Dear Editor:
I am writing on behalf of Gordo, an 11-year-old pit bull who resides at The Liberty Humane Society. However, what is happening – or has already happened to Gordo –has happened to many dogs and cats who reside there.
On Aug. 4, two animals from the shelter were given the opportunity to appear on New Jersey Channel 12. There is a segment called the Pet Stop, which airs during the weekend and has features about animals. Gordo was chosen from over 80 dogs to be presented for adoption because of his sweet disposition.
However, almost three weeks after this segment aired (Aug. 7-8), Gordo is still sitting at the shelter. Even worse, he is one of the dogs slated to be euthanized. WHY?! Gordon was given an evaluation of being food-aggressive. Who is making these decisions? The staff at LHS deemed Gordo to be easy to handle, and that he would be a “ham” on stage. I, too, attest to the fact that Gordo is gentle. I have had NO experience with pit bulls and had thought it could be a problem even getting him into the van. The only problem I had that day was driving that big old van that had shimmy in the wheel and no air conditioning.
The drive from Jersey City to the Channel 12 Edison office took 45 minutes that day because of traffic. The weather was over 95 degrees and humid. There was barely enough air to circulate to the back of the van. Gordo was not aggressive, but took it all in stride. Does Gordo sound like a vicious dog?
Something is definitely wrong at the shelter. What kind of people have taken over? I have been a volunteer for almost 9 months and go frequently. There are many people who genuinely care about the animals, but the ones in power do not.
The animals need a voice. I ask for your help. There needs to be further investigation because there is needless killing going on.
The people who are doing the evaluations are not giving the animals FAIR evaluations; how could it happen that over 30 dogs have been euthanized in over a few weeks when, under the old management, months could go by and numbers were low. We do not want the new management and the board of directors to continue their insanity. We want them out.
Linda