The revolving door of homeless Shelter Animals in North Carolina

   ( click on image for larger view)
             

 It’s a sad state of affairs and breaks one’s heart if you really look into the North Carolina System, whether it’s failed Inspection reports for simple day to day routines like not serving mouldy food to the animals, not spraying down the kennels with the animals still located inside or something much more heinous like not mixing the correct dosage of the euthanasia drugs when taking an animal’s life.

Thousands upon thousands of North Carolina County Shelter Animals are never ever seen by the General Public before they are killed. Whether it’s the Shelter Staff who chooses to deem a dossal dog aggressive just to kill early, a Shelter Staff who dislikes one breed over another, one size over another, it’s a horrible shame that all of these animals fate are sealed many times by the hands of the wrong people.

In North Carolina most Shelter Staff are hired without any knowledge or background in the field of animals. Most have never been given a copy of the NC Animal Welfare Act to read and understand let alone even been told it exists.   There is no excuse for this lack of training or protocol by either the County’s Hiring Dept. or the Employee’s themselves.

What we have here is a broken system and one that seems very resistant to even entertain positive change for the future as after all this is an Agriculture State, one that prefers to protect the Farmers, Hog’s, Chicken, Turkeys than to take the time to define the distinct difference in these animals. NC is in a state on confusion and confliction as they can’t distinguish the difference in a domesticated animal and a farm animal.
 

 

  ( click on image for larger view)

This is why we are listed as a High Kill State and will most likely be the last State to take progressive measures and end the Gas Chambers for these same Shelter Animals. NC isn’t even entertaining the idea of a Bill to remove their Gassing Chambers anytime soon, this alone shows how far behind the times North Carolina is.

Just remember when travelling thru the State of North Carolina, don’t stop for gas, food or a bathroom break if you have an animal in the vehicle. Because if your beloved family member was to escape, they might find their way into one of these locked down Gassing Shelters who still have not one microchip scanner on site to be used by their employees prior to euthanizing your cherished pet.

Shame on North Carolina and their broken County Shelter System, we are an embarrassment to all!

 

  ( click on image for larger view)

To view the full report County by County please click here: http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/aws/Fix/index.htm

What does a Micro-chip mean to you or your valued family pet in North Carolina? I will tell you now, not much.

Most of us live in a world with rose colored glasses, we think for the most part that the rest of the people around us are living the most honest life they can. One would even think in a North Carolina Animal Shelter that before we give an animal the “ needle of death ” that all attempts have been made to reunite this animal with their previous owner. Sorry to disappoint you but that is just not the case in most North Carolina Animal Shelters or even your local Veterinarians Offices.

Believe it or not but most North Carolina County Animal Shelters, Animal Control Officers and even you own local Veterinarian Office does not own or have on hand a microchip scanner.

We hear all the time, please microchip your family pet in case it’s gets lost, but what good does it due to microchip your family pet if those who are most likely to be in possession of your lost pet ( i.e. a local NC County Animal Shelter) doesn’t even have a microchip scanner on hand, their truck or at the main Shelter?

Until we join hands and voice our concerns to the NC General Assembly this will not change. What can you do today as just an individual citizen? Email, write, fax or even call your local State Legislators and tell them to amend the current law (130A-192) and require all NC Shelters to have no less than 1 microchip scanner on hand at all times and change the wording of “ may scan ” to all employees must be required to scan all animals prior to intake along with a second scan prior to euthanasia.

 

It’s the least we can do to try and bring positive change into our Sheltering System, after all most microchip scanner companies will provide a “ free” scanner for their use. So why do we not have a microchip scanner present at all North Carolina Animal Shelters to help cut down on the useless euthanize rate but to also reunite families with their long lost family pet? In North Carolina we are simply just “ Too Quick to Kill ” and it’s time we stop looking for excuses to kill. Every life has value and it’s not ours too choose without every precaution being made that we have tired our best to reunite an animal with this owner.

 

North Carolina General Statute 130A-192:

 

(a) The Animal Control Officer shall canvass the county to determine if there are any animals not wearing the required rabies vaccination tag. If an animal required to wear a tag is found not wearing one, the Animal Control Officer shall check to see if the owner's identification can be found on the animal. If the animal is wearing an owner identification tag with information enabling the owner of the animal to be contacted, or if the Animal Control Officer otherwise knows who the owner is, the Animal Control Officer shall notify the owner in writing to have the animal vaccinated against rabies and to produce the required rabies vaccination certificate to the Animal Control Officer within three days of the notification. If the animal is not wearing an owner identification tag and the Animal Control Officer does not otherwise know who the owner is, the Animal Control Officer may impound the animal. The duration of the impoundment of these animals shall be established by the county board of commissioners, but the duration shall not be less than 72 hours. During the impoundment period, the Animal Control Officer shall make a reasonable effort to locate the owner of the animal. If the Animal Control Officer has access at no cost or at a reasonable cost to a microchip scanning device, the Animal Control Officer may scan the animal and utilize any information that may be available through a microchip to locate the owner of the animal, if possible. If the animal is not reclaimed by its owner during the impoundment period, the animal shall be disposed of in one of the following manners: returned to the owner; adopted as a pet by a new owner; sold to institutions within this State registered by the United States Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Federal Animal Welfare Act, as amended; or put to death by a procedure approved by rules adopted by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or, in the absence of such rules, by a procedure approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society of the United States or of the American Humane Association.

 

How to contact your North Carolina General Assembly Members:

http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.html