Each day, each week, each month, we hear more and more success stories. We learn more about the good that people are doing and we watch as the “evil-doers” are verbally and legally attacked by their community for their killing. People flooding meetings to standing-room-only status, bringing law suits against their shelters, and standing up for what is right and good.  No longer backing down, but fighting to save lives. The “bad” is no longer covered up, but put out there with the press covering it, blogs light up across the internet with “do you believe this?? SIGN THIS PETITION”.

We rejoice that you are no longer tolerating it.
Good for you.

However it still seems that tiny people with small minds and with a wee bit of “power” are out there abusing it and trying to use it to do harm. Old-style shelter directors, animal hating animal control officers, town officials, co-op board members that seem to have nothing better to do than to continue to try to kill animals that their own communities want to protect and save.

On Tuesday we will be going to court to fight just such a situation.  Let me tell you about it.

Kimmee was a dog that we rescued from the CACC the morning she was scheduled to die for a URI (upper respiratory infection).

Kimmie was quiet, and shy and scared.  We took her in and with five days of antibiotics she was fine.  Ready to go into a home.  She was so timid and quiet that she became a volunteer, staff and kid favorite.  The children here would warm up to her, perhaps recognizing in her the things in themselves that they once conquered.  Volunteers eagerly walked this beautiful dog and staff spent extra time winning her over and helping her past her shyness.

Along came a couple that fell in love with her, and took her home.  For eleven months she lived with them.  She spent time with neighbors, children, at the dog park, in a dog day camp when they went away.  Everyone who came in contact with her stated the same thing. “Shy, but very sweet”.  No one had any aggression issues with her.  She never even lifted a lip at anyone.

But this week, something terrible happened.  A TV repairman came into the home and he leaned over to kiss her face.  Kimmee (now called Kaylee) responded by biting him. It was not a nip, it was a bite and the man needed stitches to repair his torn lip.  The owners returned Kimmee to us and explained what happened.  Everyone was surprised, including them.  Eleven months, not a problem.  The entire time she was here, never a problem.  Now she reacted to a situation that was scary for her and she bit someone.  We are not excusing this bite.  We are not saying that Kimmee is faultless. We feel terrible for this poor man – that had his face bitten in such a manner!  We feel terrible for the owners that had to return a dog they loved.  A bite is never something to scoff at and never something to not respect and take seriously.

But here is where the story goes bad.
The Animal Control Officer of Goshen, Laureen Sandstrom, has decided that Kimmee is a “Dangerous Dog”.  She is trying to stop us from ever allowing Kimmee to be adopted again. I called her and she was adamant.  I explained that according to New York State Law, she has no legal case to declare Kimmee a “Dangerous Dog” according to the NYS Dangerous Dog law.  She sarcastically told me that she has done this “tons of times before”. On Tuesday we will go to court to fight this.  Not only for Kimmee, but for all the dogs out there that this woman is declaring “dangerous”.  First let me explain the law to you to show you why this woman doesn’t even have a legal case. She is a woman that was given a tiny bit of power and instead of using it to help animals and protect their lives, she has tried to use it to harm them. She doesn’t even KNOW the law that she is trying to use against Kimmee.  Can you believe it?  She is trying to invoke DANGEROUS DOG Laws on Kimmee, but she doesn’t even know the law.  Let’s take a look, shall we?

Here’s the actual statute:
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusnyagri_mkts_121.htm

1. Laureen, the Animal Control Officer can’t make the complaint. She didn’t witness the bite. The guy who was bitten has to:

Any person who witnesses an attack or threatened attack, or in the case of
a minor, an adult acting on behalf of such minor, may make a complaint of
an attack or threatened attack upon a person, companion animal, farm
animal as defined in subdivision twenty-four of section one hundred eight
of this article, or a domestic animal as defined in subdivision seven of
section one hundred eight of this article to a dog control officer or
police officer of the appropriate municipality.

By the way, she also has to ticket someone – the owners of the dog, before going to court.  No ticket has ever been issued!  Hmm.  Starting to wonder if the Animal Control officer of Goshen even KNOWS the law!  Are they given any training at all?

2. IF the guy who was bitten makes the complaint, THEN she can initiate the proceedings herself (but so far he hasn’t and she already told us we have a court date and time – um, based on what? He hasn’t made any complaint yet! Did she illegally file all the paperwork before she had a complaint?):

Such officer shall immediately inform the complainant of his right to
commence a proceeding as provided in subdivision two of this section and,
if there is reason to believe the dog is a dangerous dog, the officer
shall forthwith commence such proceeding himself.

3. Jurisdiction clearly resides with the municipal judge. That’s awesome for us. That means Laureen, the ACO officer has no authority at all. And it means that some board member, or town clerk can’t do it either. It has to be done by a sitting judge. Hopefully HE knows the law!.

Any person who witnesses an attack or threatened attack, or in the case of
a minor, an adult acting on behalf of such minor, may, and any dog control
officer or police officer as provided in subdivision one of this section
shall, make a complaint under oath or affirmation to any municipal judge
or justice of such attack or threatened attack.

4. The first thing that happens is that the justice has to decide if there is probable cause to believe the dog is dangerous under the law. In this case that is VERY shaky, but of course just like you can sue anyone you want, with our without reason, a judge can make a ruling and then it would be up to us to defend our side under law.

If he believes there is probable cause, Laureen has no jurisdiction in Wallkill – the town we are in, and the dog was legally surrendered to US. So now they have to get the Wallkill Animal Control Officer to try to seize the dog. We’re still not clear if a town judge can compel an officer of another town to do something, though it does look like the law says he can.

Thereupon, the judge or justice shall immediately determine if there is
probable cause to believe the dog is a dangerous dog and, if so, shall
issue an order to any dog control officer, peace officer, acting pursuant
to his special duties, or police officer directing such officer to
immediately seize such dog and hold the same pending judicial
determination as provided in this section.

5. Then there has to be a hearing within 5 days, and the “owner” needs to get 2 days notice. Burden of proof is on the person who makes the complaint to prove the dog is a dangerous dog.

Whether or not the judge or justice finds there is probable cause for such
seizure, he shall, within five days and upon written notice of not less
than two days to the owner of the dog, hold a hearing on the complaint.
The petitioner shall have the burden at such hearing to prove the dog is a
“dangerous dog” by clear and convincing evidence.

6. If the judge believes the dog is dangerous he has to spay/neuter the dog, chip the dog, and can do one or more of the following:

If satisfied that the dog is a dangerous dog, the judge or justice shall
then order neutering or spaying of the dog, microchipping of the dog and
one or more of the following as deemed appropriate under the circumstances
and as deemed necessary for the protection of the public:

Have the dog evaluated at the owner’s expense.
Confine the dog.
Restrain the dog in public
Muzzle the dog in public
Order that liability insurance be in force at all times.

7. Here’s the most important part. In order to kill or permanently confine the dog, at least one of the following special circumstances has to be true:

a) the dog, without justification, attacked a person causing serious
physical injury or death;

[NYS Penal Law section 10.0 defines "Serious physical injury" as physical
injury which creates a substantial risk of death, or which causes death or
serious and protracted disfigurement, protracted impairment of health or
protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily organ.]

Don’t see it here.

(b) the dog has a known vicious propensity as evidenced by a previous
unjustified attack on a person, which caused serious physical injury or
death.

No, we don’t have THAT here either.

(c) the dog, without justification, caused serious physical injury or
death to a companion animal, farm animal or domestic animal.

No, don’t have that here either.

8. If the dog is deemed “dangerous” the owner has 30 days to appeal in County Court. So if they sentence the dog to death they have to wait 30 days to kill her. Pets Alive would appeal to county court in this case.

The owner of a dog found to be a “dangerous dog” pursuant to this section
may appeal such determination, and/or the court’s order concerning
disposition of the dog to the court having jurisdiction to hear civil
appeals in the county where the “dangerous dog” finding was made. The
owner shall commence such appeal by filing a notice of appeal with the
appropriate court within thirty days of the final order pursuant to this
section. Court rules governing civil appeals in the appropriate
jurisdiction shall govern the appeal of a determination under this
section.

9. If the judge orders death there is an AUTOMATIC stay with the appeal. Anything else has to be motioned for:

Upon filing a notice of appeal from an order of humane euthanasia pursuant
to this section, such order shall be automatically stayed pending final
determination of any appeal. In all other circumstances, the owner of the
dog may make application to the court to issue a stay of disposition
pending determination of the appeal.

10. Nothing else applies except we find this really cool:

A dog shall not be declared dangerous if the court determines the conduct
of the dog (a) was justified because the threat, injury or damage was
sustained by a person who at the time was committing a crime or offense
upon the owner or custodian of the dog or upon the property of the owner
or custodian of the dog; (b) was justified because the injured, threatened
or killed person was tormenting, abusing, assaulting or physically
threatening the dog or its offspring, or has in the past tormented,
abused, assaulted or physically threatened the dog or its offspring; (c)
was justified because the dog was responding to pain or injury, or was
protecting itself, its owner, custodian, or a member of its household, its
kennels or its offspring; or was justified because the injured, threatened
or killed companion animal, farm animal or domestic animal was attacking
or threatening to attack the dog or its offspring. Testimony of a
certified applied behaviorist, a board certified veterinary behaviorist,
or another recognized expert shall be relevant to the court’s
determination as to whether the dog’s behavior was justified pursuant to
the provisions of this subdivision.

We think we could easily argue that the dog THOUGHT she was protecting her family. We also think it’s cool that the law carves out exemptions for dogs doing their duty.

As luck would have it, Pets Alive just happened to have one of the nation’s premier experts in dog training, and behavior, at our sanctuary this week.  Pat Whitacre, lead trainer at the Best Friends Animal Society (one of the nation’s LARGEST organizations) has more degrees next to his name than most doctors, tons of experience, and even starred in a TV show on National Geographic.  He was on “vacation” at Pets Alive, volunteering.  We asked him to do a behavior assessment for Kimmee.

Guess how she did?
Great! The assessment is geared to get reactions.  Dogs that will bite, will be tempted into it during some of these tests.  While he found her shy, and anxious during some of the tests, she never resorted to biting as a response.  I won’t post the whole assessment but here is the summary (which we will present in court):

Summary: Kimmie is a dog who lacks confidence when faced with unfamiliar people or situations. Her bite in the home showed that the right/wrong conditions can produce an aggressive reaction. However, during a wide variety of conditions during this assessment she showed no aggressive behavior. Her history and today’s behavior do not indicate that she is aggressive by nature nor is she easily provoked into using dangerous behavior.
That being said, responsible pet owners should not put their pets or visitors in situations the pets cannot handle well. In Kimmie’s case, her comfort in a crate, provides a convenient solution for providing safety for all involved during potentially stressful circumstances.

We also contacted the Day Camp that Kimmee used to stay at when her owners went away.  He expressed surprise.  Said Kimmee was always shy but had never shown a single aggressive moment and came in contact with many people at the facility and played with as many as 40 other dogs.

So here is a case where a dog has never had a single negative incident on her portfolio, and one bite in her entire life illicits a knee-jerk reaction from this seemingly uneducated animal control officer to see that Kimmee is forever prevented from going to another home again, as long as she lives, or is euthanized.

And she claims she has done this “tons of times before”.  I’m glad she tangled with us now, and not some poor, distraught animal owner who didn’t know the law, or their rights.  I think now she has to be stopped and she has to be educated and she has to make decisions that are based in the best interest of the animal AND the person who has been bitten.  At no juncture do we take this bite as something to act flippantly over, or something that is not a terrible incident.  At no point do we think Kimmee should be adopted into a home with little children running about and lots of noise and commotion.  But that isn’t the situation here.  The situation here is that they want her confined forever, or killed.  Is that the right response to a dog that has been perfect her whole life and had ONE incident?

Absolutely not.

So we are happy to be the voice for Kimmee and we are glad to be.  The difference is that we KNOW the law and no longer will Laureen, the ACO, be allowed to walk over people and take away their dogs to be killed. We are sorry that she is so close minded.  When we tried to call her to explain this she didn’t want to hear it.  She didn’t even want to discuss it – just “see you in court”.  Yes Laureen, we will see you in court.  Please bring your best lawyers, because THIS is one dog you will not be sticking a needle into or forcing to spend her life with a muzzle on, and in a cement run.  THIS dog will be protected by Pets Alive.

Know your rights too.  What if YOUR dog bit someone.  Do you have to surrender the dog to Animal Control?  NO!  Do you have to sign her over to be euthanized?  NO! Can they take your dog from you without a court hearing?  NO.  Can your neighbors demand your dog be removed or euthanized if their child was bitten?  No. Learn the law.  Don’t ever give your dog up without a fight.

So we are very prepared for Tuesday. Wish us, and Kimmie, good luck. We need to stop Laureen from doing this anymore.  Here, she isn’t tangling with a home owner that is scared, upset and nervous.  Now she is dealing with us, and we aren’t going to lay down and go quietly.  We never do when the life of an animal hangs in the balance.

Ready?  Let’s roll.

What can you do?
Contact Justice Thomas Cione: nyawadira@gmail.com, 845-294-6477 – ask him to rule on the side of Kaylee (Kimmee) on Tuesday – a dog that has had only one negative incident her entire life. Please remind him that we like the job he has been doing so far for Goshen, and that he is running for re-election. Politely remind him that our community cares about our animals, and wants him to care, as well. Please ask him to re-familiarize himself with the Dangerous Dog Laws of New York State.  (Be courteous and polite at ALL times!)
Town of Goshen website:  http://www.townofgoshen.org

NOTE: THE COURT DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO OCTOBER 26.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO SEND LETTERS.
Contact Justice Thomas Cione nyawadira@gmail.com & courteously request he dismiss this case. He will decide about dismissal THIS week.
We are unclear if that is correct email for the justice, so please also fax your letter to him at: 845-294-4456, or call 845-294-6477

You can also contact the town supervisor. Tell him to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on this case. Ask him to drop the case fax: 845-294-6542

Update #2:
On October 26th we went back to court. The case was DISMISSED on a technicality. The ACO officer filed all the paperwork in the name of the dogs previous owners. I told her months ago this made no sense, as WE owned the dog now but she did it that way anyway. This came back to bite her in the butt as the judge advised that even if he ruled in her favor, he would have to instruct the previous owners to surrender the dog, which they would just respond that they didn’t OWN the dog and had no legal ability to surrender her. So in this time that we have had with her, Kimmee has lived with other dogs, been walked by children, men, woman and all sorts of volunteers, been dressed up in Halloween costumes and so on. She is NOT an aggressive dog. In fact there is tremendous doubt now that she actually even BIT the guy. More on that later. So the update is that the ACO refiled all the paperwork against Kimmee, but some other changes happened between the time the case was dismissed and the ACO refiled. More on that soon, and pictures to come.

CAARA would:

• Make it illegal for shelters to kill animals if qualified rescue groups are willing to save them;
• End “convenience” killing when there are empty cages and when animals can share kennels or be sent to foster care;
• Require pounds to post strays, including photographs and descriptions, on the Internet so their families can search for them online;
• Require transparency in operations by requiring shelters to make their statistics public;
• Require pounds to scan for microchips, maintain lost/found lists, and match lost with found animals in the shelter;
• Require fresh food and water, environmental enrichment, clean living environments, as well as prompt and necessary veterinary care; and,
• Allow shelters to transfer stray animals to rescue groups during the holding period to free up cage space or get vulnerable animals out as soon as possible, subject to the same rights of redemption for the animal’s family.

Senator Robach is a sponsor of CAARA, but he is being opposed by powerful industry groups in his own district. We need to thank Senator Robach for standing up for the animals and urge him to ignore the Naysayers who want to make sure that their power is not upended since they do not represent either his true constituents or the people of New York.

Please telephone or e-mail Senator Robach today: Thank him for sponsoring CAARA and let him know that if he pushes forward, he will be a hero not only to the animals, but also to the many thousands of animal-loving supporters of CAARA, who have written, telephoned, emailed elected officials in Albany to let them know how much we care and want this bill passed as it is currently written.

As always, please be polite and positive.

Oreo’s Law (now CAARA) WILL “die” without your calls and letters!

On Monday or Tuesday, Oreo’s Law (now known as CAARA – Companion Animal Adoption & Rescue Act ) will be voted on by the New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee. But it is not likely to pass without a large showing of community support between now and then. That is because the opposition has been lobbying strongly against the bill once again. We told them last year we would NOT allow this to happen again.

CAARA would:

• End “convenience” killing when there are empty cages and when animals can share kennels or be sent to foster care
• Require pounds to post strays, including photographs and descriptions, on the Internet so their families can search for them online
• Require transparency in operations by requiring shelters to make their statistics public
• Require pounds to scan for microchips, maintain lost/found lists, and match lost with found animals in the shelter
• Require fresh food and water, environmental enrichment, clean living environments, as well as prompt and necessary veterinary care

If CAARA is defeated, thousands upon thousands of cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, rabbits, and other animals will continue to be needlessly killed in NYS shelters every year—animals CAARA has the power to save.

A statewide survey of NYS rescue groups found that over 70% were being turned away because the shelters were hostile to rescue groups, and then those shelters turned around and killed the very animals the rescuers were willing to save. We have experienced this time and time again, right here in Orange County, in our own backyard. Time and again we offer to take in animals that other local shelters are about to kill and they turn us away. THIS HAS TO STOP!

Tragically, right doesn’t always defeat might. Sometimes the animals don’t win. Sometimes they continue to get killed despite a readily available lifesaving and rescue alternative. Sometimes a feral kitten who a rescue group is willing to socialize and place in a loving home will instead get injected with poison from a bottle marked “fatal plus” and then dumped in a landfill. Sometimes a puppy who can go to rescue and be guaranteed a home will be killed instead. For their sake, please do not let this be one of those times. This may be the best chance we have as a generation to make a PURPOSEFUL POSITIVE impact for animals! We can change the world here folks – please. Help. This is critical. Time is of the essence. Don’t think about it – take a few moments to send an email or make a call.

Please post on your social media sites and ask your friends to do the same. You can find a sample letter here. (Please modify it into your own words). You can also cut and paste the following e-mails to your letter as well.

mageew@assembly.state.ny.us; amedoreg@assembly.state.ny.us; benedettom@assembly.state.ny.us; blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us; bronsonh@assembly.state.ny.us; butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us; crouchc@assembly.state.ny.us; finchg@assembly.state.ny.us; gunthera@assembly.state.ny.us; hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us; liftonb@assembly.state.ny.us; lopezp@assembly.state.ny.us; maisela@assembly.state.ny.us; markeym@assembly.state.ny.us; mcenenyj@assembly.state.ny.us; moyaf@assembly.state.ny.us; reillyr@assembly.state.ny.us; riveraj@assembly.state.ny.us; riverap@assembly.state.ny.us; russella@assembly.state.ny.us; rosenthall@assembly.state.ny.us; avella@nysenate.gov; gallivan@nysenate.gov; shuntley@nysenate.gov; kennedy@nysenate.gov; omara@nysenate.gov; ranz@senate.state.ny.us; ritchie@nysenate.gov; seward@nysenate.gov; valesky@senate.state.ny.us; cyoung@senate.state.ny.us;

Yes.  Paid.  After viciously murdering animals, they can sit home, basically on vacation, and get paid for it.

Sheriff Sam Parker’s office, which oversees the Chesterfield Shelter, initiated the investigation. So here we have the department that is directly connected with running the operation investigating themselves.  Nice, right?

Well,  YOU didn’t think so, and thanks to your calls and outrage, Governor Nikki Haley’s office stepped in and asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to takeover. SLED was asked to lead the investigation and turn over their findings to the Attorney General’s (AG) office.  Great, right?  Welllll, not so fast….read on.

On March 31 when the investigation was “complete” and the findings turned over to the Attorney General for review, it appears almost NONE of the KEY people responsible for calling attention to this were even interviewed!!  That includes the volunteer who first unearthed the bodies of these animals, the 4 animal control officers accused of these crimes,  the eye witnesses who came forward regarding the abuses they witnessed at the shelter, and none of the evidence of dog fighting was ever examined.

SAY WHAT??

How in the world does an investigation go on without any of the KEY players being interviewed?  Look, I’m not a law enforcement person, I don’t even play one on TV, but I do watch cop shows and admittedly that is the extent of my “vast” police knowledge, but it seems to me that watching even the most inept police departments and detectives on TV, they STILL seem to interview people that SAW a crime or KNOW about a crime.  Yet SLED doesn’t appear to have done ANY of that.  Hmmm.

It is becoming increasingly clear that SLED, an organization that Sheriff Parker was member of for over 20 years, is not interested in thoroughly investigating the massacre and abuse of these animals, or  holding anyone accountable for these despicable and horrendous acts.  The “Old Boys Club” back at work?

However, at the request of the AG – at least THEY seem to have some common sense, SLED has been instructed to REOPEN their investigation and conduct official interviews with four animal control officers, asking if they participated or directed anyone to participate in the unlawful shooting of dogs. The agents were also asked to look into reports of dog-fighting-related activities at the shelter.

Well.  That’s a start.

What a shame that SLED has no experience in investigations that they did not realize they should do this!  Or…oh my…no, it couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that the Sheriff that they are possibly investigating was a member there for 20 years, could it?  Nah.  That would be WRONG, so that can’t be it.

OK, so we talked about how inept the investigation has been so far and how little they actually care at all about this.  I can even imagine them saying “Hey, look, the internet people all got pissy, so let’s pretend to look into this and it’ll all die down”. (That’s what Ed Sayres said about Oreo, remember?  Hey, – how’s that working for YOU Ed?)

But most importantly, what has happened to the animals at the Chesterfield Shelter in the past six weeks?

I can tell you.

NOTHING good.

Here are some of the “nothing good”:

1. The volunteers of Paws and Claws, the rescue that has worked at the shelter for over 15 years, have been locked out and told that their services are no longer required.
2. Sheriff’s deputies have been tasked with running the shelter while the ACOs are on leave and animals are now being either given away or sold for a dollar. Yes. Not adopted. SOLD. For a dollar.
3. The animals are NOT getting vaccinated or fixed. They are going out into the community without vaccines, unaltered and have already begun to pop up on Craigslist for resale.  I’m sure lots and lots of puppies are not too far behind, and lots are likely going to labs or dog fighting rings….as either fighters or bait dogs.
4. At a recent event in Cheraw, SC, one of the animal control vehicles was parked at the side of the road leading into the event with a box of puppies and a handmade sign “for sale” displayed.

The end of this nightmare is nowhere in sight and it is clear that those in charge would be happy to see this swept under the rug and things to “go back to normal”.

So do we have to sit back and accept this?
OH COME ON!  YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT BY NOW!

Heck no. We are gonna bombard them with calls again and remind them that THE NATION IS WATCHING AND WE WILL NOT TOLERATE OUR ANIMALS BEING TREATED LIKE THIS!  We will remind them that when an animal winds up in a shelter it is because they need and are asking for HELP. NOT ABUSE AND MURDER.  Remind them that THEY work for US. And that WE care about our nation’s animals!

Now more than ever we must stand together and fight to bring justice for the animals killed and to fight to ensure lasting change for this shelter and the many high kill shelters scattered throughout SC. Without an independent group appointed to oversee these shelters the suffering will never end. The men responsible for these crimes need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and we must demand an end to the lawlessness.

What can you do?

1. Call the Attorney General Alan Wilson and remind him of his instructions to SLED to interview ALL key witnesses. To date, that hasn’t happened. 803-734-3970 or online http://www.scattorneygeneral.org/ag/contactform.html
2. Call Governor Nikki Haley (803)734-2100 grassroots@nikkihaley.com and Lieutenant Governor Ken Ard (803) 734-2080 LtGovernor@scstatehouse.gov
3. Participate in person or online – SC Animal Awareness Day in Memory of the Chesterfield 22 and in Honor of all animals suffering in SC shelters Thursday, April 21, 2011 from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM (ET) http://scawareness.eventbrite.com/
4. Sign this petition at Change.org http://www.change.org/petitions/hold-chesterfield-co-shelter-accountable-for-shooting-dogs-and-other-abuse-charges

Below is a list of the many laws that have been broken or ignored at Chesterfield, visit http://on.fb.me/fjFx56 for more details and news stories.

LAWS BROKEN OR IGNORED AT CHESTERFIELD

(NOTE – PLEASE DO NOT READ BELOW IF YOU ARE EASILY UPSET.  STOP HERE AND JUST PLEASE MAKE THE CALLS ABOVE. Below is not a nice read. If you have doubts though, or want more information, read on…but I am warning you that some of the details are graphic and they are NOT necessary for you to read in order understand and make the calls we need. Please make those calls. Write those letters. The dogs are counting on you to help.  YOU ARE ALL THEY HAVE.)

1. Dogs were shot as a euthanasia solution. State law clearly states that a dog may only be shot in an emergency such as a safety threat (an example would be rabies), to prevent suffering, or to stop an openly aggressive dog.

SECTION 47-3-420. Allowable methods of euthanasia . [SC ST SEC 47-3-420]
(3) Shooting: Shooting may be used as a means of euthanasia only in an emergency situation to prevent extreme suffering or in which the safety of people or other animal life is threatened or where it is considered necessary by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to eliminate or control the population of feral animals.

The dogs shot at Chesterfield were gentle, and were walked on leashes to the landfill where they were shot. One witness who previously worked at the shelter was practically in tears as he described one dog sitting on its haunches panting and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds as it waited to die. This witness NEVER saw an animal euthanized by injection. The same witness described cats being hit with iron pipes.

2. The shelter manager, Brian Burch, is a convicted felon who served time for drug charges. (Burch was sentenced to 3 years and a $10,000 fine in 1996 for distribution of cocaine. He did receive a pardon in 2000.)

3. The gas chamber at Chesterfield was disabled last year for safety reasons. It did not pass a safety inspection. (Sheriff Sam Parker told FOX news that the shelter adopted a lethal injection policy “about a year ago.”) Shelter workers were then certified to euthanize by injection. The drug supposedly bought for this purpose was Ketamine, a drug which is not approved by the FDA for use in dogs It is NOT a euthanasia drug, but it IS a popular street drug, commonly called “Special K.” What happened to the Ketamine? The shelter provided FOX with records indicating they’ve purchased 3 bottles of Euthasol – which is a euthanasia drug, but veterinary experts have indicated that 3 bottles of Euthasol would not be enough to handle the volume of animals moving through the Chesterfield shelter over a 12 month period.   The Chesterfield Co. Sheriff’s office provided FOX with drug records that show three drug orders in the last 12 months and several drug logs. The drug logs appeared to reflect inconsistencies as to how the drugs were administered, i.e. the same doses for 20 dogs, despite weight differences.

4. The landfill where the dead animals were discovered. SC Department of Health and Environmental Control had made it clear that animal bodies could not be dumped there. The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed and FOX reported that the area is an “un-permitted landfill” and that the Sheriff’s office had been made aware long before this case started that animals could not be dumped there. DHEC then “reminded” the shelter again after the dead dogs were discovered.

5. Several witnesses told of pit bulls having signs on their cages saying “Hold for Brian Burch.” The only reasonable assumption is that these dogs were slated for fighting. The one tag FOX has a picture of says “Hold For Brian Burch and Frank Laney (Brian’s predecessor as shelter manager).” One witness also told FOX that when she asked to see “game dogs,” she was led to the pit bulls and an inmate working at the shelter set up an impromptu dog fight to show her how aggressive one of the dogs was and how it would “make her some money.”  The witness says the inmate threw a smaller, mixed breed dog in with the pit and the pit killed the dog in front of her. The witness also says she saw numerous pit bulls with tags on their kennels that said “Hold for Brian Burch.”

Enough?  Yes. Enough. I’m sick. And angry. and my heart is wounded and hurt and I’ve got tears in my eyes as I type this.  I can’t bear it.  Can you?  Let’s put a stop to this.  Are you ready?  Then pick up the phone, make those calls and write those letters.

R.I.P. sweet Dora and all the others.  We’re coming for these vicious people and we’re not going to let them get away with it.  I promise you all. WE promise you.

YOU ARE ALL THEY HAVE.

DO SOMETHING.

(Thank you Jude for pulling all of this together for me)

This is just the first step of getting this bill passed.

Truly none of us felt it would be a problem, initially, to get it through this first committee.  It was later we thought we’d have the true battle.  But we underestimated the ASPCA – they have done this before, we were neophytes.  They recognized that the best way to make sure it never saw the light of day was to influence the first committee to can it…and they did.  They didn’t actually shut it down, they were just able to get it “tabled”, which meant that months ago they just all agreed NOT to vote on it until next session.

So in that time, we estimate that 16,629 number of animals have died in New York Shelters as a result.

Well here we are again.

It’s been presented back into committee, and immediately Best Friends has come out against it.

We EXPECT the ASPCA to come out against it.  After all, the very name “Oreo’s Law” is forever a blight on their organization.  For those of you that have lived in a cave the last year, Oreo was a dog that suffered abuse every day of her life. She was finally tossed from a six story building and she miraculously survived.  She had broken bones and a broken spirit, but with care and surgery she survived.  A true Miracle Dog.  But she didn’t like other dogs and so the ASPCA deemed her unadoptable and they killed her.  They murdered her even though Pets Alive stepped up and agreed to take her here.

I mean here is a dog that was in pain, multiple surgeries, in a strange and scary place, and we said let’s give her some time in a sanctuary with some peace and they said something like “nah, we know best, we’re gonna murder her”.  And they did. (I don’t think that the word “euthanasia” should ever be allowed to be applied in cases like this).  Even though we have a track record of saving and rehabbing HUNDREDS of dogs much, much, much, worse than ones with a little dog aggression.

But here is the good part of Oreo’s death if there is such a thing. The community was UP IN ARMS and OUTRAGED.

Here was a dog – a true MIRACLE – that had known nothing but abuse her entire life and survived the “un-survivable” and the ASPCA, the group we give our money to to “speak for the animals” and to protect them – they decided to kill her even when there was another option.

So people were outraged and they demanded something be done and so Oreo’s Law was birthed.  And Oreo’s Law says that if a rescue that is a 501(c)3 and has no past record of any sort of animal charges against them, that if they step up and can help by taking a dog from a euthanasia list of a shelter (we still have to pay that shelters adoption fees!), then they should be allowed to do so.

If we had this, then Oreo would probably be in a loving home right now being pampered and shown love for the first time in her life. Instead she is dead, and in a landfill because the ASPCA decided that even though they raised a ton of money from her “miracle story”, that she wasn’t worth giving more than a couple of months of time to.

So enter Oreo’s Law.
Enter the ASPCA crushing it and lobbying against it – as expected – (we did offer to change the name if they would support it) and then enter Best Friends – the champions of no kill, the group that pretty much, in my mind, started the entire no-kill movement.  They decide that we can’t win against the ASPCA.  They tell us that they are starting a huge fund raising campaign in NY this year and they will be raising money here, and they can’t do it without the ASPCA’s support and backing.  And they won’t support Oreo’s Law because they say that going against the ASPCA would be political suicide.

I am not telling you that I SUSPECT this. I am not telling you that I think this is what happened, I am telling you that they SAID this on the phone with me, and Nathan and others.

It was devestating.
Best Friends.
My hero’s.

The people we modeled the entire Pets Alive organization after, the people that saved our ass when the previous director and founder  of Pets Alive got brain cancer, made terrible decisions down here, put animals in danger and then she died leaving no plan in place for any of them.  When we came here and saw what had happened we called Best Friends, and they came and helped and put us on our feet.  My heroes.  I read their magazine cover to cover.  I cry happy tears when animals I know were adopted there, and I went out there many times to visit and work at their amazing facility in Utah. I know many of the founders and consider many of the staff my friends. I want to be clear – I LOVED this organization with EVERY breath. LOVED THEM. BELIEVED IN THEM.

I was dumbfounded. How could BF not support this.  I couldn’t believe it.  We wrote a few blogs about it.  You can read them here:

• Paying it Forward – written by Kerry (me)  and
• Best Friends, Welcome to New York – written by Matt.

They betrayed us.
They betrayed the animals.
They chose political alignments over animals lives.

I still can not believe it.
As I write this, I sit and I say this can’t be true.  IT CAN’T BE.  I love that organization.  I LOVE them.  Please this can not be true.  Please.

But it is.

As shocking as it is, they have lost their way.
They choose politics now over lives.
They have become one of the big names.
The big players.
And they lost their mission.

Let me tell you that Michael Mountain – their PAST CEO – DID support Oreo’s Law.  HE IS TRUE to his heart and to his mission. He is truly what the animal movement should be about.  You can read his letter and many other letters of support here: http://petsalive.com/oreo.html

Because even after they trashed Oreo’s Law, and as a result it was defeated in committee (or “tabled”), we still worked with Best Friends.  We did the Beagle Rescue with them.  We still support many of the things they do.  They still do great things.  They helped us save all those beagles (they footed the entire bill) they recently saved 200 dogs in a situation in Arkansas (we took 8 of those dogs here), and their outreach in helping people with dogs and cats is amazing.

They do a great number of mass rescues and their Help Desk helps countless others place animals and get help for animals that need it.  Of course they raise money too from these ventures, although I do not hold that against them – it would be stupid to spend thousands of dollars and NOT publicize and get PR for what you are doing and not try to get the money out of that publicity. Let’s face it, they aren’t stupid and I don’t begrudge them that. EVERY rescue or shelter will highly publicize the good that they do in the hopes of support from the community. We NEED it to continue our missions, so as I said, they do many great things, but of course they also raise a lot of money from them as well.

But once again, Oreo’s law is put forth and they refuse to support it.

But here are the disconnects. They supported the Delaware law which was MUCH, MUCH tougher.  The Delaware law wouldn’t even allow a shelter to euthanize an animal if it had an empty available FOSTER home, an empty kennel, or ANY other option – wow!  How awesome is THAT law!!??  We have tons of shelters here killing animals before the weekend “in case” lots of animals come in.  What if none do?  You just killed dozens of animals for no reason.  So in Delaware, this comes out and Best Friends supported it!!!  They issued a statement and congratulated Delaware animal lovers and publicly supported the law.  So what is the difference?

They SAY (and this is NOT true) that Delaware had a provision that the shelter could inspect the rescue group and Oreo’s Law does not. They said that was what the difference was. HELLO!  HELLO!  PAY ATTENTION NOW. Oreo’s Law was rewritten to appease Best Friends on this issue – they told us if we rewrote it to include this issue they would support it!  THEY PROMISED US!  SO WE DID!  Oreo’s law gives shelters the ability to inspect the rescue group when they have reason to suspect that the animal might be put in harm’s way.  Yet THEY claim that “the language has not changed since last year…” Not true.

So did they not BOTHER to read it because they don’t care? Did they not bother to read it because they don’t want to have to support it because it puts them at odds with the ASPCA? Or did they read it, know this and put forth misinformation to make themselves look not so heinous and let you, the readers, read their statement and say “Oh!  Well, that makes sense”.  Well I am telling you that they are either IGNORANT, or they are LYING.

They told us they would support it if we changed the wording.  We did.  They lied.  They say that the wording is the same.  It is NOT.

Then they said that they do not get involved in any legislative issues, that they always stay “neutral”. But, um…hello… by NOT supporting it they aren’t “neutral” and they DID support Delaware.  So Best Friends, why the spin?  Why the lies?  What are you doing and WHY, WHY, WHY?  Do you care that animals are killed every day as a result of this? Almost 17,000 since Oreo’s Law was tabled. Part of those deaths, rest with you.

OK so let’s move on.  They keep spinning it. Here is yet ANOTHER reason they gave for not supporting it. “Rescuers can be hoarders”.
But if that is true, then why support the Delaware law? Delaware Rescues are NOT hoarders, but NY rescuers ARE hoarders?

And wait, just last week The CEO of Best Friends wrote a whole blog trashing PETA because PETA says that no kill organizations are just hoarders in disguise and he trashed that comment (RIGHTFULLY SO) and said that rescuers and no kill organizations are NOT hoarders and that “hoarding is a mental disability that may be linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Animal hoarders are no friends of no-kill, and Best Friends and others in the no-kill movement have led the way in exposing and bringing hoarders to justice.”  Hmm.

Also what is the percentage of hoarders that are rescuers?  I know hundreds of rescues. Truly HUNDREDS. There are a few I’m not crazy about.  True.  But the percentage of them that are hoarders?  Out of the HUNDREDS I know?   Ummm.  None.

And if everyone is worried, REALLY, about hoarders?   Then wait a second.  The ASPCA brings in $80 million dollars a YEAR. They pay their CEO $500,000+ a year. Wouldn’t that be THEIR job?  To track down “fake rescues” that are really “hoarding” and shut them down and help the animals?  Wait.  Isn’t that what the ASPCA is SUPPOSED to do?  American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  Isn’t that their job? So why are we worried about hoarders?  We have an organization with $80 million buckaroos every single year at their disposal.  Are you telling me they can’t hunt down, sniff out, or follow up on reports of hoarding in NY?  Why would we need Oreo’s Law to do that, we already HAVE an organization that is charged with handling that, and we give them a TON of money to do it.  Hey, ASPCA instead of wasting money fighting Oreo’s Law and instead of wasting money killing miracle dogs, how about you go hunt down some hoarders and shut them down, so good rescues can get on with their good work?

Gregory Castle goes on to say, in this blog, that “PETA believes that all pit bulls should be killed upon entering shelters, rather than be adopted by the public. Why? Because PETA believes that there is a chance that someone with bad intentions might adopt a pit from a shelter and use him/her for fighting or tie him/her out in the yard to serve as a macho guard dog”.

Gregory disagrees with this. But wait…are you all following me here?  He disagrees with Oreo’s Law because say SOME dog, maybe 1% of dogs or cats might wind up with a hoarder or a bad person, we should not save the other 99%.  So he disagrees with PETA when they say the exact same thing, yet he says this in his rebuttal of Oreo’s Law.  Oh the hoarders will get the animals.  The sky is falling!

Here is a news blast for you.  Take a look at ANY newspaper classified section. Go to the front of ANY supermarket or Walmart store, go to your local Craigslist.  See how easy it is to get FREE animals?  Why in the world would hoarders go through the trouble of establishing a non-profit, getting a 501(c) 3, developing a rescue – JUST so they could get dogs from euthanasia lists in shelters in NY?  I’m sorry but please, this is so absurd.  It doesn’t hold any water.

Any how much of this has happened in California where there IS an Oreo’s Law?  Have they seen an outbreak of hoarders saving dogs and cats from euthanasia? Um…no.
Has it happened in Delaware? Are there TONS of hoarders now? Umm..No.
So why is New York supposed to be different?

And let me tell you that by writing this email, I am committing suicide for my organization.

Read that again.
I am committing suicide for my organization.

Why? how? Because recently I asked Best Friends for help with our Elmsford location.  We took over another shelter that was failing miserably. They had over 1000 animals there. They were all living in horrible little cages.  We used the practices Best Friends taught us, and we went in and set things straight. We have a LONG, LONG way to go there, but no animals live in cages and 500+ have been adopted, placed with other organizations, and so forth.  But we need help there. It is a huge nut to crack, and fix, and we could desperately use Best Friends resources and help.  We might fail if they don’t help us. But I was warned.  They would help us, but not if I did this.  Spoke out against them again like this.

And as I write this, the blood in my veins goes cold, with fear over that threat.  Without their help, Elmsford may have to close down.  We can’t fail there, what would happen to all those animals? We CAN’T fail and we have such HUGE plans for the future for that place – to do mass rescues and really make an impact for animals.

But I would be no better than what they are doing if I chose my alliance with them, and what they can do for us, over the lives of animals.

Because that is what they did. They chose the alliance with the ASPCA over the lives of animals.

So don’t think I didn’t think long and hard before I wrote this.
I did.
It hurts me to write this, believe it or not, and it tremendously hurts my organization.

But if I choose to stay quiet, and I choose my relationship with them, over what is RIGHT, then I do exactly what I’m so disgusted with them about.

And there are other blogs about this as well, about the terrible disappointment we all feel in Best Friends:

• Nathan Winograd:  “With Best Friends Like These….”
• and Yes Biscuit’s! Best Friends and Oreo’s Law Redux

So do as you will Best Friends.
Pull your proposed support from our Elmsford project.
I won’t hold that against you, but forever I will hold against you choosing the ASPCA over what is right.

Oreo’s Law is right.
You are wrong.

Choose LIFE.
Choose LIFE and LIVES over alliances and politics.

There is still time to make it right.
Will you?

At the end of Gregory Castle’s PETA blog it says this:
“PETA, please let go of the dock and get on-board the No More Homeless Pets boat. We’d love to have you with us.”

I say:

“Best Friends, please let go of your alliances and get on board to save lives again. We’d love to have you with us.”

>>In 2007, Best Friends rescued a failed and dilapidated Pets Alive sanctuary by investing over a million dollars and 8 months of a rotating cadre of Best Friends staff to get the organization back on its feet. Best Friends has spent millions of dollars and countless hours of staff and volunteer time in the past few years bailing out or cleaning up after 501c3s and rescues that have gotten in over their head with animals they can’t handle. These include Pets Alive, Gabbs, Nevada, FLOCK in Las Vegas, Oasis Sanctuary in New York….

…In fact, a number of dogs from Pets Alive, to whom the current management did not feel they could do justice, and who had languished there in squalid conditions prior to our intervention in 2007, were taken in at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah.<<

Yes, Best Friends, this is true. Well MOST of it. It wasn’t a million dollars you spent here. We know, because we got the bill from you that your past CEO, Paul Berry eventually waived, when he saw how great we were doing and how we would become a force for animals in this area. That bill, before it was waived, was just under $500,000. A minor point, but please, no need to inflate it. Let’s stick to the facts here. We have not bad mouthed you or beaten you up – in fact when people were saying they were going to withdraw support from you, we said “DON’T DO THAT”!  We have stressed how we disagree with your opinion on being neutral about this and how critical we needed your support on this bill. That’s it. Others have run with it and it has gone viral but to attack us isn’t really necessary. We didn’t…we COULD. Remember all the things that happened in those eight months? Ouch. We all know each others secrets, don’t we? Secrets that are better left between us, yes?

WE – Pets Alive – don’t really have any secrets. Our bad history has been all over the web (and we include it on our website). In fact, we make no secret about it at all – I am the one that called you when I saw Pets Alive, and how bad it was. I was the one that personally begged you to come down and save all the animals. WE, the people here now, are NOT the people that were here THEN when the situation was so bad. YOU put us here, YOU trained us, WE are YOU. We follow all your protocols, and all your job descriptions and indeed use YOUR adoption contract, and YOUR surrender forms, and your hiring methods – we are you. We are what you trained us to be. And you trained us to always be on the side of animals and speak out and help where we see wrong.

That is what we have done here…when we tried to save Oreo. When we try to save animals from other shelters that will kill them, if there is any way that we can help.

But most of all…we do what you asked us to do. What your former CEO’s (Michael Mountain and Paul Berry) asked us to do when they left. They said “We will absolve your debt to us. Instead pay it forward. Help other rescues like we helped you. Help animals. Be the GOOD in the world. Be the change. Do what you can to make things better for animals in your neck of the woods.”

I get up every single day with that intent, and that goal, and I take that promise that we made to you very seriously. We have done that. We did what you asked. Let me give you a little summary.

• We have helped make FOUR shelters no-kill. We take in their over-flow, we help them develop programs, we help them by inviting them to our adoption events, or putting their animals on our petfinder or by directing our people to them. How many animals have they now saved as a result? How many less have died as a result of what happened with Pets Alive? We ask them what you asked of us – Pay it Forward. Help others. And they do. How many more will THEY then help and so on? So was your dropping half a mil here a waste? Do you regret it? Let’s look….
• We have adopted out over 1000 animals from our own site every year since you left. That is over 2300 animals right from here. 2300 that have lived as a result of us being here.
• We have saved countless numbers of others by putting them in touch with OUR adopters when we don’t have a dog or cat to match what they are looking for – we help them find that animal in a local (or even NON local) shelter and help facilitate getting that animal to them. Those numbers are not counted, but they are there and they DO count.
• We have become the resource for new shelters starting out. This “dilapidated place” as you call us?… well, other shelter directors and managers come here in DROVES every year to take a tour, ask us questions, learn from us and brain storm with us. We ask them to go and help animals, and call us no matter what they need. And we are always there for them – late at night, early in the morning with advice, sharing our resources, helping however we can.
• We started a Humane Education program. We teach kids about empathy and about how animals feel and what THEY need to do to BE THE CHANGE in their generation. Teach them to go forth and speak up if the see animal cruelty or lack of animal care. And those kids – they are our next generation to try to make a difference.
• We have gone in and done mass rescues. The most recent in West Virginia where we saved 78 animals from a bad situation, brought them here, worked with a dozen other rescues and shelters to place them, get them into good homes and get them vetted and cared for. It was a massive undertaking for a small organization like us.
• We started a foster program- moving seniors and hard to place dogs into foster care to help them become more adoptable….we’re in the wee stages but so far it has been very successful.
• We allow kids to come and volunteer here. Something almost no other organization allows. Little children are here every week, playing with animals, walking them or just sitting and talking to them. We have helped families reconnect and teach their children about charity and love.
• We take in animals that have no other place to go – the ones that need surgeries, or have issues, the ones that no other place will touch and we get them here and we fix them up and we find them homes. if not then we provide a great quality of life for them here.
• We take surrender requests and we put those people in touch with our trainers to try to show them that they can keep the animals there in the home with them and they can work on the problems rather than giving up the dogs or cats.
• We have provided boarding or animals for other shelters when they had over flow, or for military having to go overseas.
• We are building and raising money for a medical building. When done, it won’t just be for US. We plan to offer to EVERY no-kill shelter in the area, or ones trying to be, the use of our facility. They will pay ONLY our cost for any treatment that any of their animals need. We will help other rescues and shelters save money to help develop programs and other ways to help their animals find homes, so that medical costs do not need to stand in the way.
• The medical facility will also offer low or no cost spay/neuter and inexpensive basic medical care to the community residents.
• We have bailed out another rescue – one that is three times the size of us – because they are no-kill, and because to lose them in the community that they are in would be devastating to animals. This was a huge undertaking and frightening for us but it looks like we may just pull that off. Then there is another facility – this one that can house 300 dogs and 200 cats that would otherwise be dead. We paid that forward and we’re still struggling there – don’t suppose you’d like to help?

So Best Friends. When you belittle us and accuse us of not being grateful…what more could you have asked for?
What more could any mentor have asked for, than what we have become?

And when we came to you with a plan to save thousands upon thousands of animals- your only answer is to refuse because you don’t think everyone is being nice enough to each other?
You have broken my spirit.
Broken it.
I had total faith and total belief in you. You were the leader, my mentor, the place that I put all my faith and trust in, and all my belief that things CAN be better that things WILL be better.

You are wrong on this issue and instead of stepping forward and contacting us to try to work it out for January, you instead malign us on your website. I’m so saddened by this. I still believed that you would step up. Right up until today’s post…I still held out. Ask Matt, ask Nathan, ask anyone. They have been telling me that you have gone to the dark side and I said no way….wait and see they will do the right thing. I am so sorry to be wrong. I am deeply broken over this.

I wish, more than you could know, that you were by our side.
I get it though now. I finally get it.

We could have done GREAT things in New York together.
WE – Pets Alive – still will.

Read John Sibley’s blog. Your own staff recognize the negative changes in your organization.
Why can’t you?

It’s a classic David versus Goliath proposition, and Goliath is winning.
They’ve convinced the chairman of the Agriculture Committee (Robert
Magee) to table the bill because the “language isn’t clear.” What part
of “if a qualified rescue requests an animal that would otherwise be
euthanized the request must be fulfilled” don’t they understand?

Emails and calls are pouring into Magee’s office and the other members
of both the Senate and Assembly Agriculture committees are getting them
as well. Animal lovers and voters are making it clear that they will
hold these people responsible for the innocent lives that will be lost
should this bill die in committee.

I have been watching the email servers at the Senate and the Assembly,
and they are bogged down with emails to the point where we have to send
over and over again to get them through. This is fantastic! Keep it up,
my friends. In a election year that has a tremendous anti-incumbent
sentiment we need to let them know that we’re watching, we vote, and we
will blame them for the lives that would be lost should this bill be passed.

Ed Sayres of the ASPCA, Jane Hoffman of the Mayor’s Alliance, and groups
like the Animal Law “Coalition” have poured money and lobbyist time into
killing this bill. Let’s show them that in the end the PEOPLE of New
York decide the POLICIES of New York, not some power hungry elitists
with our money spilling out of their pockets.

I, Matt DeAngelis, promise that should Mr. Magee table this bill I will
personally pour my own personal time, energy and money into ensuring he
is defeated this November, WHEN HE IS UP FOR RE-ELECTION.

We need you loyal supporters. Go to this page:

http://petsalive.com/email

And send emails to the Ag Committee members letting them know this is
their last chance to choose life over politics. Urge them to vote YES in
getting the bill out of committee, rather than tabling it like our
opponents want to do.

Please…do it now. If you’d rather call, please do. But do it today. This
is our last chance (all the assembly phone numbers can be found here: http://bit.ly/9nC0z2).

Call and email friends and tell them to do it too.

Thanks. Together we have made such a tremendous difference in the lives
of companion animals, and here is an amazing opportunity to save
thousands. PLEASE. Act now.

Matt

I warn you that I see and read a lot of “horrible animal stuff” on a regular basis, doing what I do for a living. Reading this one resulted in a lot of grief and tears for me from the imagery it presented. I’m not quick to that reaction anymore. Perhaps I’ve been desensitized or learned coping methods of not letting it in too far. I won’t analyze it, but accept that how I shut a lot of it out is a necessary survival mechanism.

So I read a little of this one and was not able to shut it off and I didn’t finish the read. You can if you like, here is the link: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-the-use-of-gas-chambers-in-north-carolina-pounds.html

For the weak of heart I will summarize.

The basics are that the petition hopes to shut down gas chamber murders of animals in Gaston County, North Carolina. Georgia recently did something similar. It is now illegal to murder animals in a gas chamber. Yippee. I guess. Killing them other ways is still fine. This new attempt to get these law passed is called the “Killing With Kindness” campaign.

There is absolutely no doubt that this archaic method of murdering animals should be eliminated. No question. However I can’t bring myself to sign the petition. It seems to me that by signing it I am saying that THIS method of murdering is not ok, but lethal injection or OTHER methods of killing these poor helpless animals IS ?

Instead of raising all this public awareness about gas chambers, why not take it a step further and raise awareness about the numbers being killed? About why shelter directors are not TRYING to get animals out? Why perfectly healthy animals are killed while rescuers stand by willing to take them. Why the county will pay for these mass murders and body disposals but won’t pay for what could help solve the problem – spay/ neuter clinics. Why many shelters don’t try to reunite animals with their owners, don’t hold them for a decent amount of time to help facilitate that, don’t do offsite adoptions, or utilize petfinder, or promote their animals in any way whatsoever. Why some shelters kill animals even though they have empty runs and empty space (preparing for what MIGHT come in, or because they can keep staff low).

We deal with some shelters that are killing 200 to 300 dogs every week. You read that correctly. Every WEEK. I haven’t even MENTIONED cats. Did you read that? I want to be sure it sinks in. Every week. ONE shelter, in ONE town, in ONE state. This shelter has no programs. No adoption hours, no foster care, and they kill everything for the holidays so no staff have to come in and work on Christmas or other “holidays”. This is the TRUE horror and what awareness needs to be raised for.

I have relatives in the south who tell me about a dog they found, a stray. I tell them DONT BRING IT TO THE SHELTER!!!! Me! A shelter director. That is what I tell my family. I say trap it, get it fixed and help it with some food. Try to find a home, but if you can’t keep it, whatever you do, don’t bring it to a shelter. It stands a MUCH better chance of surviving out on it’s own than going into the system.

I mean shouldn’t THESE be the things that we get behind? Should we be desperately trying to stop gas chambers but ignoring the rest of this? Should we just accept the rest of this? Or are we saying “well…..one step at a time”?

By signing this petition….even though on principal I do agree with it, I feel as if I am saying…ok don’t do it (murder animals) that way. Do it THIS way. And THAT is ok. Well. Not “ok” but “less-not-ok”.

I can’t bring myself to do that. I do hope that this petition raises awareness and that you all sign it and support this….but personally I just can’t do it. It eats at me at a deep soul wrenching level.

I DO hope you all sign it. I DO hope that this is successful and it happens. I want them all gone. I want it to stop, so badly. I hope this is successful.

It may be a surprise to you all, that my partner in crime over here, the other Pets Alive director, Matt, disagrees with me about this. That is rare with us. I respect his opinion about this though, and completely understand the POV. He feels this is definitely a step in the right direction. It is incrementalism toward the goal of not killing them at all. He is even willing to pay, out of his own pocket, to send staffers to classes to learn how to do lethal injections if they promise to dismantle their gas chambers. On many levels, I deeply respect that. But I just can’t support it. I just can’t say “kill them nicer”. I can only say….

STOP KILLING.
TRY HARDER.
DEVELOP PROGRAMS.

After all – YOU – are all they have.

His crime? He’s a pit bull and he lives in Ohio. This is called breed-specific legislation, and the worst I’ve ever seen has been introduced by a moronic legislator by the name of Tyrone Yates of Cincinnati. Here is the yutz himself.

The details are simple:

The bill requires all owners to surrender their “pit bulls” within 90 days of the effective date of the proposed law. The bill is unequivocal that the dog warden “shall” euthanize all pit bulls within 10 days of their surrender.

Also under this proposal a dog warden or other officer who has probable cause to believe that a dog is a pit bull dog, may apply for a search warrant. With the search warrant the officer will have the authority to seize the pit bull dog and surrender it to the dog warden to be killed.

There are so many things wrong with this bill. First and foremost — IDIOT…PIT BULL IS NOT A BREED. Secondly, isn’t this America? The courts have held that animals are property. Coming in like Nazi Stormtroopers and seizing people’s property seems kind of against that quaint piece of paper we don’t hear much about anymore — the Constitution. I love the fact that they paper over this by making the dog warden apply for a search warrant, which will be rubber stamped if there is “reasonable cause” to believe the dog is a “pit bull.” What a joke.

Seizing and killing dogs just because they are a certain breed is un-American and unfair.

Luckily we have courts to overturn these stupid laws. Um….not in Ohio. The geniuses on the Ohio Supreme Court have already upheld a law banning the ownership of “pit bulls” in Toledo. Here’s how it reads:

No person or organization or corporation shall own, keep, harbor or provide sustenance for more than one vicious dog, as defined by Ohio R. C. 955.11, or a dog commonly known as a Pit Bull or Pit Bull mixed breed dog, regardless of age, in the City of Toledo, with the exception of puppies commonly known as Pit Bull or Pit Bull mixed breed for which the owner has filed an ownership acknowledgement form in person with the Dog Warden of Lucas County, prior to reaching seven (7) days of age. The ownership of these puppies must be transferred according to Ohio R. C. 955.11 before they are three (3) months of age. Additionally, this section requires that all vicious dogs, as described in the Ohio Revised Code, or dogs commonly known as Pit Bull or Pit Bull mixed breed dogs are required, when off the owners’ premises, to be securely confined as described in Ohio R.C. 955.22 and muzzled.

(b) Any vicious dog, as defined in the Ohio R. C. 955.11, or Pit Bull which is referred to in Ohio R. C. 955.11, which is outside the premises of the dog owner, shall be kept on a leash and muzzled until the dog’s return to the premises of ownership.

So anyone who owns a “pit bull” has to keep him muzzled anytime they leave their house. And the courts say this is okay, because the government has “legitimate interests in protecting citizens from dangers associated with pitbulls.”

Dangers? As someone from Ohio pointed out, here are selected risks in their state:

Fatal Dog Attacks in Ohio as Compared to Other Selected Risks:

Fatal dog attacks: 1
Struck by lightning : 3
Farm animal-related deaths: 4
Bicycle-related fatalities: 18
Child (<10 yrs.) drowned: 21
ATV-related deaths 30
Automobile accident fatalities: 1,379

So there are 1379% more auto accidents than dogbites. Toyotas are the most likely to cause accidents. I think they should seize people’s Toyotas and crush them. What’s the difference really?

I know we have supporters in Ohio. Write the idiots you elected and let them know how stupid this law will be. In fact, anyone can do it. Just go to the Ohio General Assembly website. One last thing. Remember how I said Pit Bull wasn’t a breed? That’s one of the biggest problems with this legislation. Take a look at all of the dogs on this page. Not a single one is a Pit Bull.

If they lived in Ohio they’d be either muzzled or dead. The breeds, from the top picture:

American Staffordshire Terrier, Tyrone “The Yutz” Yates, Presa, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Boxer, Alpha Blue Blood. The pictures are from the website Find The Pit Bull. He comes to a great conclusion. “So where is the pit bull? He is at home…but you can bet that the media will blame him for any and all dog attacks in his neighborhood.”

Meet Phantom. She’s an American Staffordshire Terrier. She was saved from euthanasia 6 years ago and is living the high life at the DeAngelis house. If I lived in Ohio I’d be looking at real estate listings right now.

Let’s end this ignorance and stupidity.