Friday, October 5, 2012

FAILURES OF NO KILL IN THE HEADLINES

And not in a good way. No Kill is falling all over the country. Here are just a few of the current headlines.


http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120912/OPINION/120919741/1074Allegations of mistreatment demand immediate probe of Cattaraugus SPCA

Does No Kill Support Cruel Puppy Mill Businesses?

Opposing Views-17 hours ago

Re-opening of Wyoming County SPCA

WIVB-Sep 16, 2012
ATTICA, N.Y (WIVB) - After a tumultuous year, the Wyoming County SPCA has re-opened. State Police shut down the No-Kill shelter in February after finding 500 ...

Group Says Cleveland Animal Control Critically Overcrowded

The Chattanoogan-Sep 16, 2012
Activists with Cleveland for a No Kill City said kennels and cages are critically overcrowded at Cleveland Animal Control and "we are begging the community to ...

Overcrowding at Animal Shelters Becoming an Epidemic

KIII TV3-Sep 13, 2012
... it was reported that the City's Animal Control Department has temporarily stopped accepted strays. Even the private no-kill shelters are at capacity. It is so bad, ...

Allegations of mistreatment demand immediate probe of ...

Buffalo News-Sep 12, 2012
Board Chairwoman Kris McDonald called Dunbar's accusations a witch hunt, telling a News reporter that the no-kill shelter since 1985 has had issues it is trying ...

The dark side of no-kill in Waco, Texas

Examiner.com-Sep 12, 2012

These are headlines from just a week. No Kill is failing all over.


13 comments:

  1. This is excellent, but very unfortunate information.

    In my opinion, many of the general public do not understand how No Kill works; due to poor communication from those involved with NK and lack of thinking on behalf of people, has caused the general public to believe that there are homes for all animals.

    The information and links on your website will work toward dispelling this falsehood that has been created.

    I hope people will engage in some critical thinking before making any decision. I hope they will examine the harmful and helpful consequences/repercussions of their decision before making a choice.

    Thank you for all your efforts to give your readers accurate information. I will be sharing this link.

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  2. Same old, same old story. It is happening all across the United States.

    No Kill animal rights activists start volunteering at a shelter. They complain to the city council or board of supervisors. City council/supervisors, whose area of expertise may not be animal care and control, believe what the NK activists are telling them - that they can do a better job than the people who have been trained and are experienced in animal care.

    NK activists dictate to the council what they want done. Council directs shelter directors and staff what NK activists what done. Directors and staff can not properly care for the animals because the NK activists are telling the council/supervisors how they want the shelter run. Shelter management is criticized.

    NK activists tell supervisors to spend money on the shelter. Millions of taxpayer's money is spent on improvements with the idea that improvements will increase adoptions.

    After several months, the shelter is overcrowded and adoptions are down. Citizens bring in their own animal because this is a beautiful, renovated no kill shelter. Citizens are refused because the shelter is full. Citizens are refused because their animal is not adoptable. Tax payers are turned away. Do they take their animal to another shelter and turn him/her in as a stray? Do people from outside the area turn in their own animals, saying he/she was a stray because they want the animal to go to a No Kill shelter? And the animals suffer.

    Due to overcrowding, disease is rampant. Veterinary bills increase to treat sick animals. And the animals suffer.

    With the shelter being crowded, there are more incidents of fighting. Dead animals are found in kennels and cages due to injuries sustained from fighting or from illness. And the animals suffer.

    The shelter is overcrowded. Dogs eat, drink, sleep and poop in dog crates. Cats eat, drink, sleep and poop in cat carriers. Carriers are piled on top of one another. A kennel meant for one dog has four or five. And the animals suffer.

    NK activists arrange for the transport of 60 - 100 dogs to Oregon, Washington, Canada, Montana. No one knows what has happened to them because there are no ordinances regulating animal transports. And the animals suffer.

    No Kill. Slow kill.

    Does anyone care?

    How many thousands of animals are going to continue to suffer, all in the name of No Kill.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Don't forget Rancho Cucamonga CA.

    They have increased their operating costs by over 10% since taking over the operations of their city shelter from the County. They publicly stated their goal was to be no-kill shelter.

    After almost 10 years, and millions of tax payers dollars later, right before the last director left, he publicly stated they were not a no-kill shelter.

    If you look up their numbers, they are killing just as many animals today as when the County ran the shelter.

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    Replies
    1. Rancho isn't forgotten, a new blog post will appear shortly about it. And the cost are much higher than you stated. Under the County, the contract value was about $770,000 and it is over 2 and a half million now and has been since the County. With that much money they could have spay/neutered every pet in Rancho and would have no need for a shelter at all.

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  4. I agree that spending taxpayers money on a low cost spay/neuter and vaccination clinic rather than spending millions of dollars on renovating a shelter would have helped reduce the pet overpopulation problem in Rancho Cucamonga. However, if the animals are going to be confined in cages/kennels for weeks and months, I hope they have a comfortable place to "live" - although being locked in a cage for months on end does not seem like much of a life to me.

    I disagree with you, however, when you state there would be "no need for a shelter" if money was spent on a spay/neuter clinic. An inherent problem with "No Kill", is that people hear and see those words and think - I do not need to keep my pet, I will just give him/her to the No Kill shelter.

    NK shelters could help educate the masses with something like a disclaimer: "We are a NK shelter. Being NK we only take in adoptable animals, and we turn animals away when we are full.
    Before adopting, please think. Please, make a commitment to your companion animals to care for them for their lifetime?"

    Good links on this blog. I hope your readers take the time to click on each one and forward the information to others.

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    Replies
    1. I know the problem with No Kill and how it actually enables people to forego their commitment to their pets. But by keeping up with s/n in a certain way, there is a great possibility of not needing a shelter but rather a system of foster homes, real foster homes, not the BS kind that just provided shelter and food. Rancho has spent over 2 million each year since 06. They could have done all kinds of programs to help owner retention, etc. that would have better results than they have had the way they are doing it. Their numbers look good on paper because they are counting ferals as adoptions, when the reality is they are turning them loose in the community. Rancho is a mess and not from the current director either, it was a mess before she came on board.

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  5. Although this is an interesting thought regarding a system of foster homes, I still see the need for open admission/open door shelters, where all animals are welcomed and none are ever turned away. Dog bite cases, quarantine cases, unpredictable, dangerous dogs might be difficult for a foster to handle.

    Keeping up with a low cost spay/neuter/vaccination clinic is essential. We must stop the next litter of unwanted puppies and kittens from being born and therefore adding to the already existing tremendous pet overpopulation problem. Qualified adoption counselors are necessary.

    Having someone monitor Craig's list, the newspaper ads and the Penny Saver ads for people who are giving away kittens and puppies for free and contacting them to s/n the mother/father would help. Also monitoring the ads for people who breed and sell, charging them a fee, might be helpful. I saw ads in the Penny Saver for a litter of puppies and each puppy was advertized for over $1,000. I think LA has ordinances regarding the breeding and selling of animals.

    The IRS could be rich from the taxes charged people who are in the business of breeding and selling animals! Then my taxes will not be raised!

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you Anon:42, I just like to do some wishful thinking at times. I would like to see a permit number system that has to be advertised with a litter in any publication, including online.

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    2. I think LA has something like a permit number system. Maybe other cities could follow their example. Maybe they could share how it works with fellow directors at a national conference of shelter directors-

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    3. With the head of LA city being a breeder herself, I doubt it. I don't think they have that any more.

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  6. The facility of No Kill:

    No Kill solutions which result in hoarding animals, having mass "free to good home get rid of the animal" "adoption days", transporting/relocating the pet overpopulation problem to other states or to Northern California and having closed door/limited access/turning animals away policies will not solve the pet overpopulation problem.

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  7. The breeding industry spends millions and millions of dollars a year on lobbyists like Rick Berman and Wino and other shills to oppose regulations like permits, licenses, anti-cruelty laws that might crimp the illegal income of these breeders.

    That's why things like AKC exist- they are LOBBYISTS like lobbyists for the tobacco industry or oil industries, opposing regulation and rules, and they work with and hire other lobbyists.

    http://www.
    sourcewatch.
    org/index.php/
    Puppy_Mills

    Now the salesMEN of No Kill are also lobbyists for Big Breeding, like Big Oil and Big Tobacco.

    They even share the same lobbyists. Rick Berman, Winograd's master, is also a lobbyist for the tobacco industry.

    The rescue community needs to learn how the breeding industry works and lobbies, and how they lie and create fronts like No Kill to pursue their profits and protect them.

    Brenda Barnette was one of those lobbyists and still is. She is using LA animal control and its pets as a front for her breeding industry. The rescue community got tricked by Big Breeding.

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  8. Wanted to thank you for this "blog" and the time and effort it takes to compile this information in one spot. You are clearly doing a service to all including the animals. I was especially interested in the Waco story on the "Dark Side of No Kill" since it is close to an area I am aware of that recently went no kill. It is incredible to me that the SPCA their could just walk away when they could not get what amounts to a 65% budget increase from the City and in the next breath claim they are going to do rescues when they can't even rescue the animals they have in their care right now. But I have learned over time that "rescue" while it sounds noble is a key word for we will only take in animals we can adopt or get contributions for and of course in this case we will leave the ones we can't to the City and go on a "rant" if they have to be euthanized. They had the power to do something about it but could or would not and now want to blame someone else! In this case the evil City and by implication the citizens of that area! Not to be rude but took a quick look at their Facebook page and maybe a few less wine and cheese party and animals clothes adds (no doubt for money) and a bit more focus on the animals would be of help. One again thanks again for this compliation of information and keep up the good work thakless as it may seem at times as I believe a diference is being made!

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