Humane Society responds to online uproar over dog’s death

The Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society has issued a statement defending its actions after facing aggressive online criticism over the death of a stray dog this week.

The announcement, released this morning via the organization's Facebook page, lays out the Humane Society’s side of a controversy that has been circulating on social media following the Sept. 11 euthanization of a dog the society says was picked up running at large on Aug. 30.

The society says it euthanized the dog on Wednesday, after it was deemed ‘very aggressive’ and unsuitable for adoption.

“His behaviour was triggering aggression in other dogs in the pound, particularly other unaltered males like himself. We cannot facilitate an aggressive dog for adoption to the public and knowingly put them at risk. We followed the impound provisions within the city by-law and even went beyond the stated requirements to accommodate the owner,” says the board.

The Humane Society says it was in contact with a person who denied being the actual owner of the dog, but had reported it missing on Aug. 31 and wanted to retrieve it. The Humane Society says it offered multiple opportunities for him to pick the dog up and agreed to hold the dog for extra time so that he could secure the necessary funds.

“Several attempts were made to contact the owner prior to September 11. We did not receive a return call from him, nor did we receive any calls from other individuals with an interest in this dog’s circumstances.”

The statement comes after a flood of Facebook comments about the situation, many harshly critical of the Humane Society’s euthanization of the dog and of the organization in general.

SooToday was forced to disable comments Thursday on a story about the Humane Society’s upcoming Pawfest fundraiser after a flood of aggressive and accusatory posts referencing the controversy.

The Humane Society called the situation “heart-breaking”.

“All of the staff of the Humane Society are very saddened when they are forced to euthanize any animal. The very unfortunate part of it is that it is not the fault of the animal whatsoever," said the statement.

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