(July 2) -- Authorities shot and killed 55 dogs at an Arizona home and animal rights groups say it should never have happened.
The animal rights organizations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society, have lodged complaints against Navajo County, Ariz., animal control officers for the May 7 shooting, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.
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The officers decided to put down the animals because their owner was in jail and could not care for them. Chief Deputy Bernard Huser described the living conditions on the property as "pitiful" and officials have said the animals were too aggressive to round up safely.
County officials said it would have been to difficult to move the dogs to the county-contracted shelter and the animals would have died en route in the animal-pickup vans, which are not air-conditioned.
"We do feel like the decision made in the field was the right one to prevent suffering of the animals," Dr. Wade Kartchner, director of the county health department, told the Republic. He added, however, that the ordeal was a "horrible incident."
Anna-Marie Rea, director of the Humane Society of the White Mountains, disagreed. "Shooting is not a humane way to end an animal's suffering," she said.
Rea contends her shelter could have provided appropriate vehicles for the mass transport of animals. The shelter also had more humane euthanization services for those animals too sick to travel, she said.
Edward Harvey, the owner of the dogs, was in jail for a gun violation in May, when the animals were shot. He told the Republic he found dog carcasses on his property and inside his trailer home when he returned.
Kartchner said no dogs were left inside the trailer, but acknowledged some dogs could not be removed because they were surrounded by animal and human feces. He told the Phoenix New Times that Harvey and his teenage daughter had been living on the property without running water or electricity.
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Animals in the News
Chanel, a white dachshund who held the Guinness world record for oldest dog, died Aug. 28 at age 21. Earlier this year, her owners said she was in good health, with the exception of sunglasses she had to wear for cataracts.
Meredith Daniels, Newsday / MCT
Meredith Daniels, Newsday / MCT
While county officials have said the feral and aggressive dogs would have been euthanized at a shelter anyway, PETA has called the incident a "massacre."
In a June 29 letter, PETA urged Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon to investigate the shooting.
"If it is true that these dogs were killed in a hail of gunfire instead of being individually examined and either treated, adopted, or humanely euthanized, it defies comprehension," said PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Law enforcement officers are entrusted to secure the safety of the community, so these allegations are deeply troubling."
Carlyon told the Republic any investigation is at the discretion of the sheriff's office, which is not planning one.
For more on the story, read coverage from the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix New Times.
