http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/03/23/1073920/franklin-shelter-faces-suit-over.html

Quote :

" LOUISBURG -- A Franklin County woman is suing the county's Animal Control division and its director for euthanizing her 5-month-old puppy last month before the 72-hour hold time required by law. Jessica Ruiz filed a civil suit against Franklin County Animal Control and director Graham Stallings for upward of $10,000, citing negligence and irreparable damages in the loss of a family pet. "Now they can actually start taking it seriously," Ruiz said. "

Would you sue if this happened to you?

3/24/2011 11:17:51 AM

It sounds like she complained and was brushed off, judging by her last comment. But no, I don't believe I would sue due to the fact that I think most suits are bs and am irritated by default. I might sue over a 5 month old child, I'd have to think about it.

3/24/2011 11:20:19 AM

A lawsuit for $10k hardly seems worth it. Especially since it'll probably get settled for half that.

3/24/2011 11:23:21 AM

the lawsuit is to make a point and to stand up to those in power. why you all continuously seem so ready to rollover to authority is beyond me, but i applaud her actions.

3/24/2011 11:25:55 AM

Quote :

"the lawsuit is to make a point and to stand up to those in power."

In that case it's definitely not worth it.

3/24/2011 11:29:27 AM

any reason why they didn't wait? < ten years ago in franklin county they would only get until the next day they gassed because they didn't have room. Now that they have the new facilities that shouldn't be a problem.

3/24/2011 11:30:07 AM

any time a gov entity breaks a law, I'm OK with a lawsuit if not properly reprimanded beforehand.

3/24/2011 11:31:18 AM

^this

3/24/2011 11:33:03 AM

I know if it were my dog that was mistakenly euthanized, I would sue for way more.

I'd like to add that it's not uncommon for a Labrabull puppy from a breeder to go for four-figures, so the lawsuit is faily low even without considering emotional suffering.

3/24/2011 11:41:35 AM

Quote :

"the lawsuit is to make a point and to stand up to those in power. why you all continuously seem so ready to rollover to authority is beyond me, but i applaud her actions."

3/24/2011 11:43:16 AM

Quote :

"I'd like to add that it's not uncommon for a Labrabull puppy from a breeder to go for fou[/b]r-figures, so the lawsuit is faily low even without considering emotional suffering."

Aren't you going to have trouble arguing the value of a dog? I mean what is used as the standard for determining what a dog is worth? Just b/c someone was dumb enough to pay over $1,000 for a dog, doesn't mean it's actually worth that.

Or is it a case where they determine how much money was spent overall on the dog, (i.e. vet bills, food, etc)

Basically what I am trying to ask is just b/c i pay $1,500 for my vaunted Pitbull/Chihuahua mix doesn't mean that the dog has a value of $1,500...

The process for pricing dogs seems so arbitrary esp with mutt like a labradoodle...

3/24/2011 12:14:05 PM

since when have mutts pulled in over $1,000 for a pup? i believe you are mistaken. hell pure bred pit bulls pull in around that.

3/24/2011 12:23:15 PM

Quote :

"emotional suffering"

The puppy was only 5 months old, so it's not like they offed a pet that had been with the family for 10 years. If they killed it before the 72 hour hold time - sure go ahead and sue, but aim for something a little more realistic than $10K. Start out with 10K and I wouldn't take it very seriously.

Also:


Edit:
From the article:

Quote :

"Ruiz also was told that no dogs had been picked up from Eaves Road when she called"

Oops. That is pretty bad.

Quote :

"By the time Ruiz spottedBaby on the shelter website, Rocky had already been euthanized, two hours short of his 72-hour minimum hold time."

Oh, I thought it was like a whole day earlier or something.


[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 12:34 PM. Reason : -]

3/24/2011 12:28:50 PM

that's right, just roll over for the government like the good little sheep you all are

3/24/2011 12:32:01 PM

I can see clearly you people know nothing about the law. It seems like you have a tenuous grasp on the English language, in general.

3/24/2011 12:32:49 PM

If I personally felt more strongly about the life of a puppy I would totally do this.

I'm a cold harted bastard, but I know what it means to live in a democracy. It doesn't matter worth dung if you don't find value in something you destroyed of anothers. If they can show they had material damages in their own fruity lives, then your pocket book is going to open up wide.

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 12:36 PM. Reason : ]

3/24/2011 12:36:11 PM

If the dog was purchased from a breeder then the receipt would determine the "base value" of the dog, like a horse or cow or whatever.

I wonder, what if it had been an AKC Grand Champion stud dog? Could you sue for loss of revenue? Stud services can go for over $2000 depending on breed and pedigree.

3/24/2011 12:38:26 PM

a small-claims lawsuit wouldn't get the county to change its policies to something that makes sense. i don't give a shit that it's a dog, the county destroyed her property because of poor communication and not adhering to policies.

3/24/2011 12:39:52 PM

^

3/24/2011 1:34:47 PM

i dont feel this is a frivolous lawsuit at all

i feel her, thats fucked up

3/24/2011 1:41:32 PM

yeah, I'd sue, but for a lot more than 10K. Wouldn't really matter if I got it all or not, but at least I'd use a number that would get some attention.

Fuckers.

3/24/2011 1:55:19 PM

Hell, yeah. Let's drain as much money as we can out of the county. The deficit created by this will, ironically, be compensated by euthanizing more dogs.

3/24/2011 3:14:21 PM

Quote :

"since when have mutts pulled in over $1,000 for a pup?"

someone mentioned earlier that labradoodles can go for up to $1,500...

that's what im saying..

3/24/2011 3:42:54 PM

I feel really bad for the family, but Franklin County is not a wealthy county. They just recently got the SPCA adoption building, before that, they were euthanizing several days a week because of over crowding. And for a long time they were gassing up to 30 (I think) animals at one time instead of injecting them because they didn't have the money. 10k could cripple them at this early stage of development. I understand the need for this error to be noticed and for it to not happen again, but even if it were my dog I just don't think I could sue an animal shelter knowing that the money I was getting was meant to save the lives of dozens of other dogs and cats.

3/24/2011 4:32:00 PM

This is the saddest thing ever. I can't believe this is done, still today.

^+1

3/24/2011 4:40:36 PM

Quote :

"I just don't think I could sue an animal shelter knowing that the money I was getting was meant to save the lives of dozens of other dogs and cats. "

obviously they are not saving lives.

Change the policy, everything is OK

The policy states 72-hours, by God they need to be held to that.

3/24/2011 4:46:03 PM

Quote :

"obviously they are not saving lives."

I hope that's a sarcastic troll response.

3/24/2011 4:48:27 PM

youre missing my point youngin


theyre cutting corners at the expense of their stated mission. maybe you are not able to decipher the difference

get the fuck outta here

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 4:50 PM. Reason : f]

3/24/2011 4:49:43 PM

Quote :

"obviously they are not saving lives."

They are.


This thread should tell you all about how many dogs the shelter used to euthanize.

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=385894&page=1#8304794


They fucked up. Badly. I'm not saying they didn't. What happened is unforgivable and heartbreaking, but taking money away from other animals in need isn't going to fix anything.

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 5:13 PM. Reason : ..]

3/24/2011 5:11:43 PM

my issue isnt with you i understand your point

my issue is with that dumb motherfucker that claims im trolling

3/24/2011 5:12:22 PM

Yes, but you said they aren't saving lives. They are, they just failed this one.

3/24/2011 5:14:26 PM

Good for her. I'd do it too.

3/24/2011 5:18:28 PM

the shortage of unadopted puppies we're facing is hurting everyoneeeee

3/24/2011 5:19:23 PM

She might win the lawsuit in the end but before today, she probably didn't give two shits about that dog.

3/24/2011 5:52:40 PM

72 hours to me means 3 days

what are they supposed to do? clip a timer on each dog?

3/24/2011 6:05:16 PM

Because jotting down the time and then waiting until after that time three days later is so hard.

3/24/2011 7:37:19 PM

because microchipping your dog is so hard

3/24/2011 7:38:23 PM

so how do you apply for that yadkin job?

3/24/2011 7:41:57 PM

Quote :

"No tag was left on Ruiz's door to let her know her pets had been taken, she said, though such a procedure has been required for years. Ruiz also was told that no dogs had been picked up from Eaves Road when she called, though the street address was listed on the dogs' cage tags and their pickup forms."

Clearly this is all because the dog wasn't chipped.

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 7:45 PM. Reason : l]

3/24/2011 7:43:31 PM

^^^ Oftentimes dogs don't get microchipped until they're also fixed. If the puppy was only 5-months old then many vets consider that too young to be fixed.

That gassing video above is sad, but really what is a poor county supposed to do? Just let the stray animals run around the county instead? Shoot them in the head? I doubt animal advocates would appreciate that method much either.

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 7:50 PM. Reason : d]

3/24/2011 7:50:26 PM

shooting them would be cheaper

3/24/2011 7:51:47 PM

i would totally sue. it's the american way.

3/24/2011 8:01:28 PM

Dammit totally shouldn't have gone to the Franklin County shelter website. Now I want this dog

http://tinyurl.com/4m5f3lm

3/24/2011 8:17:05 PM

Quote :

"because microchipping your dog is so hard"

that doesnt even guarantee they'll check it or have the right scanner for the chip the dog has (although i think they're starting to become more universal these days). there have been many stories of dogs with chips getting euthanized or adopted to other families.

and hell...one of my dogs doesn't have a microchip but does have a giant 8 digit/letter tattoo in one of his ears (he was a research dog) and no one ever notices it...so i'm sure if he ever ended up in a shelter he'd be screwed.


^^^^ also....shooting them in the head (if done correctly like cattle and pigs in slaughterhouses) would be less painful than suffocating them to death.

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 8:20 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2011 8:19:10 PM

Quote :

"Clearly this is all because the dog wasn't chipped properly collared."

I want to point out a few things before I digress back to troll mode.

The owner wasn't in control over the pets and neglected her responsibility to watch over them.

The pets didn't have a collar with the a rabies tag and owner information tag, so Animal Control could contact the owner or research the rabies #s (Vets. can do this and yes dogs have been returned this way).

A neighbor probably called the Animal Control because the pets were repeated someplace they should not have been and the owner fail to correct the situation or thought the pets were strays because no collars with information were present.

This would have prevented if the owner took her responsibility seriously and not try to shift it to someone else.

^ Most shelters use Lethal Injection now.

3/24/2011 9:00:13 PM

that video is pretty terrible

3/24/2011 9:12:35 PM

Quote :

"he pets didn't have a collar with the a rabies tag and owner information tag, so Animal Control could contact the owner or research the rabies #s (Vets. can do this and yes dogs have been returned this way)."

Source that they didn't have collars?

Quote :

"A neighbor probably called the Animal Control because the pets were repeated someplace they should not have been and the owner fail to correct the situation or thought the pets were strays because no collars with information were present."

Pure speculation. You have no fucking idea whether there is an ounce of truth to any of this.

Quote :

"This would have prevented if the owner took her responsibility seriously and not try to shift it to someone else."

The owner called the shelter and was told that no dogs were taken from her street despite the fact that her street was listed on their cage tags and their pickup forms. How much more responsibility do you want her to take? She's not a fucking psychic.

Why do you not call for responsibility by the people who are PAID to pick up dogs. There are several clear failures to act on their responsibility despite the fact that it is their job to do so. Why are you not holding them to any standard of competency?

GAME - SET - MATCH

[Edited on March 24, 2011 at 11:59 PM. Reason : l]

3/24/2011 11:58:45 PM

Quote :

"The owner called the shelter and was told that no dogs were taken from her street despite the fact that her street was listed on their cage tags and their pickup forms. How much more responsibility do you want her to take?"

^Both parties failed in their responsibilities.

Calling the shelter was her responsibility after she was negligent in one of her other responsibilities. Don't want your dogs taken away by the pound? Don't let them have free reign over the neighborhood while you go off to work or wherever. Put up a fence, maybe even keep them indoors if you can't afford a fence.

Quote :

"No tag was left on Ruiz's door to let her know her pets had been taken, she said, though such a procedure has been required for years."

Maybe the dog wasn't near their home. It's not like the pound has the time or resources to put up a notice on every house within a two mile radius of where they pick up each dog.

Quote :

"By the time Ruiz spotted Baby on the shelter website, Rocky had already been euthanized, two hours short of his 72-hour minimum hold time."

This is where they'll lose their case. The law says 72 hours and they put it down after only 70. Letter of the law. The person that put dogs down was there, it was the third day and if they didn't do it then they would have had to wait for another week. They took convenience over law.

Sounds like everyone over at that pound is pretty lazy. I've got a mental image of the guy taking the call just staying by the phone and saying, "nope, haven't seen him" without even checking.

3/25/2011 9:19:37 AM

Quote :

"This is where they'll lose their case. The law says 72 hours and they put it down after only 70. Letter of the law. The person that put dogs down was there, it was the third day and if they didn't do it then they would have had to wait for another week. They took convenience over law. "

bang that gavel!

3/25/2011 9:27:32 AM

Government Employees ftl

3/25/2011 9:30:21 AM