Gas Chambers We Love, by HSUS
July 9, 2012
The Davidson Co pound in NC sells dogs for $95 and cats for $75. But they don’t sell any dog they deem a Pitbull or a Pitbull mix. And they don’t sell too many other pets either.
In 2010, the pound killed 88% of its pets. Statistics haven’t been released yet for 2011 but supposedly the pound is killing less animals now than in past. Still, this unknown-kill-rate-that-is-supposedly-less-than-88-freaking-percent represents thousands of animals being stuffed into the gas chamber each year at the Davidson Co pound, often illegally and sometimes sadistically.
Who would LOVE this “shelter”? Why HSUS, natch:
The Davidson County Animal Shelter in Lexington has received an award from the Humane Society of the United States and the N.C. Voters for Animal Welfare[.]
The shelter was one of four in North Carolina to receive a “Shelter We Love” award from the two groups in a ceremony in front the Legislative Building in Raleigh on June 13.
Awwww, it’s wuuuuuuuuuv!
Animal advocates tried to get the county to shut down the gas chamber last year but the commissioners couldn’t be bothered to vote on the issue so the gassing has continued.
[Caleb] Scott, of the N.C. Voters for Animal Welfare, which lobbies state legislators on behalf of animals, said his group gave the Davidson shelter the award because of the positive changes that shelter employees are making.
“We don’t dwell on the negative consequences of the past,” Scott said. “We are focusing on the future.”
And to be clear, the future (and present) for animals at the Davidson Co pound is death by gas chamber. Lots of it. And no hope for any dog labeled a Pitbull or Pitbull mix. At a “shelter” HSUS loves so much, they gave it an award.
July 9, 2012 at 9:33 am
why do you insist on using gas chambers, have any of you stood and listened to them as they are killing?
Shame on you!
July 9, 2012 at 9:42 am
shaking my head in disbelief
July 9, 2012 at 9:52 am
if you saw the pictures of what happens inside a gas chamber.. you would puke..
July 9, 2012 at 9:57 am
I’m trying to figure out who has bigger balls in this – the HSUS for giving them the award or them for showing up to the ceremony to accept it? Because either way, it’s a huge FU to the residents who actually feel some compassion towards shelter pets.
Next time you get a phone call asking for money for the HSUS, tell them that you’ll be happy to donate as soon as they stop giving out awards to people who torture animals…
July 9, 2012 at 9:59 am
HSUS at it’s best!
July 9, 2012 at 10:35 am
The HSUS advertises gas chambers in their magazine. They make money off those ads so of course they have no problem with gas chambers. I hate the HSUS!
July 9, 2012 at 10:57 am
Statistics are out for 2011. Davidson killed 76.47% of dogs,
95.62% of cats for a combined kill rate of 87.12%.
July 9, 2012 at 11:00 am
Oh! Thank you. I’ve been checking the state website but didn’t see it. Do you have a link for the 2011 stats? How thrilled Davidson must be to have lowered its kill rate by nearly 1%. I think another award is in order.
July 9, 2012 at 2:48 pm
It’s here in PDF: http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/aws/Fix/documents/2011ShelterReportUpdated6-5-12color.pdf
And here in Excel: http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/aws/Fix/documents/2011ShelterReportUpdated6-5-12.xlsx
Also, I have taken the Excel file, removed all but the dogs and cats, totaled each facility and calculated kill, adoption and reclaim rates: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Agys64uaCL1gdC04RnZYUUxYX091a0JkU0NqRlctdmc
And I have ranked them from worst to “best”: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Agys64uaCL1gdGRqeDFQWWNvbngyTGphT1dHbU1iMHc#gid=0 (Doesn’t include Foothills Humane Society, which had something like a 96% save rate but never reported to NCDA&CS. They emailed me their stats and I can send them to you if you like.)
July 9, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Wow, thanks. You really deliver Lisa!
July 9, 2012 at 11:44 am
From the Johnson Co. ACC page on the program -
http://www.johnstonnc.com/mainpage.cfm?category_level_id=573&content_id=4259
To qualify a shelter must excel in forming coalitions, creating and/or supporting policy to improve the lives of animals, fostering community relationships and working on innovative ways to help combat our shelter crisis. Our shelters are working harder than ever with limited resources…we want to show our appreciation and support. Last year shelter staff in NC were forced to euthanize close to 260,000 animals. The cost to shelters to euthanize unwanted pets is approximately $30 million annually. This crisis requires our immediate attention not only to animals at risk but also the men and women that we ask to perform this monumental task. The Shelters We Love Program will draw attention to the people within our community shelters, something drastically lacking at this point.
I think the proper technical term for this would be ‘self-serving false rationalization,’ but it could also be ‘horseshit.’
July 22, 2012 at 4:16 pm
So she claims the “cost” to euthanize is over $110 per dog, Hmmm, me thinks someone is getting rich off of their Killing machine? Improving the lives = death by gas chamber?, they were forced to kill? Could not allow rescues or other programs no-kill uses to save lives? Horseshit is not adaquate, its theft by deception, misrepresentation, and animal abuse.
July 9, 2012 at 1:34 pm
In their statement last year on the Alabama 44, HSUS said, in part: “. . . we are disappointed and saddened that we were not notified [by Lincoln County NC of the gassing] in advance so that we could look for other options for the dogs.”
The other options, apparently, do not include demanding an end to gassing. They include giving awards to other shelters, like Davidson County, that also gas pets.
http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2011/01/02/hsus-statement-on-the-alabama-44/
July 9, 2012 at 2:56 pm
I asked HSUS about this on their Facebook page, and here was their response:
“The Shelters We Love Program was created as joint effort by Susie’s Law, North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare, and The HSUS to recognize struggling shelters that are making positive strides towards saving lives, and to encourage them to continue their forward progress. Shelters are nominated and selected by local community members who see the positive changes they are making for animals, not by any state or national organization. The Davidson County Animal Shelter was recognized because of the dramatic strides it has made within the last few months to increase live placements of animals through social media and other new outreach efforts, a new working relationship with Ginger’s Fund to provide for medical care for animals in need, and its renewed commitment to working with local animal advocate volunteers to improve animal welfare throughout the community. There is of course still much room for improvement – for example, The HSUS has been working diligently to eliminate the Davidson shelter’s use of the gas chamber, and hopes that decision will be made as soon as possible. Nevertheless, the steps that have been taken are very positive signs, and we hope that the Davidson shelter, and the other Shelters We Love program nominees, will continue to strive to improve the plight of animals within their communities.”
July 9, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Yeah. I’m having trouble reconciling “improve the plight of animals” with “gas chamber”. It’s weird, but I just don’t see those two as BFFs.
July 9, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Hell, those two aren’t even ‘kidding cousins’ for cryin’ out loud.
July 22, 2012 at 4:27 pm
Interesting how well they can candy coat a group that is killing in the way they are to sound almost benevolent, and how they paint there own actions in such idiellic ways like the did on their site about their horse ranch that was reciently filmed wallowing in mud , yet find such horrible discriptions of every place they raid or dont agree with even if it is another humane society.
I would like Mr. Winograds dissection of this, regarding lies and eufanisms(sp) like he has done with Peta’s statements of justification for their actions.
July 9, 2012 at 3:53 pm
I swear I typed ‘kissing’ there!
July 9, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Wow…*sigh* Dont even know what to say anymore.
July 9, 2012 at 9:44 pm
It must their 88% kill rate that totally swayed HSUS. Just follow the money trail. HSUS makes money from training kill shelters how to kill. In fact they even have (or had) for sale a little known do it yourself step by step guide to build a gas chamber manual for kill shelters that want to find the worst way possible to kill pets but didn’t know how to acquire one. Also, NCVAW are Peta supporters and killing apologists.
July 23, 2012 at 9:45 am
Whiteville, NC sells their DEAD cats to Labcorp for $7 each
July 23, 2012 at 10:23 am
That makes me sick . . .
July 30, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Dave, etc – It is amazing how you all missed this part of what HSUS said on FB:
“Shelters are nominated and selected by local community members who see the positive changes they are making for animals, not by any state or national organization.” So why do you blame HSUS if the community nominated and selected that shelter??
July 31, 2012 at 6:41 am
Well this is taking the Nuremberg defense in a new direction…
August 4, 2012 at 9:20 pm
If this is considered to be a good Shelter in NC, I cringe to think what the others are like.
October 15, 2012 at 7:13 am
Hello everyone above, I’m trying to locate a list of states that have banned the gas chamber in shelters and those which have, as yet, not. Can anyone help? Also, does anyone know of what is being done to end the use of these horrible things, apart from us trying to take action?
December 18, 2012 at 12:38 am
[...] themselves against the walls of the chamber in an attempt to get out.” When the HSUS and NCVAW give “Shelter We Love” awards to such pet-killing facilities, they are saying “We love gas [...]