"There seems to be a few people lately come in to save <removed> pound but don't realise there has been wonderful people trying to do exactly that for a long time now. It's amusing to watch."
"I can understand why Council have not answered any of her emails if she is posting and shaming them. Wrong way to go about it."
"People with no idea opening their traps..."
"Where does this woman get her information. I'm with rescue and I find the rangers excellent to work with and yes if I want I'm allowed at the pound. I also know that if any pound dog needs veterinary care, they get it."
"I took her off this page as she was bad mouthing councillors and Council. We need to work together with Council not against. I don't know her or even where she came from? But not liking her attitude."
"I wonder has she been to an RSPCA shelter at all? Layout is really not all that different, I don't see anyone accusing them of not providing sufficient shelter."
"Who does she think she is?"
This is how "rescuers" speak of an advocate trying to lobby for change at a rural shit-box pound.
Meanwhile this is a quote from the Animal Justice Party (who has now been recruited by this advocate) about the same pound.
“… an impounded white labrador, caged, unprotected from the elements, no raised bed and no blanket or jacket. As the prediction of temperature as low as 1 degree overnight with wind and rain.”
The same pound being defended by rescuers, is found to be freezing dogs in the rain, and leaving them to sleep on concrete.
What is wrong with these rescuers, to be betraying the dogs, turning a blind eye to abuse, while simultaneously defending the abusers?
Should we 'work with' a council who is leaving dogs freezing in the rain? Should we defend their operations against advocates and reformers?
Of course no. We should be the worst enemy of an abusive, failing pound - not their friend.
There is no 'us' when faced with a pound harming pets. We don't 'work together' with animal abusers, or those councils who deliberately kill pets rather then implement the programs needed to stop it.
We should be talking non-stop about these abuses in the community media. We should be standing at the front door when the pound opens every day to check on their operations and document same. And again before they lock up. What is going on behind those close doors?
We must stop condemning those who advocate for pound reform because we don't like their tone - those people - the brave ones who stand up and point out abuses, those people are our friends.
We must stop fearing being 'kicked out' of these pounds as rescuers, should council face even a hint of scrutiny. We should stop enabling pounds to be death-trap, shit-holes by 'saving' the pets they would otherwise kill due to a lack of compassion or concern. We should instead be devoting our time to forcing them to implement their own rehoming program, run by compassionate staff, who care about the pets they are paid to look after. This is not optional in 2017.
When rescues would rather attack an out-of-towner for lobbying for change, rather than the pound who is torturing and killing pets - they've forgotten they're supposed to be for the animals. When rescues would rather save one pet today, and keep quiet about abuses - even defend those abuses - rather than advocate for the change that would make the pound safe and humane, then they've become part of the problem, not part of the solution.
The particular pound involved here is irrelevant, because this behaviour is happening nationwide. A handful of pound run a fully functioning adoption program. Most simply threaten to kill pets, and wait for rescuers to step in. This is abuse. We can't 'work with' these operators - we must eliminate them and reform their processes entirely.
We must change our approach of 'joining forces' with pound abusers, when we can see so explicitly that this approach of humouring and appeasing them, is not working to make pounds safer. Any acceptance of pounds abusing and killing pets must be rejected. The pets deserve so much better than this.
Are you enabling pounds to continue killing pets? Stop it. Stop it now.