Action-Tulsa World Exposes Animal Abuse in Municiple Shelter

[Guest guest]

Please send a LTE of the Tulsa World newspaper and politely protest this blatant abuse of animals and failure to satisfy basic tenants of humane treatment of animals. E-mail: letters If you reference the Tulsa World articles or editorial (below), you increase your chance of having your letter published. LTE should be brief (200 or fewer words). Remember to include your name, address and day time telephone #. Margaret ***************************************************** Animal aid (editorial from Tulsa World)By World's Editorial Writers 11/28/2007 Shelter conditions need attentionOf all issues facing a community, surely few elicit more sympathy or agreement than the plight of lost, frightened and sickly animals. Everyone agrees a domestic animal ought to be treated humanely. It seems clear that appropriate, humane treatment is not always the order of the day at the city of Tulsa animal shelter. A report just

released by the Humane Society of the United States found a number of disturbing conditions and called for "immediate attention" to improve shelter operations. Without pointing any fingers, let's agree that the time has come for Tulsa leaders and stakeholders to get together and develop a plan for improving this city function. With this opportunity to start over, there's no reason Tulsa can't have one of the nation's best animal shelters. The HSUS report, conducted at the request of city officials concerned about complaints against the shelter, found that sick animals at times did not seem to receive appropriate care. Sometimes it appeared they received no care at all. Investigators concluded there was little attention paid to animal comfort, and noted urine, feces and vomit in cages for hours at a time. Bedding also was not provided. The report called for more training for shelter workers in hopes of reducing stress experienced by the animals. A better tracking system that could improve adoption rates and reduce the need for euthanasia also was recommended, as were better methods for tracking pet owners. The city also should hire its own veterinarian, and improve the monitoring of animal health and well-being, the report said. Improved public access to the facility also was recommended. A task force, also recommended, could best determine how to go about implementing some or

all of these recommendations. Other pet-friendly policies also could be pushed: campaigns to increase spaying and neutering, pet ownership responsibility education, and the like. After all, the main reason an animal shelter is required is because of the irresponsibility of humans. Tulsa has the opportunity to turn a disturbing problem into a national showpiece. Why not seize the opportunity? ********************************************** 2nd Article from Tulsa World on Tulsa Municipal Shelter Shelter quick to kill, report says by: CURTIS KILLMAN World Staff Writer11/28/2007 12:51 AM The Tulsa Animal Shelter routinely killed animals that could have been adopted because it was easier, the Humane Society of the United States charged in a report on the shelter. The list of animals that are not usually made available for adoption includes pit bulls and pit bull mixes, animals from north Tulsa and any animal brought in by its owner, the report said. The Humane Society faulted the city's blanket euthanization policy and said it should reconsider the practice. "The HSUS team observed many highly adoptable, owner-relinquished animals that met the adoption criteria . . . were euthanized without ever being evaluated," the report states. Only in rare cases were owner-relinquished animals made available for adoption, the report says. Such cases were rare, it says, because "it was more expedient for (animal control officers) to euthanize an animal than to find space in the kennel."

The Humane Society recommended that the city develop a written procedure for animal adoption and euthanasia selection. Each animal should be evaluated on its behavior and overall health, the society said, adding that the age, breed and size of animal should be only some of the factors used to evaluate an animal for adoption. Comments attributed to animal control officers by the Humane Society team angered one city councilor. A section of the report regarding adoptions noted that shelter staff members "spoke disparagingly about animals that were brought to the facility from the North Tulsa area." Animal control officers, according to the report, indicated that animals brought in by north Tulsa residents were "untrained and aggressive." One animal control officer reportedly told the team that "these animals were usually animals that the facility did not want back in the community." City Councilor Roscoe Turner, whose district

includes the shelter, took issue with the comments and the practice. "I've really got a problem with just picking out one breed to classify as bad," he said. "I don't know that breed is where the problems come in as much as the owners. "And I definitely got a problem with the discriminatory remarks about the North community." A spokeswoman for Mayor Kathy Taylor said she couldn't comment on the adoption process outlined in the report. Susan Neal, the city's director of community development and education, said, "All I know is we want to move to a shelter system that takes into account what we deem to be a more progressive approach, which focuses a lot more on animal welfare, animal adoption and engaging the community with our shelter and having a lot more volunteers at our shelter and having a lot more community support." Mike Butcher, the vice president of Oklahoma Westie Rescue, condemned the euthanization policy. "We've

heard about it," he said. "It's a sad thing. "If they'd just work more closely with the rescue organizations to help us get the purebred dogs out of there," he said. "We don't want to see dogs killed needlessly." Neal said Taylor welcomed the report's findings and has already put some of its recommendations into effect. The list includes moving the shelter's staff to another city department and taking steps to hire a veterinarian and technician as full-time city employees rather than as contract workers. One of Taylor's goals for the animal control department will be to "redirect it considerably in its mission," Neal said. Taylor plans to form an advisory board and task force to review and carry out other suggestions in the report, she said. The emphasis will include being more aggressive in promoting animal adoption and sterilization, she said. "We know we can't be successful without engaging community volunteers and the support of

a lot of organizations that are all about animal welfare," Neal said. "There are a number who have stepped up and said they want to be involved with the shelter, and it's the city's goal to engage those folks as well as just our citizens. "Now we have a plan that we can actually implement to improve our situation here, and that's exciting for us." http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071127_238_A1_hTheH56356 Animal neglect alleged

by: CURTIS KILLMAN World Staff Writer11/27/2007 1:11 AM The Humane Society recommends the city take immediate steps to improve its animal shelter. Animals are needlessly suffering under the care of staff members who appear unconcerned at times, according to a report on the city of Tulsa's animal shelter. The report by the Humane Society of the United States recommends the city of Tulsa take immediate steps to improve its animal shelter and its operations. The 170-page report, released by city officials Monday after a request from the Tulsa World, details several accounts witnessed by the Humane Society's team during its April visit to the shelter. The animal shelter "must put immediate attention into improving its overall animal management program,"

the report said. The team saw several sick animals at the shelter, 3130 N. Erie Ave., during its visit, and many appeared to receive inappropriate or no care. Sick animals should receive appropriate medical attention or be euthanized in a "very timely manner," the report notes. "Animals should not wait until near death to have a decision made about their fate." The inspection team noted that staff members appeared to be unconcerned about the comfort of the animals in the shelter and recommended better training. The Humane Society recommended that the city form a task force of city officials and community members to review the report and create a plan to address the concerns. A city spokeswoman, Kim MacLeod, said city officials were still reviewing the report, dated October 2007. She declined to comment on specific recommendations. A spokeswoman for a group formed to be a liaison between the city shelter and Tulsa

animal welfare community said she had not seen the report although she had asked the city for a copy. Laurie Searcy Mayes, the executive director of the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals, welcomed the chance to be on a task force, saying the non profit group has had a frosty relationship with Mayor Kathy Taylor. The group has tried repeatedly to meet with Taylor since she took office in April 2006, Mayes said. "It's not that she has refused, she has just ignored us," Mayes said. "Mayor Taylor, she may care about animals but she needs to really take a look at our own shelter and walk around and take a look at some of those faces," Mayes said. The shelter's director, Larry Briggs, declined to talk about specific findings in the report, but he said he would retire Friday and that it was "his decision" to leave. "I have not been asked, but my feelings are it gives the city an opportunity to bring someone in with a fresh perspective,"

Briggs said. "It's probably beneficial that there be a change in management here. "I don't think it's my position to offer a defense," Briggs said. "It appears to me that I took it on the chin on this, but I personally felt like we had a first-class operation." City officials sought the shelter review after several animal rescue groups expressed concerns in 2005 about the facility. The concerns included how animals were euthanized, staffing levels and other budgetary issues. The Humane Society was chosen to review the shelter. Many of the concerns noted by the rescue groups appeared to be confirmed by the inspection team. "There seemed to be a general lack of concern for animal comfort; urine, feces or vomition remained in cages/runs for several hours," the report noted. Bedding was not provided to dogs and cats, the report noted. Staff members indicated that blankets or mats became wet from cleaning or overturned water pails

and urine. The Humane Society also recommended that the dogs be provided with bedding of some type and that the shelter provide better training of staff and volunteers to reduce and prevent stress in animals. During its visit, the team observed several obviously sick animals in the shelter that had not been reported to the veterinarian for examination. A Department of Corrections inmate who was working in the shelter at the time alerted the inspection team about one sick animal. The animal was taken to an exam room, but the veterinary staff had not yet arrived. Shelter staff had been at the shelter for nearly three hours before the dog's condition was brought to the attention of the assistant director, according to the report. "The dog died within the hour, without having been provided veterinary care or humane euthanasia," the report noted. The team also noted that several other animals appeared not to receive veterinary

care for hours and even days. The neglect did not appear to be intentional, but rather due to the "overwhelming number of animals, poor scheduling of assignments, inadequate training and lack of oversight, accountability and written standard operating procedures," the report notes.

Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.