Robeson County Animal Shelter North Carolina. Is anyone nearby that can verify this?

[npmommie]

No, of course not. But I don't think the animals are as important as the people, period.


If we really wanted to control the pet population we would make laws that dealt with it, and people would be held accountable. Since we don't, the shelters are the community solution we have come up with. If a community wants to take on the problem and provide no-kill shelters I think that's great, but it's like any other situation where you continue to clean up the mess but never make the people who made the mess resposnsible for it in the first place.

Predator animals play a very important part in our worlds ecosystem, without animals life would be very different for all of us. remove the predators and you destroy our ecosystem.

Our "animal helping" resumes are extensive, but I'm not going to go down that path here. Suffice it to say our wallets and our hearts are always open to both people and animals in need. I'd bet that's the case for many here as well.

I was going to go down the path, but as Pea said this so eloquently I will repeat what she said, and agree that our wallets and hearts are also always open to humans and animals.

That's how I feel about Charley. He is the epitome of 'perfect' and I cant believe anyone wouldnt have kept him and loved him and cherished him until the day he died.

All of our pets are either strays we acquired or came from shelters, and I feel that way about every one of them

I know someone who also called and was told they cannot adopt out to Massachusetts residents. Apparently people were bringing their puppies up here and were not quarantining them prior to adoptions and many had Parvo and other illness. The Attorney Generals Office sent a letter to the shelter ordering them not to send their animals to MA.

That is too bad, because I would gladly have taken a litter of those puppies up here.

Most of the shelters in my area are no kill. One of our cats spent over 6 months at the shelter by the time we came in and adopted her.

I noticed Robesons adoption fees are pretty LOW. ( shelters around here charge at least $150 for a cat and closer to $350 for a dog) They should raise those so they generate more funds, that would help with things like keeping the animals longer, and getting help over the holidays to just go in and feed and water the animals,
I mean really how long would it take to rotate times to go to the shelter to feed and care for the animals over the christmas holidays.



"Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man himself will not find peace. "
Albert Schweitzer

“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That is the essence of inhumanity.”
George Bernard Shaw

 

[CathrynRose]

I noticed Robesons adoption fees are pretty LOW. ( shelters around here charge at least $150 for a cat and closer to $350 for a dog) They should raise those so they generate more funds, that would help with things like keeping the animals longer, and getting help over the holidays to just go in and feed and water the animals,



"Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man himself will not find peace. "
Albert Schweitzer

“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That is the essence of inhumanity.”
George Bernard Shaw

I thought the same thing, but it doesnt sound like they give you anything but the animal, when you leave.

Our local shelter microchips, spay/neuters, has a vet visit prior to adoption, some dogs are even trained, etc etc....

 

[Youarehere]

I thought the same thing, but it doesnt sound like they give you anything but the animal, when you leave.

Our local shelter microchips, spay/neuters, has a vet visit prior to adoption, some dogs are even trained, etc etc....

I hope the animals are at least neurered??!?

 

[npmommie]

I thought the same thing, but it doesnt sound like they give you anything but the animal, when you leave.

Our local shelter microchips, spay/neuters, has a vet visit prior to adoption, some dogs are even trained, etc etc....

you are right , thats what they do here too.

 

[CathrynRose]

I hope the animals are at least neurered??!?

Did you see what I posted?? You quoted it.

I thought the same thing, but it doesnt sound like they give you anything but the animal, when you leave.

Our local shelter microchips, spay/neuters, has a vet visit prior to adoption, some dogs are even trained, etc etc....

It doesnt sound like the shelter we are speaking of does any of those things. Sounds like you walk in with twenty five bucks and walk out with an animal, whatever their condition.

 

[hiwaygal]

The cost of adoption is a catch-22 really...

Consider the area and the attitudes of "pets" are property or that animals at the shelter are somehow "tainted" and unadoptable. If the shelter charges too much, the adoptions will drop and the result is probably more euthanasia.

Too many people would rather pay top-dollar for a puppy-mill/pet store/backyard breeder puppy than to get a dog from a shelter.

 

[npmommie]

The cost of adoption is a catch-22 really...

Consider the area and the attitudes of "pets" are property or that animals at the shelter are somehow "tainted" and unadoptable. If the shelter charges too much, the adoptions will drop and the result is probably more euthanasia.

Too many people would rather pay top-dollar for a puppy-mill/pet store/backyard breeder puppy than to get a dog from a shelter.

and sadly many of the shelter animals are those animals from stores or breeders, after the people decide its "too much trouble"
I am all for shutting down backyard breeders and puppy mills.
I won't buy anything from any pet store that sells animals.

 

[Youarehere]

Did you see what I posted?? You quoted it.

Yes, I obviously saw what you posted. I am not sure why I got the sarcastic answer though. You said they don't GIVE you anything- I thought perhaps the animals at least came neutered and was asking for clarification. You can keep the badditude for yourself.

Edit: How does an animal shelter give out un uneutered animals? Do the rehab clinics give out needles and drug dealers numbers? Is this a way of sustaining business? This whole thing is infuriating.

 

[GoodFairies]

I hate to say this, but what's the difference- most of them will be killed anyhow. Why keep them caged longer. There is no shortage of shelter animals. I wish there was. I think spaying and neutering should be the law, but until HUMANS get their act together thousands of animals die daily- I'm sure these shelter workers are used to it. It is part of their daily life to kill animals they were just caring for. Someone has to do it. We need more laws to stop pet overpopulation so killing like this is no longer an option. I think people who have unneutered pets are the real murderers and should be treated as such.

I agree with you. What's one more day or one more week?

Furthermore, the shelter seems to simply collect unwanted or found animals. They have no health information on the animals and do not seem to test the animal for adoptability. It doesn't sound like it's run that well to begin with. So why is the outrage right now? It is a sad situation all around, but the intervention should have begun before today.

 

[disneybound2010]

I am talking to a very good friend who is very active in rescues,IMOM, shelters and is VERY knowledgable in these areas. She told me that no, this is in NO WAY a hoax. However, we are only hearing about THIS ONE. This exact practice will be happening in many many many shelters across the country today and over the next couple of days. It is not limited to just Robeson County.

What she is telling me now is so sickening I am crying while talking to her and typing. Most of the animals that will be killed within the next 48 hours will be done in a mass gassing. It will not be humane. She told me to look up some videos on youtube, but I refuse to post any of those. If it is not a gassing, it will be a direct injection to the heart. No anesthetizing beforehand.

If any of you want to look into it more, check out Petfinder's messageboards. They have an area listed as urgent that has many threads of shelters or animals in danger of this.

 

[hiwaygal]

I agree with you. What's one more day or one more week?

Furthermore, the shelter seems to simply collect unwanted or found animals. They have no health information on the animals and do not seem to test the animal for adoptability. It doesn't sound like it's run that well to begin with. So why is the outrage right now? It is a sad situation all around, but the intervention should have begun before today.

Well, most of us aren't local, so how would we have known?

The shelter obviously didn't advertise this practice so there was no way to plan any kind of "intervention".

Given time, there could have been other options...now there may not be. I'm sure the no-kill shelter in the area would have done more if they had known. I'm sure there are volunteers who would gladly come in and care for the animals for a couple of days if they had been given the opportunity.

 

[Angelhalo]

Yes, I obviously saw what you posted. I am not sure why I got the sarcastic answer though. You said they don't GIVE you anything- I thought perhaps the animals at least came neutered and was asking for clarification. You can keep the badditude for yourself.

Edit: How does an animal shelter give out un uneutered animals? Do the rehab clinics give out needles and drug dealers numbers? Is this a way of sustaining business? This whole thing is infuriating.

I didn't see anything sarcastic. Just a question asking if you had read what she posted. There's no need for this thread about these poor animals to become a thread full of people turning against each other.

 

[chisnpeke]

wow...some of the responses on this thread are really sad

I for one care for ALL of God's creatures...ESPECIALLY the ones who we have made dependent on us, the ones who have no choice in when/if they are born, who are dropped on the side of the road with no food, no warmth, and no voice to ask for help.

It's not about perspective...it's about having a heart.

I totally agree. Wonderful post.

Animals are helpless, most people are not.

Frankly, I care more about some animals than people.

 

[U2_rocks!]

You make some very valid points, and I too can understand how government funded shelters have to make a choice.

The outrage from this particular scenario is that it appears the overcrowding/lack of funds isn't the issue. The issue is that the county government appears to have decided that the workers should have the holidays off. Now, it would seem to me that there are other government workers who will have to work (police, fire, etc) regardless of the day of the year. But the staff at the local animal shelter are given a paid holiday to essentially ignore their duties. It really wouldn't take much effort for someone to go in for an hour or two over the holidays to provide the basic necessities of care for these animals - food and water.

This just doesn't make sense to me. Governments don't just give people more time off cause they feel like it, especially with animal lives involved! I wonder what's behind this, really. I wonder if this is part of some greater negotiation going on behind the scenes or something. Obviously I don't know the details and I'm just guessing here. I just have a hard time believing it's as simple as it appears.

 

[CathrynRose]

You know, if what a previous poster mentioned - about these animals being diseased, etc - perhaps this would be best. Parvo can spread like wildfire.

HOWEVER - those few days over the holidays shouldnt be spent 'relaxing'. All those workers should be there scrubbing the heck out of this place, bleaching, disinfecting, etc etc.

Whole thing is a shame.

 

[LakeAriel]

This beautiful flat coated retreiver is Skylar. He lanquished in a shelter for 4, yes 4 , years! My sister volunteered at that shelter and they formed an attachment. Sky had issues. He didn't like cats, other dogs and not many people..(wonder why )
He was very nervous and jumpy with severe separation anxiety. He was fostered occasionally but his foster Dad became ill. My sister lived in an apt which no longer allowed dogs. Every weekend she took him in the car to parks etc. After a year she bought a home with a lot of property and Skylar had his first home in 4 years! That was two years ago. He is going great!!
He did not deserve to die as some people have suggested..too bad, so sad attitude. Then again I have heard that about people too. Katrina victims for example

 

[christiane]

I called Robeson County Animal Shelter & spoke to one of the employees.

They are a municipal shelter & only have to hold pets for 5 days. They are a kill-shelter. So all the pets listed with today as their last day have been there for 5 days and will be euthanized. They had 73 pets brought to their shelter last week. They only have room for 100.

They are not euthanizing because of the holiday. One person is available to come in over the holidays to feed & care for the pets. However, all dogs are kept kennelled & are never walked.

He said they live in a very poor county. Pets are not well cared-for. Many have infections (parvovirus, distemper, heartworm & other internal parasites) when they are brought to the shelter. There is no veterinary care at the shelter.

So they need to keep the number of pets in their care to a minimum so they can decrease the chance of disease outbreak. These infections also make these pets less adoptable. These infections can be expensive to treat & some have a poor prognosis even if treated.

He said several people have come in today to adopt. So even though the story is not entirely true, it has helped the animals. He said most adoptions are made by people who live out-of-county because his county's residents are unable to adopt due to financial circumstances.

So, to me the big issues at this shelter are:

1) The lack of education in the county about preventive care (spay/neuter, vaccinations, parasite control).

2) Lack of veterinary care

3) Economically depressed area

I asked him what could be done to help. He asked for donations of food, blankets etc. He didn't mention money.

My family is going to send a sizeable donation ear-marked for veterinary care of these pets. We cannot send food because we are out of the country right now. However, we have contacts in the pet-food industry & are going to ask for donations there as well.

If any one locally can help, please do. To me, it sounds like they are trying their best in a very bad situation. I used to live in the rural south & I know what they are up against.

Thank you if you read this long post!!
Christiane.

PS. I also called the local Humane Society in Robeson County to try to rally the rescue groups to help this shelter.

 

[LakeAriel]

Thanks for all your efforts. The OP can consider she did a great service today by highlighting this issue and giving it media attention.

The shelter provided you with a lot of excuses, but with the media attention, I wouldn't expect anything but excuses. To me it is unacceptable those dogs are not walked. Though it may be economically strapped and I don't doubt it, I cannot belive they can't get any volunteers just to do the walking.
I pray a lot of dogs/cats/other get out of that place! No veterinary care? Wow!

 

[Michelina]

Thanks for all your efforts. The OP can consider she did a great service today by highlighting this issue and giving it media attention.

The shelter provided you with a lot of excuses, but with the media attention, I wouldn't expect anything but excuses. To me it is unacceptable those dogs are not walked. Though it may be economically strapped and I don't doubt it, I cannot belive they can't get any volunteers just to do the walking.
I pray a lot of dogs/cats/other get out of that place! No veterinary care? Wow!

I would say that not getting a walk is the least of their worries. If they only get 5 days before they are put down, this "shelter" is really just a holding cell before death. My thought is that at least they are being put down humanely instead of getting hit by a car or starving to death while spreading disease and breeding more unwanted animals.

 

[LakeAriel]

I would say that not getting a walk is the least of their worries. If they only get 5 days before they are put down, this "shelter" is really just a holding cell before death. My thought is that at least they are being put down humanely instead of getting hit by a car or starving to death while spreading disease and breeding more unwanted animals.

I seriously have my doubts they are put down humanely. You are right. Five days is nothing more then, if you lost your dog/cat you better find them within 5 days, because we are not caring for them.