Thinking about rehoming your pet for free...DON'T

Dog Gone

People aren't the only ones losing their homes during these difficult times so are their pets, but beware, offer your pet free to a good home and it could vanish. Police are investigating several missing dogs, which were all given to the same man. Carmel Cafiero is here with this special assignment report, Dog Gone.
Reported by:



WSVN -- Robbie Coy: "He's 9 years old, left in a garage. The next door neighbors broke into the garage to take him out."

That cruelty is just one symptom of the kind of stress people are under these days. Throughout South Florida, dogs like these are being dumped, abandoned or turned in to shelters by owners no longer able or willing to care for them.

Robbie Coy: "That's Jumbo and Yumbo. They came in together."

As a result, rescue groups like Sabbath in South Miami-Dade now have more homeless dogs then ever before, and in Boca the Tri-County Humane Society, a no kill facility, is passed capacity.

Jeannette Chrisos: "And it's sad when you have to turn people away when they're in your lobby, and they're crying, and we must get 50 calls a day, and 20 people come into our shelter."

Some desperate owners have offered their dogs free to a good home, but experts say that can be a death sentence.

Jeannette Chrisos: "The worst thing you can do is give an animal away free."

They say people lie to get the animals and then...

Robbie Coy: "They can sell it as a laboratory animal. They can use it for fighting with pitbulls. They can torture it. They can do anything they want. You have no idea who they are."

And that's what the folks who raised and loved Bubba fear may have happened to him.

Mark: "I think Bubba's possibly dead. I don't think he's around anymore."

Mark and his wife Kim have asked us not to use their last names.

Kim: "We were trying to do what was best for Bubba."

Mark's out of work. They have a new baby and had to move to a home with no fence. They offered Bubba free to a good home on Craig's List and thought the man who took him in would give Bubba a loving home.

Mark: "He said, 'Just about every Sunday I have a barbecue.' He said, 'Give me a call, come by, visit with him, play with him.'"

Carmel Cafiero: "So Mark left Bubba here at this Hollywood home, but that same night, Kim was cruising the Internet and discovered the man who adopted him had been getting other dogs from the Internet too. She had a very bad feeling."

She called the next morning.

Kim: "I said we want him back this morning, and if not we want him back today, and he said, 'You can forget about it. You're not getting your dog back. Your dog is gone.'"

In less than 24 hours Bubba had vanished.

Mark: "He said you gave that dog to me, there's nothing you can do, forget about it. He's gone."

This is the man they trusted to give Bubba a good home. His name is Kelvin Quiles. He's a used car salesman with a criminal record. He moved out of the Hollywood house, but we found him selling cars in North Miami. He wouldn't tell me what he did with the dog.

Carmel Cafiero: "Where's Bubba? What did you do with Bubba?"

Quiles shoved the microphone away.

Kelvin Quiles: "I told you, get the --- out of here, OK?"

And then locked the door, but questions from law enforcement will not be so easy to dismiss.

Hollywood Police Lt. Scott Pardon: "We've been investigating since January 30th."

The Hollywood Police Department says it has an open and active investigation on Quiles based on dogs he has acquired.

Hollywood Police Lt. Scott Pardon: "We have people who love their animals, and they're entrusting him with them, and they don't know what's happening to them."

And not knowing is just one of the things that haunts Kim and Mark.

Mark: "I'm really afraid they took him and fought him, and when they were done with him, they killed him."

If you're facing the prospect of having to give up a pet there are options.

Jeanette Chrisos: "If it's just a matter of not being able to afford food for their animals, we can provide that for them."

Check local shelters but make sure you understand if there's a chance your pet could be put to sleep, contact rescue groups. If they can't take your pet, they may be able to help you find a foster home or a new home without your pet ever having to go to a shelter, but don't wait until the last minute.

Robbie Coy: "It's harder to adopt from a place like this than from a home."

In the wrong hands, your dog can end up dog gone in a matter of minutes. It's no way for a loyal and trusting friend to end up.

The Hollywood Police Department asks that anyone with information about Kelvin Quiles, please contact Broward Crime Stoppers. The number is 954-493-TIPS.

VISIT THIS SITE FOR VIDEO CLIP: http://www4.wsvn.com/features/articles/carmelcase/MI115854/

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Tri-County Humane Society
www.tricountyhumane.org

Sabbath Rescue
www.sabbathrescue.org

IF YOU HAVE A STORY FOR CARMEL TO INVESTIGATE:

Miami-Dade: 305-627-CLUE
Broward: 954-921-CLUE
E-mail: clue@wsvn.com

Sponsored by lil Country Paws

Cruelty Against Animals Protest Rally

Cruelty Against Animals Protest Rally

Protest rally for Cruelty to Animals. Brevard residents show your support and become a voice for the Voiceless of Brevard. We would appreciate it if everyone would be courteous, supportive
and peaceful. Home made signs are welcomed as long as they are tactful.

Brevard County Courthouse
Judge Fran Jamieson Way
Viera, FL.

March 24th, 2009 @ 11:30 AM





lil Country Paws

ACTION ALERT for Brevard County FL. shelters

***ACTION ALERT*****Cross Post!!***

Please Contact County Manager Stockton Whitten at 321-633-2010 to Ask for Change!

Most of you have heard by now about the recent distemper outbreak in the Brevard County South Shelter. It is believed that this occurred because dogs were not being vaccinated upon entry to the shelter and the kennels were not being disinfected properly.

Many of you already know that the county shelters are in bad shape due to mismanagement. Sure, the cat and dog adoption floors look nice, but in the back, it is a different story. Many of you have heard the stories about the mistreatment and bad conditions at the shelter. There are many people that say this is cruelty. You've heard about dogs stuck in kennels on hard floors with no blankets and the freezing cold nights. There is no heating or A/C system for the dogs in the back (which is the majority of the dogs). You may have also heard that Brevard Animal Services has failed to keep records properly (as shown in a previous county audit).

Recently, I have come across pictures and information about what is going on in the South Animal Care Center's euthanasia room. While we all understand that euthanasia is necessary in some cases, we also understand that it must be conducted HUMANELY with as little pain, suffering, and stress as possible to the animals facing euthanasia.

I have attached pictures to this email that show the euthanasia room. When I first saw these pictures, I asked myself a few questions. 1.) Why are live animals stacked up in cages in this nasty room as they wait to die? 2.) Why aren't the bodies being disposed of properly? 3.) Why are animals being killed in front of each other? and 4.) Why is that black lab dead in his cage? You would not put a euthanized animal back into his cage.

The Shelter Manager is ultimately responsible for what happens at the South Animal Shelter.

If what is happening at the shelters bothers you as much as it bothers me, please speak up and send this email around. County tax dollars pay for this shelter, and you can demand for it to be run appropriately with a good Shelter Manager that will clean up this mess that the current administration has made.

Please contact the County Manager, Mr. Stockton Whitten. He is ultimately responsible for the staff at the shelter and he is the only one with the power to make changes. You can be a Voice and leave a comment to say you want change in the county shelters. This problem has been completely ignored for long enough!

You can CALL Mr. Whitten at 321-633-2010

And EMAIL him at stockton.whitten@brevardcounty.us

*Please be polite, as always.


A zoomed in view of these photos showed some papers that clearly indicated these pictures were taken at South Animal Care Center in Melbourne, FL..

Pictures speak louder than words and here's the proof....Please help us help them.

Letter from a Shelter Manager

I read this posting from the Orlando pets and I think everyone should read this. I do not know the original poster, but I commend this person on their fight to save lives. I know from experience and everything in this note is as true as the sky is blue.

A Letter from a Shelter Manager

I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will. First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know. That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays," that come into my shelter are purebred dogs. The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving to that doesn't allow pets? Or they say, "The dog got bigger than we thought it would." How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her." Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard." How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog". Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long. Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment. Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down." First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room," every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff." Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep," sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right? I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.
My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE! Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say, "I saw this and it made me want to adopt." THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT!!

lil Country Paws

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