OH: Chicago shelter employs array of approaches to spare dogs

PUTTING AN END TO OVERKILL
Chicago shelter employs array of approaches to spare dogs
PAWS euthanized less than 1% of animals in its care in 2008
By JC REINDL, BLADE STAFF WRITER

CHICAGO - In the animal control world, the difference between numbers and names can signal a lot about chances for life or death.

Naming is standard practice at one of the Midwest's most prominent so-called "no-kill" shelters, PAWS Chicago, which euthanized fewer than 1 percent of the formerly unwanted dogs and cats it took in during 2008 from the city's animal control agency or got through owner surrenders. All the others - 1,751 dogs - it adopted out to new homes.

It's strictly a numbers operation in Toledo at the Lucas County pound, where even the healthiest dogs and cutest puppies are organized by digits printed on their metal cages. The county-run, open-admission shelter killed 1,951 dogs last year, or 72 percent of all dogs that entered and weren't reclaimed by owners.

To be sure, it takes more than name tags to run an effective and humane animal-control operation. Yet the effort to name the dogs up for adoption at the Chicago shelter is one simple step among an array of best practices encouraged by animal welfare advocates to help save shelter dogs from needless deaths.

Now, after decades of overkill at the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office, the pendulum of fate could swing the other way for the many hundreds of dogs that each year enter the pound on the outskirts of downtown and ultimately leave in body bags.

With controversial Dog Warden Tom Skeldon out of office, dog advocates say the county has a chance to work toward an admirable long-term goal for both pets and public: a "no-kill" community for dogs. Achieving that mark would require new practices and an about-face from the county's long-prevailing catch-and-kill approach to animal control.

"It is a whole change in mindset that we don't kill animals just because we don't have homes for them," said Jean Keating, county resident and co-founder of the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates. "You have to change your focus from the law-enforcement perspective to making the community more humane for people and for animals," Ms. Keating said.

"So you place emphasis on education and spay and neuter programs," she said, "as opposed to your emphasis being on driving around and threatening people to surrender their animal so you can kill it."

The "no-kill" movement actually allows for the limited use of euthanasia for a small percentage of dogs or cats - generally the gravely injured or sick and the truly vicious.

Quest for 'no-kill'
Ideally, up to 95 percent of all dogs or cats who enter "no-kill" shelters will leave, according to Nathan Winograd, executive director of the national No Kill Advocacy Center and author of Redemption, an influential 2007 book on "the myth of pet overpopulation and the 'no-kill' revolution in America."

"The goal is to save all but truly, irremediably suffering animals, and for obvious public-safety reasons, dogs that are truly vicious," Mr. Winograd said in a phone interview from outside Berkeley, Calif.

Lucas County, with its historically high kill-rate, surely has a way to go to reach "no-kill." Yet so did other communities, large and small, that have made significant progress in decreasing euthanasia and increasing adoptions while continuing to perform mandated animal-control duties.

A large-scale example is San Francisco, which in 1994 mostly ended the killing of healthy dogs and cats and whose San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continues to operate a "no-kill" shelter with annual kill rates for dogs in the low single digits.

Smaller-scale models include Shelby County, Kentucky, which has been a "no-kill" or nearly "no-kill" community in recent years, and Tompkins County, New York.

Mr. Winograd, who once directed the Tompkins County SPCA, described in his book how the shelter went from routinely killing animals once cages got full to not killing any healthy or adoptable ones by the early 2000s.

"While I would like to see many 'no-kill' shelters out there, our goal is to create 'no-kill' communities, which means no shelter is killing healthy or treatable animals," Mr. Winograd said.

Common best practices that help shelters and communities achieve "no-kill" results include:

•Vigorous and widespread spay/neuter programs that are accessible to all income groups. Sterilized pets help to reduce the homeless pet population.

•A friendly and inviting front-desk environment together with an attractive adoption area to encourage the public to visit shelters rather than breeders or pet shops.

•Frequent transfer of dogs to foster homes or rescue groups, especially those dogs proving hard to adopt.

The PAWS example
Two well-regarded Chicago animal shelters demonstrate the results of these practices. While both nonprofit organizations have different missions and funding sources than Lucas County's government-run program, their operations can nonetheless serve as models for what's possible in dog care.

The newer of the two is PAWS Chicago, founded in 1997 by banking executive Paula Fasseas, who with her husband, Peter Fasseas, runs the multibranch Metropolitan Bank Group.

Mrs. Fasseas' inspiration for PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) came after learning that a reported 40,000 dogs and cats were killed each year in Chicago shelters in the mid-1990s. Today, the nonprofit operates a busy spay/ neuter clinic in conjunction with its spiffy new Adoption and Humane Center in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

The adoption facility is considered one of a kind in the Midwest, with dogs and cats boarded in spacious window-filled and sound-dampened "suites" rather than the typical cages and kennels. Numerous donors have bought naming rights to the suites, including Oprah Winfrey, whose colorful "Sophie's Room" pays remembrance to her cocker spaniel that died two years ago.

Visitors arrive to a bright and airy lobby that feels more like a coffee house than an entrance to a pet shelter. Greeting guests at the door are smiling desk staff and an overhead soundtrack of classical music that's piped throughout the building to encourage calm among the dogs and cats.

All the animals get a name.  "We name every single one," said Sarah Ahlberg, communications manager. "We treat them as special beings because they are very important to us."

Most of the animals - or 78 percent of canines and 61 percent of felines - at PAWS came from the city's Animal Care and Control Department. According to PAWS, since its founding the number of homeless pets killed in the city has dropped by more than half, from 42,561 in 1997 to 19,288 in 2008.

Records from the city's animal control department - which does about a third of the animal euthanasia in the city - also show its numbers have decreased dramatically in recent years, from 18,058 in 2003 to 11,486 animals killed last year.

PAWS also takes in older animals and those in less-than-perfect health, including cats with the feline version of HIV and a partially paralyzed "pit bull" named Red who gets around on a cart.

Mrs. Fasseas said the shelter only euthanizes animals that are in lasting pain or suffering from serious conditions such as cancer.  "No-kill doesn't mean 'zero-kill' - it means you're not managing by killing," Mrs. Fasseas said in an interview. "You make that decision based on what's best for the animal, not what's best for the shelter."

Anti-Cruelty Society
Across town on Grand Avenue is The Anti-Cruelty Society, an open-door shelter founded in 1899 that offers a variety of services and programs: adoption, boarding, a charity veterinary clinic, owner and youth education, dog training, and a cruelty investigation unit.

The society opened Chicago's first low or no-cost spay/neuter clinic 15 years ago. The clinic performs more than 10,000 surgeries a year with costs as low as $10 for owned cats and $40 for male dogs. Spaying or neutering "pit bulls" is free.  "There's no excuse for anyone in this city not to get their animal sterilized," said Dr. Robyn Barbiers, the group's president.

While the adoption area is not as posh as at PAWS - pets don't recline on wicker furniture and do live in cages - the facility is clean, well ventilated, and filled with lots of natural light.

About two years ago, the society started a "bully breeds program" to regulate the adoption of mostly "pit bull" or Rottweiler dogs. Staff members give extra training to the dogs and conduct home visits of those looking to adopt them.  All dogs - bullies or otherwise - are spayed or neutered, fitted with microchip identification, and given a collar and cardboard carrier by the time they leave the shelter.

And unlike PAWS, the society accepts every animal brought in - from puppies to the sick and aged. It receives a lower percentage of animals - 12 percent of all dogs last year - from the city's animal care and control department than PAWS because it also takes in dogs from the Illinois Citizens Animal Welfare League and other sources.

The society also performs free owner-requested euthanasia, a service that Dr. Barbiers said is important. "I euthanized my own pet last week," said Dr. Barbiers, whose 8-year-old cat had inoperable intestinal cancer. "It's a hard decision, but it's a lot better than letting that animal suffer."

'No-kill' challenges
The varying experiences of PAWS and Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society in euthanasia show the challenges inherent in pursuing "no-kill" goals at a dog pound, such as Lucas County's, that accepts any and all dogs.

Nationwide, some communities and shelters that once set out to become "no-kill" later revised those goals after nearly being overrun with animals. That's what happened in Washington state at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County, the chief sheltering facility for its local government, which learned that effective spay-neuter programs are "90 percent" of the key to lowering euthanasia.

"If you don't have any control over the numbers coming through your door, there is no way you can just say, 'We're going to not kill animals,' because where are you going to put them?" said Marguerite Richmond, a spokesman for the society, which pays $10 to "pit bull" owners who bring their dog in for sterilization.

The largest spay/neuter program in northwest Ohio, the nonprofit Humane Ohio, sterilized 3,353 dogs last year, while Mr. Skeldon killed 1,951 dogs last year at the Lucas County dog pound.

Staff writer Claudia Boyd-Barrett contributed to this report.
Contact JC Reindl at: jreindl@theblade.com or 419-724-6065.

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MD - Animal neglect complaint dismissed

Animal neglect complaint dismissed
Shelter head faces theft charge in separate case
By Larry Carson
February 28, 2010

A complaint of animal neglect has been dismissed against Robin Deltuva, director of the private Howard County Animal Welfare Society.

The decision - involving a Chihuahua named Jay-Jay that a volunteer at the shelter felt was near death - was made because of a lack of evidence, according to the five-page decision of the county's Animal Matters Hearing Board released Thursday.

"This is a matter in which the board believes the evidence is evenly balanced on the issue of whether or not Robin Deltuva committed animal cruelty," the decision said.

Deltuva, 36, still faces criminal theft charges in a separate case involving the shelter she runs on Davis Road in Ellicott City, next to the county's public shelter. Deltuva lives on the property.  "I'm ecstatic," Deltuva said after learning of Thursday's decision.

In the case, former center volunteer Kerrie Ater of Catonsville said she found the small dog so listless that he could not raise his head Aug. 6, a few days after he was returned by a family who had adopted it.  Ater said she was so alarmed that she rushed the animal to a Catonsville animal hospital. The dog survived, and she adopted it. The veterinarian who treated the dog said he was in critical condition when he arrived.

Deltuva said the dog was emaciated when it was returned, and she and her staff had been nourishing it, not neglecting it. Shelter employees backed her, as did Dr. Joseph Mancino, a veterinarian who visits the shelter twice a week.

Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun

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TN: Patricia Adkisson - Hickman C. Animal Hoarding Trial Begins

TN: Patricia Adkisson - Hickman C. Animal Hoarding Trial Begins
700 Animals Seized from property in 2008

CENTERVILLE, Tenn. -- The trial of Hickman County woman charged with hoarding hundreds of animals at her home began Wednesday.  Patricia Adkisson is accused of unlawfully transporting dogs or cats and giving rabies shots without proper certification in 2008.  Authorities seized 700 animals from Adkisson's property last year. Many were in poor health and living in what investigators called "deplorable" conditions.  On Wednesday, two women who worked at the facility took the stand in a Hickman County court. One of those women testified she also contacted authorities after finding two dead dogs and terrible conditions.

Lisa Osborne worked at Pine Bluff Kennels for about a year and a half. She said there were animals walking around in feces.  Another employee, Jessica Mills, said she and Osborne were hired by Adkisson to feed and care fore more than 650 dogs. Mills said she was responsible for about 400 to 500 dogs on a part of the property known as The Hill.

In court, Mills showed photographs she took last spring, showing feces lining the cages and skinny dogs.  Osborne was in charge of the section known as the Dog Trailer, which was where the mother dogs and their puppies were kept. Osborne said she was dismissed from the job for a while, but when she returned, she found two dead dogs due to the filthy conditions. She testified Adkisson was in charge of the dog trailer while she was gone.  "I thought she would take better care of them than that," said Osborne.

Adkisson's attorney cross-examined the state's witnesses asking if his client provided them with the tools to do their jobs. Both witnesses testified that Adkisson provided them with between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds of dog food each week.

One of the veterinarians who arrived on the property to examine the animals testified they weren't properly cared for.

Adkisson was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation in August. Based on the results, a judge ruled she could stand trial.  This isn't the first time Adkisson has been on trial for animal cruelty. She was convicted in 2000 and given probation and a $3,000 fine. That conviction was overturned.

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Legislation Proposed To End Puppy Mills
Legitimate Breeders Concerned About Law's Burden
Reported By Cara Kumari
POSTED: 5:20 pm CST February 6, 2009
UPDATED: 7:13 pm CST February 6, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- State lawmakers are trying to curb so-called puppy mills by regulating breeders and creating an inspection process, but some breeders are worried it might have unintended consequences.

State Sen. Doug Jackson was never a fan of regulating commercial animal breeders until he set foot on a farm in Hickman County.  "After seeing that and the magnitude of that and the amount of suffering that was taking place ... it was clear in my mind to support this kind of legislation," he said. "Animals have just become more important to me."

He's now proposing legislation that he hopes will put an end to what many call puppy mills.  It would require any breeder with more than 20 animals to pay a $500 licensing fee to the state. If you have more than 40, it goes up to $1,000.  Commercial breeders would also be inspected yearly.

Dick Dickerson is on the board of the American Kennel Club and owns 22 dogs. He said he worries a law like this will also place a burden on legitimate breeders who are already subject to strict regulations through the AKC.  "Numbers are not neccessarily the thing you go by," Dickerson said.

Jackson said the law makes sense not only to protect animals but also to protect the animals' buyers, ensuring that they get healthy pets.

As far as the Hickman County case goes, Patricia Adkisson is scheduled to go to trial in May.
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Puppy Mill Operator Sentenced to 10 Years

CENTERVILLE, Tenn. -The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, applauds Judge Timothy Easter for imposing an appropriate sentence following the conviction of Patricia Adkisson, owner of Pine Bluff Kennels in Lyles, Tenn., on animal cruelty charges.

(Media-Newswire.com) - CENTERVILLE, Tenn. —The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, applauds Judge Timothy Easter for imposing an appropriate sentence following the conviction of Patricia Adkisson, owner of Pine Bluff Kennels in Lyles, Tenn., on animal cruelty charges.

On Feb. 18, Judge Easter sentenced Adkisson to ten years, including five years on Community Corrections where she will be heavily monitored. The remaining five years will be served under probationary supervision.  Judge Easter imposed a lifetime ban on animal ownership or association with persons or organizations who deal in animals.

In December 2009, Patricia Adkisson was convicted of 14 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and 16 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. These charges stemmed from allegations that Adkisson neglected hundreds of dogs kept in her mass breeding business, Pine Bluff Puppies. Upon sentencing, Judge Easter noted the court found there was an indefensible treatment of animals and that Adkisson exhibits a low value for life in general.

"We are grateful to the judge as well as to the 21st Judicial District Attorney General's Office for treating animal cruelty as the crime it is. Authorities are serious about enforcing Tennessee's animal protection law, and this sends a message to other puppy mill operators out there that they won't get a free ride in our state," said Leighann McCollum, Tennessee state director for The HSUS.

"By imposing this sentence, Judge Easter recognized the magnitude of the cruelty and neglect suffered by these puppies and the other animals on Adkisson's property," said  Tennessee 21st Judicial District Attorney General Kim Helper. "We appreciate the help provided to us by The Humane Society of the United States during the course of our investigation and subsequent trial."

The raid in June 2008 was set into motion by The HSUS' Tennessee state director, who received tips and worked with investigators with the 21st Judicial District Attorney General's Office to build a case against Adkisson. It was the largest puppy mill bust in Tennessee history.

The HSUS oversaw the removal of 747 animals from Adkisson's mass breeding facility. The 700 dogs and 47 other animals were taken to humane organizations across the country where they received necessary medial and behavioral care and placed up for adoption in new, loving homes.

Subsequently, The HSUS worked with the 21st Judicial District Attorney General's Office, legislators and others, including the Nashville Kennel Club, to pass legislation in Tennessee to crack down on puppy mills in the state.

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AL: Animals chained, man charged

AL: Animals chained, man charged
Jan. 12, 2006
By MARY-ALLISON LANCASTER - Managing editor

A man was charged with animal cruelty after investigators with the Escambia County Humane Society found 13 animals chained and contained in nailed plywood boxes at a vacant home in East Brewton. A deposition hearing has been set for Friday morning.

Acting on a tip received several months ago, animal cruelty investigator Renee Jones said that Calvin Green has been charged with animal cruelty. According to Jones, Green had moved from his home in East Brewton and left seven grown dogs, four puppies, a raccoon and a chicken chained and withheld from sufficient shelter and with only minimal water, causing the animals to react with vicious behavior. However, two of the grown dogs, Jones said, had not been chained and had “sweet temperaments.” Jones said that Green had allegedly been visiting the home once a day to feed and provide water for the animals.

According to Jones, one of the dogs had been chained with an orange electrical cord wrapped around its neck, while a female dog, who had given birth to a litter of puppies, had been chained in such a way that she couldn't lie down. When Jones said she arrived on the scene, several of the puppies were dead.

Jones said she believed they had died due to lack of warmth and nutrition since the mother couldn't adequately provide for her puppies. However, Jones said she couldn't prove that was how the puppies had died.

Jones said that one of the animals at some point had gotten tangled in the chain and a “bunch of junk” and had cut its hind leg, possibly on a piece of tin. After further investigation, it was found that the dog's hamstring had been severed to the bone.

Two of the puppies, a German shepherd and a Chihuahua, were being kept at the home in plywood box nailed shut. “They were absolutely suffering,” Jones said. “You can't just put them out there and not socialize them. They were dangerous.”

Jones said that chaining dogs without socializing often them turns them into vicious animals. According to statistics from the Humane Society of the United States, chaining or tethering a dog is defined as “the practice of fastening a dog to a stationary object or stake, usually in the owner's backyard, as a means of keeping the animal under control. These terms do not refer to the periods when an animal is walked on a leash.”

While there is no law in the state of Alabama that bans chaining an animal, Jones and the HSUS highly recommend against it. According to a study published in 2002 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, it was reported that 17 percent of dogs involved in fatal attacks on humans between 1979 and 1998 were restrained on their owners' property at the time of the attack.

Source: http://www.brewtonstandard.com/articles/2006/01/11/news/news01.txt
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Final outcome

A man charged with animal cruelty signed over custody of his animals to the Humane Society on January 13, 2006 during a deposition hearing. Acting on a tip, investigators investigated a home in East Brewton last week and found more than a dozen animals chained and roaming - unshielded from the elements - some with life-threatening injuries.

Humane Society cruelty investigator Renee Jones said that Calvin Green, of East Brewton, is prohibited from having any further ownership of animals. Jones said that Humane Society has the right to inspect Green's home without prior notification to make certain he abides by the prohibition. "Our goal was simply to get possession of these dogs, to treat them, assess them and to provide better homes for the dogs," Jones said.

Criminal misdemeanor charges have been nol prossed, but could be reinstated at a later date. Jones said that if the Humane Society finds Green has violated the ruling, they will prosecute to the fullest extent.

Last week, Humane Society investigators found 13 neglected animals at Green's unoccupied home, most of them were chained. A raccoon and a chicken were also seized from the home. Jones said that it is illegal to keep any wild animal as a pet, or to fatten it up.

According to a statement from Jones last week, one of the dogs had been tethered with an orange electrical cord wrapped around its neck, while a female dog, who had given birth to a littler of puppies, had been chained in such a way that she couldn't lie down. All of the puppies have since died. "There are no ordinances against chaining or tethering, although we highly recommend not doing it," Jones said. "It's for all kinds of reasons, primarily it decreases their level of territory - makes them more aggressive - and chaining a dog makes it four times more likely to bite. But even chained, the animal must still have, like any other animal, adequate food, water and shelter."

Now that the Humane Society has been given full custody, they are assessing the dogs and addressing their physical conditions. Some, she said, need further veterinary treatment. Several of the dogs are adoptable, but some have shown aggressive behavior and Humane Society workers are working to rehabilitate them. "Chaining is the least desirable way to keep a pet," Jones said. "That is not a life to be kept on a chain where your entire world is a circle of dirt."

Vet bills have already reached about $500, and that price is likely to rise due to the severity of injuries several of the dogs have sustained. The Humane Society is a non-profit organization and relies heavily on donations. Anyone interested in donating specifically for the care of these dogs should send donations earmarked "vet care" to the Humane Society located at 2763 South Blvd., Brewton, Alabama, 36426.

Source: http://www.brewtonstandard.com/articles/2006/01/18/news/news04.txt

Mi: Forgotten Victims

Mi: Forgotten Victims
By NATHAN BRUTTELL Argus-Press Staff Writer
Monday, November 24, 2008 9:42 AM EST

OWOSSO - A few months ago, a family brought Chassis, a 3-year-old German shepard/Lab mix, to the Shiawassee Humane Society. A few weeks ago, Buster, a 4-year-old chow-chow/beagle mix, was dropped off at the shelter. Chassis and Buster, along with more than a dozen other animals, found themselves living at the shelter because their families just couldn't afford them.

Kennel manager Amanda Reed said people are asked to give reasons for leaving the animals at the shelter. “A year or so ago, allergies was the biggest reason people brought in animals,” Reed said. “Now it's because people are moving out of their homes for financial reasons.”

While the government works to find solutions to the economic crisis across the country, Michigan is seeing the auto industry struggle to stay afloat, a long recession and unemployment rates above 9 percent.

The economic climate is hitting families hard, and when families are forced to move, sometimes the family pet is left behind, Reed said. “Our waiting list is growing too,” Reed said. “There's at least a five-week wait on bringing in an animal. The list used to be a lot smaller.”

At this time last year, Reed estimated the shelter housed half of its total from 2007. People also are adopting animals at a slower pace than the last few years, Reed said. “Between dogs and cats, we do get about four or five adoptions a week,” Reed said. “We used to have a lot more than that. People adopt more around this time of year, but we're also getting a lot more than we ever have.”

Dog adoption prices at the shelter range from $100 to $175, depending on age and size. Cats are $80 to $130, depending on age. The adoption includes vaccinations, heartworm testing and spaying or neuturing costs as well.

The worst hasn't happened yet, Reed said. She expects the shelter to see more and more people added to the waiting list - or resorting to other means this holiday season. Some families in Michigan can't wait. When they are forced to leave and the shelter has no room, sometimes the families just leave the animals behind.

Kennel assistant Tim Bishop said he's heard stories of people leaving pets behind. "These are families that can't afford to feed themselves, let alone an animal,” he said. “Sometimes they'll just leave them in the house with some food.”

When families leave pets behind, they are brought to the Shiawassee Animal Control Center - but the list at the center is growing, and it has little room. An attendant at the center said they have been beyond capacity for awhile and expects the problem to only get worse.

Copyright © 2007-2008 The Argus-Press Owosso, MI
Source: http://www.argus-press.com/articles/2008/11/24/news/news1.txt