There has been a lot of conversation online today regarding an abandoned female Cane Corso. Our organization is committed to reading every comment, message and email as well as answering as many phone calls as we physically can. This situation isnt black and white; its complex and emotional. We hope that by sharing this letter with you, you will have a better understanding of our decision. The Louisiana SPCA behaviorists and veterinary team evaluates thousands of animals that come into our care each year. Each one is an individual and we carefully consider all of the possible options for placement. We work with rescue groups locally as well as in other communities to place dogs with minor or moderate behavior or health issues every day. However, when a dog displays behaviors that are indicative of human aggression, we are compelled to consider the safety of the people in our community first and foremost in deciding whether or not the dog can be placed with a rescue group or made available for adoption. Last week, the Louisiana SPCA responded to a call for rescue for a dog that was abandoned. Villalobos Rescue Center also received a call regarding this dog, but as the official agency where strays are housed in Orleans Parish, the Louisiana SPCA brought the dog in for the legally mandated stray holding period of three days. As no owner claimed the dog within the three day stray hold period, the Louisiana SPCA held her for an additional week to thoroughly assess the situation and all possible causes for her aggression. Each day the staff at the Louisiana SPCA assessed her and documented aggressive behaviors. To rule out physical injuries as the cause of her aggression, the Louisiana SPCA’s veterinary team attempted to examine her but could not do so without a significant amount of sedation; no injuries were found. With multiple experienced staff members assessing this dog, it was determined that she would not be a candidate for rescue because of aggression towards humans. Not once in the course of the week did any team members see signs that the dog could be rehabilitated. Earlier today, Tia Torres of Villalobos Rescue Center posted a statement on Facebook that her team would make the same decision to euthanize this dog if she showed aggression towards humans. The Louisiana SPCA rescues abandoned animals throughout New Orleans on a daily basis at a volume that most around the country do not experience. We work hard to place as many as we can but the volume coming in surpasses the homes that are available for adoptions in our community, particularly of large breed dogs. In the past two years, the Louisiana SPCA has worked with Villalobos Rescue Center to place a dog that came into our care. Other rescue groups pull upwards of 15-20 dogs a year in order to help save more lives. Although it’s not publicized in the media, the Louisiana SPCA reaches out to rescue groups every day and transports dogs that are not aggressive, but may be fearful, shy, timid, need extra attention and require a non-shelter environment until they find a home. Without fanfare or the media glare we’ve transferred 735 animals to rescue groups and partner shelters around the country this year alone. New Orleans has an overabundance of animals needing homes and the Louisiana SPCA housed 4,582 dogs last year alone. According to Tia Torres, Villalobos Rescue Center currently has over 400 dogs, some of which they brought from California when they moved here two years ago. The Villalobos Rescue Center’s website indicates that fewer than five dogs go into homes each month, which is an average of 60 per year. This means that at the current rate it will take Villalobos Rescue Center more than five years to place the dogs currently in their care without taking in anymore. These factors contribute to the decision to not release the dog to Tia Torres and the Villalobos Rescue Center. As a community of animal advocates, we need to rally to save the dogs that are in our adoption rooms but do not have the media coverage that this dog is receiving. I challenge each animal advocate who has been compelled by this story to do their part in animal rescue and save an animal today. It’s far easier to sit behind a computer screen and write spiteful messages about a people working tirelessly to rescue and save animals than it is to step-up and become a foster parent, find a home for each of the animals sitting on adoption floors today or work to end overpopulation by promoting spay/neuter. I invite you to visit the Louisiana SPCA in-person as well as other organizations so you can see firsthand the lengths that each of us goes to help each animal that we can.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 01:00:00 +0000
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