Editor,
Regarding the story, “Group presses Peninsula Humane Society over euthanasia” in the June 16 edition of the Daily Journal, the article states that PHS’s euthanasia rates have decreased since the 1970s. This is true for every public shelter in the nation so it hardly makes PHS unique.
What has not changed is the way behavioral assessments are done. Staff are holding on to outdated methods that research has shown are invalid in determining the animals true temperament. Fluffy, abandoned and chained to a tree, was “assessed” at the height of his fear and stress, while afflicted with a swollen muzzle and in a malnourished state. It is unsurprising he might initially growl at dogs and stiffen around food while also being described as friendly. Killing Fluffy at the speed PHS did, under these conditions, is nothing short of inhumane, and is a regular occurence.
The three to four individuals overseeing assessments for close to 20 years must be reassigned. Likewise, PHS does not adhere to the industry standard of getting every dog out of the kennel daily which recognizes that animals rapidly deteriorate when isolated in kennels. There are far too few volunteers to ensure the dogs get out and PHS refuses to adopt the modern practice of play groups for getting large numbers of dogs out at once.
PHS’s gimmick of marketing “100% of healthy and adoptable animals are rehomed” must stop. It is a direct offense to dogs like Fluffy who are simply labeled unadoptable, thus are not included in the 100%.
Chris Guio
El Granada
The letter writer is a board member for Partners in Animal Care & Compassion.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.