The Story of #310341

I had just finished writing a rather fiery indictment against our society about how we feel that life other than our own is disposable, allowed to continue at all at our whim and convenience, when I looked out my window and saw a small adult dog and what was most likely her young pup running aruond in the park unattended.  When the pup went into the street, I took it upon myself to take them in, protect them from being run over by a car  The mother wouldn't come to me, but the pup came immediately, jumping happily into my arms.  "What are you doing, silly girl," I said playfully, "You're going to get yourself killed running around on the street like that!"

A quick perfunctory exam confirmed that this little pup was indeed female, had some of her adult teeth and some puppy teeth, which put her at about 4 months old.  The characteristic light brown eye patch and ticking suggested she was an Australian Cattle dog mix, the short coat apparently coming from her Jack Russell Terrier/Corgi cross mother.  Though she had a broad backskull, she lacked the characteristic V in the shape of the muzzle that might classify her as a "pit".  Sweet, happy, and covering me in kisses, entirely trusting, I brought her into my car while I figured out what to do with her, since I didn't have a crate set up to put her in.

She didn't touch a thing in the car, not even left-over pizza crust on the floorboard.  She waited for me to return, and greeted me enthusiastically.  I had since phoned my mother and was going to go pick up a crate from her.  On the drive, the pup seemed to enjoy the petting and rested her head upon my lap.  At some point though, the motion made her sick and she threw up, then rushed to clean up the mess, continuing to lick my pant leg and coat long after both were clean.  Later in the ride, she moved to the back, to the farthest point available, and urinated on paper.  Yep, someone was going to be missing this dog... and I was about to drive 1500 miles to El Paso, so a car-sick dog wasn't a good idea anyway.  I decided to do the civically responsible thing and took her in to the Chicago "Animal Care and Control" center, some 15 miles from my home.
A security guard assured me that if I didnt' like what they were saying, I could take her back with me, so long as they hadn't found a microchip in her. I waited patiently until a lackluster young lady who seemed more bored than conscious filled out a form for Animal Inventory No. 310341, noting that she was in "good" condition, small, and putting the breed down as a "Pit X".  I objected the first time then, explaining that this was not a "Pit" cross, and showing the markings that would confirm my opinion.  I then asked about First Right Of Refusal, which basically said that if I wanted the dog I could get her after the required 5 days for the owner to come for her.  "We don't adopt out Pits."

"SHE is NOT a PIT!  Look, get me a supervisor."  The supervisor heard my rationale, looked at her for less than 5 seconds and pronounced "American Bulldog, which is not the same thing as a Pit."  Eventually, someone wrote down that she was a Pointer X, and n the "by aca(acc)" box added "Sweet Dog".

Still feeling uncomfortable about this situation and the inept bureaucracy, I decided I would just take her back with me, but was then informed that I was not allowed to do so.  When I argued that the guard had said that I could, he said "He doesn't work for me, he's a private security guard."  Well, he's in your building, taking my address and ID down and issuing me a pass to go into your facilities, so I'm not buying that one either.

"I'll be back for her, " I informed them, and thought and she had better not be put down.

That was on the 4th of April, 2007.  On the 9th, I tried to phone about her, but the phone number provided on my "CITIZEN RECEIPT" only passes the caller around to various recorded messages telling you that you have to come in person to check on the dog, etc.  An after hours number for administration yielded a rather ignorant woman who informed me that she was not at the same location, had no access to computerized records, etc.

On the 10th, at a bit after 5 pm, I was back at the "Animal Care & Control" center at 2741 S. Western Avenue in Chicago, IL 60608.  I asked a volunteer about her, someone who didn't even know how long they keep the dogs for the owners to come for them.  She took me to someone else, Charles, who didnt' seem to care to be bothered.  After a couple more minutes of run-around, I pronounced the slang term for feces and was confronted (that's the only way to put it) by a large black guy with a City of Chicago patch on the sleeve of his brown shirt.  He tried to tell me I was leaving, and that I couldn't say "Shit" in there.  I laughed and retorted that we could step in it, clean it up, but that I wasn't allowed to say the same word he just said.  A supervisor, Mr. Rosenthal, came over, stepping into an escalating situation.  Meanwhile, Charles (another supervisor of some kind also on a bit of a self-important power trip and and seemingly uncaring) started to dial the police.  I asked him "I drove 15 miles each way because you guys can't answer the phone, why is it that I can't get some answers from you guys, but you can call the police?"  He put the phone back down, and sent an ethnic (Pakistani/Indian) guy back to check on her.  Meanwhile, Rosenthal endeavored to explain concepts of policy to me and bow out of responsibility by claiming that the city specified their actions (while simultaneously claiming that after 5 days the dog was their property to do with as they pleased.)  The Ethnic fellow came back and informed me that she was "Our property after five days."  I demanded to know what that meant, and was told that she had been summarily euthanized.
At that point, I became a bit unglued inside, quietly quaking, while trying to remain civil with Rosenthal, who was standing there trying to appease me by writing down the case number after his attempt to claim that she was a "Pit cross" failed when I pointed out that they had changed that and added Sweet Dog" on the other copy that they retained.  He said he'd go look it up, but not necessarily now, and didn't even try to get my contact information.  Clearly, he wasn't doing anything more than trying to tell me what he THOUGHT I wanted to hear.  Moreover, he kept insisting that nothing he would say would be acceptable to me, even though I'd qualified that if the vet had sound VETERINARY cause to put her down, I could accept that.  (In analysis, it most certainly was not the case, because they would have destroyed her sooner than that, or tried to keep her for adoption.  I have seen dogs with a leg missing there in the Adoptable room!)
I tried to take a photograph of the large sign in the facility which begins "What happens..." when dogs are left there, and goes on to claim that they take every possible step to place them, including using breed rescues, etc, and clearly implying that only if the dog is a threat to people, other dogs or seriously ill, would the dog be euthanized.  I was loudly and clearly told "NO PICTURES ALLOWED!"  I asked them when this had become Communist Russia, and they pointed to some computer printed sign about cameras and cell phones not being allowed (as if the existence of that printout made it Gospel.)
Realizing I was about to lose my cool altogether and end up arrested, I took one of their brochures and left.  That brochure has a picture of a smiling, happy half-black girl hugging a yellow lab with deep soulful eyes, and the caption "What are friends for?"  Beneath that is printed "Friedns are for doing everything we can to save the lives of more of Chicago's neediest animals."  What a bold-faced lie!  They KNEW that I was right there, ready and willing to give her a home.  I TOLD them so before I ever even left her with them.. and yet they destroyed this sweet, loving, well-balanced puppy!

At one point, the Ethnic guy suggested that I should have taken her with if I wanted her, and I exploded on him, reminding them that they told me that I couldn't do so.

The last image I have of that sweet pup is of her walking happily and willingly on a leash alongside an animal control officer, down a corridor to her death.

PLEASE, don't be misled by their BS and propoganda.  I'm not sure what incentives they may have for destroying the dogs, but all is NOT as the pretty pictures and brochures suggest.  DO NOT take an animal to that place, or allow one to be picked up, unless you're intending it to die.  Those people, intake clerk and supervisor alike, were unable to recognize that there are many other breeds that have a broad backskull and short coat, so even though several traits didn't match up, they labeled her a Pit X and killed her for it.  I'd seen her to be happy and want to play with children and other dogs.  She'd sat alongside me, then lay down near my feet.... there was NO good reason for this puppy to have been destroyed, and they do NOT do "everything we can" to save them!  Don't be fooled... I'd hate for anyone else to feel like the betrayer, as I do now... and for any more worthwhile, adoptable lives to be lost because they're inconvenient or it's somehow profitable to the "shelter" to do so.

Please DO help me - pass this along, and raise your voice loud and clear at the Mayor's office and the City Council.  Let them know and MAKE THEM PERFORM!  We do not pay them to do this, we do not condone these actions, and we most certainly are not okay with them lying to us while they do their dirty, dastardly deeds out of sight and away from cameras.
THIS IS NOT Communist Russia.  They are civil servants, and accountable to us.  PLEASE, take a stand!

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FIRST UPDATE

I posted this story to Craigslist (a number of times the first day, seems some freak CL Nazi types get off on flagging things.)  Each time, there'd be a few more people writing to tell me of a similar fate and circumstance they'd had at the Chicago AC&C.  This became a rather frightening trend, so I started making phone calls in earnest.  Across the board, I got indifference. 

Lame Duck Alderman Troutman's office exclaimed "You want us to do something... about a DOG!?"  (She also told me that since the people had voted Willie Cochran into office, we should go to him instead, even though Troutman's staff continues to be paid by public funding.)  Then again, there's a good reason why this corrupt politician was finally voted out of office.

The Director of PR for the Field Museum said she'd like to help but supposedly had no idea where to send me to.  Really?  And you're the director of Public Relations and former president of the Chicago PCC?  Did you get a set of kneepads with the application for that job?  It obviously wasn't something you got based on your skills with the media 

The first level phone call to the Mayor's office yielded "We don't have nothin' to do with animal control."  Uhm, yeah, you do.  The Mayor appoints the committee, and every one of those people reports directly to him.  Two minutes on hold got me a phone ringing to a voicemail for someone named Mary Ellen.  I left message, and await her reply.

So it seems I was right in the first place.  We belong to a very sick society - one in which all life but our own is entirely expendable.  Well guess what?  SOME of us don't feel that way.  If the Federal policy on leaving a beloved pet behind during evacuation can be changed, then THIS filthy corrupt apathetic bunch of lardheads can come to grasp that SOME of us care deeply about our furry companions and won't stand for them being killed by apathetic hands.

The Law

I did a bit of digging around.  The city Municipal code states that if we give a dog shelter, that means we're an Owner of that dog. They probably meant to use that as a means of coming down on people who'd claim it's not their dog to avoid fines.  Well, that's the great thing about the law - it works in BOTH directions.  So if this is true:

"Owner" means any person having a right of property in an animal or who keeps or harbors any animal or who has an animal in his care or custody.

then, I was an Owner of this animal, and they took my Property rights without my consent, lied and deceived to deprive me of those rights.  CONTRARY TO WHAT THEY STATED, THE PERSON WHO TURNS IN A STRAY DEFINITELY DOES HAVE RIGHT TO THE DOG - and an earlier Right than they had.   I never signed any release or gave them permission to euthanize her.  I was told I could not take her  This is where the legal case begins.

FOR a full listing of the City of Chicago's Animal Control Legislation, go to THIS LINK,  Alternatively, I have posted the pertainent regs here on my site.

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Letter from a Kill Mill Employee

This was posted on craigslist elsewhere, where there are lots of postings for giving away dogs and cats. Wish we could post it in a newspaper and vet's office or anyplace where people can read what happens to the poor babies they call all of us about.

My Job

I am posting this (and it is long) because I think our society needs a huge
wake-up call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with
you all - a view from the inside, if you will.

Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you
would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don’t even know
- that puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it’s not
a cute little puppy anymore. How would you feel if you knew that there’s
about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be
dumped at - purebred or not!

About 50% of all of the dogs that are “owner surrenders” or “strays” that
come into my shelter are purebred dogs. The most common excuses I hear are:

We are moving and we can’t take our dog (or cat). Really? Where are you
moving to that doesn’t allow pets? . The dog got bigger than we thought it would.
How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? . We don’t have time for
her. Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! . She’
s tearing up our yard. How about bringing her inside, making her a part of
your family?

They always tell me, “We just don’t want to have to stress about finding a
place for her. We know she’ll get adopted - she’s a good dog”. Odds are your
pet won’t get adopted, and how stressful do you think being in a shelter is?

Your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off,
sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn’t full and your dog manages to
stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to
a small run / kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying
animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be
depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet
is lucky, I will have enough volunteers that day to take him / her for a walk.
If I don’t, your pet won’t get any attention besides having a bowl of food
slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a
high-powered hose.

If your dog is big, black or any of the “bully” breeds (pit bull,
rottweiler, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front
door. Those dogs just don’t get adopted. If your dog doesn’t get adopted
within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed.

If the shelter isn’t full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable
enough breed, it may get a stay of execution, though not for long.

Most pets get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed
for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment.
If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles, chances are it will get kennel
cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because
shelters just don’t have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here’s a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a
perfectly healthy, scared animal being “put-down”. First, your pet will be
taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are
going for a walk - happy, wagging their tails. That is, until they get to “The
Room”, when every one of them freaks out and puts on the breaks when we get
to the door. It must smell like death, or they can feel the sad souls that are
left in there. It’s strange, but it happens with every one of them.

Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs (depending
on their size and how freaked out they are). A euthanasia tech or a vet will
start the process. They find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal
dose of the “pink stuff”.

Hopefully your pet doesn’t panic from being restrained and jerk it's leg. I’
ve seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting
blood, and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don’t just “go to
sleep” - sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on
themselves.

When it all ends, your pet's corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large
freezer in the back, with all of the other animals that were killed, waiting
to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the
dump? Rendered into pet food? You’ll never know, and it probably won’t even
cross your mind. It was just an animal, and you can always buy another one,
right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and
can’t get the pictures out of your head. I do everyday on the way home from
work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists and I hate that it will always be
there unless people make some changes and realize that the lives you are
affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can
stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full,
and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this is DON’T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE! Hate
me if you want to - the truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I
maybe changed one person's mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving
pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my
shelter and say “I saw this thing on craigslist and it made me want to adopt”.
That would make it all worth it.

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