BURIED ALIVE !! Please Read And Help Stop This

[K-9Girl]

I almost couldn't finish reading this!! How sad. I am getting my fingers warmed up and ready to type a few e-mails myself!

Sara:( :(

[beth gordon]

I just read the updated website. I don't know that I trust the Dallas governmental agencies to do this justice...the Public Integrity Section of the Police Department is going to investigate police wrongdoing???? What role does the DA have in this? Was the hearing held on Thursday as was mentioned in an earlier post? I have not been able to shake the horror of this incident since it happened. The ONLY comfort about euthanasia is that it is quick and painfree. Poor unloved and unwanted Mariah never had either of those benefits. This is a tragic situation that has to be kept in the forefront of people's awareness.

[Collie]

Actually there has been no wrongdoing reported on the part of the Dallas Police except for the officer on the scene writing the whold thing up as a miscellaneous incident rather than animal cruelty. It is my understanding that the DA has told the Police Dept. to do a thorough inquiry into this or they will step in and clean it up.

The Animal Shelter Commission meeting was held last Thursday. The Chairman refused to open the meeting up to a discussion of the land fill incident. Also the director of Animal Services, Sam Rice, was doing a blatant snow job on the commission. He tried to dazzle them with numbers and no substance regarding implementation of the 370+ recommendations in the Humane Society of the U.S. report from last Fall. My feeling was that he was stalling until the very end of the term for the commission and then will throw out all this information that they will not be able to verify.

Also there was two incidents a week apart involving misuse of a catch pole by the same Animal Control officer. In the first incident the dog died. Mr. Rice was supposed to report the outcome of his investigation into these incidents that occurred in March or April. He refused to do so. He said he hadn't completed his investigation after four months. This is not rocket science here and there wasn't that many people to interveiew to get information. It was real interested during the public comment section at the end after Mr. Rice had stonewalled on this incident because the witness to one of the catch pole incidents spoke. She said the dog was completely docile and the officer had it gasping for breath and it's eyes bulging out. She got choked up and paused. The Chair tried to move on and she forcefully said, "I'm NOT finished." No one tried to interupt her after that.

Also the Chief Investigator for the Numane Society announced to the commission that she will no longer try to work with Animal Control when there is a report of cruelty on behalf of one of their officers, but will dog directly to the Police Dept. Public integrity section.

[Barb and Raven]

It's so sad to hear that these Animal Shelter Commisioners seem to care nothing about the animals they are supposed to be overseeing the welfare of. I wonder if their attitudes would change if they had seen the landfill incident themselves.

As for the witness to the catch pole incident she is to be commended for being persistant in having them listen to her story. :) However, that doesn't mean her story didn't go out in one ear and out the other.

[mark_sherry]

I belong to one of the Rottie Rescue Groups that originally got this issue out to the public. One of our members knows Dee Stephens, and he and I are working on several options to bring the City of Dallas to shame and to open the case up. Their Animal Control Department has an atrocious record and has been investigated in the past. Several recommendations (I have the book-length document) were made, and none have been made effective. Right now, apart from doing what we've all been doing (writing emails to the appropriate Dallas authorities), the best thing to do is to get the local, state, and national media latched on to this issue and to the history of this animal control department. We are working on various stories and will be trying to get them published or used as story-leads, and I have all of the witnessess names and information. If any of you are journalists or know journalists, please let me know so I can contact them about this story.

[beth gordon]

Sounds like a GREAT plan! Please don't let Mariah's death go unpunished!

[mark_sherry]

We're not going to let it go without some answers. Although we don't know who Mariah (this is just a name we made up for her) was or who she belonged to, we do believe that she can, in her death, make a difference for every animal that follows in her footsteps. There is such a cover-up here that it's unbelieveable. Anyone living in Texas should call your local TV stations. Start petitioning them to do a story. This is the kind of topic they'd love to get their teeth into. I'd love to see a dozen or so stories from different viewpoints out there. And, hey listen, this isn't the only government-operated animal control shelter that's doing inhumane things to animals. There's a lot of them out there, and we need to make the public aware of it. But don't get me wrong. For every bad one, I think there are hundreds of great ones out there too. The one in my county is a prime example. If you're going to get angry about something, though, get angry about the Dallas one. It's a long history with them, and it seems like they just don't care.

[Collie]

I hope we can keep the momentum going. If we can turn the spotlight on the dirty little secrets in Dallas, I think it will spill over to other cities that need to make changes. Top municipal leaders, both electd and not, know what goes on in other cities. If Dallas gets embarrassed enough about this incident and their whole record, it is going to make a difference in what other cities do. After all Dallas is about the eighth largest city in the U.S.

[mark_sherry]

Collie, I see you're from Texas. A great state! Has there been anything in the local media about this incident? If so, has it shed any other details that haven't been mentioned so far by this or some other Rottie group?

[Collie]

Originally posted by mark_sherry
Collie, I see you're from Texas. A great state! Has there been anything in the local media about this incident? If so, has it shed any other details that haven't been mentioned so far by this or some other Rottie group?

Sadly there has been very little in the media here locally, even though we have tried. There seems to me "more pressing" matteres.

BTW, Mark you know me.

[KRISSIE]

I recieved this poem today via e-mail it was written in dedication and memory of Mariah. ....:(


PLEASE CROSSPOST

For those who have been following the saga of Mariah. May she not be
forgotten and may her death change things.

http://www.rckrotts.com/mariah.html

Mariah's Cry
The Cry of the Soul

In the beginning it was muffled
a soft and painful cry
the bodies kept arriving
warm tears fell from her eye.

The crush was overwhelming
she felt the jab of bones
the warmth had left their bodies
all she could do was groan.

Her eyes scanned all the bodies
the big ones and the small
she looked for signs of living
and listened for masters call.

She cried a litlle louder
she expected a reprieve
she listened for some kindness
would anybody grieve?

She died alone and filthy
in pain and potters dust
in the end did she relinquish
did she ever lose her trust?


Written by Susan Spence, Copyright 2002
ARPoet@aol.com

This is dedicated to Mariah

[LORHEL]

That was beautiful....Rest in peace Mariah....this is so sad my heart aches for her. How awful. :(

[KRISSIE]

HI Mark, it's Krissie...
Ok, I don't know if this will help any but a few weeks ago I wrote in and asked for some info on the CACC situation that is happening here in NYC, well I did get a response from someone who informed me of what is happening with some of the shelter's down here, now this person also has a animal news show that
is aired every other week here in manhatten, now I don't know if that would do you any good since you this incident is in Dallas but I was thinking maybe you could write in to him and ask if he knows anyone towards that area who has a similar program as his or knows any journalists, sometimes media people know
other media people, i don't know if this will help any but it's worth a try..Let me find that e-mail he sent me and I will send it to you privately...
Talk to ya soon....

[mark_sherry]

Krissie,

That would be great! It's a start, and I sure appreciate it. I look forward to getting your email.

Mark

[Barb and Raven]

That was a very good poem. I had tears in my eyes thinking of all poor Mariah went through. So terribly sad. It's so unfortunate that this happened. We may never know how often this sort of thing happens. Hopefully it doesn't at all.
I cannot help but wonder about the life she had. Surely someone loved her as a puppy. Everyone loves puppies. It's just too bad that love dies as some of them turn into adults and are no longer wanted.
Mariah did not deserve this pain. She's now a Rottie angel (which I'm sure she was in life) playing at the bridge with all the other doggie angels.