As of this morning, his petfinder page is still available here.
Tiger is a 2-3 year old Pit Bull. He is friendly and energetic, and he really loves rope toys and fetchy games. Wouldn't he make a lovely addition to the family?
Too bad that Tiger was killed by Providence Animal Control (PAC). He and 20 other Pit Bulls were all "euthanized". The shelter claims it was to confine an outbreak of parvo, but appears to me that the PAC wanted a reason to kill the 21 Pit Bulls at their shelter.
All the non Pit Bull dogs are still in quarantine. They are still alive. There is still a chance that they will get to play fetchy games with a family...unlike Tiger.
Maybe PAC will prove me wrong by providing veterinary statements for those 21 Pit Bulls who were all killed. Maybe they all had a highly virulent form of CPV2 and were all symptomatic and at death's door. Maybe they did try supportive therapy, like fluids, to help rehydrate the dogs, only to find the dogs were all too far gone.
But my guess is they did not. My guess is they did not ask for supportive care treatment from area vets. My guess is they did not ask for donated fluid bags to at least TRY fluid therapy. My guess is they didn't get a lot of diagnostics done to ascertain the severity (the less severe and more common form of CPV2 has a 90% survival rate).
I'm okay being proven wrong on this one. I like to think shelters are there to help animals and will go the extra 1/4 mile to see that they survive. I like to think they don't go around killing treatable dogs based solely on their breed. So please, please prove me wrong Providence Animal Control. Please explain how 21 Pit Bulls are dead but 10 non Pit Bulls are still alive, even though they shared the same kennel space and breathed the same air as those 21 Pit Bulls.
Tiger, I'm sorry our shelter system failed you in the worst way. You deserved another 10-12 years of fetchy games and rope toys. You didn't deserve this.
Contagious diseases at a shelter are no joke, but it seems highly improbably that only dogs identified as Pit Bulls would be stricken when all the dogs shared kennel space. I have read some articles about Pit Bulls being especially susceptible to parvo, but don't know enough to know if it is true or not. I do know that the rescue I work with has had two parvo cases in the last two months, and we did not choose to euthanize either dog. Both lived. It can be done. Maybe we have better resources. Maybe these people didn't share their whole story and there were extenuating circumstance. Maybe. My previous experience with contagious disease in a shelter and the accuracy of the information given to the media leaves me doubtful.
ReplyDeleteIt seems doubly odd that the press release would detail the breed of those dogs. I wonder why they choose to do so, instead of just saying they "had" to put down 21 dogs.
It does seem strange that only Pit Bulls were killed and only that breed was mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI feel a media campaign before choosing euthanasia could have garnered attention, along with needed funds to assist in the treatment of the animals and disinfecting of the property. Parvo is a nasty disease, but unless that shelter doesn't have any Labs, Dobermans, Rottweilers or black-and-tan dogs - all breed and types more susceptible to CPV2 - then that argument is a false one. And even so, it just hurts to think 21 dogs who may have been totally asymptomatic and would have gone on to live long, happy lives were all killed. Blergh.
Please take a moment to read what Providence Animal Control did to Tyson at www.facebook.com/rip.tyson
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