Descrizione
There have been reports of Animals not being properly cared for by the Meriden ACO's. The complaints are Abuse, neglect and starvation. Please look into this.
Segnalatore
There have been reports of Animals not being properly cared for by the Meriden ACO's. The complaints are Abuse, neglect and starvation. Please look into this.
85 Commentos
kcoolahan (Ospite)
B) Dogs get stressed out when they are put into a new situation, especially in a kennel environment with lots of other smells and other stressed dogs barking and crying.
C) I have seen an incredible amount of dogs taken in by MAC that were in horrific condition and they always make a turn-around if they are healthy. Dogs come in with fleas, worms, emaciated, starved.
D) How is it that someone has a picture of this particular dog BEFORE he was at MAC? Was he not a stray? Should whoever had this photo gone and claimed him if they even remotely cared about him?
E) Their food bowls get filled to the rim twice a day, more than most people in Meriden feed their dogs in a week.
F) No, they are not exercised outside of their kennels very often as to help keep diseases away from other animals. If they were all let out into one yard, whatever diseases/parasites one dog has would easily transfer to another.
G) If you are going to criticize a dog pound who keeps alive more dogs than most other high-kill pounds ever would, you should do some research about how to properly run a disease free and safe shelter for dogs and also do some research on the stress that dogs endure when abandoned by the people they would die for.
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
MAC Kills dogs For Fun (Ospite)
kac (Ospite)
Mary Mushinsky (Ospite)
kac (Ospite)
kac (Ospite)
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CT79.html
If you are so concerned about the dogs, take note at the effort that volunteers do on the website to get these dogs adopted. That's more than most high-kill dog pounds do.
@Mary- I completely agree with you.
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
kac (Ospite)
Lifesaver. (Ospite)
Yes, dogs loose weight at pounds, they get sick- Sorry, it happens. No one likes it, but it does. Honestly, there is little funding to take care of sick dogs that may get euthanized.
The key to this is not to "shut down animal control" or sue- The key to this is to support animal rescues who will work WITH the pounds and GET THE DOGS OUT OF THERE!!! I find it unlikely that in a kennel of 30 dogs, one was starved and the rest look fine. Or maybe there were two skinny dogs- hey, I would say somewhere like 10% of dogs do not do well in kennel situations. But if there are some dogs that are NOT skinny- then it is likely the dog. They may be stressed and not eating, simple. When they get out of the pound, they eat, they gain weight, they are happy. So instead of blogging Miss Shriver, go out and rescue a dog. Go get one out of a bad situation and put it in a good situation. Go take a dog from the pound, open your home. Don't just complain about other people.
Frank C (Ospite)
Joe B (Ospite)
Lifesaver. (Ospite)
A vet can say a dog was starved, the difficult thing to say as a vet is to say "this dog was starved because this dog was NOT fed"- The dog could have SELF starved, due to stress or any other conditions. Dogs put into a situation where they are stressed and depressed, do not eat. Then they starve. It does NOT mean that someone intentionally starved them.
Again, the Meriden Humane Society has a chance to vaccinate and get medical care for their dogs, the pound does not have that option. And to make it more clear, NO ONE, NO SHELTER, is exempt from problems with parvo or distemper, or any other medical issues. The Meriden Humane Society is no different. However, if they were to have an outbreak, they do not have to make it public. They do not take in dogs that belong to people (strays that can be reclaimed), they could just shut their doors and deal with the problem. ALL SHELTERS HAVE A RISK OF DISEASE OUTBREAK. As a result, all infectious disease protocols should be followed. Even if the Meriden Humane Society has NEVER had a disease outbreak, which is highly unlikely, even the best shelters do, they should still follow protocol and not place dogs that have not seen a vet together and walk them, exercise them, in the same yards as dogs who are vetted and vaccinated. They are a private organization, they do not have to answer to the general public unless they choose to. Big difference.
The Department of Agriculture would conduct an investigation according to their laws, not according to how friendly they are with the officer in charge. The Department of Agriculture would certainly go in and prosecute if there was a kennel of 30 starving dogs. Since that does not exist to the best of my understanding, they will investigate according to the cases. I just feel it is unlikely that the pound skipped feeding one or two dogs for two weeks, however fed all the others.
Brian (Ospite)
Well how about what the an employee said when someone asked why the dogs looked so thin and he replied, "why should I get on my knees to feed these dogs? They are just going to die soon anyway." How would you explain countless witness reports of dogs with feces matted to their fur? Why do dogs from the Hartford animal control get adopted and fostered yet in Meriden they do not? Perhaps its because the Sherry at in Hartford actually gives a crap. If a dog is not eating due to stress he should be sent to the vet that is at MAC's disposal.
There is actually a law going into effect Oct 1st that the dept of Ag must investigate these claims. Currently they do not have to.
Lifesaver. (Ospite)
If someone said that, they should not be working in animal control, or with animals in general. I am just saying, check your facts. A lot of things could be misunderstood, made up by people that are upset over other issues, or exaggerated. I am not defending comments, just encouraging people to think reasonably. Check your facts. I will say this again, does it make any sense that someone would walk down a line of kennels and neglect to feed one or two dogs? Consistently skip the same dogs? Unlikely.
I see Meriden has decent bios up on petfinder, and there seems to be an effort. If people are upset about dogs not getting adopted, why don't they go down to the pound, take some pictures and help with adoption efforts rather then complaining? My question that I pose to you, is what are you doing?
I have seen thin dogs at Hartford/Newington facility, where Sherry works. I have seen matted dogs there. And if dogs are getting fostered, I bet its not through the city, it's through an organization that Sherry works with. So, get Meriden some help rather then just criticizing them.
My thought is that the ACO noted the dogs were thin, however, maybe they had interest, maybe someone wanted to adopt them, so the dogs were held. Cities DO NOT have money for diagnostics, not Hartford, not Meriden, not any city I have heard of. So, the dog would have likely been humanely euthanized. Perhaps the ACOs were giving them extra time to get adopted. I agree, a thin dog should be taken into the vet. This was wrong, dogs should not be in these conditions. But if it meant a home was waiting to take these dogs in, then I am glad they did not get put down. I agree, dogs should be taken into a vet if they are thin, if they are not eating. However, if someone is willing to spend money, and there is just a few days before that dog can have a chance, to me it is worth waiting.
I think people should go and make a difference in an animal's life, and do something productive rather then sit behind the comfort of their computer and make allegations. I know I make a difference in the lives of several animals, because I do it directly.
Lifesaver. (Ospite)
I would check your source- if someone said that, yes, it should be addressed. I am not defending anyone who made any comment like that. I have never seen that at Meriden. I have witnessed them feeding dogs. I have seen them walk down through the kennels with their big bin of food. The one comment no one addresses is that it makes no sense why they would skip feeding one dog, and feed the others. And no offense, I have walked through Hartford Kennels at Newington, and I have seen some pretty skinny dogs. I have seen some pretty damn matted dogs. I have seen dogs in Meriden get adopted, I see their website has great bios-
If a dog is not eating due to stress, it should be sent to the vet. But people should know that the city does not have money for diagnostics. No city does, not Hartford, not Meriden, not any city I have ever heard of. So, the dog will be sent to the vet and euthanized. I am just trying to voice the opinion that maybe they were giving the dogs a chance, they looked skinny, but instead of just euthanizing them, maybe they had someone interested in taking them and saving them, so they did not take them in to get put down right away. Now in the future, they might not get a few extra days. Lets hope they do.
sunshine girl (Utente registrato)
FatZack (Ospite)
LifeSaver, KAC or whichever name you would like to use. You constantly come here misinformed and accusing others of prejudice against Meriden Animal Control.
For one, its by state law that if a City wants to act in a capacity of Animal Control such facility is required to contract with a veterinary clinic.... BY LAW. Simply state says: If you don't have the capacity to take care of the animals, don't be in the business of running an Animal Control Facility.
Second, you make it sound since that it is not a high kill-facility (what ever that means) that people should turn a blind eye to the mishandling of the animals, which leads me to believe that your opinion is biased. Let me point out, that people on here merely want the matter investigated by the city, and not to feather and tar Bryan Kline, Jim Barnes and Fatthew Zakrzewski. Also, this is not an issue where one or two people are complaining there are tens of people, who are sick of putting up with MAC and its exposure the taxpayer to lawsuits.
Third, ACOs job is not only to run around the town with a catch-pole and catch strays. There are other ways that dogs end up at the facility, some are quite loved.
Fourth, fine, so the dogs are not exercised to prevent the transfer of diseases. How come parvo cases visit Meriden Animal Control more often that a helping hand with some dog food in it? Let me teach you some more about state laws which apply to Animal Control facilities, when dogs of questionable health arrive at the facility, BY LAW, they are required to be in separate kennels to prevent exposure to otherwise healthy dogs. So how come when there is a case of parvo it always wipes out a number of dogs at MAC??
It's simple, MAC has not control over their facility. There are constant complaints against them, lawsuits, and issues with the officers. If you cant do something and constantly fail at it... DO NOT DO IT!
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
kac (Ospite)
1. None on here is defending anyone. I simply stated what I have personally seen with my own eyes on the several occasions that I have been there. It's an opinion and I am entitled to mine.
2. I never once stated that they do not euthanize dogs. I know they do and I am not against it. Some dogs are not adoptable. There are too many dogs that need homes for every rescue/animal control facility to be a sanctuary. There are dogs that should NOT be adopted out.
3. Have you seen the kennels? They are all separate. No dog shares a kennel with another dog. The fact that they do not have a separate room for quarantine is not their fault, you can take that up with whoever built the facility.
4. Tens of complaints... Not hundreds, not thousands?
5. Considering everyone is making such a big deal about the parvo and less of a big deal about the "starving" of dogs, let's talk about that. As I stated previously, they HAVE individual kennels. The city of Meriden is filled with irresponsible dog owners who do not properly care for, or vaccinate their dogs. Puppies and elderly dogs, dogs with weakened immune systems are easily susceptible to the parvo disease. It is clearly in the city of Meriden, running rampant with the summer weather, thriving in the ground. When they hose down the kennels, there is a possibility that it can be aerosolized and that is something that cannot be helped. EVERY rescue/animal control facility deals with parvo at some point.
6. They do have a vet and they do use them. They do however, have limited funding for the dogs. Nothing gets done with the dogs until their stray hold is up. The dog is not property of MAC until it's time to get claimed is over. This is how most Animal Control facilities work. Do people agree with it? No. But this is how it is handled. There are way too many animals out there to fall in love with every single one. I have come to learn this.
7. Have you taken a look at the city of Meriden in general lately? It is not by any means a wonderful town with wonderful people prancing down the side of the road holding hands and jogging with their dog. I am very happy and relieved that I moved away. The city in general is not a good place.
Are there things that could be done differently? Yes. If Matt cannot disinfect properly, he should be retrained or replaced. I am not against having it looked into, I am simply stating what I know, what I have seen. Good for you if you get it looked into and things change for the better. There is no need to start bashing and criticizing strangers. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
And no, I am not Lifesaver as well :)
Lifesaver (Ospite)
Cara- Educate yourself before you go saying that other people do not know what they are talking about. I am not saying this should not be looked into, I am just stating that the allegations seem exaggerated and some of the people making complaints are way off. Frankly, some of the postings I have seen should result in people getting sued. (not on this website, on the City of Meriden website) It actually may end that way, and if there is something going on that should be looked into, people are loosing all credibility by the way they are going about it.
Just a side note:
You claim MAC cleans poorly because they have had a parvo outbreak? Do you consider Guide Dogs for the Blind an irresponsible organization? They recently had a parvo outbreak, and I would guess that you do not go and criticize them. http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?pagename=about_parvo
I also am not saying they are perfect. I do not think any animal control can be perfect- there is always room for improvement. So, why not go in there and help, make a difference? I saw the complaints about the petfinder page, for all the complaining people did for weeks, they could have built a petfinder page for them. Instead of complaining and ripping people apart, go there and take a dog home to foster. Its great you already do it, keep doing it, and save a dog from there.
You can consider my opinion as biased as you want, I consider your opinion uneducated and uninformed. Your statements before were just saying people didn't know anything, but you clearly don't understand how animal control works.
Jason Frederick (Ospite)
Bonnie Jordan (Utente registrato)
Marcus (Ospite)
Larry Kendzior (Ospite)
Marcus (Ospite)
larry kendzior (Ospite)
Your response is a disservice to the concern that you purportedly want to see resolved. This site should be used to raise issues and provide information on problems that need to be addressed, not to engage in juvenile rhetorical challenges. Nonetheless, and anticipating that it is futile to try to accomplish something useful with someone who hides behind the anonymity of the internet, here is my response. Anyone reading this who wants to discuss the matter further can contact me at the number listed above.
1. I met with the Animal Control Officer and the Police commander with supervisory responsibility for the animal control facility to review the issues that have been raised concerning the operation of the Animal Control facility and get their response.
2. I discussed the conditions at the facility with the Director of Health and other city personnel who have inspected the facilty recently.
3. We contacted the veterinarian who treated the dog that had been adopted by a Massachusetts resident to get further information on the opinion expressed in the letter written by the veterinarian concerning the condition of that dog at the time the dog was adopted.
4. I met with an individual who had various other information and complaints to present concerning the operation. That individual brought with him the owner of the dog who had been confined to the facility for 14 days and who had complained after the dog was released that it was not fed properly.5. We arranged for unannounced visits to the facility by City elected offiicials as requested by the individual with whom we met as outlined in number 4.
6. I made a change in the police commander with supervisory responsibility for the Animal Control Facility to ensure there was no appearance of a conflict of interest due to the relationship of the previous police commander and one of the facility employees.
7. I met again with the Animal Control Officer to review the issues that had been raised and reinforce the need to ensure that proper procedures were being followed for the care of the animals in the facility.
8. We arranged for a future evaluation of the facility and its operation by the an official of the ASPCA and the Supervisor for Animal Control for the State of Connecticut Department of Agriculture. When that evaluation has been completed, we will take further action as needed depending on the results of the evaluation.
Mary Mushinsky (Ospite)
Marcus (Ospite)
One specific action does stand out, and its transfer of Police Commander whose family member works for the Meriden Animal Control. Its quite unfortunate that, its a reactive action rather than proactive. Complaints had to be filed to see the blatant ethics issue here? And of course if the city wasnt under the investigation for nepotism, this item would most likely would read as "I have talked to Police Commander about the issue."
It begs to ask, what specific actions have been taken to remedy this issue? What proactive steps have been taken to prevent this from happening again?
Am I expecting to hear answer to this, not at all. It will be the usual "We are working on it" with the hopes that people will eventually forget this. And I promise you that it will not happen, unless there is a clear resolution to all the misbehavior allowed among the ranks of officials in Meriden.
For some unknown reason you are persistent to know my identity, and I have an idea why, having it under good authority that Meriden Police is quite interested in squashing this as well, by any means necessary. However if you would like to know my name is Marcus, people call me Mike for short, and last name is Listoris, hopefully that will bring peace to you.
NoonyaB (Ospite)
TonysBrother (Ospite)
Frank Ross (Ospite)
http://www.erecordjournal.com/ee/recordjournal/publink.php?shareid=073953ddf
MrHennessey (Ospite)
disgruntled meriden resident (Ospite)
BigTone (Ospite)
Rick (Ospite)
Bianca Mortoni (Ospite)
Ullman (Ospite)
Steven G. (Ospite)
H. Jablomeh (Ospite)
H. Jablomeh (Ospite)
J. Paul (Ospite)
Mark Garrings (Ospite)
Roberta S. (Ospite)
Jason Frederick (Utente registrato)
John S (Ospite)
Monica (Ospite)
Monica (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
Then you will have no problem identifying yourself. State dinged MAC for the water issue in their latest ANNOUNCED review of the facilities... so there.
Since you have the inside info then who is gunning for this 40K job, please enlighten us all.
I bet Larry Kendzior, didn't expect people to follow up on the absurd things he wrote here. And now he is nowhere to be found.
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Jason Frederick (Utente registrato)
btw - you said, "SO THERE", you must be that officers kid that works at Animal Control with all your insider knowledge. Only a kid would say SO THERE. Whats next, I know you are but what am I? I'm rubber your glue whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. NAh nah poopoo?
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Arthur (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
You ask how a complaint such as this makes anything harder. Well I'll tell you... In New Britain a group of gals got together and thought it would be a good idea to file a complaint about their ACO (and RIGHTFULLY so) HOWEVER since the allegations surfaced and an investigation was launched the NBACO now makes it nearly impossible to get through his doors to photograph the dogs for networking purposes (let alone, make sure they are ok), making it that much harder to get the dogs out and into good loving homes before they are put down. In NB the dogs are given no more than 14 days. We are currently scrambling to save 2 dogs before they are put down simply due to laziness. In NB there are 25 kennels and a whopping 5 dogs... But according to Jimmy their time is up and although he has the space refuses to house these 2 GOOD dogs any longer. MAC does not have this issue unless they run out of space or are dealing with a dog who is aggressive.
Neither myself or my volunteers have ever once been turned away from MAC while attempting to photograph the dogs. Therefore making it reasonable to infer that MAC has, in fact, NOTHING to hide.
The problem does not lie with MAC, YET, But creating issues with ACOs makes it harder for rescues to do their jobs even when allegations are substantiated (as in NBACO's case) The simple fact is this, ACO's can determine who they will or will not release a dog to and there are organizations working hard to help these dogs being turned away because of complaints they had NOTHING to do with. If an ACO [CONTENT REMOVED BY ADMINISTRATOR] it's the animals who suffer.
In response to your statement "you must be that officers kid that works at Animal Control with all your insider knowledge." LOL I guess you've never had a professional relationship with anyone especially in the rescue world. Listen, all my insider knowledge comes from years of experience and dealing with ACO's. I founded and run a not only successful but reputable 501(c)3, USDA Licensed, Rescue organization that is well known coast to coast. I eat, sleep, breath, and LIVE rescue. It is my passion it's what I look forward to every single day when I wake up. I happen to work with MANY ACO's across the state and know neglect when I see it and I'm sorry but MAC is simply not guilty of such allegations. There is ALWAYS room for improvement (the same can be said for MHS) but when you've got a good thing, which Meriden does (with both MHS and MAC), leave it alone because you don't know how the next guy will treat these dogs.
Emma (Utente registrato)
@MeridentResident&Rescue - your posts were not deleted. They were caught in our moderation queue due to language that violates our Terms of Service. It has been posted below with the content removed.
Again, we encourage all of you to move this conversation forward instead of backwards. Please be respectful of each other.
Stan (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
arthur (Ospite)
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
Mary B. (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
1. Donated Food: MAC feeds Blue Seal food ONLY. Why upset little tummies unnecessarily? They purchase it at Meriden Feed.
2. Visiting a quarantined dog: Between 3 and 4 pm every day they are there UNLESS they are out on calls I've almost ALWAYS found someone when I've shown up unannounced. I've even found them there outside of those hours. THAT is MY experience. I can only comment on my experience with them.
From what I know the man referred to (who filed a complaint) is the one who's dog got out and attacked 2 other dogs and bit their owner causing over 10,000 dollars in vet bills alone. When the quarantine period was up and the man was allowed to retrieve his dog he was informed his dog could NOT be off his property without a muzzle from that point forward. The man became irate and proceeded to have a temper tantrum. What this man and many other people FAIL to acknowledge is that, quite frankly, had the man been more responsible a lot of this could have been avoided.
3. As far as never getting an answer or return call, In my experience I have ALWAYS had my messages returned, in fact I play phone tag at times with them because they, like me, are busy. There have also been plenty of times where I've called and gotten an answer.
4. As far as the kennel assistant... I COMPLETELY 100% AGREE WITH YOU it is a conflict of interest... and he seems pretty lazy to me... It wouldn't surprise me if he has sprayed the dogs which is unacceptable. However I've never witnessed that 1st hand.
5. About the opossum babies, I never heard of this until now but I will say this, its advice I give to ANYONE with wildlife that needs rescue NEVER call any ACO for this... Bring them to a wildlife rehabilitater. If the wildlife attendant is who I think your referring to he would have likely disposed of them as well... (NOT CONDONING this if it happened but just making a general statement) He is a pest control guy not a rehaber... It is always better to bring any animal to someone who does it because it is their passion than to someone who is paid to do it... Yalesville Vet has an amazing rehaber. That is also my experience.
6. IDK of any harassment They have never harassed me. BUT I have also never been so irresponsible that I had to have a dog put in quarantine.
7. I also do not know of a bite or the circumstances surrounding the bite with the pound's pet dog so to that I can not comment other than to say it's pretty obvious that the dog should not be allowed loose if there is a bite history... I have also never seen him out of his kennel... that is my experience.
8. As far as a dog being put in the pound for not wearing a rabies tag... That's ludicrous I'm sorry but the only thing you are required to have is the certificate and your vet will tell you that you do not HAVE to put the tag on their collars just make sure you have the certificate and that it's up to date because it the LAW in the entire state... not just Meriden.
9. And to the complaints about the dogs not being exercised IF that's the case which I can say I've never seen them exercising dogs, then they should be required to exercise them for a required amount of time every day but I do not believe the STATE requires them to do so... This isn't just a MAC problem it's a state issue.
The state does not mandate them to fulfill exercise requirements NOR do they put forth guidelines about feeding requirements... Sad but true. ACOs are required to feed the animals in their care but are not required to feed them a specific amount based on their size or number of times per day as long as they are fed once a day that is all they care about.
MAC feeds twice a day which is a HUGE upgrade from other ACOs in CT and honestly likely from the homes they were previously in before their arrival at MAC.
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Mary B. (Ospite)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
megan (Utente registrato)
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
This is a message we received today and thought we should share... Its copied and pasted and I will provide you all with the photo as well... It was forwarded to me from a friend who was involved with this adoption. PLEASE note my rescue had nothing to do with this adoption but I was lucky enough to meet this awesome guy and his new family!! Good luck handsome boy!!! <3 And Please take note of the fact that Beau does not look starved AT ALL and he's been there since March. GREAT JOB BRYAN!! :)
It is with the happiest of hearts that I share this photo of a dog that everyone EXCEPT the ACO's at Meriden Animal Control had given up on. I cannot thank BRYAN KLINE enough for his complete support in allowing me to help this dog get the chance he deserved. Beau was at Meriden Animal Control since March of 2010. No one would rescue him and everyone else said "Pitbull? Put him do...wn" Bryan and the other AC officers just could not bring themselves to put this special dog down. When I offered to help, they never hesitated. They went above and beyond to help me help him. Beau was adopted yesterday by the Rupps. A young, athletic couple who will give him the life he deserves. THANK YOU to all who helped me with this special mission.
Mary B. (Ospite)
Meg is right, Cara let the cooler heads prevail. Its obvious that MRR is making up stories.
Back to the topic, if the allegations were not true then Captain Zakrzewski wouldnt be removed from his post as they have surfaced. So there must be truth in this somewhere, and City Hall knows it.
MeridenResident&Rescue (Ospite)
Wayne D. Mane (Ospite)
Cara Shriver (Utente registrato)
Tonys Brother (Ospite)
Proud_American (Ospite)
dog (Ospite)
Jason Frederick (Utente registrato)
Jason Frederick (Utente registrato)
dog (Ospite)
megan (Utente registrato)
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