With friends like these …

With friends like these …

Reports indicate that 60 of the dogs recently killed in North Carolina were puppies, some of whom were born after the seizure which raised the total well above the 127 original dogs. There were even puppies who had been living with a foster parent who were ordered to be returned to the shelter to be killed. Outrage and sadness is being expressed by animal advocates across the country. 

Puppies. Puppies that had not been exposed to cruelty and horror. Puppies that had been living in the loving arms of foster parents.

All that was asked in this case was that the animals were each given a chance to be fairly evaluated and saved where possible. There were groups offering to assist in various ways. This is No Kill at its most basic - that each life is respected and that through cooperation we can achieve greater results for the animals.

Could every one of these animal be saved?

Probably not, and no one was asking for that to happen. 

But people were asking - Can we help?

These offers were not just left on the table, but tossed out - rejected as the HSUS testified in court proceedings that the animals should all be exterminated.

For years the animal sheltering community has placed the blame on the uncaring public, but now that the public is offering to help, they are scorned and accused of just chasing headlines.  

When the news hit;

The raid was the result of a three-year investigation by the Humane Society of the United States, in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office. Representatives of the Humane Society told the judge that the dogs should be destroyed, because they had been bred for generations to be aggressive. Winston-Salem Journal

In response to public outcry, John Goodwin lamented;

“It is very sad that people are also missing the bigger story, that our work has shut down one of the top breeders of fighting dogs in the United States.” 

Wait a minute… who is it again that is chasing headlines?

I would suggest that it’s not an “either or” situation. You can shut down the fighters AND save the dogs capable of being saved. Testifying that these dogs should be killed and discounting the idea that any might be saved has done more to undermine the reputation of the HSUS than the investigative work being performed. It’s really really hard for people to raise the roof and cheer on the team when you advocate for the deaths of the dogs you have “saved’. 

You did it to yourselves, John. Respectfully, HSUS can’t claim to be saving dogs in one soundbite while testifying for their destruction in another and still think people will take them seriously on this or any issue.

And as to this comment of John’s:

“Wilkes County euthanizes 3,000 healthy, adoptable animals a year simply because there are not enough good homes opening their doors to these needy animals.  I find it disturbing that the groups clamoring for media attention over these 127 dogs raise no fuss, and offer no assistance, for the other 3,000 dogs put down in that county each year. “

What a shame that, rather being known as a shelter that embraces support from other organizations in an effort to save lives, the Wilkes County shelter will now be known as the shelter that slaughtered the pit bulls IN ADDITION to the 3,000 healthy, adoptable animals they are already killing.

What a shame that HSUS is also now firmly in that category as well. 

Better yet, as the Today’s Arthur blog said:

“Well, yes, John, you might have something there except that that YOU’RE COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT. Good lord. If animal control officials in North Carolina were euthanizing animals immediately upon arrival, without evaluation, based solely on misinformed breed prejudice, I think the activists would be pretty upset about it.”  Today’s Arthur (emphasis mine)