Animal Abuse In Animal Shelters

"In a disturbing video, however, an animal shelter in Memphis was exposed for actually inflicting the very things that we have come to believe shelters are protecting animals from. Some of the allegations and photos show dogs being muzzled for eight hours without food and water and one dog with an embedded collar left untreated for days. These are examples of workers violating city policies, and it's happening elsewhere. Abuse at animal shelters, is something on the rise."

We tend to think that animal abuse only happens by some weirdo at their home. What we don't expect is that the dogs that are being rescued and housed by animal control, a government agency, are being abused.

I have heard countless stories of animal abuse at animal control. I've been in shelters where the dogs are starving, covered in flies, injured... and the government workers just walk on by. And good luck exposing the crimes and getting the abusers fired, fined and imprisoned. The average citizen can't do this... it is up to the police to do something about it... only the police have the power... but will they do it? Will they investigate other government workers?

Imagine a traumatized dog being brought into a government shelter, only to be tortured to death. Yes, it is happening.

All shelters should have full time web cams on all their operations. Full time security cameras in all areas, and requirements to keep the recordings. Even the area where the dogs are euthanized should be open to the public to view what's going on. And accurate statistics need to be kept of the condition of all the dogs.

If we treated zoo animals or farm animals the way we do dogs and cats in shelters we'd be appalled. The time for change... and criminal convictions... is now.