A ‘selfish and heartless’ animal sanctuary has hit back at criticism after putting down two Jack Russell dogs.
Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary said the dogs had been with them for a number of years after a number of unsuccessful rehomings due to biting, LancsLive reported. They faced a strong online backlash on Facebook after their decision to euthanise Jack and Marty but it has issued a strident defence of the action, saying that staff and visitors were not safe around the animals.
It also said that the dogs could not enjoy a good quality of life while living in kennels long term due to a lack of interaction there.
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In a lengthy statement, trustees for the sanctuary said the dogs frequently bit staff members and were very different to the "cute, cuddly dogs" which were seen in heartwarming social media posts. Instead, they said the animals were unpredictable and that those running the sanctuary were in a "no win" situation.
Attention was drawn to the death of the dogs in a Facebook post which accused the sanctuary of a "selfish" and "heartless" decision in putting the dogs to sleep and questioning Eastleigh's commitment to its "no kill" policy. The post was shared more than 200 times and sparked anger among animal lovers.
In response, the trustees said the decision to put Marty and Jack down was made by majority vote and done after a final attempt to get the dogs rehomed. They also said that both animals had been with them for a number of years but had never been taken by a member of the public.
They said: "Both of these dogs were in the care of Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary for several years. Over the years our animal welfare staff made numerous attempts to rehome them, unfortunately all were unsuccessful in the main down to issues with both dogs biting. Sadly, both Jack and Marty were very unpredictable in their behaviour. They continued to regularly bite the staff members who cared for them, to the point where some members of staff had become very uncomfortable and nervous being around them.
"No member of staff should be subject to being bitten at work on a regular basis. Jack and Marty were not the cute, cuddly dogs that the pictures posted on social media would have people believe. Due to their unpredictable behaviour the Trustees and Staff made the decision that both dogs were unsuitable to be rehomed.
"Animal welfare staff had recently been bringing Jack and Marty up to the sanctuary in an attempt to enhance their lives as they were living long term in kennels. However, due to their unpredictable behaviour and biting this could never be a long-term solution as members of the public come to the sanctuary for meet & greets when looking to adopt/sponsor an animal.
"Had Jack or Marty got loose they would have bitten. How would members of the public feel if they came to visit the sanctuary, and they or a family member, child, grandchild, or friend had been bitten by either of these two dogs? No doubt people would then have posted comments on social media accusing Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary of being irresponsible and failing to protect their staff, visitors and members of the public. We can’t win!"
The trustees said the decision was made in May following a meeting involving them, the sanctuary manager and the centre's animal welfare staff. There, it was agreed that it was "unfair" to the dogs to spend several more years in the kennels and that one last effort would be made to find alternative accommodation.
They said: "Unfortunately, even though our animal welfare staff contacted many potential adopter organisations none were willing to take either Jack or Marty. As it had been previously agreed that it was not in the best interest for the dogs to spend the rest of their lives in kennel facilities with a poor quality of life, the decision to have them put to sleep was agreed.
"Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary has always abided by having a no kill policy, unless it was on veterinary advice, or it was deemed to be in the best interest of the animal concerned. We reiterate that it was agreed to be in the best interest for Jack and Marty by the majority of trustees and staff present at the meeting in May 22."
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