When Bella Bazooka and I were writing the article about the humane society in April, we both agreed that things there were probably worse than we knew about. We were wrong. They are worse than we could have imagined. It is, in essence, a torture chamber.
Throughout September and October, employee Jeremiah Robertson discreetly captured video and audio of the goings on at the humane society. When he had a sufficient amount of incriminating evidence, he took it to the sheriff. Why go directly to the cops? Because 1) his superiors disregarded his complaints, and 2) what was going on there was completely criminal.
What, you may ask, was happening?? Were the dogs being cooped up too long? Were the cats neglected? Was the place unsanitary? Well, yes. But that's not the worst. Euthanasia specialist Beau Anderson was in charge of putting the animals to sleep. Most folks understand that sometimes it just has to happen. The method that Anderson was supposed to be using is called the heart stick method. This is where the animal is sedated or tranquilized, then a frighteningly large hypodermic filled with a barbiturate is stabbed through the muscles and nerves of the chest, into the animal's heart, delivering death in a short period of time.
Well, he got part of it almost right. In fact, Anderson chose to not sedate these animals. They were awake, aware, fully feeling when that deadly needle entered their hearts. And that's if he managed to hit the heart. Robertson says he has seen the sadist miss the heart and hit the lungs, causing the animals to bleed out, drowning in their own blood. Did I mention that the law requires them to be sedated? Seriously, what sick son of a bitch chooses to do this to fully conscious animals?? I can't see a reason for this method at all; it seems outrageously cruel to choose to euthanize an animal by stabbing it in the heart with a giant needle when there are much more humane methods available. I think they can afford it, what with over a million bucks at their disposal and all...
But wait! There's more! After the injections, the animals were left in piles around the room to slowly die, twitching and gasping for air. Living animals are walking around the dead and dying, being inundated with the sights and smells of death; pools of blood are everywhere, on everything... Robertson said that sometimes the dead animals were left for days with other live cats and dogs just roaming the room with their carcasses.
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| Cat hiding in a corner of the euthanasia room while, mere feet away, animals lay heaving their last breaths. |
I cannot wrap my head around this. Just can't fathom how someone could be this sick. I watched the video. All of it. The only part I haven't seen is what the sheriff has. I've heard the audio of pitiful dogs being wrestled down to be poisoned. Can you even imagine the panic? It's worse than I can even put into words. If you think you can stomach it, part of the video is available here. These aren't all old or mean or otherwise unadoptable animals, either. Some of them were puppies and kittens that would have made wonderful pets.
And the poor, pathetic, misunderstood director of the McCracken County Chamber of Doom, Shirley Grimes, is the victim in all of this, don't you know? Why, she didn't even know that the animals were supposed to be sedated. Are you freaking kidding me?? That is your job, woman! It is your responsibility to make sure that your establishment is playing by the rules. You would think, after the fiasco in the spring and then OSHA jumping all over you, you'd exert some kind of effort to cover your ass! But, oh, let's feel sorry for Shirley. This paragraph from The Paducah Sun made me want to bitch slap the woman even more:
“Can you imagine working with someone like that?” Grimes said. “Could you imagine having to talk to one of your employees, constantly worrying about if you were being taped? It’s horrible.” Well, cry me a f@#$%ing river. No one would have to tape you if you were doing what you are supposed to be doing! But she sure fixed that problem. The only new rule at the "Humane Society" (that we know of) that has come about from this whole mess is.... NO CELL PHONES AT WORK!
Stepping down was a very, very wise thing to do.
Beau Anderson is facing criminal charges. He didn't get arrested. He got a summons. Is everyone aware of what penalties are on the line? Wait for it.... 90 days and a fine. Oh yeah! That'll teach him! Seriously?? If you, reader, are not outraged, you damn well should be.
I can only conclude that Anderson and administrator Delena Hall (who, btw, was euthanizing cats despite having no training or certification) both get some kind of sick pleasure from all of this. And apparently Shirley Grimes can't see past that million bucks sitting in the bank.
Jeremiah Robertson is still an employee of the McCracken County Humane Society. Good thing, too, since he's apparently the only one there with any sense or humanity. His ass is covered by the Whistleblower Act.
Nailed it.
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