Commissioner Jose “Pepe’’ Diaz, the measure’s sponsor, said he would follow up with legislation authorizing Mayor Carlos Gimenez to budget the money that a $10-per-$100,000 property tax increase will generate for animal welfare, perhaps as much as $20 million annually.

And it’s not actually a full yard gained:

But missing from the final plan was a provision that animal activists considered crucial: dedicated, high-volume spay/neuter clinics in low-income parts of town with few veterinary hospitals.

The clinics fell on the chopping block when the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association voiced opposition, claiming its existing members could perform the additional 1500 spay-neuters needed on a weekly basis.  I’m sure they can.  But will anyone in the target markets be able to afford it?

The Miami Herald also reports that the Miami-Dade shelter has killed 30% of the pets in its care so far this year, as opposed to 40% in 2012.  Less killing is better than more killing – but it’s not good enough, and I am not sure when Miami-Dade intends to finally stop the killing.

I will be interested to see how the no kill measure progresses.  It’s unclear to me when county residents can reasonably expect to see any meaningful results – or even if such an expectation is realistic, thanks to the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association killing a key part of the plan.  It’s a shame the county commissioners lacked the commitment to follow through on their promise to let the voters guide the commission’s decision or the courage to stand up to the vets association.  The measure ultimately passed by the commission yesterday is not the one residents voted for and not what animal advocates said they needed in order to make no kill a reality.

The Commercial Appeal breaks it down:

In the case of Kapone, [Young] said, proving that Hogan did not deliver the dog to the shelter – resulting in the theft and paperwork forgery charges – became more difficult upon learning that Hogan may have witnesses who said she did deliver the animal.

Oh let me guess – some fellow MAS workers, those paragons of virtue?

And in the case of Max, the dog whom, at the time of the indictment, no one disputed was alive when impounded by Hogan:

Prosecutors said a subsequent necropsy showed the dog could have died from the heat at the scene and not necessarily in Hogan’s animal truck while being taken to the shelter.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.  I was going to leave it there, and just let the pathetic excuse for a case offered by the prosecutors speak for itself but then one of them had to jam the knife in further and twist it around:

“It’s very sad when a dog has died or a dog is missing,” said Ratton, “but that doesn’t always mean a crime has been committed.”

Really?

As sorry as I am for what happened to Kapone, at least the so-called irresponsible public stepped up and helped him get back home eventually.  And even though no one connected to the case seemed to be interested in doing their jobs, the happy ending helped ease the pain of his theft.  But with Max, the dog whom no one disputed was alive at the time of impound, there was no happy ending.  As it was reported last summer, police were attempting to locate Hogan in order to arrest her for cruelty in connection with the “disappearance” of Kapone, and she was allegedly tipped off that police were waiting for her at the pound.  So instead of taking the dog she had on her truck at the time – a 9 year old Lab mix called Max – to MAS, she apparently drove around for a couple of hours until police left.  Max died during this time.  Per a necropsy report, his death was non-accidental heat stroke.

At the time I naively hoped that whoever tipped Hogan off would be charged and fired.  Obviously that didn’t happen.  And while I have no information as to the identity of the supposed witnesses who “may” have testified that Kapone was delivered to MAS by Hogan, I can’t help but wonder if they are the same individuals who tipped her off about police causing, to my mind, Max to needlessly suffer and die.

Bloody hell, Memphis.  I suppose the city will now reinstate Hogan with back pay and a new chokepole and send her back out on patrol to protect the city from animal abusers.

It’s very sad when a dog has died or a dog is missing such as happened in this case and in my view, it strongly suggests a crime has been committed.  But neither the DA nor the prosecutors could apparently be bothered to do their jobs.  Which is par for the course in Memphis.  And it wouldn’t surprise me one iota if Mayor Wharton and his cronies were pleased as punch with the outcome.  Yay Memphis.

While there are some differences, Getting to Zero is not in competition with No Kill. G2Z fully supports the No Kill Equation strategies and the wonderful array of resources that this movement offers. There is much to be done, and we are all working to save lives.

The G2Z model engages the community as a means of achieving its goal:  an end to the killing of healthy/treatable pets in shelters.  The four components described in the brochure are:

1.  Community Vet Clinic – This is basically a high volume, low cost spay-neuter clinic which also offers microchipping, transportation assistance and incentives for the public to get pets neutered.  Pediatric spay-neuter is emphasized.

2.  Shelter Vet Clinic – This is an on site clinic (preferably) which ensures all shelter pets are examined, vaccinated, neutered, heartworm tested, dewormed, microchipped and given flea medication before being put on the adoption floor.  The shelter clinic is also responsible for daily health checks for all animals, treatment of shelter pets who are sick/injured, free vet care for pets in the shelter’s foster program and support for TNR programs.

3.  Rehoming Centre – This is the shelter’s adoption center and includes a number of key goals such as prompt adoptions, substantial foster and volunteer programs, socialization for the animals to reduce stress, pet training to increase adoptability, increased RTO, accessible location and hours (late afternoons, weekends and holidays), marketing of animals, offsite adoptions, and post adoption support.

4.  Community Education, Legislation and Support – This is the most complex of the four components and as the name suggests, includes involvement from a wide array of stakeholders in the community.  The legislation aspect includes a breeder permit law which involves inspections and fees, mandatory neuter of all kittens prior to sale (unless being sold to someone with a breeder permit), and mandatory microchipping of all puppies and kittens.  There is also mention of legislation to protect fosters and rescuers from pet limit laws, based upon inspection, and “research and development” regarding managed cat colonies.

This component addresses a number of other issues as well.  There is a focus on matching lost pets with their owners and returning lost pets home rather than impounding them.  “Pre-surrender interviews” are conducted in order to offer alternatives to surrendering pets to the shelter.  School presentations are intended to educate young people about responsible pet ownership.  Hands-on programs are also offered to students who wish to work directly with shelter pets.  Pediatric spay-neuter is again emphasized.

***

What are your thoughts on the G2Z campaign?  How do you feel about the legislation aspect which includes mandatory microchipping, some MSN, and inspections for breeders, fosters and rescuers?  Do you think the emphasis on pediatric spay-neuter is a plus, a minus or somewhere in between?

A law enforcement officer who resorts to shooting kittens or any non-threatening animal is not only lacking in compassion and moral judgment, but violating Ohio law!
[...]
According to John Bell, attorney for the Ohio SPCA, “Shooting a cat is never legal. It is not painless and therefore violates the “immediate and painless” rule contained in the Ohio Revised Code. It is also expressly illegal to “needlessly kill” any ‘companion animal,’ which includes all cats and dogs.”
[...]
Due to additional complaints and statements received from North Ridgeville residents, the Ohio SPCA has launched a full-scale investigation of previous actions taken by Officer Barry Accorti and the other part-time officer, Brian Gorski. These actions not only indicate inhumane treatment of animals, but also involve life-threatening circumstances to local residents and animals. Landon states, “Two attempts to speak with Mayor Gillock have failed. If the North Ridgeville Police Chief and Mayor Gillock do not take the obvious necessary action in response to these incidents, a lawsuit by the Ohio SPCA will be the only remedy.”

The Ohio SPCA’s statement seems to imply that this was not Mr. Accorti’s first time at the rodeo.  I’ll be watching for developments in this case.

Obtained via FOIA request, these are the complete medical records for dog ID #254963 at the Memphis pound.

Note that the records indicate the dog is quiet, alert and responsive, very geriatric, underweight, with severe dental disease and missing teeth.  There is also a notation about the eyes having mild discharge.  There are no notes indicating MAS contacted a single rescue group about this dog.  Local pet advocate Jody Fisher secured a rescue placement for the dog and on June 6, a rescuer pulled her from MAS.  The rescuer immediately noticed the little dog was deaf and blind. This is what she looked like:

The rescuer took the little pet to a veterinarian the next morning for evaluation. The veterinarian estimated the dog to be about 15 years old, not 7 as MAS had indicated. He determined she was in pain and had been suffering for awhile.   The vet reported she was not only underweight, blind and deaf but also that she suffered from chronic dry eye which had likely lead to blindness, and severe dental disease which had likely lead to heart disease. The dog had a grade 6 heart murmur, irregular heart rhythm, bilateral pleural effusions and was in end stage congestive heart failure. She suffered from severe arthritis which compromised her ability to move normally.  Euthanasia was recommended and performed, as the poor girl was medically hopeless and suffering.

I have questions:

• The MAS vet got close enough to characterize this dog’s level of gum disease but failed to note she was in unremitting pain or prescribe any medication to try to alleviate that pain for an entire week?
• The MAS vet noted a “mild” discharge from the eyes when the dog looked like she does in the above photo? And she didn’t note that the dog was in fact blind and deaf?
• Since no meaningful vet care was offered, where are the notes indicating this dog must only be offered soft food and that both food and water bowls must be kept within easy reach of the dog due to her lack of mobility?
• Since no meaningful vet care was offered, where are the notes indicating the dog requires soft bedding at all times and that the bedding must be checked regularly for dryness in case of urination or water bowl spills?

Failing to note that the dog was blind and deaf is not only a disservice to the dog, who would be severely stressed in a shelter environment, it endangers people who might approach the dog believing her to be sighted and with normal hearing ability. Blind and deaf shelter dogs need to be approached in a particular manner, so as not to provoke a defensive bite by startling the dog.

Failing to note that the dog was in unremitting pain and end stage heart failure is simply inexcusable. A Memphis dog owner who kept a dog in this condition without meaningful vet care for an entire week would presumably be charged with animal cruelty and the MAS vet would do the examination to document the forensic evidence. Who will investigate and determine possible charges regarding the MAS vet in this case?  Let’s be clear:  MAS left this dog to suffer in a cage for a week, making no efforts to get her seen by anyone who might help her and offering her no medical care to address her suffering.  Isn’t this a crime?  Is it in any way acceptable that Memphis taxpayers pay for a shelter veterinarian and kennel workers but must rely on ordinary citizens to find rescuers willing to pay a private vet to tend to suffering pets at the pound?

The suffering of this little pet is hardly an isolated incident.  The head vet at the Memphis pound – on whose watch numerous dogs have starved to death, including a puppy who was forced to eat his own littermate to survive, who scrubbed a degloved cat’s wounds without providing pain medication and left him to suffer in a cage for 5 days, and who neglected then killed a puppy who was impounded with a collar embedded in her neck – is no stranger to animal cruelty.  Yet Memphis city leaders defend the cruelty again and again, as they always do with animal abusers on the payroll, and the suffering at the pound continues.  How many more, Memphis?

Goodbye tiny dog #254963. I’m sorry your last week on this earth was spent suffering at the Memphis pound.

Fire. Them. All.

Screengrab from Petfinder.com showing a portion of the 48 dog and cat listings from the Lowndes Co pound in Georgia.

A quick check of the Petfinder listings for the Lowndes Co pound in Valdosta, GA tells me the place is not serious about finding homes for pets.  Hardly any photos or personal information is included with the listings – two criteria essential for getting pets adopted.  Minimal marketing efforts could turn the Petfinder listings into a lifesaving tool but no one at the facility is apparently interested.  The pound’s numbers make it plain as day:

In 2012, the Lowndes County Animal Shelter received 5,870 animals. Of this number, 1,433 were adopted or rescued, 386 were reclaimed and 4,031 were euthanized.

That’s a 69% kill rate for 2012.  And the Valdosta Daily Times reports that this month is off to a horrifying start:

Since June 1 of this year, meaning in the last 11 days, more than 260 animals have been brought into the Lowndes County Animal Shelter. Of the 260, 167 have had to be euthanized.

This is not a shelter.  The primary function of the Lowndes Co facility is pet killing.  And county officials are in full blame-the-public mode:

Paige Dukes, Lowndes County clerk and public information officer, said, “The over-population of animals in Lowndes County is not an animal problem, it is a people problem. [...] It is a problem that can be fixed with one simple solution, the spaying or neutering of pets.”

Low/no cost spay neuter is one of the eleven core programs of the No Kill Equation. But to state that spay/neuter is the one and only “simple solution” that would end the killing of shelter pets is not only false, it’s objectionable.   The county is blaming the public for the killing at a taxpayer funded facility where employees are failing to do their jobs to shelter animals.

There is a “Friends” group for the Lowndes Co pound and the best I can say about that is – second verse, same as the first.  What the community pets of Lowndes Co really need is a voice.  Advocates who engage the public instead of blaming, who demand that the shelter actually shelters animals in need and who won’t give up on shelter reform until every dog and cat in Lowndes Co is respected as having the right to live.

(Thank you Clarice for the links.)

The homeowner and mother of four said Accorti told her the shelters were full and the cats would go to “kitty heaven.” That’s when he shot the five, 8 to 10-week-old kittens, with the woman standing nearby and her children watching from inside the house.

She said her children, ages 5 months to 7 years, were screaming and crying at the sound of the gunshots. The mother cat ran away and was not killed.

That’s one account.  The story quickly blew up online and the public backlash was scathing.  The police department had to temporarily take down its Facebook page due to comments from outraged citizens.  Police Chief Mike Freeman has already cleared Humane Officer Barry Accorti and issued a statement:

The homeowner [...] told Accorti the feral cats were causing flea problems within the residence, a foul odor and leaving dead wildlife in her yard, Freeman said. The officer told the woman that because of her concerns, including concerns about diseases feral cats can develop and the proximity of the wood pile to her house, assistance could be rendered, but the cats would be euthanized, Freeman said.

“The complainant agreed to accept assistance and the officer started to dismantle the wood pile,” Freeman said. “The cats were located within the wood pile and euthanized.”

That’s another account.  The flea complaint cited in the first article has now mushroomed into dead wildlife, general stinkiness and the infamous feral cat diseases, so well loved by cat killers, even if they lack scientific merit.  Oh and the Glock spree carried out against the baby cats trapped in the wood pile?  That’s now “euthanasia”.

The statement continues:

“The NRPD recognizes the concern of those who believe feral cats should not be killed for simply trying to survive but also acknowledges other research that recognizes the risks associated with these animals and the need to manage feral cats,” Freeman said. “Research and other animal organizations accept shooting as an acceptable means of euthanasia.”

And by “need to manage feral cats” apparently the police chief means “it’s totally necessary to gun kittens down on sight”.  Shooting indeed is considered an acceptable means of euthanasia for animals but only in rare cases.  A deer being hit by a car in the middle of the night in a remote area when there is no reasonable expectation of veterinary assistance or expectation that the animal will survive – that would be an instance where many animal organizations accept shooting as a last resort and the only alternative to allowing the animal to suffer until death.  Baby cats trapped in a woodpile?  Not so much.  More from Police Chief Freeman:

“At no time does this agency condone or allow the indiscriminate killing of animals, but we will continue to assist residents when there is a safety or nuisance condition.”

A lie coupled with what sounds like a threat.  Gee, that’s swell.  I guess that will teach residents to call in nuisance complaints to the city’s “humane” officer.

The public reaction against the killings has been widespread and at least one rally has been announced.  I hope that anyone who contacts the North Ridgeville PD or attends any protest event will make a point to speak, politely and firmly, in favor of the right of feral cats to live.  That seems to have been lost amidst all the outrage.  The homeowner was upset because her kids started screaming when the kittens were being killed.  She was fine with killing them, just not so loudly and not in her yard.  The “humane” officer mentioned “kitty heaven” because the shelter was full.  Feral cats do not need space in a shelter, unless it’s temporary housing to neuter and vaccinate them before release back into the community.  Feral cats can be relocated, with the assistance of colony caretakers.  Kittens born to feral mama cats can be tamed and placed as housepets.  The options for life are numerous – and I would argue, the only options which could ethically be considered.  Instead Humane Officer Barry Accorti chose death.  And the police chief backed him up while implying killings of this type will continue in the community if others call in nuisance complaints.  This is not only absurd, it’s barbaric.

(Thanks to everyone who sent me links on this story.)