Please read below the horrific story Lee Morrison tells about Miami-Dade
County Animal Services. Animals shouldn't be treated like trash! Help save the
adoptable animals of Miami-Dade by sending Commissioners letters of complaint
about Animal Services. Their email addresses are right under Lee's.
Lies from Mayor Alvarez about Animal Services
11/17/2010
From: lmorrison@theflyer.com
To: bjordan@miamidade.gov, district2@miamidade.gov, district3@miamidade.gov,
district4@miamidade.gov, district5@miamidade.gov, district6@miamidade.gov,
carlosg@miamidade.gov, district8@miamidade.gov, district9@miamidade.gov,
dennismoss@miamidade.gov, district10@miamidade.gov, district11@miamidade.gov,
district12@miamidade.gov
Dear County Commissioners and Media:
Margery Glickman is telling the truth in her post below.
I was in MDAS in July and asked to save a perfectly groomed, healthy, active,
breathtakingly beautiful owner requested euthanasia fullbred Pomerianian. I was
in the hallway by the "A" room where animals to be killed are held in cages
outside the room's door getting a litter of puppies from the "B" Ward beside it.
When I asked to be permitted to save the Pom's life as well staff informed me
they are "NOT ALLOWED TO PERMIT RESCUE OR ADOPTION OF OWNER REQUESTED
EUTHANISIA PETS." By the time I went to ask Dr. Pizano, Xiomara Mordcovitch or
Jack Galindo to rescind this horrific rule for this perfectly healthy little dog
he/she was killed - it took less than 1-minute from the time I saw the dog to
run to the front lobby and access the dog's ID# in the computer. There was zero
sense in looking further for one of the three authority figures as the dog was
already dead.
From: Glickman37@aol.com [Glickman37@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 8:50 PM
To: Glickman37@aol.com
Subject: Lies from Mayor Alvarez about Animal Services
The letter (see below) that Mayor Alvarez will be sending in defense of
Miami-Dade Animal Services contains lies. Contrary to what Alvarez claims,
Animal Services' Standard Operating Procedures for "owner requested euthanasia"
do not require Veterinary Technicians to evaluate all pets on their arrival.
Here are their Standard Operating Procedures for owner requested euthanasia:
"The ACS [Animal Care Specialist] assigned to receiving will notify you if they
have a pet whose owner brought them here to be euthanized (called an 'Owner
Requested' euthanasia or 'Owners Request'). You are required to euthanize the
animal ASAP or within 30 minutes, once the owner has signed the release form.
Enter the information in the 'Outcome' box in Chameleon immediately before the
euthanasia takes place. Complete the 'Owner Euthanasia Confirmation Form' attach
the form to the cage card and give it to the Supervisor at the end of your
shift."
These are their rules in their entirety. Animal Services has yet to document
that they have saved one animal whose owner requested euthanasia.
It's unconscionable that instead of making changes that benefit animals, Miami
Dade County employees are lying.
- Margery Glickman
According to Dr. Pizano, this is the letter the mayor's office will be sending:
Each day, between 100-200 pets are abandoned at Animal Services. Last year
that number reached almost 36,000 with 80% of those brought in as strays, many
of whom had to be held five days. The Animal Services Department works
tirelessly to save as many pets as possible through reunification, adoption and
Rescue Partners. In the FY 09/10, almost 14,000 pets, more than ever
before, were saved.
Since Dr. Pizano, a shelter expert and Cornell graduate joined us as Director in
2005, the number of shelter pets saved has more than doubled, a Volunteer
Program was created, pain medication and treatment plans were introduced and we
now have one of the largest Rescue Partnerships in the country with 62 groups
and counting. But if you ask Dr. Pizano, she will tell you that we are far
from done since 20,000 pets were ultimately euthanized last year. While
focusing on saving animals, we are also working hard on targeted spay/neuter
initiatives that will decrease shelter intake. Dr. Pizano created a
foundation whose mission is just that and we were recently named the 10th
ASPCA Partner Community that will help us save more animals in the future.
All pets are evaluated for health and temperament on arrival by Veterinary
Technicians with the exception of feral cats, who cannot be handled.
Technicians are taught to know the difference between normal and abnormal
physical exam findings and if there are questions or concerns, the Technician
writes the pet's information on the Vet Check List. There are three full
time veterinarians at Animal Services, which is open seven days a week.
One veterinarian is scheduled in the Rabies/Microchip Clinic and sees an average
of 70 patients a day, while simultaneously responsible for checking/evaluating
all the sick and injured shelter pets. The second veterinarian is
performing between 26 and 30 spay/neuter surgeries. Veterinarians are
unable to examine all pets that enter the shelter so their time is used as
wisely as possible.
Also, in the FY 09/10, 1,076 owners brought their pets to Animal Services for
humane euthanasia. If owners were declined this service because the pet
was healthy, they may have left with the pet or surrendered the pet to the
shelter for potential adoption and entered as an 'owner surrender'. Those
particular numbers are not tracked.
To learn more about Animal Services and how you can make a difference, please
visit our website at www.miamidade.gov/animals and in particular read the 4 Year
Report which we are in the process of updating. I would also
encourage you to research other shelters our size as only then can you
appreciate the monumental changes that have occurred at Miami-Dade Animal
Services.
Thank you for caring and I hope you join our efforts.
Also note: Mayor Alvarez ran the MDAS as Director of MDPD. On his watch not only
were the volunteer and rescue partnership programs dismantled, but a $1
million dollar MDAS trust fund went "missing." The fund was created by Miami
Dade citizens some of whom I know personally on behalf of MDAS. These
individuals contributed out of their own pockets and did fundraisers, etc. to
create this for the animals. Mayor Alvarez ran MDAS into the ground. The
Office of the Inspector General and Internal Affairs investigated; the HSUS was
called in; and that's when MDAS was created as its own stand-alone department
because the MDPD had done such a horrific job. To this day we're appalled
criminal charges weren't filed and that MDPD hasn't been required by
commissioners to reimburse MDAS.
Sincerely,
Lee Morrison
