Animal Welfare Professionals

 View Only
Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

  • 1.  URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-06-2022 07:09 AM

    I am beyond distressed to see posts on Facebook this morning in regards to a shelter in MI who has or is threatening to  euthanize 40 healthy, fully vetted puppies as the transport they had to the east coast was cancelled.

    They state they have ALREADY EUTHANIZED pups that were not good with other dogs - this is NOT ACCEPTABLE at all.

    Whilst as a rescue who started off in Texas for 5 years and relocated up to Maine in 2016 understands the difficulty, lack of support, lack of funding, lack of fosters and adopters and having to deal with shelters from all over the south emailing desperate pictures of dogs and cats that are going to be killed " if we don't help" or the daily onslaught of emails from people who have adopted dogs from shelters, but can't deal with them and don't want to take them back to the shelter - all of this is NO excuse to euthanize healthy pets.

    If need be, there should be a media post, reaching out to the larger, funded and heavily supported organizations like Best Friends, Pets Alive and places like this forum. Last resort is they are surrendered to a shelter, that will have more support and more outreach to be able to get help.

    I have no other information than what I have read and heard other's discussing, it was said that the person running the "rescue" is a veterinarian, but I do not know that for fact, but makes sense that the thought and cost to euthanize healthy pups is not a concern as they will be able to do it themselves.

    I hope someone with Maddies Fund or a bigger organization can reach out to this rescue and help those innocent animals. I also believe the rescue should no longer be allowed to operate. We all get over-whelmed and there is very little support for rescue's yet there is a heavy burden of shelters and southern rescue's depending on them and it is getting over-whelming.

    I am going to make a separate post about the struggles of rescue and how the shelter system doesn't work for rescue's which makes the level of support a lot less - but I have to go back to the kennels - I just had to post this in hopes someone can reach out.

    If anyone finds any information or is able to organize something, then please let me know.

    I am not posting as anonymous, which  I did consider so that I wouldn't be bashed for sharing, because my concern is those puppies and any other animals that need help.



    #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
    #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
    #CaseManagement*
    #PetSupportServices*
    #Rehoming
    #TransfersandTransport

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Cope - Fear Free Certified
    President/Founder
    Give a Dog a Home Rescue
    Greater Goods Charities - GOODS Program Ambassador
    501c3 Non- Profit Corp, Tax ID/EIN 27-5241306
    State of Maine Shelter/Rescue Licence # F1463
    State of Maine Registered Charity: CO11334
    https://giveadogahome.rescuegroups.org/
    ------------------------------



  • 2.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-06-2022 10:47 PM
    I think this rescue was very courageous to reach out for help so candidly. I am sure they knew there would be some backlash - in fact their rescue partners have already been receiving criticism as a result of her post. Wow - people - this works better when groups all pull together. I'm sure the current situation looks a little different up in Maine than it does down in Mississippi where this rescue works.

    I think she could use your help rallying up some transport capacity with your colleagues up north where the overpopulation pressure is not nearly as dire. That would probably be more productive than telling her she isn't doing rescue right. And please, thinking that a vet who spends their practically nonexistent free time running a rescue in one of the toughest places in the country would blithely euthanatize puppies because "cost to euthanize healthy pups is not a concern as they will be able to do it themselves" is over the top.

    There were, in fact, a great many organizations that stepped up to support when she asked for help. On the rescue post this afternoon, she wrote, "We had three unexpectedly leave this morning for Massachusetts as I mentioned before. There's a possibility that we may have as many as a dozen leave for Colorado later this week. We have five more leaving after the first of the month. And I have several messages to return when I get a chance regarding additional placements. Rick and DorothyElizabeth Cisowski made room to foster four of our very large puppies to help with the overcrowding at our house. Molleen, Marissa, and Becky delivered a van load of supplies to us today, and we are very grateful!

    I'm glad people are pitching in productively and things look better for this rescue at the moment. Sadly, it's a story being repeated all over the south and midwest right now and it's probably going to get even wore over the summer.

    -J


    ------------------------------
    Julie Levy
    Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
    Maddie's Million Pet Challenge
    https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 08:01 AM
    Just to clarify, the rescue asking for help is in Missouri (MO) and not in Michigan (MI).

    ------------------------------
    Johanna Humbert
    Michiana Humane Society
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:08 PM
    According to the screenshots the rescue in question is in Mississippi.

    Reaching out for help is always a good thing. We shouldn't attack or shame people who do it or they won't ask for help next time, and it discourages other people in similar situations from asking for help. And it sounds like help arrived! Many of the puppies are on their way to new homes.

    ------------------------------
    M Saucedo
    HSUS - PFL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:24 PM
    I was in no way meaning to belittle or criticize, simply to point out that the location is in a different part of the country.  We work on both sides of the Indiana/Michigan border and at first I wondered if there was anything we could do, being so close. That is all.

    ------------------------------
    Johanna Humbert
    Michiana Humane Society
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:32 PM
    I know you wasn't I just saw and posted. I appreciate you correcting the post.

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Cope - Fear Free Certified
    President/Founder
    Give a Dog a Home Rescue
    Greater Goods Charities - GOODS Program Ambassador
    501c3 Non- Profit Corp, Tax ID/EIN 27-5241306
    State of Maine Shelter/Rescue Licence # F1463
    State of Maine Registered Charity: CO11334
    https://giveadogahome.rescuegroups.org/
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:30 PM
    I agree, reaching out for help is a good thing and should be pretty much guaranteed within the animal shelter/rescue world.

    The problem is she euthanized perfectly healthy animals "before" reaching out for help - there should ALWAYS be accountability in everything that we all do - more so when we are responsible for other lives. 

    It is NOT ok to euthanize an animal out of inconvenience, there are plenty of families that want just one dog and others that are willing to work with dogs that have potential issues, that might not even be an issue when not in a stressful environment.

    I posted on here so people could help if they were able, and to make people aware - this is not ok. I didn't post as "anonymous" as I stand by what I say all the time and if I feel I am wrong, then I have no problem standing up and saying so. 

    In this case, they created the problem because they euthanized, healthy animals/ before reaching out for the help. If we as a "community" think that is ok - then there is something very wrong with the community. Had they done everything they did, without euthanizing, they would not have got the negative comments and most likely a lot more support.

    I think this also highlights that there needs to be as much support for rescues as there are for shelters, because a lot of the resources are just not there for rescue's and without rescue's shelters would be a LOT worse off.


    ------------------------------
    Jenny Cope - Fear Free Certified
    President/Founder
    Give a Dog a Home Rescue
    Greater Goods Charities - GOODS Program Ambassador
    501c3 Non- Profit Corp, Tax ID/EIN 27-5241306
    State of Maine Shelter/Rescue Licence # F1463
    State of Maine Registered Charity: CO11334
    https://giveadogahome.rescuegroups.org/
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:33 PM
    Thank you for clarifying - I was rather upset when I saw that innocent lives were taken out of inconvenience.

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Cope - Fear Free Certified
    President/Founder
    Give a Dog a Home Rescue
    Greater Goods Charities - GOODS Program Ambassador
    501c3 Non- Profit Corp, Tax ID/EIN 27-5241306
    State of Maine Shelter/Rescue Licence # F1463
    State of Maine Registered Charity: CO11334
    https://giveadogahome.rescuegroups.org/
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:34 PM
    It seems my post in response to Julie Levy was removed without even the courtesy of being told - which is a cause for concern - are we now being censored when we don't agree, or when we stand up from being criticized by others?

    I run a rescue in Maine and I was in Texas for 5 years before that running this rescue, so I am qualified to know the horrors of the south and also the pressure and struggle up in the North.  

    I will leave things there since as mentioned posts that challenge someone else who is ok to attack me, yet I am not allowed to respond. Very disappointed that is for sure.


    ------------------------------
    Jenny Cope - Fear Free Certified
    President/Founder
    Give a Dog a Home Rescue
    Greater Goods Charities - GOODS Program Ambassador
    501c3 Non- Profit Corp, Tax ID/EIN 27-5241306
    State of Maine Shelter/Rescue Licence # F1463
    State of Maine Registered Charity: CO11334
    https://giveadogahome.rescuegroups.org/
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: URGENT - Distressed to hear of a rescue EUTHANIZING or threatening to euthanize healthy, vetted puppies - not acceptable

    Posted 06-07-2022 01:40 PM
    Jenny,

    We are not censoring posts in the forum when they disagree with others. I removed your reply to Julie Levy because it violated our Community Guidelines. I sent you a direct message with details but you must not have seen it prior to this last post. 

    It is perfectly fine to disagree with one another and hold a civil, fruitful discussion in the forum. We encourage an exchange of ideas as long as we all remain respectful to one another. 


    ------------------------------
    Kim Domerofski (she/her)
    Community Manager
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content