Your choices are:

• In response to the public outcry over the revelation that the Jackson Co pound kills some pets without ever checking them for microchips, director Colleen Macuk offered a policy shift.

• After I posted a photo of a worker at Memphis Animal Services hanging a cat by the neck with tongs, director Matthew Pepper told us we were not seeing what we were seeing.

A worker at MAS hangs a cat in tongs prior to killing.

• Responding to calls for Shawnee AC to publicly post photos of impounded pets online, Russell Frantz, chief of the police department which oversees the pound, blamed Nigerian scammers.

• Bay Co AC pound in FL kills 76% of its pets.  Pound manager Bill Olasin told the local paper he suspects his staff members lie about the reasons they kill such an astronomical number of pets, coding most of the killings as behavioral or medical cases instead of the truth.

But at a recent Animal Control Advisory Committee meeting, these items didn’t get much attention.  Instead, misinformed attendees clamored for mandatory spay-neuter (MSN) laws and even tossed in some wildly misleading (and I’m being generous here) information:

More than 32 states have mandatory spay/neuter laws, with a minimum requirement that all animals adopted from a shelter be spayed or neutered, said Lisa Frost, an Ashland attorney and shelter volunteer.

Frost urged the committee to move forward in implementing a mandatory spay/neuter program to help curb pet overpopulation and reduce the numbers of feral, stray and abandoned animals who are euthanized.

Where to begin?  There is no such thing as pet overpopulation.  The danger to community pets in this country lies primarily with the agencies designated to protect them which are instead killing them.

MSN does not reduce/eliminate shelter pet killing and it’s failed everywhere it’s been enacted.  Some examples:

• The city of Los Angeles enacted MSN in 2008 and after the first year, shelter intake and killings were up.  Killings increased after the second year as well.  The third year was yet another failure.
• Intakes and killings increased in Las Vegas after the city enacted MSN in 2010.
• When CA was considering statewide MSN legislation in 2007, the past president of the California Veterinary Medical Association wrote a lengthy letter to the Board detailing his opposition.
• Killings and costs both went up in King Co, WA after MSN was passed in 1992.

As a result, most every major animal welfare group in the country opposes MSN.  That list includes:

• The No Kill Advocacy Center explains “Why Punitive Legislation Fails”
• Alley Cat Allies points out that MSN does not reach most intact cats
• “Best Friends does not support mandatory spay-neuter legislation as a method of pet population control.”
• The “ASPCA is not aware of any credible evidence demonstrating a statistically significant enhancement in the reduction of shelter intake or euthanasia as a result of the implementation of a mandatory spay/neuter law.”
• The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes MSN.

32 states do not have statewide MSN as the article leads the reader to believe.  In fact no states have statewide MSN.  There are various cities and counties around the country which have enacted MSN but they have all failed.  All.

To be clear, MSN is completely different than requiring shelter pets to be neutered.  The article makes it seem as if the two are related.  They are not.

Also during the meeting, another resident told how her cat Max (incredibly, a different cat) had also been trapped by a cat hater, brought to the pound, deemed agggressive and killed before she could find him.

More mess o’ stupid:

There is no county ordinance forbidding cats to be “at large,” said Colleen Macuk, shelter director. But owners are responsible for their animals’ actions. It is also legal for others to bait and trap “nuisance” cats and take them to the county shelter. In fact, it is required that trapped cats be taken to the shelter to prevent the possibility of animal abuse, said Macuk.

“We don’t turn them away because of the alternative,” Macuk said.

Well gee, I wish you would turn them away.  Because the alternative is that they might, ya know - live.  (It’s just this little thing I’m fond of.)

The director explained that Max (the recently killed cat) was deemed aggressive while in the trap so they stuck him with a needle on the end of a pole to kill him.  He was never checked for a microchip.

With the county’s resources, wild and aggressive cats cannot be safely or humanely held to perform this task [of checking for chips] without putting staff at risk of bites or scratches or injury to the cat, Macuk said.

Heaven forfend the poor cat might get injured.  Better to go straight for the kill stick.

Adding to the problem is the lack of manufacturer uniformity regarding chips and scanners. The shelter has two scanners, which are capable of reading all but two types of chips, she said.

Gee, all but two.  That sounds… inadequate.

In 2011, the shelter received 2,883 cats. Only eight were microchipped, Macuk said.

Well but – how do you know, right?  I mean, you’re not checking them all so maybe 8 had chips or maybe 800 did.  Or maybe 2800.  Nobody knows.

“One thing we’ve committed to is that we’re going to scan them all after they’ve been euthanized,” Macuk said, referring to cats that were deemed unsafe for staff to handle.

An excellent plan with only one possible drawback…

MAS is widely considered the worst shelter in America, although there are plenty of contenders to that title. [...] There have been promises of reform, steps taken, and little tangible improvement in Memphis. The webcams that were installed in the shelter were supposed to show the public that MAS staff were doing a good job, treating the animals well, and that things were getting better. Unfortunately they merely revealed more abuse, more substandard care, and in the end, city employees filed a grievance, stating that the cameras made them feel unsafe. That’s right, the city employees were afraid that they might face retribution for their animal abuse caught on video, and their solution was not to stop abusing the animals, but rather, to remove the cameras. The city agreed with them.

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is raising funds for a cross country trip to pick up several dogs who can not be flown for one reason or another and bring them back to Washington.  Mario is one of the dogs waiting for a ride home.  If you are able to contribute towards this trip, please either donate online or mail a check to:

Olympic Animal Sanctuary
1021 Russell Rd.
Forks, WA 98331

Let them know your donation is to help get Mario home.  Thank you.

The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society (GAHS) in Maine made some significant changes last year with regard to aggressively marketing their pets.  They launched a social media campaign and got creative with adoption events – including a 24 hour adopt-a-thon.  They became better known in the community.

As a result, instead of maintaining an overcrowded facility of homeless pets, they are now importing pets from other shelters to meet demand.  Adopters sometimes even wait in line for hours outside the shelter for the chance to be first through the doors when the place opens.

Can the importance of marketing shelter pets be overstated?  I think not.  Check out Dogged Blog’s post from yesterday on the subject:

If people mired in this old-school, ineffective, failed paradigm would step out of it for a few minutes, they’d realize how bad they’re making themselves look every time they, always predictably, trot it out. “It’s not our fault we do what we do,” they say. “It’s all the bad people! Blame them! We’re just helpless victims!”

You people really need some new material.

My suggestion that you get new photos will help get those pets into homes. Think about that while you continue to enable your community’s filthy high-kill shelter to fail the animals inside its walls.

Carl Willing, an adopter who took turns with his wife holding a place in line overnight at GAHS in order to get first chance at a dog named Bo, remembers the experience when they finally got inside the shelter:

“Seeing Bo, when he came out,” Willing said, pausing to lovingly scratch Bo’s ears. “Oh, yes! This is why we’re here.”

This is why we’re here.  How great is that to read from an adopter?

To those facilities who refuse to post all their pets online and aggressively market them to the community, I ask:  Why are you here?  The public is the solution to your problems.  Stop blaming them.  Stop forcing pets to pay for your stubborn ignorance with their lives.  We are a no kill nation.  Join us.

The facility has 10 kennels, with 3 designated for quarantine.  There is no room for expansion.  There is no kill room and nowhere to cut off animals’ heads for rabies testing.  The killing and beheading of pets is done in the kennel area.  Most impounds are killed within 72 hours.

If you want to look for your lost pet or adopt a new one, you must either schedule an appointment or come during the regular open hours:  Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.  There is no Petfinder page for this facility nor is there any way to see pets online.  Many people in the area don’t even know the pound exists or where it is.

An area resident named Dial Dunkin was recently helping a friend look for a lost dog.  He visited the pound and told the local paper he “was shocked to see dozens of dogs awaiting euthanization”.  How the place is housing dozens of dogs in 7 general population kennels is a mystery to me.  But Mr. Dunkin’s reaction may shed some light on the situation:

When he saw the high number of dogs confined in small cages at the county shelter, he felt sick, Dunkin said.

“The cages are full of really nice dogs,” Dunkin said. “I’m really upset, I’ve been up all night.”

Mr. Dunkin offered to buy the pound a camera so photos of each pet could be posted online.  He even offered to keep the place supplied with pet food so they could keep the animals longer in order to increase their chances of adoption.  But the county says they have plenty of donated food.  They just need a bigger space.  And it will cost half a million dollars.

Information in the newspaper piece appears to contradict some of the county info available online.  In the article, county officials indicate the public is not allowed inside the pound and even the newspaper was refused entry.  Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos was asked if he’d be open to discussing shelter reform ideas with Mr. Dunkin:

“We’ll listen,” Cascos said. “But there are leash laws and we have to pick them up and, unfortunately, if they aren’t adopted, we have to euthanize them.”

If they aren’t adopted.  But you can’t go in.  Well maybe you can for an hour in the morning.  Probably not though.  But we have to kill them.

Precinct 3 Commissioner David Garza shoots for a 3 pointer:

“There are too many irresponsible pet owners.”

SCORE!  [crowd goes wild]

Judge Cascos:

“If Mr. Dunkin wants to discuss it with us, it would be great to have a philanthropist to help us raise $500,000 for a new shelter,” Cascos said. “The county’s open to suggestions.”

So thanks for the offer of a camera and pet food but the only thing we want is 500 grand.  If you don’t have that well, we just have to keep killing all these pets right on the kennel floor in front of the living ones.  And cutting off heads, natch.

Because irresponsible public!

Gee, I wonder why they wouldn’t let the paper in to take photos.

Wharton said people shouldn’t be surprised that it’s been so hard to find a director, “particularly in light of the bad name Memphis has gotten and relentless attacks folks that come in will have to expect.”

First of all:  The bad name Memphis has earned.

As far as “relentless attacks” – well sure, that’s possible, although I certainly hope not.  I hope the mayor will put someone in charge who is committed to saving pets’ lives using every available means.  If he does, that person can expect relentless support from relentless networkers and relentless donors.  Yeah, we’re annoying like that.  Just give us a chance to show it!

However, if the mayor already has his mind made up about putting someone in place who’ll do the same things MAS has always done, it’s logical for him to expect the same results he’s always gotten.

A proven model of success continues to be available, Memphis – a n y t i m e…

(Thanks Clarice for the link.)

Pups in Need of Sponsorship
By Kristin Kucsma (Albums)
Do you want to SAVE a PUP’S LIFE but cannot rescue or adopt? Please consider sponsoring a pup! EVERY PUP CURRENTLY in this album has a CONFIRMED RESCUE but they are NOT SAFE. Most will NOT make it out of the shelter if we do not raise funds for them. Every once in awhile, we will release pups whose bills have not been paid but as a general practice we will not do this. Pups must be vetted prior to transport; our vet demands payment in full prior to vetting and we (see below) do not receive enough money from the County to cover the full cost of vetting.

Sponsorship allows us to do two things:

1) Sponsorship money allows us to make sure a pup’s outstanding bills are paid

The true cost of saving a pup reflects the full cost of getting a pup to safety from the time he/she enters the shelter until the time he/she is safely with a rescue or in a forever home. This cost includes, but is not limited to, the following: the cost of food on a daily basis for the pup; any and all necessary medications and vaccinations required by a pup during his/her stay at the shelter and to prepare him/her for transport; payroll to pay employees to care for the pups during their stay at the shelter, etc.

The County of Marion provides Paws to the Rescue (PTTR), the 501(c)(3) organization that manages the shelter, $53,000 per year to run the shelter. The shelter took in approximately 3,000 dogs in 2011. That breaks down to $18 per dog – not $18 per dog per day – $18 per dog PERIOD. That was “plenty” of money when the kill rate at the shelter (pre-PTTR) was 95%+ . It is not nearly enough to support the transformation of this shelter into a low- or no-kill facility.

Consider the pup who stays at the shelter for just two weeks prior to rescue or transport. That is two (2) weeks’ worth of food, possible meds, payroll, etc. That amounts to considerably more than $18. Many pups remain at the shelter for longer than that because we are blessed with a director who will bend over backwards and give us extra time to save these beautiful creatures.

We cannot save these pups if we do not have time to find rescues and adopters, and we cannot “buy” time if we do not have the financial resources to keep the pups alive and healthy (mentally and physically) while we arrange rescue, transport and adoption for them.

2) Sponsorship money also allows us to assist rescues with the fees to have pups vetted, transported to them and, in certain cases, with the cost of HW treatment, so that they can find forever homes for these beautiful boys and girls.

Pups in this album are located in the Marion County Animal Shelter in Mullins SC. Some have rescues committed to them but they need sponsorship money to assist with either vetting, transport and/or HW treatment. In other cases, rescues may not require financial assistance but pups have outstanding bills that must be paid. If the outstanding bills of one pup are not paid, other pups suffer because we will not have adequate resources to buy food, purchase meds, hire additional staff, etc.

This shelter is severely overcrowded and is HIGH KILL so we need to raise these funds so that we can get these pups out right away. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your continued support ♥

If you have any questions or require any further information about the Marion County Shelter and specifically regarding issues of sponsorship, please do not hesitate to email me at kucsmak@gmail.com.

With warm regards,
Kristin Kucsma, Treasurer
Paws to the Rescue
A registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

What do you make of these policies?