RESCUED WITH LOVE INC.

http://companionanimalnews.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/believing-their-own-propaganda.pdf

Sent to us this week was an article written for The Veterinarian, a magazine for vets obviously, the two page story is on Brindle and the disgraceful behaviour of The Lost Dogs Home.  Ironically it has been written by a vet, Dr. Harry Corbett, who, like many others find the issue of 'please send money, we are all about the animals and the rotten owners' he delves into the tragic case of "Brindle" an 8 year old dog who was killed by the Lost Dogs Home DESPITE the family's multiple attempts at trying to retrieve her.

Breaching the Code of Practice by NOT keeping the dog for a mandatory 8 days before killing her, CEO of the Lost Dogs Home Graeme Smith actually offers the owner of Brindle Ms. Sharon Bierman money.

From the article above -

On Thursday February 25 - 3 days after a local paper (Frankston Standard Leader, Feb 22 2010) revealed to Frankston residents Sharon's story under the headline "You Killed Our Dog" - Sharon missed a call from Smith, a call she was promised the first week of January.  Phone records indicate she returned the call at 10.32am.

"He asked me what I wanted out of this and I told him I want to know what is going to happen to the people at the pound that made the big stuff up and what he was going to do about the woman who was so rude and hung up on me."

It was clear to Smith that Sharon had missed the drift of his call.

"He then asked me again what do you want and asked if I wanted money for pain and suffering and how much, I could not beleive that he thought it was going to be that easy for him than to just hand me moeny.  I told him I am not doing this for money, I do it for Brindle that should still be alive and for myself and the children, we deserve to know the true details and for him to just tell me that he wasnt told that two people tried getting her out of the pound and he was not told til two months after and then offering me money is just not good enough."

Smith was not deterred.

"He told me to consider the money and asked if he could ring me back the next day to see if I had changed my mind and how  much I wanted.  I told him don't ring me unless you got some information to what happened to Brindle."

Still Smith perservered.

"He said well why don't you ring me back tomorrow then and let me know how much you want and with that gave me his personal phone number.  I was very angry after that call and just sat in the car crying and thinking about Brindle who was so easily killed and Graeme thinking that money would make us forget about what happened to a dog that was a big part of our lives for 7 years."

The article then goes on to mention that the money offered was probably from the 10 million the Home takes from the public in donations.

Again and again we see the poor management techniques, the questionable conduct of those running the LDH and many of it's staff, the lengths that have been taken to snuff out any public discussion and the convenience killing of animals such as Brindle.

We must remember these points.

1. Brindle was supposedly killed because she had a heart murmur and arthritis.  When we hear from LDH staff about the killing sprees one must question as to whether the staff would actually take the time to find a medical issue with a dog before killing it.  And why would Brindle, a large brindle crossbreed dog be remembered?  You can be assured the animals killed last week, last month or last year there would be no record of why all of them had their lives taken.   This is a most questionable scenario at best.

2. This is the largest Pound we have in Australia.  They take over 200 dogs a week.

Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to why there are only TWELVE dogs up for adoption today? 

3. The largest Pound in Australia operates as a hi kill facility despite numerous complaints from animal welfare experts and the public.  Sent into damage control last October due to their kill rates being published, the LDH have become more determined to hide how many they kill, as they ask the public to donate funds to them for those they are actually exterminating.

4. Is this the first case of a mistaken death by the Lost Dogs Home?  One must seriously wonder the impact this has had, and what new proceedures have been put in place to see this will not happen again.

5. A bribe for Sharon Bierman to go away.  Ethics scream at this fact, and the fact that this article has been published to be seen by Graeme Smith's fellow vets.

We wish Sharon Bierman the very best in getting the truth from an organization that shrouds itself in mystery and closed doors.  From the Board who refuse to do anything to the staff who were so rude to her, she has fought hard for justice for her dog and for her family.

If Graeme Smith had had the decency to call her, go and visit her and give his heart felt apologies at the time that it happened, he probably wouldn't be in the position he finds himself today.  And he only has himself to blame.  We will watch on with interest.