A blog that advocates for shelter dogs and animals in general
Now more than ever, you are needed to donate your old blankets, towels, and sheets to your local animal shelter. With financial cut-backs, repairs on shelters are often put off, so if it's drafty, the animals suffer. I know my shelter uses rags to stuff under doors. No kidding! Empty out those closets... this is your chance to get rid of stuff and do something useful!
Showing posts with label Chesterfield SC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chesterfield SC. Show all posts
The basics: TIME: April 21, 2011 3:00pm - 6:00pm
LOCATION: Columbia SC, North grounds and the steps of the State House
WE HOPE THAT A STRONG SHOWING OF SUPPORTERS WILL ENCOURAGE OUR STATE SENATORS AND OUR GOVERNOR TO CONSIDER UPGRADING OUR ANIMAL PROTECTION LAWS AND AUTHORIZE THE INSPECTION OF ANIMAL SHELTERS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
ALL OF US TOGETHER CAN ENSURE THAT THE VIOLENT DEATH OF THE ANIMALS IN CHESTERFIELD WILL NOT HAVE BEEN IN VAIN.
WE CAN PROMOTE CHANGE.
PLEASE WEAR A BLACK SHIRT(in memorium) OR A GREEN SHIRT(to signify hope). IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SIGN TO CARRY, PLEASE DO SO.
CROSSPOST THIS TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW WHO IS A RESCUER OR AN ANIMAL LOVER.
Even if you are not in South Carolina, you can sign the guest book and show your support.
The Chesterfield 22 are the dogs used as target practice by shelter staff. Go here, here, and here for background. An state investigation is still pending.
Remember the shelter in South Carolina that is run by the Sheriff's Office? The one that allegedly used dogs are target practice in order to euthanize them? Read here and here and here and -- a completely new angle to the story here. (That last one is testamony from a former employee).
Well, even more pressing than an employee who witnessed dogs being shot is this new development:
A shelter worker - convicted of cocaine and LSD related crimes - may be involved in running dog fights from the shelter.
I wonder if this will make it into the Sheriff's report, the one he is preparing about the crimes committed in his own shelter. And the guy had the nerve to intimate that the shelter might close due to the scrutiny, because of course they don't have a budget or what not. Fuck off, asshole.
If you are outraged, please contact local legislators in the backward fine state of South Carolina. They are waiting to hear from you!
For the latest in this sorry affair, via Fox News in Charlotte:
CHESTERFIELD CO., S.C. - Cement weights, a chain, a "work out" area, all at an animal shelter. Maybe the Chesterfield County employees or the inmates who worked at the shelter were using the equipment on their lunch break. Dog fighting experts say that type of equipment can be used to train pit bulls. We're told the equipment has been gone for a few years. "In my opinion, nothing has gotten better, they've only gotten better at hiding things," says animal rescuer "Jennifer."
...One of the county employee's names kept popping up on dogs (Note from Shelter Tails: his name popped up because dogs were held for him. This shelter does not adopt out pits so why were they held?), Jennifer says. Brian Burch, the shelter director, is also a convicted felon. In the 90's, he was sentenced to three years in prison plus a $10,000 fine for coke and LSD.
Rescuers like Jennifer tell us kennel tags marked "hold pit bull" were common place. The shelter doesn't allow pits to be adopted. "On kennels, there was papers saying 'hold for Brian Burch.' A lot of these dogs would be severely scarred, so skinny. Every one of 'em, pits. Never another breed of dog," says Jennifer
And then, there's the possible Michael Vick connection. News of his arrest in 2007 apparently gave some folks in Chesterfield County something to brag about, according to Jennifer. "I know a lot of people have told me they have bought dogs from Brian and Brian breeds dogs and Brian sells dogs and so they were proud of their dogs at that point because they said their dogs had blood lines of some of Michael Vick's blood line, that Brian's dogs could be traced back to Vick."
Project Rewire has an eloquent and driven take on the shootings that most now realize were actually committed by the Sheriff's Office that is supposed to be investigating the case.
Turns out shooting may only be used as an emergency means of eutahnisia in South Carolina.
She has even more government and activist links than I do in the last post I did on this sorry story.
Seems there are some minor discrepancies with past reports but here's what I think based on watching the
video:
Chesterfield County left just $14,000 after salaries and benefits to care for dogs at the local shelter.
They intake 70-90 dogs a month.
To save money, staff at the Sheriff's Office, who are charged with running the shelter, euthanized the dogs using firearms, which may not be a crime in South Carolina. It is unclear whether the Sheriff, who's information is listed in the previous post, knew ahead of time about this method being used. His office is investigating itself.
They did not anticipate the outrage that would follow such an act.
Now the State Attorney General's Office and the State Law Enforcement Division (which may ultimately find that no law was broken) are investigating.
What to do?
Keep pressure up. The news station above made their question of the day ask what should happen to the staff that shot the dogs? Local government offices are being inundated with calls. Here are some more numbers to call, courtesy of Pets Alive Blog (no pun intended).
Contact the Attorney General’s office and demand that the sheriff’s own office not be able to investigate themselves and that a higher authority do so.
The Sheriff, in case you want to voice your concern over the unprofessional response to an overpopulation problem.
Phone: 843-623-2101
Fax: 843-623-3534
Email: admin@chesterfieldsheriff.org
What may come out of this, like many tragedies that need something bad to happen to galvanize people, is that legislators and local citizens will put their heads together to find funding or raise it, deal with the problem of poor spay/neuter programs- which lead to overpopulation, cracking down on puppymills- which breed misery, and encouraging adoption- which is the best answer possible. Here are the local rescues in the area, who likely have been screaming about these things for some time, and who have stepped up in the wake of this tragedy which did not have to happen.
In the meantime, please give a few calls today to encourage South Carolina to act like it lives in the 21st Century.
