Animal Shelter Is Under Fire for Euthanizing a Rescue Dog
Animal welfare advocates were alarmed by the actions of the PG animal shelter concerning a six-year-old rescue dog. According to reports, the animal shelter euthanized George even though he was microchipped. A rescue group was responsible for George, but the animal shelter did not contact them. The animal service workers were investigated for killing the hound.
An anonymous dog rescuer posted the story of George on Facebook on the page called “George the Amazing Hound.” Apparently, George was surrendered to the rescue shelter after his owner became ill. The rescue group found him in a foster home, but George ran away. This led him to him being put under the care of Prince George’s County Animal Services. In the Facebook post, the rescuer complained that the animal services did not contact them during the 5-day hold period. George was euthanized without consent the day after the waiting time.
Later on, a PG animal shelter spokesperson confirmed the incident concerning George. However, the spokesperson could not share further information about the issue during the investigation. WUSA9 contacted the executive director of the Prince George’s County SPCA, Tamela Terry. She is concerned about the shortcomings of the animal shelter with their obligations.
The executive director also shared that George might have been euthanized due to a series of concerns. In the interview, she explained that the shelter has a staff shortage, a pandemic-related crisis, and overpopulation inside the center. In addition, their long-time director, Rodney Taylor, was recently reassigned.
Parvo was the main concern of the shelter since it is a viral animal illness that is extremely contagious. “I think they’re being euthanized for lack of space for sure,” Terry said. The parvo outbreak overwhelmed the staff, and they are now hiring more as quickly as they can. It was disclosed that there were 337 animals accommodated by the shelter — two dogs and one kitten were already infected. Twenty-two animals were taken from their respective shelters due to lack of treatment.
“There’s just too many animals. The shelters are doing what they can do. This is a community problem,” says Cindy Sharpley, Executive Director of Last Chance Animal Rescue. Their agency manages spay and neuter clinics for Prince George’s County. “So many dogs are being returned from their adoptions during COVID. They are not easily adoptable. It’s a huge problem,” she claimed. Best Friends, an animal welfare nonprofit organization, will review the business inside the shelter. The agency is also supposed to implement reforms before the year ends.
Prince George’s County Animal Services and the SPCA are now providing vaccination and microchip clinics to ensure health security for those not yet infected.
