Gimme Shelter

Claim:   An animal shelter will soon be closing for good and will euthanize all the animals that have not been adopted.

FALSE

Examples:


Origins:   Animal lovers can take heart in the knowledge that animal shelters mentioned in Internet-circulated appeals are not closing for good, nor are they about to start euthanizing all of their unadopted cats and dogs.

The first appeal of this type which we encountered was spread in early 2007 about the Orange County Humane Society animal shelter on Newland Avenue in Huntington Beach, California. The dire warning spread via e-mail was exaggerated: The owner of the shelter and the adjacent AAA Animal Hospital was about to begin a large remodeling project at the Newland Avenue site to build a new facility, but both operations were scheduled to remain open throughout the construction period. Although the shelter's capacity would be diminished during that time, any animals that could not be accommodated were to be relocated to other shelters.

As the Orange County Register reported about the shelter closure rumor:

Owner Dr. Samir Botros responded to rumors that his animal shelter was being shut down and that the animals not adopted would be euthanized.

"I don't think we'll even turn away any animals" during construction, said Botros, who noted that he runs a no-kill facility.

The shelter, which has been open on Newland Avenue for about 28 years, and the adjacent AAA Animal Hospital are scheduled to begin a massive remodel, said Botros, who owns both businesses.

The shelter will remain open during construction, but its capacity will be slashed to about 60 percent or 70 percent. There are now up to 64 cages for dogs at the shelter and a large room to accommodate cats, Botros said.

Shelter officials already have signed contracts with other area shelters and rescue groups to take animals that can't be accommodated during the remodel, which should take six to eight months, Botros said.

He also said he believes the facility won't have to turn away pets given up by their owners.

The claim that the shelter was "'selling' the dogs for 50% off to move them out" referred to a special program the shelter enacted for the 2006 holiday season which was no longer in effect.

Similarly, in September 2009 appeals circulated via Facebook about a shelter in New Jersey that was about to close and would be euthanizing any unadopted animals:

MONTGOMERY ANIMAL SHELTER IS CLOSING TOMORROW (new brunswick, NJ). you can adopt for free tomorrow between 12 and 4pm. tragically, they will be euthanizing all animals without a home.

Montgomery Animal Shelter: 908-359-4308

This message was wrong on two fronts: The Montgomery Animal Shelter referred to was not in New Jersey (or Pennsylvania, or Tennessee, or Maryland), but in Montgomery County, Texas. And although the Humane Society of Montgomery County in Texas had to move out of its shelter building because its contract expired, its press release of 21 September 2009 notes that all its animals were adopted before it closed its doors:

The Humane Society of Montgomery County wants to thank the volunteers, donors, employees, rescue groups and most importantly the hundreds of people who showed up during the past week to ensure all the adoptable animals in HSMC's care found new forever homes. "We could not be happier with how well the public responded to our call for homes for our cats and dogs," said HSMC President Kathy Scoles.

On Saturday when HSMC opened its doors for the final adoptions, there was such a huge turnout and the animals were adopted very quickly. We had to turn people away and refer them to other rescue groups and shelters.

A similar rumor about the Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, Wisconsin, began circulating in November 2009:

Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009. 900 Greyhounds need to be adopted or they will be euthanized. Please help me get the word out; there is only 6 weeks to get this task done. Contact Joanne Kehoe Operations Director P: 312.559.0887 Or Dairyland Race Track Adoption Center direct at (262) 612-8256.

However, the park's web site states that this is not true; the facility will remain open until all the greyhounds are placed:

Wisconsin State law provides that the greyhounds are to be adopted to new homes, sent to another racetrack for racing purposes or returned to their owners. Our kennel compound will remain open until all greyhounds are properly placed.

We do not know at this current time how many greyhounds in total will become available for adoption until we finish racing on December 31st, 2009.

We do currently have greyhounds available for adoption in our adoption center. You are more than welcome to fill out an application at Dairyland or online at our website www.dairylandgreyhoundpark.com under the adoption tab at the top of the webpage.

Last updated:   19 November 2009

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