We find a piece of it in Lincoln County, North Carolina. The shelter there, Lincoln County Animal Services (LCAS), accepted 10 dogs from the Humane Society of the United States, out of 44 the HSUS seized from a troubled situation in Alabama. The catch is that LCAS is not just a high kill operation, but as the Mobile Animal Welfare Examiner tell us, they’re infamous — and the HSUS should have known it.
Inquiries to LCAS asertained that Murray, the little chow-mix dog pictured in the NC news reports, had already been “put down,” as well as Harry, a black Labrador Retriever and another dog given no name, simply ID number, 38805 — no photo, no note of his existence. LCAS’ Kay Hice stated that some of the dogs were being transferred to Charlotte Animal Control and four had been placed at Charlotte Humane Society.
As our Gina Spadafori has noted: “The accepted motus operandi in the shelter industry, the standards for which have been largely set by the HSUS, is that animals are “saved” when you seize them from an inhumane situation, and that is the end of the story. But now many are challenging that paradigm: If you don’t have an adequately-funded plan to assess medical and behavioral needs of the animals, as well as a plan to rehab and rehome, have you “saved” the animals — or just “killed” them? And while even good local shelters rarely have the ability to fund the rehabbing of animal seized from abusive situations, the HSUS surely does. And more of us are asking: If this well-heeled organization is going to be there to catch the limelight, why can’t they be there for the real work that follows? And fund the entire operation, not just the branded logo wear they don for the TV cameras when they move in for a bust. It ain’t a rescue unless you, well, save the animals.”
And now that you have the back story, you’re ready for Shirley at YesBiscuit. In sum, the publicity will succeed in shining a bright light on the miscreants. Sadly, there are a lot of them involved.
Update from Gina: “SarahHSUS” on Twitter states that the dog pictured is “still alive and doing well.” Misses the point, but duly noted if so.
Not too early to think about No Kill Conference: As the celebratory confetti is cleaned up and the champagne glasses are rinsed, it’s a perfect time to remind you that the end of July is just around the corner. How’s that, you ask? Registration is now open for the annual No Kill Conference, being held July 30-31 in Washington, D.C. The conference is a joint venture of the No Kill Advocacy Center and the Animal Welfare project of The George Washington University Law School. Nathan Winograd tells me that last year, the conference sold out in a month. For 2011, registration started on New Year’s Day. The best reason to get excited? Our own Christie Keith will be a conference presenter this year. See you in DC!
POTUS throws in his two cents on Sick Vick: A week later, I still can’t get over this one. In a conversation with Philadelphia Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie about other, unrelated topics, President Obama offered congratulations on the signing (and subsequent success) of Sick Vick. This wasn’t the purported reason for the call. The leader of the free world didn’t have to say anything at all about the world’s most infamous torturer and killer of dogs, but he did. The reaction has been both broad and reassuring. There was a clever response from Best Friends Animal Society, but my all time favorite came from our friend Houlie over at Raised by Wolves.
Cats on planes: When you travel, you can transport dogs on planes with you (within specific guidelines) and across both United States and Canadian air carriers, cats, too. However, according to the Detroit Free Press, there’s a debate afoot over whether cats should be allowed aboard flights. Personally, I’m all for the kittehs being just as inconvenienced by flight delays and the indignities of TSA as the rest of us.
Animal law gaining a pawhold: The multiple stories we’ve seen of animals being irresponsibly killed by law enforcement have given rise to a curious effect — the quickly evolving specialty of animal law. From the Los Angeles Times:
“The common law is that a dog is just chattel — a piece of property that’s easily replaced,” said Rebekah Lusk, an associate attorney with the Thienel Law Firm in Columbia, Md., who handles animal law cases and represents Roger and Sandra Jenkins. “People focusing on animal law are saying the courts need to see animals as not just a replacement piece of property.”
Let us know what you think.
Notable pooches of the year: In the year just past, there have been so many stories of interesting dogs. For the Love of the Dog has a terrific rundown of notable dogs of 2010.
Furry eye candy: CNN has an eye-catching photo essay by famed British photographer Tim Flach. Thanks to Susan Fox for the tip.
Why do dogs…. Candace sent me a link to a wonderful Border Wars post that reminded me a little of 2010's funniest Pet Connection column, from (who else?) Dr. Tony Johnson.
I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories. Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.
Photo credit: Murray, newsatnorman.com.
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