Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Do They Never Learn?

Austin fell recently to the scam of no kill. These "No Kill'er"s are very vocal and are getting what they want just to shut them up. Understand that if there is opposition it is usually those in the humane community, 501c3's, who rely on donations to exist. If they do speak against no kill then they are labeled "killers" because if you don't support no kill, then you must support killing. So the opposition sits in silence and let it happen. Are they guilty of aiding and abetting? Yes, they are but it is understandable to a degree.

Here's a tribute to "No Kill" in San Antonio where strays run rampant. I guess the new thing in no kill is if you leave them on the street, you won't have those in your euthanasia numbers.


http://www.woai.com/entertainment/story/Exhibition-highlights-San-Antonio-s/YlAkWsYx2EGF6BE2RR25og.cspx?rss=68

The Mas Rudas Collective SAN ANTONIO - Art awareness month may be coming to a close, but one local exhibit could make a lasting impression on animal lovers around the community. The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Gallery is featuring an exhibit called “The Mas Rudas Collective” which features the life of a West Side dog.

The exhibition deals with the issue of stray dogs on the west side of town while also bringing attention to the fact that there are at least 100,000 stray dogs on the streets of San Antonio. This exhibition is free and runs through April 15 at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center.

You can even bring your dog!

Get more info at guadalupeculturalarts.org...

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Sic 'Em, Mike Speedy

Just recently there was an attack in Indy from a pit bull adopted by the Humane Society of Indianapolis that attacked a boy and this pit had a complaint within four days of the adoption to a Sheriff's deputy. Now there has been an attack by a pit at a shelter of a 6 year old boy. Seems this boy walked into an area at the Hamilton County Humane Society with an injured pit. The pit attacked him. This is an invitation sent BEFORE the attack by the President of the Humane Society that owns the shelter and received by several people on March 11, 2010 including Michael Speedy, the campaigner for the safety of people through MSL/BSL. Speedy's response is after this, so keep reading.



Good morning,
I serve as the President of the Board of Directors at the Humane Society for Hamilton County and I would like to extend an invitation for you to attend an upcoming event at our facility. Each year, our organization recognizes March as “Pit Bull Education Month” and this year is no exception. On Saturday, March 20th, we will be hosting various programs in support of this initiative. I have attached a flyer summarizing the programs included in the event for your review.

Given the recent news regarding a few incidents in our community, I thought you may benefit from becoming a bit more educated about the facts related to the breed. Opinions, both for and against, the breed are certainly very strong by many in the community and I feel this event would serve as a great way for you to get a better understanding of some of the issues related to this issue. Please note that RSVP’s are required as seating is limited and I encourage you to invite others you feel may benefit by attending the event. I hope you will be able to attend and I look forward to seeing you there. Should you not be able to attend, we would certainly welcome the opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns you have about this topic at a time that is more convenient for you. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Joe Ridenour
Vice President
(317)558-6321 Phone
(317)558-6320 Fax



Hi Mr. Ridenour,

By now I’m sure your have seen more “recent news”:

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/hamilton_county/boy-6-mauled-by-dog-at-humane-society

It would be good to educate us on how pit bulls, because of their physical capabilities, need greater care in confining, even when or especially when they are injured. Remember, they are bred to keep fighting even when injured. It is not the dog’s fault to have this key trait of a fighting breed.

Also, it would be good to educate us on how an agency who wants to maximize adoptions, which more often than not come from families and kids, could not have foreseen a six year old getting away from his parent. It would seem unreasonable to expect a six-year-old to understand and appreciate a “No Access” sign.

It seems unfair to me that the price of all this is “dozens of stitches” in a six-year-old, when a better understanding of a pit bull would have been all that is necessary to avoid.

Thanks for the invite, but I’m out of town that day.
Mike Speedy
Councillor, District 24
City County Council
City of Indianapolis, Marion County
4733 Moss Creek Terrace
Indianapolis, IN 46237
T: 317-786-6689
E:
m.speedy@sbcglobal.net
Chairman, Public Works, Member, Parks & Recreation,and Metropolitan Development




I got a nice laugh on this one. Way to go, Mike Speedy!!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Another "No Kill" House of Horrors or Creating a Culture of Hoarding

Austin needs to take note, this is their future. Shades of Lied, Nevada!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35880984/ns/health-pet_health/
For years, the Toronto Humane Society bragged of its low euthanasia rate — only 6 percent, compared with other big-city shelters that put down 50 percent or more of the animals they accept.

But that impressive statistic was hiding a dark secret, according to criminal charges laid against its top officials. The "model" animal shelter was actually what one investigator called a "house of horrors" — a place where infections ran rampant, animals lived in filthy conditions, food was scarce and a no-euthanasia policy led to sick animals suffering and dying without adequate medical care.

"It's a pretty good donor grab if you say we only euthanize 6 percent of our animals. The sad part is the amount of animals that died in their cages — long, painful, horrible deaths — to obtain those numbers," said Marcie Laking, who worked for the humane society for five years as a volunteer and a paid employee. "The Toronto Humane Society took euthanasia statistics to very inhumane levels."

Last November, the Toronto Humane Society was raided by police and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and its five top managers were arrested and led away in handcuffs, charged with animal cruelty. None of the allegations have been heard in court as a trial has not yet been scheduled but a lengthy affidavit submitted by the OSPCA details a pattern of alleged abuses, including managers forbidding staff veterinarians from euthanizing animals the vets felt were suffering without hope of recovery.

It's rare for animal shelters to be accused of cruelty, but it's not unheard of. While OSCPA officials were investigating the Toronto Humane Society, the American SPCA intervened in two alleged cruelty cases at animal shelters. At the Clarksdale-Coahoma County Animal Shelter in Mississippi, a facility built to hold 60 dogs was discovered in January to be crammed with 400 animals. At the city-run Memphis Animal Shelter, dogs were discovered starving and three supervisors were indicted in February on animal cruelty charges connected to the deaths of three terriers.

Julie Morris, senior vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA, said that in shelter abuse cases, sometimes the people in charge are apathetic or just plain sadistic, and sometimes they're well-meaning but get overwhelmed. And, as may have happened at the Toronto Humane Society, some shelter directors become so fixated on low euthanasia rates that they overlook real suffering, Morris said.

"Some shelters in their quest to be no-kill either end up hoarding animals or keeping them way too long and not thinking of the quality of life ... they get a little overzealous," said Morris, who is not personally involved in the Toronto case but is familiar with both U.S. cases. "To warehouse animals for years in a small cage so you can say the animal is not euthanized — but the animal is suffering — is insane."

In sworn statements, employees of the Toronto Humane Society recalled dozens of animals who starved or endured painful conditions for lack of resources and described how they were chastised for taking too long if they stopped to clean cages or give dogs fresh water. Perhaps most grisly of all, investigators found a mummified cat in a trap hidden above the ceiling tiles who had been forgotten and apparently starved to death.

Who's watching?
Oversight of animal shelters varies from state to state, Morris said: In some places it’s the Department of Agriculture’s responsibility, in others the Department of Health, and often inspections are spotty or non-existent.

When cities and counties are struggling financially, Morris said, “A lot of times, animal control is at the bottom of their list of priorities.”

The Memphis shelter seems to be a straightforward case of animal cruelty through mismanagement and apathy, Morris said. But in Clarksdale, as in Toronto, a no-kill policy seemed to spin out of control.

“That was somebody who wanted to do the right thing and got in over their head, and in the interest of being good to animals ended up being bad to them,” Morris said.

Clarksdale animal-lover Sissy Alderson blew the whistle on the shelter, notifying city authorities, the Humane Society and the ASPCA after she witnessed overcrowding in outside runs. Once she got inside the shelter, conditions were even worse than she had feared.

“You have no earthly idea, the amount of urine, the amount of poop. There was a dog eating a [dead] dog,” Alderson said, her voice trembling as she recalled the scene. Dogs were fighting in cramped kennels, and some of the more submissive dogs were starving because they couldn’t get to their food, she said.


“The suffering, I can’t imagine,” Alderson said. Many of the animals were sick with heartworms, mange, parvo, distemper and other illnesses, she said. “Euthanizing an animal that is sick is not easy, but it is humane. It is the compassionate thing to do.”

The Clarksdale shelter director, who was a volunteer, walked off the job once the shelter was raided. Local authorities decided not to file charges against her, saying the director meant well but was simply overwhelmed. She did not respond to calls seeking comment for this story.

Unlike in Toronto, the Clarksdale shelter director never publicized the unofficial no-kill policy, preferring to keep the crowded shelter out of the public spotlight.

“She asked me, ‘What is wrong with the shelter?’” Alderson said, recalling a conversation with the former director. “She honestly saw nothing wrong … it wasn’t rational.”


A micro-manager with an iron fist
In Toronto, the OSPCA raid and charges at the Toronto Humane Society were prompted by an investigation published last year by The Globe and Mail newspaper, which aired allegations of mismanagement and sick animals suffering. Five top shelter officials were arrested, but the allegations centered around president Tim Trow.

The affidavit in support of a search warrant, which includes statements from 45 former and current employees, describes Trow as a micro-manager who ruled with an iron fist and screamed and cursed at anyone who questioned his orders. Several witnesses recounted an incident involving a pit bull, Bandit, who came to the Toronto Humane Society after biting a child in 2003 and became Trow’s personal pet. Two Toronto Humane Society workers reported being bitten by Bandit; on another occasion, Bandit bit a mother cat who was protecting her kittens, and Trow allegedly refused to allow treatment for the badly injured cat for over an hour.

The affidavit alleges that Upper Respiratory Infection, or URI, spread rampantly among the cat population because of poor sanitation and indiscriminate mixing of ill and healthy cats. Cats with untreated URIs suffered with sores on their tongues and eyes. Veterinarians describe being forced to ask to euthanize severely ill animals, and being refused by non-veterinarians in management.

"When animals are sick and dying, be it from infectious disease or any other cause, Tim Trow and his supervisors refuse to allow the veterinarians to humanely euthanize the animals. The animals are left to suffer to death in their cages in order that Tim Trow can maintain his artificially low euthanasia statistics which he uses for marketing purposes," alleges the sworn statement of OSPCA investigator Kevin Strooband. "Regardless of a veterinarian’s opinion, Mr. Trow has issued orders that no animal may be euthanized without the permission of a non-medically trained supervisor. Animals are found dead and in agonizing pain in their cages every morning in the THS facility."

1,000 animals crammed into a space for 600
Brian Shiller, an attorney for the OSPCA, said the mummified cat in the ceiling was found on the second day of OSPCA’s search of the Toronto Humane Society facility. Apparently, he said, someone set a live trap to catch a feral cat that had escaped — and then forgot about it, leaving the captured cat to starve to death. The overwhelming problem in the shelter, Shiller said, was the sheer number of animals: more than 1,000 in a space designed to hold no more than 600.

"It really did become a hoarder culture," Shiller said.

Trow, the focus of many of the allegations, has resigned from the Toronto Humane Society's board of directors. The OSPCA and the humane society are currently battling in court over financial control and composition of the board of directors; a judge has appointed an independent monitor to review the charity's finances. Trow's lawyer, Andras Schreck, said Trow intends to plead not guilty and will "vigorously defend himself against the charges." If convicted, Trow and the four other senior officials arrested face a maximum of five years in prison and tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

Schreck declined to respond in-depth to the charges against his client, but said the search conducted by the OSPCA was "questionable," and suggested the accusations may have been motivated by the history of competition and bad blood between the Toronto Humane Society and the OSPCA.

"They've always competed for the same donor dollars," Schreck said.

'A bad picture for all animal shelters'
Since the November raid, the OSPCA has been operating the Toronto Humane Society and recently re-opened it for adoptions. Accusations of abuse at a shelter can cut both ways for animal welfare groups in general, Morris said. People who complained about the shelter tend to be grateful for the intervention; but tales of abusive shelters can turn other people off from adopting shelter pets or supporting their local shelter.

"For people in that community, they're thrilled, they're so glad someone finally came to the rescue," Morris said. "But it paints a bad picture for all animal shelters... people need to know that all animal shelters are different."


The number of animals at the Toronto Humane Society has been reduced from over 1,000 to fewer than 500; Shiller said that 60 sick or wounded animals were euthanized, and the rest were adopted out or sent to other shelters with more space. Many former employees have returned to the Toronto Humane Society to volunteer since the OSPCA raid. Laking, who was fired after clashing with the former management, said she's thrilled to see the animals in new hands.

"The whole time I was there was just I got a very clear sense that nobody in a management position cared about the animals," Laking said. "It was always about looking good for the public. People lost perspective of what they were supposed to be doing, unfortunately."

Thursday, March 11, 2010

I Really Piss People Off

I always say that if we all thought alike that I would commit suicide. The world would be a dull place if we all agreed.

I have a blog that I like a lot. The blogger is the Stephen King of bloggers, prolific and wordy. I normally don't do comments there because this blogger loves the Whino. But he posted about Cesar Milan and I just couldn't help myself, I commented. Well, this set off this blogger because he thinks the sun rises and sets in Cesar's ass. And now I see that he did an entire post dedicated to the "troll" about Cesar. Plus doing some more posts about how great Milan is.

Milan subscribes to the pack mentality of dogs for training them. Although the blogger swears Milan trains people, Milan does train dogs. I use pack mentality also, who doesn't. But there are limits to this way of thinking and if it is taken too seriously, dangerous consequences.

It's all fine and well to explain behavior in terms of pack mentality BUT, and it is a big BUT, there are also problems with the way Milan uses it. The first time I watched his program, I became so nervous watching him. Without even receiving additional information I knew what the problem was. Pack mentality requires a leader BUT when you become the pack's leader, you also become a target. Dogs just don't accept you as a leader and that's the end of it. Their drive to mate comes into play here and that is one strong drive. Whether or not they are neutered makes little difference, the instinct doesn't go away entirely with altering.

So you are the leader and watching Milan, that often comes from a physical dominance. That is what makes me nervous. If you use the physical, then you can expect it back. Yes, I have grabbed the muzzle, like the mom does when she is teaching social skills to her puppies. That is about all I subscribe to physically in training a dog. To hold a dog into submission is a dangerous proposition in my book. Then the dog knows the physical side and will use that against the leader when the leader shows weakness. Weakness can come in the form of just falling down. And once that forced submission dog sees your weakness, he or she will come after you. It also can lead to the dog going after others to make them submissive to itself, this is what happens to children who are attacked.

Milan doesn't go that far with his theory of pack mentality. But it is a part of it and he is ignoring it. Sure I can make a dog submissive by being physical and it will appear to be trained. But is it really? Or is it just buying time until something happens and then it goes in to return the "favor". Milan is in California. The biggie in California are attorneys who do nothing but cover up the problems celebrities might have, a pregnancy out of wedlock, a DUI, and Milan is no different. Being in LA, I've heard "rumors", credible rumors, but no direct evidence of lawsuits because of "accidents" with Milan's pack. Course we have all see clips of his pack doing naughty but the blogger says they are taken out of context. I don't see that when I see his pack fighting between themselves, how can that be out of context? Was it a demonstration, staged, and then taken out of context? I've watched his show a few times and each time I see something that isn't quite right.

All I know is that I don't watch Milan regularly because it makes me too nervous. Putting this on television and having stupid people think they can do the same is a plan for disaster. There's a reason why there is a disclaimer at the beginning of his show, his methods are dangerous. Other trainers don't have a disclaimer although the blogger says it is because Milan works with aggressive dogs. What is Victoria Stilwell's claim to fame, working with aggressive dogs, but she doesn't have a disclaimer. When Milan's shows first started there was no disclaimer. As I understand from the "rumor" mill, it was put on there after the first lawsuit was filed.

All in all, I think it is just a matter of time before something happens and then will people understand that Milan is just another thrill seeker in Hollywood, LaLaLand. And he will fall by the wayside like so many others have done. I just hope that it doesn't take a life before that happens.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

You Can Thank the "No Kill Equation" For The Mess That We Are In

Looking at the shape of things to come, I see the progression of the "No Kill Equation" as a terrorist invasion. Although I feel that the Whino has seen his better days, his Whinonettes are still drinking the koolaid.

I predict that shelters will have to stop using volunteers because of the Whinonettes. Too bad we can't paste a big "L" for loser on their foreheads so we know to run when they come around. A major Humane Society in San Diego is now being attacked by the Whinonettes as well as others.

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/oceanside/article_06c33fcb-3f71-54ef-84db-75252357b3c7.html

These Whinonettes want the shelters to adopt out their rejects no matter what the problems are with the pet. They find a dog to be a "sweety" when in truth they keep their distance themselves. Just because a dog will take a treat from your hands while they are behind a safe gate doesn't mean they are "sweet". Just because a dog wags it tail at you doesn't automatically mean they won't bite you. This is part of the conspiracy they engage in, either knowingly or unknowlingly. Force the shelters to adopt aggressive dogs, sick dogs, whatever, then when there is a complaint, the Whinonettes can use it to condemn the shelters. These Whinonettes actually want something to happen so they can use it against the shelters. Look at the case of Zepher in Los Angeles. A "rescuer" and a Whinonette actually walked by that dog shortly before it died and left it there. When asked by a reporter why she didn't take it to a vet, her response was that her vet was closed. Hello? We're talking LA here with emergency clinics on every corner. But she did take a picture of the dying dog. Then, this piece of shit teamed up with the Whino to file a suit against the City. Although the Whino claims victory, it wasn't by a long shot. Nothing really came of it, except to waste taxpayer money.

The Whinonettes then push for privatization thinking they will have more control. They aren't interested in saving animal lives, they are interested only in pushing the public away from the shelters and shelter pets so they can get the business instead. What happens when shelters and animal control is condemned to the public, the "rescues" end up with more business because the public doesn't want to go the shelter. I have little use for those kinds of rescues, those that condemn shelters and never take animals out of shelters. Instead they kiss up to the public, take their animals along with a donation, and many of them take those pets to the nearest place and have them euthanized.

Take away euthanization and you'll see many of these so called "rescues" fall. Either they will stop what they are doing because they can't keep up with the influx or they become hoarders. Such is the case in San Bernardino, similar to the one above. The Whinonettes are going after a low cost spay/neuter clinic and cruelty Humane Society because they euthanize. The Whinonettes in this case have tried everything to force the "No Kill Equation" in San Bernardino and now they are picking on the only way for low income people to have their pets altered. Plus these Whinonettes are now being reported as hoarding in empty houses. I've blogged about Vikki Shore before and she pops that ugly head up again. Shore has lent support to the most infamous hoarders ever and now she are one!! Shore is trying again to lead a campaign which is nothing more than a personal vendetta.

Shore is the perfect example as to why the Whinonettes need to be stopped. They are the crazies of the world, the ones who can't see the forest for the trees. They are the scum suckers of the humane movement. I see them as inflicting more punishment and cruelty than is necessary and they need a scarlett "W" tatooed to their forehead. They push the Hayden Act, the worse piece of legislation ever. The Hayden has caused more adoptable animals to die than ever before. I call it the "Pimping for Pits" legislation because it causes Fluffy to die to make room for Spike the pit bull. Taimi Bryant should be thrown into a pit with pits for what she has done. Another of the stupid people who claim to be "Saviors".

For those who think condemning animal control and shelters is the way to go, fuck you and the white horse you rode in on. You are the problem now, you are pushing away the people who want to adopt a shelter pet, you are using marketing to get more business for yourself at a high cost to the shelter pets. To the Vikki Shores of the world with your personal agendas, check yourselves into the nearest psycho ward. Leave the animals alone, you are killing them with kindness and your ignorance.