keep it short and catchy - e.g. Stop Workplace Bullying
Hamilton Animal Control shares space with the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA, although Animal Control is a completely separate organization, run by the city of Hamilton, Ontario Canada.
This city pound is 'high kill', where even the healthy animals taken in are routinely euthanized within 72 hours of admittance. This includes pregnant cats, kittens, young and old.
They do not offer any public adoptions, but thanks to staff who care, some rescues from other cities are allowed to take a few that they can find homes for (either fosters or permanent adoptions). Even this is in jeopardy according to rescuers who try to help as the city managers are offended by public condemnation of their practices.
Hamilton city bylaws allow only 2 cats per household. Pets are abandoned in large numbers.
With only a 72 hour window and no public access, the vast majority are doomed, left to suffer in their own filth until they are PTS or a rescue pulls them.
This is a cruel and needless situation when so many people want to help.
We the undersigned ask that the decision of euthanization be taken collectively by senior staff at the pound and not left in the hands of one person.
That the massive killing of healthy animals is stopped and an investigation or review is made to find out why animals are being allowed to suffer, dying slowly for 72 hours before they are euthanized with minimum medical care.
Specifically, an investigation is made into the cruelty of Jessie, a Persian cat made to suffer near death at this shelter and then rescued by AARF rescue. His suffering has been documented by this rescue and it needs to be reviewed why a shelter allowed this animal to suffer and make someone accountable.
That their vet, who gets money for every animal euthanized, instead of killing, gets some bottles of alpha interferon in there and starts treating the minute the animals come into the shelter as well as Azithromycin capsules to give EOD to stop the URTI that is, and has been a constant epidemic at this shelter.
It is cruel to take a healthy animal and then put them into an environment that will make them sick, so that their last days are spent in a metal shelter, with only their litter box or newspaper to sit on, sneezing and having trouble breathing until they are euthanized. This is cruel and needs to be investigated.
That the picking up and killing of pets found roaming outside be stopped. That when found, these cat's owners have the opportunity to find their animals by going on line and making public the pictures of the found animals and where they were found. How many citizens of Hamilton are not aware of this shelter and lose their loving pet because the animal was euthanized without any lost or found page made public. This is cruel and needs to be investigated.
That a policy of trap, neuter and return (TNR) be implemented in place of scheduled killing.
A low cost spay and neuter be made available to the citizens of Hamilton to help curb the pet population.
That the fees for reclaiming an animal are reduced; and that the pound is opened up to the public for adoption at least a few days a week.
Thank you for reading this letter and signing this petition. A rescue group will send this petition to the City of Hamilton for review.
