(San Bernardino) – A new Facebook page has been created to provide a database to list any dogs incarcerated at the Devore Animal Shelter that are killed under suspicious circumstances. Devore Animal Shelter is the main detention facility for abandoned or lost animals in the county of San Bernardino in southern California’s Inland Empire.
The page is called “Pups killed by Devore Shelter Staff under suspicious circumstances.” It was created by Christine Haslet, who is also the administrator of Friends of Devore Shelter Dogs and LuckyPupsDogRescue.com.
Haslet created the page after a California Public Records Act request was made by another rescuer to the county of San Bernardino, inquiring about the number of animals “accidentally” killed in 2011 where rescues had placed holds on the dogs prior to their euthanasia. In a three-page letter, signed by San Bernardino County deputy county counsel Steven J. Singley, the official response was “none.”
Rescuers have been frustrated for years over the fact they would spend time and money lining up foster care, donations, and transportation for a dog or cat they had placed a hold on only to have the transport show up and find the animal had been killed. In the case of a recent heartbreaker, Piglet, as reported in a previous story, the rescuer was in the lobby to pick up the dog and Devore staff instead killed it while the rescue was there.
After receiving the county’s response and sharing it with local media outlets, new information was received from the county specifically in reference to Piglet. This time the county claimed “Piglet: A494305 impounded on 6.2.11 condition normal with possibility of possible ringworm. 6.2.11 skin scraping taken. TEST WAS INCONCLUSIVE. 6.7.11 at 12:30, dog was euthanized.”
Ringworm will often heal on its own. If not, it is treatable and is not a condition where euthanasia is generally used.
Haslet continued to push for answers. “After asking rescues about the situation, we heard from rescues as far back as five years who have had their dogs killed before they could save them. This is an ongoing problem with no recourse, and no accountability at any level,” says Haslet.
“I felt it was important to begin to formally and publicly document the situation at Devore Shelter with regards to the suspicious killings of dogs.
“Recently we were told by Brian Cronin (head of animal control), and the attorneys for San Bernardino County−there are no accidental killing of dogs at Devore, all dogs killed were indeed ‘authorized’ to be killed. It turns out that these dogs that many of us thought were accidentally killed, were actually intentionally authorized to be killed.
“It was at that moment, we realized what we were up against. This creates a huge credibility gap with the shelter, the rescue groups and the public, creating a situation that cannot be overlooked.”
That is when Hazlet came up with the idea for the data base. Initially, it was going to consist of a separate page for each animal but someone suggested a single page documenting all of the atrocities at the shelter.
“Up until now, we have had no formal way of tying all of these deaths together, but as of this week, that will no longer be the case. Every dog that dies at Devore under suspicious circumstances will be documented, a Facebook page created.”
“We don't know how long it will take, but we will stay the course until this situation is made very public and shelter reform for Devore Shelter becomes a reality,” Haslet concluded.
The Devore Shelter has no oversight nor does it allow volunteers into the shelter, and the Board of Supervisors has refused to listen to concerns. For now, this page, along with those of the many volunteers and animal welfare workers dedicated to change, is all the animals of Devore have to document the unnecessary deaths at the shelter.
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