[Dailydrool] An un-reassuring call from the Humane Society

[Val Brewer]

I will not beat this story to death (bad choice of words). The Humane Society phoned me today in response to a letter that I wrote to them, their executive director, and the president of their board of directors outlining the sad story of the pitbull next door. The phone call was not uplifting. The representative told me that their hands are tied--legally they cannot go onto an owner's property past the front door of the house without a warrant, even if they see that a dog is near death and starving. That they must leave a note for the owner asking the owner to take the dog to a vet. They can return in 24 hours to see if the owner has complied, but they cannot take the dog without permission. They hope that owners will give them the dog under the threat that a cruelty complaint will be prosecuted against them. But if the owner chooses to shoot the dog after the HHS visit instead, that is the owner's choice and it is not illegal since dogs are property.
 And they call before investigating to "get a better idea of the situation". The representative informed me that even if the dog had remained on the premises to be investigated, the outcome would likely have been the same. This was supposed to be reassuring. So much for legal recourse. All I can say is "never again". I told the representative they would probably not hear from me again. I asked her to put a copy of my letter in the file of the owner in case his name comes up again. 
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