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No Kill NOW! Please DON'T KILL MORE Devore!
If you have seen something at a San Bernardino pound What makes Devore pound in Southern California one of the deadliest places of all is the administration's practice of killing dogs and cats daily---EVEN WHEN 1/2 THE CAGES ARE EMPTY. Many people believe that pound killing is necessary because there is not enough room for animals. But that isn't the case at Devore. The animals are NOT killed for lack of space. And they are NOT killed for illness or aggression in most cases. They are killed based on the administration's schedule. This rescuer has taken more than one dozen animals per load out of Devore. Each time there were empty cages prior to taking the animals. Despite all the additional room after the rescue effort, the supervisor still insisted on meeting his personal "kill quota" for the day, making animals pay with their lives. On one occasion I counted 28 empty dog cages and 30 empty cat cages, yet on that day at least 30 animals were killed and dumped in barrels. When I asked him why he killed with so many empty cages available he said, "You know that's not how it works here." Recently I took a dozen animals to make room for more. But someone had the audacity to walk the huge blue barrel of death right in front of me so I could see all those bodies freshly killed. Cute dogs. Adoptable dogs. Dogs that could have had a different ending with just a little more time. Individuals who worked at Devore 5 days a week for months, contacted me with numerous complaints. They told me indiscriminate killing with empty cages is a daily occurrence. They said it was the most depressing part of being there. It is estimated that the majority of dogs killed are caged from 4-10 days before they meet their fate. No, these are NOT dogs that walk circles. They are not crazed and no longer placeable. These are dogs that have the strongest possible will for life, freedom and love. It brought tears to my eyes to hear the workers describe the last minutes of these doomed dogs. They told how excited they are to be let out of their cages. Excited, that is, until they approach a room with a pile of dead dogs. The minute they sense the carcasses, they start fighting fiercely for their lives. Many are unmercifully dragged into the "doom room" screaming. There they are literally wrestled to their death. Some speculate the killing goes on because it is cheaper and easier to manage a pound with a lower population. Others say it is to keep the staff content. A Devore supervisor admitted in a 2005 public Council meeting that the quick killing is for the benefit of the staff - they don't like hearing the animals cry. The pound is managed by San Bernardino County. This is the same County that ran Rancho Cucamonga's shelter for nine years and then was fired and publicly censured by the City Counsel for failing to provide rudimentary care to the City's animals. Every Counsel member started out skeptical of the accusations raised by animal advocates. But after their own independent investigation, they unanimously concluded there were violations of law and improper treatment of animals. An animal attorney who co-authored the Hayden Act - law that regulates shelters in the State - believes Devore's practices are violations of California law and has indicated an intention to file a lawsuit against San Bernardino County. Some of us rescues have broken our backs and wallets to take out animals to leave space so others can live, only to find out the killing continues ANYWAY! We contacted all the officials on the list below regarding our Petition and to date have not heard from one. Immediately after the October dog beating at Devore we contacted many people, including the Sheriff, pound officials, newspapers, attorneys, and no one took remedial action that we are aware of. We complained over a year ago about almost-weekly animal thefts at Devore to several officials including Paul Biane, Supervisor of the Devore district, who never acknowledged our phone messages and fax. This is why YOUR HELP is needed - to show officials that the public DOES CARE about these helpless, incarcerated animals with NO VOICE but
the one YOU give them.
Finally, ask the officials listed below to STOP VIOLATING THE
LAW and KILLING ANIMALS WITH EMPTY CAGES. |
