HENDERSONVILLE NC No-Kill Shelter Under Fire by PETA

PETA has unleashed the attack dogs on a Hendersonville North Carolina shelter, saying that conditions are such that the shelter should be closed down.  The  shelter staff refutes those charges claiming that the shelter is the last  hope in finding a home for hundreds of these same dogs and cats.

Not knowing the facts but only relying on what has been reported a few  questions do come to mind.  First, simply the fact that the rescue uses cages to  house some of the dogs in their care is not by definition a standard that would  cause one to seek it's closure.    What PETA DOESN'T address is what they propose should happen to all the dogs  and cats currently at the shelter.  PETA doesn't do rescue nor have they  offered any of their MILLIONS of dollars in donations to assist this shelter in  improving conditions to their standard.  

Caught in the political crossfire between PETA and the shelter is of course  the animals being housed at All Creatures Great and Small.  One would hope that  IF PETA is successful in closing down this shelter that the PETA organization  take responsibility for EACH and EVERY ONE of the dogs and cats currently  being housed there.

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Animal Cruelty or Rescue Center? 

A Hendersonville, North Carolina rescue center designed to offer hope to cats  and dogs is under fire by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).   PETA says what's going on at All Creatures Great and Small is criminal  treatment of animals, but the people who care for the dogs say it's their last hope  to find a loving home. PETA sent FOX Carolina hidden camera video taken just May 20 and 22, 2004 at  All Creatures Hendersonville center.  PETA spokeswoman Laura Brown says what's  on the tape is clearly animal cruelty and deplorable living conditions.  

Brown says "for us there is no excuse for what is shown on that tape.  You can see  these poor dogs shoved in to these crates and kennels ... shaking and  bouncing up and down." Mary Dunn manages All Creatures and says the video tape is not a true picture  of what the shelter is all about.  "This is not a warehouse.  We're not in  the business of warehousing animals.  This is a temporary solution we go by the  3r's ... Rescue, rehab, and rehome." PETA sent a letter to Hendersonville's mayor and city council on June 7,  2004, listing numerous violations of North Carolina's anti-cruelty statute.  But  Dunn says the claims simply aren't true, and that "[the] animals do not live in  crates and cages."

Dunn showed us around the facility when we arrived without giving them  notice, and while we did see many dogs being kept in crates, some without readily  accessible water, we didn't see any feces or unsanitary conditions. Dunn says everything she and her volunteer staff do for these animals is out  of love.  "We're the ones that hold them and care for them and pet them and  take care of them," Dunn says.  PETA, however, stands by their claims and wants  to see All Creatures shut down.  Brown says "the real issue here is a quality  of life for these animals.  You have to see that these animals have no respite  from these cruel conditions that you see on the tape."

Dunn says "it's very disheartening and demoralizing when you're working as  hard as you know how and trying to make a difference ... I mean take a look  around ... we're not in it for the glamour and I assure you were not in it for the  money ... it's not here.  We do this because we look into their eyes and how  could you turn your back on them?" PETA says it has received an estimated 30 to 40 complaints against all  creatures ... six in the last week.  All Creatures says a black dog seen limping in  the hidden camera video is in the center being rehabilitated after being shot  in the leg.  We saw that dog during our visit and witnessed what appeared to  be ongoing rehabilitation.  All Creatures is a non-profit organization that  relies on donations and grants to serve the needs of injured and abandoned  animals.

The center was fined last year for operating without a proper license.  Right  now, the city of Hendersonville has appealed a Superior Court ruling that is  allowing the center to operate as an animal shelter. http://www.fox21.com/Global/story.asp?S=1944631&nav=2KPpNwod From the Hendersonville News - This story -  PETA: All Creatures should be shut down Jonathan Rich Times-News Staff Writer jonathan.rich@hendersonvillenews.com   A dog is shown in a cage in the video that PETA shot at All Creatures Great  and Small on May 20 and 22. (Special to the Times-News) 

People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, the world's largest animal  rights organization, says Hendersonville's no-kill animal shelter All Creatures  Great and Small should be closed for animal cruelty violations and unsanitary  conditions.  Wednesday, PETA's director of domestic animal and wildlife rescue and  information department Daphna Nachminovitch mailed Hendersonville City Council a  three-page letter describing a five- minute long videotape PETA received last month  that was said to be taken on the shelter premises on Seventh Avenue May 20  and 22.  On that tape, PETA officials say there are at least 10 instances where dogs  and cats are either injured and not receiving care or are living in what they  think are "deplorable conditions."

The letter to the City Council asked them to review the tape before they were  scheduled to vote in closed session on whether or not to appeal Superior  Court Judge Dennis Winter's ruling to overturn the Hendersonville Zoning Board of  Adjustment's decision not to grant the shelter an operations permit.  "Based on the information provided to our office about this case, it appears  that the person operating All Creatures may be an animal hoarder,"  Nachminovitch wrote in her letter to the council. "In our experience, the only effective  way to deal with hoarder situations is to seize all animals in the hoarder's  custody, file criminal charges against the hoarder if possible and, at the very  least, obtain a court settlement prohibiting the hoarder from owning or  harboring animals in the future." 

Shelter President Kim Kappler said was unaware anyone had come onto shelter  property with a concealed video camera, but after hearing about the allegations  she said they were without merit.  "We're open seven days a week and have nothing to hide," Kappler said  Thursday afternoon.  Shelter general manager Mary Dunn agreed.  "This is a rescue center," Dunn said. "We're not in a pretty building and the  place does smell, but we're doing the best we can to take responsibility for  these animals who were neglected before we got them."

Previous problems

All Creatures Great and Small has operated at 1050 Seventh Ave. since  November 1999. The facility houses 300 dogs and 150 cats and, like all animal  shelters in the state, is to register with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and  pass an inspection in order to operate.  Last year, All Creatures paid a $2,500 fine to the N.C. Attorney General's  office for operating without a proper license.  All Creatures failed a previous inspection and appealed that decision in  September 2001. In August 2001, state officials ordered All Creatures to close  because of overcrowding conditions and other problems investigators deemed  violations of health and animal welfare laws. 

A stay of operations was granted in October 2001, allowing the organization  to operate only until homes were found for all its animals under the condition  that it accepted no new pets for adoption. 

On April 2, 2003, an administrative judge in Raleigh dismissed all legal  action against All Creatures and the "no-kill" organization continued operations  under an agreement with the Department of Agriculture, although it still lacked  the proper certificate of registration to operate as a regular animal shelter.  The organization appealed a ruling by the Hendersonville Zoning Board of  Adjustment in October against the nonprofit organization's application to be  considered a shelter facility and stay in operation. 

City Council Attorney to Appeal

 Last month Judge Winner ruled against the Zoning Board's decision and ordered  All Creatures be given a permit to operate as a shelter. Thursday night,  Hendersonville City Council met in closed session for 43 minutes before deciding  City Attorney Sam Fritschner will appeal the latest legal turn of events.  "We feel the judge made an error in interpreting the ordinance," Mayor Fred  Niehoff said after the City Council returned into open session. "We have never  been against All Creatures, the real issue is in regards to procedures. As far  as we're concerned, there are just too many problems and many organizations  have complained about how the shelter is being run."