Don't support the Erie County (NY) SPCA

[MelissaSue]

I am in absolute disbelief about how terrible this organization is, after how much good I had thought they did.

Listen to this story.

My fiance's coworker had to give up his dog, it was a purebred beagle, because he had to move (Edit) OUT OF his house, was actually homeless for awhile (With the dog) and then had to move into an apartment that did not allow dogs. He brought it to the SPCA, made thier suggest donation, and left with the impression that his dog would be put up for adoption and a home would be sought out for him. I guess sometime recently there was an incident where the dog nipped at a worker at the SPCA, and apparently this put the dog on the bottom of the adoptability list..so yesterday, which was less than a month after the dog was brought to the SPCA, the owner was called and told that in 24 hours.. the dog would be euthanized if not adopted. Now, I personally think that this is bad enough, that they euthanize at all. There are PLENTY of No-kill animal shelters out there. but that is their policy, and I guess he should have known there was the chance of that when he left the dog there (Even thhough he was given the impression that his dog would at least get a fair shot to be adopted).. So yesterday, when my fiance heard of this, he got on all his car forums and called everyone he knew to try to find someone to adopt this dog. And he actually found someone!! but they had an hour drive in, so they were going to come this morning. The dogs owner called the SPCA but they were closed for the night, so he left a message that someone would be coming for the dog in the morning. The owner actually planned to go pick up the dog this morning because sometimes the SPCA gives people greif about adopting animals, so he was just going to take him and give him to the person who was going to adopt the dog. But he called there this morning and the dog had already been put down! Sometime last night! WHY WOULD THEY TELL HIM THAT HE HAS 24 HOURS TO GET HIS DOG OUT OF THERE and then only give him like 8? Its just wrong. The poor dog.. Someone was coming to get him, he was going to get a home with two other doggies.. but they didn't even give him a chance.. I just think it is the saddest thing in the world. I am planning on writing them a letter.. not that it will do any good..
I have such mixed feelings. I don't want to say don't adopt pets from there (Although they really make it WAY too difficult to adopt animals) because if the animals DON'T get adopted they are going to get killed. But certainly, if you have a pet you can't keep DON'T give it to them, and do NOT donate any money to them.
I have never even met the dog or its owner.. but I am sitting here in tears over this.. My fiance is absolutely heartbroken too, even though he never even met the dog.. but he was the one who had found it the home it was supposed to go to..
I just am disgusted at the SPCA..

 

[Mara]

what a sad story...

first off i would never give up a dog to a kill-shelter. it''s relatively easy to ask if they are one.

also, if i had a purebred dog, i would not give the dog up to a shelter like that...i would call the rescue breed association (there is usually one closeby for most breeds...) and give the dog up to them, they will always foster out the dog or adopt it out.

surprising too because usually if it''s a purebred, when a dog is given to a shelter or similar, they call the rescue organization for the breed and give the dog to them.

but that''s a moot point because I would not give up my dog to a shelter. i would find some other way to have someone care for her until i could. many times also if it''s a purebred, the breeder would prefer, and will ask you, to bring the dog back to them rather than giving them to a shelter.

 

[Kaleigh]

Very good advice Mara. I have nothing to add as you said it all.

But I can say that is just a very sad story, so sorry.

 

[elepri]

That''s really sad. But i just can''t understand how someone would leave their dog with SPCA, knowing there''s even a chance the dog would be euthanized. Poor dog.

 

[moremoremore]

Some people are animals (which is an insult to the animals) with no compassion at all. I watch animal cops quite a bit (only b/c no matter what the outcome I know the animals aren't sufferng anymore)...Such complete and utter disregard for their pets. No hearts. No souls. Nothing.

I also think that the co-worker should be horribly sad and guilty and shouldn't be a pet owner. It's called a no kill shelter and they are everywhere. If he truly loved the dog, he wouldn't have brought him there.

I actually don't blame the SPCA *that* much. They are truly FLOODED with unwanted pets...But they should have truly given 24 hours. I think that they are overwhelmed...I give to my local no kill. I know the $ goes to the animals...

Poor puppy. Well, at least he's not suffering anymore, spending his days in a little puppy jail cell missing his beloved owner.

 

[lmurden]

What a terrible story. I totally would have NEVER EVER put my dog in that place.

I guess that''s the moral of the story. The potential heartache is not worth it.

 

[Kaili]

Melissa,
Which SPCA was it? I couldn''t read through your entire story without getting sick, but I got the gist of it. I donate to my local SPCA and would like to call them about this incident. I was always under the impression that they were "no kill."

 

[monarch64]

MelissaSue, my heart goes out to your fiance''s co-worker.

First of all, sorry to hear the troubles he''s been through over having a roof over his head, and his dog''s. Life''s circumstances sometimes bring us to the point of desperation. While it is the responsibility of a pet owner to provide the best life he or she can for their pet, sometimes life gets in the way. We have all at some point or another, been forced to make a decision without being able to get all the facts for some reason. While Mara gives great advice, and her points about this issue are certainly valid, I think that we need to give this co-worker of your fiance''s the benefit of the doubt and assume perhaps he wasn''t able to find a no-kill shelter in the amount of time he had to relocate and upon finding out he couldn''t keep his dog. I don''t know all the facts, of course, but it seems a little bit heartless to say he should''ve just found a no-kill shelter or beagle rescue close by. I am biased, I own a beagle, but I know that beagle rescues do not exist in every state, and in the states they do exist, there are relatively few of them. Also, I think that if this person had someone to stay with and not be homeless with his dog, he may have had a chance to let someone else care for his dog instead of taking him to a shelter. It sounds like this guy was down and out enough not even to have anyone to stay with, let alone give his dog to.

What a tough situation and sad ending. Hopefully by your posting his story some readers will be educated on the fact that SPCA does participate in euthanization. Not every pet owner knows about shelters being no-kill versus kill, or circumstances have prevented them from making better choices. My sympathies to the dog-owner and all involved.

 

[MelissaSue]

It is the Erie County SPCA (near Buffalo NY). I went on their website and even on there it is fairly clear that they do euthanize.. but I was never aware of it either. The sickening part of it is.. they rate the animals on how "adoptable" they are and then send the most adoptable ones out to sites and the ones they don''t think people will want they just automatically list for euthanization.

 

[Mara]

monarch you are so sweet to think of the coworker....

but seriously the way i view it, and i know not everyone is like me...but if you take responsibility for a PET..any pet..any living, breathing life, that is your responsibility to care for it or see that it is cared for and taken care of...of course life circumstances can get in the way but how hard is it to ask the shelter if they are a kill shelter or get in writing that your beloved pet would be taken care of?????

personally, i would be eaten alive with shame and guilt if i gave my dog up to some place without getting all the details because my new apartment couldn't take dogs....these pets rely on US, the living, breathing and THINKING caretakers, to make the best decision for them.

for me ignorance is not an excuse....i wouldn't be so harsh to say that the person should be ashamed of themselves, but rather that they should have just THOUGHT beyond the basics for 2 minutes to look into more options. and if they still have a job, which they did it sounds like, and friends like Melissa and her boyfriend...then why couldn't they take those extra few minutes to ensure that the pet would be taken care of?? there is ALWAYS someone out there who will help out or take a pet if you really need help. networking like what Melissa's boyfriend did is an excellent idea as well.

the reason that pets like this beagle end up in shelters as so do many other dogs is that people think getting or taking care of a pet is all fun and games..it's a serious responsibility and i think all pet owners should own up to that. there are SO many ignorant people out there about what options there ARE for pets if you have to leave them or need assistance.

then again i think i am some odd type of person for thinking this way because so many people don't. when katrina happened and people were leaving their pets behind and fleeing, all i could think of was Portia's sad little face and her beautiful eyes if i ever did that and i knew that i would never leave her behind in an emergency or a situation. i would stay behind with her even if it wasn't safe because she is dependent on me to take care of her. she's a domesticated animal, not a wild one. separation is the worst thing EVER for a dog and probably most types of pets.

 

[movie zombie]

it is a sad story and a learning lesson.

however, to expect the spca to hold onto the dog when it was already on the ''short'' list was wishful thinking.

i personally would be physically ill that my pet had to die this way.

peace, movie zombie

 

[moremoremore]

Me too movie z. I would live in a crack house before putting my babies in a place like that. There are always no kill shelters somewhere..There are message boards with people willing to pay airline flights. Beagle rescues...There are foster homes...There are co-workders. There are always other, less desirable aparatments out there that take pets. There are always other ways...It just takes actual thought and effort. So I have no sympathy at all. Oh yeah, first question I ask "Is this a no kill or kill". Takes all of but two seconds. That is the absolute first question you ask. Just my 2 cents...I'm harsh that way

 

[monarch64]

Mara, and moremoremore, I completely agree that it is the owner''s responsibility to always care for the pet and be educated on what their options are should they have to give it up. I just think that life doesn''t always work that way and sometimes people are forced to make decisions they wouldn''t have if life hadn''t gotten in the way. I have had the misfortune of having had to give up a kitty due to the fact that she did not adapt well to a new house and a new dog being introduced to her at the same time...I was lucky enough to have a co-worker who was more than happy to take her and give her a wonderful, loving home. Some people just lack being able to find someone like that, or are in fact ignorant or not able to research shelters before being forced to give an animal up. I too find the stories on Animal Precinct heartbreaking and despicable, and wish humans that purposely neglect their "pets" a terrible demise, but I am a person who would rather be a little less cynical and look at the positive side of people before denouncing them as horrible people who don''t deserve to live (or whatever). I am a member of PETA, a vegetarian, and have volunteered at my local humane society...I understand all sides of these issues. I just think it''s not quite right to be quick to judge a person you don''t know because an animal was mistreated/killed due to his vague, but seemingly well-intended circumstances (he did keep the dog while he was homeless...).

 

[pricescope]

1.It should be made illegal to make "no pets" policy - for some people it''s a basic human right to have a pet and some people mess their apartments without any cats helping.

2. I have a feeling - that bite (nip) was a reason for some sick shelter worker to have a revenge. There are all kinds of people working at shelters, not all of them are dog lovers. I have seen a caretaker get mad at frustrated lab who has chronic separation anxiety. This girl has real issues with the dog for the rest of his stay for nothing.

 

[JCJD]

I volunteered at our local humane society in high school. The policy of our shelter and most other county-run animal shelters is that if an animal bites or attacks another being, human or otherwise, it is immediately taken off of the adoptable list and put down. There are too many animals surrendered to the shelters and not enough manpower or money to care for them all in ways we all would like them to be cared for, yes, even the shelter''s staff. Therefore, they must invest the time, energy, and the money they do have in caring for and adopting out those animals that are already ready to be adopted (friendly, housebroken, non-threatening, etc). The only ways to counteract this terrible cycle are to spay and neuter your pets and feral animals, adopt from the shelter not from breeders, and pay your taxes/donate to kill-shelters AND no-kill shelters (think about it: money into a kill-shelter can buy more food and housing so they can adopt out more animals rather than euthanizing them).

So so sorry this happened to your friend''s dog Melissa. However, don''t let this sour your entire image of this well-meaning organization, they really do some good things, but lines of communication get muddled up and they are working in a very emotionally stressful environment. People don''t get involved in the SPCA because they hate animals. And your friend should take a little comfort in the fact that at least his friend passed on painlessly. If the SPCA did not exist, the dog may have had to have been put out on the street, battling debilitating disease, hunger, dog fights, and worse...

 

[JCJD]

Date: 12/22/2005 11:20:04 PM
Author: Pricescope
2. I have a feeling - that bite (nip) was a reason for some sick shelter worker to have a revenge.

I highly doubt this. How many shelters will adopt out a dog that has bitten one of their workers? Those new owners could have small children at home, or have children visit, babies on the way, other pets at home, that the animal is likely to attack. Yes, being in a shelter is a stressful environment for an animal, making them more likely to bite in self-defense, but being placed in a new home with new people is also stressful, again, making the animal more likely to attack. Even no-kill shelters would not allow the dog to be adopted, except with the adopter receiving explicit knowledge of the dog''s history and special instructions on how to avoid such behavior in the future! Unfortunately, government-run shelters have not the money or the expertise for this kind of special care, so they euthanize and give a better-tempered animal a chance at a happy life.

Sorry, you hit a sour note with me in that statement.

 

[JCJD]

Actually, rereading the story, I'm surprised the SPCA called the former owner at all! When an animal is surrendered to the humane society, the owner is no longer the owner, the society is. Our shelter will care for animals temporarily for a fee, but often the owners don't come back for them... Only in those cases are the former owners called when something happens to the pet.

Clearly, somebody cared enough about the dog to look up this information and call him, hoping to give the dog a chance.

 

[pricescope]

We all would love to see only right people hired by shelters but unfortunately it''s not an ideal world.

And i have seen many dogs successfully adopted who has behavioral issues corrected (99% of the time caused by previous owners who were not suppose to be an animal haters too).

 

[Mara]

Date: 12/23/2005 12:07:42 AM
Author: Pricescope
We all would love to see only right people hired by shelters but unfortunately it's not an ideal world.

And i have seen many dogs successfully adopted who has behavioral issues corrected (99% of the time caused by previous owners who were not suppose to be an animal haters too).

I totally agree on this....just because a dog nips with one person does not mean that it is not adoptable and many shelters DO in fact have training or behavioral classes in effect where they can see if a dog is re-trainable and if placed with the right family will do well. Many times shelters do in fact also say 'adult only' households or 'single dog only' households when they know that a dog has issues. So many dogs that some deem untrainable or unsaveable are exemplary pets when placed with the right, understanding household.

It's sad as well that because of a nip or a bite which may have been in fear the dog was placed on that negative short list that perhaps contributed to having it's life ended early.

Monarch, indeed if the guy was able to keep the dog and care for it while being homeless, in my mind the question is why would you go through all that with your pet and then find a place to live where you couldn't take it with you?? And I'm sorry but I just can't NOT pass some sort of judgement on someone who doesn't think enough of their pet to try to find a home for them before giving them to a shelter, if Melissa's boyfriend, who knows the guy, was able to do that with a bit of networking in 24 hours no less, why not try that BEFORE giving the pet up? Sometimes people just do not think.

 

[cinnabar]

Date: 12/23/2005 12:07:42 AM
Author: Pricescope
We all would love to see only right people hired by shelters but unfortunately it''s not an ideal world.

Many shelters rely largely on volunteers.

As a shelter volunteer myself, it breaks my heart to see how many lovely animals are brought in by feckless owners in what we call "dog pawning". They leave their pet at the shelter and consider it to be a sort of boarding kennel from which they can reclaim it when they eventually move to an apartment that does allow pets. Some people do this regularly as they keep getting evicted from one place and moving to another.

 

[Blue824]

I feel so bad for the co-worker and the prospective pet owner. SPCA should've stood by their word. I'm so sorry to hear that it didn't work out. But, when you surrender an animal to the shelter, you can't just go pick it up...it is under their rules. Once they've taken control, they have to be responsible for who gets the pets. Often they'll speak to the vet of current pets in the household and want the current pets to meet the new one. Its not simple because they don't take the adoption of a pet lightly...animals are "ranked" or have reports on their behaviors just because of this. They can't be aware of one animal nipping a lot and then adopt it to a family with small children and risk the pet being returned, neglected or abandoned. I know it seems harder than it should be, but they honestly do have the best interest of the animals at heart. I wish no animals had to be put to sleep. I spend time volunteering with a no-kill shelter and make a point of donating to no-kills...but don't get the impression that at the shelters that do put down animals that they're maliciously wondering which one they can kill next. Sometimes things may be unorganized, but there are SO many animals to take care of and not enough staff, volunteers, money and space.

Staff have so many responsibilities its nuts, there is often very little paid staff and they'll rely heavily on volunteers.

Volunteers can be hard to come by...it takes a commitment to go through the training and continue regular hours. Volunteers are often responsible for the only human interactions that the animals get all day. They rehabilitate and socialize pets to make them more adoptable. However, they must also report when an animal bites or scratches. Your time is invaluable...important to remember that a check can't cuddle or play.

Money...always needed, same as supplies. They have never ending wishlists and are SO grateful when donations are dropped off.
Space is limited. Combined with city regulations on how many animals can be on the land due to noise and health regulations.

I'm not trying to make an excuse for them, they made a big mistake. I hope they apologized. I hope that didn't stop the person from taking in another needy animal. I feel so bad for all of the animals waiting in shelters, I wish they never had to be put to sleep, but there is no one solution. I wish more people would head to shelters instead of breeders or pet stores supplied by puppy mills. I wish more people would be aware of the inexpensive options for fixing thier pets and providing proper medical care. Unfortunately, all I have to give is my time and money. Even as a group we can't solve all of the problems with the pet population, but it is just important to remember that every shelter's goal is to place as many animals as possible in loving homes, they really aren't out to cause problems or keep an animal from a proper home.

 

[MelissaSue]

I don''t have a lot of time to type.. but just to clear things up.. I didn''t really want to get into this poor guys whole life story.. but the reason he had to give up the dog is that his wife threw him out of the house, with the dog. She wouldn''t even take the dog back. I honestly do NOT think he was in any state of mind to be thinking clearly when he gave the dog to the SPCA..And since he was living in his car, I don''t think he had a lot of options when deciding where to live. I certainly don''t know of any beagle rescues in this area, or even any other shelters that take dogs (there are TONS for just cats)..
yes.. he should have known. but the worst part is that they called him and gave him the opportunity to take the dog back, and then didn''t keep their word. I guess it is the policy of this SPCA to call, (even though JCJD is right, on the website it says that once you surrender the animal you lose all rights) because my FI knows someone else that the same thing happened to,except they actually came back and got their cat (an 8 hour drive!).

 

[moremoremore]

MelSue...I guess we know who the real "bitch" is! (the wife) LOL... What a horrible woman...I still think there is always a way, but it's good to know more of the story....my babies are my children so I just can't relate, know what I mean?

Monarch...it's totally cool...different opinions make the world go round! (although not to get into it...but I seem to recall your story where you had your beloved cat and chose to adopt a dog into the home and then when the cat understandably freaked out (you know, that whole fighting like cats and dogs thing) you gave up the cat...I also have an opinion on that too believe it or not

)

Oh, and by the way PriceScope...hahahaha re: cats messing up the home! Cute. Real cute!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

A lot of people might not realize that there are rescue organizations for "purebreds" - just about every breed has its own rescue league. It''s a shame this guy probably didn''t know.

 

[moremoremore]

Not to semi hijak...but I was looking at my local shelter....I can''t get a dog now but love to look at the babies..

I just felt like posting this...if anyone lives in NY, he''s available at LittleShelter.com!
Someone had tied his mouth together...and when the fur in those spots grew back, they grew in white. So sad...poor little guy...

 

[bstraszheim]

I realise that not all situations are the same, but ... my husband and I volunteered every Saturday for about 4 years at a no-kill shelter doing cat adoptions. I cannot tell you how many people we would have show up with animals in tow and tell us that they were moving THAT DAY and if we didn''t take the animals they would just let them loose. Out of every 10, there was one who was actually emotional about this event. For every guy who spend an hour crying at the cage door apologizing to his pets, there were 9 who signed them over and never gave them a last kiss goodbye, or even a wave. I am quite bitter about this as I do believe that when you agree to take an animal, you are responsible for that animal. For better or worse. Whenever someone came in with the excuse that "I am moving and can''t take my animals", I always wish I had the courage to say, "well, did you check if they take children and if not, gonna try pawn them off on us too???"

I am sorry for this guy''s situation and I am sure he is devastated by the circumstances. I really don''t know a great deal about dogs, but I have heard stories about animals at our county shelter who have euthanised animals due to biting and I tend to be on the animals side, they go from being in a home where they are (hopefully) well loved, to some cage with a variety of strangers handling them. I am not surprised that they are nervous, and in a state of high anxiety, and they would nip. Poor dog. Poor, poor dog.

Best of luck to this guy, I hope his life turns around for him.

Bridget

 

[pearcrazy]

I''ve been faced with a move to a new apartment when I had pets. If they didn''t accept pets then I kept looking. If I had to drive an extra 15 minutes to get to work because the only place I could find that accepted pets was farther out, then so be it. That happened to me and I dealt with it. I look at my pets as my babies. I wouldn''t surrender my children if my apartment wouldn''t take them, why would I surrender my pets? I could understand if someone was moving out of the country but moving across town? When I was single I started dating a man who was allergic to cats. We started to get a little more serious to the point where I was going to have to get rid of my cats if he was going to stay in the picture. Needless to say, he''s not in the picture anymore.

I''m sorry your friend had a bad experience with the SPCA, I however will continue to support them financially as I have done for the last 20 years. Sure there are mistakes made and perhaps some animals who are put down by mistake who shouldn''t have been, but overall, they are a great organization. I hate to see people encouraged to stop supporting animal protection organizations. If the SPCA doesn''t appeal to some then the Humane Society is perhaps another option.

 

[moremoremore]

Btw PearCrazy...My husband is working from home today and told me (jokingly but with his serious husband voice) that my prince vincent is too disruptive...that he keeps chasing the others, he's eating the broom as he sweeps, he's climbing into the plastic bags with my Xmas gifts in them...and that he has to go....

I told him no problem, I'll help husband pack his bags tonight

 

[pearcrazy]

MMM, You know he''s joking!! My DH says the same stuff too. But just to be sure I always tell my DH not to let the door hit him on the way out!!! He gets over being mad at them pretty quickly, especially our Maxi boy who just like a baby will stand on his hind legs with his front paws on your legs and beg to be "picked up".

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...Totally! The next thing you know, they are all lovey dovey! Hubby wasn't a cat person until he fell in love with our three clowns...

Sounds like you have a sweet fur baby on your hands too!