ANIMAL SHELTER MIGHT SWITCH TO LETHAL

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/2586171p-9021300c.html

Animal shelter plans changes
Johnston County might switch from a gas chamber to lethal injection

By MARTI MAGUIRE, Staff Writer

SMITHFIELD -- Johnston County is poised to make changes long sought by critics of its animal shelter, including using lethal injection instead of the gas chamber to euthanize animals.
In recent months, a flurry of e-mail messages decrying the use of gas to kill animals in Johnston has swamped the in-boxes of interim Animal Services Director Ernie Wilkinson, County Manager Rick Hester, county commissioners and media outlets.

Hester said he gets about 150 e-mail messages a week regarding the shelter, some of them threatening. Most are from people outside the county who heard about the shelter through e-mail or Internet chat rooms.

"Most of these people don't even know where Johnston County is," Hester said.

While lethal injection is widely considered a more humane way to euthanize animals, about half the counties in North Carolina still kill animals using gas chambers. Others use lethal injection in most cases but still use gas for aggressive animals.

In the Triangle, only Johnston and Chatham counties use a gas chamber for most animals. The Johnston County shelter kills more than 3,000 dogs and cats a year.

Wilkinson suspects animal activists turned their attention to Johnston after a pet dog was accidentally euthanized in October while it was being quarantined at the shelter. He has since imposed a system to better monitor animals.

He told commissioners Monday that he hopes the shelter can make the move toward lethal injection. He and the head of a local animal rescue group have been trained in the procedure, he said, and he's looking for ways to get the needed chemicals and renovate a room at the shelter.

Wilkinson said it's not a matter of yielding to pressure but one of trying to jump ahead of a national trend.

Legislation outlawing gassing animals recently passed in Rhode Island, he said, and is being considered in Virginia and Tennessee.

"It's just a matter of time before we'll be mandated to do it," Wilkinson said. "We want to be ahead of the curve."

Wilkinson is one of four candidates for the permanent position of animal control director, which officials hope to fill by the end of this week. He also hopes to require spaying and neutering of pets adopted from the shelter.

Animal activists hope whoever takes the job will make the change to lethal injections, something locals have repeatedly asked for over the past decade.

"It sounds like at least they're considering making the change," said Michele King, who runs a Web site advocating that all North Carolina counties give up gas chambers.

King told commissioners that 6,000 county residents had signed a petition to get rid of the Johnston County animal shelter.

After the meeting, she questioned certain parts of Wilkinson's presentation, particularly that the shelter had bought new uniforms and paid for landscaping, both efforts to soften its image.

"They're spending a lot of money on all these things," King said. "That's been the excuse to not get rid of the gas chamber, that it costs too much, so how can they afford all this stuff?"

Sara Lash, a veterinarian in the Cleveland area of Johnston County, has offered to perform the injections at the shelter.

Lash said she understands the frustration of activists, but she also suspects such a move is more difficult at a county agency than it would be in a private business.

"I don't understand all the hoops that Ernie is having to jump through," Lash said. "I see that they're taking baby steps."

For King, every day the gas chamber is used means more animals experiencing what she calls an inhumane death.

"I'm just going to keep pressing on," she said.

Staff writer Marti Maguire can be reached at 829-4841 or mmaguire@newsobserver.com.

 

Just as suspected... She never really did anything to actually help. She just wanted to see her name in lights... And then the filter caught it... after she posted it herself, with her new and improved screen name. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

She "runs" an Animal Advocacy website. OK. 4042 is actually "run". That site? It just sits. With no visitors, day in and day out. Oh well.

Nice article Marti. Did you uncover if all those emails were from different people, or the same nut?

 

I was never paid, I took plants from my moms house in Wendell to plant at the shelter. There was about $50 spent on pine straw, and a few plants. She still has no clue what she is talking about. I'm so surprised :roll:

 

i was thinking that same thing.

 

Did Zoo tell you all to just ignore these posts??? She told me!!!

Im sorry if this is bad news to you PRO GASSERS

But take heart, it's not definate!

And it wont start until January! So you have many many months of dogs convusling in a gas chamber!

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

:roll:

 

:roll: :roll:
Did you see it yet? Not on a peta video, I mean at the shelter standing in front of it? Scare tactics will not work on the people of Johnston County, they are much smarter than they look! :lol: :lol:

 

If anyone wants an eyewitness account, they can ask the Pro Gas President, Ms. Lewiss. 934-8034. sglewis@earthlink.net
She posted her number on here a few months ago.

 

Hey Warren, I was asking a serious question earlier. What do you use the plastic hand for? I mean, if I were to post on here as ExtensionCordEater, wouldn't you be curious? It sounds either kinky or weird. Wait, I guess it could be a medical necessity?

BTW, would you mind consulting with us next time you choose a name. I bet we would all love to help.

 

roflmao!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

The important word is "might"

Don't concentrate so much on what "might" happen and don't give up on it. As for me, I've 3 times in a row including recently interviewing for the directors position tried to help the shelter, I made it into the top 7 choices but we all know who will be the one to get in. I'm out of it now, I just can't stand this getting kicked in the head all the time, I'm sure Wake County would be happy to get my experience. Good Luck guys and don't give up the fight, the things that are coming are not what everyone thinks they are. Stay on these people including the ones you call "the furballs" and the "pro-gassers". :cry:

 

Re: The important word is "might"

DunDreamin... So basically they ARE NOT going to ged rid of the chamber? Or they will SAY They are, but wont really be doing it.

I have a feeling I know who will be getting the postion as well.

You sound like you would have made wonderful changes for the shelter, im very upset that you didn't get past the first "SEVEN"

But then again, do YOU HAVE furniture SALES EXPERIENCE???

I mean,,, it's such a good ole boys club, that they are going to leave the fate of the animals to a FURNITURE SALESMAN! :roll:

 

i wont change your mind, but at least I will be honest

Its not just Johnston that gasses btw. and JC has been injecting for the majority of the animals for quite a while now. Of course no one is going to believe me, they are so wrapped up in their own agenda to make them feel important..without regard to the animals. its all about ego.

Ernie Wilkinson has brought quite a turnaround in Johston Co Shelter since he took the temp position. He is extremely diligent about contacting rescues. Its sad that people have received death threats, rescue workers no longer want to even go assess a dog in Johnston Co... for fear that they will be the next target if they decide not to bring the dog into their rescue.

Face it, rescues can not adopt a dog out that is aggressive. Its not worth the chance that someone could be injured or killed byt his dog later on. Same goes for a dog who is at the shelter with parvo. It takes fire or bleach to kill the parvovirus in a home, you literally have to set fire to your grass. What foster home is going to volunteer for that? If they were to get a pup in the future and the virus was still active in their home (virus stays active for MONTHS), they could be risking yet another dog's life.


an aside, It seems that Durham APS was the cause of the day. and complete LIES told about them.

 

Re: i wont change your mind, but at least I will be honest

Thank you for your post Mrs. Wilkinson. Very well said! :wink:

And, um, no, they haven't been doing injections. Don't lie.. These things are easily verified... and we are on top if it! So don't spread lies!

 

thats Ms. Melino to you

I am an independant volunteer for several rescue organizations. I happened to be very concerend with the shape of Johnston Co, but was pleased to see what Ernie has done so far in a FEW months time. It bothered me when Wake Co started gassing once again, but then I know that their situation was dire. Hopefully the gassing will stop in all NC shelters soon. I choose to focus an the animals I can save. I certainly dont focus on making sure death threats are sent to my "enemies".

you are so quick to dismiss anyone who offers a different view than yours, is it the truth that you are afraid of? The truth that you are so self absorbed that you coudnt give a rats ass which animal lived or died, just that YOU got the recognition for your postings everywhere.

Then its those of us who are actually making a difference, we **** you off.

 

won't begrudge

Don't get me wrong, I beleive that Ernie made some improvements in the shelter, but several things that bother me. The first article I ever saw printed in the Smithfield Herald on May 2, 2003 quoted Sheriff Bizzell as saying "in March, the shelter killed nearly 250 dogs & cats." Check the article printed here from Tuesday's News & Observer which states they "kill" 3000 dogs and cats a year. Does anybody else get the math. 3000 divided by 12 is 250...No matter which way they go with the euthanzia it still comes down to the fact that they are bringing in "according to that same N&O article - 488 animals a month". I have to agree with somebody on this site who pointed out that only 16 animals appear on the website. Does the math really work out, how many go back to their owners out of that 488 and how many come up for adoption (whether to the public or goes to rescue group). If you subtract 250 (#killed ) and 16 (number on website) from 488 it leaves 222 animals that are floating around out there. I normally don't get involved in these discussions but the article last night really set me off. They've just got a "close the barn door after the horse is out attitude". I understand the "humane aspect", but I can't understand why they don't put some effort into knocking down the "entry numbers". Wouldn't it be better to "never" get the animals than to have to decide how they'll die?

 

as for the missing numbers. Ernie is constantly on the phone with rescues about transferring dogs out of his shelter. He goes beyond what most shelter directors do on behalf on the anmals. Sadly in the past few weeks, rescues that have worked with him in the past have been threatened, and some are not returning his current calls for fear that they will be messed with.

Also people are trying to block his mandatory spay/neuter plan. That would definitly decrease the number of animals going in.

face it, people in Johnston Co are treating their animals like crap. Its not just them either. I have seen an unbelieveable stray and surrender rate this year for ALL of the shelters that I work with.

 

Some of already know who got the job! :wink:

 

Re: i wont change your mind, but at least I will be honest

Absolutely false. Someone tried to get records of animals injected and I heard they only did SEVEN in one month, no more. Is that MOST of them??????

Another lie. He said he doesn't even know who all the rescues are in NC! There are really only TWO groups that can rescue on a regular basis.

Maybe some of the dogs just seem aggressive when a plastic hand is shoved in their face. Or maybe they just feel threatened by you when you do it. If a poodle snaps at you, it may not really be a dangerous dog. Maybe it just doesn't like you. A dog can sense when a person is trying to hurt it or kill it. And why don't they use the right cleaner at the shelter, so that it will KILL the parvo virus? They don't, and it is putting those animals at risk of getting sick.