Humane Changes Needed at Gadsden County Animal Control

I was stunned when I read about a recent dog fighting bust in Gadsden County, Florida. In an article on FloridaToday.com, Lt. Jim Corder stated that the fate of the victims was predetermined: " The humane society is recommending that we have all of the dogs euthanized, because they cannot be rehabilitated due to the nature of their abuse and conditioning."

Was this the Dark Ages? Even the National Animal Control Association has adopted a policy stating that all victims of cruelty be evaluated for temperament and placed if feasible. I soon  learned that the vast majority of dogs that entered Gadsden County Animal Control never had a fighting chance.

Best Friends Animal Society promptly contacted Gadsden County officials, asking who had evaluated the dogs and offering to  help. It became clear that no one had evaluated their temperament or health; they had only looked at the animals' scars and determined they were consistent with dog fighting. After some cajoling, the officials agreed to allow Best Friends to organize a team to go in and properly evaluate the dogs.

Best Friends requested assistance from  Tim Racer with Bad Rap and Dr. Julie Levy with  the University of Florida Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program. Both agreed to help.  Hillsborough County Animal Control also answered the call and sent two of their veterinary technicians to the shelter.

Nearly three dozen dogs and puppies had been  transferred by the Sheriff's Office to the Gadsden Animal Control Facility on June 29 . When the team got in, it found severely emaciated dogs in cages. Seven dogs and puppies seized as evidence  had already died at the shelter and their bodies were dumped in the landfill.

Dr. Laura Anderson and Dr. Cate McManus started doing triage on the emaciated dogs and puppies. First year veterinary student Alana Canupp also helped care for the animals. Three dogs gave birth while they were there. During the night, one of  the puppies somehow made its way into another cage and was eaten by a starving dog.

Obviously, Gadsden County Animal Control is a very poor facility that has had systemic problems for years. The Florida facility has no air conditioning and no ventilation.  The dogs and puppies were hosed down in their cages. Many died. There weren't even food bowls for the dogs — food was just dumped on the wet concrete. It's little wonder that many of the dogs died.

The team was shocked to learn that the County had no adoption policy — all the animals that came in were either reclaimed by their owners or killed.

The conditions and policies at Gadsden Animal Control clearly need to be changed.  A veterinarian needs to be contracted to treat the sick animals at the facility, an adoption policy put in place and volunteers allowed to help.

The good news is that because of a collaborative effort, things may be looking up for stray and abused animals in Gadsden County. Some county officials had already been concerned about the facility and seemed eager to learn. They came to observe the team and talk to them about possible improvements, and are now working within the county make these changes happen. Some of the victims of cruelty in Gadsden have a chance of finding a loving home for the first time, starting with the dogs rescued from the bust.

Five adult dogs and four puppies made it out after the court hearing last week. Attorney Bobby Hale successfully argued for the court to award custody of the fight bust victims to the Sheriff's Department and Bad Rap.  The Sula Foundation, Animal Farm Foundation, Bad Rap, and A Rotta Love Plus volunteered to take the dogs and puppies that passed the evaluations.

Check out  the video of the cute  Gadsden pups — fight-bust survivors who made it out and are looking for love. Bonnie, a survivor, has corticol blindness but is seeking a forever home through the Sula Foundation. Think about adopting one of these dogs and saving a life.

Photo credit: Robin Politowicz, Best Friends