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Death Row Pets - The Plight of
Unwanted Animals - Part III
Death Row Pets - The Plight of Unwanted Animals
Overcrowded shelters across the United States have resulted
in the deaths of unwanted pets. This three part series explores
the desparate situation in Long Island, New York
October 7, 2004
by Alicyn Leigh
Part III
That Doggie in the Window
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| Islip Animal Shelter on Sunrise Highway
in Bay Shore |
Long Island has its share of sketchy pet stores. Two stores
that have fallen under scrutiny in recent years are Canine
Corral in Huntington and Yuppy Puppy in Port Jefferson. Canine
Corral's literature states the shop is known for "setting
the standards of the industry," and adds, "Our quality and
expertise has helped many others by showing them true excellence
and dedication to detail. The difference is easy to see with
our professional staff, available for you 24 hours a day for
all of your questions and concerns being new parents to your
puppy. Each of our puppies are part of a wellness program
based on good diet and nutrition. With a dog nutritionist
on staff, we can discuss all of our puppies growing needs."
But that's not the picture drawn on one consumer affairs
website (www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/canine.html),
which lists complaints from owners who purchased their pets
at Canine Corral. One such customer, Lori of Ronkonkoma, wrote:
"[I] purchased a 'purebred' chocolate Labrador retriever in
August 2001. [The] dog is now 1 year old and showing aggression
toward children for no reason. Just walking in the room can
make the dog lunge and bite. [I'm] currently seeking help
with a pet behaviorist/trainer. [The dog is] showing signs
of possible inbreeding—mass-producing certain high-demand
breeds for the purpose of making money."
Another customer, "D" of New York, wrote: "We purchased a
mixed-breed puppy from Canine Corral in 1999. Canine Corral
lied about the puppy's mixture and approximate weight, when
they knew her dam and sire's breeding history. Less than even
a day after we bought our precious little package home, we
bought her to the vet because she had trouble breathing, and
a running nose. When we contacted the shop they said in these
exact words, 'Bring it back, and pick a new one.' When asked
what they would do with our sick pup, they said, 'euthanize
it.' I, personally, would not take that. Our puppy ended up
in the hospital for over three grueling weeks—IV, surgery,
etc. The vet said he had never seen such a bad case in a puppy,
and that if we had waited until the next day, that she would
have died. The vet, seeing firsthand what has happened with
Canine Corral's puppies before, agreed to treat our pup free
of charge. Occasionally walking into Canine Corral every so
often, I see more and more cases like mine. It is truly heartbreaking."
According to the Better Business Bureau, however, Canine
Corral has had only two complaints in the last three years
and gained a "satisfactory" record, in part by agreeing to
follow the BBB's guidelines for dealing with customer complaints.
Not so for The Yuppy Puppy Inc., which has continued to collect
an inordinate number of complaints—two dozen in the past three
years—and not respond to them, according to the BBB. Most
of the complaints relate to "product quality," specifically
animals that were "found to be sick and (or) in need of surgery."
Hence the Bureau has given the Port Jefferson store its lowest
rating. Despite several calls, store owners could not be reached
for comment. A manager at Yuppy Puppy, however, defended the
company, saying the high complaint rate is in large part a
result of high-volume sales—2,500 puppies annually—and noting
that the state licensing board, which renews the store's license
each year, has never fined the company. "We sell a lot of
dogs and we stand behind them," he says, adding that the store
offers a guarantee that includes a one-year clause covering
birth defects. "When you're dealing with a live animal, nothing
is 100 percent." Whatever the case, dog expert Audrey Pavia
warns, "Don't ever buy a puppy that was bred in a puppy mill."
Pets raised by inexperienced breeders and puppy mills can
develop medical conditions later in life, such as hip dysplasia,
which is common among German shepherds and some other breeds.
There are dental, eye and respiratory problems that affect
cats such as Persians bred specifically to get that 'pushed-in
nose look,' but have trouble breathing as a result.
All the Wrong Reasons
Many owners do not take the time to train their pets, but
expect the world from them. Behavioral problems can be helped
without sentencing a pet to death. Those unfamiliar with raising
a pet should seek the help of a trainer, who may have an office
or make house calls. Veterinarians, animal welfare organizations,
shelters, friends and neighbors are always happy to recommend
a good pet trainer.
Neglected pets will develop behavioral problems, some of
which can be broken with the help of an animal expert. Due
to our impatient nature, we often want everything to happen
right away. Could you pass the math Regents exam when you
were in kindergarten? Then why would you expect a pet to know
everything in a few months? Expect at least one year of serious,
consistent behavioral training. Prospective owners lacking
the patience to train a pet simply shouldn't get one. Pets
brought to the shelters with severe behavioral problems are
usually the first to be euthanized.
But some animals are euthanized for one reason only—the owner's
laziness. Innocent young kittens and puppies with no behavioral
problems aren't excluded from euthanasia if room is needed
at shelters. Veterinarians are sometimes asked to euthanize
pets because the owners won't take the time to find new homes
for them.
"A very troubling situation for a veterinarian is the request
to euthanize a healthy animal," Dr. Conarck said. "Many times
a concerted effort on the part of the owner and veterinarian
together can divert this type of tragedy. Many breed clubs
have rescue groups that will aid in the placement of animals.
Often, with some effort and patience, most animals can find
new loving homes."
Fortunately, there are shelters that do not euthanize, such
as Glen Cove Animal Lovers League, Save-A-Pet Animal Rescue
in Port Jeff Station, and Little Shelter and Last Hope, both
in Huntington. Rescue organizations comb the kill-shelters
for adoptable pets when they have room or a volunteer foster-owner.
They try to find pets that can be rehabilitated and placed
with a new owner. Many town shelters run special adoption
promotions to help their animals find homes as well.
"I see our mission as being focused on saving the adoptables,"
explains Joan Phillips, director of the Animal Lovers League
in Glen Cove. "Adoption rates can be improved by providing
stress reduction and behavioral modification programs in shelters."
Pets given up to a shelter experience severe trauma, both
physically and psychologically. Compassionate volunteers and
no-kill shelters that take in pets work diligently to make
pets adoptable after going through the shock of being put
in a shelter. Screening for an acceptable home is very strict,
to ensure this pet will not be abandoned again.
"Establishing behavioral modification programs and behavior
help lines to intervene before a pet is surrendered to a shelter
is [a solution]," explains Phillips. "Far from being mere
receiving places for animals, shelters should become the centers
of education on how to maintain a pet in a healthy household
situation, and strive for quality adoptions where family and
pet are well-matched to each other."
End of Days
If adopted, the animal will have another chance at life,
should the animal want it, but due to emotional scars, a shelter
pet may never trust a human again. Some shelter pets have
been so traumatized that they stop eating, in effect committing
suicide. In the worst-case scenario, the pet sits for days
on a kill-shelter death row. Pets in kill-shelters shake uncontrollably.
Animals have a very keen sense of what is going on around
them. They hear the cries of condemned animals, smell their
fear and death.
"While it's impossible to say with any certainty that animals
have a sixth sense, there are many anecdotes that would support
this phenomenon. It can be proven that they do live in a world
of scents on a level close to a human's visual dependence.
The communication through pheromones is indisputable. I have
personally observed in my veterinary office evidence of this,"
Conarck explained. "The smell of fear and death certainly
must pervade in certain shelters."
While the death-row pet sits and waits in this unfamiliar
surrounding, terrified of what is next, the pet does remember
the person who left it there. Longtime animal advocate Hilary
Meyer, of Glen Cove, witnessed her aunt's dog recognizing
her and her family when she took her mom and sister to adopt
a cat at North Shore Animal League in Port Washington. To
Meyer's surprise, her aunt's dog, Banky, was there for two
months, because it had secretly been given up for adoption.
Meyer says the dog was excited to see them. "It definitely
knew who we were," she says, "and wanted desperately to come
home with us." Her aunt refused to take the dog back, and
although the animal was eventually adopted, the incident strained
family relations. Meyer remains convinced that animals have
great recollection as to who their owners are.
A death-row pet does recall the good times, getting special
treats or playing favorite games. This pet now feels it has
done something terribly wrong and is being punished by its
master. It could very well know its fate is death.
"Fortunately for us, animals are most forgiving, a great
lesson we can learn from them," Angel's Gate's Marino says.
"Animal companions teach us unconditional love. An animal
will only think of his human companion with love and devotion.
Unlike humans, animal companions remain loyal to the very
end."
When the time of execution comes, an unknown attendant brings
the pet into a cold, sterile room, stressing the pet further.
"[At the Town of Huntington shelter] licensed technicians
are always present and the procedure is done in an examination
room," the SPCA'S Gross explains. "The animal is weighed on
a scale to determine the amount of drugs needed to properly
euthanize the animal." Each town's procedure varies, but only
slightly.
So, after being put on the scale in an examining room, the
animal's life is ended by strangers. The cries and yelps heard
at the shelters during these days are unforgettable. Fear
and panic sets in for the pet, and it recognizes the horrible
scents from previously killed pets and realizes its time to
die has come, too.
"I believe that animals know when death is imminent," Marino
says. "Fortunately for the animals, they do not have the same
attachment to this planet that humans do. They pass with dignity
and grace."
Animal lovers believe the death-row pet will carry its dignity
all the way to its death, bravely looking into the eyes of
the vet while the needle is put into its vein, ending the
animal's days of suffering. Every day, this morbid scene takes
place.
"It is a sad but true fact that there are simply not enough
homes to place every homeless animal," says Phillips of the
Animal Lovers League. "All of us involved in the humane movement
do our best to alleviate the problem, but I do not think it
will be solved in our lifetime. There simply is not a 'happily-ever-after'
place for every animal."
- Alicyn Leigh
Alicyn
Leigh has been a Pet Advocate promoting animal welfare
issues in the media since 1985 and is currently the Pets
columnist for the Long Island Press. She is an accomplished
equestrian who began riding at the age of 9: riding/training,
showing the "A" circuit, teaching students, managing a show
barn and judging. She has cared for many animals, including
horses, cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs and many farm animals.
Alicyn has also given time volunteering for shelters and
rescue organizations. She has hosted her own radio show,
Alicyn's PetTalk, held the fundraisers Kids for Animals
and Rockin' for the Animals, has been the Long Island Pets
Spokesperson for Agway, and has written pet columns for
The Pet Channel website and the South Shore Tribune newspaper.
Alicyn Leigh has made numerous radio show and television
appearances, including Fox Pet News and New 12 TV, to promote
humane education, responsible pet ownership, shelter adoptions,
rescue organizations and spay/neu!
To find dogs and cats available for adoption in your area,
visit the following websites:
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