Manatee County must address inhumane deaths of animals at shelters

Manatee County residents, if you want to see how our tax dollars are being spent at Manatee County Animal Services, Google "The Examiner Manatee County Room of Horror, Dec. 29, 2015."

What you will see are photos of Manatee County dogs and one cat being inhumanely treated and killed by county-paid employees in a county-funded facility. After the article was posted, numerous complaints were filed. Manatee County Animal Services response? We were following state guidelines.

For your information, Manatee County has its own best practice for killing dogs and Animal Services neglected to follow the department's own guidelines. Agency administrators also responded by having the camera removed from the killing room, using the excuse that it was needed in another room.

Do officials honestly believe county taxpayers believe that statement? If you don't have anything to hide, why remove the camera at all? Where is the transparency in removing the camera?

Let's meet the dogs who were killed: Sarge was a good dog attending Good Citizens Class. Sarge attended class on Tuesday and was put through a mock rehearsal for passing his Good Citizens test. He was expected to take his test the following Tuesday and was fully expected to pass. Unfortunately, he was killed the Thursday before his test.

Kobe was also attending Good Citizens classes. Wawa is seen at an adoption event walking with cheerleaders.

Manatee County administrators claim they have a knowledgeable team that decides which dogs will be killed. Obviously, the team individuals are not knowledgeable about dogs' personalities or even bother to take time to get to know the dogs.

Mr. Ed Hunzeker, it is time for you to take responsibility for Manatee County Animal Services and do a full housekeeping sweep.

Cathy Walter

Bradenton

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County must address inhumane deaths of animals at shelters ."