A few days ago I received an email in my box from one of the local rescue ezines I belong to… The subject line was something like, “These hoarders should be shot”… Having been in on a few puppymill busts and hoarder seizures, I was a bit shocked to read the subject line and after opening it and viewing the pictures attached, I felt compelled to not only write to the person who’d sent it, but the others who had forwarded it on…
Yes, the person had a lot of dogs and potbelly pigs, but reading through the lines of what I saw, I suspected they realized it was becoming overwhelming and had reached out to someone in the rescue community for help…
I noticed the dogs were all fleshy – none looked like they had been underfed… And although there were some skin disorders among them (Demodex?), the dogs didn’t look like they had been receiving inhumane care or attention… Why so many?... Don’t know, but if a person has eight dogs and is classified as a ‘hoarder’ there is something wrong with the current dictionary…
Sure, maybe some dogs should have been spayed or neutered and more puppies would not have been born, but there are MANY people who are involved in dog breeding with intact dogs that would then need to be labeled as ‘hoarders’ too… MANY have more than seven – as do many reputable breeders as well…
Are we too quick in today’s society to label someone with a disparaging title when they live their lives in a manner we don’t agree upon?... Or is the humane community really its own worst enemy at times?...
The person who sought out help had allowed the rescuer inside her home to take pictures… I noticed that although the photos would never make next month’s “Home and Garden” feature spread, the home was clean and tidy… It was not cluttered up to the window sills with junk, animal feces and debris… I suspect the owner did not have the appearance of being at their wits end and/or psychologically disturbed either…
I myself would have felt VERY betrayed if after I had reached out for help, I had heard about an email circling around the Internet with pictures of my home and the label of ‘hoarder’ with the term ‘should be shot’ in the subject line… What an unkind and inhumane act by someone who should be in the business of spreading humanity and kindness towards others…
I thought about this yesterday when I was outside, working the winter coats of my puppers… Several have already lost their thicker winter coats, but some need a bit of help and I consistently sit outside with my assortment of brushes and (smile) fingernails, massaging their coats and removing the excess hair that is falling out as spring approaches… I continued to think about this as one by one, the puppers went into the sink for their weekly baths (most of them sleep with me and I’m hypersensitive to doggie smells!)…
Under this set of definitions, I too would be an animal hoarder… While my floors are exceptionally clean, I wouldn’t tell you that you could ‘eat off them with a fork’ as my momma would say… Every one of my puppers has some health issue and/or are seniors and/or labeled as ‘unadoptable’ by the general public for one reason or another…
Still continuing with my thoughts, I then ventured over to the label of ‘collector’ we commonly throw at people who have a lot of pets and animals… Is this term so derogatory when talking about a celebrity whose passion is collecting cars?... No, probably not, despite the massive amount of room sent to house those cars, they seldom get driven and the huge amount of dollars spent to acquire them and restore the vehicles back to their original shape…
And yet, am I not doing the same thing?... I find these guys in poor health or at an age when their owners have discarded them like yesterday’s newspapers… The majority go on to their furever homes, but the ones left behind will have a home with us until the quality of life is so small, it no longer outweighs the aches, pains and issues… I will make accommodations and compromises no different than the car restorer who will create a part in their shop because it is no longer manufactured, but the car they just bought needs it to run properly…
I will provide a home with discipline, limits, boundaries, good vet care, necessary medications and TLC to the VERY best of my abilities… Not much different from the 20+ garage a celebrity provides for his car collection as his passion is to be a vintage car collector… When one of my puppers reaches up to my knee for some attention, I stop what I’m doing and make sure they get it… I will schedule my life so that they have home cooked food with a diet that is balanced and alleviates (if not eliminates) the health issues they have…
And just like the vintage car collector, I will not give up on my puppers without a fight!... I will rehabilitate them, unteach the bad habits and replace them with good ones… Usually just about the time they become GREAT dogs, I generally find them a great furever home and then with destiny, another sad canine case comes into my life… This is not much different than the vintage car collector who restores a junked car that’s been sitting behind a building outside in the weather for years, and then once it is up and running, clean and shiny, trades it or sells it to yet find another old junked car somewhere else…
And yet, the car collector is considered an investor with smarts… While we rescuers who give what can’t be bought – our love, care and time – are labeled with disparaging labels, looked at by society as a bit odd and are seldom put in the same category as the celebrity car collectors…
We as a society need to stop putting labels on people, places and things… If we don’t, we need to stop calling ourselves ‘civilized’ because we aren’t… A label or title can stop someone from exploring another person and can cause the labeled person to be shunned by society, limit their abilities and capabilities to do what they do best and overall is probably one of the most negative actions someone can do to another human being… If you feel I’m wrong, then tell me why “Slumdog” won the Academy Award this year… A term was placed upon someone because it was believed they would ‘never amount to anything’ just like many of these puppers I find in local shelters…
Finally, as I climb down off of my soapbox this morning, consider what aspect you give something simply by the term you use to express it… What is humane euthanasia to one person is considered killing of a healthy, adoptable dog by another… It all depends upon your perspective of the situation… If we as a society can cause a butterfly effect by simply changing our speed at installing disparaging labels onto others, we might actually become a better society and peoples eventually…
Thank you for listening!... Feel free to pass this onto others in the hopes it will give them something to think about ~~ and even change a bit in the manner they label others without thinking!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Something to think about....
On occasion, you will read something in the news that makes you sit back, look at your monitor and say to yourself, "If only the rest of the Internet world could read this, it might make a difference..."
Today this occurred again, so I am including it below in its entirety along with the source... Although it addresses a local issue in their community (Michigan City, Indiana), it could be written for just about any locality in this nation...
It is short, sweet and to the point... I hope it has the same effect on you that it did me... Here it is:
=============================================================
2/18/2009 11:00:00 AM
The Issue: Dogs and cats continue to suffer.
Our Opinion: Pet ownership comes with huge responsibilities.
Editorial: Spate of troubling incidents
It's easy to find a villain in the piece if all you want to do is shift blame. Lately, news about dead dogs and dead cats has caused an uproar in Michigan City, with many people asking why. Many things are not right with this picture - dead dogs left in a garbage bag, cats shredded by Rottweilers, a family's horse shot between the eyes - but it all starts and ends with personal responsibility.
It's easy to blame animal control, and while the service might not be perfect and the city can do only so much, animal rights activists can be understood for demanding rigid enforcement.
And don't blame Gail Marsh and the Michiana Humane Society if they get overzealous and sometimes get their nose in other people's business in the name of protecting animals.
Sadly some twisted minds find delight in dog fighting, torturing cats or killing an animal. Other people who may be at worst thoughtless commit neglect, leaving their animals without food, water or shelter. And some animal lovers go so overboard they end up with a house full of cats or a barn full of horses they can't take care of. Some people dump litters on the side of the road, oblivious to the need for neutering and spaying. Others let their aggressive dogs run free to terrorize cats, little children and even adults.
Why do we have these extremes, when animals can provide so much love and companionship? How can so much evil spring from what should be a positive part of the lives of children, families and senior citizens?
Only psychologists, or maybe it takes psychiatrists, to understand why human beings can stoop so much lower than these "lower animals."
We shudder to imagine what animal abusers are capable of doing to human beings.
To the extent this a learned experience, we must join forces to educate children and adults about the responsibilities that go with pet ownership.
Source
=============================================================
If you read this far, did it give you something to think about today?
Today this occurred again, so I am including it below in its entirety along with the source... Although it addresses a local issue in their community (Michigan City, Indiana), it could be written for just about any locality in this nation...
It is short, sweet and to the point... I hope it has the same effect on you that it did me... Here it is:
2/18/2009 11:00:00 AM
The Issue: Dogs and cats continue to suffer.
Our Opinion: Pet ownership comes with huge responsibilities.
Editorial: Spate of troubling incidents
It's easy to find a villain in the piece if all you want to do is shift blame. Lately, news about dead dogs and dead cats has caused an uproar in Michigan City, with many people asking why. Many things are not right with this picture - dead dogs left in a garbage bag, cats shredded by Rottweilers, a family's horse shot between the eyes - but it all starts and ends with personal responsibility.
It's easy to blame animal control, and while the service might not be perfect and the city can do only so much, animal rights activists can be understood for demanding rigid enforcement.
And don't blame Gail Marsh and the Michiana Humane Society if they get overzealous and sometimes get their nose in other people's business in the name of protecting animals.
Sadly some twisted minds find delight in dog fighting, torturing cats or killing an animal. Other people who may be at worst thoughtless commit neglect, leaving their animals without food, water or shelter. And some animal lovers go so overboard they end up with a house full of cats or a barn full of horses they can't take care of. Some people dump litters on the side of the road, oblivious to the need for neutering and spaying. Others let their aggressive dogs run free to terrorize cats, little children and even adults.
Why do we have these extremes, when animals can provide so much love and companionship? How can so much evil spring from what should be a positive part of the lives of children, families and senior citizens?
Only psychologists, or maybe it takes psychiatrists, to understand why human beings can stoop so much lower than these "lower animals."
We shudder to imagine what animal abusers are capable of doing to human beings.
To the extent this a learned experience, we must join forces to educate children and adults about the responsibilities that go with pet ownership.
Source
If you read this far, did it give you something to think about today?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Deadly dog disease hits Kansas
Not to be an alarmist here, but there are reports from people who have recently acquired puppies from pet shops and shelters (Kansas is one of the top 5 puppy mill states) --- and because the symptoms are similar to the flu bug in us humans, most new owners have thought that's what they had.
Puppy kisses (especially around the face) should be avoided as well as increased usage of hand sanitizers after contact. Even if a new puppy did not come from Kansas, via the interactions at the pet shops and shelters with other puppies and dogs origination does not eliminate the risk. Only blood tests can confirm or deny the existence of the disease in dogs and humans.
Apparently this stuff can take a month after contact to show up after contact, but others are reporting even longer periods. Mills seldom include lepto in their vaccines because it often causes allergic reactions. The initial vaccine was only good for 6 mos but it seems they have improved it to last one year. The initial series is 2 vaccinations/2 weeks apart and then yearly boosters.
It is spread from dog-to-dog and dog-to-human - both puppies and adults can have and transmit. Just another one of those protocols we need to make our individual decisions on.
================================
KS: Deadly dog disease hits Kansas
By Krystle Brooks
Story Created: Feb 11, 2009 at 8:45 PM CST
Story Updated: Feb 11, 2009 at 9:28 PM CST
WICHITA, Kansas - Dog owners should know that veterinarians are recommending you add another vaccination to the list of yearly shots your dog gets. Make no mistake about it dog lovers, love their dogs. And as dog lovers our job is make sure our pets are healthy. But there's an old threat making a comeback that can put your pet's life at risk.
Dr. Christen Skaer, a Kansas veterinarian, says she made a call to an internal medicine specialist at KSU and they said "oh yeah Wichita, we are seeing a lot of cases of Lepto from Wichita." It's called Lepto for short, Leptospirosis is a bacteria that can be passed from wild animals to your dog.
Although, she says the symptoms can be pretty vague and hard to pinpoint. Some things to look for are: increased drinking and urination.
If left untreated, Leptospirosis can be deadly. Fortunately, there's a vaccine to treat the bacteria and it's been around for years. With more cases popping up around Wichita, and across the state, Dr. Skaer recommends dog owners talk to their vets about getting the vaccine.
Cats aren't immune to Leptospirosis, but they rarely become infected.
Dr. Skaer points out that animals contract the bacteria from open wounds and urine of infected animals.
Source: http://www.ksn.com/news/local/39469867.html
===========================================
More on Leptospirosis from the CDC is here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g.htm
===========================================
As Gilda would say, "It's always something...."... sigh...
Puppy kisses (especially around the face) should be avoided as well as increased usage of hand sanitizers after contact. Even if a new puppy did not come from Kansas, via the interactions at the pet shops and shelters with other puppies and dogs origination does not eliminate the risk. Only blood tests can confirm or deny the existence of the disease in dogs and humans.
Apparently this stuff can take a month after contact to show up after contact, but others are reporting even longer periods. Mills seldom include lepto in their vaccines because it often causes allergic reactions. The initial vaccine was only good for 6 mos but it seems they have improved it to last one year. The initial series is 2 vaccinations/2 weeks apart and then yearly boosters.
It is spread from dog-to-dog and dog-to-human - both puppies and adults can have and transmit. Just another one of those protocols we need to make our individual decisions on.
================================
KS: Deadly dog disease hits Kansas
By Krystle Brooks
Story Created: Feb 11, 2009 at 8:45 PM CST
Story Updated: Feb 11, 2009 at 9:28 PM CST
WICHITA, Kansas - Dog owners should know that veterinarians are recommending you add another vaccination to the list of yearly shots your dog gets. Make no mistake about it dog lovers, love their dogs. And as dog lovers our job is make sure our pets are healthy. But there's an old threat making a comeback that can put your pet's life at risk.
Dr. Christen Skaer, a Kansas veterinarian, says she made a call to an internal medicine specialist at KSU and they said "oh yeah Wichita, we are seeing a lot of cases of Lepto from Wichita." It's called Lepto for short, Leptospirosis is a bacteria that can be passed from wild animals to your dog.
Although, she says the symptoms can be pretty vague and hard to pinpoint. Some things to look for are: increased drinking and urination.
If left untreated, Leptospirosis can be deadly. Fortunately, there's a vaccine to treat the bacteria and it's been around for years. With more cases popping up around Wichita, and across the state, Dr. Skaer recommends dog owners talk to their vets about getting the vaccine.
Cats aren't immune to Leptospirosis, but they rarely become infected.
Dr. Skaer points out that animals contract the bacteria from open wounds and urine of infected animals.
Source: http://www.ksn.com/news/local/39469867.html
===========================================
More on Leptospirosis from the CDC is here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g.htm
===========================================
As Gilda would say, "It's always something...."... sigh...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Another interesting aspect to address - "NoKill"
I have been asked frequently about this issue... "Is that a high-kill or no-kill shelter?"... "What do you think about no-kill?"...
I don't have any feelings about this issue because it simply does not exist...
It's a marketing term used to 'whitewash' something else when the general public does not want the hard facts of reality pushed into their faces... We kill over six million companion animals a year in this country in our shelter systems... Like it or not, that's the facts and most of the carcasses end up in rendering plants or landfills... Differentiating one facility from another with terms does not stop the problem we have...
Same thing happen just as when backyard breeders started selling 'teacup' Chihuahuas... Rather than say (or admit) many backyard breeders have ruined what was the Chihuahua and started turning out poorly-bred Chihuahuas --- calling them 'Deerhead Chihuahuas' or the newest trend, the 'Pugglehead Chihuahua' (the ears flop instead of being erect) --- any small dog with erect ears and a curled over tail is now called a Chihuahua at the majority of the shelters across this nation...
Jacks, Ratties, Doxies... they're usually mislabeled as Chihuahuas...
Check through the local shelters and you rarely see a Chihuahua that is actually a Chihuahua... Check the AKC Standard and it CLEARLY says any dog over 6 pounds is disqualified, the body is off-square (slightly longer from shoulder to butt than from height at withers)... There is a VERY distinct face and look to a well-bred Chihuahua... And the personality is just as unique - ask any Chi lover!
The same has held true with the politically correct marketing term 'no kill' for it simply does not exist... There is not one shelter that calls itself a 'no kill' facility that does not have to put down a dog... Then we have the so-called sanctuaries that call themselves 'no-kill'... Warehousing a dog inside a crate or a kennel for the rest of its life is not much different than what the puppy millers do...
I have stood at shelter counters who label themselves 'no kill' and watched them selectively turn away dogs that they knew had to be put down... My guess (although I don't know this for a fact) is that they turn them away so that it does not affect their data or numbers... Where did that person go with that dog?... Did it get dumped off at a shelter that wasn't concerned about the term 'no kill' or driven away, the door open and it was shoved out onto a street to fiend for itself?... Is that humane?
There are simply some dogs that the quality of life has become so poor, the most humane thing you can do is to put them down... Some breeds don't do well in shelter environments at all (my breed tends to go a bit loco after 2-3 weeks as a matter of fact)... Is this humane or does it have the humane perception that 'no kill' is supposed to imply?
Would it not be more educational to tell these people who bring in their companion animals that 75% or more will end up in a landfull or a rendering plant to be turned into fertilizer?... If we could have one week where every shelter in this nation handed out red cards for every animal brought in that was going to die instead of telling these folks, "Oh, we'll do the very best we can to find them a good home," I bet you'd see the general public changing their attitudes about dumping their problems onto someone else...
How do we parents teach our children about responsibility as we raise them?... We make them accountable for their decisions and actions... Allowances are handed out in exchange for a few small chores around the house... Failing grades cause students to repeat classes or give up other activities so they can be tutored... Curfews and rules are established to keep mischief and idle time to a minimum... Extra activities are encouraged as we parents become nonstop taxi service from first grade until they graduate... This is how we teach responsibility, not white washing the hard, cold facts of reality about the ramifications of our poorly made decisions in life...
I read through an interesting blog today that centers around this topic... I tend to not get into too many debates over this topic because until the shelters across any one state can give me detailed records on how many dogs they have killed by breed, sex and intact status, plus the reason the dog was put down, I don't give much creditability to the marketing spins that are written...
I have seen far too many dogs mislabeled simply by breed at these same shelters to give much credence to this topic...
Oh and BTW, not one state in 50 has ever met my challenge above on their kill rate FAQs... That alone should say something about how disjointed and distorted all of this is...
I don't have any feelings about this issue because it simply does not exist...
It's a marketing term used to 'whitewash' something else when the general public does not want the hard facts of reality pushed into their faces... We kill over six million companion animals a year in this country in our shelter systems... Like it or not, that's the facts and most of the carcasses end up in rendering plants or landfills... Differentiating one facility from another with terms does not stop the problem we have...
Same thing happen just as when backyard breeders started selling 'teacup' Chihuahuas... Rather than say (or admit) many backyard breeders have ruined what was the Chihuahua and started turning out poorly-bred Chihuahuas --- calling them 'Deerhead Chihuahuas' or the newest trend, the 'Pugglehead Chihuahua' (the ears flop instead of being erect) --- any small dog with erect ears and a curled over tail is now called a Chihuahua at the majority of the shelters across this nation...
Jacks, Ratties, Doxies... they're usually mislabeled as Chihuahuas...
Check through the local shelters and you rarely see a Chihuahua that is actually a Chihuahua... Check the AKC Standard and it CLEARLY says any dog over 6 pounds is disqualified, the body is off-square (slightly longer from shoulder to butt than from height at withers)... There is a VERY distinct face and look to a well-bred Chihuahua... And the personality is just as unique - ask any Chi lover!
The same has held true with the politically correct marketing term 'no kill' for it simply does not exist... There is not one shelter that calls itself a 'no kill' facility that does not have to put down a dog... Then we have the so-called sanctuaries that call themselves 'no-kill'... Warehousing a dog inside a crate or a kennel for the rest of its life is not much different than what the puppy millers do...
I have stood at shelter counters who label themselves 'no kill' and watched them selectively turn away dogs that they knew had to be put down... My guess (although I don't know this for a fact) is that they turn them away so that it does not affect their data or numbers... Where did that person go with that dog?... Did it get dumped off at a shelter that wasn't concerned about the term 'no kill' or driven away, the door open and it was shoved out onto a street to fiend for itself?... Is that humane?
There are simply some dogs that the quality of life has become so poor, the most humane thing you can do is to put them down... Some breeds don't do well in shelter environments at all (my breed tends to go a bit loco after 2-3 weeks as a matter of fact)... Is this humane or does it have the humane perception that 'no kill' is supposed to imply?
Would it not be more educational to tell these people who bring in their companion animals that 75% or more will end up in a landfull or a rendering plant to be turned into fertilizer?... If we could have one week where every shelter in this nation handed out red cards for every animal brought in that was going to die instead of telling these folks, "Oh, we'll do the very best we can to find them a good home," I bet you'd see the general public changing their attitudes about dumping their problems onto someone else...
How do we parents teach our children about responsibility as we raise them?... We make them accountable for their decisions and actions... Allowances are handed out in exchange for a few small chores around the house... Failing grades cause students to repeat classes or give up other activities so they can be tutored... Curfews and rules are established to keep mischief and idle time to a minimum... Extra activities are encouraged as we parents become nonstop taxi service from first grade until they graduate... This is how we teach responsibility, not white washing the hard, cold facts of reality about the ramifications of our poorly made decisions in life...
I read through an interesting blog today that centers around this topic... I tend to not get into too many debates over this topic because until the shelters across any one state can give me detailed records on how many dogs they have killed by breed, sex and intact status, plus the reason the dog was put down, I don't give much creditability to the marketing spins that are written...
I have seen far too many dogs mislabeled simply by breed at these same shelters to give much credence to this topic...
Oh and BTW, not one state in 50 has ever met my challenge above on their kill rate FAQs... That alone should say something about how disjointed and distorted all of this is...
Monday, February 9, 2009
And now for a bit of humor!
You are sure to enjoy this video... and cringe as you see these dirty dogs! OUCH! I can just imagine their owner's reactions to these antics!
Messy Pets
and this one is entitled "Why Dogs Bite People"
Enjoy!
Messy Pets
and this one is entitled "Why Dogs Bite People"
Enjoy!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Whose fault is it anyways? Call your CA legislator and ask!
It would be worth the time and effort to ask people to contact their local shelters and compile a list of the dogs sitting in the California shelters because of the legal system's slow grinding wheels (as in the news story posted at the end of this). The CA Beemis dogs are STILL sitting in the shelters, 4 years later after they were impounded because of animal hoarding... at the taxpayers' expense!
As taxpayers, our states are going broke housing and caring for these dogs, then eventually killing them when the court case is settled. These are tax dollars we all pay that could go to better things besides 'warehousing' dogs for evidence purposes in some court case. Madeline Bernstein is right in her statement in the news article posted below... The state and status of a dog at the time of impound is not static - it will change (usually for the worse) the longer the dogs are in the shelter system.
I've watched Chihuahuas lose several pounds during the time a shelter is required to hold them because of Hayden's law... I have one right now that looked bad at impound, but 15 days later, was virtually the walking dead... When I pulled her from the LA City's shelter, I took pictures immediately because I thought she was going to die on me... I could encircle her stomach area with my hand (thumb to first finger) she was so emaciated...
She's recovered now, months later, but the harm done to my breed during the shelter time is deadly... A 5 to 7 pound Chi cannot afford to lose 2-3 pounds without serious long term health effects on their system... And Chihuahuas simply do not do well in a shelter environment - there's just too much going on all the time - their senses are on overload alert 24/7...
They become 'crazed' rapidly without time to sleep, recoup, regenerate, calm down - as they are supposed to do in a natural home environment. Some breeds can survive in a kennel/shelter environment - Chihuahuas cannot. It's not necessarily the shelter's fault either... I believe they do the best they can with the budget restraints they have, plus the overwhelming amount of incoming unwanted dogs and cats... Some breeds (such as mine) deteriorate rapidly in the shelter environment and I ask you - are our 'humane' laws really humane at all when we lose them in the shelters because of the legal system???...
We as taxpayers need to address this with our local legislators... There are enough CA rescue groups that would partner up with the local shelters to evaluate, rehabilitate and move these dogs out of the shelter systems and onto furever homes - or euthanize them rapidly if they proved unable to transition into a home environment... A Chihuahua goes loco in about 2-3 weeks in a shelter with strange dogs coming and going all the time, banging and loud noises, constant barking, etc. We use these same tactics with people (remember Ruby Ridge, Waco?) and those folks were bombarded with extreme levels of noise and sounds from loud speakers in an attempt to force early surrender... I can only minimally imagine what happens to the Pitties being held in this same environment because of an impending drug or dog fighting case on the court docket!
Why do we not understand this and CHANGE the way the system is working?
We will NEVER fix these problems unless California legislators step up to the plate and fix our current laws and legal/shelter system in regards to these dogs! You want to fix the budget crunch? A good start might be to address the revenue loss and seepage caused as these dogs languish in the shelters on a slow walk towards death row caused by the slow wheels of the legal system.
Just my opinion - for whatever it is worth!
=========================================================
CA: Critics assail animal 'evidence'
3 YEARS: ELEVEN DOGS, CAGED WHILE THEIR OWNER IS PROSECUTED, CAN BE NEITHER EUTHANIZED NOR GIVEN HOPE FOR REHABILITATION.
10:35 PM PST on Friday, February 6, 2009
By RICHARD BROOKS, The Press-Enterprise
The line of solitary-confinement cages at the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter has the look of Death Row. One pit bull paces in circles incessantly. Another acts like a crazed Energizer Bunny, repeatedly leaping to the 6-foot-high ceiling, as if seeking escape. Others would spend hours slinging their water bowls, until keepers replaced them with heavy water-filled buckets.
At the shelter, the 11 pit bulls are known as the Albert Cain dogs. They have been caged for three years, their fate tied to the outcome of their owner's prosecution on felony dog-fighting charges.
This is one of 11 pit bulls who are entering their fourth year of confinement at the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter. Their owner, Albert Cain, faces charges of dog-fighting. If acquitted, Cain could not reclaim them without paying the city for keeping the animals, a bill that is approaching $100,000.
If Cain is convicted, possibly later this month, it likely will mean death for most of the dogs. They likely will be euthanized because the city doesn't want the liability of allowing anyone to adopt fighting dogs, shelter officials say. If Cain is acquitted, but can't or won't pay the board-and-care bill that already totals nearly $100,000, the dogs still face death. But there's no guarantee the case will end this month.
"This is a big problem. Having animals languish for three years is not unusual, because the legal system takes so long," said Madeline Bernstein, a former New York City prosecutor who is president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles. "The legal system is oblivious that this is a problem."
Bernstein bridles at the notion that such animals must be kept as evidence. In an animal-cruelty case, their condition after months or years at an animal shelter is irrelevant, she argues. "There's no evidentiary value to the animals once they've been impounded, because they change: We heal them," she said. To prove a case, authorities document the animals' condition with photos, medical reports or testimony, she said.
Meanwhile, the impounded animals suffer, she said. "They'll all go 'cage crazy' eventually," she said. "The racket of the shelter will bother them. They'll chew on themselves. They'll walk in circles. They'll grieve. How would you like to be in a closet for ... years?"
Bernstein also blasts California's animal cruelty law, saying it is poorly written and rife with contradictions. "On one hand, it says there are ways to release these animals" before the case goes to trial, she said. Forfeiture hearings can be held, owners can be assessed for the cost of impounding their animals or asked to release their claim on them. "On the other hand, it says, after trial you should still have these animals," Bernstein said.
[b]Send A Bill[/b]
In Los Angeles County, Deputy District Attorney Debbie Knaan says that sending monthly bills to an accused dog-fighter is one of the most effective ways to avoid having to keep the animals for months or years. Defendants are offered an administrative hearing to determine the validity of the animals' seizure or impoundment, she said.
If they fail to request the hearing, Knaan said, they become liable for the food and board of their animals. If the bills are unpaid, a lien is filed against their property. "But let's say they pay it: You've got a problem, because it's their property," she said. "If they're acquitted, the defendant has a right to get their animals."
One critic says California’s animal cruelty law is contradictory over whether impounded animals can be released before a case goes to trial. Cain's attorney didn't respond to calls seeking comment. But two years ago, Cain said the animals are show dogs. "I was not fighting my dogs," he said. Cain's legal troubles began, both sides agree, after he summoned police to complain that he had been shot at outside his San Bernardino home.
Animal control officers were called when police noticed one of his dogs was injured. They found more injured dogs and dogfighting paraphernalia, investigators said. One room was a dog-fighting pit, with blood spattered three feet high on the walls, investigators said.
San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said the dogs aren't needed as evidence. She says Cain should have been given a forfeiture notice long ago -- or been asked to surrender ownership. She asked him recently if he would give the dogs up, Ploghaus said. "He refused," she said. "And I cannot force him to give up his property."
At the shelter, Director Ken Childress is blunt about the animals' future. "He's not going to get his dogs back," Childress said. "There's not going to be a payment plan." Even at only $8 per dog for room and board, that's $88 a day -- or $32,120 annually. Over three years, the bill has skyrocketed to more than $96,000. And there may be more charges, like veterinary costs.
[b]Liability Issue[/b]
Nor is Childress inclined to put the dogs up for adoption. "There's a liability issue," he said. "As soon as you adopt a pit bull that has been here for three years and it goes out and bites the neighbor's child, the city is going to get sued.
"Or when you find out that the city adopted out a fighting dog that came over and killed your pet, you're going to be furious."
Not everyone agrees that pit bulls -- even if they were fighters -- are a lost cause. Albert Cain denies dog-fighting allegations, brought on when he called police on another matter but they found an injured dog.
"Every dog deserves a second chance," said John Polis, spokesman for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. The sanctuary's staff accepted 22 pit bulls from the Michael Vick dog-fighting case and already has placed one with a foster family, an interim step that could lead to a permanent home.
"It takes time and effort, but these fighting dogs can be rehabilitated," dog kennel manager John Garcia said by phone. Cain's dogs fit a nationwide pattern, he said. Every major shelter has at least one dog on a court hold, Garcia said. In his view, a dog is a dog, whether it's a Chihuahua or a pit bull. They require different training techniques, he said, but the same concept: Consistent rewards for good behavior. "We've proved it with the Michael Vick dogs. Eleven of the 22 are completely fine with other dogs."
Reach Richard Brooks at 951-368-9463 or rbrooks@PE.com
Source: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_dogs07.4427023.html
As taxpayers, our states are going broke housing and caring for these dogs, then eventually killing them when the court case is settled. These are tax dollars we all pay that could go to better things besides 'warehousing' dogs for evidence purposes in some court case. Madeline Bernstein is right in her statement in the news article posted below... The state and status of a dog at the time of impound is not static - it will change (usually for the worse) the longer the dogs are in the shelter system.
I've watched Chihuahuas lose several pounds during the time a shelter is required to hold them because of Hayden's law... I have one right now that looked bad at impound, but 15 days later, was virtually the walking dead... When I pulled her from the LA City's shelter, I took pictures immediately because I thought she was going to die on me... I could encircle her stomach area with my hand (thumb to first finger) she was so emaciated...
She's recovered now, months later, but the harm done to my breed during the shelter time is deadly... A 5 to 7 pound Chi cannot afford to lose 2-3 pounds without serious long term health effects on their system... And Chihuahuas simply do not do well in a shelter environment - there's just too much going on all the time - their senses are on overload alert 24/7...
They become 'crazed' rapidly without time to sleep, recoup, regenerate, calm down - as they are supposed to do in a natural home environment. Some breeds can survive in a kennel/shelter environment - Chihuahuas cannot. It's not necessarily the shelter's fault either... I believe they do the best they can with the budget restraints they have, plus the overwhelming amount of incoming unwanted dogs and cats... Some breeds (such as mine) deteriorate rapidly in the shelter environment and I ask you - are our 'humane' laws really humane at all when we lose them in the shelters because of the legal system???...
We as taxpayers need to address this with our local legislators... There are enough CA rescue groups that would partner up with the local shelters to evaluate, rehabilitate and move these dogs out of the shelter systems and onto furever homes - or euthanize them rapidly if they proved unable to transition into a home environment... A Chihuahua goes loco in about 2-3 weeks in a shelter with strange dogs coming and going all the time, banging and loud noises, constant barking, etc. We use these same tactics with people (remember Ruby Ridge, Waco?) and those folks were bombarded with extreme levels of noise and sounds from loud speakers in an attempt to force early surrender... I can only minimally imagine what happens to the Pitties being held in this same environment because of an impending drug or dog fighting case on the court docket!
Why do we not understand this and CHANGE the way the system is working?
We will NEVER fix these problems unless California legislators step up to the plate and fix our current laws and legal/shelter system in regards to these dogs! You want to fix the budget crunch? A good start might be to address the revenue loss and seepage caused as these dogs languish in the shelters on a slow walk towards death row caused by the slow wheels of the legal system.
Just my opinion - for whatever it is worth!
=========================================================
CA: Critics assail animal 'evidence'
3 YEARS: ELEVEN DOGS, CAGED WHILE THEIR OWNER IS PROSECUTED, CAN BE NEITHER EUTHANIZED NOR GIVEN HOPE FOR REHABILITATION.
10:35 PM PST on Friday, February 6, 2009
By RICHARD BROOKS, The Press-Enterprise
The line of solitary-confinement cages at the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter has the look of Death Row. One pit bull paces in circles incessantly. Another acts like a crazed Energizer Bunny, repeatedly leaping to the 6-foot-high ceiling, as if seeking escape. Others would spend hours slinging their water bowls, until keepers replaced them with heavy water-filled buckets.
At the shelter, the 11 pit bulls are known as the Albert Cain dogs. They have been caged for three years, their fate tied to the outcome of their owner's prosecution on felony dog-fighting charges.
This is one of 11 pit bulls who are entering their fourth year of confinement at the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter. Their owner, Albert Cain, faces charges of dog-fighting. If acquitted, Cain could not reclaim them without paying the city for keeping the animals, a bill that is approaching $100,000.
If Cain is convicted, possibly later this month, it likely will mean death for most of the dogs. They likely will be euthanized because the city doesn't want the liability of allowing anyone to adopt fighting dogs, shelter officials say. If Cain is acquitted, but can't or won't pay the board-and-care bill that already totals nearly $100,000, the dogs still face death. But there's no guarantee the case will end this month.
"This is a big problem. Having animals languish for three years is not unusual, because the legal system takes so long," said Madeline Bernstein, a former New York City prosecutor who is president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles. "The legal system is oblivious that this is a problem."
Bernstein bridles at the notion that such animals must be kept as evidence. In an animal-cruelty case, their condition after months or years at an animal shelter is irrelevant, she argues. "There's no evidentiary value to the animals once they've been impounded, because they change: We heal them," she said. To prove a case, authorities document the animals' condition with photos, medical reports or testimony, she said.
Meanwhile, the impounded animals suffer, she said. "They'll all go 'cage crazy' eventually," she said. "The racket of the shelter will bother them. They'll chew on themselves. They'll walk in circles. They'll grieve. How would you like to be in a closet for ... years?"
Bernstein also blasts California's animal cruelty law, saying it is poorly written and rife with contradictions. "On one hand, it says there are ways to release these animals" before the case goes to trial, she said. Forfeiture hearings can be held, owners can be assessed for the cost of impounding their animals or asked to release their claim on them. "On the other hand, it says, after trial you should still have these animals," Bernstein said.
[b]Send A Bill[/b]
In Los Angeles County, Deputy District Attorney Debbie Knaan says that sending monthly bills to an accused dog-fighter is one of the most effective ways to avoid having to keep the animals for months or years. Defendants are offered an administrative hearing to determine the validity of the animals' seizure or impoundment, she said.
If they fail to request the hearing, Knaan said, they become liable for the food and board of their animals. If the bills are unpaid, a lien is filed against their property. "But let's say they pay it: You've got a problem, because it's their property," she said. "If they're acquitted, the defendant has a right to get their animals."
One critic says California’s animal cruelty law is contradictory over whether impounded animals can be released before a case goes to trial. Cain's attorney didn't respond to calls seeking comment. But two years ago, Cain said the animals are show dogs. "I was not fighting my dogs," he said. Cain's legal troubles began, both sides agree, after he summoned police to complain that he had been shot at outside his San Bernardino home.
Animal control officers were called when police noticed one of his dogs was injured. They found more injured dogs and dogfighting paraphernalia, investigators said. One room was a dog-fighting pit, with blood spattered three feet high on the walls, investigators said.
San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said the dogs aren't needed as evidence. She says Cain should have been given a forfeiture notice long ago -- or been asked to surrender ownership. She asked him recently if he would give the dogs up, Ploghaus said. "He refused," she said. "And I cannot force him to give up his property."
At the shelter, Director Ken Childress is blunt about the animals' future. "He's not going to get his dogs back," Childress said. "There's not going to be a payment plan." Even at only $8 per dog for room and board, that's $88 a day -- or $32,120 annually. Over three years, the bill has skyrocketed to more than $96,000. And there may be more charges, like veterinary costs.
[b]Liability Issue[/b]
Nor is Childress inclined to put the dogs up for adoption. "There's a liability issue," he said. "As soon as you adopt a pit bull that has been here for three years and it goes out and bites the neighbor's child, the city is going to get sued.
"Or when you find out that the city adopted out a fighting dog that came over and killed your pet, you're going to be furious."
Not everyone agrees that pit bulls -- even if they were fighters -- are a lost cause. Albert Cain denies dog-fighting allegations, brought on when he called police on another matter but they found an injured dog.
"Every dog deserves a second chance," said John Polis, spokesman for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. The sanctuary's staff accepted 22 pit bulls from the Michael Vick dog-fighting case and already has placed one with a foster family, an interim step that could lead to a permanent home.
"It takes time and effort, but these fighting dogs can be rehabilitated," dog kennel manager John Garcia said by phone. Cain's dogs fit a nationwide pattern, he said. Every major shelter has at least one dog on a court hold, Garcia said. In his view, a dog is a dog, whether it's a Chihuahua or a pit bull. They require different training techniques, he said, but the same concept: Consistent rewards for good behavior. "We've proved it with the Michael Vick dogs. Eleven of the 22 are completely fine with other dogs."
Reach Richard Brooks at 951-368-9463 or rbrooks@PE.com
Source: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_dogs07.4427023.html
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The tough get going in rough economic times
Part of our nation’s history and heritage has been that when the going gets tough, we jump into the trenches and dig ourselves out. For those that can, they do. For those that cannot, others will step in and help out - it is just what we do as Americans and community members trying to survive in tough times.
How has this tough, faltering economy affected the humane community and our companion pets?
More are showing up in the shelters – either because the animals are older and require more vet care than their guardians can provide, guardians cannot afford simple things such as licenses or have lost their homes and cannot locate a new one that will allow them to take their pets with them. Sadly, some guardians can no longer afford to feed their children well, let alone their pets.
And add into this equation the irresponsible owners who did not spay or neuter the pets, producing the unwanted litters. The pet shops continue to sell puppy mill puppies and the puppy mills themselves continue to produce, leaving the burden of eliminating unwanted companion animals to the shelters, and ultimately the taxpayers who pay for the cost of this (whether they ever owned a dog or cat at all!).
Shelters, rescues, legislators and the general public need to come together as we Americans do – to reach out to each other and find new solutions for these new problems. The Los Angeles (city) shelter system did so last December when they created a program called "Operation Safety Net" that asks each incoming person with an animal to surrender, “What can we do so you do not have to give up your pet?”.
Sometimes it is a simple thing as providing a few shots and veterinary care – at other times it has been an inability to pay for a license. But whatever the reason, these services provide that guardian the ability to keep their pet companion instead of giving it up, and eventually ending up in the pile of carcasses headed to the rendering plants.
Currently the national average is that three out of every four cats surrendered to a shelter will be killed. For dogs, the chances of being adopted are 50/50, but their chances are increased if they are either a puppy or young, small in size, healthy, speutered, well mannered and not ill-behaved. One way or another, the incoming tax revenue in every city and community is being impacted by the increase of incoming animals to shelters and shrinking budgets of localities.
What can you do as Joe Q. Citizen? Here are five suggestions you can make happen as an average citizen and person who cares about our canine and feline members (read on...)
How has this tough, faltering economy affected the humane community and our companion pets?
More are showing up in the shelters – either because the animals are older and require more vet care than their guardians can provide, guardians cannot afford simple things such as licenses or have lost their homes and cannot locate a new one that will allow them to take their pets with them. Sadly, some guardians can no longer afford to feed their children well, let alone their pets.
And add into this equation the irresponsible owners who did not spay or neuter the pets, producing the unwanted litters. The pet shops continue to sell puppy mill puppies and the puppy mills themselves continue to produce, leaving the burden of eliminating unwanted companion animals to the shelters, and ultimately the taxpayers who pay for the cost of this (whether they ever owned a dog or cat at all!).
Shelters, rescues, legislators and the general public need to come together as we Americans do – to reach out to each other and find new solutions for these new problems. The Los Angeles (city) shelter system did so last December when they created a program called "Operation Safety Net" that asks each incoming person with an animal to surrender, “What can we do so you do not have to give up your pet?”.
Sometimes it is a simple thing as providing a few shots and veterinary care – at other times it has been an inability to pay for a license. But whatever the reason, these services provide that guardian the ability to keep their pet companion instead of giving it up, and eventually ending up in the pile of carcasses headed to the rendering plants.
Currently the national average is that three out of every four cats surrendered to a shelter will be killed. For dogs, the chances of being adopted are 50/50, but their chances are increased if they are either a puppy or young, small in size, healthy, speutered, well mannered and not ill-behaved. One way or another, the incoming tax revenue in every city and community is being impacted by the increase of incoming animals to shelters and shrinking budgets of localities.
What can you do as Joe Q. Citizen? Here are five suggestions you can make happen as an average citizen and person who cares about our canine and feline members (read on...)
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