November 16,2008 N.C." they euthanize with a heart stick in animal's cage in front of other animals" Could this be true?

Here is the latest group of babies who will die Monday morning. Very few of the animals make it out of this shelter alive. Please take a look and help if you can. http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NC523.html If you can help, please call the shelter and leave a message and also contact the volunteer. The volunteer has info on low cost vetting and boarding. I believe there is minimum transport help, although she tries her best. You must contact the shelter before 8 am on the animal's last day as they euthenize, with a heartstick in the animal's cage in front of the other animals, before they open for the day. Robeson County Animal Shelter is located at St. Pauls, NC between Fayetteville and Lumberton off Interstate 95. Robeson County Animal Shelter 255 Landfill Rd St. Pauls, NC 28384 Phone: 910-865-2200 Volunteer: robesonpets@nc.rr.com THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SHELTER'S EUTHANASIA PRACTICES IN THE PAST. http://www.animallaw.info/cases/causnc2004wl1091902.htm Published on: 2004-02-07 Complaints bring PETA group to Robeson pound By Venita Jenkins Staff writer LUMBERTON - Officials with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were in Robeson County this week after receiving complaints about the pound. Someone complained that animals were inside the cages when the cages were hosed down and cleaned, and that animals were being killed in front of each other, PETA officials said. Daphna Nachminovitch, director of the Domestic Animal Issues and Abuse Department at PETA's head office in Virginia, and one other official were in the county. They spent two days touring the pound and reviewing how animals are killed. "There are really good things and there are some things of concern. Those things will be put in writing,'' Nachminovitch said. "I am thrilled that the animals are indoors and in a warm facility.'' She said there are concerns about the possible spread of disease. The animals are hosed down in their cages and left wet. They also sit in the chemicals that are used to wash the cages, she said. A report outlining concerns and recommendations will be presented to the county Health Department within a week, Nachminovitch said. The recommendations will be basic, such as placing animals in a different section while their cages are cleaned. "These are not extreme suggestions. I think they will actually be surprised at how much more efficient it will make the cleaning, which now takes about three hours. I think we can cut that time,'' Nachminovitch said. It will be up to Health Director Bill Smith to determine whether to implement the suggestions, she said. Smith said he will have to see the report before he can say whether any of the recommendations are feasible. He said it would be difficult to have separate rooms for euthanizing the animals. Pound officials no longer euthanize the animals because of previous complaints. A veterinarian now does the procedure. Housing conditions for the animals have improved considerably compared with three years ago. The animals used to be kept in the former Baird's Veterinary Hospital on Elizabethtown Road. There were problems with the cleanliness of the pound. A videotape obtained by The Fayetteville Observer in December 2000 showed what appeared to be a freezer that was stuffed with dead animals and unsanitary food and water bowls. "If we are going to compare it to what it used to be, then certainly the fact there is a building where the animals are separated and not fighting over food is very important,'' Nachminovitch said. "The basic things now - there is a roof over their heads, they are not freezing, they are not exposed to the elements and they each have their own food bowl - makes the world of difference.'' It is evident the staff cares deeply about its work, she said. Animal adoptions are another area where pound officials may want to make changes, Nachminovitch said. She said the $5 adoption fee is too low. The typical adoption fee is $50 to $60. "You can get a burger for $5. When you get an animal, you are getting, hopefully, a friend for life,'' she said. Steps must be taken to ensure that animals are spayed or neutered, Nachminovitch said. In most states, animals adopted from shelters must be spayed or neutered within 30 days. Smith said an increase in fees would have an adverse effect on adoptions. "Conversely, when you give them up for $5, you are only increasing the population in many cases,'' Smith said. "The board of health and commissioners could raise fees overnight, but it would dramatically decrease the adoption of these animals.'' Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayettevillenc.com or (910) 738-9158. Very nice dogs! Here are just a few: Ross, retriever mix Lila, retriever/spaniel mix Tully, retriever mix Noel, shepherd mix Josh, shepherd mix Heather, shepherd mix Ellie, retriever mix, about 10 wks old Murphy and Jackson Available 11/16, Last Day 11/18 Josh Dahrma