Since the Robeson Co Animal Shelter in NC doesn’t have a shelter vet, they pay private veterinarian Curt Locklear to kill pets at the shelter. Recently, allegations have emerged that Dr. Locklear is improperly euthanizing some pets at the shelter – that is, failing to confirm death before tossing them in a truck with dead pets. That truck dumps its load at the landfill, where the pets who weren’t dead wake up and start walking around.
Susan Barrett, a local animal activist, “says live animals have been found several times at the landfill”:
“One is too many. And it’s not just the one, not just the two, not just the three. This is happening way too often,” Barrett said.
The number of live pets Robeson has sent to the dump appears to be in dispute. Dr. Locklear puts the number at one:
[Dr. Locklear] confirmed that there was a recent instance in which a live puppy was transported to the landfill, but said he was unaware of any other similar incidents.
He said the animal had been sedated, but the second part of the process — a heartstick or IV injection — was not performed.
“It was just a mistake,” he said. “When it was discovered alive, the puppy was brought to my office, where it was euthanized properly.”
No word on whether the puppy had been medically hopeless and suffering prior to the unimaginable terror he experienced waking up among dead pets at the dump, but Robeson does kill healthy/treatable pets and I don’t know in which category this puppy belonged. In any case, if he was healthy/treatable, what kind of person would go back and finish the job, so to speak, after learning the puppy had been subjected to such horror? I guess what I’m asking is, what would it take to inspire Dr. Locklear to spare one puppy’s life?
[Susan Barrett] said that until this past week, animals were euthanized on the floor of the kennel in front of other animals rather in the shelter’s euthanasia room.
If this is accurate, I have to wonder how anyone could allow such cruelty to occur at what is supposed to be a safe haven for pets. It’s inexcusable.
The shelter’s response was to get the manager, Lori Baxter, certified so that all the killing could be done in-house:
The manager of Robeson County’s animal shelter plans to take over euthanasia responsibilities at the shelter next week after at least two live puppies were sent to the county dump.
Two, one, several – whatever. It was just a mistake. *shrug*
Per Ms. Baxter:
“The staff over here is working hard to get this turned around, and we need the support of the community, not their hate mail.”
Got it community? You do not have permission to express your outrage at the killing of healthy/treatable pets, some of whom may be waking up in the landfill after only being sedated by the vet the county uses your tax dollars to pay to kill them.
Ms. Baxter should have some extra time to whip up community support this week as the state has halted killings at the shelter:
State regulators have ordered the Robeson County Animal Shelter to stop euthanizing animals after a live puppy was found dumped at a nearby landfill.
The Animal Welfare Section of the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also imposed a $2,000 civil penalty for the shelter’s actions.
Do you think the $2k is going to come out of Robeson’s Fatal Plus budget? Or Dr. Locklear’s paycheck? Yeah, me neither. But hold your hate mail.
In this same article, we get an “explanation” from the shelter manager for how a vet might not be able to confirm death in pets accurately:
The vet was pressing his hand against the animals to determine whether they were breathing and so didn’t accurately determine that the puppy was dead, Baxter said.
I don’t know what vet school teaches the hand pressing method of verifying death but apparently, it no worky.
It was just a mistake. Come on community, where is your goddamn support?!
This is unfuckingbelievable! Not that anyone should be surprised! And that vet, Locklear, should have his license revoked – he’s not a vet he’s a horror show. I am sorry, Robeson, but its mighty hard not to send hate mail to such a hateful group of discompassionate people. Look me in the eye and tell me you TRULY care about these animals, and then I will apologize.
What I find interesting in this is that the VET is the one doing the killing and couldn’t tell properly is an animal is dead or not. I also think he should be investigated and/or lose his license – killing an animal and not being able to properly determine if that animal is dead or not is a MAJOR issue for a vet to have! Wonder how his clients would feel about him putting their animal down, sending it off to a crematorium, only to discover that the animal was not dead…imagine discovering this AFTER being put in the “fire chamber” as the animal scratches at the door because it is being burnt alive?!?!?
They don’t want hate mail? To friggin bad about that one, but without people voicing their opinions and forcing accountability there would be more cases of a shelter thinking they are above the law and allowed to do whatever they want. Sorry – but too many of these places are there because TAXPAYERS are footing a portion of the bill and as such they are accountable to those same taxpayers. I guess if they don’t want “hate mail” they should get their act together, and quickly.
Now – we have the shelter manager, Lori Baxter, getting certified to perform the killings herself. But with this comment running through my head – “The vet was pressing his hand against the animals to determine whether they were breathing and so didn’t accurately determine that the puppy was dead” – how do we know that SHE is going to be able to determine if an animal is truly dead or not? Obviously – she had no problem with his methods..so what’s to say she does it properly?
I also love how the county director (in the first link provided) blames the problems on overcrowding. So it’s ok to have problems at shelters because they are overcrowded? Crazy. Ridiculous. Absurd. Let’s hope Susan Barrett has success with her work on this shelter!
WHAT do you mean “let’s hope Susan Barrett has success with her work on this shelter!” For your information, Susan Barrett is PART OF the PROBLEM — her “smoke screen” won’t last forever — she has done NOTHING to help the animals in Robeson County but has done EVRYTHING to harm them due to her NEED for publicity for herself, etc. and also her attempts to “take over” ALL NC Shelters with her at the TOP (many are aware of her GAMES and be assured I am one of those) She talks a “good talk” but she certainly does NOT know how to “walk the talk” – she has been responsibile for many rescue groups not returning to the Robeson County Shelter to rescue the animals and has been involved with some who rescued and have a negative reputation – some of those were publicized nationally — everything will eventually be exposed and those who “think” Susan Barrett has done positive will be able to see for themselves. She thrives on publicity and threats of lawsuits to those who have done something to help the animals here and this will be known in the near future. I suggest you ask her “how many animals has she rescued from the shelter and how many animals that she “has” came from an animal shelter – from all the information I have she only has “pure breds” and some have made the statement “she breeds them” — if this is true, how disgusting – of course, as was stated recently – some people make a “living” off of our voiceless, helpless animals and yet pretend they CARE — what a joke.
How dare the ‘scum public’ who are all at fault for putting animals in shelters send them hate mail! It should be the other way around, am I right?
Martyr complexes are endemic to shelter staff, apparently. How dare people expect them to actually treat animals humanely and with professional care! The nerve!
My goddamn support pinches so I stopped wearing it.
I wish I could say this is unbelievable…but, er, well, drat, I believe it. What ever happened to the Veterinary Creed of “do no harm”? Nice that they can find people in-house to be incompetent. Think of the money they are saving the local tax payers!
Although if you forget to inject the Fatal Plus, that could save you a few bucks too. Maybe local rescues should hang out at the landfill and pick up “strays” as they become available?
I meant to reply to this earlier Lynn but you made me snort coffee. Twice.
Can you imagine the Landfill Rescuers sitting at the dump all day, keeping their eyes peeled for puppies and kittens to scoop up before they get hauled away to be “re-killed”?
me no thinky Lori Baxter is going to be any more competent than the rest of these cereal box professionals with her ignoramus statements…seems to be just a crapshoot at this point…with anyone and everyone having a go at killing healthy companion animals…Maybe they need to modify this random drawing for recruiting new talent in this “learn & earn as you go” career of killing defenseless animals…cuz it no worky.
it is very sad that the animals are the ones that are suffering in the end. we as humans have to make choices when owning a pet to properly spay or neuter the pet to help keep population down, but that does not excuse the behavior of people with authority to mistreat these animals the way they are being mistreated at this shelter. the vet, staff and all should never be allowed to own a pet. i just hope justice will unveil before other pets die here.
This is terrible!! I will support you in this terrible deed done to our animals! This Vet killed two of my prize Bulldogs on the surgical table!We need to talk about anyone else out there with problems with this Vet and his office staff….someone there killed 2 of my beloved animals!!
WHY is this being posted???????????????????????? These “ISSUES” were resolved YEARS AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been informed “someone” is desperate for ATTENTION and is doing so by posting “issues” about Robeson County Animal Shelter that were LONG AGO resolved!!! WHY don’t you FOCUS on “CURRENT” issues, such as so many problems in “YOUR” County or is it true NO ONE pays any attention to you — if that is the case, I can certainly understand why!! YOU ARE PATHETIC – if you are too stupid to research how these matters were taken care of, please advise us and we will TRY to help you — “I” am the person who made certain these issues were RESOLVED — MORON
Well, you seem lovely. And your ability to read dates is equally as impressive. So glad to know the pets in Robeson Co have you on their side. I assume you are commenting from the landfill, where most of them end up.
Classy, Faith. Classy.
So what’s the live release rate for Robeson today?