I think the commisioners still need to listen to the people. For the county to come out with this press release tell me that there are obvious issues with the animal shelter. Listen to the people that put you in office because these same people can vote you out.

In paragraph 5, the BOC state that the Government-run shelter has a "fairly high" euthanasia rate, but then later on states that the 2012 rate was 16%, much lower than Henry and Cherokee counties, and drastically lower than the nationwide rate. I would argue the euthanasia rate and the budget should be the sole metrics that DC government should consider when evaluating the Shelter. I truly don't understand all the changes when the 2012 rate was so low. Why lay all the blame on those who don't have a taxpayer-funded body (BOC) to defend (and protect) them? Surely Mr. Smith has moved too fast, too soon in making unnecessary changes for the Douglas County Animal Shelter and he and the BOC bear responsibility in letting good employees leave........

Right, M. Gamel! Am I overlooking the author of this article? I have always known Carl to show restraint, to be solely about animal welfare, and it appears he could have a defamation law suit now based on this article. Further, public statements by the two resigned managers reveal that in no way is Mr. Smith blame-less! In not releasing an in-danger-list, a REASON could have been given AT THE TIME instead of implications of hatefulness.The progress made last year & the 16% kill rate is NOT due to Mr. Smith but rather to Mike & Tracy who need to b invited back w/an apology.. Because Carl has been vocal & visible in his observations has made him a scapegoat! In no way is there a valid reason that he should have been dismissed from the advisory board. While changes of hours is not a major negative issue, present TONE at the shelter IS a major negative issue. In no way can all the problems be due to Carl having "his way," & in an article like this, SLANG is NOT acceptable--in other words, what does having "his way" MEAN? Mr. Smith could use training in diplomacy & progreesive leadership skills as could the commissioners.

Thank you, Douglas County Commissioners, ACAB, Shelter Staff, HOPE (Helping Orphan Pets Everywhere) in Douglas County volunteers, The Douglas County Humane Society, Rescues that continue to work with DCAC and the many individuals that came out to the shelter to see the truth for themselves instead of getting caught up in the drama of lies. I am very greatfull for all of you! Cynthia Smith

For positive information focusing on shelter animals and DCAC and off-site adoption events please see the volunteer facebook page of HOPE in Douglas County.

There is nothing ambiguous in the wording of the new GA Dangerous Dog Law. It is very clear in its wording.

And, Rick Smith is not without blame in spouting off threats. The lady whose German Shepherd was the first dog to have fallen under the new law adopted by the county in December, had her dog impounded for 30 days in December, then has had 2 court hearings. Before the second hearing, Rick Smith called her house and threatened her that "he was going to have the judge declare her dog vicious, so that he could put her to sleep". How unprofessional was that? Since when do law enforcement officers have the right to call and harass you and threaten you and your dog? Thank goodness that she only received a fine, and she has agreed to put up a fence and hire a trainer. And thank goodness that Rick Smith did not get to kill her dog, like he wanted. This case was the catalyst for the changes that Rick Smith wanted to make to the newly adopted law. I think the law worked very well for the citizen, but not so well for the pink juice happy government official.

As far as him being certified by the H$U$ to perform an euthanasia, I am sorry, but they have no authority to certify anyone. They are a scam organization that collects as much money as they can, and distributes as little as it can to the animals in need.

And as far as who needs to be dismissed from the AAB, it should be the Chairman, as she has no clue how to run a meeting, or what their intended purpose is to be.

Gerald I. is correct in describing the "TOO FAST" changes. For example, volunteerism was working & did not need the micro-managing. Micro-managing will continue to compound Smith's irratability whereas he could have stepped into the flow of what was going well including the job performances of Mike & Tracy. And to say that CARL CONVINCED "Southern Hope" to pull its support of the free spay-neuter program is quite an exageration. Commissioners still need to listen to the citizens. The petitions get support from people who are not DC citizens due to the fact that volunteers have done a diligent service of networking. And to blame Carl for the THREATS simply an un-intelligent attempt at diverting from real concerns. Nobody agrees w/those threats from OUTSIDE THE USA, but also, nobody agrees w/elected officials minimalizing & even ignoring the electorate.

For those who don't know, "Cyd" is Rick Smith's wife, Cindy. She is the one who heads the "HOPE" group.

I think its all politics..and yes those who voted you in can definitely make sure that does not happen again. .to tell a road officer to pick up as many animals as possible and not worry about the daily tasks of taking care of animlas is awful. If the county can't see a problem in its early stages then not only are the animals doomed but so are the owners.Everyone deserves the right to have a pet protect their home.the police have vicious dogs and I don't see them being put down.I have worked closely with T.Thompson when she was in PAC, and there is not one thing I could ever say bad about her or her care and professionalism.if it was bad enough for her to leave knowing the danger the animals were in then it must be Really bad. ..I hope for everyones sake the matters get fixed and we get the staff back in there that cares and loves their job.

People keep indicating Smith has gotten death threats, etc., which is a stupid thing to do under any circumstances. But I was at the "special called meeting" of the Advisory Board a couple of weeks ago and the only threatening talk I heard was from Smith himself. He asked if anyone was taping the proceedings, and a couple of people indicated they were -- Carl Pyrdum (still on the Board at that time) being one of them. Smith then indicated that he just wanted to know because he'd gotten some threats and now that he knew who was taping the meeting, he'd know "who to go to" if he got any more! Is it rational thinking to equate a tape recorder with a death threat? Good Lord, OF COURSE Carl took exception to that comment, and who wouldn't? Smith completely ignored the other people in the voiceless audience who were also taping the meeting and focused his attention directly at Carl. So I'm not convinced that Smith isn't blustering and bullying his way about with the volunteers and employees at the same time he's whining to the commissioners that people are threatening him. Today's press release from the commissioners convinces me even more that they will continue to cling to their poorly-reasoned choice for a shelter manager for no other reason than it's THEIR CHOICE! The commissioners don't listen to their constituents because they're too busy listening to the voice in their head saying "You're great, you're always right and those people who put you here are NOTHING."

If the Euth. rate raises under Mr. Smith's watch, who will be held accountable? What excuses will our County government make? Our Commissioners hired a man who euthanized roughly 70,000 animals in his 30 yr tenure in MO. This is a fact and admitted by Mr. Smith in a newspaper article. Or, are you going to say this is an allegation also? As previous posters stated, it is time you listen to "We The People". I have been a resident of DC since 1988 and am disgusted with the complete disdain our Commissioners have for their voters. YOU work for us and WE pay your salary and we will remember.

I am truly disgusted that YET again the real situation is THERE IS A PROBLEM, it is not a bunch of people just complaining, it is people with real concerns that have issues with how this facility is being managed. If you have followed this situation from the beginning you can clearly see there is a real issue here. One is which that these animals will not have a choice. Agency's have pulled there services due to the lack of progression to which will effect every animal that enters the facility. Writing the chairmen have become hopeless due to the lack of interest of anyone trying to shed light on what is going on. I have nothing to gain for this and yet to see this ignorance of lack of importance is rather disturbing. There is a problem a huge problem, we have Mr. Smiths wife posting under factitious names which reminds me that I am back in high school with a bunch of teenagers. It is time to investigate the facility and investigate if these allegations can be true. Sitting in a chair and reading emails will not correct this situation. It is called getting off your ass and literally doing something about it. There is a problem and I cannot understand why this is not being addressed properly.

Why doesn't it mentioned who wrote this article?

Shelter directors and staff change all the time and there are gripes here and there. But for the county to turn a blind eye to the public outcry that's going on here is just shameful.

And why does HOPE's facebook page only have five facebook fans? The same number of facebook fans it's had for like 6 weeks? Does that not tell you anything. It proves unequivocally that there is little to no effort, and possibly no experience, in marketing, networking and intelligent, compassionate effort on the part of these animals. Talk about egos!

Most rescue facebook pages come online for any shelter and within a few days, they have at least 1,000 fans. This, to me, speaks volumes, since most rescues use facebook heavily as a resource to save homeless pets.

I went to the shelter to take treats and make sure they didnt have my neighbors dog.Iwas told when I questioned a couple of the staff that they all had to sign releases and was not able to discuss anything about Mr. Smith..Okay WOW!!!Who does he think he is,the shelter had two community service workers,the cages were horrible,Douglas County Commissioners Voters Put You In ,We Can Vote You Out!!!!!!!!!!1

I like how the article cherry picks which allegations to which they responded. The list is much, much longer...

I'd like to know why Mr. Rick Smith can't speak for himself? Why do others have to speak for him, i.e., the County BOC, ACAB, and Rick's wife, Cynthia (Cyd) ? Is he not capable of addressing the complaints himself?

Why does his agenda (his idea of the future) for the DCAS have to be so secretive?

Seriously, yes there are major issues ongoing at DCAS. I have been there myself and felt the difference,..you could cut the atmosphere with a knife now. This also not to mention the animals seem to be intimated too instead of super friendly like before when Tracy and the regular "un-managed" volunteers were there.

Another thing...is the Author of this article reading these responses? If so, care to share or address the comments?

I don't know how to do this, but I say we should call for a state wide/federal investigation.
The ASPCA should get involved.
There are illegal things going on here, involving county and perhaps state officials.
This is UNACCEPTABLE.
Anyone have suggestions as to who we could email, i.e. county, state, government, aspca officials for an investigation?
I think money is involved in this crap.

It seems Mr. Smith was the "cheapest" man for the job, so they hired him without checking his back ground. Now they are in a mess and don't want to admit they're wrong. Have the officials even been to the shelter to check things out? I doubt it because they do not care. If you can't listen to your citizens then you also need to be fired! I also can't believe they would insult the people responsible for saving animals. Do they really think that anyone that has had anything to do with that shelter believes them? I agree with Mr. Locksmith, get off your butt and check things out and get rid of The Hitler for animals.

Wow, I have no personal relation to any involved in this mess but I have to say- I am shocked and embarrassed that my County Commissioners would release such an unprofessional and antagonistic letter such as this one. The last few paragraphs literally had my mouth open in shock. This seems a poor attempt at damage control, when in fact it just added fuel to the flames.

Does Rick Smith have a contract? We know the almighty dollar is the biggest motivator. I wonder if the county is so hell bent on keeping him just to save money and their pride.

I find our county commissioners acts disgraceful. Is this the way they intend to treat concerned citizens going forward? Speak out against them, and they will subject you to character assassination based on their "facts" as they decide to spin them? Are they so incapable of LISTENING to concerned citizens that they prefer to vilify them instead?

" Government-run Animal Shelters do not have the option to turn away animals. When the Shelter is full, decisions have to be made. Euthanasia is a sad fact."

This is simply false. Under Susan Feingold/LifeLine, the shelter repeatedly turned away owner surrenders. I know, I witnessed them doing so. I also was also present at the Animal Control Advisory Board meeting when they discussed the benefit this had in reducing the kennel population, as the owners were being directed to contact the Douglas County Humane Society for help and/or referred to a rescue that might help them.

The Board of Commissioners and Mr. Smith seem to have a warped sense of the meaning of professionalism. This press release is nothing more than pathetic and over the line in its attempt to trash a citizen and taxpayer, Mr. Pyrdum, along with the other volunteers and staff responsible for the amazing 16% euthanasia rate in 2012. The Animal Shelter was being run professionally and according to recommendations by the Lifeline study with on-going improvements before the hiring of Smith. To insinuate otherwise is a COWARDLY attempt at covering their mistake of hiring Smith with his antiquated policies and 70,000 kill history. A strong volunteer and rescue base has now been ousted and headed by his wife who knows nothing of the animals, volunteers, rescues, networking or previous workings that were so effective. By their own admission on their Facebook page they are "starting over." The Shelter is now going backwards (but has a new shower!?) Board of Commissioners, Mr. Smith and your EGOS, you have certainly shown the citizens what you are made of.

I also find it laughable that the Board of Commissioners would put any credence into the opinion of the Douglas County Humane Society who is backing Smith. This is the same group who WALKED OUT on the Animal Control Shelter when under their operation in 2004 over money disputes, leaving the county animals abandoned.

The responses above also fail to note the reduction in space for the dogs, and the reference to the reduction in hours contradicts what Tom Worthan stated for the reason in his recent Lithia Springs town hall: I don't have the exact quote, but when asked by a concerned citizen he referenced budget restrictions.

Also, this is not about the volunteers wanting "their way," but about lifesaving efforts that have proven successful, which Rick Smith has dismantled while county commissioners turn a deaf ear to concerned citizens.

There are so many issues, but most disturbing to me is my concern that an increased number of animals are going to suffer an unnecessary fate (death) under the direction of Rick Smith. I noted at the November Animal Control Advisory Board meeting that we had significantly reduced our kill rate in the county, and i asked him what he brought to the table to continue the trend. He used a lot of words, but actually said very little...now, I know why. How tragic for our community and the animals.

I find it appalling that in these times elected public officials slander a retired law enforcement officer who seeks to save innocent lives using to their political advantage the topic of gun ownership made contentious through horrific incidents. Clearly they have as little compassion for human lives as they do for dogs and cats. The euthanization rate of 16% for 2012 they highly tout is the result of the hard work of staff and volunteers that are no longer able to work at the shelter, due to actions of the new director. Please continue doing amazing work and distribute this petition http://ow.ly/hFiGl as widely as possible while continuing this struggle renewed in its importance and urgency

The individual who wrote this did not even have the guts to own it. I guess it makes it easier to lie and attack. Carl is well spoken and polite and has worked tirelessly for the animals. I cannot see that Carl "got his way" before. There were many times that actions were taken at the shelter that people were not pleased about but he supported the shelter, the people working there and pointed to the fact that they had rules they had to follow. This article appears to be filled with lies and does seem slanderous. The article implies that Mr. Smith has something to do with the low rate last year. It blames the staff resigning on the new "structure" which everyone knows is not true and it blames the loss of support from animal welfare agencies on Carl when the loss was due to actions taken by Mr. Smith. I know that Carl and other volunteers would never do anything to take resources for rescue away from the animals. The truth will and is coming out. However, in the mean time I fear for the animals. I am sure Mr Smith will only hire people who will do his bidding. As of the 15th of this month all volunteer applications expire and only members of the "Hope" nonprofit group (Cyd - Mr. Smith's wife) will be allowed to volunteer. That should make it even easier for Mr. Smith to carry out his agenda with no checks and balance. The commissioners have done the people and the animals of Douglas County are real disservice. This whole thing sickens me.

Appalling and disgusting is all I can say....... shame on the BOC for allowing and condoning the actions of the new director

Rick Smith is a coward

In the last year I have been part of a grassroot effort led by Tammy and Carl Pyrdum, and Lisa Levesque. This effort involved dozens of people and relied on the good will of the volunteers and the shelter staff (Tracy and Mike especially)-- THEY are the reason the euthanasia rate went from 40% to 16%-- the Commissioners and the Douglas County Humane Society played NO role. The fact that Mr. Smith could not join in that effort and capitalize on the hard work and foundation laid by this group is evidence he does not have the best interest of the animals or the citizens of Douglas County in mind. Tthe exodus of key staff so quickly in a manager's tenure is a sign of very poor managerial skills. I find the slander of Carl Pyrdum the most objectionably part of this article-- he and Tammy have done nothing but spend much of their time (and probably money) trying to save as many animals as possible from the shelter. They have enlisted a small army of people from all over Georgia and beyond in this effort. I hope the Commissioners will come to see how destructive their hiring decision was and remove Mr. Smith from his post.

FYI you can voice your concerns at Randi Travis FOX 5 FB page as well.

Why is Rick Smith continuing to put his wife through all this stress? Why was it advantageous for him to move here?????

Douglas County Commissioners need to own THEIR LIES...here a HUGE LIE from their "press release" is exposed: https://www.facebook.com/notes/furbabies-of-dcas-animals-in-douglas-county-shelter-douglasville-georgia/when-the-shelter-is-full-decisions-have-to-be-made-can-government-run-animal-she/601239363223969 Please read and share.

How about opening your eyes to the real issue here! We have animals that are in great need of a good home..How about focus on that instead of the blame game! Post the pictures of the animals up for adoption on your personal Facebook page and help with getting them adopted! Mom of two very happy rescue dogs!

some one needs to look in to the wife working with her husband the county code use to read that they could not work in the same department. If it still reads this way sorry one has to leave.the code is open for anyone to read at the court house. But in what im reading most of this is some one did not like how some one ran his job so they quit now the people that know them come on here and and take up for those that quit. Every body should go see for your self at the shelter then we all will know. And no im not with ant of the county people im just some one living in dville

Carl and his wife were Along with the volunteeres of 2012 were so very instrumental in getting tht euthanasia rate to 16%, and Carl has NEVER been threatening to anyone in front of me, and I have seen him in high stress situations. I cannot believe the personal attack on Carl, it's insane. Mr Smith told me himself right when he started, before any of the controversy that a lot of times "directors do not like volunteers because they create opposition" . Looking back, he knew what he was about to orchestrate and I bet he was speaking from experience from opposition he got where he came from!

Smith's kill rate in Mo. was close to 55%:Here is a snapshot of Rick Smith's record in the St Josesph, MO shelter from 2009-2012 received via an open records request. Please click on link and note his horrendous kill rate...OVER 50% KILLED UNDER HIS WATCH!!!

Why are county commissioners, the Douglas County Humane Society, and the Animal Control Advisory Board defending Rick Smith with this horrible record? Please do not forget the 70,000 killed animals he acknowledged in a 2008 article: http://www.newspressnow.com/news/article_162accd7-8d00-53d9-be07-82ceed759689.html

The county commissioners like to boast about Douglas county's 16% in 2012, yet they hire a man that subscribes to antiquated philosophies that result in the needless killing of innocent animals.

Hey commissioners, the volunteers you attack, the rescues that built relationships with shelter staff & volunteers, as well as the caring shelter staff that resigned rather than work under Rick Smith gave you that 16% on a silver platter!!! You did little to nothing to earn it, and we did not do it for you...WE DID IT FOR THE ANIMALS!!!
re-posted from FaceBook

“It really makes no sense to pay for a study, implement the suggestions, have great success & then hire someone to dismantle everything & implement his policies that by statistics are a big failure. How/why would the commissioners support this?”
[Karen Luxemburger Orgeron]

FYI everyone: I received a reply to an email I sent to Mike Mulcare with no personal response (coward). All he did was attach a Word document of the BOC's response to the outrage. I replyed with this:

"I’ve read this from the Douglasville Patch. It is nothing more than a bunch of defensive lies.

What do YOU, personally, have to say about any of this, humm?

You can take that and put it where the sun doesn’t shine. I will still NOT VOTE FOR YOU and will tell everyone I can about the horrendous management and misrepresentations of Rick Smith and anyone who supports him.

Regards,"

I am one of the employees that left. The county says I left because I could no longer have "my way". Well my way was to give every animal a chance, use all available space to allow them long enough to stay, expect staff to all pull together to care for the animals, come in early on my own time and take animals to the vet, stay late on my own time to take animals to rescue, come in on my day off to assist a rescue or adopter, communicate and know what rescues take what and make sure and call them when we had animals needing rescue, monitor Facebook for anyone looking for lost animals or wanting an animal and matching them up the best I could, getting animals to the vet when needed, asking rescue friends to help with medications so we could medicate all animals needing it without over burdening the budget, use resources sparingly to save funds, do anything in my power to save as many animals as possible. As you can tell in the counties response this is not the "Way" of the new leadership or the county leaders.

I also can attest that Mr. Pyrdum is a wonderful person, respectful to a fault. He did nothing but spend his own time and money helping the innocent animals that everyone else forgot. For the county officials to attack him in this way is beyond wrong and words cannot express how shocked and disappointed I am in this turn. It makes me ashamed to have been an employee of Douglas County. This reponse should make all citizens of this county furious and they should demand an immediate retraction, apology and the job of whomever is responsible for this display.

To be clear, Tracy Thompson selflessly served the animals and community. The county lost a true advocate, and her notations above only reference the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her contribution. You are sorely missed Tracy!

The personal attacks on Carl Pyrdum, which have no merit, should be an indicator to all what kind of people we elected into office. We will do well to remember this when they come up for election, as the county deserves better.

Rick Smith does not hold a candle to Tracy or Carl. I believe the real reason he was brought to Douglas county, GA was to push for greater animal control to generate more $$$$. This is the only thing that makes sense to me, as I find no other justification and his actions since being here are indicative of this. So, citizens beware...and keep your animals secure!!!

I am shocked and saddened that DCHS is intimidating volunteers in support of the SLANDEROUS, FALSE BOC statement and in support of someone whose published track record of kill rate is over 50%.

Douglas Co is a joke, and so is the patch for printing a press release rather than doing their job of reporting. There is no way smith will maintain a low kill rate and his past record proves this. And Tracy and Karl deserve a huge apology as well as the staff who have remained. And then the commissioners and staff need to go! Criminals, liars and murderers! Great job once again government! If you pay off douglas co then you can open up a business there. And then to keep your doors open keep buying the commisioners their favorite expensive wine!

It is clear that the slander and overall professionalism in this article is part of the lazy, corrupt collusion among leaders in our community. “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

http://www.swaylove.org/shelter-retaliation-against-volunteers-is-illegal-unconstitutional

Hey folks, remember that the Special Purpose Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) finally passed by 34 votes after 2 failed attempts?

Hey folks, remember all those flyers that urged you to VOTE?

Hey folks, Douglas County SPLOST was used entirely for one of the largest prisons in the United States, but not a penny went to improving the animal shelter or anything else in the county.

Congratulations to Chairman Worthan, the commissioners and the sheriff!

Thanks to all the people who did not bother to vote and who voted for the prison--YOU GOT WHAT YOU DESERVE!!!!!!!!!!!

I like the way you think, Fred.

However, I disagree about the definition of a jail and a prison.

The new facility is not a county jail. A county jail would have been built within size and cost for what is necessary for Douglas County. That is not what was done.

Sheriff Miller repeatedly stated at public meetings, which have been recorded, that there would be so much empty space at the new facility that he wanted to bring in state and federal prisoners and board them at the new facility to make MONEY.

Therefore, the new prison is just that, a prison.

Too bad there's no room to board and take care of the animals.

Mr. Editor, was this document signed by all board members? Was it even signed?

No. It was not signed.

@BOC - so you want $4 million for an animal shelter? I might consider $2 million if you will consider $2 million for a shelter for homeless humans. DEAL?

The best way to facilitate policy change is the change those who are making the policy. The BOC will use the $4 million bond referendum this fall to extinguish criticism and to bring the animal rights folk "into line". The $4 million bond will mean another property tax increase. Do you think the voters will support another tax increase? What alternative are there?

Clearly the ACAB, the BOC, and the Smiths know they have something to hide. If they were honest people, they would conduct themselves in an open, forthright manner. They are fully aware that they are in the wrong. High school student councils have more maturity than this bunch. And more professionalism.

And if the BOC continues to dismiss the opinions of those of us who live outside of Douglas County, they are also dismissing the value of our money spent in Douglas County businesses, and the sales taxes collected thereof. We are not only fully capable of networking for the animals at DCAC, but also for any political opponents they may face for the next election. And we will.

Shelton: I hope the BOC cares enough to read comments under their own press release bc your comments are starkingly superb. Thanks!

By the way -

All these electrons spent on commenting about an animal shelter.

I wish people would get half as worked up about human homelessness and hunger.

Fred: Come out of the clouds away from your idealism. Of course, u r correct on many points, but we have reality not the ideal. We can't even get the BOC to operate in transparency & in many cases to be truthfully forthcoming, so corruption and overall ignorance "trickles down." The tail is like the head! If Worthan dares to say the majority doesn't agree w/animal concerns, he is really saying the majority does not CARE--as does not he. "SOUTHERN HOPE" discontinued the free spay-neuter program because of Rick Smith--he and the BOC should MAKE THAT RIGHT and re-HIRE MIKE POPE since his job performaance was excellent--IN ADDITION TO MS. TRACY of course. YES INDEED SPAY-NEUTER IS ESSENTIAL as r many of your other points which is NOT the topic HERE.

Fred: The "SOUTHERN HOPE" letter is available--this is not just an arbitrary claim. Thanks again.

This is GREAT!

Here you are seeing democracy in action, instead of just an unsigned letter purporting to be from the BOC.

And look at the suggestions!

What we are talking about is prioritizing spending, spending money where it is needed!

Here are his numbers from 2008-2012 , provided by the St.Jo Mo Department of Health , Mr. Smith's former boss.

Animals Reclaimed 2706, Animals Adopted 3490, Animals Rescued 144, Animals Euthanized 9658.

The percentages are as follows: 15.8% Reclaimed, 20.41% Adopted, 6.44% DOA,.843 % Rescued and 56.48% Euthanized. The stats no not lie. Over a five year period almost 57% of the animals at the St. Joesph Mo shelter were euthanized. Only 144 were rescued during that time period.

There is NOTHING acceptable about the above numbers. More than HALF of the animals that came into the shelter during that time period were put down. Very sad for the animals. After the killing of 30 animals this week, Douglas County is headed in the same direction.