Monday, November 9, 2009

In the News..... Dog death toll rises as controversy swirls....

In the News: This past Sundays Toledo Blade, had front page news regarding the Dog Warden's records show 70 breeds hit by agency extermination policy. Click here for the article

Here are some facts from the article:

2,483 dogs were Euthanized in 2008
1,848 so far this year 2009

Currently:
Owners of unlicensed dogs have at least three full days to claim their pets.
Licensed dogs are kept for at least 14 business days.
Once those periods are up, pound officials determine adoptability.

Breed Name # of dogs / # of puppies/ Total
1. PIT BULL 886/ 46 / 932
2. Lab Retriever 143 / 2 / 145
3. German Shepard 130 / 1 / 131
4. Chow 88 / 11 / 99
5. Boxer 67 / 1/ 68
6. Rottweiler 60/ 0 / 60
7. Beagle 38 / 0 / 38
8. Cocker Spaniel 31 / 0 / 31
9. Retriever 19 / 8 / 27
10. Terrier 19 / 0 / 19
11. Husky 19 / 0 / 19
12. American Bulldog 17 / 1 / 18
13. Shar-pei 16/ 0 / 16
14. Chihuahua 16 / 0 / 16
15. Miniature Pincher 12 / 0 / 12
16. Jack Russell Terrier 11 / 0 / 11
17. Collie 10 / 0 / 10

18-23 Dachshund, Poodle, Doberman, ShitTzu, Mastiff, Australian Cattle Dog, each breed
8 / 0 / 8

24-27 Pug, Pomeranian, border Collie,and Great Dane, each breed
7 / 0 / 7
28-30 Yorkshire Terrier, Australian Shepherd and Sheltie
6 / 0 / 6
31-32 Lhasa Apso and Foxhound
5 / 0 / 5
33-35 Golden Retriever, Akita Inu, and Pointer
4 / 0 / 4
36-38 Bassett Hound, Dalmation, and Boston terrier
3 / 0 / 3
39-46 Grey Hound, Fox Terrier, Basenji, Coon Hound, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Springer Spaniel
German Short hair pointer and Pekinese
2 / 0 / 2
47. Newfoundland 1 / 1 / 2
48-71 Welsh Corgi, Samoyed, Catahoula Leopard dog, Perra de presa Canario, Cairn Terrier
English Bulldog, Cockapoo, cane Corso, Brittany Spaiel, Labradoodle, St Bernard,
Papillon, Shiba Inu, Great Pyrenees, Manchester Terrier, Chesapeake Bay retriever, American
Eskimo, Weimaraner, Miniature Schnauzer, Bichon Frise, West Highland Terrier, Airedale
Terrier, rat Terrrier, sheep dog
1 / 0 / 1

The Lucas county killed 66% of all dogs that entered the pound last year.
The adoption rate is only 13% which is lower than neighoring counties

The dog wardens view on PIT BULL Issue:
"Every "pit bull" without an legal owner is killed, no matter if it is vicious or not, no matter if it is the smallest puppy and has never bitten anyone. They all end up the same: killed, frozen and buried."

The Rottweiler Issue is also a problem: According to the article the dog warden refuses to put Rottweiler's in the pounds adoption areas for the general public, due to supposed gang members or persons described as being involved in dog fights
or using dogs in the wrong way.....come through kicking the cages to see if the dog is mean enough to want to adopt.

The Dog Pound is supported by proceeds from the 62,500 dog licenses issued in Lucas county. The annual License carries a $25 fee, the highest in Ohio. Dogs find thiur way into the warden's kennels in several ways, including impoundment and owner surrender. After the surrender period is up the dog pound official determine whether a dog is a candidate for adoption by checking the dog's health and behavior, observe the animal while walked, played and fed. I find this interesting that the temperament test consists of a squeeze of the animals genitals. Mr Shelden explained " A dog that will allow you to do that is a dog that isn't going to bite some kid who happens to step on his toe."

The adoptable dogs after the initial 2 weeks are transferred to the Toledo Area Humane Society where they are put up for adoption. The TAHS receive the dogs free of charge and in exchange provides spay and neutering services for the pound for a fee of $65 a dog.

John Dinon the TAHS Executive Director said the organization received 281 dogs from the warden so far this year more than last year which was 258 which they do find homes for, they have a 100% adoption rate on adoptable dogs. The TAHS could take more dogs and gets imported dogs from Hardin, Carroll, Franklin and Montgomery counties, because it can't get enough dogs here. The TAHS accepts every dog they receive from the pound.

Survey conducted by the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine estimates that:

46% of all dogs handled by state animal care and control agencies were euthanized in 2004, down from 61% in 1996.

Proposal:
To reduce euthanasia rates and increase adoptions in Lucas county Commissioner Pete Gerken recently proposed that the humane society review all non-vicious dogs at the county pound after the three-day and 14 day waiting period. All dogs deemed adoptable would be transferred to the TAHS and put up for adoption. No one wants to make the decision rather a dog lives or dies.



Euthansia Rates for dogs in neighboring counties: See article click here

Wood County: 40%
2008 283 of 768 dogs
2009 219 of 552 ( of the 219 euthanized 134 were unadoptable)
Adoption rate for adoptable dogs is 82.6%

Monroe County 36%
2008 - 443 of 1231 dogs
2009 - 329 0f 938 (260 of those were owner surrendered who paid the $25 euthansia fee)

Fulton County: 38%
2008 - 384 of 1007 dogs
2009 - 192 of 675 dogs = 28%

Ottawa County: 45%
2008 - 101 of 224 dogs
2009 - 37 of 133 = 28%
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