Another Successful Shelter Story - Page 1

Don't even want to attempt to give an opinion on this  

http://www.fluffyfeet.net/wp/2009/11/30/police-dog-euthanized-in-error/one

Better link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/11/28/Police-dog-mistakenly-euthanized/UPI-24771259420761/

 I had heard that awful story already.  I'm willing to bet there was some sort of grudge against the police department at the bottom of it.  The question is, does the ACO responsible think he's ever going to be able to exceed the speed limit ever again, by even the tiniest amount?  What about if someone breaks into his house or assaults him?  (I'm being facetious -- I don't doubt that the cops would actually be professional and do their jobs, unlike the ACO.)

That said, that story has nothing to do with shelters -- it's Animal Control (a pound), and obviously a badly run one. Not all are like that -- my current dog passed through ours here when he was originally picked up as a roaming stray.  They kept him long enough for the owners to reclaim him if they wanted, but no one came forward.  So they passed him along to the local shelter to be adopted, which is where I got him. I realize that some shelters are horrible, but not all are, and many are havens and second chances for animals who have nothing wrong with them other than having an unfortunate life event like an owner passing away suddenly with no other family who can take them.

Well I think I read different one because when I fallow the link it gives a story about marine in Iraq and a dog that he brought home. uppsss

Well our local dog pound has no kill policy in effect, all dogs get adopted out. So let's not bash all of them for the action of few.

I am not about to lay all the blame on animal control.  It was not like this dog was euth'd the minute he was picked up.  The dog was at the shelter for a WEEK before he was put down.  Why did the officers not think to look there in that time?

It said he did not have tags - I wonder if he was chipped and the animal control/shelter did not think to check for chips or a tattoo?  Or maybe he did not have either of those identification methods....

Any way you cut it, it is a sad story :-(

 In the story I originally read (Link) they said that the officers had been in contact with Animal Control and let them know that their drug dog was loose and they'd like him back, but they described the dog as "a black lab" to which the ACO responded that they didn't have a dog matching that description... because the dog was older and had grey on his muzzle!  His tags were missing somehow, and he wasn't microchipped, so I suppose that's an ugly object lesson about the need to microchip (even though I know that's not foolproof either).

I just read an ad in the Sunday paper placed by the owner of an 8 year lab mix "accidently" euthenized by the local animal control.  It doesn't say why he was there but I get the feeling he had bitten someone as he was in for a 10 day stay.  He was picked up on Nov. 21st and euthanized on the 25th.  They knew who be belonged to, he had his tags and shots, etc.  The animal shelter says it was an "unfortunate and regrettable accident".  The owner is devastated, of course...as would we all be. 

I cannot imagine what I would do in a situation like this.
Deb