwanted animals to a "no-kill" shelter, or to MASH
All MASH animals available for adoption have started their shot series and have been spayed/neutered. Persons adopting animals will be responsible for continuing shot series and ongoing medical care, if needed.
Remember:
Animal cruelty is a violent crime and should be taken seriously.
Animal abuse often occurs in homes where domestic violence, child abuse, and/or elder abuse are present.
FBI studies confirm that several murderers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam) and Albert DeSalvo (the Boston Strangler), all tortured and mutilated animals as children.
MCSO Animal Cruelty Investigators depend on the public to spot and report animal abuse.
For more information or donations, call Sgt. Sherry Beckley 876-7203 or e-mail mash@mcso.maricopa.gov.
DMX's dogs may get out of jail before he does
DMX's dogs may get out of jail before he does
February 3rd, 2009 @ 5:28am
by Colton Shone/KTAR
For more than a year, 14 dogs seized from Rapper DMX's Cave Creek home have been in the Maricopa County Jail. Now, with DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, serving time in Tent City, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the dogs are up for adoption.
"Pit mixes, some mastiffs. Eight months old, four of them. Two to five years old, seven of them. The remaining three are older," Arpaio said Monday.
He said the dogs are healthy.
"A few of them may have skin issues, but not serious."
Because they are big dogs, adoptive families will be looked at on an individual basis, especially if they have children, Arpaio said.
If the dogs are not adopted, Arpaio said the jail will continue to provide them homes.
"We will continue to house these animals, even though they are not adopted because I'm totally against euthanizing these dogs," the sheriff said. "So they'll just stay behind bars for the rest of their lives. However, I would hope that we can adopt them out."
Simmons was sentenced last Friday to 90 days in jail and 18 months probation after pleading guilty in three cases involving taking another's identity, animal cruelty and drug possession.
Simmons first ran afoul of the law in August 2007 when sheriff's deputies raided his home in Cave Creek. That raid led to his indictment on animal cruelty charges.
In May 2008, he was arrested again on animal cruelty and drug charges. He failed to appear in a Phoenix court on those charges in December and was arrested in Miami and extradited to Phoenix. • DMX dogs for adoption
New Shelter Director Debates Adopting Out Pit Bulls
IACC Director Says Every Dog Deserves Same Chance
INDIANAPOLIS -- The new director of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control said he wants to look into the possibility of adopting out pit bulls.
Current policy dictates that any pit bull, regardless of its history, is euthanized if it cannot be placed with a rescue organization within four days, 6News' Renee Jameson reported.
But new IACC Director Doug Rae said that every dog that ends up at the shelter should get the same chance to live, as long as it doesn't have a history of violent behavior.
"We're going to make sure we don't take aggressive animals from this facility and put them out there, put them in a situation where they will bite," he said. "That's why I'm going to hire a full-time animal behaviorist to address that issue alone."
Amy Lyon, who runs the pit bull rescue group Astro, said Monday she was pleased with the decision to try to find more homes for pit bulls and said the breed shouldn't be singled out.
Rae said that he believes pit bulls are often the product of bad environments, but are not necessarily aggressive on their own.
"What I say to those people is those dogs who bit were probably with irresponsible pet owners. They raised them the wrong way," he said.
But the mother of Amaya Hess, who was 2-year-old when she was severely mauled by a pit bull in the summer of 2006, said she was concerned about the policy switch.
"A pit bull is like a loaded gun," said Bobbie Tomlin. "And if you leave a loaded gun in the middle of the street, someone's going to call the police and the police are going to come pick that up because if it gets in the wrong hands, the wrong person, the wrong child, the wrong anything, that gun can hurt somebody. That gun can potentially kill somebody."
Amaya, who has had many reconstructive surgeries since the attack, is now in preschool.
Rae said no pit bull with a history of aggression and biting would be adopted out. Those dogs will either go to a rescue group or be put down.
Dog fighting suspect's pitbull seized again
Madison County authorities again have seized a pitbull from a Danielsville man accused of dog fighting, overruling a citizen board's recent decision to return the dog to its owner until he goes to trial.
The county government confiscated seven dogs at Johnny Stewart Johnson's Shake Down Kennels on July 3, but the newly formed Madison County Animal Control Board voted in December to let Johnson have one of his dogs back.
The board's decision drew the ire of the Humane Society, which had investigated Johnson's operation for two months before the raid.
Last week, Johnson again was forced to give up the dog, which is considered evidence in the case, according to a Jan. 26 order signed by Madison County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Malcolm.
The black and white male dog is in the custody of the county's code enforcement department, according to the order.
In the future, the animal control board will make decisions about animals involved in noncriminal cases, while animals seized as evidence by sheriff's deputies or a state agency will be handled separately, according to the district attorney's office.
With the raid last summer, Johnson became the first person in Georgia charged with felony dog fighting under a new state law.
The county government confiscated seven dogs at Johnny Stewart Johnson's Shake Down Kennels on July 3, but the newly formed Madison County Animal Control Board voted in December to let Johnson have one of his dogs back.
The board's decision drew the ire of the Humane Society, which had investigated Johnson's operation for two months before the raid.
Last week, Johnson again was forced to give up the dog, which is considered evidence in the case, according to a Jan. 26 order signed by Madison County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Malcolm.
The black and white male dog is in the custody of the county's code enforcement department, according to the order.
In the future, the animal control board will make decisions about animals involved in noncriminal cases, while animals seized as evidence by sheriff's deputies or a state agency will be handled separately, according to the district attorney's office.
With the raid last summer, Johnson became the first person in Georgia charged with felony dog fighting under a new state law.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Trinity Effect
Thank you Tom, and your wonderful family for sharing this remarkable story of Trinity, and for all the work you are doing to help shed light on the REAL pit bull.
I was 12 years old when I first saw the image. Sports Illustrated was the magazine of choice in a house with three boys, and one issue arrived with its cover featuring the picture of a vicious looking pit bull. It was the image that sat with me, like millions of Americans, and fed the myth of the pit bull. Above the picture of the snarling animal was the phrase, “Beware of this Dog.” The magazine clearly had one goal in mind, to shock their readers. They accomplished their goal.
Fast forward 21 years to the summer of 2007, and the image was there again. This time as a professional athlete was caught running one of the most high-profile dog fighting operations in recent memory. The image of the pit bull - the official breed name is American Pit Bull Terrier - was being negatively portrayed once again.
A couple of weeks ago a local paper, The Hartford Courant, ran a similar image accompanying a story about Michael Vick. It was only a quick mention of Vick and the possibility of him being moved to a halfway house to serve the remainder of his sentence. But for me, this time, the image took on a different meaning. You see, I’m the owner of a former fighting pit bull.
My wife, two little girls, ages four and two, and I were looking for a family pet. Our home was not complete and we all knew what was missing. We started to look for a dog to adopt and our journey took us to a strange place. At least that is how I felt because of the image I held in my mind. I had read all the negative stories and still saw the image of the SI cover when I was young.
Enter Trinity the pit bull. My wife Kyle first saw her on the Petfinder website, and she learned more with aid of a two rescue operations. Paws New England and Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue in Tennessee had put together a video featuring Trinity, and my wife fell in love. Trinity’s story was heartbreaking and unimaginable. What she had been through was hard to comprehend, and my reaction to the stigma surrounding pit bulls was uneducated and predictable.
I’ll admit, I knew nothing about the breed and immediately passed judgment. I was cautious and unsure of what to think, only that I remembered the image that I had seen over two decades ago. Trinity had scars. She was a fighter. She was found running away from whoever had done those awful things to her and because she finally had had enough. Was adopting this dog this a good idea? In my mind I wasn’t sure.
So I did what I had not done when I was 12. I researched. I asked questions, I did my homework, and I learned about pit bulls. I learned about their history, their temperament, their loyalty and their love. I learned that they are great family dogs, fantastic therapy dogs and, as my kids would say, wonderful “helper” dogs. I also learned about the responsibility that comes with ownership.
The responsibility is great, nothing to be taken lightly. The breed has a bad image because of the irresponsible owners and the effects those owners have on their dogs. Raised properly and given both the love of a family and proper guidance, these dogs are truly amazing. When cruelty becomes the cornerstone of their development, well, we know what happens.
We adopted Trinity on March 1, 2008. We traveled in the snow to meet her after a long drive from Tennessee to New England. She saw snow for the first time that day. Later, as we drove home, she seemed to have calmness about her. It was as if Trinity realized she was finally going home.
What she has done for our family has been nothing short of spectacular. Our two little girls are learning to love without prejudice, because they know only of the love their dog displays for them every single day. They are also becoming aware of tolerance, not only for our dog, but for those who are uneducated and pass judgment without knowing a single thing about us. They continually grow, discovering new ways to love with a kindness and gentle nature that comes from being a family with a pit bull.
When we first brought Trinity to Connecticut we looked for a way to help those who had rescued her keep in touch. We started a web site. Yes, a website for our dog. It was the easiest way for those who had helped her stay updated on her new life.
Little did we know the site would take on a life of its own. It has become an educational and informative resource for those who want to learn about the breed. The site, www.TrinitythePitBull.com, has become a way for us to help out, to spread the word about Trinity and to try and educate about the breed. It is the true story about how Trinity became a part of our family.
The site contains pictures of when she was found, some of which are graphic. You can see the scars and the results of surgery on her chest, and then you can see her now. She still has the scars but you tend to look past them.
The story of Trinity is similar to that of the 47 dogs that were rescued from Bad Newz Kennels and have made national headlines. The sad news is that this type of fighting happens all over the country, you would be surprised. The good news is there are people out there who understand that these dogs deserve a chance.
I no longer have the image in my mind from when I was 12. I never wanted to own a pit bull, but now, 10 months later, I can’t imagine life any other way. Check us out and learn about our girl. It’s not the image we see in the paper or in magazines with the mention of that certain professional athlete. It’s the image of a family who owns a pit bull. It is the image of someone who took the time to learn and realize that things aren’t always what they seem.
And what an image it is.
Michael Vick could be Transferred
NEWPORT NEWS, VA (AP) -- It could be the beginning of the end for Michael Vick's time in custody for his dogfighting conviction. A lawyer for the former NFL star says Vick could be transferred to a halfway house in Virginia any day now.
The news came during a hearing the lawyer had before a federal bankruptcy judge this past Friday. The judge asked about the transfer during a hearing at which he also approved arrangements to sell off some of Vick's property.
Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas for his role in a dogfighting ring. He's scheduled for release July 20th. But it's possible that he could serve the last few months of his term at a halfway house in Newport News, Virginia, his hometown.
Another of Vick's lawyers told the hearing that it's expected Vick will be reinstated by the league. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't said whether he will lift Vick's suspension once he's released.
The news came during a hearing the lawyer had before a federal bankruptcy judge this past Friday. The judge asked about the transfer during a hearing at which he also approved arrangements to sell off some of Vick's property.
Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas for his role in a dogfighting ring. He's scheduled for release July 20th. But it's possible that he could serve the last few months of his term at a halfway house in Newport News, Virginia, his hometown.
Another of Vick's lawyers told the hearing that it's expected Vick will be reinstated by the league. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't said whether he will lift Vick's suspension once he's released.
Animal Violations Spanned Half a Decade
Despite dozens of complaints and a documented history of animal violations that stretches half a decade, Temecula animal control officials said that until Jan. 23 they never had the authority to stop Elisao Jimenez, 66, from creating what turned out to be one of the most gruesome animal cruelty scenes they have ever encountered, the North County Times reported.
Officials found 204 dead and decomposing animals and 115 feral cats and dogs at the home on Liefer Road. Those animals were later euthanized. Nine 5-week-old puppies were rescued.
Officers were alerted to the property after receiving a call that two vicious dogs were running loose at the address. When animal control officers arrived, packs of dogs were attacking each other and killing one of their own. About 70 dogs circled officers and threatened to attack, forcing authorities to kill them.
Records obtained from Temecula's animal control agency show officers responded to Jimenez's home numerous times but did little more than cite him for barking violations and for having too many dogs, the paper reported.
Jimenez was arrested by Temecula police on suspicion of animal cruelty. He posted bond on $5,000 bail and was released from jail.
For the full story read the North County Times article "Long History of Violations by Animal Owner."
TEMECULA: Long history of violations by animal owner-
TEMECULA ---- Despite dozens of complaints and a documented history of animal violations that stretches half a decade, Temecula and Riverside County animal control officials said that until Jan. 23 they never had the authority to stop Elisao Jimenez from creating what turned out to be one of the most gruesome animal cruelty scenes they have ever encountered.
More than 200 dead cats and dogs were found decomposing in plastic bags at Jimenez's Liefer Road residence in late January. Another 115 feral and disease-ridden animals were found alive but were later euthanized.
Several of Jimenez's neighbors, both past and present, said last week they had complained for years to animal control authorities about what sounded like packs of dogs barking at his residence, about vicious dogs running loose near their homes and about the shrill screams that sounded like Jimenez's dogs tearing one another apart.
Records obtained from Temecula's animal control agency show officers responded to Jimenez's home numerous times but did little more than cite him for barking violations and for having too many dogs.
Riverside County animal control records show officers responded largely the same way to complaints when Jimenez lived with numerous dogs in Aguanga.
Authorities say that's all they legally could do. Nearly every time they responded, their records show, they did not hear barking dogs and thus had no exigent circumstances, a life-threatening situation in which officers are allowed to enter a property.
"The laws protect these people," said Monqunec Middleton, the supervising animal control officer for Temecula. "(Jimenez) complied (by always paying his fines). We had no reason to enter his property."
A hole in Jimenez's Liefer Road fence changed everything Jan. 23.
Two large and vicious rottweiler-mix dogs had escaped through the hole and were running loose that Friday afternoon, up and down the dirt road on Temecula's northeast edge.
Temecula animal control officers chased the dogs back onto the 5-acre rural property and then were required to confront Jimenez about the fence, Middleton said. Up until then, animal control officers had always spoken to Jimenez, known by neighbors as "Tony" and described as very private, over the phone or in front of his locked gate, several hundred yards down a hill from his residence.
As the two officers knocked on the door to Jimenez's double-wide trailer, they felt the small porch they were standing on begin to vibrate.
"All the dogs in the house rushed to the door," Middleton said, recalling what her officers told her on the phone that afternoon. "He said he thinks there's hundreds of dogs in there."
He wasn't far off.
The two officers retreated from the residence and nine additional animal control staffers were called in.
They would spend the next several hours at one of the most horrific scenes authorities had ever discovered.
Bags of decomposing animals littered the property, the officers said. The ammonia from the urine-soaked trailer initially prevented officers from opening their eyes.
Forty-seven dogs were found alive inside the two-bedroom trailer, according to reports, and another 35 were found alive in kennels inside what Middleton described as a square "fortress" of chain link fencing wired tight to 6-foot-tall plywood boards.
No pet food was found save for a small bowl of cat food in a bathroom in the mobile home.
Shortly after arriving, officers said, they watched in horror as a pack of dogs killed one of their own, ripping it apart.
Jimenez, 66, was arrested that day by Temecula police on suspicion of animal cruelty. He posted bond on $5,000 bail Saturday and was released from jail the same day.
Jimenez is scheduled to be arraigned in late February, however the Riverside County district attorney's office has yet to formally charge him.
News of the grisly scene shocked some neighbors and enraged others. Several, including two who lived next to Jimenez at his previous residence in Aguanga, said they were saddened but not altogether surprised about what was found.
Between them, records show, the present and former neighbors had made dozens of complaints to animal control authorities over a decade.
"I called repeatedly," said Janet Allen, who can see Jimenez's residence from her backyard on Diego Drive. "I called and told them this is not normal barking. It sounds like they're killing each other. It sounds like there's 20 dogs over there."
Activity logs from the Animal Friends of the Valleys, the nonprofit that runs Temecula's animal shelter and serves as the city's animal enforcement, show that Allen called twice in 2007 and another neighbor called three times the same year.
All five times, animal control officers responded to the property. Each time, they found the gate locked and couldn't hear any barking. So, their logs show, they left notices for Jimenez to call them and then left.
Christine Todd was Jimenez's neighbor for about a decade in Aguanga, before Jimenez moved in 2006. Their homes were next door on White Mountain Road.
During that time, Todd estimates, she had at least 40 conversations with Riverside County Animal Services staff members about Jimenez's animals, including several talks with the department's supervisor, Lt. John Stephens.
Only fines, Todd said, were ever handed out to Jimenez.
"Nobody seemed to be interested in preventing him from breeding animals or doing the full seizure that needed to be done," said Todd, who runs an animal grooming business in Temecula.
Neighbors on White Mountain Road and animal control staff found upwards of 40 dogs on the property when Jimenez left. Several were dead.
"We said when he left, the same thing's going to happen again," added Joe Pulido, also a White Mountain Road neighbor.
Pulido, like several neighbors reached for comment, said he felt animal control officers had their hands tied when it came to preventing the conditions Jimenez created.
In an interview Friday, Lt. Stephens said he remembers Jimenez well, calling him "your typical (animal) hoarder."
He said he inspected Jimenez's property several times. And while he often found more dogs than allowed ---- residents in Temecula and unincorporated Riverside County are limited to four dogs, unless they have a kennel permit ---- the animals never appeared abused or malnourished, Stephens said.
"We really had no authority to take 'em," the lieutenant said, adding that Jimenez was always cooperative and paid his fines. "There was never anything in that bad a shape up there. Believe me, we would have loved to have moved on the guy to get rid of the complaints."
Stephens said there is no amount of animal citations that triggers a search of a property, something he acknowledged officials should consider implementing.
Back in Temecula, on a warm, windy afternoon last week, neighbor Janet Allen offered a plan of action.
"There should be something done to give (animal control officers) more authority to investigate when someone says there's dogs in danger," she said.
"Something needs to be changed," Allen added. "I would love to see that happen from this tragedy. Maybe something good can come from it."
Contact staff writer Chris Nichols at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 5426, or cnichols@nctimes.com
Officials found 204 dead and decomposing animals and 115 feral cats and dogs at the home on Liefer Road. Those animals were later euthanized. Nine 5-week-old puppies were rescued.
Officers were alerted to the property after receiving a call that two vicious dogs were running loose at the address. When animal control officers arrived, packs of dogs were attacking each other and killing one of their own. About 70 dogs circled officers and threatened to attack, forcing authorities to kill them.
Records obtained from Temecula's animal control agency show officers responded to Jimenez's home numerous times but did little more than cite him for barking violations and for having too many dogs, the paper reported.
Jimenez was arrested by Temecula police on suspicion of animal cruelty. He posted bond on $5,000 bail and was released from jail.
For the full story read the North County Times article "Long History of Violations by Animal Owner."
TEMECULA: Long history of violations by animal owner-
TEMECULA ---- Despite dozens of complaints and a documented history of animal violations that stretches half a decade, Temecula and Riverside County animal control officials said that until Jan. 23 they never had the authority to stop Elisao Jimenez from creating what turned out to be one of the most gruesome animal cruelty scenes they have ever encountered.
More than 200 dead cats and dogs were found decomposing in plastic bags at Jimenez's Liefer Road residence in late January. Another 115 feral and disease-ridden animals were found alive but were later euthanized.
Several of Jimenez's neighbors, both past and present, said last week they had complained for years to animal control authorities about what sounded like packs of dogs barking at his residence, about vicious dogs running loose near their homes and about the shrill screams that sounded like Jimenez's dogs tearing one another apart.
Records obtained from Temecula's animal control agency show officers responded to Jimenez's home numerous times but did little more than cite him for barking violations and for having too many dogs.
Riverside County animal control records show officers responded largely the same way to complaints when Jimenez lived with numerous dogs in Aguanga.
Authorities say that's all they legally could do. Nearly every time they responded, their records show, they did not hear barking dogs and thus had no exigent circumstances, a life-threatening situation in which officers are allowed to enter a property.
"The laws protect these people," said Monqunec Middleton, the supervising animal control officer for Temecula. "(Jimenez) complied (by always paying his fines). We had no reason to enter his property."
A hole in Jimenez's Liefer Road fence changed everything Jan. 23.
Two large and vicious rottweiler-mix dogs had escaped through the hole and were running loose that Friday afternoon, up and down the dirt road on Temecula's northeast edge.
Temecula animal control officers chased the dogs back onto the 5-acre rural property and then were required to confront Jimenez about the fence, Middleton said. Up until then, animal control officers had always spoken to Jimenez, known by neighbors as "Tony" and described as very private, over the phone or in front of his locked gate, several hundred yards down a hill from his residence.
As the two officers knocked on the door to Jimenez's double-wide trailer, they felt the small porch they were standing on begin to vibrate.
"All the dogs in the house rushed to the door," Middleton said, recalling what her officers told her on the phone that afternoon. "He said he thinks there's hundreds of dogs in there."
He wasn't far off.
The two officers retreated from the residence and nine additional animal control staffers were called in.
They would spend the next several hours at one of the most horrific scenes authorities had ever discovered.
Bags of decomposing animals littered the property, the officers said. The ammonia from the urine-soaked trailer initially prevented officers from opening their eyes.
Forty-seven dogs were found alive inside the two-bedroom trailer, according to reports, and another 35 were found alive in kennels inside what Middleton described as a square "fortress" of chain link fencing wired tight to 6-foot-tall plywood boards.
No pet food was found save for a small bowl of cat food in a bathroom in the mobile home.
Shortly after arriving, officers said, they watched in horror as a pack of dogs killed one of their own, ripping it apart.
Jimenez, 66, was arrested that day by Temecula police on suspicion of animal cruelty. He posted bond on $5,000 bail Saturday and was released from jail the same day.
Jimenez is scheduled to be arraigned in late February, however the Riverside County district attorney's office has yet to formally charge him.
News of the grisly scene shocked some neighbors and enraged others. Several, including two who lived next to Jimenez at his previous residence in Aguanga, said they were saddened but not altogether surprised about what was found.
Between them, records show, the present and former neighbors had made dozens of complaints to animal control authorities over a decade.
"I called repeatedly," said Janet Allen, who can see Jimenez's residence from her backyard on Diego Drive. "I called and told them this is not normal barking. It sounds like they're killing each other. It sounds like there's 20 dogs over there."
Activity logs from the Animal Friends of the Valleys, the nonprofit that runs Temecula's animal shelter and serves as the city's animal enforcement, show that Allen called twice in 2007 and another neighbor called three times the same year.
All five times, animal control officers responded to the property. Each time, they found the gate locked and couldn't hear any barking. So, their logs show, they left notices for Jimenez to call them and then left.
Christine Todd was Jimenez's neighbor for about a decade in Aguanga, before Jimenez moved in 2006. Their homes were next door on White Mountain Road.
During that time, Todd estimates, she had at least 40 conversations with Riverside County Animal Services staff members about Jimenez's animals, including several talks with the department's supervisor, Lt. John Stephens.
Only fines, Todd said, were ever handed out to Jimenez.
"Nobody seemed to be interested in preventing him from breeding animals or doing the full seizure that needed to be done," said Todd, who runs an animal grooming business in Temecula.
Neighbors on White Mountain Road and animal control staff found upwards of 40 dogs on the property when Jimenez left. Several were dead.
"We said when he left, the same thing's going to happen again," added Joe Pulido, also a White Mountain Road neighbor.
Pulido, like several neighbors reached for comment, said he felt animal control officers had their hands tied when it came to preventing the conditions Jimenez created.
In an interview Friday, Lt. Stephens said he remembers Jimenez well, calling him "your typical (animal) hoarder."
He said he inspected Jimenez's property several times. And while he often found more dogs than allowed ---- residents in Temecula and unincorporated Riverside County are limited to four dogs, unless they have a kennel permit ---- the animals never appeared abused or malnourished, Stephens said.
"We really had no authority to take 'em," the lieutenant said, adding that Jimenez was always cooperative and paid his fines. "There was never anything in that bad a shape up there. Believe me, we would have loved to have moved on the guy to get rid of the complaints."
Stephens said there is no amount of animal citations that triggers a search of a property, something he acknowledged officials should consider implementing.
Back in Temecula, on a warm, windy afternoon last week, neighbor Janet Allen offered a plan of action.
"There should be something done to give (animal control officers) more authority to investigate when someone says there's dogs in danger," she said.
"Something needs to be changed," Allen added. "I would love to see that happen from this tragedy. Maybe something good can come from it."
Contact staff writer Chris Nichols at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 5426, or cnichols@nctimes.com
Law enforcement busts major animal-cruelty ring
Deputies arrest 83 and seize $88,000 in Sunday raid.
MARTIN COUNTY - Local law enforcement got more than they bargained for when a tip from a nearby oil field worker led to the arrest of 81 adults - including several illegal immigrants - and two juveniles believed to be involved in a cockfighting ring raided over the weekend.
The 640 acres of land where the cockfighting was taking place was only 200 yards into Martin County across from the Midland County line.
The massive bust was called in to Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter's office by a tip from an oilfield worker.
Painter then called Martin County Sheriff John Woodward, and both brought along several of their deputies to the 2000 block of County Road 2001. With the assistance of Department of Public Safety troopers, the arrests were made around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
"We were told there were a lot of vehicles and a lot of people there, but we didn't know how many until we got there," Painter said.
Upon arrival, they found more than 100 people watching the fight.
Several tried to flee the scene but were apprehended by authorities, officials said.
Woodward told the Reporter-Telegram there were a set of pens and barns set up on a section of the land. When they arrived, the individuals were all huddled closely under a barn.
Deputies confiscated 105 fighting roosters, including 10 which were already dead and three that had to be euthanized because of their injuries.
The birds are said to be worth about $2,000 each and are being kept at a secure location where Woodward told the Reporter-Telegram he was feeding them Sunday.
Officials also seized approximately $88,000 in cash allegedly used for betting money and several quantities of cocaine and marijuana. Painter said while the officers were making the arrests, some individuals were throwing the drugs on the floor.
Woodward said alcohol also was involved and they found lots of empty bottles scattered about when they arrived.
Authorities found narcotics in at least three vehicles on the grounds.
The other 36 cars on the property also were seized and have been impounded.
"It was definitely a lot bigger than we realized once we go out there.
We didn't know exactly what to expect, but the more cocaine and money we kept finding, it definitely raised an eyebrow," Woodward said.
The investigation is ongoing, since officers have found several carcasses of both dogs and roosters in caliche pits nearby. Some of the dead dogs dumped recently appear to have been beaten up and bitten.
Woodward said he's not sure if the animal carcasses found are directly related to Saturday's incident but even though the dumpsites are not located on the landowner's property, they are close by.
All 83 individuals arrested were taken to Midland County Detention Center and booked each on a third-degree felony of engaged in organized criminal activity.
Bonds were set at $20,000 per person.
Victoria,TX,USA-banning pit bulls article
PRO-
Pit bulls should be banned because the dog is strong, unpredictable and dangerous.
No matter how caring dog owners are, pit bulls are aggressive by nature.
"They should be banned," said the Rev. Gregory Wyatt, minister of Victoria's Palestine Baptist Church. "They're bred for fighting."
Wyatt fought for months last year for animal control to grab loose pit bulls from his church's neighborhood, near the corner of Convent and Depot streets.
The dogs chased churchgoers, young and old.
"They are a community hazard, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "They brought quite a deal of hysteria among community people, especially of children. That creates a great threat."
U.S. dog attacks from 1979 to 1998 killed 300 Americans and half were children, according to the most recent survey by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
One-third of those attacks were by pit bulls.
Ladell Hogan, a 77-year-old Hallettsville woman, almost became a pit bull statistic. While Hogan walked her neighborhood last year, a loose pit bull charged her.
The dog rammed her, knocking her backward to the ground. A passing motorist swerved to scare the dog. Hogan jumped in.
Marilyn Rice is Hogan's 56-year-old daughter.
"I have nieces and nephews who like to ride their bikes in the streets," Rice said. "Those dogs should be banned. The dogs can get loose, attack someone and kill someone like they almost did. They don't know any better. They've been trained to do that."
Gregory, meanwhile, said caring pet owners can't change a dog's pedigree. The dog is too unpredictable, he said.
"I think that's a fair assessment of the dog and the danger to the community," he said.
CON-
Pit bulls are no more dangerous than any other dog. They are loving and loyal animals.
Don't ban pit bulls. Ban abusive owners.
"There's a chance for any dog, even a good dog, to bite someone," said Larry Green, a chaplain for Hospice of South Texas. "The aggression comes from how people raise them."
Green owns Buster Brown, an 8-month-old pit bull who loves to sunbathe on his doghouse.
"He's like a human. He gets up there, lays up there, sits up there," Green said. "If you go outside, he jumps like a jackrabbit. There's no aggression in him."
Owners should properly care for pit bulls - love, train and keep them humanely enclosed. Besides, banning a breed is ineffective.
"It's the deed and not the breed," said David Kirkpatrick, spokesman for the American Veterinarian Medical Association. "There's quite a bit of science that says banning a particular breed of dog has not proven to reduce dog bites. Breed-specific legislation is stereotyping certain breeds as being vicious. We oppose this."
A dog's tendency to bite depends on several factors. Chain any dog to a tree for lengthy periods and the dog will become angry and aggressive, Kirkpatrick said.
"If the dog is trained, socialized, kept in an environment that doesn't increase its aggressiveness, than you will have a happy, healthy dog. Dog bites are preventable," he said. "If you have a brother and a sister, their DNA is similar, but they're not both going to behave or act in the same ways. Just because a pit bull is involved in a biting incident, that doesn't mean a properly socialized, trained, well-cared for pit bull is any more prone to biting than the one that already did."
Green agrees.
"Look at my puppy. He's good hearted," he said. "What changes them from how they are now to what they can become? It's how people make them to be aggressive."
MORE INFO
Three weeks ago, police shot a dog described as a large, aggressive pit bull near Juan Linn Elementary School. The dog, which paired with another, chased adults and tried to enter a woman's yard. Officer Jason Smetters shot and killed one dog when it tried to attack him, he said. The debate about banning pit bulls is not new. But given recent events, experts and locals weighed in.
Jail Time for DMX
The rapper DMX, was sentenced on Friday to 90 days in jail and at least 18 months of supervised probation after his conviction on charges of theft, drug possession and animal cruelty, The Associated Press reported. Commissioner Phemonia Miller of the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County, also put DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, on supervised probation for at least 18 months. On Dec. 30, Mr. Simmons, 38, pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft, possession or use of marijuana, and possession or use of narcotic drugs, and to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. He has been in custody in the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix since Dec. 9. The time served will not count toward the 90 days, Ms. Miller said on Friday. The animal cruelty and drug charges resulted from a raid of Mr. Simmons’s home in August 2007 that was carried out as part of an investigation of a report of animal abuse. A dozen malnourished pit bulls, three dead dogs, guns and drugs were discovered in the raid.
BSL: The Effects of Zero Tolerance Mentality
BSL: The Effects of Zero Tolerance Mentality
This week in a unanimous vote, the city of Lancaster, California passed a breed specific legislation (BSL) ordinance requiring all owners of pit bulls, Rottweilers, and mixed breed dogs deemed “potentially dangerous” to:
Have microchip implants and vaccinations at the owner’s expense.
Be kept indoors or in a securely fenced yard or enclosure constructed at the owner’s expense.
Wear a muzzle and a 4-foot-long leash held by a controlling adult when taken off the owner’s property.
Complete an approved obedience course at the owner’s expense.
Be spayed or neutered at the owner’s expense.
Be covered by liability insurance valued at $300,000 per occurrence obtained at the owner’s expense.
Owners who do comply could find themselves facing the impoundment of their pet, and they may be required to pay a $500 to $1,000 fine plus other costs, obtain a $300,000 liability insurance policy, or possibly FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO OWN ANY DOG for up to three years. If animal control determines that an impounded dog is too dangerous to be returned to their home, it will be destroyed without the possibility of appeal on behalf of the family. As a responsible dog owner, I do not have much contact with animal control officers, but the encounters I have had do not lead me to believe they are qualified to make such a determination.
Don’t get me wrong, I support many of those things to be done by responsible families of ALL dogs, but this ordinance targets two specific breeds and allows for personnel untrained in canine behavior to determine a dog’s temperament. Also, I think that we can agree that spaying and neutering of dogs and cats is the best way to reduce the pet overpopulation, but breed specific legislation is discriminatory and wrong. Just because a dog has the lineage of a certain breed does not mean that they are mean, evil, vicious, or bad. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Mastiffs, and other large breed dogs are no more likely to be “dangerous” than a Shih Tzu, Poodle, or Pomeranian. Any behaviorist, trainer or other dog professional can tell you that the environment a dog is raised in has far more to do with their temperament than their breed. In fact, the most vicious and dangerous dog I have ever encountered was a Spitz, and they are not much larger than a Chihuahua. This ordinance punishes the dogs unfortunate enough to not know any better, rather than the people who allowed their dogs to remain ignorant of how to act in a civilized dog community.
The council noted that the SIZE of the dog was why certain breeds were targeted, due to the severity of injury they could cause. Councilwoman Sherry Marquez said, “You can kick a vicious Chihuahua out of the way. You can’t kick a vicious Rottweiler out of the way.” The mayor of the town, R. Rex Parris admitted, “We are doing this to deliberately harass a certain group of people because that’s what the citizens want us to do.” He also noted that the ordinance was unfair, but he was willing to “bear the weight of it,” citing the city’s inability to control gang activities as the motivation for the breed discrimination ordinance.
So, I gather from their remarks that they are unable to control a gang problem, and due to the popularity of certain breeds of dogs with gang members, they are punishing all responsible families who happen to own the discriminated breeds, as they intend to harass suspected gang members seen with a Rottweiler or a pit bull. I see some flaws in their logic, as they are attempting to cure the problem by addressing symptoms, rather than the disease. I am not a doctor, like some of my fellow writers on United Liberty, but I am pretty sure that is not how you treat anything. They are trampling on the rights of everyone in an attempt to single out a few bad apples in the community. Councilman Ed Sileo was quoted as saying, “It’s not perfect. I don’t think there’s a perfect solution.” Despite the flaws in the legislation, it was passed unanimously and deemed a “good start.”
Rather than addressing some of the causes for gang activity, they are using the ordinance to harass anyone found with a restricted breed. Mayor Parris notes in the interview with KTLA in the video above that his intent has little to do with dangerous dogs, but with harassing people seen with the dogs. Rather than be held to the Fourth Amendment, police will be able to stop anyone in possession of a pit bull or Rottweiler (or any other “dangerous” breed) with no other cause. They can then use the “probably cause” to search for contraband with greater ease than they currently can. It makes for an interesting “Papers, please,” especially in cases where it is impossible to tell if a dog is intact.
Many cities and towns had laws that prevent or severely restrict the presence of certain breeds of dogs. This is due to a preconceived notion that these breeds are inherently evil, aggressive, or vicious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not list dog bites in their handy Topics menu just “above the fold,” nor anywhere on their main page. They also note on their “Dog Bite” page, that of the 4.7 million bites annually, only about sixteen, or .00002% of total dog bites, result in death. Due to the low number of incidents, they can not determine a breed’s likelihood for being vicious.
The biggest problem I find with their ordinance is that it severely restricts these breeds of dogs, targeting a group of people that are living a life in blatant disregard for the laws that currently exist. Why would a new law matter to them? Essentially outlawing them will drive the gang members to keep them from socializing their dogs, keep them from visiting the vet for medical attention, keep them from attending training to correct bad behavior, and keep them tied down on chains in the backyard.
As the councilmembers noted, this is just a start. It starts with pit bulls and Rottweilers, and then it moves on to German Shepherds and Akitas. No one speaks up, and before you know it, they are outlawing Poodles and Chihuahuas.
Punish the deed, not the breed.
This week in a unanimous vote, the city of Lancaster, California passed a breed specific legislation (BSL) ordinance requiring all owners of pit bulls, Rottweilers, and mixed breed dogs deemed “potentially dangerous” to:
Have microchip implants and vaccinations at the owner’s expense.
Be kept indoors or in a securely fenced yard or enclosure constructed at the owner’s expense.
Wear a muzzle and a 4-foot-long leash held by a controlling adult when taken off the owner’s property.
Complete an approved obedience course at the owner’s expense.
Be spayed or neutered at the owner’s expense.
Be covered by liability insurance valued at $300,000 per occurrence obtained at the owner’s expense.
Owners who do comply could find themselves facing the impoundment of their pet, and they may be required to pay a $500 to $1,000 fine plus other costs, obtain a $300,000 liability insurance policy, or possibly FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO OWN ANY DOG for up to three years. If animal control determines that an impounded dog is too dangerous to be returned to their home, it will be destroyed without the possibility of appeal on behalf of the family. As a responsible dog owner, I do not have much contact with animal control officers, but the encounters I have had do not lead me to believe they are qualified to make such a determination.
Don’t get me wrong, I support many of those things to be done by responsible families of ALL dogs, but this ordinance targets two specific breeds and allows for personnel untrained in canine behavior to determine a dog’s temperament. Also, I think that we can agree that spaying and neutering of dogs and cats is the best way to reduce the pet overpopulation, but breed specific legislation is discriminatory and wrong. Just because a dog has the lineage of a certain breed does not mean that they are mean, evil, vicious, or bad. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Mastiffs, and other large breed dogs are no more likely to be “dangerous” than a Shih Tzu, Poodle, or Pomeranian. Any behaviorist, trainer or other dog professional can tell you that the environment a dog is raised in has far more to do with their temperament than their breed. In fact, the most vicious and dangerous dog I have ever encountered was a Spitz, and they are not much larger than a Chihuahua. This ordinance punishes the dogs unfortunate enough to not know any better, rather than the people who allowed their dogs to remain ignorant of how to act in a civilized dog community.
The council noted that the SIZE of the dog was why certain breeds were targeted, due to the severity of injury they could cause. Councilwoman Sherry Marquez said, “You can kick a vicious Chihuahua out of the way. You can’t kick a vicious Rottweiler out of the way.” The mayor of the town, R. Rex Parris admitted, “We are doing this to deliberately harass a certain group of people because that’s what the citizens want us to do.” He also noted that the ordinance was unfair, but he was willing to “bear the weight of it,” citing the city’s inability to control gang activities as the motivation for the breed discrimination ordinance.
So, I gather from their remarks that they are unable to control a gang problem, and due to the popularity of certain breeds of dogs with gang members, they are punishing all responsible families who happen to own the discriminated breeds, as they intend to harass suspected gang members seen with a Rottweiler or a pit bull. I see some flaws in their logic, as they are attempting to cure the problem by addressing symptoms, rather than the disease. I am not a doctor, like some of my fellow writers on United Liberty, but I am pretty sure that is not how you treat anything. They are trampling on the rights of everyone in an attempt to single out a few bad apples in the community. Councilman Ed Sileo was quoted as saying, “It’s not perfect. I don’t think there’s a perfect solution.” Despite the flaws in the legislation, it was passed unanimously and deemed a “good start.”
Rather than addressing some of the causes for gang activity, they are using the ordinance to harass anyone found with a restricted breed. Mayor Parris notes in the interview with KTLA in the video above that his intent has little to do with dangerous dogs, but with harassing people seen with the dogs. Rather than be held to the Fourth Amendment, police will be able to stop anyone in possession of a pit bull or Rottweiler (or any other “dangerous” breed) with no other cause. They can then use the “probably cause” to search for contraband with greater ease than they currently can. It makes for an interesting “Papers, please,” especially in cases where it is impossible to tell if a dog is intact.
Many cities and towns had laws that prevent or severely restrict the presence of certain breeds of dogs. This is due to a preconceived notion that these breeds are inherently evil, aggressive, or vicious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not list dog bites in their handy Topics menu just “above the fold,” nor anywhere on their main page. They also note on their “Dog Bite” page, that of the 4.7 million bites annually, only about sixteen, or .00002% of total dog bites, result in death. Due to the low number of incidents, they can not determine a breed’s likelihood for being vicious.
The biggest problem I find with their ordinance is that it severely restricts these breeds of dogs, targeting a group of people that are living a life in blatant disregard for the laws that currently exist. Why would a new law matter to them? Essentially outlawing them will drive the gang members to keep them from socializing their dogs, keep them from visiting the vet for medical attention, keep them from attending training to correct bad behavior, and keep them tied down on chains in the backyard.
As the councilmembers noted, this is just a start. It starts with pit bulls and Rottweilers, and then it moves on to German Shepherds and Akitas. No one speaks up, and before you know it, they are outlawing Poodles and Chihuahuas.
Punish the deed, not the breed.
Dogs, even pit bulls, are like people
By Traci Durant
Guest Columnist
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The banning of dangerous breeds of dogs needs to be rethought. All dogs of one specific breed are not dangerous, vicious or aggressive, and pit bull is the main breed everyone looks at. I work at a veterinary clinic and see plenty of dogs of all breeds, including pit bull, and out of all the pit bulls that come through either to board or for exams, I have only come across two that were considered aggressive or dangerous. Most of the dogs that come in snapping or growling are not of the so-called vicious breed; they are just afraid or old and cranky.
Not all pit bulls are vicious, aggressive and dangerous. Every animal is unpredictable; I have seen dogs of nonvicious breeds that live together since being puppies become aggressive and vicious toward each other. I myself have owned a lot of dogs, including Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, pit bulls and strays (mix breeds) that were dumped. More than 50 percent of all our dogs were strays and of the so-called vicious breeds. We have never had any of our dogs become vicious, aggressive or turn on other dogs or us; not even the strays that we didn't know anything about. All they wanted was a good home, and that is what they got.
Most people want to say that it's not the owner or the dog's living environment that turns the dog, but in most cases it is. It's the way the owner acts toward the dog and the way the owner treats or neglects the dog. Some people get animals and don't want to take the responsibility. Sometimes it's not the owner's fault, but fault could also be placed upon other people or neighborhood children that come by to be irritating: screaming, hitting the fence, poking sticks at the dog or trying to get their own dogs to bark and charge the fence at the dog on the other side. In some ways, animals are like people, and people are like animals by the way we act. When a person or an animal gets pushed so far, they are going to push back. In reality, people are more vicious than animals. If a person is neglected or mistreated, he or she is going to do something for attention or to get back at the world, and yet we don't ban them. They just get a so-called slap on the wrist.
It doesn't matter what breed the dog is, it should not be banned from city limits, but instead there should be certain requirements for owning so-called vicious breeds. Requirements that present and future owners must meet, such as proper fencing and ties (no chains) in yards if the dogs jump fences, but dogs still must have plenty of time to roam the whole yard. Proper warning signs if needed for watch, protection or so-called vicious dogs. All dogs of the so-called vicious breeds must at least take a certified obedience class to train and socialize the dog with other dogs and people. Owners can only own two or three of the same breed if the breed is categorized as a so-called vicious breed. Special requirements for breeders who house more than two breeding dogs of the so-called vicious breeds must have proper privacy fencing, proper kennels or housing for the dogs and absolutely no chains or ties.
I currently own a pit bull (far from vicious) along with a border collie, who my pit bull has always gotten along with. She had never seen my sister's dog (a miniature pinscher) or my parents' dogs (five Chihuahuas, a blue heeler mix and a Labrador-rottweiler mix), and she never once tried to snap, bite or charge at the other dogs. All she wanted to do was sniff and play. My pit bull has never been aggressive or vicious toward anyone. I have even taken her to meet my grandmother, and she loved all over her. I also took my pit bull to the balloon festival last fall, and not once did she bark or growl at anyone.
Both my pit bull and border collie do bark at people they don't know that may be a threat to me, and that is one thing I will always want in any dog I own because I feel safe no matter where I go. No matter what happens or where I live, I will never give up my dogs.
Guest Columnist
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The banning of dangerous breeds of dogs needs to be rethought. All dogs of one specific breed are not dangerous, vicious or aggressive, and pit bull is the main breed everyone looks at. I work at a veterinary clinic and see plenty of dogs of all breeds, including pit bull, and out of all the pit bulls that come through either to board or for exams, I have only come across two that were considered aggressive or dangerous. Most of the dogs that come in snapping or growling are not of the so-called vicious breed; they are just afraid or old and cranky.
Not all pit bulls are vicious, aggressive and dangerous. Every animal is unpredictable; I have seen dogs of nonvicious breeds that live together since being puppies become aggressive and vicious toward each other. I myself have owned a lot of dogs, including Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, pit bulls and strays (mix breeds) that were dumped. More than 50 percent of all our dogs were strays and of the so-called vicious breeds. We have never had any of our dogs become vicious, aggressive or turn on other dogs or us; not even the strays that we didn't know anything about. All they wanted was a good home, and that is what they got.
Most people want to say that it's not the owner or the dog's living environment that turns the dog, but in most cases it is. It's the way the owner acts toward the dog and the way the owner treats or neglects the dog. Some people get animals and don't want to take the responsibility. Sometimes it's not the owner's fault, but fault could also be placed upon other people or neighborhood children that come by to be irritating: screaming, hitting the fence, poking sticks at the dog or trying to get their own dogs to bark and charge the fence at the dog on the other side. In some ways, animals are like people, and people are like animals by the way we act. When a person or an animal gets pushed so far, they are going to push back. In reality, people are more vicious than animals. If a person is neglected or mistreated, he or she is going to do something for attention or to get back at the world, and yet we don't ban them. They just get a so-called slap on the wrist.
It doesn't matter what breed the dog is, it should not be banned from city limits, but instead there should be certain requirements for owning so-called vicious breeds. Requirements that present and future owners must meet, such as proper fencing and ties (no chains) in yards if the dogs jump fences, but dogs still must have plenty of time to roam the whole yard. Proper warning signs if needed for watch, protection or so-called vicious dogs. All dogs of the so-called vicious breeds must at least take a certified obedience class to train and socialize the dog with other dogs and people. Owners can only own two or three of the same breed if the breed is categorized as a so-called vicious breed. Special requirements for breeders who house more than two breeding dogs of the so-called vicious breeds must have proper privacy fencing, proper kennels or housing for the dogs and absolutely no chains or ties.
I currently own a pit bull (far from vicious) along with a border collie, who my pit bull has always gotten along with. She had never seen my sister's dog (a miniature pinscher) or my parents' dogs (five Chihuahuas, a blue heeler mix and a Labrador-rottweiler mix), and she never once tried to snap, bite or charge at the other dogs. All she wanted to do was sniff and play. My pit bull has never been aggressive or vicious toward anyone. I have even taken her to meet my grandmother, and she loved all over her. I also took my pit bull to the balloon festival last fall, and not once did she bark or growl at anyone.
Both my pit bull and border collie do bark at people they don't know that may be a threat to me, and that is one thing I will always want in any dog I own because I feel safe no matter where I go. No matter what happens or where I live, I will never give up my dogs.
Pocono pet rescue groups face tough questions
Victory.
That's how some animal advocates saw the sudden closing of the Pennsylvania SPCA's Monroe County animal shelter Thursday.
Others consider it a tragedy.
The county is brimming with animal advocates. But why, with so many willing to rescue animals from abuse, neglect and homelessness, can't they work together?
Two opposing philosophies exist in the work of animal shelters: kill or no-kill.
Kill shelters believe euthanizing animals is a sad, inevitable reality.
Too many animals and too little space leaves shelter workers to make life-and-death decisions.
"We never looked forward to it. It is a fact of life in a shelter. A good day was when we did not have to put something down," said Ann Barton, a former Stroudsburg shelter worker.
Barton worked at the Stroudsburg shelter for 10 years and was let go in February 2008. She recalled a day when people kept bringing in cats, many more than the shelter could possibly hold. Barton started euthanizing cats in the morning and continued all that relentless day. She killed about 60 cats and kittens and at least one dog.
"It wasn't easy. When you start to do quite a few in one day, you have to emotionally block it outside of your mind. You have to think you are doing a favor for it, even though you tried to adopt it out when it came through the door. You didn't know if they were going to be placed," Barton said.
At the time, shelter workers were told to take every animal that came through the door, she said.
'It's was like, Oh my God. Another one'
When Erik Hendricks was chief executive of the PSPCA, the rule was not to adopt out any pit bull dogs. They were euthanized.
"Before we signed in a friendly pit bull, we'd try to talk people out of leaving them with us," Barton said.
When boxes of very young puppies came in, it was difficult to tell the breed. According to Barton, any puppies that looked like they might be pit bulls were killed.
When Howard Nelson became PSPCA CEO in 2007, he lifted the ban on pit bull adoption and ended the breed-profiling euthanasia practice.
There was no shortage of animals that needed to be dealt with. People brought in animals that were sick, aggressive or ordered to be put down by dog law. Others trapped and brought in feral cats.
"It was like, my God! Another one! What are you going to do? Where are you going to put them," Barton said. Almost daily, someone from the public would come in and ask to have their sick old pet put to sleep. "Those were toughest to do. You knew someone loved them." Euthanization was necessary with the volume of animals that came into the shelter, according to Barton. If she started a shelter today, it would be, regrettably but realistically, a kill shelter.
Critics of the no-kill philosophy say no-kill shelters sometimes become animal hoarding situations as organizers take in animals more quickly than homes are found.
"No-kill is a wonderful goal to have. Maybe down the road it would be possible. Right now there's a long way to go in Monroe," said Jo Valentine of Monroe Animal League.
She says it takes lots of space and money to make a no-kill shelter work.
"They will spend so much money to keep animals alive," Valentine said. That money could go to help multiple animals instead.
The fiscal reality extends to feral cats. Some say wild cats can be domesticated, but Valentine says it takes so much money and time that the cash is better spent on saving more sociable cats.
'It is a big job'
The no-kill movement seeks to minimize killing in shelters. While most will still euthanize a sick, old animal, no-kill shelters try harder to resocialize ornery pets and avoid killing sick animals that can be rehabilitated.
"The ideal of every good-hearted person is no-kill. The problem is finding the leadership to make it happen, because it is a big job," said Nelson Lauver, a no-kill advocate from Stroud Township.
"A lot of people in no-kill argue that there is no overpopulation problem, just poor management. I think it's both. The population today is a monumental problem, but with a good business model, I believe there is a home for every unwanted pet," Lauver said.
Naomi Gauntlett of East Stroudsburg founded a no-kill cat rescue called "Animals Can't Talk" last year. Her vet bills are proof that she nurses sick animals to health instead of killing them. Gauntlett's solution to overcrowding is to turn animals away when she is full. But what if everybody did that?
"If you have a no-kill shelter and can't take in animals, you are not taking care of the problem," said Jo Valentine of Monroe Animal League.
One of the loudest pleas for no-kill solutions in Monroe County comes from Lori Hoffman, a founding member of Friends of Monroe County Homeless Animals. Hoffman became interested in the concept after volunteering as a dog walker at the Stroudsburg PSPCA shelter.
She became attached to a pit bull that was too scared to come out of its cage. When she learned the dog was going to be put down, "I begged them not to. They said 'No, it's too late. His time is up,'" Hoffman said. She went home, called a pit bull rescue and the next morning had a spot for that dog. But the dog was already dead. She researched and learned that shelters are a leading killer of healthy pets in the United States and that there are other options. She started to make noise.
'People think you're a nut'
"I was told 'You can't say they are killing animals at the shelter because it will bring bad publicity.' We can't pretend nothing is wrong. Nothing gets fixed that way," Hoffman said.
She believes feral cats have a right to live their lives in the woods and people who love animals have a right to find them homes.
"I was shocked to learn that if you want to save every animal, people think you're a nut. Yes we can. You don't have to kill animals to make more room for more animals," Hoffman said.
The 44 percent kill rate that was last reported at the Stroudsburg shelter was not a success to Hoffman.
"It angers me," she said.
That 44 percent rate is actually better than counties such as Tioga (51 percent), Susquehanna (45 percent) and Montour (58 percent). PSPCA officials said the reduction in euthanasia rates at the Monroe shelter was due to changes with transfers to rescue groups and foster care along with increased transfers to the main shelter in Philadelphia.
Garrett Elwood is founder and president of Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia, a 400-member watchdog and advocacy group. He came to the no-kill philosophy after considering adopting a dog. Instead of an adoption, he found that more animals would be saved if he opened his home to foster pets.
Instead of saving one dog, Elwood has fostered 28 dogs, two rabbits and one cat — all now placed in permanent homes.
He describes the animal control question as a community issue that needs a community solution. One shelter or rescue group can't do it alone. Elwood suggests a trap-neuter-return program for feral cats and a network of foster homes, rescues and shelters working together.
"It's not about space. No matter what your capacity is, you're going to fill it up. It's about turnover. You have to make as many partnerships as you can. If you are getting close to 90 percent saved, that is considered no-kill. Some animals cannot be rehabilitated," Elwood said.
He would like the whole country to embrace the no-kill philosophy.
"It just seems like the right thing to do. I can't understand why people wouldn't feel strongly about it," he said.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Collinsville attorney gets national post with animal rescue group
Ledy VanKavage, an attorney from Collinsville, has gone national in her new job as senior legislative analyst for the Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal rescue organization.
Her new job has her working on enacting progressive animal welfare laws and working on repealing ineffective breed discriminatory ordinances, she said.
"I sort through all the bills filed in all the states for animals," VanKavage said. "I try to figure out if what they are doing is good or bad for animals. I also get to write pro-active legislation."
She said she already has issued an action alert for the state of Montana, where someone introduced legislation that would have banned pit bulls and called for the destruction of existing animals.
"It's now tabled in committee," she said.
VanKavage worked for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for nine years. She spearheaded 20 animal-related bills that were passed by the Illinois legislature.
"We're the only state where convicted felons can't have unsterilized dogs," she said. "All they want the aggressive breeds for is defense."
She has three rescued pit-bull-type dogs of her own and also manages a neighborhood feral cat colony where she traps and neuters the cats so they won't reproduce.
VanKavage said there is so much hype about dogs that can't be rehabilitated that it makes saving animals hard.
"Best Friends has 22 of the Michael Vick dogs," she said. "They have play groups and are quite docile. They even have cats that play with them. It's more about how you treat and train animals."
She said she still is doing police training at the University of Illinois Police Training Institute, helping to educate officers about animal cruelty laws and how to handle dogs during confrontations.
Best Friends, based in Utah, operates the largest no-kill sanctuary in the country. The organization is on the front line of animal law, advocating for animals.
"They do have a wonderful place and they do believe animals are redeemable," VanKavage said. "It's a great gig. They are a great sanctuary."
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