PERMISSION TO CROSS POST
My name is Karen Zapkowski. A little over a year ago I co-founded Nileydog Rescue. We are a nonprofit group of committed volunteers whose mission is to rescue, transport, foster, spay/neuter, and re-home abandoned and abused dogs from high kill shelters. Our main focus has been on pulling dogs from Gallia County, Ohio. Over the past year we have helped to pull hundreds of dogs from this shelter and not only have them go to our rescue but to other rescues in Ohio, and other states.
We understand that when you are pulling dogs from county shelters you are going to come across a wide variety of illnesses and diseases. After we pulled our first dog with Parvo we decided to help the county by buying bleach and a sprayer to spray down the dog runs. At this time only a water hose was being used to clean the runs after each dog. This is not a sanitary way to clean and only spreads disease.
I thought that this would help a little bit. It did not. The dog runs are constantly full of feces that has been there for days. There is urine all over the dogs. The first thing we do when we get home is bathe the dogs to get rid of the smell. Again we understand dogs being pulled from shelters are not in good shape, but this does not mean they need to be sitting in feces and urine.
This past week, we pulled 8 dogs from Gallia, County. During the course of this week we have had to euthanize 5 of those dogs. 4 had Parvo, 1 had Lepto and we are currently treating one for Distemper. All of these diseases are ones that can be vaccinated against with a vaccine that cost about $1.50. Instead we have spent over $5,000 this week alone trying to save these dogs and then had to euthanize them all because they were too far gone.
We are 4 women who work full time and go to school and yet we run a dog rescue because it is our passion. We have had many up and downs and yet we still do what we do because we know there are so many amazing dogs out there. We are unable to continue to pull any dogs from Gallia, County until we are assured measure will be taken to clean up the shelter. We can no longer afford the expense that comes along with the inefficient ways things are being done there.
There is only one assistant dog warden who runs the entire shelter, this is not a realistic thing. One person can not keep up with the cleaning and feeding of all the dogs that come in on a daily basis, no matter how hard they try.
I just want you to be aware of what is going on out there and as long as sick dogs are being pulled, rescue groups will start backing off. I have already talked to a few who were planning on pulling dogs but decided to go to Scioto Co once I told them of the sick dogs we pulled from there last week. Adoption rates will drop drastically unless the proper precautions are taken and people are assured the shelter is being sanitized after each dog.
We are contacting the state of Ohio also and our local media sources to guarantee things will be changed. I never want to have to euthanize another dog due to unsanitary conditions of the shelter. These dogs would have had a better chance at survival if they were left on the streets, the only reason they are dead is because they were placed in the shelter at Gallia, County. The Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act states that better care is required for dogs in laboratories, why is this not the same in shelters?
Public Law 99-198 Food Security Act of 1985, Subtitle F - Animal Welfare
Also called "The Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act" and enacted December 23, 1985, this section clarifies what is meant by "humane care" by mentioning specifics such as sanitation, housing, and ventilation. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish regulations to provide exercise for dogs and an adequate physical environment to promote the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates. It specifies that pain and distress must be minimized in experimental procedures and that alternatives to such procedures be considered by the principle investigator. It also defines practices that are considered to be painful. No animal can be used in more than one major operative experiment with recovery (exceptions are listed). The establishment of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is introduced with a description of its roles, composition, and responsibilities to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Also included is the formation of an information service at the National Agricultural Library to assist those regulated by the act in prevention of unintended duplication of research, employee training, searching for ways to reduce or replace animal use, and to provide information on how to decrease pain and distress. The final section explains the penalties for release of trade secrets by regulators and the regulated community. --http://www.nal.usda.gov/
Please let me know what can be done about this situation. We want to pull as many dogs as we can from Galllia, but we need you to help us.
