Washington Humane Society HLE Division

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Hello,

I am Mitchell Battle Director of Humane Law Enforcement at the Washington Humane Society I started working at the Washington Humane Society in 1999 as front desk assistant at the DC Animal Shelter. I later was offered and accepted a position as an Animal Control Officer. After a few years as an Animal Control Office, learning and gaining experience, I sought and was offered a position as a Humane Law Enforcement Officer. As a Humane Law Enforcement Officer, I have effectively investigated hundreds of animal cruelty and neglect cases, and I have effectively made a number of arrests, and have successfully executed a number of search warrants with the assistance of MPD. I have worked closely with Adam Parascandola for a number of years and in January 2006, Adam elected me as the new Director of the Law Enforcement Department.

 The Washington Humane Society has appointed a new President and CEO, Lisa LaFontaine. Lisa comes to us from New Hampshire where she spent 7 years as CEO of the Monadnock Humane Society (MHS), an open admission, full service Adoption and Learning Center. In her 7 years as CEO at MHS, Lisa transformed that organization from a traditional animal shelter into a leading regional state-of-the-art agency providing comprehensive services to animals and people. As a result MHS became one of the premier animal welfare organizations in the Northeast, and is recognized nationally for its progressive programs. I am certain Lisa will move WHS into a new era.

The Humane Law Enforcement team has two new Humane Officers, Officer Ann Russell who comes to us from Los Angeles where she attended Veterinary Technician School and worked with many rescue groups, and Officer Jen Gardner who studied environmental policy and worked with wildlife protection groups in South Africa and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Officer Gardner also worked at our Shelter on Georgia Avenue for one year before joining the Humane Law Enforcement team.

 Since Adam’s last blog there have been some new exciting things going on at WHS. The second annual Humane Society walk for the animals will take place on September 23, 2007 hosted by the Washington Humane Society and the Humane Society of the United States. All proceeds benefit efforts to end pet homelessness. For more information visit: www.washhumane.org

In fall 2007 the Washington Humane Society, along with founding partner Alley Cat Allies will unveil the first ever low-cost Regional Spay/Neuter Center, created specifically to service the entire DC metropolitan area. The new facility will be named the National Capital Area Spay & Neuter Center. An official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Thursday October 4th at the new National Capital Area Spay & Neuter Center located on 1001 L Street on Capitol Hill in Southeast.

 Here are some updates from our Humane Law enforcement team. Humane Officer Russell received a bite to her left arm while conducting a compliance inspection in N.E. A large male Akita that appeared none threatening at first glance changed his mind once Officer Russell entered the rear yard upon the owner’s approval. The dog latched on to Officer Russell’s arm leaving two small puncture wounds. Officer Russell was treated at a local hospital and returned to work the next day. Humane Officer Moyer was bitten by two large American bulldogs as he assisted another Humane Officer in impounding three dogs from a yard where there was a forth dog in the yard that was deceased. Officer Moyer received a minor injury to his left arm that was treated at a local hospital. He returned to work the next day and is doing fine. In May 2007 a deer somehow got himself caught on a small iron rod fence and was hanging by its abdomen in the 1900 block of Columbia Rd. N.W. People driving by saw the trapped animal and called WHS to help. A man on the scene was over heard stating that he was going to put the animal out of its misery. While on the phone with WHS a patron advised WHS staff what the man was saying. The WHS staff member asked the patron to tell the man not to hurt the deer and that a Humane officer was en route. Humane Officer Schindler arrived on scene about 10 minutes after the first call and saw that the deer was dead and still stuck on the fencing. A spectator told officer Schindler that a man that was standing near the deer hit the deer in the head with a hammer three times and killed it. Officer Schindler approached the man pointed out by the witness and asked him what happened. The man stated that he heard a loud sound and came over to see what it was when he saw the deer stuck on the iron fence. The man further stated that another person that was standing near by told him that he has already called WHS and the police. The man said that he did not want to wait around for the police, so he went to his car got a hammer and put the animal out of its misery by hitting the deer in the head with the hammer 3 times. Humane Officer Schindler impounded the body of the deer, and submitted it for necropsy. The final analysis of the body indicated that the abdominal wall was still intact, increasing the possibility of the deer surviving the initial trauma. The abdominal wounds were not fatal, the abdomen not having being punctured, and could have been treated with minimal medical intervention. The necropsy report further stated that the cause of death was trauma to the head. The bruising over the cranium, caused by concussive force, produced severe cerebral and cerebella bleeding.  Based on the necropsy report a felony arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of the man that hit the deer.

On May 14th 2007 a man walked into the DC Animal Control Shelter to surrender his dead dog. The dog was living inside a N.W. dry cleaning business. WHS has been to the address a few times in the pass to address an accumulation of feces in the backyard. The owner was also advised not to cruelly chain the dog inside the dry cleaners. DC animal control contacted the Washington Humane Society to view the condition of the dog’s body. Humane Officer Timothy Moyer went to DC Animal control and saw that the body had multiple growth tumors on it, and was in emaciated condition (extremely malnourished). Humane Officer Russell met with the owner, who stated that he never noticed the growths all over the dog’s body. Officer Russell contacted the owner’s veterinarian and received a copy of the last vet record on file, from 2001 that advised the owner to monitor the dog for mammary tumors. An arrest warrant was signed for the owner’s arrest. In the last month or so WHS has rescued three animals that were in need of limb amputation, one kitten that was missing one of its rear feet, one chocolate lab mix that was missing its rear foot and ankle, and one small terrier mix puppy surrendered to WHS. The kitten was impounded during an investigation of a complaint about a large number of cats living inside an address. Once Humane Officer Schindler arrived on scene, he saw the kitten dragging itself around at the front of the address. The resident stated that the kitten was born with only three feet, and that he was not the owner of the animal. He stated that he was just feeding the stray cats. Humane Officer Schindler impounded the kitten. She was later taken to a local veterinary Hospital and had the remaining portion of the leg amputated, and is now available for adoption. The small terrier puppy was given up along with both its parents because the owner was moving to a location that did not accept dogs. One of the puppy’s front legs appeared broken and she did not put any weight on the limb. The owner stated that the puppy was born with its leg in that position, and the puppy has never been able to move the leg. WHS took the puppy to a local vet that confirmed the puppy had a birth defect. The puppy’s front leg was amputated and it is now available for adoption. The Chocolate lab mix was impounded from an address after Humane Officer Schindler responded to a complaint of a skinny 3 legged dog left dragging a chain and unattended in a yard in N.E. Later in his investigation, Humane Officer Schindler learned that some kids that live inside the address were playing with the dog and some how a cloths line was tangled around the dogs paw. By the time the parent noticed the cloths line it had embedded into the dog’s tissue, and the paw was infected. The dog began chewing at the injury until the entire paw fell off. The dog was taken to a local vet, the rear-injured leg was amputated, and she is now available for adoption.

This is my very first blog ever and I hope that it speaks to the incredible life saving work the Washington Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement does on the streets of DC, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. I am looking forward to seeing many of you as our Humane Law Enforcement program comes to your local community to provide you with a number of resources, such as our Humane Education program, the CatNiPP program, our Spay and Neuter program, the Safe House program, new upcoming adoption events and many more community based programs. Thanks

Mitchell Battle, Director of Law Enforcement, Washington Humane Society                      

I apologize for the long passage of time since my last blog. So much has happened in the past few weeks. This will be my last blog with WHS. I have accepted a position as the Director of Animal Services in Oakland California. It is with a mixture of emotions I write these words. I am looking forward to the challenges that I will face in Oakland but I am sad to leave behind such a great organization and staff at WHS. The skills that I have learned during my time at WHS will serve me well in Oakland. When I started with WHS 11 years ago I never imagined how far I and the organization would come. I truly found my passion and my life’s work through WHS. The programs here are outstanding and the organization has a bright future ahead. The Humane Law Enforcement program at WHS is, I believe, the best of its kind in the country. The scope of the program is enormous and reaches far beyond simply prosecuting cases of animal cruelty. As a Humane Officer at WHS I learned to educate the public on proper animal care, spay/neuter services, and often provided assistance for those in need. The Safe house program at WHS allows victims of domestic violence to leave their abusers and have a safe place to keep their animals while they start a new life. We have housed animals for homeless individuals when the weather becomes too severe for the animal to be outside with them, we have provided veterinary services for those who would otherwise lose their beloved pets, we have cared for animals of people who are hospitalized and have no one at home to care for their animals until they are released, and the list goes on. WHS is a compassionate organization which provides assistance when possible to help animals stay with their people but does not hesitate to remove animals from homes where they are not receiving proper care. WHS has a long record of placing the needs of animals first and therefore often goes above and beyond the routine duties of a Humane Society or Animal Control Agency. I hope to bring this philosophy with me to Oakland. In the past few weeks there have been some other exciting developments as well. The GW Animal Welfare Law Project introduced their Animal Protection Amendment Act of 2007 which includes some great amendments to the current laws. Some highlights include a section which would require special licenses be issued to businesses who use guard dogs (those of you who know me know that guard dogs have a special place in my heart), a section which would require cross reporting of abuse between Humane and Animal Control Officers and Child Family Services and the Metropolitan Police Department, a section which would allow protective orders to be taken out to protect pets from family violence as well as an amendment which would allow for protection orders to be taken out by family members based on a threat or violence against a family pet. These amendments formally recognize the link between animal and human abuse and are an important step in addressing these issues. Another important section of the law relating to Humane Law Enforcement would make being a spectator at a dog fighting event a felony. In the past this was a misdemeanor and in order to charge someone with a felony a higher level of involvement needed to be proven. This is often difficult because when approaching a dog fight the spectators scatter and no one claims ownership of the dogs. This amendment comes at a time when dog fighting has increased media coverage due to the dogs removed from Michael Vick’s property and the comments made by the Redskin’s Clinton Portis. The comments by Clinton Portis were extremely disappointing as he has worked with young people in D.C. throughout his time as a Redskin. The Washington Humane Society has extended an invitation to him to come to WHS and learn about dog fighting and meet with our Humane Educator Shakela Brown, who works with kids in D.C. on issues of animal abuse. Putting the issue of the extensive suffering dogs used for fighting face, Portis’ comments minimizing the crime of dog fighting send the wrong message to kids. Dog fighting is a felony is D.C. and those who get involved in it are set on a path that often leads to further crime and violence. For example, in the recent shooting out in front of the H2O club, the shooter was a young man that WHS has a long history of. He must have been 15 or 16 when WHS started dealing with his involvement in dog fighting. There are, sadly, endless other examples I could cite of this violent link. I believe that Clinton Portis was shocked to see how widely condemned his comments were and I applaud the media, particularly the sports centered media, for not allowing these comments to slide by. Almost every media outlet I saw, whether blogs, print, or television condemned Clinton Portis’ comments. It is heartening to see with how much disgust people respond to dog fighting. It is my hopes that this law will pass eliminating a loophole for those involved in dog fighting which allows them to face a misdemeanor rather than felony charges when caught in the act. Thank you to all of you who have followed my blog over the past year and I urge you to continue to support WHS and the very important work they do on behalf of abused and homeless animals in the District of Columbia. A new Executive Director is starting soon and she has many years of experience in the animal sheltering field. I am excited about her coming to WHS and I believe she will be an excellent addition to the team and will help to take WHS to the next level in the Good Home Guarantee.

I am writing this blog having just returned from the Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo. This is an annual conference that brings in folks from various different aspects of the animal sheltering field, from those who run a small rescue group to animal shelter workers, animal control officers, and humane law enforcement officers. This year had 1500 attendees who went to workshops on everything from finding humane wildlife solutions to coalition building to fundraising/marketing to comprehensive field services. On the last day of the conference I presented a workshop with Adam Goldfarb of the Humane Society of the United States on chaining- called Break the Chain. Adam G. started off the workshop by giving an excellent talk on the problems with chaining as a primary means of confinement and steps to creating an anti-tethering ordinance in your jurisdiction. He gave examples of anti-tethering laws that work well as well as talking about language to avoid when drafting an anti-tethering ordinance. Studies have shown that chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than dogs not kept on a tether or chain and five times more likely to bite children. Many people think that keeping a dog on a chain will keep their neighborhood safe from aggressive dogs. However, I have yet to find a chain or tether of any sort that a dog will not eventually learn how to escape from. In a book detailing her study of fatal dog attacks between 1965 and 2001 Karen Delise states that “chaining is arguably the single most dangerous condition in which to maintain a dog. Statistically chained dogs are more dangerous than free-running packs of dogs. This does not even take into account the inherent cruelty in keeping a dog maintained on a chain in isolation or the danger of injury or death to the dog which can occur from hazardous chaining situations. Because of these facts the Washington Humane Society maintained a no chaining policy between 1991 and 2001 without any language which addressed chaining being in the law. The WHS enforced this ban on chaining under the clause in the anti-cruelty law which prohibits allowing animals to suffer unnecessarily. Armed with the information which backed our claims about the health and temperament problems caused by chaining the Washington Humane Society was able to keep many dogs off of the chain. In 2001, however, when the D.C. code was amended to add a felony provision for intentional animal cruelty, WHS made sure an anti-tethering law was included. My half of the presentation was on this enforcement side of anti-tethering. I wanted to empower agencies to look at their laws and use any applicable part of the law (proper space laws, unnecessary suffering, etc…) to address at least the most egregious instances of chaining in their communities. Many of the attendees came up to me afterwards to express their gratitude and ask for a copy of the presentation to bring back to their jurisdiction. Though they were grateful for my presentation it is the Washington Humane Society who deserves the credit. Those who were here long before me started this tradition of being the leader in Humane Law Enforcement and finding creative solutions to get animals out of bad situations. This tradition continues today and the Washington Humane Society stands ready to do whatever we can do within the law to alleviate the suffering of animals. Sometimes this takes an unusual form. For example, a couple of weeks ago a nurse from an emergency room called to say they had an elderly woman in critical condition who was very worried about her animals who had been left behind at the apartment. Humane officer Schindler went to the hospital and met with the woman’s niece who turned over a set of keys and written permission to him from the woman to enter her apartment and remove her dogs and care for them until she was able. Officer Schindler took an older Cairn terrier and a cat from the apartment and the staff at our shelter cared for them while the woman remained in the hospital. She was released a week later and Officer Schindler took the animals back home where they were very excited to be reunited with their person. Other times a more traditional approach is required. One night a couple of weeks ago Humane Officer Moyer received a call late at night regarding a puppy chained on a porch who had fallen off and was hanging. Officer Moyer was the on call Officer that night. Each night a different Humane Officer is on call after hours ensuring that there is always an Officer ready to respond 24 hours a day 7 days a week. When Officer Moyer received the call he was at home. He immediately got in his van and headed to the address aware that he had a limited amount of time in which to help the puppy. When he arrived he found several concerned neighbors. Due to two large adult dogs (a Doberman and a shepherd) in the yard, the neighbors had been unable to enter the yard and help the puppy. Officer Moyer saw the puppy, a five month old Keeshond, dangling in mid air. The dog was scratching frantically at the brick wall with his paws trying to climb back onto the porch to keep himself from strangling. The wall was covered in blood from the puppies scratching. With no hesitation Officer Moyer jumped the fence, avoiding the adult dogs, entered the yard and grabbed the puppy saving him from hanging. The neighbors were very thankful and sent a nice letter to WHS saying they “greatly appreciated his (Moyer’s) efforts and bravery” in rescuing the puppy. As for the owners, they showed up after the puppy had been loaded into the van and were told they would have to contact WHS the next day. After a strong advisement and paying the veterinary bill (since the puppy was hanging when found he was taken by Officer Moyer to the vet as a precaution) and agreeing not to tether the puppy in the future, the puppy was returned to them. But Officer Moyer plans to follow up to ensure the puppy is not tethered outside anymore. This is just one of the many examples of the extraordinary work done by the Humane Officers at the Washington Humane Society. I am sure that WHS’ HLE department will continue to be a leader in the field of Humane Law Enforcement for the foreseeable future and I look forward to more opportunities to help teach others how to tackle the problems of animal abuse in their communities.

I wanted to start this week by giving an update about Nina- the little pug who was injured during a domestic dispute and subsequently died during surgery. A number of you have asked for an update to the story. A veterinarian who examined Nina’s body found that she had suffered one blow to the cranium consistent with the story of her head getting slammed in the door. Unfortunately, as is too often the case in domestic disputes, the sole witness, who is the boyfriend of the woman who committed the act, now claims that Nina was accidentally shut in the door. He changed his story and is now saying that his girlfriend was angry and storming out of the apartment and that Nina followed her and she did not see Nina and slammed the door with Nina getting unwittingly caught in the door. Since there are no other witnesses to dispute the story it leaves us without a case. Witnesses or victims who change their stories in domestic cases and/or refuse to testify against their partner or spouse are the single biggest challenge facing domestic violence cases whether the victims are human or animal. The Washington Humane Society has dealt with far too many cases where physical abuse of an animal is part of a pattern of domestic abuse. Many times the witnesses fail to come to court or later change their story. In fact, our first felony case, after the felony law passed in D.C. in 2001, involved a 9 year old pit bull who was stabbed to death during a domestic dispute. This was a husband and wife case. The husband had been arrested and prosecuted FOUR times previously for domestic violence incidents (including one prior case where the dog was slashed). Each time the wife did not show up to testify or changed her story. Even in this case she changed her story to say that her husband had accidentally cut her ear where she had at first claimed he purposefully slashed her with the knife. But, since the dog was stabbed while attempting to defend her from her husband, the wife decided that she would testify against the husband on the dog stabbing. In the end, she didn’t have to since he pled guilty and was sentenced to two years in jail. But this case was rare. It is hard to know what can be done to encourage victims and witnesses to testify against defendants. Coincidentally, our second felony conviction involved a teenager who agreed to testify against a neighbor who shot and killed his dog. The Washington Humane Society, a community group, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office all worked to get the boy placed into a safe environment in Virginia until the trial. Again the shooter pled guilty and the boy did not have to come to court. But he and his family showed extreme bravery in agreeing to testify in the case, they even suffered threats and attempts at intimidation from the shooter’s brother. The Washington Humane Society relies on citizens who witness abuse to come forward and testify against the abusers. I hold an enormous amount of respect for these individuals particularly those who testify on behalf of an animal they did not know and often had not even seen before they witnessed the event. We will continue to work with citizens to try to ensure that they remain safe when they report incidents to us. We always keep their information private and seek to avoid having them come to testify either through using corroborating evidence or negotiating a plea. But ultimately as in people crime, the animals need those citizens to come forward and speak for them as they cannot ell their own story. I also noticed that another issue many of you were concerned about was a dog who was living chained up outside in Virginia. I do not have any updates in this case though I believe a rescue group was working with the owner to negotiate a surrender. But it does highlight the need for anti-chaining laws. I recently testified in Maryland in front of the house and senate on behalf of a Maryland state anti-chaining law. I brought the perspective of the District which has had a law banning cruel chaining since 2001. Since the law went into effect we have been able to resolve many situations which had existed for some time and neglect complaints have started to drop in number as cases are resolved much more quickly and effectively. Unfortunately the bill in Maryland was ultimately gutted leaving only a provision banning chaining with a metal collar. However, those who fought to bring this bill to the Maryland State house will undoubtedly be back in the future to attempt to strengthen the law. In my mind it is just a matter of time until all the delegates in Maryland catch up with those who recognize chaining to be unacceptable. Hopefully in the meantime there are not too many dogs who lose their lives on chains or any more children who are mauled by dogs who break off their chains after having lived on them long enough to increase their aggression. In national studies of fatal dog attacks the two most common factors are the dog not being neutered (almost all are males although some cases involve females along with males) and the dog being on a chain. This means the dog was on the chain at the time of the attack so it does not account for dogs who have broken off their chains or otherwise have gotten loose but spend the majority of their lives on chains. Were these to be figured in the percentage rate would be much higher I believe. Those who voted against the bill or sought to make the amendments which gutted the bill will have to accept their responsibility in part if a tragedy like this were to occur. If you are interested in learning more about the fight to end chaining in Maryland please go to www.justicefordogs.org. There you can also read about the challenges the bill faced and for those of you who live in Maryland you can remember how your delegate acted come next election.

I have been late this week getting my blog out because is has been a intense week for me.  On Monday our Humane Law Enforcement Division served two unrelated search warrants in one day.  That was a first for me since starting here at WHS.  One of the warrants relates to an ongoing investigation so I cannot give details at this time.  The incident which led up to the second warrant began Sunday afternoon when Senior Humane Officer Schindler received a call about a man beating a dog.  When Officer Schindler arrived at the address the man and the dog were no longer outside but witnesses described a horrible scene of a man beating his dog with a brick.  Officer Schindler accompanied by MPD went to the house and spoke with a man there who claimed the dog was gone and refused to let them in the house.  Officer Schindler was reluctant to leave and stayed outside the house after MPD left.  He called me at this point and we discussed our options.  I explained that I thought there was some procedure for getting an emergency search warrant but did not know what it was.  Officer Schindler then called another MPD Officer who gave him a number to call.  Because we did not know how badly injured the dog was (witnesses had reported the dog being struck repeatedly in the face with the brick) we did not want to wait until the next day.  While trying to track down the procedures for an emergency search warrant Officer Schindler saw the man leave the house with a large cart covered with clothes.  Afraid that the dog might have died and the man may have been trying to dispose of the body Officer Schindler followed the man.  Eventually he found some MPD Officers but at this point the man had disappeared.  Officer Schindler returned to the house and again called me.  As we were having no luck getting an emergency search warrant we were weighing our options when the man came back to the house and went back inside.  Officer Schindler called an Animal Control Officer for assistance and when he arrived they both went to the door.  The man opened the door but again refused to let them in leaving the iron gate locked.  The man denied that there were dogs at the house yet the Officers could hear dogs barking.  Finally the man said he would check and went upstairs.  At this point Officer Schindler got a glimpse of a dog looking at him.  When the man came back downstairs Officer Schindler asked to see the dog.  As soon as the man approached the dog the dog dropped to the floor cowering.  The man dragged her over and Officer Schindler could see immediately that she was very underweight but also that she did not match the description of the dog who was beaten.  As the man would not let the Officers in and lacking a warrant they had no choice but to leave.  After Officer Schindler called me once again we decided the only course was to type up a warrant to serve the next day.  I typed the warrant up that night not finishing until well after midnight.  I also kept Officer Schindler up calling to ask him again and again to explain exactly what the man said or the witness claimed to have seen.  We met early Monday morning and took that warrant along with the second warrant to the courthouse.  In the meantime, Officer Schindler also had to do the paperwork for the arrest of a man who had a warrant out for animal cruelty.  WHS had obtained the arrest warrant after impounding three emaciated puppies from the man.  The man had been arrested by MPD on Friday after they found over 100 grams of cocaine on him.  While he was being processed police discovered a second birth date which led them to the outstanding warrant for animal cruelty.  As the man’s arrest was already being processed police had to wait for him to be released before arresting him on the Cruelty to Animals warrant.  While Officer Schindler did the paperwork I went to get the search warrants signed.  Both the assistant US Attorney and the judge cringed at the witnesses’ descriptions of the dog beating.  When everything was finally finished at the courthouse Officer Schindler and I drove immediately to the house where the beating occurred.  MPD showed up quickly and we went to the door.  There was a different man home mow who opened the door and since we were armed with a warrant he let us in.  The house turned out to be a maze of rooms with a variety of animals in it.  All told there were four dogs and one little kitten at the house.  Two of the dogs appeared to be kept chained at the top of the steps.  According to the man, who gave varying accounts of what had occurred and who had beaten the dog, one of the chained dogs was the victim of the beating.  The man released the dog from the chain and the dog immediately lunged at Officer Schindler.  Unfortunately his life of being kept chained, beaten and intimidated had left him a very aggressive and unpredictable dog.  But still a dog in need of help.  We quickly impounded all the dogs and the kitten.  The very underweight dog and the beaten dog went to the vet.  The dog who suffered the beating miraculously appears to have survived his ordeal without any major or life threatening injuries.  But plenty of scrapes and bruises.  The case is still under investigation and WHS hopes to identify the person responsible for beating the dog so he can be brought to justice. 

             It was a long and busy day and neither Officer Schindler nor I got home until close to 10PM.  But it was also a satisfying day and one that reminds me of how crucial WHS’ mission to protect animals in the District of Columbia from harm is and how hard we work to fulfill that mission every day.  And not just our Humane Law Enforcement Division.  Everyone at WHS works to ensure that more animals do not have to suffer the fate of the dog beaten with the brick--from our Humane Education department who teach kids about empathy and compassion to our shelter staff who keep animals off the streets to our dedicated administrative staff to those at our spay and neuter clinic who help to make sure there are no more unwanted animals born.  But foremost it is our supporters who make it possible for us to do this work everyday.  Whether you provide financial assistance to shelters, donate supplies, volunteer your time, speak out for animals in need—you make a difference for animals in the District of Columbia.

            The past week or so has been a busy one for us here at the Washington Humane Society.  Saturday February 24th was the day we celebrated Spay Day USA.  Like all great celebrations we celebrated by spaying and neutering 53 cats.  The majority of these cats were transported by three WHS vans from three neighborhoods east of the river.  Many of these cats were indoor outdoor cats who had reproduced before and surely would reproduce again.  The remaining cats were feral cats brought from various colonies by volunteers.  The cats were all in the clinic by 8:30AM and loaded up and back at the drop off points by 6:00PM.  The people who took advantage of our special that day were extremely grateful as they understood the necessity of spaying and neutering and did not want their cats to contribute to the overpopulation problem.  We also performed 22 surgeries on Spay Day for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s Spay Day services.  Around the country many similar events took place as well and hopefully besides preventing unwanted litters the day also raised public awareness about the need for spay/neuter. 

            On Thursday March 1st I found myself in Annapolis.  I was there to testify on behalf of an anti-chaining bill that was in front of the Maryland House of Delegates.  The bill HB 673 is an excellent bill which would restrict the tethering of dogs in the state of Maryland not allowing dogs to be tethered between 12pm and 6AM or during periods of extreme weather.  It also stipulates conditions under which the tethering of digs would be considered hazardous and not be allowed (e.g. the use of choke or pinch collars to chain a dog would be prohibited).  There was myself as well as representatives from HSUS, IFAW, local veterinarians and rescue groups, and a group called Justice for Dogs formed primarily to address the issue of chained dogs.  Many bills were testified to that day and we didn’t get our chance until close to 4PM when everyone was pretty sleepy.  The intensity and resolve of those testifying woke the place up however, and quite a lively debate was had.  No one testified in opposition to the bill though the delegates had some questions- mostly relating to using dogs for guarding purposes.  Over and over the point was stressed by those in support of the bill that the continual confinement of a dog to a tether is not only inhumane it is unsafe as well.  A dog kept continually tethered becomes agitated and frustrated and often teased and taunted by passing kids will become aggressive over time.  Eventually the dog will break the chain or slip the collar and loose will be a public safety hazard.  Other dogs will become tangled and injured or hang themselves while tethered.   I testified because in Washington D.C. a law was passed in 2001 which bans Cruel Chaining.  WHS spearheaded this law in the belief that it’s passage would improve the lives of dogs and citizens alike.  Since the passage of the law the number of cruelty complaints received by WHS has declined from an average of 2400 calls per year to roughly 1500 calls this past year.  Before the passage of the law the most common call received was about chained dogs being neglected.  WHS still receives calls about chained dogs but since the law has passed the owner either has to confine their dog safely or risk having the dog impounded by WHS’ Humane Officers.   I hope that my time in Annapolis will help to achieve a similar result for the state of Maryland. 

            Finally the end of the week saw the Council of Government Animal Services awards.  This award ceremony is held every year and recognizes the efforts of animal welfare workers and volunteers region wide.  This year our very own Medical Director Brock McGee won the Veterinary award because of his excellent work in performing high volume low cost spay/neuter for WHS as well as developing protocols which will enhance the health of all of WHS” shelter animals.  Also Humane Officers C. Schindler and T. Moyer from our Humane Law Enforcement Division won for Humane Officer/Animal Control Officer of the year.  They won because of their excellent efforts during a year of staffing issues where they were truly the backbone of WHS’ HLE team investigating close to 1500 complaints of animal cruelty including some 25 cases resulting in arrest warrants being issued.  To see Tim and Chris in action look on our website www.washhumane.org under WHS store and then look at the 2007 calendar which has photos of the two along with the rest of the HLE division in action. 

            I also want to briefly mention the departure this past week of our Executive Director Howard Nelson.  Howard brought with him to WHS a vision for the future and a host of new ideas.  The staff who remain behind are committed to seeing that vision to fruition.   We all wish Howard the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his dedication to WHS during his time here.    

            This morning in the paper I read an article about a woman who has been working for years to create a cat breed she calls a Toyger.  This is essentially a domestic cat who looks like a miniature tiger.  Of course the cats in the article looked adorable but essentially not unlike many cats who come into the shelter every day.  That someone would spend $4000 (the expected cost of Toygers once perfected) for a cat when there are so many in need of good homes at shelters across the country is absurd.  And ironically this article comes out a few days before Spay Day which is February 27, 2007.  Spay Day is a national day to highlight the importance of providing low cost/high volume spay/neuter to bring an end to the problem of pet overpopulation in this country.  Spay Day encourages not just shelters and Humane Societies but animal hospitals and veterinarians to get involved by planning a day of spay/neuter surgery at reduced cost or free for the public. 

Here at the Washington Humane Society’s Spay/Neuter clinic every day is Spay Day since everyday we provide low cost spay and neuter to the area’s public.  Tuesday (officially Spay Day) we will be providing surgery for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington who will be subsidizing surgeries for Arlington citizens.  We wanted to participate in Spay Day as well so our veterinarians Drs. McGee and Teisch have volunteered to come in on Saturday the 24th to perform surgeries.  So we are using this day as our Spay Day.  We wanted to use the day to address the most pressing pet overpopulation problems in the city.  And, like many shelters across the country, the largest problem we face is with cat overpopulation.  So together with our CATNiPP program manager Bridget Speiser we mapped where the cats at the shelter came from and determined three neighborhoods to target for Spay Day.  We have provided transport vans in each of these neighborhoods and will pick up cats and provide free surgery for 15 cats from each location.  We will also have our feral cat volunteers bringing in feral cats from these neighborhoods for spaying and neutering.  The day will start with a 7AM pickup and end with the drop off of the animals at 6PM.  It will be a long day but a rewarding one.  And an important one in our work to end the overpopulation of animals in the region.

As for the Toygers I can only hope that anyone who plans to buy one first goes and looks and the faces of the many cats at their local shelters awaiting homes.  Perhaps they will then decide that providing a home for an animal in need is a bigger asset then owning a rare breed cat bred for looks.  And the $3900 saved by paying the average adoption fee of $100 could be used by the local shelter as well for their spay and neuter programs so that one day there may not be shelters filled with cats awaiting homes.  And when that time comes, when there is a shortage of cats, then I will welcome the creation of the Toyger.

The winter weather has finally come to DC.  This has been keeping our Humane officers very busy checking on backyard dogs around the city.  This extreme cold can be dangerous especially for puppies and  older or underweight dogs who live outside and do not have access to proper shelter.  But, other animals can be affected as well.  Last week our Humane Officers investigated a case of four rabbits who were in a backyard in the freezing rain with no visible shelter.  The Humane Officers were poised to impound the rabbits when they discovered that the rabbits had access to a doggy door (or a ‘bunny door’ in this case) and could come and go from the house to the backyard.  Unfortunately not all animals in D.C. are allowed access to the indoors.  Please call if you are concerned about any animals in your neighborhood who are outside during this extreme cold.

            The saddest case Humane Law Enforcement encountered this past week did not involve the cold however.  This case involved a young pug named Nina.  Nina lived with her two caretakers- a couple.  Late one night the couple drove to the D.C. Animal Shelter and the man brought Nina into the shelter.  Nina was bleeding in the face and her eye had been knocked out of its socket.  The man told the D.C. shelter employee that he had been fighting with his girlfriend and that she had gotten mad and had slammed the dog’s head in the door.  He had no money for veterinary care and wanted to surrender her to us.  After the man left the shelter an employee called Humane Officer Schindler who came and took Nina to the vet.  The vet decided emergency surgery was needed to try to save the eye.  Unfortunately, Nina went into cardiac arrest and died under anesthesia.  Her body was sent to have a necropsy (an autopsy for animals) performed to determine the extent of her injuries and whether these contributed to her death.  The case is under investigation.  The man now says the dog’s injury was an accident.  Sadly, many physical abuse cases that WHS investigates and prosecutes each year involve domestic disputes.  These are often challenging cases to prosecute because the prime witness generally resides with the defendant and is reluctant to testify.  The Washington Humane Society has recognized this link between animal abuse and domestic violence for some time and a couple years ago took proactive steps to protect animals in this situation before they end up like Nina.  WHS set up a Safe Haven program where people who are fleeing domestic violence in their homes may house their animals at WHS while they are in this time of transition.  Some people house their animals for only a week or two and other leave them in WHS custody for months while they get resettled.  Animals who are not spayed and neutered are offered a free spay or neuter plus vaccinations and medical care.  This allows the victim of domestic violence to leave their home without fearing for the safety of animals left behind and also offers the animal a safe place to stay during this turbulent period.  Some of the people who use this program find it simply because they call the Washington Humane Society in desperation, but others are referred by one of the city’s two Domestic Violence intake Centers (one at the courthouse, one at greater SE hospital), or one of the many non-profit shelters or advocacy groups in the area.  As for Nina’s case, once the investigation is complete the U.S. Attorney’s Office will decide whether there is enough evidence to charge the caretaker with Cruelty to Animals.  Sadly Nina will remain in our hearts as  an innocent victim of the anger and violence in her household. 

Last week I was at a video store in Takoma Park when a couple came in with a dog. The dog was a pointer mix liver and white in color. She had on a gentle leader collar and was greeting everyone she passed by. I was waiting at the counter to check out my movies when I saw her jumping up towards me out of the corner of my eye “no, Ginger” the woman with her said and Ginger sat back down. Ginger then began to whine and finally I looked over at her. That’s when I realized that this was Ginger from our Washington Humane Society (WHS) shelter on Georgia Ave. “Oh Ginger!” I said and she immediately jumped up on me. “I know this dog.” I explained to the woman holding her leash. Ginger was a dog who stayed at the Georgia Ave. shelter for quite some time. She was very active and the people who came to look at dogs would pass over her thinking her too wild. But, Ginger had stolen my heart and I knew from walking her that she was sweet and very trainable. Ginger was like many dogs who come to WHS who have a lack of manners. These dogs have never been allowed to live as a family member and have yet to learn how to be a proper companion. We worked with Ginger and watched as people came and went showing little interest in her. Finally one weekend a couple who had previously adopted a cat from our Georgia Ave shelter came in and fell in love with Ginger. They adopted her right away. I hadn’t seen Ginger since her adoption almost six months before. I didn’t recognize her at first because she was so calm and well behaved. She looked like a much smaller dog outside the shelter and walking calmly on the leash. The couple who adopted her told me she is great with everyone especially kids. They said she sleeps every night between them on the bed. Ginger had gone home with them one weekend so I had never had a chance to say goodbye to her. I was thrilled to have the experience of seeing her happy and confident in her new life. This was just another reminder to me about why we do the work we do at the Washington Humane Society.

Carter was another animal who got a second chance thanks to WHS. Carter was a cat who was abused twice. First when someone threw Carter off the balcony of his home breaking his leg. The second time Carter was abused was when his owner failed to take him to the veterinarian for treatment for the broken leg. Thankfully someone eventually called the Washington Humane Society to complain about carter’s treatment. Humane Officer's went immediately to the address and were told that no cat lived there. But, unwilling to accept this answer the Humane Officers returned again and this time were let in by a roommate of the owner who showed them the cat who would not put any weight on one leg. The Officers impounded Carter and took him to the veterinarian where it was determined that he had a broken leg. The veterinarian stated the fracture was at least several days old and the leg was put in a cast. The owner later called and at first said he had vetted the cat but when pressed for more information he admitted he had actually not vetted the cat. Humane Officers met with him and another witness who stated that the original injury was caused by an old roommate who threw the cat off the balcony. This past week both Carter’s former owner and the man who threw Carter off the balcony were arrested. The case will go forward as two separate cases- one against the former roommate for throwing Carter off the balcony and another against the owner for failing to provide veterinary care for Carter. Though he went through a lot, Carter’s leg healed well and he found another home where he is doing great and will be provided with the love and care he deserves.
Carter’s case along with others was a case highlighted during WHS’ annual A Sugar and Champagne Affair. This event started by Todd and Ellen Gray of Equinox restaurant honors the work done by the Washington Humane Society Field Officers. This year it was held at Hotel Palomar and was heavily attended. Many people brought their dogs and there was food and drink for both two legged and four-legged attendees. Anyone who missed it this year should make it a must for next year. It is truly a unique event and a fun and tasty evening. It is also a touching event for the Officers of WHS who get a chance to bask in the spotlight during the event. It is a great chance for them to see how truly appreciated they are by the people of DC.

Cinco was a large male rottweiler who was impounded by a WHS Humane Officer after being found outside in a filthy pen. He was extremely underweight and was brought to the shelter. No one ever came forward to claim him and he was eventually evaluated for adoption. Though his temperament test showed that he was food aggressive Nicole Brown, Georgia Avenue’s Shelter Manager, was determined to work with him. He was put on a strict regimen of hand feeding where he was required to sit and wait before getting his food. After a few weeks Cinco had improved immensely and last week went to his new home on a 9 acre farm with a family who loves him. The family reports that their child hangs all over Cinco and Cinco loves it.
Cinco is a great example of the work being done by WHS to train the dogs in our care to become better family members prior to adoption. Many of the dogs that end up in the shelters have never lived in a home and have often spent their time isolated in the backyard on a chain or in a pen with little contact from people. Dogs are social pack animals and this isolation causes them a great amount of anguish. When they first arrive at WHS they are often eager to be in the company of people and desperately want to become a member of the family. However, they may lack the skills to successfully live in someone’s home. They have not been taught proper manners and are often overexcited by attention from people. During their time at WHS they are worked with on a daily basis through our newly implemented hand feeding program.
Hand feeding the dogs means that the shelter staff feed the dogs one at a time and require the dogs to behave before getting each handful. One of the most basic concepts is to have the dogs sit before getting each handful of food. But this is only the beginning. The dogs are rewarded for sitting quietly and the dog who is the most calm and quiet while the food is being prepared is the first to be fed. In this way the dogs learn to sit quietly when people come down to see them rather than bouncing off the walls of their kennels barking. This makes for a much more pleasant experience for potential adopters. Nicole and her staff also use this method to teach dogs who try to bolt out of the kennel door each time it is opened. They will leave the kennel door open and when the dog sits inside the open kennel without trying to bolt out the door then they will give the dog food. The results are amazing.
The program was designed by WHS’ Director of Behavior and Training Kevin Simpson who worked with Nicole to implement the system. Together they have made a dramatic change in the behavior and atmosphere at the shelter on Georgia Ave. They will also soon be training staff on walking the dogs. As the dogs at WHS’ Georgia Avenue shelter are walked three times a day at least this is an excellent opportunity for some training to take place. The staff will be teaching dogs how to walk properly on a leach without pulling or fighting the leash.
In addition to these programs is a whole host of enrichment exercises that Kevin is implementing at both shelters. These enrichment exercises will be performed by volunteers as well as staff. Anyone who is interested in assisting in these efforts should contact Eleanor Blackford our volunteer program manager at Eleanor.blackford@washhumane.org. And please visit our shelters to see some of these activities taking place. It is all a part of making our dogs successful in getting placed into permanent homes. Our most successful dogs will eventually earn the title of Canine Good Citizen which they earn after passing through a series of exercises designed to test their manners. Keep an eye on the adoptable dogs on the web site to see who has earned this title.

It’s December 26th and I’m a day late writing my blog as yesterday was Christmas. Every year since I started at the Washington Humane Society in 1996 I have worked on Christmas Day. I often volunteered to work on Christmas day, since I have no children (not the two-legged kind anyway). Since my four legged critters don’t mind waiting until the evening to get their toys and treats I would come in Christmas morning while my co-workers were home with their two-legged family's.
I love working Christmas day. The city is quiet, often there is snow (instead this year we got rain), and the roads are almost empty. I have encountered many interesting situations while working Christmas. One year I impounded an emaciated and matted sheltie out of a broken down car crammed with stuff. The dog’s person turned out to be homeless. She had gone to her daughter’s apartment and stayed over for Christmas, but the dog (whom I named Noel) had to stay in the car. She surrendered the dog realizing she could not care for him and he went to a rescue group to find a new home. Another year a man ended up stranded with his dog on Christmas day in downtown DC, I got the call because the dog was in the car. The dog was in good shape and the man soon came back to the car. I offered to house the dog for him so he could get a hotel, but he wanted a hotel where he could stay with the dog. I gave him the information and he ended up spending Christmas night with his dog at the Marriot Wardman Park.

But most of all, I love to visit the dogs on the car lots and junkyards around the city. I have always had a soft spot for guard dogs. I discovered early on that these dogs were very easy to befriend and were rarely aggressive protectors of their lots. In fact, more often if they were not friendly they were terrified. Many of these dogs live a very bleak existence where they have little contact with people at all and especially when housed alone these pack animals live in isolation and loneliness. Some of the saddest cases are dogs rented out by guard dog companies. These dogs are often acquired by the companies through free to a good home ads in the paper. Many of the dogs are kept working despite the fact that they have aged, are arthritic, and cannot sustain their body heat so well in cold weather. These dogs are kept in pens where the workers who close the lots at night pull a string to release the dog or dogs from their pen. The only contact they have with people at all is the few minutes in the morning when a representative of the company comes to feed the dogs and put them back in their pens.

During Christmas the dogs often don’t even get this visit and are left alone over the holiday. I liked visiting these dogs on Sundays when the lots were closed to check-up on their care and give them some company so it was natural that on Christmas I began to visit them as well. I first would bring donated toys and treats that the shelter had received and then one year someone suggested we contact the Kong company. Kong’s are the perfect toys to give these dogs because when stuffed with treats it gives the dogs something to do for part of the day. The Kong company supplied the Kongs for a few years and this year Greenpets.com a local pet supply store donated 40 Kongs and collected toys and treats for the shelter animals as well.
Many times over the years I would pull up to a lot and get ready to throw the Kong over the fence when I would notice the dog had no shelter or was otherwise not being cared for properly. These dogs would get loaded up in the truck and could enjoy their Kongs at the shelter. This year the weather was mild and though a few lot owners will find notices advising them to make corrections, no dogs were impounded this year. Instead three teams consisting of myself and my wife, Officer Schindler and his girlfriend, and Officer Moyer and his girlfriend distributed all 40 Kongs to dogs on lots around the city.

Each year as I go out on Christmas I find less and less dogs guarding lots. It’s true that there are less and less lots with some former industrial areas becoming residential, but there are still a lot of lots left. It used to be that every lot had a dog, but now I think there are more lots without dogs than lots with dogs. This is encouraging. Our Humane Law Enforcement Division is very aggressive at ensuring that these remaining guard dogs are provided with what the law requires. Many lot owners have simply found it to be too much trouble to use a guard dog. Guard dogs require proper shelter, clean space, food, water, and veterinary care. It is not acceptable to chain a dog up to a car all day long and then let him roam and sleep in the cars at night. Faced with providing properly for the dog many of these owners decide to forego the dog and install other types of security. Maybe one day I will get up on Christmas and find I have no guard dogs to visit. That would be the best Christmas present ever!!

I am writing this during a time of unseasonably warm weather for the month of December. The lack of colder temperatures this year has had positive and negative effects on the animals in the District. Many backyard dogs and homeless cats have been spared the effects of being left in the cold and our Humane Law Enforcement Officers have been able to remedy many situations before the animal was left in the cold. We have done our yearly delivery of straw to the houses of those animals that live outside. This will provide them with bedding and along with doorflaps made from donated carpets our Officers are able to ensure these animals will be protected from any upcoming cold weather and their owners will be in compliance with the law.
On the negative side many unaltered animals have continued to reproduce throughout these months due to the lack of cold weather. As any shelter or rescue can tell you fall and spring are generally kitten season and cats don’t usually reproduce throughout the winter. This year, however, we have continued to receive an influx of kittens at our shelter as cats have not slowed down their reproduction. Speaking with other local shelters and those who work with feral cats, this has been an issue across the region this year. Our spay and neuter clinic which works with public animals across the region and shelter animals in the district and Virginia has been seeing many eight to twelve week old kittens coming through. Today, animals are here from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and a large number are small kittens. Kittens in December are almost unheard of in colder years.
Speaking of our spay and neuter clinic, our policy of scanning each animal for a microchip who comes into the clinic paid off in unexpected ways recently. This policy of scanning all animals was introduced in an effort to ensure that animals brought from the shelters were scanned an additional time (they are all scanned upon entry at the shelter as well) as well as to ensure that anyone who brings a microchipped animal in is aware their animal is microchipped. Often animals may be microchipped by the breeder and the owner is never aware their animal has a microchip. As the story below shows microchips are an essential tool in reuniting owners with their lost pets. Recently a husky was brought into the clinic and after being spayed the dog was scanned for a microchip (this is generally done during recovery period). The dog had a microchip and when the microchip company was contacted the dog came back to a different owner. When contacted, the owner reported her dog was stolen seven months ago. Thankfully the family had their dog microchipped and they were able to be reunited with her. Because the Washington Humane Society is committed to reuniting animals with their people we have stepped up our microchipping program. Please keep an eye on our website for upcoming dates for microchipping clinics and I urge everyone to have all their animals microchipped. As someone who spent three weeks in New Orleans after Katrina rescuing animals, I can tell you that the number of animals eventually reunited with their owners would have been significantly higher had all the animals been microchipped or if even a large portion of them had. The sad reality is that few animals are microchipped. With the microchipping process being as quick and easy as getting vaccinations I hope that one day people routinely microchip their animals.
In the meantime at the D.C. Animal Shelter the Washington Humane Society has Kathryn. Kathryn is a long time employee of the Washington Humane Society who has recently moved into her role as the full time lost and found coordinator. With Kathryn on the case the stray animals that come through our shelters stand a much better chance of being reunited with their owners.
Finally, just a reminder to please keep your animals safe over the holidays. There are many tempting goodies around during this time of year and it’s important to supervise our animals to make sure they don’t get into anything that might be harmful to them. The biggest problems are generally chocolate for dogs but remember that many things such as tinsel and other decorations that we may not think of as enticing may look like fun toys or treats to your animals so please keep them safe. As for me, next Monday on Christmas day I will be doing my annual rounds delivering Kongs filled with treats to the guard dogs left on the District’s lots over the holidays. In my next blog I will tell you how this years delivery went.

As we headed into the end of this past week we, at WHS, followed the news of the cold front coming our way. Freezing temperatures create a lot of problems for dogs living outside. This time of year our Officers are loading up with straw and carpet flaps to give to owners to use as door flaps and bedding for dog houses during the cold months. In D.C. anytime the temperature drops below 40 degrees owners are required to provide bedding and door flaps for their dog houses to keep their animals warm. We always prefer people keep their animals indoors during the winter but there is no law that says owners have to do this. I urge anyone who sees a dog they believe is in danger from the cold to call our phone line at 202 BE HUMANE.
The winter is also a tough time of year for feral cats. Feral cats also benefit from shelter and anyone who is interested in constructing a shelter for any outdoor cats in our neighborhood can contact us for plans on building a cat shelter.
Speaking of feral cats we had our monthly feral cat clinic this weekend and spayed and neutered 50 feral cats! These 50 cats will not be producing kittens come this Spring which will help to greatly reduce the numbers of kittens coming in to the shelters. We calculated the number of kittens which would have been produced by 25 pairs of cats (we had exactly 25 males and 25 females at the clinic) and estimated that 1, 750,000 kittens would have been born from these 25 pairs of cats and their offspring.
Finally, the week ended on a great note. Friday night was the opening for a photo exhibit called Dog City by local photographer Graeme King. The exhibit is at the new City Paws animal hospital at 1823 14th St. N.W. until February 1, 2007. The photographs are great and I urge everyone to get down there and take a look. The opening was a great success. Many people and their dogs came by. We brought our mobile adoption unit and brought cats and dogs for adoption. The weather was still warm and two legged and four legged alike had a great time!

-Adam

This week has been filled with both sad and inspiring moments. We were overwhelmed by the community’s response to Max, the little Shih Tzu who was shot. We received close to 200 calls from people interested in adopting him and we have received many great applications on him. It is heartwarming to see how many people were ready to open their homes to this little guy despite the extensive future medical care he may need.
Our Humane Law Enforcement Division spent a significant amount of time working on a sad and complicated case. We first received a complaint about a dog residing at an address who appeared to have no nose. Humane Officer Schindler responded immediately to the call and discovered a small mixed breed dog at the address who indeed was suffering from a form of cancer which had eaten away the dog’s upper lip and nose. The owner was an elderly woman who explained that the dog had been seen by her veterinarian who told her that as long as the dog was eating she would be fine. Officer Schindler spoke with the veterinarian the next day and heard some alarming news. The veterinarian said that the dog originally had a small lesion on the roof of the mouth and she told the owner to bring the dog back if things progressed. She had not seen the dog since March. The veterinarian went on to say that unfortunately there was little that could be done at this point and the little dog would likely need to be euthanized. Officer Schindler spent the next few days discussing the dog’s condition with the owner. The owner agreed to take the dog to the veterinarian but failed to bring the dog in. WHS’ Humane Law Enforcement Division began preparing to do a search warrant on the address as it was clear the dog needed to be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Because the woman appeared to care deeply for the dog, who is her only companion inside the house, Officer Schindler went back to the address to try to reason with the owner one more time. This time he was successful in getting the woman to allow him to take the dog to the veterinarian. Once at the vet’s office the vet called the owner to discuss the dog’s condition. In the end we decided to return the dog to the woman and worked with her veterinarian to set up a schedule of rechecks which Officer Schindler will follow up on to ensure the dog is getting medical attention. The owner has been hand feeding “Annie,” the little dog , every three hours throughout the day and understands that her condition is terminal but she does not feel that Annie’s quality of life has declined enough to warrant euthanasia. Euthanasia is always a hard decision and we respect the rights of people to make these decisions. “Annie” is still eating and does appear to enjoy many aspects of life. Given her behavior and the strong bond she has with her person we felt returning Annie to live out the rest of her life with her owner was the best option in this case. Officer Schindler and the woman’s veterinarian will work together to ensure that Annie is not suffering during this late stage of her life.
This brings me to the fact that last week was Thanksgiving. During this time of year I always spend some time thinking about what I am thankful for. Annie’s case reminds me that I am thankful for the care and compassion that the Humane Law Enforcement Division puts into each and every case whether it is a horrible abuse case where we take the owner to court or just a citizen struggling with their dog who needs some help and gentle advice. I am also thankful that this care and compassion is ingrained in every part of the Washington Humane Society and informs WHS’ dedication to our mission “to protect animals in the District of Columbia from cruelty and harm.” This is obvious to me when I watch our Spay and Neuter Clinic at work. We are now open five days a week and on Tuesday’s we have two of our veterinarians performing surgery at the same time. To watch the technician staff and the veterinarians perform their carefully orchestrated dance allowing for the maximum amount of animals to be spayed and neutered while each animal is given individual care and attention from intake until they are fully awake after surgery is awe inspiring. Here at WHS each and every program is driven by committed staff who work hard to place animals in permanent loving homes, who work with the shelter’s animals to teach them skills to make them successful family members, who educate the public young and old on proper animal care, who will not turn away an animal in need whether the animal has an owner or is a neighborhood cat who lives on the streets, all of whom perform these jobs with the best interests of the animals at the forefront of their minds. And, as always, I am thankful that I have had and continue to have the opportunity to work for the Washington Humane Society. I am grateful that I have the ability through my work to serve the animals, to remove them from dangerous situations and help provide safe and loving homes for them. It’s truly a dream job for me.