Who Needs Enemies?

On 10 November 2011 Jacksonville.com, the local internet arm of The Florida Times-Union newspaper, reported on the recent resignation of a Putnam County animal control officer.  According to the report this officer was told on 26 September 2011 to pick up seven dogs held in three cages outside a residence.  The owner of the residence had called animal control to inform them that he was being evicted, had lost his job, and was moving.  On 23 October 2011 the dogs were found, still in the cages outside the residence: 6 were dead and 1 was barely alive.

According to the report, during an interview with her superiors, the officer admitted to driving past the residence but not picking up the dogs because she thought she would end up just returning them to the owner.   Even worse, between this time and the time the dogs were found dead, the officer had gone on vacation.  

The outcome for the officer?  She was given the choice to resign which she did on Oct 31 2011.

Now, I don’t know about you, but to me this complete dereliction of duty is the equivalent of a surgeon leaving you lying open on the table and walking out because he or she would just have to repeat the procedure at some time in the future.  In other words:  I don’t feel like it . . . What’s the point?  I don’t care what the officer says; it boils down to she couldn’t be bothered to do her job.  How many of us would get away with that in our job . . . and her responsibilities involved the lives of these dogs!!! 

It’s bad enough that animal abusers get a slap on the wrist and then go on with their lives a la Michael Vick—yes Michael, there are a lot of us who have neither forgotten nor forgiven—but when people charged with caring for animals can’t be bothered to do their jobs!!!   These are supposed to be the good guys! With friends like this, these animals don’t need enemies.

I am not absolving the owner of the dogs from blame, but it is horrifying to see that this travesty appears to be deemed resolved because the officer resigned.  Where is the public outcry? Where is the criminal prosecution?  One friend of mine suggested that we should cage the officer on the side of the road and then all drive by and ignore her plight.  This is a suggestion that I am not completely averse to!!!!