Video: New School Protesters Beaten, Arrested (Again)
B&H Photo Video Sued For Gender Bias
Person Fatally Struck By G Train At 7th Avenue Subway Station
16-Year-Old Confesses To Shooting That Caught Girl In Crossfire
Sexual Harassment On Subways An "Underreported Crime"
Oreo, at the ASPCA
Despite repeated requests for clemency, Oreo the dog — a pit bull who miraculously survived a six-story fall from Brooklyn's Red Hook Houses — was put to death yesterday. But the controversy surrounding the ASPCA's decision to euthanize the two-year-old pooch remains very much alive.
Oreo suffered two broken legs and a fractured rib after owner Fabian Henderson threw her off the roof of a building. Oreo's recovery turned into a major news story, with requests to adopt the dog from far and wide (even from Gothamist commenters).
But the ASPCA deemed Oreo too aggressive to live out her life in the company of humans or other dogs, and injected her in the leg yesterday afternoon with an "overdose of sodium pentobarbital" after serving the dog a last meal of "premium quality" kibble and canned dog food, according to the Times. "We have done everything humanly possible to save Oreo's life; yet, as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Mr. Henderson, or for other reasons we may never know, she has come to a place where she can no longer be around people or other animals," the agency said in a statement yesterday. "We make this decision—and others like it-- with a heavy heart and a complete understanding that had she been treated with love and respect, Oreo's fate would be much different."
Unsurprisingly, animal rescue activists — who launched last minute efforts to save the dog — remain outraged by the agency's decision. Camille Hankins, the director of Win Animal Rights, accused the ASPCA of completing "what the animal abuser who threw her off that Brooklyn rooftop set out to do." Volunteers from cast of the TV show Rescue Ink — which has played a rather prominent role in the case of a Long Island woman accused or running a "concentration camp" for animals — even offered to take Oreo to the Middletown sanctuary Pets Alive, but the agency didn't heed the request. "This is absolutely disgusting," Kerry Clair, of Pets Alive, told the Daily News. "Why would an organization charged with guarding and protecting animals kill this dog before taking every other option?"
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
premium quality food must be Iams from Wal-mart. rip
It was all over as soon as the ASPCA said she was dangerous. In a nutshell:
- This dog is a danger to herself and others.
- Poor thing! I'll take her!
- Okey-dokey, here ya go.
- OW! She bit me! Give me a billion dollars!
- Why? How's that our fault?
- You shouldn't have given her to me if you knew she was dangerous!
- But, but....
But still. Poor dog. Rest in peace.
Except it was Pet Alive, a professional rescue organization that specializes in rehabilitating animals with severe behavior issues. They know how to handle a dog with these issues. And all you do is draw up a standard contract waiving any responsibility for physical harm or property damage caused by the animal. Boom, liabilities nipped in the bud.
The problem is the ASPCA just can't act as often or as boldly as is needed. Often it's because their hands are tied, other times it's because they've tied their own hands. And sometimes they're just lazy.
Sorry, a correction: "Pets Alive" is the name of the sanctuary. The "s" fell off somewhere.
Maybe it was more than a fear of financial liability. Perhaps it was moral liability, as well. When your own animal behaviorist says a dog cannot be rehabilitated and a second expert brought in from the outside concurs, then it's not a stretch to decide not to risk anyone else's safety, even if they're completely willing to take on that risk. We all see news stories about dogs that supposedly were completely tame and never misbehaved suddenly snapping at a child or an innocent bystander. Do you want to be the person who decided to pass a dog with known serious problems to another organization, having them believe it properly trained then learning it attacked someone once adopted? Sure, you'd be off the hook financially, but that doesn't make it any easier if you have a conscience, especially with a dog like a pit bull that has the ability to cause grievous or even fatal injury.
Try to keep up ... I know it is difficult, given the incomplete reporting including that from the NYTimes. PetsAlive was there to take her and work with her--that is their specialty. The refusal by Ed Sayres to turn her over is a display of ego run amok. And greed, since the ASPCA is skilled primarily at fund-raising and little else.
Pets Alive is a sanctuary, not experts in rehabbing. In 2007, they couldn't even properly house and care for animals:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3068497&page=1
And, the group yelling the loudest, WAR, well...they ain't much better:
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/4612/NC/US/
The ASPCA has the best EXPERTISE on this subject and should be respected for it. They didn't pour thousands of dollars and tons of time into Oreo so they could put her down. And, they have a DUTY to Oreo and to the communtiy to keep everyone safe.
For all those who are upset, go to your shelter and adopt one (of hundreds)healthy, behaviorally-sound pit bull-type dogs that will be euthanzied TODAY! If there was this much concern for EVERY animal that entered a shelter, we would see the end of killing of healthy, adoptable animals.
Seriously, if people put as much energy into saving ALL animals in shelters that they have spent on this ONE we would be in a good place.
GO ADOPT TODAY!
Henderson will probably be barred from owning animals when he is paroled, or as a condition of his probation but he will of course always be allowed to father as many children as biology permits.
We only care about cute animals.
My economics professor in college called them 'charismatic supervertibrates.' There's countless species of insects and reptiles and unappealing sea creatures that place critical roles in their respective ecosystems that the human race will basically steamroll.
Put fur on it and give it big eyes and all of a sudden its a big fucking issue.
That said, sad to see this dog put down, but they do have a point..some animals are just beyond being pets due to how badly they were being abused.
And plus, its a dog. I cried my eyes out (at 28!) when I had to put down my dog because of a brain tumor, but really now, there's other fish in the sea.
while it's wonderful so many are getting emotional about this, i bet most of them contribute to the suffering of animals in their everyday life.
hopefully they will take that compassion for this unfortunate dog and think about the cruelty that happens in the meat, dairy, leather and fur industries. factory farmed animals don't have publicity like Oreo for us to immediately sympathize and connect with so it's easy to ignore the suffering or rationalize it.
i hope this will make some people think about how they can save other animals from a terrible life like they hoped for this doggy. other animals deserve to be treated humanely, too. not just the ones we decided were too cute to slaughter for food.
Crazy talk.
I suppose next you'll be telling us most people deserve to be treated humanely too?
LOL I literally JUST finished waxing my leather boots with mink oil.
I love how militant vegan morons always use any type news to promote their crazy totally unrealistic agenda. For some reason equating meat lovers to animal abusers seem logical to them.
I suggest you study the facts.
i am assuming i am the moron you were referring to. interesting point.
anyway, i was not comparing the animal abuser to meat eaters. even a moron like me knows the difference. just trying to point out that the people who have this compassion can direct it in other ways to help end animal suffering in its various forms. even meat eating can be done in a way that contributes less to animal cruelty.
i don't know why some people get so antagonistic with those who just want a better life for all animals. so sensitive! jeez
'vegan morons always use any type news to promote their crazy totally unrealistic agenda':
What is that agenda exactly!?
To treat other beings and humans with respect!
Your 'insights' sound not only paranoid but extremely shallow.
If you saw where meat comes from, you would not question whether eating animals constitutes "cruelty."
Start with a very recent video, from a pig farm:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575305,00.html?test=latestnews
This is standard procedure in "industrial agriculture," otherwise known as "factory farming."
http://www.ua4a.org/AntiDogFighting.html
The dog was asked for a final statement before execution. It was "woof-woof".
Isnt it great that the US is so rich and problem-free that people actually get to complain incessantly about the death of a vicious out of control animal, as if its the worst thing imaginable. Living in utopia is great! Hooray for the upper-middle-class!
What?
yeah beacuse nelecting animals would totally fix self inflicted humans problems!
ZERO SUM LOGIC to discuss animal rights is just flawed logic.
the saddest part of the Oreo story is that the animal was never in the right hands, how much abuse can noble animal recieve to become that disturbed!?
Human 'inteligence' as tool for destruction!
The thing about this story that I have a hard time with is nursing the dog back to health, only to euthanize her. She was thrown from 6 stories, must have been in terrible pain. If killing her is the "humane" thing to do, why not stop her suffering. They chose to go through extensive medical treatment to heal her, and then killed her. Just sounds backwards to me.
If they had euthanized Oreo immediately, you'd have the same knee-jerk reaction from some people you're seeing now. "You can't make that decision so quickly," they'd say. It takes time to properly evaluate a dog's personality. She was probably on painkillers for at least the first few weeks, so little pain was involved. They spent three months observing, studying and evaluating her, which is why they're confident they did the right thing, unlike armchair experts who come to a snap decision that any dog including this one can be rehabilitated, even without having had any contact with the animal. Although it's not really a "decision" so much as an expression of their personal feeling that no dog should be put down for any reason. Oreo could have chomped down on somebody and still these people would say, "Well, she just needs time, she's still in pain."
jesus christ you people are suckers. this happens a thousand times every goddamn day. you act like this is a special case.
either join the animal rights wackos or go adopt a dog today.
This is NO different from the weirdos who tune into Nancy Grace and get up to go to candlelight vigils every time one little missing white girl is found dead and reported by the media. Meanwhile, hundreds disappear every year w/out so much as a mention.
Ill say it again, this is not about the dog. These people are making it about themselves.
I'd be delighted to attend the candlelight vigil if someone would throw Nancy Grace off a roof.
LMFAO.
These people are making it about themselves., Yep, they want to gather supporters, media and money off Ores's death. They are the worst people for animals. Juat as bad as the animal abusers.
You're talking about PETA, right?
Your hatred for PETA is sickening and redundant.
If the behaviorists at the ASPCA deemed her a lost cause, it probably came after a lot of discussion. They are funded by member donations and cannot afford to piss a mass of people off over one animal. Unless another group with similar resources stepped up to claim her--AC&C, Peta, etc.--it would have been foolish to release her into the custody of even the most well-meaning rescue organization.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJEksJqRvUQ
R.I.P Oreo, We all failed you.
I think it was tactically incorrect to euthanize Oreo. If so many people are willing to take it, have them sign a waiver of right to sue, and let that adoptive agency adopt the dog who will eventualy destroy Oreo, which chances are they would have. But at least nobody would be the wiser and no bad publicity because it would be out of the ASPCA's hands. That's exactly what I would have done.
This dog should have been euthanized from the very get-go. Thrown off a balcony-like six stories? What a waste of money to fix her than decide to kill her. If you are going to save the dog, then go all the way. But a dog that badly injured SHOULD have been destroyed in the beginning. The dog was probably aggressive because it was in pain.
This sounds just like what Days End Farm Horse Rescue did to their animals... They euthanized the horses and didn't respond to the offers of adoption/rescue transfers prior to the killings. Horrible. RIP Oreo... so much potential :( http://ourmaggie.awardspace.info