For your answer about the gas chamber????? When your beloved pet has to be put down, will you bring her to the shelter and have them put them in the gas chamber??? Still waiting!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
She's not going to respond. But I have a story for you. I rescued a shih-tzu from the shelter about 5 years ago, which was left by the owner because of the dog's age. His name was Toby. He had cataracts in both eyes, and he was bumping into things. I do not believe that the owner knew that the gas chamber awaited this pet. A very sweet AC officer worked there, and he would call me when there were certain dogs that he could not stand to put down. He really wanted to see this one find a home. And he did. Toby was adopted by a lady who has a cataract in one eye. Although she could still see OK, her vision was blurred. She understood was Toby was going through. She and her husband cared for Toby until he died a couple of years ago. At least he went peacefully.
First, I would hope that the shelter doesn't do euthenasia for the pets of the public. For any shelter to put down an animal, it must be their property, surrendered or legally abandoned. I know Harley and she would never surrender her pet for euthenasia to be rid of it, expecially in the twilight of it's life. I am certain that no one that I have met in the Neighborhood board would do so either. SaveThem, you have me so confused as to who you are. One post I read I think I have it figured out, and then read another and say 'nope, so and so wouldn't say that.'
Zoo, I hope I don't sound harsh, I'm just trying to make a point. HarleyGirl has waivered on her take on the gas chamber. First, it was horrible, then it wasn't "bad". I'm just trying to find out how she would feel if her "personal" pet had the chance of going to heaven by a needle or a gas box. I know you can't take a dog to the shelter and have it PTS. I was just trying to make an analogy. If it's too bad for her dog, then why is it any better for any other dog(or cat?) And I agree about her dog being old. The thing is Zoo, they are still gassing EVERY OLD, YOUNG, and pregnant dog. I just would like to hear Harleys answer. I believe she volunteers at the shelter quite a bit and I'm just interested in her response.
To ZooKeeper, Just to clarify, Toby's owner did surrender him at the shelter. Anyone can surrender their pet. The point is they may not understand how they are going to die. Well, I guess a lot of them do now.
I understand Save, it is just this: Both shelters in our county use the chamber. It IS horrible. It has been horrible for all of the years these shelters have operated. Until there are changes made (which I think we all understand will not happen by 4042.com alone) these animals in both shelters deserve to have every bit of human interaction and every chance of getting pictures of them spread about to help them keep their sanity while they are ther and give them even the slightest advantage of being adopted. If Harley or anyone wants to volunteer at either of these shelters, I think we should support them. In spite of what we might feel about these places. I know when you volunteer in shelters you sometimes get 'snowed' by the bureaucrats, who want to paint a pretty picture and keep people from bashing them. I know anyone who spends any serious amount of time in any shelter sees the shortcomings the shelter may have. I feel every one of us were put on this planet for a purpose. Lessons to be learned. If Harley can help one dog or cat get adopted, or her companionship of a dog or cat gives them comfort when they might be frightened, did she not make a difference in the life of that animal? I worked at a pathetic shelter years back. I knew it was pathetic and I knew the animals there didn't have a chance in hell at getting adopted. It broke my heart and I felt that there was no hope. While I tried complaining to authorities, even tens of complaints logged into cruelty investigators at PETA and nothing I could do could change the way things were, or the outcome for these animals. Walking in the door was depressing, yet I kept going back for much longer than I thought I could. Each day, I handled as many animals as I could. I made sure their living space was clean and disinfected. I gave each one time to be held or pet and all of the time wishing I could take every one of them home to a better life. My only consolation was when I walked through the door and they saw me, they were happy. For that brief time every day I could give them the attention they craved and the love they deserved. It was a crappy place and their lives were a living hell and I get upset thinking about them to this day. Point is, I believe I may have made a slight difference in their day. Was I wrong for doing so? If I went on a board like this and complained about that shelter, chances are I would not have been allowed back in the place. Any tiny difference I could make in any animals life would have come to a quick hault and nothing I could have said would change things. These lives that end up in shelters, they didn't ask to be put there, they are stuck. Any help anyone wants to give should be applauded in my opinion.
Hey everyone. I know the Smithfield, NC pound still uses the Gas Chamber, but what other shelter is there that also uses one? I didn't even know there was another shelter??
Zoo, I assume that you and Harleygirl are friends. She does not deserve to be applauded after her months of bashing and running people in the ground, just because they want to encourage change. No one who really cares about animals should be defending the gas chamber, no matter how many pictures they take. And no one should try so hard to make things difficult for us, just because they don't support our cause.
Light: I have met Harley Girl two times among a bunch of other people, and I don't think she and I had more conversation between us than you and I have. I can't assume what she thinks or how she feels, nor can I speak for her. While I have not had the time, now will I ever have the time to read every post on this board, I haven't seen anything where HG said that keeping the gas chamber was a good thing and that lethal injection was not better. As far as a 'cause' - does everyone need one? If so, what if HG's cause is to try to make a difference in a way she can? Is she wrong for taking pictures? Does she try to promote these animals for adoption? Unless she is dragging dogs and cats away from the hands of people who wish to adopt them and shoving them into the chamber and pushing the button herself, what harm is she doing? If this was you being talked about this way, I would defend you as well. Do you think that you and those who mainly occupy the Niko board are the only ones who wish to abolish that chamber? If we all wanted the exact same thing in life, we wouldn't be having this discussion, but if we all simply want to make whatever difference we can in the lives of the animals of this county, whether it be taking their pictures, or cleaning kennels, or petting dogs and cats, or shouting from the rooftops and discussion boards that the chamber must go, does that make anyones' quest less valid? Why can't we just all do what we can to make a difference in the way we personally can feel rewarded? When I taught, there was one particular class that took a bit of artistic talent. I had students say to me, Miss_____ does it this way and Mr. _____does this this way and you do it this way, which is the correct way? My answer to them was "There is more than one way to get to the mall, right?" My students looked puzzled, yet agreed. I explained, "There are times you can take different paths to reach the same goal. Some are quicker, but take great care, some take longer, but the journey is easier. Some are just easier on the spirit. No path will be the same ease for any of us, because we are individuals. There are alot of things that don't have any one correct answer." This holds true for animal welfare. There is more than one way for us to help the animals we obviously all care about. No reason to get in anybodys face because their path is different than our own. Sometimes we say things when we feel forced into a corner, and it is never any fun being picked out and picked on. If we try to treat each other with a little respect, maybe we would all get further in our quest to make a difference. Just a thought.
One other thing, before my post gets disected. I have been on this Earth longer than I care to admit most days, but I have learned through the years that I am a pretty good judge of someones character. While I really don't "KNOW" Harley, what I have seen of her is a compassionate person. To be fair, all of the people that I know the identities of on this board, I can say the same thing about. These boards are a good way to post ideas, but not a good way to communicate emotions. Some of us blurt out feelings, some give great thought to what they say. Some react when they feel they are being backed into a corner. If someone hurts our feelings on these boards, they may not have intended to. Emotions don't translate well into typed sentences. This is why we STUDY literature, poetry, and the Bible. We can interpret things differently depending on our own frame of mind at the time. If someone picks me apart on these boards, while it may be hurtful to me at the time, does it do anything to lessen what I might do in life off of the boards? No, of course not. Nobodys 'cause' is going to negatively affected because of anything anybody says in a thread. If you stand behind what you say and do something to carry out your quest, you may get knocked down along the way, but if you are motivated, you'll be on your way again in no time.
Well, it would have been nice if you could have defended me even once in the last months, since November when she began to bash me. She has never met me, but you have. I spent countless hours helping JCAPL. If you are who I think you are, I picked up many stacks of newsletters from your front porch to distribute across the county. Now I am distributing petitions instead, with no support from that organization. Ironic, isn't it?
I have stayed away from these boards from early Fall when I got bashed until Just a few weeks ago. JCAPL was bashed and people masquarading as "Guest" saying they had dirt to tell called me a Nazi and a puppy killer. Who defended me? Only one person that I know of came to my defence. We went to the county commissioners twice about that freaking gas chamber. Once with plenty of press coverage and armed with a stack of bloody petitions. The fact of the matter is they just don't care. JCAPL offered to arrange a vet to do the injections and we offered to raise the money to pay for the injectable drugs. We offered all we could and we were ignored. This is old news. We haven't given up, but we have to do other things in addition to worrying about the gas chamber. If there weren't 5 or 6,000 animals surrendered to that shelter every year so many wouldn't have to die. Whether it is gas or injection, dead is dead. No one wants gas, but we sure as hell don't want dead either. Until the county wakes up and gets with the new milenium instead of their old tired ideas what should we do? Keep re-hashing it? The squeaky wheel aint getting the grease in this case. Hit them up when it is time to vote, that is about all we can do. These boards don't scare them. Petitions are like toilet paper to these people. Only the prospect of loosing a job will make any difference. No one deserted you. We are right where you left us.
Just as I've been saying all along. Gas is terrible, but the end result is the same as injections - dead.
Light: How many signatures do you have on your petition? What total number will be the magic one, where the county will say, "Time to get rid of the chamber?" I admit, I have gotten cynical when it comes to changing the way things are. Solutions were offered that wouldn't have cost anything extra for the county to put down animals by injection. They just don't buy the idea of the chamber being cruel. JCAPL offered them hunderds of names, addresses and phone numbers of county taxpayers who wanted change and a way to change where it wouldn't cost them a blessed dime, and no dice! Lots of our members are enraged by this. We see no good reason for keeping things the way things are when the only reason they seem to be able to give is that sometimes they get really overcrowded and they might not be able to wait for a certain day when the vet comes. PATHETIC, I say. What does that tell us? They get overcrowded, like almost every other shelter in NC. Is there another solution? What happens when prisons get overcrowded? (Gotta use that one, as these animals have been sentenced without a trial, with little chance of parole. They all face a death sentence, unless they exhibit good behavior.) They build more prisons, right? They don't kill more inmates. Well, noone is putting up the bucks for a second shelter, even if they did it would be more of the same. No one seems too egar to donate money for a non-profit shelter either. It kills me to see prisoners (convicted criminals) getting cable and 3 meals a day and medical care when they sneeze, and time to exercise and work out-with MY tax dollars paying for it, yet animals that did nothing other than being born and having no where to live, get tossed into a - what is it 3 x 6 cage? and never see daylight until their time is up? The only other possible solution is to stop as many animals as possible from going into the shelter as possible. Spay/Neuter is a plausable solution. No, it isn't an instant fix, but what in life is? Educating people and helping them work through a behavior problem their dog might have; teaching children that animals have feelings and deserve the respect for life that we humans hold so precious are also ways to help lessen the shelter population, and we are implementing these methods now. I don't think there is a magic pill for any of the problems the animals of Johnston County face. Even if the chamber was replaced by injection tomorrow, we would still be KILLING the same what is the number...7,000? animals a year! Yes, it would be more humane, you will get no arguement from me or any other JCAPL member on that one, but it is still insanity, taking away innocent life for human convenience. Light, I could be mistaken, maybe a stack of petitions that reach 3' high or 6' high might indeed sway the decisions of these people. You are doing what you feel may be the answer, and who am I to tell you otherwise? Instead, let me offer you some assistance. 1)How about we get together and come up with a central place to place petitions and find a way to get the word out they are there, it beats going door to door. 2)Come out to the fair on 4-16, set up a table (free of charge) there will be hundreds of animal loving humans there and I am sure all will sign your petition. 3)You know where I live, drop off a few pages for me, I'll sign it and get people I know to do so as well...remember I work with critters and don't see a ton of humans. Myself and JCAPL don't care who gets things to change as long as they are changed. I am sorry you were bashed as well, it sucks when you feel you are under attack when your motives are nothing but pure. We have a common goal, to make things better, lets not be rivals when it can't result in a more positive outcome for the animals.
Zoo, We seem to be working toward the same goal. Don't give up...just PRAY. Remember that there is nothing God cannot handle. All of us who care about the welfare of the animals need to work together on this. I appreciate your offer to help with the petitions. We have a new non-profit organization called North Carolina Animal Advocates. If anyone has pets that they can no longer keep, they can post them for free on our new website, www.ncanimals.com. It is a free forum similar to this one. You can also contact us directly and we will help find homes for your unwanted pets. Let's try to cut down on the number of dogs and cats surrendered at our local shelters. If ANYONE can help with the petition to eliminate the gas chamber at the Johnston County Shelter, please email me and I will send you a copy. If you can just cover your neighborhood, it will be a tremendous help. We have over 5000 signatures already, but we need as many as possible. My email address is ncanimaladvocates@yahoo.com. Michele
