Memphis shelter had ties with dogfighters
Some staff members of the troubled city-run animal shelter in Memphis have had ties with dogfighting rings, an outside study of the shelter concludes.
The review of operations at the Memphis Animal Shelter, conducted by a Rotary Club committee, concludes that the city has an “attitude that animals are disposable,” that employees have operated outside the rules, that record-keeping is poor, and that little screening of potential adopters takes place.
It names no names, but the report does seem to infer that some employees at the shelter served to supply dogfighting operations with pit bulls:
“The vast majority of dogs brought in to the shelter are pit bulls. Therefore, the potential for criminal activity is very real, and the checks for criminal background must be made. There should be a record of this with each adoption, available for audit,” said the report.
Among employees, the report said, “there remains the clear understanding … that certain individuals are exempt from the rules … The employees at every level, while not willing to say so on the record, will readily volunteer that there has been a relationship between certain individuals and the illicit dogfighting rings in the community.”
The 22-page report was delivered this week to Mayor AC Wharton, according to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.
The committee also plans to turn the report over to the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office raided the shelter in October of 2009, and found abused or neglected animals. Three dogs, including the one pictured atop this post, were so starved and emaciated they didn’t survive.
The shelter’s director Ernest Alexander was fired and, along with veterinarian Angela Middleton and administrative supervisor Tina Quattlebaum, indicted on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.
This year, another Memphis Animal Services officer was fired after a dog died of heat stroke during the two hours the officer took to pick the dog up and return to the shelter.
The city closed its old shelter this month, and opened the new Memphis Animal Services shelter this week. It’s already full, officials report.
Posted by jwoestendiek November 18th, 2011 under Muttsblog.
Tags: abuse, abused, adoptions, animal services, animal shelter, committee, dogfighting, employees, investigation, memphis, neglect, neglected, pit bulls, rescues, review, rings, rotary club, screening, shelters, staff, starved, study, tennessee
Comments
Comment from vida
Time November 18, 2011 at 8:52 pm
It’s a sin and a shame, too many shelters are run like killing camps and the lack of accountability to the tax payers who fund this mess is outrageous. I don’t agree with the call to privatize, unless a well run charity group or non profit is in charge. That’s been tried and with a for profit company it’s cheaper to kill than save.
Comment from jt waldie
Time November 20, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Mayor AC Moore has known for years about this shelter and has done nothing about it. If I were a betting person, I would be willing to bet he has his hand in the dog fighting situation. I also read somewhere that AC Moore is going to have this shelter investigated. WHAT A CROCK! Why now when the horse is out of the barn? HE HAS KNOWN OF THESE SITUATIONS FOR YEARS and to date has done nothing about it. FIRE MOORE AND GET SOMEONE IN HIS PLACE WHO CAN ACTIVELY DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SHELTER! Citizens of Memphis-take a stand and oust this monster!
Comment from Georgette
Time December 9, 2012 at 8:04 pm
STOP DOING THIS! THEY ARE GOD’S CREATION AND HAVE FEELINGS!!! STOP BEING EVIL.. DEVILS!!!
Comment from William Posey
Time December 9, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Memphis depends upon tourist to support the city. If an animal activist group were to threaten boycott of their “fair city” they city commission might see the light. Loss of revenue is a powerful weapon.
Comment from SANDY DOLLARD
Time November 18, 2011 at 10:28 am
Thanks for posting this. This shelter has been anything but shelter for several, several years and it has got to stop! The kill rate is higher than any other – they need to privitize the thing and GET IT OUT OF CITY OFFICIAL’S HANDS – since they obviously have no way to properly monitor activities there.