Major Releases Shetler Dogs in The Wild

[Candy317]

ArkansasMatters.com - Mayor Orders Dogs Released Into Forest

[calgal]

When those poor dogs form a "pack" and start attacking other animals and maybe even people, I hope a big fat law suit is slapped on him. He should be charged with animal neglect anyway and given a very stiff sentence!!

[Candy317]

Helena-West Helena Mayor Releases Dogs Near National Forest
HELENA-WEST HELENA, AR - Mayor James Valley says strays in his town are better off fending for themselves then they are at the local animal shelter. So on Wednesday June 11th, he released nearly a dozen dogs just yards away from a National Forest and from dozens of homes.

A spokesperson for the St. Francis National Forest tells us dumping personal property or pets here is against the law - it's against federal regulations - so the Mayor of Helena-West Helena chose to dump nearly a dozen dogs on a road across the street.

Mayor James Valley says he had no other choice. "It's gotten hot. The animals are housed outside and it has gotten rough to deal with all the things animals need." For the past 5 months the animal shelter has been located inside of the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation lot. According to Valley, "it's kind of like putting a coke machine in the middle of a desk and expecting me to work - really ain't no way." So the city decided to dump the dogs just yards away from the St. Francis National Forest. And just yards away from Shirley Blair and her grandson. Once the local animal shelter shut down, the city took the dogs in. Now Mayor Valley says they've got to go. "We're in a position where we can't maintain or sustain good animal care at our sanitation shop. I don't see a problem with these dogs released, they're in no greater harm now, than when we picked them up."

Blair and dozens of residents living near the forest disagree. "I think it's ridiculous. We're not pleased with the decision to turn them loose out here." Shirley Blair says just one day after the dogs were released, six of them showed up in her yard growling. "We headed to the mailbox and he (grandson, Parker) ran towards the house crying. One of them looked ill on the driveway, bleeding, bacteria, we don't need that here."

But the Mayor says he hasn't done anything wrong. When asked about who's responsible if one of the dogs bites a child, the mayor responded, "It's going to be the parent's responsibility to immediately get that child treated....The city owns no dogs, so we won't be liable."

A spokesperson for St. Francis National Forest says it is conducting its own investigation to see if any federal laws were broken. It is illegal to dispose of personal property or pets at a national forest. Mayor Valley insists he had the dogs released in a rural area not too far away, so he says he broke no laws.

People living in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas are upset - they say their community has gone to the dogs - and the mayor is to blame!

Update 6/13/08: The mayor of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas says the city will suspend dog catching operations - after he allowed 10 stray dogs to be released near the St. Francis National Forest.

A spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service says the Forest Service Law Enforcement is conducting an investigation. It is illegal to dump personal property or pets into a national forest, although Mayor Valley says the dogs were released yards away from the forest. Investigators say they do not condone the unauthorized release of any animals into the forest and that the public welfare and the dogs' safety are their primary concern.

Mayor Valley now says the city is working with a group of concerned citizens to try to get a proper animal facility to house strays.

Anyone interested in helping out can contact the Humane Society of the Delta at (870) 589-3396.

[Candy317]

Reported by: Pete Thompson, KARK 4 News


Friday, Jun 13, 2008 @06:19pm CST


This all began in January when humane society workers broke into the animal shelter in Helena-West Helena.



At the time they claimed the dogs there were living in filthy conditions.



Since then, the city has used their sanitation department to house any strays.



MayorJamesValley says it's a problem the city can't get a grip on...



With no money to build a real animal shelter, he says that's why he decided to euthanize three of the city's remaining dogs this week... and then set approximately ten of them free into the wild.



On Wednesday of this week, those dogs were given food and water, then they were taken out and set loose right by the St. Francis National Forest.



A representative with the Humane Society calls the mayor's actions appalling and negligent saying that what happened is the equivalent to abandonment.



"I just thought they would be better released than being kept in those conditions," said the mayor.



On Friday, investigators with the U.S. Forest Service interviewed the mayor to determine why he released the dogs on federal lands.



Not only that, the mayor says he's also getting an earful from the citizens.



"You would think that from all the emails and calls i just unleashed the world's greatest problem... We're talking about 10 dogs," he said.



The Humane Society says they will not likely seek to press charges against the mayor.



But this incident is of course still under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service.



The state director of the Humane Society will be in Helena/West Helena tomorrow to begin the process of rounding up the dogs, then trying to adopt them out.



She says the dogs can probably survive for several days...as long as they find a water source.

[IceyBlueSibes]

That's absolutely disgusting! I hope someone does something about that Mayor! What a stupid excuse... Obviously he has no remorse, seeing the dogs as a "problem" and "in the way". Instead he couldn't contact another rescue to help them out with taking the dogs, seeing that there were only 13 (from the articles - three euth and 10 set free). Hell, I'd take the dogs myself and adopt them out!!

[Dangels]

Oh wow, that is just horrible. I feel horrible for those poor dogs. Honestly, I cannot understand why anyone would just go out at let 10 dogs out into the wilderness to fend for themselves. Domesticated dogs would not do well AT ALL trying to survive on their own. I hope that the Humane Society can catch all of the dogs, and hopefully place them all in good homes.

[c0_re]

It is horrible but to be honest if I was one of those dogs I'd rather be released in the wild than PTS in some grimy, stinky, dark scary doungeon they were in before hand. How often does THIS happen and we don't even hear about it?


I mean if he would have taken them "out back" and just shot them all how would you feel?


mixed feelings :-\