Many people involved with
the Franklin County Dog Shelter,
and its director, Lisa Wahoff,
have attempted to contact the Dispatch to request the
opportunity to rebut
accusations made against shelter
management and policies.

The Dispatch has refused
to present the other
side of the story.

This website was created to
provide a fair and balanced view
of the situation at the Shelter.

Director Lisa Wahoff
needs to be reinstated to her
position so that she may continue
to provide humane, innovative,
and progressive programs
and care for the
dogs of Franklin County.

The fact of the matter is, dogs come in to the Dog Shelter daily. Many are healthy. Some are visibly sick, and some may have an illness or condition that is not yet detectable by any known test or screening process.

If the resources are available to treat these illnesses, why not use them? Euthanizing an animal should NOT always be the first plan of action.

Prior to the time the contract with the OSU veterinary department ended, sick dogs were not allowed to leave the building until they were cleared of their illness.

Many common illnesses can be cured quickly and easily with medication and pose no threat to public health or safety. There is no reason for dogs infected with those illnesses not to be adopted to well informed new families.

Before a dog is allowed to leave the shelter, a Veterinary Technician discusses his medical history with his new adoptive home. No dogs are sent out out of the shelter until the adoptive family has been carefully and thoroughly informed of any and all known health and behavioral issues.

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The decision to end the relationship between the OSU Department of Veterinary Medicine and The Franklin County Dog Shelter was a mutual agreement based on OSU's desire that their students work with a more diverse animal population.

OSU was initially hired strictly to perform spay/neuter surgeries, and not to advise or in any way direct Shelter management policies and procedures.

OSU's only answer to shelter overcrowding and illness is mass euthanasia, which was proven to be ineffective. Staff veterinarians did not agree with Director Lisa Wahoff's more progressive and innovative approach, such as developing an extensive network of foster homes, creating "Mingle with the Mutts," and working to develop private funding organizations which relieve the county of the financial obligations for these programs.

Several staff members have been questioned and none were aware of any incident in which a dog with a history of any type of aggression or other behavioral issue was placed in a new home without full disclosure.

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I have never heard anything but positive comments about Lisa and the innovative, progressive programs and policies she has implemented at FCDS. We've gotten great dogs from Franklin County - including dogs who had been at the shelter for long periods. They have all been happy, healthy and extremely well cared for.

Thank you Lisa and staff for giving dogs many others would have euthanized a chance for a long and happy life. I also thank you for your willingness to work with Pit Bull rescue to help hundreds of wonderful dogs who truly deserve our love and compassion.

Lori Stewart Price
snips@Pawsitive Energy

Giardia is a common, easily curable intestinal parasite. It causes
diarrhea, but infected dogs generally
show no other signs of infection.
Giardia tests may show false
negatives, because the
protozoa does not shed
in every bowel movement.
Most people who work with dogs
are exposed to Giardia on a regular basis with no adverse reaction.

Kennel Cough is a very common
upper respiratory infection,
similar to a common cold
in humans. Kennel cough is transmissible between dogs,
but can not be
passed from dogs to humans.

Ohio laws regarding Pit Bull
type dogs are among the
most discriminatory
in the country. All
Pit Bull type dogs, regardless of
their temperament, are deemed
"vicious." Most Pit Bulls are
happy, gentle, trustworthy
dogs. Unfortunately, this is not the
side of the breed/s that the media
tends to endorse.

Shelters and rescues working
toward the No Kill Ideal
do not "warehouse" dogs or
allow them to "languish in kennels."
Dogs are provided with
specially designed enrichment activities, plenty of exercise and human contact, and in many cases have lives rivaling even the most loved house dog.

The fact of the matter is, dogs come in to the Dog Shelter daily. Some are sick, some are healthy. Some are visibly sick and some may have a condition that is not yet detectable.

So the truth of the matter is this:

When a dog comes in to the shelter as a puppy approximately 6 months of age or younger he/she is given a Distemper/Parvo vaccine and Bordetella vaccine.

Dogs selected for adoption are given a Bordetella vaccine and deworming meds.

If a dog is sick or becomes sick with Giardia or Kennel Cough while at the shelter, they are put in rooms known as Isolation and Observation Wards and treated accordingly. If a dog is not responding to the treatment or has an illness that requires more attention they would be evaluated to go to the off site infirmary for more intense treatment.

All treatment done at the offsite infirmary are funded by the Friends of the Shelter Organization through private donations, not taxpayer dollars. This Organization was formed solely for this purpose, treating sick and injured dogs that would otherwise be euthanized at the Shelter.

Prior to OSU being removed from the Shelter if a dog was sick, they were not allowed to leave the building until they were cleared of their illness. Kennel Cough in most all cases is controllable with medications and just has to run its course (just like the common cold).

Since the OSU departure, dogs with Kennel Cough can be and are sent home with medications and instructed to contact the shelter medical staff with any questions they have regarding the cold.

In regards to more severe illnesses like Parvo and Heartworm, all dogs are given heartworm preventative if they are of appropriate age. Heartworm is not detectable for 6-7 months after infected. The heartworm test only detects the adult heartworm. This is not something the shelter can be directly responsible for.

As for Parvo, there is no preventative test for Parvo. Parvo can not be detected until the dog is actually shedding the virus and only then can he/she be tested. NO Parvo cases are treated at the Shelter. Depending on the severity and space of the off site infirmary, they take - and treat successfully - many of the Parvo cases that arise at the shelter.

When a person comes to the shelter to inquire about a dog, it is the responsibility of the front desk clerks to inform the potential adopter of any medical issues or illnesses that a dog may have. Once the dog is adopted and before he/she leaves the building, the Veterinary Technician again goes over the medical history of the dog with the new adopter.

Included in the adoption packet is also 30 days of free pet insurance that does cover Parvo expenses.

And if the dog has had two of its vaccines against Parvo and still contacts the disease, the Manufacturer of the Vaccine would cover the expense. The Shelter offers a replacement or refund to anyone wishing to turn his or her dog back in due to illness.

In talking to various staff members who choose to not be identified in fear of jeopardizing their jobs, no member of Shelter staff has even withheld information regarding a dog's medical or behavioral history to the "unsuspecting public".

As you can see from these facts, the Shelter has become a place where dogs can get humane and compassionate care if they become or are sick. Previously at Franklin County, and currently at other nearby shelters, dogs are euthanized (some humanely and some not) for simple and treatable illnesses such as Kennel Cough and Giardia.

If the resources are available to treat these illnesses, then we need to be able to use them. Euthanizing an animal should NOT always be the first plan of action.

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A vicious dog is defined as "a dog that without provocation 1) has killed or caused serious injury to any person, or has killed another dog, 2) has caused injury other than killing or serious injury to any person, 3) belongs to a breed commonly known as a Pit Bull dog or to a breed commonly known as the Canary Dog".

Notice the words "without provocation". It is totally ignorant for anyone to believe that the County shelter knowingly adopts out vicious dogs.

If a dog comes in to the shelter with a known bite incident, or has a bite incident in the shelter, it is documented in accordance with bite laws. Questions are asked regarding the surrounding circumstances of the incident. If the incident was deemed unprovoked, then the dog is euthanized. If it is determined there may have been identifiable factors leading to the bite, the dog is further assessed and if appropriate, placed up for adoption with certain restrictions.

To not ask questions regarding a bite incident would be irresponsible and inhumane. This is yet another example of an arrogant society that believes in its own superiority and doesn't take the time to learn about the things it doesn't understand.

As for the breeds of dogs commonly (and incorrectly) referred to as "Pit Bulls," Franklin County Dog Wardens generally determine the breed when dogs are brought in. It is especially difficult to predict a breed in puppies, who generally do not develop defining features until they are several months old.

According to experts, Pit Bull Terriers are not always easily identifiable (and many other breeds are commonly misidentified as "Pit Bulls") despite what a veterinarian, landlord, or even an 8-year-old may think.

Again, we as a society hold the dog more accountable than we do our own species, which is supposed to be superior. If people were more responsible for their dogs and their own actions, this society would not be euthanizing innocent animals based strictly on appearance.

Again, FCDS staff is responsible for informing adopters and potential adopters of any and all behavioral issues, bite incidents, and medical information known about the dog.

An example of the Shelter KNOWINGLY adopting out vicious dogs, would have given more credibility to this accusation, but since none was given people not knowing any better than to believe what they read in local publications look at the dog they have adopted and wonder…"Would my dog bite me?" or "Is my dog a Pit Bull?"

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According to an e-mail from an OSU Staff Member to a persistent Dog Activist , the decision to end the relationship between the OSU Department of Veterinary Medicine and The Franklin County Dog Shelter was a mutual agreement based on OSU's desire that their students work with a more diverse animal population in order to increase their veterinary experience, i.e., work with cats, etc.

Franklin County Shelter employees stated that OSU was initially just providing spay/neuter surgeries for the dogs for several years. Then they were then granted permission by Shelter Management to do basic clinic checks on dogs.

It became more evident to the staff that we spoke to that OSU continued to want more and more input and decision making authority in regards to overall Shelter operations.

It was also the feeling of these staff members that the focus was not on improving shelter medicine, that they were just providing bodies for ongoing research.

OSU was never given all encompassing decision making authority, which some staff veterinarians seemed to want.

When the treatments provided by OSU for Kennel Cough were not curing the condition (i.e.., dogs were receiving the same medications for weeks and when they did not improve, rather than trying an alternative treatment, vets deemed their condition "unresponsive to treatment"), the offsite boarding program was started and funded completely through PRIVATE DONATIONS, and many lives were saved. (Thank you, "Friends of the Shelter.")

It became evident to some staff at Franklin County that OSU Veterinary staff believed that the only way to control illness and overcrowding was to euthanize large numbers of dogs on a consistent basis, while Management strongly believed that there were better and more effective alternatives to mass euthanasia of healthy, adoptable dogs.

Shelter Management disagreed with this philosophy but at one point conceded and euthanized nearly an entire ward of dogs only to find that sick animals still came into the shelter, dogs still got sick at the shelter, and overcrowding still happened at the shelter.

In other words, the plan did not work.

Shelter Management refused to take part in this again and continued to hope that this teaching facility could come up with another answer to the problem.

When it could not, the relationship was severed due to a difference in philosophies…THANK GOD.

An accusation was also made that dogs who bite or attack other pets are given a clean slate, and their adoptive families are not warned. It was also stated that a program to screen dogs for behavioral problems was disbanded.

As discussed under Accusation #1, when a bite is reported, a Bite Incident form is completed and questions are asked regarding the circumstances surrounding the event.

County staff is responsible for giving adopters and potential adopters ALL available information on each dog.

Several staff members were questioned and none of them know of any incident where a dog's a bite incident information was omitted to an adopter.

A program to screen dogs for behavioral problems NEVER EXISTED - it was not "abandoned" as reported by the Dispatch.

The MEET YOUR MATCH program is an assessment tool designed to help match dogs by their play styles and activity levels to appropriate families. This program is used consistently.

We can only hope that the veterinarians being produced by OSU have enough foresight to not always see euthanization as the solution to every problem.

Creativity and thinking outside the box is one thing a college education should foster.

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