A visit to the local animal shelter on Sunday, July 19 revealed an apparently unsecured facility, an abandoned building just behind the main structure and numerous emaciated dogs wandering freely. (Photos by Andrew Odom).
State: Honey died needlessly
An investigator from the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture has confirmed the City of Barnesville violated it own ordinance and needlessly euthanized a dog just hours after it was picked up and taken to the local animal shelter.
I think I need to ask a couple of questions here.
Do we have a dogcatcher who patrols the street looking for loose animals or are they only picked up when a call comes in to City Hall regarding an animal? If the answer is the latter, perhaps we should think about picking up the animal ourselves and having the animal posted on Barnesville.com, rather than have the pound pick up the dog and quickly put the dog down.
And this question. Is there a segment of the population here that is driving unwanted animals over to the general area of the pound and tossing the animal out for the pound to handle since you can't or won't take care of the animal? If this is the case, we have some uneducated people here who don't seem to realize that pet ownership is a privilege.
Everyone, before you take that cute puppy into your home, be sure you know that you have expenses to meet. Shots, worm medicine, food and shelter and most importantly, spay or neuter. And let's not forget, you need to spend time with the dog to train it. When the dog reaches a year old and it's annoying you because it jumps up on you with it's muddy paws, it's unfair to relinquish ownership by dumping your dog out of the car and deciding you've done the right thing.
Certainly the Honey situation was mishandled.
But looking at these dogs, someone out there is responsible for these pitiful pictures.
Please please, don't take on an animal unless you're fully prepared to be a responsible pet owner.
Even though the gas chambers were grandfathered in it is still “Shame on Barnesville” for not updating the Animal Control Department.
The people that run the Animal Control should first of all care for the animal’s welfare. Since this is not the case the entire department needs to be under investigation of the Dept. of Agriculture.
On another note the pictures from the animal shelter sadden me even more. The malnourished animals and the number of unclaimed animals are disturbing. If you are going to allow your pets to roam freely please spay or neuter them.
The dogs in the photos were abandoned at the facility overnight some days ago. Animal Control officer Thomas Holder has been trying to trap the dogs. However, the traps cannot be left out overnight, because people will steel them. He does put out food for the poor emaciated creatures that arrived in that condition.
Animals are frequently abandoned at animal control even though there is a sign there that clearly states that animals are not to be left there if no one is around.
A couple of months ago a litter of puppies was left there late at night, and someone from the sheriff's department found them in the creek. I think at least one animal drowned. People leave dogs tied out, or just let them go.
I understand from Thomas that in the past they have had dogs left tied to the bridge. Sometimes upon arrival the next morning, they would find a dog had jumped off the bridge which resulted in a hanging death.
This is not the fault of the people who do work at animal control.
They are not immune to the landslide of animals that are dumped all over the county. The animal control personnel did not turn these dogs out, and they don't pick up animals unless someone calls them to do so. Even Honey was called in by someone. What a terrible sad event that she died unnecessarily. I think not in vane. I can say that the city is working with the Department of Ag to establish the best protocol for that facility.
Please don't blame the AC officers for all the animals that are abandoned in the community. I go in every week to take pictures and to rescue as many of the dogs as possible, and I think it would be safe to say that probably eighty percent are owner surrenders. This is the real tragedy, and this is why Dolly Goodpuppy promotes responsible pet ownership. If everyone took responsibility for their pets, the size of the shelter would be adequate.
We would love to see a nice, new building somewhere, and it is my prediction that it will happen sometime within the next two years. There are people in the decision making positions that are, and have been working on this for some time. Facilities require planning and funding, so it cannot happen overnight. It can happen with positive community support.
I am so sorry about Honey, Julie.
As hard as it is to look at those pictures...thank you for taking the time to investigate the shelter and share those pictures. This community needs to see what really goes on at that shelter. There is no reason for a shelter to gas animals with the injection that is available now. Those poor dogs! That's why no one wants to go to the shelter to adopt a pet. If it were better taken care of I believe that this community would see more and more animals getting out of there.
I do have to call Mr. Holden on this though. Those animals photographed approached me without barking or bearing teeth or acting the least bit aggressive. They presented themselves to me as if to ask to be taken home. If I were able to have dogs I could have taken them all as one even rolled over its belly at my feet for me to pet. If Mr. Holden has tried to trap them perhaps a trapping class is in order because they certainly were not difficult to catch up with.
The pound is represented in no less than five images, the bridge to the pound in 13 images, and the water treatment where these dogs were hiding/sleeping/living in no less than 10 images...all seen in the accompanying slideshow.
No to split hairs but I think the reporting was more accurate that you are willing to acknowledge. When I arrived at the center on Sunday afternoon to see for myself what conditions looked like, the center was closed except for a broken out window on the backside. You could hear the animals inside crying, barking, meowing, etc. The dogs shown in the my images were abandoned animals of some sort and the three times I called to go shoot inside the center I reached no one to speak to. So, in my honest opinion I was as honest and forthright as could be in this situation.
I think it needs to be brought to light that I our local Humane Society is a joke too.
Again, thank you Andrew for the disturbing pictures. Thanks to the Herald-Gazette for following this story.
Beverly M. Eskridge
Beverly@gdn.edu
Next, good people of B'ville, please know that this is a problem everywhere and the poor economy has simply compounded it.
Only get a pet if you are able fully care for it-and trust me, that is very expensive! My cat is 16 and my dog is 15. Due to excellent vet care and @ home care, they plan to live many more years. Their great companionship is worth every penny to me. A pet is a long-term commitment!
As for the city council meetings, etc.. I have sat on/in enough meetings and boards in Barnesville and watch how nothing gets done unless there is someone willing to do it, talk is cheap.
Oh, and some useful info' for you & anyone else who has trouble getting animal control on the phone (it does happen as they do not have a secretary at the pound); when I had trouble getting an animal control officer on the phone, I simply called City Hall, and in short order they had the animal control officer call me back.
were dumped there by an owner.
They do not turn animal out to run loose. Many of the dumped and surrendered animals are in sad shape.
Why isn’t The Humane Society of Barnesville a licensed organization???? They take tax deductable donations. I guess I can find out that information at the meeting on Monday. I do plan on being there and encourage all other animal lovers to be there also. The animals in Lamar County could not speak for themselves so God sent Honey.
I remember going to the shelter in the late 80s or either early 90's and it wasnt anything to talk about then either. I drive by it daily now but ive never went in since i was little.
Someone that knows nothing about the pound will assume buy the title of the article that the pictures were of the pound, not the abandoned treatment plant. Those photos of an run-down "pound" with several dogs running around it would cause even more of an outrage then the original story would. So just enjoy Andy's reporting methods, for as long as hes with the Gazette, this is what we get.
I think a lot of the people posting on here live within the city limits and do not realize the concerns of the people living in the county and that there are feral cats out here. We had one cat that came to live in the barn. We tried to get a hold of someone at the pound with no luck. Well guess what? That has now turned into 11 cats/kittens in my barn, we have only been able to catch two to take to the pound in the past two weeks. My 80 year old father is trying to catch them himself and bring them to the pound. The pound acts like we can go say "Here Kitty, Kitty" and pick them up. We have been calling the facility since March to see about removing the cats. The more mature cats can scale a wall in the barn and get in the loft which is where they are having their kittens. My husband went in the loft few weeks ago and found 4 kittens. Their gestation is only 9 weeks. If something does not get done soon we will have more and it is a never ending cycle. So I am sure all the animals at the shelter are not owner surrender. The pound has not made one effort to come a remove these animals, it has all been on my father's part to get them taken in. We call to put in work orders and about 1 a week or every two weeks they will call us to catch one and bring one in. I just wonder how many other people in this county are in the same position.
I could care less which building are in the photos, obviously nothing is been done anywhere in the general area.
We, the readers, hope that Odom is "Picking and choosing the topics ...carefully lays out the information.... to achieve a specific outcome." THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED A NEWSPAPER!
This is news that the taxpayers need to know!
Don't ever confuse an outrageous story, which this is, with outrageous reporting (which this is NOT).
I do enjoy Andy's reporting methods as well as Walter's and the rest of his staff. This web page is the best I've ever seen (and I've seen lots).
P.S. I would be interested to know why you choose to say that he was "bias"? Do you think that Andy is prejudiced against dogs, skinny dogs, mixed race dogs? Please explain...
JMHO
We are a 501 c 3 organization which means that all donations to us are tax-deductible. Our mission is to spay and neuter. We have monthly meetings with minutes and treasurer's reports presented to the membership. We are a small group but what we lack in size and funding is more than made up for by our burning desire to help animals.
Licensing is a different matter. Licensing refers to the process that a group such as ours must complete with the state of Georgia in order to rescue animals especially from the pound. We must pay a yearly fee of $100.00 in order to house 20 animals in a facility. Paying this fee is the easy part. In order to have a licensed rescue facility certain state criteria must be met. There are many stipulations that are meant to look out for the welfare of the animals rescued. There is a mountain of paper work that must be kept on the operation of the facility.
I invited Mr. Mark Murrah from the state agriculture department to one of our meetings to tell us how to go about becoming licensed. We were discouraged after learning more about the process. Who would want to deal with so many rules and regulations as well as deal with state inspections?
Fortunately we have a dedicated member of our group who has stepped forward to undertake this enormous project. She is furnishing the land and assisting with the financing in order to become licensed. I could go into much more detail about acres needed, size of kennels and runs, quarantine areas, paperwork required on each animal but readers would end up glassy eyed. Just know that it isn't a simple process.
If we were licensed as a rescue group right now, we could rescue the dogs Drew photographed at the pound. But we aren't licensed yet. According to the law, citizens are not allowed to “rescue” stray animals. Only animal control officers are allowed to “pick up” strays. So if you have picked up a dog or cat on a lonely country road because you thought it was homeless, you are a law breaker. Just another example of a law that may have been well intentioned but that is not practical especially with the number of animals that are abandoned.
1. Animal control employees are being trained to perform lethal injection. HOWEVER, they are not yet certified to perform this procedure without a licensed DVM present as of yet. I am working as closely with them as possible to expedite the process. However, I volunteer to do this and must work around my job schedule, which is not at my control. In the event that an unfortunate event occurs, such as a parvovirus outbreak, the officers still have to use the gas chamber in the event that a state licensed DVM is unavailable. The other vets involved must also work around their business schedule as well.
2. Yes, the animal control facility is not a good one. It is, however, what we currently have to work with. The animal control employees are doing everything within their power to improve the situation. Many changes have been made in just the last three months. As with anything, changes takes time and money.
3. I encourage everyone who is concerned about animal control and animal welfare to provide constructive criticism, feedback, opinions, a foster home, and money to help us bring the shelter to a better place. Do more than just post your opinion here. Contact City Hall and ask what you can do to help.
4. Animals are dumped at animal control regularly, and the officers cannot control this. People who are too cowardly to turn their animals in personally do this regularly.
5. Ask how you can help. I reiterate this because it takes lots of help to make changes and improvements. Perhaps you can write a letter to the person with the power to implement change. Perhaps you can address city council and express your concerns. Perhaps you can foster an animal. Perhaps you can make a donation to the humane society or to Dolly Goodpuppy, both organizations which pull as many animals from the shelter as they can.
6. Do not blame animal control officers. They are good men who are doing everything *within their power* to do the very best they can. Please know I have seen these men express their sadness at the state of many of the animals that are brought in to the shelter. I have also personally witnessed Mr. Shirey's distress at having to euthanize so many animals. No one involved in this shelter is glad about the state of affairs. We need time, money and help to make the needed changes.
Most Sincerely,
Dr. Jennifer Gardner
It seems you have also confused misplaced priorities with being broke or not having assests. Barnesville has the assets to do something about the shelter. The real issue is how they choose to use assets.
I'm sure that people will offer to help catch the current dumped pack of dogs that our animal control officers are not able to catch so they can be placed in holding cells until their time comes as well. And citizens will hopefully raise hell to whomever can actually make a difference in the future here in Lamar County so that these types of incidents are no longer an issue.
We need long term resolutions here. Aparently we cannot 'rescue' or foster these dogs in the photographs legally if I am understanding the other comments correctly.
But what will be the outcome of the mismanagment of Honey? Seriously ... we want answers here.
I think there should be a full investigation, to determine who is responsible for this
and terminated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
This is the most sickening,inexcuesable treatment of man's bestfriend i have ever seen, from dog lover/owner LaGrange,GA
Traps can be left out overnight at the pound to trap these animals. If they were aloose for a couple days as hungry as they look and could not be caught by a live trap I think Animal Control needs some training. Also the Department of Agriculture is a joke. They are only a regulatory body who can only issue a license from the state to operate an animal shelter. They can not prosecute anyone. That would have to come from the DA's office or the Local police. Another thing is there not a tranquilizer gun owned in Lamar. The bottom line is no one has committed a criminal act. The State department of Agriculture was just here last week and then after the uproar Mark Murrah came and issued violations to cover his hide and the state who is already under a lawsuit for allowing some counties to continue to use the gas chamber. What Murrah should have done was issue a stop order which would have closed the Animal Shelter and forced city leaders to repair or replace the current animal shelter.
You give a sad excuse for the Control Officers not being properly trained to administer Iv or Ip injections to Euthanize animals. There is Naca training and vets around the state certify animal control personel to euthanize. Also It doesn't take that long to learn. I have been certified and perform the task everyday.
I only wish we or I had the same passion of conviction for the tens of thousands of our youth that are in harms way in foreign soil. I do care deeply about their well being and those who are there who are my kin are constantly on my mind. The spin off effect of these two wars has already brought much damage to my family. The war in Iraq hopefully may be winding down in the next year. The war in Afghanistan is what concerns me the most because I see no possible solution and it will continue to destroy and cause much suffering to American families for many years to come. This above all should be paramount on our minds and be a passion of our convictions.
This posting is in no way is an attempt to demean what should obviously be done to bring this animal control problem up to acceptable standards. I just can’t help but to believe if we actually really knew what this war was doing to the bodies and minds of those who are America’s future would we be able to compartmentalize such an event, but have the same passion of conviction required to resolve such a predicament. I pray this comes to being.
Just running around outside. They have all been captured. I believe they
were pretty skittish when first abandoned. Maybe putting the food out for a few days helped warm them up to people a bit.
Food is a great motivator for dogs.
You took a left turn so I'm taking it with you.
The morning of 9/11, my husband & I and our 16 year old son and 14 year old daughter were on an airplane headed to Charleston, just to spend the day.
Long story short, TV's and radios everywhere that day broadcast the terroristic act all day, everywhere we went.
That evening we worked on finding our way back to Barnesville.
My daughter in particular took this event to heart.
She now serves in our military and is right this minute on a mission hunting cowardly terrorists. This is her choice. And if it isn't her first choice, she recognizes it as her duty.
We have many other Barnesville citizens who have purposely joined this fight against terrorism and have gone overseas, some of them more than once.
This war is difficult. And I'm sorry that you have family members who are affected by it.
Understand though, it's our duty to do what we can to halt demons who would trample on the rights of others, and then would bring their twisted goals to our shores.
All we can do "Enoc" is try to clean up our own little corner of the world. By taking care of the problems here, perhaps each small act and kindness then begets a larger act, and a ripple effect takes place.
Now, let's get back to our regularly scheduled program.
We all have reactive ideas, what about proactive ideas?
Begin a fund to catch, house, provide for these animals? I have the first $100 to donate, but how do we start and what do we do? Ideas?
You don't have to be bitten to get the disease. Salvia in a skin break could do it.
Maybe I should get a the vaccine too, I handle a lot of those dogs when
I take the pictures.
I have been told by a number of people that they did not realize there was a pound until we started posting the dogs.
We have taken over 80 animals to one shelter alone, and have place over 30 with transport groups that send them to no kill shelters where the adopters are well screened.
The more support we get, the more animals we can save.
However, I think additional training would be great.
When I took a shelter operations course, we did offer to pay for an AC officer to go too. It didn't happen then, maybe the dates were not convenient. I believe they will pursue this in the future. We do encourage them to take advantage of the training that is available.
Do they have any full time people that work out there? I heard the last person left some time ago. That may be part of the problem. Is the city just not going to fill the position? I hear all of this just got dumped on Jason.
I see sad stories every week, because so many dogs end up at the pound unclaimed, or surrendered. Most are adoptable.
They need homes.
The intent of my posting was to illustrate how misplaced our priorities are. On this blog we have one subject “The Last full Measure of Devotion” with 3 comments. This is where young people are getting blown to bits by IED. The other subject is the disgusting manner we treat stray animals and with over 70 comments. Are we really so vain that as long as we don’t have to see it that it doesn’t require our full attention. If we had real journalism in Afghanistan I guarantee things would be different. Don’t worry……..I’ll let it go from here. What an insane world we live in.
To me this looks rediculous! A pound with several stray dogs living right around it. Is the pound not soppose to be the place that stray animals get refuge, I see no refuge for these dogs or they would not be in such a pitiful state and starved!!
Sounds like an oxy moron to me?
This is just a pitiful outragious sight to see and that is the "NEWS" to report things that we need to be aware of.
worth the many deaths just to free the slaves? I bet the slaves thought so, huh?
Enoc, many of us don't have the words or the understanding of this war in order to reply in what we think is an intelligent manner. I find myself at a loss for words when I read something like "The Last Full Measure". I feel my words are inadequate, so I might be silent instead.
Anyway, back to the animal story.
This is more tangible to us, it's something we feel we can control or help impact. It's easier to reply to this, it's in our backyard and perhaps we can make a difference.
Again, it's our little corner of the world here and maybe we can fight the small battles and win.
I got involved with DollyGoodPuppy because of the shelter conditions and felt I HAD to do something to make a difference. Nobody was pulling dogs from the pound on a regular basis, and the kill rate was 100% most of the time. We do not pull just the cute little dogs, we get anything that is responsive and friendly. I've never seen an "ugly" dog! I pulled two large dogs 2 weeks ago for private adoption... a girl in MA who saw a cross posting of our shelter flyer and e-mailed us about them. She'll be driving down to adopt them in a couple of weeks.
We need volunteers who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and handle dogs. We can set you up as a foster home and provide health care and food. You must be devoted to the daily care of the animal, and be willing to give it up when time comes. Watch for public dog adopt a pets locally soon. The Herald Gazette is kind enough to allow the "Adopt A Pet" tab at the top of this page. Normally we feature shelter dogs there, but since the pound is closed, this week we have some dogs in our system that are waiting for forever homes. All were rescued from Barnesville animal control. They are all spayed or neutered, all shots, heartworm negative, and microchipped.
Rescue is very demanding, but is most rewarding! There is a level of gratefulness in a rescued dog that is unbelievable!
We're doing the best we can.
"Within the heart of every stray
Lies the singular desire to be loved"
Thank you!
There is no doubt in my mind that you are a good and loving person. I also believe that you care about this country and possess gratitude for our way of life. I also think that your intentions are admirable but your approach is obviously crass and lacks any productive nature. It’s also presumuous to believe to know what someone else thinks, especially something as basic as freedom. There is a phenomena sweeping conservative America fueled by right wing pundits. It’s called ODS “ Obama Derangement Syndrome”. One warning sign is they believe they must take our country back. My question is back to what? This country is moving forward. You should get on board and help solve some of these problems we have inherited. To be obstructive will just make you bitter and poison your soul.
The War of the Rebellion
Mr. Lincoln’s War
The Tariff War
The Second American Revolution
The War of Southern Independence
The War of Northern Aggression
The List goes on………
I agree the war came about partly due to the effects of slavery in our government and society in general. It did not become the proclaimed moral justification until much later in the war when it became advantages to do so.
We need to continue this thread some where else if we are to continue this discussion.
He's got some 'splainin to do.
The public is invited to the monthly meeting of the BLC Humane Society this Monday (July 27th) at 6:30 pm at the public library. We will be discussing the problems at the pound as well as other issues. We will be glad to discuss what we have attempted to do in the past and the response we have received. One blogger commented that "talk is cheap" without having all the facts.
Come lend a hand if you feel strongly about what is happening in our community. We don't have all the answers but we want to make a difference. We welcome new voices and positive, proactive people who are willing to work for animals even though they are often criticized for doing it.
Beverly Eskridge, BLC Humane Society Publicity Chair
I personally do appreciate what the humane society has accomplished over the years and look forward to them being around for many more years to come. I have adopted several animals over the years since moving here to Lamar County and the humane society was wonderful in regards to helping me to afford spaying and nutering services. Dr Korb was also wonderful with the rabies clinics that (I have noticed happening lately) he sponsored so more pets had the necessary vaccines for a lessor fee. I have even adopted 3 horses into our family that needed a loving home and attention.
Everyone here plays a part in our community be it productive or not ... everyone is a part of it.
I will try to attend the meeting as well because things have really gotten out of control in our county and we need to put a stop to it now.
We can use people who are willing to lend a hand, or donate.
Dolly Goodpuppy Society, Inc. is a licensed rescue organization and has 501 (c) (3) tax deductible status.
No matter how nice you make animal control, animals that have been there past the holding period will get euthanized.
Our work will not be done until all adoptable animals have homes.
We got four cats out today to a feline rescue group, and we are working on all the dogs. We are limited by space and funds. If you are interested in helping us, please contact us at 770-468-2626. Our organization has been very proactive in saving the dogs, and cats when we can.
If I am able to foster more animals here at home, you are more than welcome to come over and give them some much needed and craved attention.
Thanks for your interest!
If I had read this before applying for a shelter license, I would probably have been afraid to call the Ag Dept. Actually, I did not find getting a license especially challenging. It really is not that difficult, or there would not be so many licensed groups in the state.
Let's be honest. Joyce told me a number of times that she did not want a shelter license. I am glad that has changed and that the organization is taking a step that is long overdue.
Good luck.
Just fyi regarding animal welfare, or lack thereof, in Georgia.
Also, this gas chamber is operating illegally per state law - regardless of what Ag/Animal Protection says.
Lamar County's population estimate in 2005 was just 16,378. In 1990, the estimate was 13,038.
According to the ahem, law - and the Ga. Animal Protection Act, the 25k population loophole doesn't apply to any county whose gas chamber is located in a county whose population falls under 25k.
The ban of gas chambers was inacted in 1990.
Do the math, peeps.
Soooooo I would suggest the Lamar Co dog jail peeps stop using the gas chamber to choke the animals to death.
Can your taxpayers afford a lawsuit ? Cobb Co could - can your city/county?