PE: Questions are raised about the Humane Society’s longtime practice of euthanizing hundreds of animals a month
Administrator: I got blasted when I wrote about this a while back including from one of the blog’s biggest supporters. I was assured it wasn’t true. It’s sounding a heck of a lot more true as more people go public.
10:46 PM PST on Sunday, February 7, 2010 By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise
Volunteers and donors to the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley said they were surprised to learn that the organization had been euthanizing close to 10,000 animals per year.
Most of the euthanasias were performed after hours by a small group of people.
Former employees said even some who worked at the Humane Society were unaware of the activity, which has gone on for years.
Those contacted for this story said that if they questioned the practice, they were told not to worry about it. If they persisted, they said, they were fired.
A letter by a former veterinarian for the agency complained of “truckloads” of healthy animals being euthanized.
A video purportedly showing dogs and cats being brought to the organization’s San Bernardino clinic after hours for euthanasia surfaced on You Tube in November.
Sue Dawson, then the Humane Society’s president, said the agency became concerned about the safety of its employees because of the video and stopped the nighttime euthanasias. She defended the practice as a necessary service to prevent animals from wandering the streets.
Other longtime supporters of the Humane Society felt differently.
“I find this disturbing,” said Sue Herbert, of San Bernardino. Herbert volunteers for the organization as head of a committee that addresses legislative issues involving animal care and control. She has worked with the Humane Society for three years.
Like many supporters contacted for this story, Herbert said she was aware the agency provided euthanasia but had no idea how many dogs and cats were killed there each month.
The 30-year-old nonprofit organization provides public education, low-cost spay and neuter surgeries and vaccines, in addition to euthanasia for unadoptable or owner-surrendered animals. Its $3.5 million annual budget is controlled by a board of directors. It does not operate an animal shelter.
The video on You Tube was produced by Last Chance for Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal advocacy group that has national reach. It was posted by another animal rights group, then taken down later the same day at the request of Last Chance for Animals.
“I don’t feel what they’re doing is wrong,” said Chris DeRose, president and founder of Last Chance for Animals.
The video has brought attention to what had been a little-known practice at the San Bernardino clinic.
“I suspect a lot of people don’t have any idea what goes on,” former Humane Society board member Cliff Alexander said recently.
He left the board three years ago and expressed concern at the time over the large volume of after-hours euthanasia, he said.
Unwanted Pets
Dawson said the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley last year euthanized about 800 animals a month, 500 of which are brought in after hours by staff and animal welfare organizations. That rate, about 9,600 a year, is nearly equivalent to the number of euthanasias performed by San Bernardino County’s two animal shelters, which euthanized a combined total of just over 10,000 animals last year. The San Bernardino city shelter euthanized 12,400.
Animal rights advocates, who initiated the investigation by Last Chance for Animals, as well as former Humane Society employees have expressed concern about the after-hours euthanasias and the fact many of the animals were being brought from outside San Bernardino County by independent animal welfare operations.
The volunteers bring the animals they cannot place to the Humane Society to be euthanized at no cost, Dawson said.
Those involved in the work could not provide figures for the percentage of animals adopted vs. those euthanized. People familiar with the operations say the majority of the animals surrendered are destroyed.
Supporters of the practice say it’s a needed service to help control animal populations.
“I know that it goes on,” Dawson said. “I know the reasons why it goes on. Many of these individuals work. They do this animal-welfare rescue work in their off times.”
Even Dawson seemed surprised by the number of animals being put down. She initially estimated 500 animals a month but, after a review of records, said the number was 800.
Questions Raised
Mary Sheets, a former executive director of the organization, was among those who said the killings struck her as clandestine and unusual.
“I was concerned about the amount of euthanasias we were doing after hours,” Sheets said. “It seemed a little suspicious to me. It seemed very secretive. My question was, are we doing the right thing?”
At the same time Sheets was asking questions, she received a letter from Janet Troxel, a veterinarian then working for the Humane Society.
“Over the past two years,” Troxel wrote, “several employees, including myself, have witnessed truckloads of healthy, young, well-adapted puppies, dogs and cats being brought in after hours by so-called ‘no kill’ shelters and ‘no kill’ rescues, only to be killed.”
In a phone call, Troxel confirmed she had written the letter but said she did not want to comment further.
When Sheets asked Dawson about the practice, she said she was told not to worry about it.
“If you ask too many questions you get let go,” Sheets said.
Jill Willoughby, who worked as a recovery nurse for animals being spayed and neutered, said that happened to her.
“I was fired because I didn’t agree with their euthanasia policy,” Willoughby said. “They didn’t attempt to find homes for the animals that were brought in.”
She frequently saw healthy, socialized animals being put down, she said. In one case, an animal hoarder brought in about 75 dogs during regular hours, many of which were in poor condition but some of which seemed fine.
“There were dogs that were really friendly and people were interested in adopting,” she said. “And they wouldn’t let them. They euthanized the whole lot of them.”
To read the rest of the story, click here.
Grotesque and disturbing. I would like to see the practice reduced. There are ways to reduce the misery such as spay and neutering stray cats and if they dont have rabies release them back to where they come from so they dont make any new cats.
And if the no kill rescues found out the reality maybe they would find alternative options instead. I think the san bernardino valley humane society needs to clearly articulate what they are trying to do so people dont get any misconceptions.
Read the article again. The Last Chance for Animals were the ones who did the video based on these accusations. The video was posted by ALF, an extremely radical group who testified before Congress that it was okay to kill people over animals.
“The video on You Tube was produced by Last Chance for Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal advocacy group that has national reach. It was posted by another animal rights group, then taken down later the same day at the request of Last Chance for Animals.
“I don’t feel what they’re doing is wrong,” said Chris DeRose, president and founder of Last Chance for Animals.”
But this short sentence is being overlooked. Also Sue Dawson’s comments were taken out of context. Yes, the HS euthanizes and they do it for free. Not only do they serve the low income with spay/neuter, they also serve the low income and whoever with free euthanasia rather than letting their pets suffer and die because they can’t afford the $60-100 to put their pet down at the vet. Not one shred of evidence was presented other than “opinions” of incompetent, disgrunted, self serving ex-employees. These are not whistleblowers because they speak up now when asked. Whistleblowers go out and do something like this blog. They could have made a complaint to the DEA or even to Last Chance. Opinions were offered about animals brought in when there were no credentials to make the decision as to whether these animals were healthy or not, dying of parvo or distemper and the owners couldn’t afford a vet. The DEA is constantly checking records for any agency that euthanizes and in all these years, the DEA has not found anything wrong. What this means is that there is paperwork that was signed by an owner for each animal euthanized. In other words, these were owner requested euthanasias. And too, a stray is seriously injured, picked up by staff off the streets, and the injuries justify euthanasia to relieve suffering. Remember that the HS is not a shelter and does not fall under the Hayden for hold times.
I have been there afterhours to euthanize my pets. I didn’t want to endure or have my pet endure the chaos during the day. And the HS was kind enough to allow me to do this.
Coming after the HS will only end up hurting the community. If their donations fall then their low cost spay/neuter clinic can close. Their cruelty investigations will stop. And no more humane education in the schools means even more cruelty when the kids become pet owners.
This reporter obviously had no story when Last Chance made that statement but he continued with his story using these ex-employees to degrade the HS. There are always those out there who have vendettas against animal control and the HS. They have tried everything in the book to hurt the very agencies that do good. A local web site condemns animal control and has things posted that are out of date and never proven. This site states that “employees” blew the whistle but these “employees” were inmates from Glen Helen doing weekend service because of drugs, dui’s, etc. This led to thousands of public records being pulled and nothing was found. A court case was filed and when there was no evidence it was dropped. Don’t jump on bandwagons til you can hear all the music. Don’t promote these lies and hurt an agency that has done so much good for our community.
This is a very sensative issue for many, most everyone has pets. I find that many people love their pets more than they do their fellow man.
I worked for Pomona Valley Humane Society in 1977-78 as a Humane Officer. Even back then we covered 5 cities and the stray dogs and cats were out of control. We picked up hundreds of dead animals a month that were struck by cars on the highway.
The number of dead animals picked up and put down then was beyond belief, but what is one too do with that many animals running loose? Countless numbers of sick animals running loose. It was SAD to see.
We had an adaption system, spay and neuter clinic. Many citizens visited the facility during the day looking for that special pet, many were adopted, many were not.
Many citizens rich and poor donated money and their time to find owners for all these animals, to ensure the facility had plenty of food. Many Vets donated their time to help with sick and injured animals.
EVERYDAY there was a list put together by the facility manager of what animals would be put down, sometimes the list was small, other times it was lengthy. The animals were euthanized after hours and after EVERYONE was gone from the facility.
We had a pick-up service for the euthanized animals, they came at least 3 times a week, after hours. It was something you would not want to see. And we didn’t want anyone seeing it.
Back then our numbers were not far off from the numbers discussed here, that was 33 years ago. It appears not much has changed based on this article.
One has to do that job to even begin to understand the numbers and what is really going on, to have an opinion of what Animal Control employees face everyday. A thankless job indeed.
What is happening out there on the streets by no means is AC’s fault. WE should be blaming the careless pet owners and this is 85% of the problem.
The animal rights morons should be targeting pet owners, not AC, unless they find conditions and the overall care of animals sub-standard.
In the political arena, I don’t think any Humane Society or government Animal Control facility has ever been high on anyone’s list for funding, in most cases.
As alarming as the numbers seem, with the population around here, it should be of NO surprise.
Go out into the desert sometime and see the wild dogs out there. Sorry to say they are an extreme danger to many, and AC can’t catch them. You know what happens then.
My hats off to those who work in the AC business and give it their best.
Also here is some food for thought. What if there were no free euthanasia offered in San Bernardino? It would mean animals having to suffer then die. You can’t get owner requested euthanasia at the shelters any more so where do people turn when their pet is suffering? If they don’t have the money for a vet, then what do they do? Which would you rather see, having a humane death or lying for days dying? And another thought. Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers?
A Friend that is a good point for sure. NO I don’t believe anything I read in the papers around here.
Anti, as a former ACO, you know that it is a thankless job. People don’t understand that as an ACO, you have to follow the law. If they don’t like what you do, then let them work to change the law you had to follow. You know what it is like to be blamed when it is not your fault. Same with the HS, they didn’t make those animals, the public did. What if those animals ended up in the shelter and were euthanized? That means more taxpayers money to house, feed and then to kill them. Does that make sense? And you also know how many times these radicals have gone after IVHS. They don’t stop coming out of the woodwork.
My concern over the HS is that these lies and vendettas would hurt their donations. And if the HS closes down, imagine how bad it would be if we think it is bad now. Amazing how people can overlook all the good just to concentrate on their perception of bad. We need to be concerned about this because it doesn’t hurt the HS in as much as it hurts the entire community. This wasn’t done to help the animals, it was done in a vindictive manner with no regards for the consequences.
Yikes. Now I know why people who lose their dog are pounding the pavement looking for them. How can you sleep knowing that your pet may be facing the death chamber?
This is awful.
I would encourage those who believe in supporting any AC facility to continue to do so.
Having plenty of food for all those animals that might come into that facility and needed funds for Vet care are always important.
When disaster strikes like the wild fires, it’s always impressive to see the many volunteers come forward when many animals need to be evacuated to a safe area and then cared for. A difficult task indeed.
And AC and HS are generally leading the charge.
I guess anyone with a big check wanting to help fund such a good cause could go down to a facility and see for themselves what is needed.
The only answer I see for all the stray animals being put down by what seems as a alarming amount, is for animal owners to be held accountable.
The public and private sector cannot afford to build larger facilities just to house animals for prolonged periods of time, hoping that these animals are adopted.
It sounds silly but it’s like building jails and housing inmates, the costs can be staggering.
BUT the public should not hassel AC employees, they should support them like they do anyone performing a tuff public service.
Anti, condemnation of animal control and shelters only means more euthanasia. What man will take his family to a shelter when it has been described as filty, rude employees and dead animals in barrels? It pushes people away from the shelters and into the arms of the waiting “rescues” who do this condemnation. At times, I feel it is a conspiracy to get business for the rescues rather than a true concern for what is happening. And now we are being told there is no pet overpopulation, how does that help? It doesn’t. It lends credibility to more breeding by the public and breeders in general. With this thinking, the public will allow their pets to breed so they can show their children the miracle of birth and when the puppies or kittens get big enough to be problems, they can take them to the “no kill” shelter and won’t have to explain to their children about the death part of being born. It means the breeders can breed all they want because there are ample homes. The humane business is nasty and many unstable people dwell in it.
Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley: Response to P-E Article
By Barbara McLean on February 9, 2010 10:40 AM | Permalink
Today, the Press-Enterprise ran an article calling into question the euthanasia practices of the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley (HSSBV). We would like to respond.
Our mission is to prevent animal suffering. We accomplish this in many ways, which include our veterinary services, cruelty investigations, humane education, and euthanasia at no cost.
We do not operate an animal shelter. There are many agencies in the area that work to rescue animals and promote pet adoptions. We do not duplicate that important work; instead we focus on the prevention of homeless and unwanted animals.
This community is in a pet over-population crisis. By providing thousands of affordable and accessible spay/neuter surgeries each year, we are diligently working to create a future where every animal born will have a loving, forever home. That is our mission and our passion.
We have assisted some animal guardians, who bring owner-surrendered, feral, and homeless animals to receive services such as low-cost spay/neuter surgery, low-cost vaccines, adoption referrals, or humane euthanasia services at no cost. These services happen during the day, and also in the evenings, as we’ve agreed to lend support to those independent animal caretakers who also have full-time day jobs.
We have nothing to hide from the public about our policies or practices, nor do we participate in illegal activities. Nothing has occurred which is secretive or clandestine.
Please note that we have chosen to provide euthanasia services at no cost to our clients, so that every animal, and pet owner, may have access to this humane passing when they are in need. Veterinarian offices may charge $150-$250 for this service, plus a disposal fee. Even the shelters have a surrender fee. And while those fees are not unrealistic, there are still people who cannot afford those options. During this most difficult decision, we have chosen to be an open resource for all people, no matter what their circumstances. We shudder to think of the suffering that could and would happen to animals in need if we were not here with open doors.
However, along with offering the service of euthanasia at no charge, we realize that we will have a disproportionate number of clients coming to us. We have weighed the cost against the consequence of not providing it, and have unanimously agreed on our policy, purely for the benefit of the animals.
The euthanasia statistics cited in the Press-Enterprise article were not accurate, and our cited operating budget was inflated. The figure of 800 euthanasias performed per month is an averaged number, representing the monthly total of all such services performed for our clients, due to varied factors such as illness, injury, Parvovirus, elderly status, poor quality of life, the owner could not afford care, etc. The majority of these services were performed for owner-authorized surrendered pets. There were not 500 euthanasias performed in the evenings.
It is unfortunate that the article that appeared in the Press-Enterprise mentioned nothing about the many hundreds of animals who have been placed in loving, forever homes through the work of the animal guardians aforementioned. And it is unfortunate that an organization celebrating its 40th year of helping to prevent animal suffering would be accused of creating animal suffering, because of some misconstrued facts. How heartbreaking.
Despite our invitation to the Press-Enterprise reporter to visit our facility, to speak with staff in person, to ask questions or even film our operations, he declined.
We are proud of the work we do for people and pets in the community.
There is a lot more to this story! This is not about owners bringing in their own dogs to be killed. That has to be a small part of the killing happening there. You don’t see truckloads day after day of owners. It is the truckloads coming in after hours so that the public doesn’t see them. WHERE ARE ALL THESE ANIMALS COMING FROM???
Note: Yes this “Humane Society” will kill for free on request. Isn’t anyone else disturbed about such a practice? Euthanasia is for the purpose ending suffering as a result of a terminal disease, not a way of trashing your pet because you want to move on. What kind of vet would kill on demand with NOT STANDARDS at all? Well, now comes HSSBV, ready willing and able and it makes sense. Why? Because, it is part of their little known creed- better dead than bred. They think their mass killings-though kept secret until now- is the best way to keep pet population down, not the spay/neuter they tout publicly. And this is just the beginning of their story. Many talk about the justified extermination of ALL dogs of certain breeds and they are not the breeds you would first think of.
But the real question leads to the insidious side of this story: WHERE ARE THE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS COMING FROM?
The real story here is about Lynn Hildebrand, the SBH Society’s “humane educator”. She has been allowed into classrooms to teach young children about humane treatment of animals. However, many know that the overwhelming amount of killing is by her. One employee has told of seeing Hildebrand kill as many as 50 a day DURING business hours. And many have complained about truckloads also coming in on a regular basis AFTER close of business day at all hours of the night. Putting together the figures various employees are citing, the death toll could actually be much, much higher, i.e., double or even triple. At least three employees have insisted the euthanasia slips they use to account for death tolls are frequently misstated to make the kill count much, much lower. So the records that Sue Dawson purports to rely on are meaningless!
Employees and associates alike say Hildebrand answers ‘free to good home’ pet ads, pretends she wants to adopt the animals for will find a home for one and upon receiving the animal it is immediately killed.
Others have seen and photographed her ‘catch and kill’ traps and food stations where she lures any animal that she can to her, killing them immediately, without even attempting to find the owners. Others say she does not care if the animals have owner i.d. or not, since she thinks the animals will multiply and she is ‘solving’ the problem then and there.
Hildebrand has a network of like killers, who advertise for fee pets, troll ads for give aways and still others who will take animals in as ‘rescues’ but quickly kill the animals.
Hopefully more people will talk, more info will surface and the public will call for the prosecution of this horrific deceitful group that believe the rest of us are fools that can never understand their superiority and the wisdom of their ‘final solution’.
Guest, which ex-employee are you? If you have these photos, show them. Prove what you are saying. Or maybe you are with that radical group who attacks anyone and everyone who knows how to spell euthanasia. I say you’re probably with those who condone the suffering of overcrowded shelters or those shelters who give out two fer ones to hoarders. You show no respect for our community by trying to hurt the one agency that works everyday altering pets so there aren’t those thousands of animals. If you think you are a crusader for justice, you are woefully mistaken. You are the problem, not the solution.
Wow, I heard little murmerings about this for years but now it’s confirmed, by the President herself SUE DAWSON. Oh, I forgot she stepped down and made herself ‘secretary’ right after she was called about the video that showed the killers and their truckload of victims in the Humane Society parking lot.
The comment by ‘A Friend’ must be either Lynn Hildebrand or one of her fellow killers.
EVERYONE who has half a brain can see what’s going on. You all are doomed.
Guest, you are barking up the wrong tree. I have been making comments on IE for quite awhile. How dare you call me a fellow killer when you are the one that are killing animals with your hateful vendetta. Sue Dawson confirmed nothing, read the response. Her comments were taken out of context by that lousy excuse for a reporter. You are making accusations that the Last Chance for Animals, the ones who made the video, said they saw nothing wrong. You must have selected comprehension when you read the article. And as for half a brain, you have none because you obviously are only seeing and hearing what you want to see and hear. How can you have a heart and want to hurt an agency that has helped SB so much? I think I might know why. The HS has a cruelty department and maybe they have come to see you before. Are you one of their abuse/cruelty cases and that is the only thing that explains your hatefulness and your wanting to hurt the community. Shame on you for your cruelty to animals and your cruelty to people. Go crawl back under that rock you crawl out from. You’re probably still on probation so at least I know you don’t have any animals that will miss you.
I find it interesting that the real accusers will not post their names, but will post everyone else’s. why are they hiding? Why are they hiding behind former employees? To be fair, the reporter very well could have misstated what they said as well. I find it interesting that they would comment at all. There had to be a reason they were let go, and surely not the reason the reporter is stating. I think “A Friend” is right. The HS must have gone after her at one time or another. Or maybe its because Best Friends even labeled her Cuckoo. Actually Cuckoo for cocoa puffs! Hi Vikki. Vikki Shore, local Rancho Cucamonga hoarder! Lets make sure the HS pays you another visit!
Actually, the accusations are true. It has been going on for years. The people from rescue group sign their name as “owner” for euthanasia purposes, & a no kill shelter sent employees ” during business hours” actually to euthanize theirs. Sue Dawson & HSSBV volunteers know about it. It was a volunteer that really brought it to light. Sue Dawson tried to stop the problem a few years ago when Dr. M wrote her a letter about it, but that lasted a short time, then they were back to doing it again. He left for better things. I was surprised she stood up for the practice when the reporter questioned her, knowing she was embarrassed by it before. But, the HSSBV were informed of the investigation into their practices back in November-December 2010, & article wasn’t published until February- Sue Dawson did step down 1week prior to article coming out. They were informed when it was coming out. And, as a person that has worked with pets for years, I find that people appreciate a service more if they pay for it– I mean, really appreciate it. It is a more meaningful experience when owners pay. It teaches them respect for their pets life, it and lessens the chance of the common problem where a family euthanizes their older but healthy dog for free because they found a cute puppy to replace it with, or because the mamma dog had pups, & the pups are cuter than mamma ( who may be only 1-2 years old). Some people just learn it is free to throw away their pet-when they don’t have the responsibility of paying. I have worked with a lot of poor people, & I find that although they need help & may take longer to pay the bills, they can almost always find a way to pay & when they do, they feel very appreciative. I find that many people who say they can’t afford their bill, & convince me or others to lower costs for them ( taking out of our own pockets for them), go up to receptionist to pay, flaunt their hundreds of dollars in cash, & aren’t very appreciative— and also, that they give their son stories of no money & don’t try to even come up with funds, then go to parking lot & drive off in a brand new luxury sports car (something I never expect-bc the person looks poor to me , but i see it alot)– so
what I am saying ( there are many more examples) is that most people can find a way to fund their pets health issues or to pay for euthanasia if they want to. Some people ( many actually) only spend the money on themselves ( new car, HD TV, etc… ) but are unwilling to spend on a pet or even themselves for anything involving healthcare bc they do not value health ( they
only value materialistic things), & if a person is truly poor, they can usually get funding/ get it from friends/ some clients even sell some of their belongings to pay for their pets care. When there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s like this: I value & appreciate the meal I eat more when I paid for it– when I get a gift card for the same meal, I tend to not appreciate or enjoy the meal as much. Same with most things. I’d appreciate lower payments on my house, but if I got it for free, I’m sure I wouldn’t value it as much. People can’t pay bc they aren’t willing to pay, for the most part ( with a few exceptions). You can deny this if you want, but I deal with people who have under $15 left for 1/2 the month & can’t afford the gas to come by for the next 2weeks when their paycheck comes, & they manage to find a way to save $100 in ~ 2weeks. When there’s a will, there’s a way!
No, Guest, it’s the hillbilly PAT DUNAWAY known in many circles as PAT DUMBAWAY posting under multiple names but complaining others are anonymous. She’s the fat lonely old senior lady trying to give meaning to her pitiful empty life, again. She’s famous for mouthing off her ignorance about pit bulls and nokill. PAT DUNAWAY is a total wierdo who hides behind her only friend, her keyboard. She’s at it again posting, then answering herself under a different name. Don’t psychotic people do that. She doesn’t get it that some in animal control have a good laugh behind her back and rescues she calls ‘friends’ want nothing to do with her. She’s a total embarassment. I hear she’s never had any career, had menial jobs her whole life, and her net worth is the size of her IQ = 5. Stop the name calling old bag, YOU are the one that was in trouble with animal control for real, read Nathan Winograd’s story about this loser.
Informed Guest makes a good point, the ones making these accusations refuse to use their names, although I now know who at least one of them is and she’s a crackpot. If you support the HSSBV, she’ll rail against you personally as a dog and cat killer, despite the fact that she has no clue how many animals you may have rescued yourself. And don’t bother asking a valid question, you will never get an answer.
It is so sad how many people have read the PE article and taken it for fact without even bothering to call the HS, that is truly pathetic. The HSSBV had their own statement about the situation which was mysteriously never published.
These crazies want to blame the HS, who’s only “crime” is providing free euthanasia-what would happen to these animals if they didn’t? Should they just roam the streets? The blame should be placed where it belongs, on people who won’t spay and neuter their pets or stop backyard breeding or buying from such breeders. And don’t forget the people who dump their pets off when they become inconvenient, then get pissed off when they can’t get placed (no way they didn’t sign an agreement about this if they turned them in to someone-but pets can’t be turned into the HS, it is not a shelter).
As a volunteer at the HSSBV, if someone were doing anything like what these people say, I would be livid, but the people I work with are all animal lovers who just want to work on getting as many spay/neuters done in the community to prevent pet overpopulation. It is really disgusting to say that anyone there would ever want an animal to die.
As for Lynne, she helped my Mom when her 17 yo cat was put down and she was incredibly kind to them both, making sure it was as painless as possible.
If donors are discouraged from donating to the HSSBV, there will only be more pets euthanized in the long run since their work is to get low cost spay/neuters performed-fewer fixed pets, more unwanted animals-great job, whackos who proclaim to love animals so much.
Also, the HSSBV did “Body Bag Mountain” a while back to highlight the problem, so it’s not like they were ever hiding this issue. “Body bags” were stacked up in a pile to represent a portion of the pets put down due to over population.
‘Body bags’ send message about pet overpopulation in San Bernardino County
http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_E_pets17.49b327f.html
A lot of you are missing the boat about the PE article.
If HSSBV was not doing anything wrong, then why don’t they ever talk about their killings in their newsletter. Why have they stopped killing after hours now, since the article has come out? Why was Lynn H. forbidden to talk to the newspaper? How do you think her education classes, all those little kids would feel, if they knew that the same lady who tells them to be so kind to animals is also a killer by day and by night? Has anyone everthought, that if there was NO ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO KILL PERFECTLY HEALTHY ANIMALS, MAYBE LAWS WOULD BE CHANGED AND PEOPLE WOULD BE FORCED TO SPAY AND NEUTER. But, NO, it’s so easy to use the needle and make the animals pay with their lives, rather then enforce laws and make people abide by them.
The HSSBV hides behind all the good that they do, in order to cover up all the BAD that they do behind closed doors. You so called “AC” officers, why don’t you go find a real job, where when you go to bed at night you don’t have to think about those sweet, wonderful, trusting, loving cats and dogs that you destroyed for no reason.
I respect cats and dogs, and I have no right to decide which one should live and which one should die. You killers out there, who are you, that you think you can make that decision. Is it too much work to find them a home, for you to spend time advertising, holding adoption shows, putting the animals in foster homes – no, it’s so much easier to just kill them. You killers, are cowards, you have no conscience, you can’t even be called a being. Do you sleep at night with one eye opened, to make sure that nothing happens to you, like you have been killing these poor innocent, loving, purring, loyal, trustworthy, God’s creatures that he put into your hands to protect and love, not to destroy for no reason. Why don’t you kill things your own size, such as a lion, tiger, etc… but no, you pick on small creatures that can’t defend themselves. You are bullies, and eventually bullies are put away.
Number one killer, Lynn Hildebrand, who hides behind her sweetness and her Education work that she does in the elementary schools of San Bernardino – an angel by day and a devil, killer by night. Number two killer, Cindy Morgan, from Orange County, who works at Green thumb Nursery, in Lake Forest, and spends all her evenings accepting cats and dogs from the public and on the same day drives them to HSSBV to be killed in the wee hours of the night. Number three killer, Barbara Zolle, from Claremont who also gathers cats and dogs all day and brings them to HSSBV to be killed in the wee hours of the night. Please, remember these cats and dogs are kept all day in a small carrier, from the time they are picked up until they go to their deaths and are killed by the sweet hands of Lynn Hildebrand. Other killers, are Linda Sheehan, Shirley Shuester, Carol Barnes, Carol Murphy, all from Orange county, all members of Concerned Animal Lovers. Sue Dawson, the so called President of HSSBV, who had to change her position to Secretary, is just as guilty as the rest of them. She knew exactly what is going on and approves of it, all in the name of “not letting the animals suffer on the streets”. All the rescue groups that bring their beloved rescued pets to be killed, such as Karen Ambrose from Rottweiler Rescue, and many others. Your crime is so BIG, that you will NEVER be forgiven, and their is NOTHING that you can do, to ever make it RIGHT. I hope that the cries that came out of these precious, furry, cuddly,beautiful, unique cats and dogs, when they were being killed, will hunt you FOREVER. The Lord have mercy on your souls, I certainly would not.
The In-humane Society of the United States are murderers, and they encourage the murder of cats and dogs in many situations, such as feral cats, pit bulls, etc. They are scum.
PETA, and the ASPCA are also murderers of cats and dogs.
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