Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Overdue eviction notices

After reviewing the current status of our fair city's animal services, I feel rather ill.

Nobody seems to actually be running Dallas Animal Services. Tyrone McGill is playing golf on the taxpayers' nickel, while the folks running the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) refuse to discuss why Suzette Watkins was shitcanned last month. And the Shelter Commission members continue to sit on their hands and pad their resumes.

Over on the Yes! Biscuit blog, a recent horror story was picked up - and a well-known No Kill advocate commented.

The link is here.


What will it take to dislodge the inmates from the asylum? Has Dallas begun to organize a No-Kill movement yet? If not, it's past due.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I thought that rather than fighting each other, we should be fighting our common enemy. If we pass mandatory S/N, and empower the Charles Jacksons’ of the world to impound more animals, we will solve the problem of the “uncaring public.”
Nathan Winograd

Rosebud said...

You know, I worked for a long time trying to build bridges between rescue and breeders, shelters and other organizations. It was slow work, but slowly, many groups came together, and found we have far more commonalities than differences. And many times the differences are critically helpful to each other. Then three years ago happened, and during the Dallas crunch, bridges which had been so carefully constructed, blew up literally over night. Radical rescue groups saw an opening, a foothold, and didn't listen to the more moderate amongst themselves, and certainly stopped communicating with "murderers". If you had ever been associated with either the term "breeder" or "professional", you were now on the official "hit" list.

It's the rescues that have been hit so hard by the ordinances, and by simply the "atmosphere" that surrounds these mind-sets... To be a "rescue", you must receive a blessing from the animal "rights" community, and tow the line. Which I believe is what Suzette is alluding to. Breeders and fanciers? Well, we knew what the deal was with us...we KNEW FULL WELL THE GAME PLAN. Many of our fellow citizens who shared their lives with purebred animals, yes, even intact ones...simply moved. And while we were able to maintain two very LARGE, nationally visible dog shows twice a year at Market Hall, our exhibitors do not stay in the city. They do not eat in the city. They do not find entertainment in the city. They do not buy gas in the city. And that's eight days of shows a year. They support us by entering the show, and supporting our vendors at the site...but they do not support Dallas. We have a few top breeders who were harassed right after the ordinances passed, and no longer breed. We also a few top breeders, who simply moved. And I can tell you unequivocally, that MOST breeders/fanciers no longer use Dallas vets. They obtain their vaccinations outside the city. Some are going out of the state. The euthanasia rate continues to soar. It hasn't improved a bit since the ordinances, it's actually bumped up just a bit. But any shelter that is killing 80/85% + of it's animals...was never trying to find a solution. It's just easier to kill them, and keep the numbers high...so that you can cry about overpopulation. And blame the public. And punish the public.

We've always KNOWN the ordinances were doomed to fail. I think what none of us ever expected, however, was the incredible level of cruelty, violence, contempt, and brutality, coupled with utter complacency and disregard for any type of suffering. And for it to be so infused throughout the entire shelter, and it's management is almost beyond the mind's ability to comprehend. This isn't poor management, this isn't a "philosophy", this is the very face of evil, and what truly scares me, frightens me to my core, is HOW far does this go? It goes further than the shelter. It goes further that Joey Zapata and Code Compliance. It goes to the Council, and how completely it has infiltrated that is left to be seen...but does it go further than that? Ponder them questions!

Suzette Watkins said...

Right on Rosebud, I hear ya!!