Group Calls Shooting of Dogs 'Massacre' »

A(July 2) -- Authorities shot and killed 55 dogs at an Arizona home and animal rights groups say it should never have happened.
The animal rights organizations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society, have lodged complaints against Navajo County, Ariz., animal control officers for the May 7 shooting, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.

The officers decided to put down the animals because their owner was in jail and could not care for them. Chief Deputy Bernard Huser described the living conditions on the property as "pitiful" and officials have said the animals were too aggressive to round up safely.
County officials said it would have been to difficult to move the dogs to the county-contracted shelter and the animals would have died en route in the animal-pickup vans, which are not air-conditioned.
"We do feel like the decision made in the field was the right one to prevent suffering of the animals," Dr. Wade Kartchner, director of the county health department, told the Republic. He added, however, that the ordeal was a "horrible incident."
Anna-Marie Rea, director of the Humane Society of the White Mountains, disagreed. "Shooting is not a humane way to end an animal's suffering," she said.
Rea contends her shelter could have provided appropriate vehicles for the mass transport of animals. The shelter also had more humane euthanization services for those animals too sick to travel, she said.

Read Full Story at news.aol.com »

141 Views Share Story 0 Comments Report