Update:

All of the dogs were were sent to no-kill shelters and rescues or directly placed into forever homes.

A HUGE Thank You to Rascal Charities and the shelters and rescues that stepped forward help the Ohio SPCA. We couldn’t have done it without them! Please visit their websites, as they have many wonderful companion animals for adoption.

Tomorrow’s Hope

http://tomorrowshopecaninerescue.com/

Pets Without Parents

http://www.petswithoutparents.net/

Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (SICSA)

http://www.sicsa.org/

Animal Adoption Foundation (AAF)

http://www.aafpets.com/

Stormy’s Place

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/stormy.html

Sacred Hearts Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc.

http://www.sacredhearts.petfinder.com

Pet Promise

http://petpromise.org/

Animal Care Sanctuary

http://www.animalcaresanctuary.org/

Rascal Unit

http://www.rascalunit.org/RascalUnit/Home_Page.html

Rascal Charities

http://www.rascalunit.org/RascalUnit/Rascal_Charities.html

The Ohio SPCA has been working on a hoarding case in Lawrence County. The owners were found guilty of animal cruelty and ordered to work with the Ohio SPCA in an effort to re-home the dogs. Over 40 dogs have been removed with the help of several no-kill rescues. The dogs are in good shape, but have been breeding and living in crowded pens with inadequate shelter on a muddy hillside and in freezing temperatures. On Thursday, January 14, the Rascal Unit will be on site with volunteers from the Ohio SPCA, Tomorrow’s Hope, and Stormy’s Place in order to remove the remaining 25 dogs. Dr. Gonzalez with the Rascal Unit will be spaying and neutering and vaccinating all of the dogs. Several dogs are going to a rescue, but the remainder must be boarded at kennels. Donations are needed to pay for boarding and food.

If you are interested in adopting a cute brown hound mix, please contact us! These dogs deserve a warm home and a loving heart.

King, black

Tippy

P. Ditty

Tubby

dogs living here in freezing cold temperatures

Sissy

Elizabeth Carlisle was a Petland employee at the Akron, Ohio Petland store. In the back room on July 28, 2009, she drowned two rabbits and then smiled as she posed for a picture which she proudly posted on her Facebook page. Carlisle admitted to drowning the rabbits, “[T]he manager took the pic for me. [S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture.” Carlisle posted additional comments indicating that the rabbits were drowned after they had sustained severe injuries when they were permitted to ” attack and eat each other.”

Carlisle has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty and will appear in court on August 17 in Summit County. Her actions and attitude surrounding such a cruel, sadistic, and heartbreaking incident will certainly warrant the maximum penalty under Ohio’s weak animal cruelty laws. The Akron Petland store is permanently closed.

The Ohio SPCA urges everyone to refrain from buying animals from pet stores. If everyone would adopt from a shelter or rescue, there would be no demand for puppies, kittens, and rabbits that have been bred for profit.

The Ohio SPCA will be following this case closely and will update our website, so that animal lovers everywhere can make their voices heard to the court and to Petland.

Join us as we urge Petland to STOP the sale of all animals.

Please be polite when sending letters or calling.

Ed Kunzelman, Founder and Chair
Frank Difatta, President
Petland USA
250 Riverside St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-775-2464
800-221-5935
740-775-2575 (fax)
frank.difatta@petland.com

Harrison Counties Gas Chamber

You will see that animals slept next to where they died. The homemade gas box was in full view of other dogs, so they could hear the cries of those shoved into the gas box. It was barbaric and inhumane to say the least.

On October 1, 2008 we were thrilled when our request to close the homemade gas box, which had been constructed by local county garage workers, became reality. Dogs at the Harrison County Dog Pound are now euthanized by injection.

Nonetheless, Harrison County Dog Pound remains plagued with problems. The operation of this facility is substandard. There are no exterior walls. The facility itself is little more than a pavilion, on an old cracked concrete slab that directly adjoins a toxic waste site. Prior to the fall of 2007, it had no roof whatsoever.

Welcome Sign at Harrison County Dog Pound

It is often unmanned, which is part of the reason why they remain “high kill.” “It is difficult to rescue a dog from a dog pound facility when nobody is there on a regular basis during normal working hours. We brought our concerns to the County regarding the dog pound being unmanned. The County’s position is that it is not necessary. According to the Times Reporter newspaper, Assistant Prosecutor Michael Washington maintained, “…The dog drop-off area has to be checked only once every 24 hours”.

This is not acceptable. The animals are obviously not a priority at this pound. Robin McClelland, Ohio SPCA Eastern Counties Coordinator, has witnessed unsanitary conditions including dog feces discarded in empty dog food bags with used needles on the top in an area that is public accessible and eventually thrown into the same unlocked dumpster as the dead animal carcasses. She has witnessed new dogs entering the facility put into dirty cages covered in urine and feces where another dog had been. None of the bowls are washed regularly, if at all, and food is stored in rusty 55-gallon drums. The cost to pull a dog is a whopping $30, generally with no vaccinations, and spay/neuter is not an option. In short, Harrison continues to be a closed, locked, rescue unfriendly, and unmanned dog pound. Animals are not permitted to be posted on the Internet.

It is mind boggling that this operation flew under the radar for this extended period of time. It is confusing why this rural Appalachian County is anti-rescue, given the fact during a brief period from August 21, 2008 through October 26th, 2008, not one dog was put down due to rescue, and the county enjoyed more revenue during that period than they would see in an entire year from the sale of dog licenses and adoption fees. With the “winter wrap” still up in July, combined with no staff on site, these animals simply have little or no chance of being seen or adopted. Therefore, the Ohio SPCA was forced to file an extensive record request upon this County, requesting records for several years. In response, we received a mere 22 pages of documents. We will not rest until we have made a difference, through much needed reform. Please check back to see our progress.

After years of struggle, a variety of grassroots organizations have brought some needed change to this substandard dog pound, including spaying/neutering and rescue. Robin McClelland, Ohio SPCA Eastern Counties Coordinator, reports she has reason to believe that the kill rate may have been as high as 100% at one time. While Trumbull County has finally welcomed rescue efforts, there is much work to be done. Trumbull County appears to be without an active dog warden. The “acting dog warden”, James W. Keaton, is also the Director of the Human Resources Dept. for Trumbull County. Rather than finding the “dog warden” at the pound, you are more likely to find Mr. Keaton in a suit and tie behind a desk in his office.

Up until recently, had you visited this dog pound facility, you may have had an opportunity to view the infamous sofa, often combined with a napping employee, although there is little space for the actual dogs. While it has been reported that the Union has since removed the offensive sofa, for which we are grateful, the time for some serious reform has come. Furthermore, we have reason to believe the gas chamber has some issues that not only may cause safety concerns to employees and others, including visitors, it may also be contributing to a more horrendous death for those animals that have, and will continue, to end their lives in this antiquated gas box. We have received reports that dogs have been gassed, body-bagged and thrown into the dumpster, only to be retrieved later still alive, and gassed again.

The Ohio SPCA served the county with an extensive records request. The amount of documents provided in response to our request, which should have been voluminous, could literally be balanced on one’s little finger. This is not acceptable. We will continue to investigate new claims, as well as proceed with our efforts to rid the facility of the gas box and bring reform to this county dog pound.

Both Bo and Bella were brought into the Harrison County Dog Pound. Bo’s story is a happy ending, while Bella didn’t get a chance. She suffered alone and then died in a nasty rural county pound.

On a Thursday in late August, 2008, Bella, like Bo, was brought into the Harrison County Dog Pound by the dog warden.  She was unable to walk on her own and had to be carried.  Bella’s plight came to light when our volunteer downloaded routine dog photographs which were taken on Thursday, but not furnished to her until late Sunday night.  Alarmed and horrified, she immediately went to work on a plan for rescuing this poor gal once we could gain access to her.

There was no mention by the Warden that this dog was in such horrible condition.  Bella was found dead on Monday, having been left to suffer, untreated, from Thursday until she expired at the closed dog pound facility during the weekend.  There was no compassion or humane treatment given to Bella.  Unfortunately, help came too late for Miss Bella.

We rely on donations for vetting and emergency treatment for the animals, as well as routine operating expenses.  Seeking emergency vetting in rural Ohio may require a trip counties away to an animal hospital on a weekend. Support from a caring public is needed to support the efforts of the Ohio SPCA.

Carroll County has been gassing dogs for about a decade. Prior to that, they were simplyshooting the dogs in an open corral. This is rural dog pound unwilling to entertain other options of euthanizing animals by lethal injection.

This is Fritz on his graduation day from obedience school. Fritz traveled all the way from the Carroll County Dog Pound to his new forever home in Massachusetts.

In an attempt to achieve the needed change required to humanely euthanize, we have offered to go with the warden to the veterinarian of his choice to explore the use of lethal injection. He has not accepted our offer. “He appears to have lethal injection confused with intracardial injection”, states Robin McClelland, Ohio SPCA Eastern Counties Coordinator. In the fall of 2008, we served upon the Carroll County Commissioners our formal records request and are evaluating the voluminous materials supplied in response.

This is a county that works with rescue to an extent, (a rescuer’s access is limited and not available during all public access hours). The fact remains that without rescue efforts, Carroll County would most certainly revert back to the “high kill” facility they once were. The residents of the community adopt only a very small percentage of the dogs. With the drop off pens, Carroll County gets its share of owner surrenders and most likely from some of the surrounding counties that actually do charge a fee. Until the drop boxes are gone, Carroll County will continue to be known as “Owner Surrenderville.” We will continue our fight on behalf of the dogs that continue to suffer in the gas chamber.

A grassroots organization has generated a Petition, which we wholeheartedly endorse. Some drove from MA and NY for the presentation in January 2009 to the County Commissioners, which was also attended by Robin McClelland. It has been reported that no response from the County has been received to date. Therefore, the Petition effort continues, and you will find it at Petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/carroll-county-ohio-stop-the-gassing, and we encourage you to voice your opinion by signing it.

Bo received emergency and subsequental treatment for his many injuries and aliments, which included parvo and hospitalization. After a lengthy recovery period, today Bo is a healthy and happy neutered boy with little signs of the massive injuries he sustained. Thanks to the HarrisonCP virtual rescue group for all their efforts in raising much needed funding and a special thanks to LabMed, Inc. for their generous contribution!

Had the Ohio SPCA not shown up that day, Bo would have been left to suffer, from Monday until Thursday when he would have most certainly met his fate in a home-made gas box. Without donations for vetting, the financial burden would have been overly burdensome on the Ohio SPCA, but we would have somehow managed.

Associated Press, Wednesday, March 16, 2005 9:51 PM PST, CHARLESTON, W.Va.

A man who allegedly left a trail of dead goats through several states has lost custody of his 200-plus remaining animals pending the outcome of animal cruelty cases in Ohio and West Virginia.

Christopher Weathersbee, 64, fled to West Virginia with 16 of his goats, including a dead one he’d been storing in a freezer, in late February amid an impoundment and seizure by agents in Scioto County, Ohio.

Ohio agents found an estimated 80 goat carcasses on his rented property — including one in the house and another nine in a freezer, according to Teresa Landon, director of the Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They also seized about 220 live goats from the property.

In West Virginia, shelter officials found another goat dead after a passer-by notified officials that the goats appeared thin and weak. Officials seized the 14 living animals — a seizure that was upheld Tuesday.

Weathersbee said Wednesday that he was obligated to care for the goats as a Third Order Franciscan. When they died, he said he didn’t have the strength to bury them, considering the fact the ground was frozen.

“I’m one old man trying to fight city hall in three states,” he said, adding that he is also seeking to overturn a 2004 animal cruelty conviction in Vermont.

It was not immediately known whether Weathersbee had retained a lawyer.

Weathersbee first came to the attention of officials in 2001 when he started seeking assistance in caring for his more than 300 goats while living in Corinth, Vt.

He wanted to start a no-kill goat shelter where he could produce cheese and wool, said Dana Starr with the Central Vermont Humane Society. He applied for loans, grants and even petitioned the governor for help.

“He couldn’t afford to feed them and couldn’t understand why others didn’t aid him,” Starr said on Tuesday.

At one time Weathersbee had some of the animals living in his house with him. The animals were allowed to breed and multiply and started starving, Starr said.

The Vermont humane society seized 44 goats in February 2004, she said, and Weathersbee was later charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. He entered into a plea agreement under which he agreed to take his goats, including those that were seized, and leave the state, Starr said.

Weathersbee went to eastern Kentucky, telling Vermont humane officials his animals would be cared for as part of a vegetation-management project, Starr said.

He was in Kentucky only a couple of weeks, and it was unclear how many of his animals died by the time he arrived in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, on Dec. 28, Landon said.

Weathersbee is scheduled to have a pretrial hearing in Ohio next month on 15 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 90 days in jail and fined up to $740 on each count. He also faces 16 counts of animal cruelty in West Virginia.

He has previously acknowledged that he could not afford to give the herd sufficient care, but he refused to get rid of the animals because he said his religious views prohibited him from slaughtering any of the goats.

Read more on the status of the Ohio Goats…

Update:

The director of the Ohio SPCA has requested an update from the Vinton County Dog Shelter manager. We are awaiting a response.

____________________________________________________________________________

We have a victory for the animals.

3/25/2002 UPDATE: The Vinton County Commissioners announced today, March 25, 2002, that no more dogs will be shot in Vinton County. Dog Warden Gary Barber has resigned effective today March 25. Ohio SPCA wants to thank everyone for writing and calling. This is a victory for the animals. We hope to see other major improvements in the way Vinton County Animal Control deals with homeless dogs. Ohio SPCA will continue to offer our help to the Vinton County Commissioners and to the new Dog Warden. This is a beginning in making Ohio a safe place for homeless animals. Please continue helping us and supporting our efforts. It takes all of us working together!

3/20/02

On Monday, March 18, Peggy Schroeder, our Vinton County Coordinator, reported that the freezer was full of blood-covered dogs that had been shot in the head and a bag of puppies. Behind the shelter were pools of blood where the dogs were tied to a fence and shot. The media was alerted and arrived without warning the next morning. We are convinced that this barbaric practice can be stopped in Ohio. Vinton County is not alone.

April 7, 2008

At the Morgan County Commissioner’s meeting today, a vote was taken to remove the dog warden, Jeff Driggs. In a 2-1 vote, the commissioners approved the removal of Driggs.  Driggs had until the end of the day to resign or be fired.
He resigned.

Press statement from the Ohio SPCA regarding the Morgan County Dog Pound

April 2, 2008

Ohio SPCA Executive Director, Teresa  Landon, and Ohio SPCA President, Ed Sisler, acting on a tip, made a gruesome discovery behind the Morgan County, Ohio dog shelter on Saturday, March 29,  2008. When they arrived at the run-down shelter, they noticed it was  eerily quiet – there were no dogs being housed in the old barn the county uses to keep stray and unwanted dogs.  When Landon and Sisler inspected the rear of the facility, they found mounds of fur, bones, and dog collars protruding from the ground.  As they moved the dirt aside on a freshly dug trench, they uncovered the bodies of adult dogs and puppies just inches below the surface.  On March 31, Sisler returned to the site and recovered the skulls of two dogs that had been shot.  The skulls are being examined at the Ohio State University in the Forensic Anthropology Department in order to determine when those dogs were shot.

The Ohio SPCA has  requested all public records pertaining to the Morgan County Dog Shelter, and will conduct a thorough investigation of those records.  Morgan County Dog Warden, Jeff Driggs, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending further investigation by the Morgan County Commissioners.  Today, the EPA conducted their own investigation of the mass burial sites in order to determine the extent of any violations. They have determined that the county is in violation and will be cited for open dumping.

The Board of Directors of the Humane Society Serving  Clark County has agreed to assist the Ohio SPCA by housing dogs from  Morgan County while this situation is being addressed. The Ohio SPCA will be  working with the Clark County Humane Society to place these dogs into new forever homes. Some of these dogs may need medical treatment, so donations will be needed to assist with their care and medical needs.  Individuals wanting to adopt a Morgan County dog should contact the Clark County Humane Society at 937-399-2917.  Rescues interested in helping place dogs should contact Teresa Landon at 740-420-2984 or Krissi at 937-399-2917.

The Ohio SPCA has offered to assist in the training of a new dog warden and the proper operation of a county dog shelter.
The  public can help by voicing their outrage (politely)  and request for dog shelter reform by contacting the Morgan  County Commissioners.

Morgan County Commissioners
19 East Main Street
County Courthouse
McConnelsville,OH 43756-1100

Phone: (740)962-3183

* Rick Shriver – Presidentrick.shriver@morgancounty-oh.gov
* Dean Cain Commissioner
* Donald Reynolds Commissioner

News Stories of the Morgan County Dog Pound…

http://www.wbns10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/03/31/dogs.html?sid=102
http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-03-31-0021.html
http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-03-30-0017.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23885680/

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