Scandal at Los Angeles Animal Shelter

LA Animal Services is the subject of an internal investigation surrounding missing animals. At first, it sounds like employees may have been taking them, but volunteers had access too....

Excerpt from CityWatch...

Brenda Barnette, General Manager of the Animal Services Department, said 64 animals have disappeared from six shelters in roughly a year,” Zanhiser reports. “Of that total, 39 were housed at the city's North Central shelter on Lacy Street — a missing rate considered unusually high.”

“They were the young ones, the cute ones,” Barnette said. "They were ones that would have been likely to have been sold or be a nice gift for someone." The majority of the unaccounted-for animals were dogs, Barnette said.”

At a recent Encino Neighborhood Council meeting Ms. Barnette announced that her LA Animal Services staff has a “few bad apples”—not exactly the public description you expect from a City manager. This week she disclosed that she went to Mayor Villaraigosa and LAPD, plus Human Resources to ask them to help sniff out what happened to 64 animals—mostly dogs—missing from over 68,000 impounded this year at six city shelters.

Ms. Barnette apparently failed to mention that early this year she personally ordered that volunteers are to have keys to the kennels to remove animals at any time. The type of key she made available is reportedly the universal key that provides access to all city facilities and is not marked “Do Not Duplicate.” She also reportedly did not set up a standard procedure for monitoring the issuance and use of the keys.

PETA Settlement over Shelter Records

Follow-up from the Utah scandal in which shelter animals were being sold for research purposes. For the full story, go to NECN.com...

The Davis County Commission has agreed to pay the legal fees of an animal rights group after settling a lawsuit over animal shelter records.

The Standard-Examiner of Ogden said Wednesday that the county will pay $17,732 to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The money will cover a portion of PETA's legal fees for a lawsuit the group filed in January about animals that had been sold by the county shelter for research purposes.

PETA will have access to the requested records. The settlement provides limited protections for the county from further litigation.

In a statement provided to The Associated Press on Friday, PETA's Associate Director of Laboratory Investigations Justin Goodman said the group filed the lawsuit to gain access to intake and transfer records for approximately 100 cats and dogs that were sold for research. They also requested any records of people who gave explicit permission for the animals to be sold.

Sign ALDF Petition to Help Kentucky's Homeless Animals

Sounds like it's hell for these animals in Kentucky shelters. The State used to provide oversight, but in 2004, they abrogated responsibility to the counties. According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, things are not going well.

Please sign the petition to help them.

Putting a Happy Face on Utah's Animal Research Program

PETA's undercover investigation showed some really questionable practices going on in the University of Utah's animal research program. Here, the Salt Lake Tribune tries to smooth things over by showing the "happy side," by talking about the research subjects that end up being adopted.

Well, I guess those are the lucky ones. What if an animal doesn't make it through? So sad, too bad?

Portuguese City Tries to End Killing of Strays

Portugal is NOT known for its kindness to animals so this is a significant development for a Portuguese city.

From the Portugal News Online...

This weekend Lagos Town Hall executives are expected to sign a landmark protocol drawn up in collaboration with animal protection association Cadela Carlota, in which it is decreed that the two organisations will endeavour to put a stop to the extermination of healthy unwanted and stray animals being held in the municipal kennel.

Under Portuguese legislation, stray and unwanted animals that are kept in municipal kennels, even healthy ones, can be put down after eight days if unclaimed. The majority of these animals are unwanted dogs, removed from the streets by municipal services or dropped off by members of the public. Generally, those that have been there for a longer period are destroyed as the kennels reach maximum capacity, to accommodate new arrivals.

But as of this Saturday Lagos will adhere to an alternative path in dealing with abandoned animals and overflowing municipal infrastructures, thanks to the intervention of two local ladies, Cecilia do Carmo and Esperança Martins, who in 2006 initiated proceedings to found an animal protection association following a distressing visit to the kennels.

Utah's Shelters Providing Strays to Labs for Research

Thanks to PETA's undercover investigation of University of Utah labs for bringing this issue to media attention.

From the AP...

Scores of abandoned dogs, cats and livestock from Utah animal shelters become subjects of laboratory research at the University of Utah each year.

That's because of a little-known state law that requires government-run pounds to turn animals over to researchers if asked.

The practice gained wider publicity after the animal rights group PETA said earlier this month that 1 of its agents spent eight months working undercover at University of Utah research facilities.

University officials say they only collect animals from shelters willing to participate and pound animals are steered toward nonlethal experiments.

They say cats and dogs at the lab get excellent veterinary care and survivors are placed into a volunteer-run adoption program.

Is Shelter Appreciation Week a Sham?

Nathan Winograd has an interesting piece in the Examiner about the recent HSUS Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. It's not that he's unappreciative of people that work with animals, but rather the state of many of the shelters that are being appreciated.

HSUS’ latest public relations gimmick is part of a larger attempt by the very animal control officers responsible for this neglect and abuse to reform their image from one of “dog catcher” to “humane law enforcement.” They are trying to change the image of their agencies from “pounds” to “shelters,” from “animal control” to “animal care and control,” even while they refuse to reform their regressive and abusive practices which—were they to end—would naturally lead to the respect and gratitude they claim to be seeking.

The article documents a number of recent abuses nationwide, as well as the difficulties reformers have faced in trying to stop abuse at shelters.

Nathan Winograd is an advocate for no-kill shelters (and is the author of several books on the subject). You can read about his background here.

When Is a Dog Unadoptable?

I rejoined my local animal shelter's volunteer program a few months ago (long story as to why I quit in the first place). One day while I was volunteering I met a little pit bull puppy who was recovering from a spaying. Very sweet and gentle animal (I have a soft spot for pits....and pugs!)

The puppy seemed too thin to me so I asked about her story. Apparently, she, her mother and seven siblings had been confiscated from a crack house. Someone had called in an animal cruelty report. All eight of the puppies were in foster care. When I asked about the mom, I was told that she was put down because she was food aggressive and, therefore, "unadoptable." The tone of the answer implied that I'd better not argue it, so I didn't. But the answer just didn't sit well with me and I keep thinking about it.

I had a couple of dogs when I was a kid, but I mostly grew up with cats. I have a lot of patience with cats. I don't believe that any cat is unadoptable, even feral cats. I believe that a feral may never be a lap cat and they may never even let you pet them. But you can earn their friendship and companionship. To me, that means a lot. They deserve life, even if it's on their own terms. (There are also many "feral" and "food-aggressive" personality types in humans, but we don't put them down.)

But I'm no dog expert. I'd like to hear what others think. Is this a legitimate reason to put a dog down or is this just BS? Are food-aggressive dogs dangerous or is that just a convenient myth?

American Veterinary Medical Association Makes Despicable Decision

Unfathomable.

From Veterinary News....

An AVMA resolution was quietly killed this afternoon that would have revised its policy on use of random-source dogs and cats for research, testing and education.

The controversial resolution, submitted by the AVMA’s House Advisory Committee, called on the association to oppose the use of live animals “procured from animal shelters or the use of live animals procured from dealers” for use in veterinary education.

Without a word, the House of Delegates scuttled the resolution during a voice vote. In June, the organization’s Executive Board sided against proposed revisions to the policy statement.