Mayor Wharton's Memphis Blues: Missing Dogs, Animal Cruelty and Closed Meetings

Memphis Mayor Wharton promised to clean up the shelter when he took office in 2009. So far, he has spent the past two years defending the shelter's mismanaged operations instead of confronting the challenge of taking a stand for animals.

In the most recent blow to the reputation of Memphis Animal Shelter, a dog has gone missing and an animal control officer is charged with two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

On June 25th, Brooke Shoup went to MAS to reclaim her two dogs after they escaped from her backyard. She quickly found one dog, Jersey, but was unable to locate the other, Kapone.

The previous day, ACO Demetria Hogan responded to a call regarding two loose dogs. Neighbors confirmed the identities of the dogs as Jersey and Kapone, yet only one made it to the shelter four hours after being picked up.

Missing dogs are not a rare occurrence at MAS — as many as 155 dogs went missing in 2010 alone.

According to Janet Hooks, Director of Public Services, shelter "records verify that only one dog was actually processed." This contradicts evidence from MAS confirming that Hogan impounded two dogs, one of which is still unaccounted for.

This week, Hogan kept a critically-ill dog in her work vehicle for over two hours while evading arrest on animal cruelty charges. As a result, the dog died while in her care. Hogan is scheduled to appear before court on July 25th. She had been suspended with pay until last night when MAS fired her.

In the middle of all this, MAS is taking steps to further hide from public view. After the 2009 raid on MAS, security cameras were installed to monitor the treatment of shelter animals. Now that the footage is being used to expose just how much improvement is still needed (thanks to the work of Shirley Thistlethwaite on the YesBiscuit! blog), shelter staff want the cameras removed, and once animal services moves into a new shelter, city officials say they'll get their wish.

Additionally, monthly Advisory Board meetings have been closed to the public. The controversial move may be illegal based on the Tennessee Sunshine Law and goes against the board's mission.

What is MAS trying to hide?

Mayor Wharton touts advances in rooting out corruption in the city government since he took office. It's time for the mayor to help the city's animals and hold Memphis Animal Shelter accountable for their actions:

1) If you haven't already, sign the Change.org petition and share it with your friends. Follow it up by emailing the mayor directly at mayor@memphistn.gov with a polite request for him to stop the abuse at MAS.

2) Send the mayor a message on Twitter: Where's Kapone? @MayorACWharton: Stop the corruption at Memphis Animal Shelter http://chn.ge/p43FLQ #nokill

3) Post a message on the mayor's Facebook page (you will have to "like" it first), asking what MAS is trying to hide, and when we can expect a thorough investigation of shelter staff and procedures as a first step toward ending the corruption and killing.

Animal advocates from across the globe are voicing their concerns for the safe return of Kapone, who is feared to be either stolen or sold for bait in dogfighting operations. The Where’s Kapone? Facebook page has been set up for the latest developments on that case, including the increasing award being offered for his safe return.

The time has come, Memphis Animal Shelter, to finally put an end to the abuse of animals trusted to your care.

Photo Credit: Brooke and Darrell Shoup