Your Letters to Commissioners Needed Immediately!
Please send before the Commissioner Meeting on 4/14/09
Contact your Commissioners and County Manager Stockton Whitten:
D1.commissioner@brevardcounty.us, chuck.nelson@brevardcounty.us, trudie.infantini@brevardcounty.us, D4.commissioner@brevardcounty.us, D5.commissioner@brevardcounty.us, stockton.whitten@brevardcounty.us
At the bottom of this email is an email I sent to the Brevard County Commissioners. During a recent tour of the South Animal Care Center with a Commissioner and the County Manager, I personally witnessed what I feel are clear violations of Florida's Animal Cruelty Laws. I was horrified by what I saw. I saw dogs on Adoption Row completely exposed to the cold, harsh winds. I saw dogs kept in a room with no water, no mats, and no mental or physical stimulation. I will never, ever forget their faces. These dogs deserve to be treated humanely.
In my email to officials, I detailed the specifics of the cruelty and included the Florida Statutes to back up my claims. I asked the Commissioners to open the spot of Director of Animal Services for applications.
I hope all of you will write a polite letter to the Commissioners. The simple solution for them is to open the application process for a new, permanent Director (the current Director is only Interim and was hired with no animal experience). We need everyone to write letters ASAP to show support for a new Director. I cannot express enough how powerful your letters really are!! The animals need our help now and we are so close to real change, thanks to you!
Please write! Be Their Voice!
Contact your Commissioners and County Manager Stockton Whitten:
D1.commissioner@brevardcounty.us, chuck.nelson@brevardcounty.us, trudie.infantini@brevardcounty.us, D4.commissioner@brevardcounty.us, D5.commissioner@brevardcounty.us, stockton.whitten@brevardcounty.us
My letter I sent regarding my experience:
Hello,
I am emailing to express my absolute disappointment regarding my most recent tour of the South Animal Care Center (SACC). What I saw shocked and disgusted me. SACC is being allowed to commit what is clearly criminal animal cruelty under Florida Statutes, and the current Interim Director and Shelter Manager are allowing these criminal acts to continue..
During my visit, I observed cold, shivering dogs on "Adoption Row." The dogs were suffering unnecessarily as the cold wind rushed through their kennels. There was nowhere for them to go within the kennel to escape the elements. Some dogs did not even have a mat or blanket. I watched as one dog shivered horribly. This suffering could have easily been alleviated with additional blankets, or perhaps the staff could have closed the dividers on the kennels for a short while until the wind died down or the facility warmed up. It was much warmer only an hour later when I left than it was when I arrived. The dividers in the kennels should not be shut all day, but one hour would have made a difference for the cold dogs.
The "Quarantine Room" was absolutely unacceptable. Upon request, the Shelter Manager opened the door to the room. The dogs in the room had no access to food or water. There was a horrific smell that was much worse than the rest of the facility, and I observed a considerable amount of feces. The dogs only had access to one half of the kennel runs, and had no choice but to sit in their own feces. There were no mats or blankets to provide physical relief. Keep in mind these dogs in quarantine and court hold could remain there for several months on concrete. The Manger stated that these dogs are never walked or allowed outside. There were no toys in the kennel, such as durable Nylabones or Kongs, which research shows would provide mental stimulation and physical exercise for the dogs. Because of this, the dogs are being driven crazy, and the unnecessary stress causes the dogs to bark dangerously loud. When dogs are neglected like this, the barking can become very loud, much louder than what would normally
be expected in a shelter. This can damage a human's hearing and it causes unnecessary pain and stress for the dogs. The dogs I viewed in this room were terrified. For example, one dog was so terrified it began to uncontrollably defecate everywhere. There are simple solutions, such as those mentioned above, that can be implemented to decrease the excessive barking and ease the physical and mental suffering of the dogs.Yet, this cruelty is allowed to continue.
Further, during the visit to SACC, I asked the Shelter Manger, Mary Berley, many questions. Her answers were highly evasive. However, she did admit that they do not weigh animals to calculate the appropriate dosage of the euthanasia drug prior to euthanasia, but rather the technicians "guess" the weight of the animals. Euthanasia must be conducted humanely, and this requires using an appropriate dosage of the drug, not an “estimated” dose that leaves significant room for error.
I have included some relevant Florida Statutes in this email. The actions and neglect taking place at SACC are criminal and must stop immediately.
I am asking for the immediate removal of the Brevard Animal Services and Enforcement (BASE) Interim Director. He allows staff members, such as the Shelter Manager, to continue employment at BASE, and condones the criminal activity of staff. As long as the current management continues to be employed at BASE, there will be no permanent change in the shelter conditions. The situation regarding BASE has been ineffectively drawn out for far too long. The current director had no animal experience prior to being hired, and is too inexperienced to fix the numerous problems. The only efficient solution to the current problem is to open the application process for the Director position, and hire someone with the appropriate qualifications to be Director. A Director with animal care and management experience can make sure the shelters are run appropriately by the county.
I am asking that you please open the application process for the Director position immediately.
Florida Criminal Statutes:
828.02 Definitions.--In this chapter, and in every law of the state relating to or in any way affecting animals, the word "animal" shall be held to include every living dumb creature; the words "torture," "torment," and "cruelty" shall be held to include every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused, except when done in the interest of medical science, permitted, or allowed to continue when there is reasonable remedy or relief; and the words "owner" and "person" shall be held to include corporations, and the knowledge and acts of agents and employees of corporations in regard to animals transported, owned, employed by or in the custody of a corporation, shall be held to be the knowledge and act of such corporation.
828.12 Cruelty to animals.--
(1) A person who unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.
(2) A person who intentionally commits an act to any animal which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.
828.13 Confinement of animals without sufficient food, water, or exercise; abandonment of animals.--
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Abandon" means to forsake an animal entirely or to neglect or refuse to provide or perform the legal obligations for care and support of an animal by its owner.
(b) "Owner" includes any owner, custodian, or other person in charge of an animal.
(2) Whoever:
(a) Impounds or confines any animal in any place and fails to supply the animal during such confinement with a sufficient quantity of good and wholesome food and water,
(b) Keeps any animals in any enclosure without wholesome exercise and change of air, or
(c) Abandons to die any animal that is maimed, sick, infirm, or diseased,
is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both imprisonment and a fine.
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