The Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey initially reached my radar screen when they pulled a power play over Patrick, the now world-famous pit bull mix, and entered into a battle with GSVS Pet Hospital, Patrick’s caretakers, in an attempt to maintain control.
And the battle keeps heating up. GSVS Pet Hospital’s Facebook page used to be an upbeat and heartwarming place, where staff would continually post new pictures of Patrick, videos of him taking walks, thank yous for all the gifts he’s received, and lots of information about how the little guy is doing. But now, reportedly thanks to a gag order from AHS’ attorney – the page is mute. Now, only AHS is allowed to give updates about Patrick, and they’re few and far between.
According to GSVS’ page: “By order of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County dated April 26, 2011, Patrick remains at Garden State Veterinary Specialists until the conclusion of the case of Kisha Curtis or until further order of the Court.”
So essentially, until Kisha Curtis is sentenced (or otherwise), Patrick has to say at GSVS – but beyond that? Who knows.
In the midst of all this drama, many, many people are criticizing AHS for their behavior and practices. Rightly so, in my opinion. And apparently, with all the talk about AHS, people are becoming aware that they’re a high kill organization … and because of this, AHS has posted an outrageous article, featuring a photo of a dead dog and blaming every adversary for the dog’s tragic death – not to mention bashing the concept of a No Kill shelter.
Here’s the story. According to AHS, a woman witnessed a chihuahua get hit by a car on April 26th. She picked up the little guy and called Newark animal control, and one of their officers reportedly told her the dog would be put to sleep if she took it to AHS. So, unfortunately, the woman waited until April 30th to bring the dog in. He was then rushed by AHS to an after-hours emergency vet, where, sadly, he died.
While this is a tragic story … for the AHS to publish this story, along with a photo of the dead dog, is truly offensive. There are so many facets to this story – the ACO officer’s comment, the fact that the woman could have taken the dog to ANY emergency vet and chose note to, etc. To blame the people who are concerned about Patrick’s welfare for this dog’s death is outrageous and ridiculous.
The rumors about them are untrue, AHS says. They also say that people are claiming their euthanasia rate is 30-40%, but they rationalize those numbers in the following way:
“Among some of the rumors about AHS is the euthanasia rate of 30%-40%. What these so-called animal lovers and animal groups did not say is that the AHS takes in many animals from pet owners who cannot afford private veterinary services for euthanasia as the cost is too high. We perform this humanitarian service at a low cost and often times at no charge. We also euthanize dogs who have displayed aggression beyond rehabilitation. We have several dog behaviorists who do this at our Newark facility, as we also do at our Tinton Falls and Forked River locations. Additionally, we humanely euthanize very elderly dogs who, if kept alive, as in Corey Booker’s “no euthanasia” warehousing of animals, the aging dog would only mourn and languish slowly — suffering until it dies.”
I’m SO sure they only euthanize as a “humanitarian” service. Nice try, AHS. I don’t think you’re selling ANYONE with that little run-down of your 40%. And the hostile tone? Definitely not winning you any new fans. (On a side note, I’m unable to find any statistics online about AHS’ adoption and kill rates, so I reached out to them for the numbers. I’ll update if I receive any data.)
One of the most offensive elements of this article is the reference to a “no euthanasia” shelter equating with “warehousing of animals”. Talk about uneducated nonsense, and a pathetic attempt to deflect from their own kill practices. Whoever is handling AHS’ public relations efforts REALLY needs to be replaced, as they’re only fueling the fire of negative public sentiment against them.
I trust AHS even less now than I did before – and am completely offended that they felt the need to share a picture of a poor, dead chihuahua with the world in an attempt to improve their horrible image.
