. TAF HAS TWEAKED OUR PETITION AND HAS INCLUDED IN THIS POST INFORMATION ABOUT THE ILLINOIS HUMANE CARE ACT FOR ANIMALS WHICH WAS CLEARLY NOT FOLLOWED IN TATUMS CASE. This past week, TAF shared the terrible story of Tatum, a dog that TAFs rescue division, Project Rescue Chicago, pulled out of Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC). Tatum was brought into Animal Control as a stray with a massive, 4.6 pound ruptured mammary tumor. Because she was in such bad shape, Animal Control apparently didn’t think she could survive surgery. They also didn’t think she should be shared with rescues, preventing her from finding a rescue that may have had the support to get her to a vet clinic which could help her. When this decision was made, the ethical thing would have been to humanely euthanize Tatum. Instead she sat in what we consider the dirtiest part of Animal Control, in a pen full of her urine and feces for 6 days on minimal antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory, suffering until CACC could end her misery. CACC is legally bound by a 5 day stray hold ordinance which states the animals are not City property for 5 days, preventing the City from making decisions on their behalf, or releasing them to rescue. However, they have released strays to PRC/TAF and many other groups on early medical release when medical attention was needed and it was in the best interest of the dog. Tatum should have been allowed to leave the shelter on early medical release, or she should have been humanely euthanized given her condition. Tatum’s story highlights the well-known fact that CACC needs to re-evaluate their stray hold policy. CACC staff has said that they did not euthanize her before her stray due to fear of a lawsuit if an owner came forward. However, the Illinois Humane Care Act for Animals states: (510 ILCS 70/16.5) Sec. 16.5. Emergency care to an animal; immunity from civil liability. Any person, including without limitation any person licensed under the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 or licensed as a veterinarian in any other state or territory of the United States, who in good faith provides emergency care or treatment without fee to an injured animal or an animal separated from its owner due to an emergency or a disaster is not liable for civil damages as a result of his or her acts or omissions in providing or arranging further care or treatment, except for willful or wanton misconduct. (Source: P.A. 95-868, eff. 8-20-08.) It is certainly unethical, and unfathomable, that a dog in Tatum’s condition sat without appropriate medical treatment. If the veterinarian did not feel comfortable humanely euthanizing her before her stray hold was up, she should have allowed Tatum to be seen by rescues who could have helped her. Our hope is that other rescues that have seen the animals suffer due to this ordinance come forward and work with us to initiate change in the policies and procedures at CACC. We are petitioning the Mayors office to get this process started, and will continue to advocate for change. Animals who come in needing medical attention should either be able to receive full and proper care at the shelter, which is very unlikely since their funding is so minimal and their facilities are very outdated, or rescues should be contacted to see who can take the animal into their program and provide all immediate medical care as needed. There is no reason any animal should suffer once safe at a shelter, and no one should suffer like Tatum did. Please sign our petition and help us work to change the stray hold policy at Chicago Animal Care and Control…the animals need our help! thepetitionsite/900/914/860/neglect-at-chicago-animal-care-and-control-tatums-suffering-could-have-been-avoided/
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 08:03:42 +0000
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