Records show hundreds of animals put down by local shelters, not all killings are tracked
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Records show hundreds of animals put down by local shelters, not all killings are tracked

FROM Mark Lungariello, Lohud.com
March 28, 2019

Animals euthanized by licensed veterinarians not reported on forms reviewed by lohud.com

More than 1,200 dogs, cats and other animals were euthanized at area shelters over a three-year period from 2015-18, New York state records confirmed.

But those records represent only a fraction of the shelter animals put down in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties as most euthanasia in New York isn’t tracked on public records.

The Journal News/lohud obtained quarterly reports from the state Department of Health showing the numbers of animals put down in shelters and societies in the northern suburbs from midway through 2015 until summer 2018. The department only supplied reports for four of at least seven shelters in the three counties, meaning the others either didn’t kill any animals in their possession or farmed out any euthanasia to veterinarians.

“Consistent with state regulations, only animal shelters and humane societies that do not use a licensed veterinarian to perform euthanasia, and wish to euthanize animals using euthanasia technicians at their location, are required to be registered with and submit quarterly reports to the Department,” Jeffrey Hammond, a health department spokesman, said.

At least one of the local shelters that didn’t file any forms said it didn’t have to because any euthanasia was contracted out to a licensed veterinarian. Asked if the others were similarly exempted, Hammond referred to his original statement.

Private veterinarians aren’t required to fill out the forms because they are regulated by the Veterinary Board of the state Education Department, according to Hammond. So both veterinary euthanasia or shelter euthanasia performed by a licensed veterinarian aren't logged on the forms.

The forms are required, in part, to track two controlled substances that are used to put animals to sleep: the anesthetic ketamine – known by its street name of Special K – and lethal sodium pentobarbital.

An analysis of the records showed:

  • 861 cats and 299 dogs reported euthanized between the middle of 2015 and summer of 2018 by four shelters in Rockland and Westchester. Twenty-two birds, 17 rabbits, 10 squirrels and a small number of other animals were also put down.
  • Hi-Tor Animal Shelter in Pomona lost 18.5 cubic centimeters of sodium pentobarbital and 9.5 cubic centimeters of ketamine in 2015, saying it dissipated after a staff member who left the shelter on bad terms locked up the drug bottles with needles still in them.
  • Yonkers Animal Shelter reported losing 20 cubic centimeters of sodium pentobarbital in the second quarter of 2018. A spokeswoman for the city, which runs the shelter, said it was due to spillage of the liquid.
  • Yonkers and the SPCA of Westchester didn’t report using ketamine in any of their reports. A Yonkers spokeswoman said ketamine was used at the shelter but under the license of a veterinarian. SPCA’s spokeswoman said it uses an alternative sedative called telazol that representatives feels is less stressful for the animal.

A previous analysis by The Journal News/lohud uncovered spotty record keeping from 2014 through the middle of 2015, with the state only able to provide records for three of seven shelters in the area. Records for one of those three shelters were incomplete.

A spokesman for one of the four that wasn’t included, the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter, said in 2016 it mistakenly didn’t file the reports but would correct the problem. This time around, four shelters were represented – but no Mount Vernon records were provided.

It isn’t clear if that’s a record keeping issue or if the shelter used a licensed veterinarian for any euthanasia. Calls to the Mount Vernon Department of Public Safety, which runs the shelter, weren’t returned.

The Journal News/lohud made a second request through the state Freedom of Information Law in July 2017, asking for 12 quarters worth of reports dating back to 2015. The state fulfilled the request five months later, but this time it appeared to have provided all the forms it had in its possession.

Shelters largely 'no kill'

The state provided full records for The Humane Society of Westchester, Yonkers Animal Shelter, Hi-Tor and The SPCA of Westchester.

It didn’t provide records for the Mount Vernon shelter, The Hudson Valley Humane Society in Pomona and The Putnam Humane Society in Carmel. Michele Dugan, president of the board directors at the Putnam society, said the facility is 'no kill' and any animal euthanized because of a terminal condition is shipped out to a veterinarian.

“We’re proud of the fact we’re a true ‘no kill’ shelter,” Dugan said.

In fact, most of the shelters in the region identify as ‘no kill,’ although there is some variance over what exactly that means. Most shelters that call themselves "no kill" don’t euthanize for space, but they may still put to death animals that are terminally sick, injured, or too aggressive to be safely adopted.

The term is broadly discussed in the animal advocacy community, with shelters' missions and their ability to raise money.

Putnam, SPCA of Westchester, Hudson Valley Humane Society and Humane Society of Westchester identify as no kill, while Hi Tor identifies as "high save" and says it only euthanizes for medical reasons or if an animal is deemed dangerous.

Lisa Bonanno, director of events and communications for the SPCA, said the shelter has numerous dogs that have been there for more than a year and a few that have been taken care of for nearly four years.

"We work very hard to rehabilitate our animals so euthanasia is only done in the most severe of cases, which is why we have quite a few long term residents here who have patiently been waiting for a number of years to find their new homes," Bonanno said.

SPCA lists annual reports of its intake, rehabilitation and euthanasia numbers on its website.

State law requires municipalities that issue dog licenses to either maintain an animal shelter or have contracts with private shelters. Yonkers and Mount Vernon run their shelters.

Numbers by shelter

But even with 'no kill' tags and a widely accepted goal of a 90 percent save rate, a large number of animals met their ends at shelters over the 12-quarter period reviewed.

The Humane Society of Westchester, formerly The New Rochelle Humane Society, reported putting down 447 cats and 180 dogs during that time. It also reported euthanizing 23 birds, 17 rabbits, 10 squirrels and other animals

The SPCA of Westchester reported euthanizing 102 cats and 56 dogs. Many of the cats put down were newborn kittens with no chance of survival, its spokeswoman said. There is a private clinic at SPCA that sees thousands of owned animals per year for spaying, neutering and vaccines. SPCA reported non-shelter clinic euthanasia of 74 cats and eight dogs during the same span.

Hi Tor reported 267 cats and 55 dogs euthanized.

Yonkers reported 45 cats and eight dogs put down.

There didn't appear to be any comprehensive numbers tracked for the amount of dogs and cats euthanized statewide on an annual basis. The American society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates 1.5 million dogs and cats are euthanized per year in the country. That number - 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats - is actually down from 2.6. million in 2011.

Controlled substances

The small amounts of controlled substances missing from Hi Tor was blamed on a former worker who left in May 2015 in "not the best of terms." The worker "placed the remaining drugs in a locked box and would not give us the key until we had a new drug agent in place," according to Hi Tor's form filed with the state for the third quarter of 2015.

It took the group four months to get a new drug agent, using a licensed veterinarian to euthanize animals in the meantime. "When we finally opened the box we found that the previous drug agent had left needles in the remaining bottles and we believe the drugs dissipated due to the needles being left in them," the form said.

Christina Gilmartin, a spokeswoman for Yonkers, said the shelter reported some lost sodium pentobarbital due to spillage. Asked by The Journal News/lohud why the shelter hadn't reported using any ketamine, Gilmartin said it was because the drug wasn't obtained under the shelter's license but through the veterinarian brought in to use it for sedations and surgeries.

"However, after consulting the NY Health dept., Yonkers will be reporting the use of it going forward," Gilmartin said in an email.

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