Animal control-type shelters question

17 years ago

Don't, or shouldn't shelters separate very young puppies from adult dogs when found? Is there any SPCA guideline or "law" about this?

I'll try to be brief: 5 days after we got our 8 1/2 week old lab, she escaped through the tiny space between chain link fence post & house (I didn't think it was possible until a co worker had just had his lab pup do same.). Since we know it happened between 4:30 & 6:00 am, no gates were open, no digging, and we have seen Great Horned Owls from the woods behind us to be really close to the house, we were gut sick but felt an owl had gotten her. I immediately called our county animal control & vet's office to be on lookout for her, although I thought it was hopeless. Co-worker suggested I call animal control for adjoining county(we are close to county line); I did; she was there!! When I went to identify/get her, she was starved & in a pen (nothing to lay on) with 5 other adult dogs! One standard Chihuahua even snapped at her when I was trying to get her out the gate.

Now she is in the "hospital" with Parvo! According to my vet's information on the incubation period, she caught it while at the "pound"! I understand that puppies are very succeptible & she had only had her Parvo immunization 4 days earlier, but I don't think the fact that she was with adult dogs or that she wasn't big enough to fight for food & was weakened helped any. I just can't BELIEVE they would put a really young puppy with grown dogs!! In talking with my vet, he said his personal opinion was that ALL animals brought in should be quarantined at least for a short time.

I understand space is always an issue but this facility just built an additional mega building. My Mattie was in the old part. Don't know what they're doing witht the newer big builging. Even my countie's understaffed, underfunded agency separates them out & actually is much cleaner.

Let me know if there are any guidelines (legal) on this, please! I guess, I should also let them know they have Parvovirus floating around in there.

BTW, this morning my Mattie was holding her own but not out of the woods yet. Say a prayer for her!

thanks

Becky

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Comments (10)

jancarkner
17 years ago
That is appalling, and I can't believe there was such terrible treatment of your (or any) pup. Is it an actual shelter, or just a rural dog-catcher holding unit? No official shelter would behave this way (at least in my area - eastern Ontario) but I think rural dog-catchers would be much less regulated and informed. Good luck - I hope things get better for you. & for the sake of any other dogs that pass that way, perhaps you can raise a fuss about the shelter.
cynthia_gw
17 years ago
It's very possible that your 9 week old puppy could have eaten feces or something else off of the ground between the time he left your unsupervised yard and the time he was picked up. How long was he wandering before animal control found him?

I'm sure that animal control knows that they have 'parvo virus floating around' because that virus is everywhere. The only thing that kills it is bleach. Outdoors, it can remain active even through freezes(!) for 5 or 6 months or more. Most adult dogs have enough antibodies to be resistant to it but can still carry it.

That's why young puppys need to be supervised so carefully until they have enough antibodies to fight off infection. Chances are none of the adult dogs in that pen were affected, only the puppy.
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becky_jean
Original Author
17 years ago
She wasn't unsupervised long as she seems to have gone to a home just across the county line & they secured her then called animal control. I am still questioning the fact that puppies aren't contained from adult dogs, regardless of the Parvo incident.
jancarkner, the shelter in question is a Human Society in the large city next to us. My county's gov't funded shelter is the rural one but, evidently, the one with better guidelines.
Meghane
17 years ago
Parvo takes 6-10 days to develop clinical signs. Not sure of the timeline in your case.

Every shelter in the US, including Humane Society shelters, is run by a different organization. Some are local (county or city) control, some are private organizations, some fall under state guidelines, etc. The laws regarding shelter requirements vary a great deal from place to place.

I put a link from Humane Society US that gives you an idea of who to contact about shelter conditions.

I've rarely seen a shelter with enough room to separate puppies from adults. Unfortunately there are always simply too many animals to house. Most juristictions require the shelter keeps a stray for a certain period of time (3-5 days) to allow the owner to find it and pick it up. They are also responsible for housing all animals in cruelity cases until the owner is brought to trial, which could mean for months. All that means is that there simply isn't enough room to house every animal individually. As long as no animal is getting bit or outcompeted for food and water, putting adults and puppies in runs together is sometimes the best solution to a terrible problem.

I'm sorry your pup has parvo, but glad you got her back. You're actually one of the lucky ones; less than 25% of dogs ever make it back to their owner.

Here is a link that might be useful: HSUS shelter FAQ
luvdogs
17 years ago
Becky - when time has passed and you see that many, many lost pets are never even found (or found deceased) -this is how you'll feel:

"Thank God my baby was found safe and sound!!" and the adult/puppy mutual confinement will not be important. The shelter in Tucson has a loose-ring binder in the lobby and this book is titled: D.O.A.!!!

Count your blessings - my dear. Shelters have a difficult job.

vicky
becky_jean
Original Author
17 years ago
meghane, she WAS outcompeted for food & don't know about water. That's my concern with this. She was there 2 1/2 days & from looks of her & how ravenous she was when we got home, it's pretty clear that she didn't get any food (due to older dogs, not the shelter).

don't get me wrong, I was SSOOOO grateful to find her & find her alive! I'm just wondering about the deal with small pups vs. adult dogs. I also understand how many animals come through there, holding for some court cases, etc. But this place is really big with its new additional building (don't know what animals are over there. It doesn't take much space for a few decent crates for pups & I wouldn't have a problem with several puppies being put together.

thanks for the link to humane societies!
cynthia_gw
17 years ago
She wasn't unsupervised long as she seems to have gone to a home just across the county line & they secured her then called animal control.

So apparantly she had no tags on her? On top of leaving a 9 week old puppy outdoors unsupervised in your yard for an hour and a half she didn't have id? 'What's the deal' with that?! If you had watched her she would never have gone through this. You're critizing the org that found her and kept her safe, while you admit you never even went looking for her, didn't have any ID on her, and left her out in the yard alone at the age of 9 weeks?! The facility that held her is not responsible for her illness.
luvdogs
17 years ago
And also remember - some dogs get depressed when they are in a place like that and don't eat.

I had an adult dog of mine in a vet hospital for a few days for what is termed "collapse" and they told me she wasn't eating and could I come visit so as to better her mood. I couldn't come until Monday but the second (literally) that she saw me she gulped down some food.

I do agree with Cynthia about ID - I've had collars with name tags on six-week-old puppies. You can chip at any age. It's OUR responsiblity to be able to give our dogs a voice as to who loves them.

vicky
lisa11310
17 years ago
HHHUUUMMMMm I don't understand why the puppy was left alone outside ESPECIALY in the dark , KNOWING you have great horned Owls! I am not trying to be unkind, but I hope you will rethink YOUR treatment of the dog. I will say a prayer for your little baby. I hope she makes a full recovery.
Lisa
User
17 years ago
Becky Jean, maybe your dog and the others were in the older part because the newer part isn't ready yet. With only so many cages and numbers of dogs it is common to put the least agressive together.

As said, it is very possible that your dog contracted Parvo while on the run. Either way, if your vet didn't report the Parvo (required here) then you should.

4:30 & 6:00 am, fence or not, is too long to leave a pup unsupervised.

If your pup had a very inexpensive ID tag with your phone number on its collar the folks that found it would have called you instead of taking it to animal control.

Animal control-type shelters question

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