A wag of the tail to Jamie Glandon
An animal control officer blew the whistle on the shelter she works for in Indiana after she found a live dog in a freezer that was used to hold the carcasses of euthanized animals.
The discovery – and allegations that four other dogs had survived euthanasia attempts since August -- led to the firing of the Rushville, Ind., “animal warden” Jack Hill.
The allegations were made by Hill’s assistant, animal control officer Jamie Glandon, who recently found a dog who had spent four days alive in the freezer.
Glandon had gone into the freezer to dispose of a euthanized animal when she saw the live dog, named Gabby, pop her head out of a barrel.
Glandon told Channel 6 News in Indianapolis that orders were given to try to euthanize Gabby, but she refused and took the dog to a veterinarian.
She told the station she fears her job is in jeopardy because she spoke about the failed euthanasia attempts. She said she hopes to place the dog in a home once it has recovered.
Here’s to Gabby finding a nice home, and Glandon getting a big fat raise.
To see the TV station’s full report, click here.
Comments
Breaks my heart that so many pets in shelters have to be euthanized before they can find homes. I know that's just how it is, but it's heart wrenching. In the original article they mention that 3 of the other euthanasia "survivors" were 3 black lab puppies - surely it's not that hard to find good homes for adorable little puppies! Sigh.
Posted by: Julie | November 29, 2007 4:34 PM
For the record, Jack has not been fired, he has been placed on Administrative Leave pending an investigation. Oh, and the good-ole-boys network is trying to get Jamie fired. Just thought I'd let you know.
Posted by: InRushville | November 30, 2007 10:39 AM
An incident very similar to this happened right here in Baltimore. It may have been about fifteen years ago (or longer), and Animal Control was not involved. It was, horribly, a veterinarian.
A woman had decided after much soul-searching that the time had come to put her elderly dog to sleep, due to some very painful condition of old age. My recollection is a bit faulty, but about a week later, she received a call from the vet's receptionist saying, "Your dog is sill alive, and you'll find him in (it was a garage somewhere) with several other dogs." The woman went and found her dog alive, and several others, all of whom had been scheduled to be put to sleep for various medical issues. They were slated to be sold for some sort of medical research. Apparently this vet had quite a lucrative business in "re-selling" dogs in this manner, after their owners had made the heart-wrenching decision that they should be put down. Ironically, the woman received a bill for the euthanasia and had the live dog there with her at home. I do remember that she refused to pay, and her account was sent by the vet for collection action. I also seem to recall that the vet--rightfully--eventually lost his license. The entire, awful story was in The Sun. It has stuck with me because we used that particular vet for our old dog, Molly, for several years before we moved away from that neighborhood.
It's bad enough to have to do this to animals. I guess the least we can do is ensure that it's done effectively and compassionately. I hope Jamie keeps her job. She sounds like a true friend to the animals in her care.
Posted by: Anne | November 30, 2007 3:27 PM
If more people would be responsible and spay and neuter their pets - we wouldn't need animals shelters!
Posted by: Bonnie | December 2, 2007 5:08 PM
HOW SAD THAT SO MUCH RED TAPE GETS IN THE WAY OF HELPING MIRACLES THAT COME ALONG ON 4 LEGS AS WELL AS 2!!
Posted by: Anonymous | December 5, 2007 10:25 AM