Where's Roscoe?

Kansas City, KS's animal shelter is in the news again this week, and KCTV5 has yet another story of a family that is being impacted by the county's corrupt and inept animal control division.

This family adopted their dog Roscoe from the KCK animal shelter back in June.  However, last month, an animal control officer came up to their home while the dog was chained up outside (something I don't support, but at least the family was home) and told them he was taking their dog because the dog was a "pit bull" that was illegal in KCK.  The officer told the woman he could tell it was a pit bull because of its high pitched bark (which is a complete new one -- I've heard a lot of crap, but that is new).

The woman's husband went to the animal shelter the next day to get his dog back -- bringing the paperwork that the shelter had previously deemed the dog a shepherd mix.  They then tried to charge the family with neglect.  That didn't stick.  They then said they were keeping the dog because it was not neutered.  The shelter has been unwilling to cooperate with the family to get their dog back, and now the dog has been in the shelter (we're assuming it's still alive) for over a month now.

Which brings up the following key points:

1) Breed specific laws are nearly impossible to enforce -- because breed ID is impossible -- especially for mixed breed dogs.  This dog was declared by the animal shelter a shepherd mix and adoptable.  An animal control officer then thought it was a pit bull.  I'll note here that shepherds and pit bulls look nothing alike...so imagine the problems in dealing with breeds that actually look similar.

2) If neutering the dog was such an issue for the Shelter, maybe they should have neutered it before adopting the animal out.  This is standard policy at most shelters...and one of the recommendations made by the task force 2 years ago that has been completely ignored.

3) Who thinks this is a wise spend of taxpayer money?  Here's a dog that was housed at the shelter, adopted out, then picked up again by animal control and has been warehoused at the animal shelter for over a month.  At a cost of roughly $38 a day to keep the dog, feed it, care for it, etc, that's nearly $1200 (and counting) of taxpayer money that is being wasted on a dog that wasn't a problem.

The system is broken. In KCK's case, it's severely broken -- on of Extreme Makeover proportions.

They have recommendations in their hands from a task force of professionals on what they could do to improve their system - -ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS READ IT. 

I hope more people in KCK come forward with their stories.  Every story that I have worked with in KCK has been similar to this one.  We should demand more from our public services -- and at the very least not make them public henderences. 

Comments

[KCK Kills Dogs]

I hope all the citizens in this very corrupt city band together and file a class action lawsuit against the Unified Govt, KCK, and the entire KCKAC. I hope they sue the crap out of the city and get every AC officer from the top down fired. Yes, Capt Horn (who won't talk to any of the task force or meet with any of the other reputable organizations that have tried to help him implement up to date animal welfare reform such as TNR for feral cats, etc.). All the officers of this AC lie, steal people's property, take people to court and fine them on false charges.

Nothing but scum work at AC. A few years back the Ethics committee reviewed the record of an unnamed AC officer that was abusing animals in his care. He was kicking and beating dogs that were in the city pound. Gee why didn't the head of AC at that time fire this animal abuser? Why did it take actions of the ethics committee to finally get rid of this employee? How many others like him/her exist down there.

The AC officers will declare anything they can get away with as a PB. I have seen some of the dogs that they confiscated first hand, they are picking up labradors, Catahoulas, and I guess now GSD mixes. I would like to know what the bonus is each AC officer receives to confiscate dogs that he/she declares are PB's to make the dept's numbers look good.

My recommendation to anyone thinking about moving to KCK in one of those nice new homes - DON'T. Anyone still living there - band together and file a class action suit. The citizens of this city deserve decent, honest, trained, caring AC officers; especially in light of all the high taxes they pay lately!!

[Caveat]

Outrageous!

This is unconscionable behaviour and it's time for a major shake-up.