Rescued Dog Accidentally Euthanized By Animal Care And Control
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 16, 2014 9:45PM
The Chicago Department of Animal Care and Control and its Pilsen facility is under increased scrutiny after a rescued dog was accidentally euthanized thanks in part to a clerical error. The Better Government Association and WBBM Newsradio report on the death of Chance, a mixed-breed dog rescued by Animal Care and Control last month who was on a short track to be fostered or adopted. You can see why by looking at this short video.
But an Animal Care and Control employee failed to place Chance on the facility's "do not kill" list and Chance wound up being euthanized by lethal injection. It's the latest in a litany of incidents that have placed Animal Care and Control in the BGA's crosshairs.
The department's shelter has been criticized for everything from the cleanliness of cages housing rescued animals, to the amount of food and drink placed in bowls for them, to questionable vetting of people looking to adopt animals from the shelter and allowing dogs to run around with leashes still attached to their necks, which increases the chances they could choke on them. (Chance has a leash around his neck in the above video.)
The department has also developed a reputation for political patronage, hiring workers and supervisors who seem blase towards Animal Care and Control's mission, and has been the subject of several investigations by the Chicago Inspector General's office.
Animal Care and Control is also investigating an incident where an employee allegedly choked a dog to death using a "catch pole"—one of those poles with a noose at the end used to prevent animals from biting workers and getting them under control. In that incident, Animal Care and Control executive director Sanda Alfred told the BGA she wasn't sure how the dog died but that "the staff could have acted more appropriately than they did."
Don Levin, a businessman who has donated more than $2 million toward renovations at the city pound, said the most recent instances are indicative of a larger problem at Animal Care and Control but added the department is far better than when he originally became involved.
"(I)t’s not a problem of one dog, it’s systemic problems. . . . Part of why I’m putting my money in is to make" the facility better for the dogs, cats and other creatures that end up there."