Farewell Baxter, or, the SPCA Killed My Dog

I learned today that a couple of months ago, my local SPCA killed Baxter, the lovable Saint Bernard. OK, he wasn't my dog, contrary to what that headline says, but he could have been. Should have been.

You see, the SPCA deemed my family unfit to adopt Baxter (and for all intents and purposes any dog) because we have two children under the age of 12. I kid you not.

No matter that my wife and I have a history of caring for rescue dogs, including difficult ones, stretching back a quarter century.

No matter that our kids are used to having dogs, and know how to behave safely and appropriately in their presence.

Never mind that we've never had a major incident with any of our canines, and that they've never harmed anyone (or have come to any serious harm themselves).

Never mind that we have a verifiable record with our veterinarians, stretching back many years, showing that our dogs punctually and without fail received the necessary shots and any other medical care they needed.

And never mind that we would have signed a waiver absolving the SPCA of culpability if an incident did happen.

No. The SPCA of Hancock County, in Trenton, Maine, told us they have to do what is in the best interest of the animals. Baxter's "history" was unclear and so they couldn't vouch for him. Apparently, "the best interest of the animal" meant not allowing us to give him a loving home. And it means that, not long after the SPCA rejected our candidacy and actually threw us out of the shelter (you can read the whole sordid story here), they killed him.

Can you believe that? They decided that ending his life was better for him than letting him come home with us.

To use a Vietnam-era reference: In order to save the dog, they had to destroy him.

By the way, here's a fun fact. The SPCA in question bills itself as a no-kill shelter. I'm sure that label is quite the money-maker come fundraising time. It just doesn't happen to be truthful, as Baxter's execution shows pretty irrefutably.

I wonder how many Baxters — abandoned dogs with prospective new owners who would've loved to take them home — have ended up on the pile of animal carcasses that the SPCA habitually produces.

"Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals." What a sad, horrible joke that name has become.

Comments

[pork chop]

well thank goodness for that.. Ayn would be spinning in her grave.. as for Les.. he knows "les" than nothing

[wolves rule!]

Say hello to the proud product of a "home with young child(ren)" and large dogs. I think this man's family would've been fine for Baxter. I grew up from the age of 7 on with a Weineramer, a Samoyed/Lab mix, and a Collie. The mix and the collie were added to the family when I was 8 and 13, respectively, so that yes, we did have all 3 large dogs at the same time. From age 12 on I was fully responsible for bathing & grooming, and shared responsibilities of feeding & exercising them with my mother. I am now married, and the very first thing my husband and I did was rescue a mixed dog who was 5 months old and still in a pet store. He's a beagle mix and is not large like the dogs I grew up with, but we now have 2 children who love the dog and getting sloppy hound kisses all over their faces, and when someday our "first child" passes on and leaves us, we will seek to adopt/rescue a large dog, and maybe not from the shelter after reading this. There is only one shelter in our whole county, a Humane Society, so if we were ever turned down from them, we would take one poster's advise and "lie lie lie" or seek out a private rescue group. I research things about my animals all the time (we also have 2 cats, bet the ASPCA would LOVE that), and would make sure our family was fully capable of handling any dog before we brought them home. I have learned a lot about breed-specific traits in my beagle mix, and there are countless groups on the internet where people can turn for information, training advice, and support with any breed. There is nothing more wonderful than growing up with dogs, and no one will ever deny my children that. I hope Baxter's "almost-family" has found another dog to adopt.

[RescueDogs]

I've adopted two dogs from a shelter, and I've looked at TONS of dogs, and I'll agree with the people who have said "LIE LIE LIE" I had to, we just did it. I know I am a good home for my dogs (22 acre farm) despite not having a fenced in back yard. I also have a BS degree in Animal Science, have taken Animal Welfare, Canine and Feline, Animal Behavior, Nutrition, etc etc classes, I've worked in shelters, I'm currently going to law school to study animal law and I can tell the poster "Les" your so so wrong. Shelters make it INCREDIBLY difficult to adopt dogs, even to good homes. My dogs are home alone a max of about 4 hours a day, never 4 in a row. But there were people that turned me and my boyfriend down. Despite my background, despite that I can prove my dogs are cared for, etc.
Plus, I hate the breed discrimination. One of the main things I want to work against when I'm out of law school - saying that JRT are "hyper and nippy" and all pit bulls are "aggressive."
Shelters push people to breeders and pet stores because it is so hard to adopt from them!

[Elizabeth]

Welcome to the wonderful world of "animal rights". If you want to know how we got to the point that a shelter would rather kill an animal than have it go home with a family you need to read the book "The Hijacking of the Humane Movement" by Patti Strand. You can also check out the website for NAIA - National Animal Interest Alliance where Patti is president - www.naiaonline.org

[aynrandgirl]

Many of the shelters have been captured by animal rights activists, many of whom don't think humans should own animals. Euthanasia is an expected consequence of this.

See "Guardian" Rather Than "Owner": http://www.nfss.org/Legis/AR-alerts/Companion/Comp-Wall-1.html

[Happy Tails]

There is a solution to the restrictive adoption problem. Simply set the adopters up with a dog behavior specialist. This is exactly why I started my business. I used to work as a vet. tech. Holding perfectly nice dogs while they are killed because of behavior problems is very traumatic. Shelters simply need to make sure that people adopting a dog have a visit with a dog behavior specialist before they take the dog home, then in 2 weeks when the honeymoon is over have 2nd in home visit.
Giving people the knowledge of dog psychology and behavior will equip them to prevent and correct unwanted behaviors. They would then also have the resources should problems arise later. I work all the time with couples who have a long time furry child and need to ensure that things are done right so that the dog will accept the new baby. In most cases, it is no big deal.
There is just no reason for all these dogs to be turned over to shelters because of behavior problems. People need to take responsibility and find the help to fix the problems. Shelter need to take the responsibility to make sure that people trying to turn dogs in for behavior have been given the resources of a behavior specialist to help change things.
If you know someone who is considering getting rid of a dog because of behavior point them to my website http://www.dogpsychologyhelp.com . If they don't want to use my services I can help them find someone else. My goal is keeping dogs out of shelter, giving them a happier life, repairing the human/dog bond.

[Nancy Bernard]

The people that head these agencies have got to be control freaks. We had a control freak up here in Northern Iowa that claimed she loved animals but when it came down to it, she was only interested in getting glory and her photo in the paper, and she was all for euthanizing everything that came along. Some animal lover! As for the ASPC where this horrendous misdeed took place, Get someone with a heart to head your program and someone who really loves and cares for animals. This man should have had Baxter, what a crock of crap to put that wonderful animal down when he could have had a great home and life with a perfect family.

[Diane Amble]

Anyone that believes that the SPCA does good deeds, needs to go look at the show on 20/20 that aired a few years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyjfHjxGxm0 They STEAL people's animals then sell them. In fact, the LA SPCA stole an old lady's dog right off he streets of downtown LA while she was sharing a sandwich with her old cocker spaniel of 13 years old. They are still holding him for ransom after hey tried to sell him (oh yeah, "they" call it "adopt") on their website. Go to http://mothersagainstdomesticecoterrorism.com/wethepeople/id12.html to read the story. Call the local police and urge them to recover her dog from the SPCA!!! while he's still alive!!!!Wilshire Area Community Relations Office 213-473-0200 THANKS!

[Gordon]

Me and my long-term girlfriend recently got a cat from the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, the nonprofit adoption agency of the official Philadelphia Animal Control and Care Association. A cat is probably different, but beyond making sure we'd filled the form out correctly they didn't verify anything. The lady at the desk could probably tell that, although we were first time cat owners we were responsible, a stable couple, and intelligent. It probably didn't hurt that we asked plenty of questions that indicated we had some idea of what we were getting into. By SPCA standards we'd be a horrible adoptive family (oh god they're not even married!) but our cat has found a loving home (perhaps too loving, he's still getting used to the hugs) instead of being put down. Am I worried that they might be giving animals out to families that really are unsuited for pets? Not really, I suppose it happens but PAWS, which handles 12,000 animals a year, has gone from a 90% kill rate to a 40% kill rate in the past few years. I think that's worth it.

[Kodibear]

This comment is for the individual who stated that euthanizing "is not done very often". Excuse, me, but I would really like to know where you get your information. Please check out some of the Yahoo rescue groups, join them, and help save some dogs. Many, many shelters, especially those down south, euthanize many times a week. Rutherfordton shelter in NC euthanizes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Spalding County in GA euthanizes that many days, and sometimes more. Shelters in Ohio euthanize 3-5 days per week. Many of the southern shelters have a 96% kill rate.

I also beg to differ with your statement that it is painless. Have you heard of the heartstick? This is a lethal injection into the heart, done without a sedative. Then, there is the gas chamber, which is much less expensive than the injection...dozens of dogs are dumpen into the chamber, the carbon monoxide is turned on, and for 3-6 hours the shelter workers listen to the dogs crying and howling as they slowly suffocate. Sometimes, when they open up the chambers, there is a dog still hanging onto life by a thread. Then, of course, there are the shelters and animal control facilities that do not have the funds for these "painless" methods of "mercy killing", so they take the animal out back and shoot it. Yup, that's painless.

I am so, so sorry that the Von Bakels were not able to adopt Baxter. Saint Bernards are an absolutely wonderful breed. They have been bred for their docile temperment. If you truly want a Saint, go to www.petfinder.com, and enter Saint Bernard into the search engine there. I hope that you will look for one who is marked "urgent", so that you can save a Saint this time. There are groups out there that can help you with transporting if you find a Saint in another state. And there are people out there who can temperment test the dog for you. The other thing you can do is volunteer to foster for a rescue. Foster parents usually get first dibs on adopting their foster (I know, we adopted 2 of our fosters). Good luck, and believe that Baxter is waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge.

[liza]

Funny how on the Hancock County SPCA website (under the adoption tab) there is a 7 or 8 year old girl sitting on the porch with a shepard mix...false advertising?

It is unfortunate how some people lose sight of the bigger picture when put in positions of authority. Les...it is clear that you feel like it is your personal responsibility to dictate who is or isn't able to care for a pet. I sympathize in that respect. I work for the Council for Children's Rights and am put in that position everyday...but with children. I understand wanting to be sure that the decision you make will result in the most positive outcome for everyone involved. Though I understand your perceived responsibility, as both a dog owner and dog lover, I believe your unwaivering criteria for what makes someone a suitable pet owner is idealistic and will result in far more harm than good. I would think that you more than any of the concerned animal lovers responding to this story would be able to understand the harsh reality of the situtation.
60% of the 8-12 million animals that end up in shelters EACH YEAR are euthanized. How can you honestly say that the practice is uncommon. Yes it is true that some people just don't understand that they are perpetuating the cycle by adopting animals that they cannot care for...but running the risk of denying an animal a home with a qualified family is cruelty on your part. It is not practical or realistic for you to take a moral high ground on this issue.
I understand the concerns in regard to small children and by all means take these precautions if a dog is deemed aggressive by a CERTIFIED evaluator, but THINK ABOUT IT...SUCH OVERREACHING EXPECTATIONS ARE NOT IN THE ANIMAL'S BEST INTEREST WHEN YOU DENY THEM OF A HOME. Not every family is going to be able to provide Caesar Milan's doggie paradise, but any opportunity to have a home would be better than the cement floor that most dogs sleep on in a shelter.

I suggest you think before you comment...especially if you want to respond.

If only the Department of Social Services was as strict in their screening process.

AND to be clear, shelters like the "SPCA" and the "humane society" are not connected with the "ASPCA" or the "USHS", which are nationally regulated organizations. They are considered independant shelters, they make up their own rules. These "unbendable rules" are not laws, they are guidelines that were put in place with hopefully good intentions, but that have been translated into docterine by the thousands of managers and supervisers who run these shelters.

[pinball]

That shelter worker preaching the painlessness of euthanizing sounds like the executioners down here in philadelphia...led by a group of people who profess to know more, and know better than those willing to adopt...so they euthanize at an alarming rate yet attempt to hide the facts...they state they'd want to be no-kill but have shown little effort in becoming no-kill. This SPCA sounds like exactly the same...they preach yet forget to practice the no-kill philosophy. Shelter volunteers are good people...most of them---but its the people who get paid to make the decisions that make me sick.

[pinball]

I think the person who posted about PAWS in philadelphia should look for a better example that PACC/PAWS when discussing competent animal control. All you need to do is read up on their current spat with the SPCA---nathan winograd's blog about how they are choosing not to follow his advice on building a no kill society and you will see how they are no different than the high kill shelters out there. When you talk the talk you also need to walk the walk.

[lovebigdogs]

Talk about stereotyping! Just asking the question about why you would want a 100 lb+ dog around your children tells me that poster knows nothing about deciding which dogs are good for which families -- quick tragic ASSumptions.

My 156 lb newfie mix is wonderful with children. My sister is a newfie breeder and my 3 year old grand niece has been around them since birth!

Or take a look on youtube. There's a hysterical video of a toddler playing with a newf -- batting the newfie in the face with the newfie's toy...pulling it out of his massive mouth...and the newfie's just obviously having a great time "babysitting".

I do understand how shelter workers get to the point they get -- although not to believing that death is better than trying a home. There are too many animal abusers and neglectors out there...that's why there are so many animals in shelters to begin with. But they've got to keep the faith that there are many many of us animal lovers out here too who will do anything to make the pet part of our family, regardless of how they differ from what we expected.

I rescued my lab from a shelter. She's a totally different dog than what she appeared to be during the hours we spent with her at the shelter. Anyone who believes a dog is going to behave the same way in jail as they do in a home will probably be very mistaken. With Holly my love, it was being silent, mellow, totally submissive. Probably because she was depressed in jail and on death row to boot. Today she's a mischievous, energetic and an incredibly talkative dear member of my family. She's definitely not the dog I brought home -- and I love her tons either way (as she snores at my feet)

I know shelter workers have seen a lot and that makes them feel qualified as judge and jury. But all families are unique and all pets are unique. You can't label them just because they're large, or a particular breed, or a certain type of family or a certain age. Give the dog a fighting chance and the family the chance to have a cherished addition to their family. Death is not better!

[anonymous vet]

I, too, was rejected by a shelter and, yes, I'm a veterinarian. I can't believe that a dog is better off at a shelter with an uncertain future than to come home with me, THE VET. I was shocked to be told, after all the hard work and care I give to animals, that I was not a suitable dog owner. I know that shelters need to make some effort in making sure that animals go to a good home, but they really need to see the bigger picture, our world is not perfect, but I hate to see an animal lose their chance to go to a home.

[christina (Orlando,Florida)]

I know this is an old article, But I know exactly what you mean. Last year I went to our shelter in Orlando. I wanted a kitten, but found an adult cat. I wanted to adopt her. I filled necessary documents and they told me I couldnt have her. There was another lady that couldnt have a pet because she had a swimming pool. My story was because I had a puppy (9mo old) that wasnt on Heartworm meds yet and wasnt neutered. I was so angry. For one thing my dog has a pedigree and I didnt know at that point if I wanted him neutered. But they were willing to judge me when my dog has such a good life. He lives indoors, eats the best food and had all the latest toys.It bothered me that they were trying to judge me when they keep all their animals in a cage.Well bottom line, I went to the vet and came back but they were closed. The next day I went through the same process and I brought her home. They really need to re-consider their adoption process. There are alot of good families that do work 9-5. But guess what??? At 6 oclock they do come home and love their pet the same and sometimes even more than people that stay home all day....

[shana]

unfortunately I think there are thousands of Baxters out there, as this has happened to My family and our local animal shelter, where they did the SAME thing within hours of our being turned down for the same reason. they put a purebred chihuahua to sleep just so it COULN'T have a home. saddest thing is the SAME lady at that shelter turned my cousin down for a dog for the same reasons only months before that and that dog was put to sleep too. I think that we are definitely seeing alot more 'control freaks' in the areas of humane societies and shelters all over this country and not enough people speak out. I think its the feeling noone will listen and there is no legal recourse, therefore they can keep getting away with this. SAD just Sad.

[T]

I completely understand. Our border collie mix died and I have spent months searching for a suitable dog. Granted my standards are high, but I resent being judged because I have a farm with animals and (Gasp!) children! So far, 2 generations of children have been raised with border collies. Amazingly, all the children lived and none of the dogs were harmed by the experience.
Several potential dogs were disqualified because we have cats. Believe me, even a border collie is no match for coyotes, hawks and owls all of which the barn cats can handle. Many more candidates were disqualified because of the children. In fact, one ny BC rescue prides themselves on their rescue and all the money they spend on building a ranch for 'rescued' BCs. Its more like a private collection of dogs they brag about saving but they won't even talk to me because i have produced a 3rd generation of BC loving people. Meanwhile, i have lost my chore buddy and I might actually have to buy a dog. It goes against all my principles to encourage breeding more dogs while GH BC rescue has 65+ dogs needing homes. Unconscionable!

[Matt]

We had a similar 'bad' experience with the Long Beach, CA 'no kill' shelter which is run by the SPCA. They almost, and I mean almost, did not let us adopt a kitten because we had declawed the current male cat we have. We are both professionals, have 2 dogs and 2 cats and no kids. The male cat we have to this day tries to claw the crap out of everything and would if he still had his claws. I refuse to find this process 'cruel and unusual' as they claim, it's no worse than spaying or neutering. they make you sign a form saying you won't let the cat outdoors, etc. We were pretty pissed off at them, they truly think they are acting in the best interest of the animals but they have long gone overboard and take themselves way too seriously. My suggestion to anyone who wants to adopt an animal from an SPCA run shelter (they give money to local cities so they can run the city shelters) is to LIE like a dog, tell then what they want to hear. Of course the papers you sign say they can come take the animal back at any time for any reason essentially. We love animals and donate to several animal charities, but SPCA is off the list after this with Baxter. I'm done with them and will support smaller charities where more of the $ go to the animals and this kind of thing does not go on.