Dog Pound Needs To Be Exposed

I just got off the phone with this amazing women uncovering this situation in Charleston, Missouri. She is such an energetic, kind hearted women whose love of animals and pits in general comes through her every word. She is a very non judgemental person who just wants to see animals treated kindly and with respect. She is meeting with the chief of police today in Charleston to try to help with this situation and get to the bottom of it. Please take a minute to read the entire story.

CHARLESTON, MO Animal Control Situation- Pics, Statement Included
Hello all,I sincerely apologize for the delayed response. I had to take a preggo pittie in for an emergency C-Section on Monday. I was the proud grandmother of 14 puppies. Two of them did not make it, but the other 12 are crying and kickin' strong! We (Laura, Jennie, and Gwen) had to bottle feed 12 puppies every two hours for 24 hours- what a treat. Momma went from 68 pounds before birth, to 45 pounds after. Whoa puppies! Just wanted to give everyone a bit of good news from down here in SE Missouri, it is keeping me going strong.Now onto what is on every one's mind- Charleston, MO.I released a statement Sunday night you will find included below. Pictures will also be attached. I am going to send a separate email with some updates, current through this afternoon. Thank you all for assisting me in demanding change down here. It is time we demand change!

On Friday, March 6th, a volunteer, Jennie Thomas, and I, spoke with the Charleston Animal Control Officer (ACO) over the phone, and arranged to meet him at the Charleston City Pound to take pictures of dogs currently available for adoption. Upon arriving, several concerns arose, which are evident in the pictures included. There were three dogs living in live traps- two male terrier mixes in one, and a female puggle in another. The two remaining outdoor kennels housed large dogs- a white mix breed in one, and a male lab and possibly male chow mix in the other. The dogs' diet consisted of raw slabs of meat. I did see a few pieces of blue tinted meat in the back of the white male's cage. I inquired about the diet of the dogs, and the response was, "Well I usually cook the meat." Based on the amount of uneaten, raw meat in the dogs' kennels, I question the validity of his response. I did not notice any meat in either of the cages that contained the three small dogs.The puggle did have water in the back of the live trap, but there was no water to be seen in the live trap containing the two terrier males.. There were water containers in the large dogs' kennels. The white dog's "dog house" had standing water in it, so it was unusable. The female puggle had no cover from the elements in her live trap. The ACO also told me that the female puggle had given birth within the live trap, but the puppies had died the next day. The two small terrier's had a section of a box that covered a small area located in the rear of the live trap. Keep in mind all of these animals are located in an outdoor animal control facility.Jennie and I went on to question the ACO as to why the small dogs were being kept in live traps within kennels. Apparently, Charleston has a problem with people breaking into the pound to steal back any pit bulls that are held there as strays. Keep in mind there is a ban on pit bulls in the city of Charleston, Missouri. The kennel gates have been destroyed, and so they are unable to contain the small dogs, which is why they were being kept in live traps. The ACO did say that the City of Charleston knew about the condition of the kennels and they were supposed to come out and fix it, but as of yet, nothing had been done. Jennie Thomas then asked the ACO who we would need to speak with to start working with the city of Charleston to begin helping to place dogs from their pound. His response? The Chief of Police.It is possible that the city of Charleston euthanizes their dogs by shooting them. Apparently it has been done in the past, and I have inquired with local vets within an approximate 30 mile radius of the city of Charleston, to inquire if Charleston contracts with them to euthanize dogs, and the answer has been no. Because pit bulls are my passion, I then questioned the ACO about what he did with the pit bulls after he picked them up, because of people constantly breaking in to steal them back. He said they have had to start taking them out into the country so the local citizens wouldn't steal them back. What they do once they get the pit bulls out there? He did not say.I want to stress the fact that the ACO was very cooperative while we were there, answering any questions we had. I do not believe he is a police officer, rather a man paid to pick up stray dogs. The city needs to be held accountable for this. I honestly believe he was working with what he was given. He probably has no say/pull in anything that goes on with the dogs.The three dogs in live traps were removed and are currently in quarantine. There is a concern that the two male terriers may have Salmonella poisoning due to their raw meat diet. Any of the remaining dogs taken from the Charleston pound need to be quarantined.Please contact me if I can be of further assistance. call :Alanna D at semoanimalrescue@gmail.com or 1-573-703-7263