2/04/08 The director of the Ohio SPCA, Teresa Landon, interviews Chris Troutman:

Teresa: Since the lawsuit, I know that you have been working to make things better. We would like to know about the changes and current status regarding euthanization, adoption process and statistics, hours, etc. so that we can put the improvements on our web site. Has anyone been trained in lethal injection or are you still gassing?

Chris: I was trained in humane lethal injection this past March. I am proud to say we are no longer a gassing facility and will never be again. I put very few animals to sleep and by the grace of God, I have put NO adoptable animals to sleep. Our petfinder site, http://www.adams.petfinder.com/, will speak to the number of animals we are working to save. We now vaccinate, worm, and treat our dogs with loving care. We have a washer and dryer so we can have blankets. We have medicines, toys, nice bowls, and even a computer system! We do our best to maintain the hours required in the court order. We have more than proved that we have made the changes and are working for the animals and the community.

We now do a food outreach program and I travel to Columbus on a regular basis to load food so that we can share. We are feeding so many animals and helping our senior citizens, police depts., and low income families feed their pets.

Teresa: I’m assuming that the court order is being followed and that old, sick, and young puppies are not gassed.

Chris: Since I joined the pound when the old dog warden died, I can assure you there was NEVER any sick, young, pregnant or old dogs gassed. We worked (and still work with for other needs) with Dr. Bailey, and he handled these needs for us. Dr. Bailey does not put healthy dogs to sleep and neither do I. We work that much harder to find rescues and homes.

Teresa: Do you interview adopters, check references or vet history? Any spay/neuter requirements?

Chris: We have minimal adopter requirements other than a personal interview, an adoption fee that seems to keep the rift raft at bay and we do require a spay/neuter agreement. With rescues we require a vet reference, copy of adoption application, and petfinder/adoption site prior to dogs leaving our pound. I am hard nosed about where our dogs go. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a dog. Last year our goal of dismantling the gas chamber was reached, this year our goal is to have every dog that leaves ACDP spayed/neutered. Large goals for a little pound.

Teresa: We would also like to know what obstacles you still face, the improvements you need, and how the public can help you.

Chris: We still are working in a run-down, antiquated dark, cold, and wet building. We get very little money as our budget is bare bones; we have only one full-time employee, one part-time employee and a couple of fantastic volunteers that pull us along. We need a new building and it looks like our newly formed humane society will provide that late this year. The public can help us by spaying/neutering their pets; reaching out to their neighbors with the same message; and helping others who have pets but limited funds (share a bag of dog of cat food, offer $$ for spay/neuter, etc.). We need volunteers to help us at the low cost spay/neuter clinics (RASCAL) we host almost monthly. The endless hours that go into this most needed program are provided by our humane society members. Additionally, our humane society has donated thousands of dollars to vet animals. We need volunteers, workers, transporters, and foster homes.

Teresa: I know that there is a lot of animal cruelty in Adams County. How have you faired as the humane officer? It’s not an easy job.

Chris: This is a tough job. I often want to throw in the towel. Seems no matter what I do, it is not enough. I also get so many nonsense calls, such a waste of my time. I don’t have the hours I’d like to dedicate to this job, but I also don’t have the $$ needed to run all over the county, burning up my own gas in my own truck, and then there is the problem of where animals go when they are taken? Everyone wants me to fix the problems, but no one wants to get involved to help. I’m sure you understand what I am saying.

I hope this gives you some insight on what we have done and are now doing. Known as the “little pound that could” we just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Press Releases

2004

The Ohio SPCA is proud to announce the result of a lawsuit which its predecessor, the Ohio Humane Education Association, filed against the Board of Commissions of Adams County, Ohio and the Adams County, Ohio Dog Warden. In a judgment agreed upon by the Board of Commissioners and the Dog Warden and entered by the Court, Adams County agreed to the following:

1) Shooting dogs as a routine method of euthanasia, or on the basis that they have cancer, parvo and/or mange, violates Ohio. Adams County agreed to refrain from engaging in such conduct in the future.

2) Using carbon monoxide gas, even in a commercially-manufactured gas chamber, to euthanize puppies under 16 weeks of age, dogs with respiratory ailments, and elderly dogs violates Ohio law. Adams County agreed to refrain from gassing any more such dogs.

3) Lack of signs identifying, and negligible open hours at a County dog pound interfere with the rights of citizens to claim their pets or other animals and violates Ohio law. Adams County agreed to post conspicuous signs identifying the pound and to expand the open hours there.

4) Adams County also agreed to institute new procedures at the pound to ensure that dogs are kept for a minimum of 72 hours before they are euthanized, as generally required by Ohio law. This represents a substantial victory for the dogs of Adams County and, indeed, throughout Ohio!

Please click here to see a full copy of the Consent Judgment Entry from this case.
For Immediate Release
August 30, 2003 Contact: Teresa Turner
(614) 875-1810
OHEA@columbus.rr.com
www.ohiohumaneeducation
Ohio Humane Education Association Files Suit to Halt
Unlawful Dog Killings in Adams County

Columbus, Ohio – A pet dog, killed by Adams County Dog Warden Gary Jordan, within one day after being seized from its family’s yard, is one of the many animals on whose behalf the Ohio Humane Education Association (OHEA) is filing suit against the Adams County Commissioners and the dog warden. The suit states that Jordan has repeatedly failed to comply with Ohio law requiring dogs to be held for at least 72 hours before they are destroyed – and that county commissioners have failed to compel the dog warden’s compliance with that law. Also noted in the suit is Jordan’s practice of shooting dogs, which OHEA alleges violates Ohio law requiring humane euthanization methods that immediately and painlessly render the dog initially unconscious. The suit further notes OHEA’s repeated offers, since 2002, to assist Adams County in ensuring compliance with Ohio law. “The bottom line,” says Teresa Turner, OHEA Director, “is that despite all our efforts, we believe dogs in Adams County are still being treated terribly. We felt we had no choice but to take legal action.” If the Fourth District Court of Appeals finds in favor of OHEA, the pound could be required to, among other things, stop shooting and gassing dogs and to hold dogs for the required time before killing them. Turner says that a finding in favor of OHEA would represent “a real victory for the animals-for those who cannot help themselves.”

Shooting and Gassing in Adams County

The following statistics were gathered from available records obtained from an Adams County resident. When OHEA requested the information, we were denied. However, our attorney has since then received requested records.

**These are approximate numbers as some records were missing**

In 2001, 803 dogs were impounded, 36 were reclaimed by their owners and only 3 were adopted or sold. Records show that 75 dogs were shot on site and that 949 dogs were gassed. The question of where the additional 260 gassed dogs came from has not been answered. In dog warden Gary Jordan’s hand written records, on March 19, 2002 eleven dogs were shot in an old barn on private property. He had written that these dogs were wild and mean, although somehow they stayed in the barn while being killed.

On April 12, 2002, two county coordinators from OHEA went to the pound to speak with Mr. Jordan and witness the conditions of the building. Not only did Mr. Jordan deny them entrance into the pound but he also refused to speak with them. The smell of death and dog waste was overwhelming even from outside the pound.
This dumpster is located in Adams County. We’re supposed to be a civilized society and yet we dump companion animals like trash. This is the new home found by most pets discarded at shelter doors and on streets by irresponsible and uncaring people.

There are no posted hours for the dog pound.
However, there is a sign posted,
“Authorized Personnel Only”
PLEASE CALL OR WRITE THE LEGISLATORS AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LISTED BELOW. Request that the shooting and gassing of dogs stop immediately and be replaced with lethal injection. Evening and weekend hours are needed so dogs can be claimed and adopted.

SENATORS:

Senator Doug White
Senate Building
Room #220, Second Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: (614) 466-8082
FAX: (614) 466-7018

Representative:
Dennis Stapleton
77 South High Street
13th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111

Telephone: (614) 466-3506
Fax: (614) 644-9494

County Commissioners:
Adams County
110 West Main Street
West Union , OH 45693-1395

Phone: (937) 544-3286
Fax: (937) 544-5992

Bill Seaman – President
John Cluxton
Roger Rhonemus