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Nine Minutes to live



 
 
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Old October 16th 04, 04:21 AM
michael 3.0
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Default Nine Minutes to live

Hello fans,

think about this the next time you take a dog to
the local "shelter"



Stu Bykofsky | Sheea didn't have a chance

Dog was destroyed soon after she arrived at 'shelter'

By Stu Bykofsky



NINE SHORT minutes.

That was Sheea's lifespan from the time she arrived at Philadelphia
Animal Care and Control Association until they put her down.

The rush to execute the innocent 2-year-old Shetland sheepdog brought
grief to the Troy family and heartbreak to 7-year-old Kayla, who had
named the puppy after getting it as a gift from her uncle Steve two
years ago.

In addition to suffering the cruel loss of their "friendly, playful"
pet, the Troys were subjected to stonewalling, lies and verbal abuse
from workers at PACCA, according to Steve Troy, who said the family is
still waiting for a truthful explanation, not to mention an apology.

"We're challenged now with as many as 200 animals a day coming into
PACCA. A lot of them are strays. A lot of them are owners that don't
like the fact that the dog doesn't match the new rug, or for whatever
reason," PACCA President Joseph Cronauer told me. "Think about what 200
animals a day adds up to."

It adds up to a lot of unwanted pets, but that wasn't the case with the
Troys' little Sheea.

Sheea ran away

For the Troy family, the misery began Sunday, Aug. 8, when Sheea, who
looked like a miniature collie, ran out of the yard of the family home
in Wissinoming. The Troys used to remove Sheea's collar at night and
replace it in the morning, but on this day Sheea ran off before they got
it on her.

The family searched everywhere. They plastered the neighborhood with
"lost dog" posters. They contacted PACCA and the SPCA to ask if a dog
matching Sheea's description had been turned in, said Ed Troy, Steve
Troy's brother. They did everything they could think of doing.

Late on Saturday, Aug. 14, the Troys got a call from Carol Kinback. She
told the Troys she had found their dog and had brought her to the PACCA
shelter on Hunting Park Avenue near Front Street on Wednesday, Aug. 11 -
before seeing the "lost dog" poster.

Kinback never dreamed she was dooming the gentle pet.

Two years ago, PACCA took over from the SPCA responsibility for animal
control, plus sheltering, taking in and adopting out animals in
Philadelphia.

The sad truth is there are more animals than there are homes. Last year,
PACCA received 32,723 animals and destroyed 22,558 of them.

Nine minutes to doom

Kayla's mom, Susan, raced to PACCA to rescue their beloved Sheea, only
to learn she had been put down nine minutes after her arrival.

How could this happen, Susan demanded to know.

"Their story changed many times as my Mom tried to get some answers and
see some paperwork," said Ed Troy. "They refused and told her to leave."

Susan and two sons, Mike and Steve, returned the next day, loudly
demanding answers.

"Again [secretaries] were rude, but finally showed us some paperwork"
indicating the dog had been put down nine minutes after she arrived,
said Steve, who admits he and Mike shouted and that Mike dropped the F bomb.

PACCA refused to let the Troys "talk to the vet or see the cremation
papers," said Ed. "Did they even kill the dog or are they selling these
dogs and not telling us?" he asked. The Troys harbor suspicions because
their pedigree dog was worth $600.

Overseeing PACCA is the city Health Department. Two weeks ago Deputy
Health Commissioner Carmen Paris told me the dog was surrendered by the
owner.

Yesterday afternoon, Paris said she was mistaken. An investigation found
that a PACCA staffer erroneously recorded the woman bringing in the dog
as the owner.

That Good Samaritan, Carol Kinback, told me she has turned in other
strays to PACCA. But this time she had a "sense" something was
different. Usually she's handed a receipt for the dog.

"This time the guy who took the dog took the paper," she said, adding
that Sheea was a "gentle, gentle dog."

In a cruel irony, Mike Troy had put up a "lost dog" poster in the PACCA
lobby just hours before Kinback turned in Sheea.

Was Sheea unpredictable?

As to why Sheea was so quickly put to death, Paris said the shelter told
her the dog was "unpredictable" and became "aggressive."

"She was fine, just scared" at PACCA, Kinback told me.

Family members said the dog was always friendly and playful, never
aggressive. Roseanne McGuire, a dog groomer who worked on Sheea, called
her "a sweetheart" who never nipped, never growled, never bit.

The bottom line is that Sheea apparently died at the hands of those who
should have been her protectors, whether through stupidity, error or
indifference.

The Troys - who went from heartbreak to suspicion and fury - are fuming
at getting neither answers nor apology. They say last August, PACCA
Executive Director George Stem promised them he'd order an investigation
and give them a report.

It's October and they've received nothing.

Paris says the Troys must have misunderstood Stem because PACCA is
unionized and Stem couldn't give the Troys a report that named individuals.

We didn't need names, Steve Troy said. Just an honest answer.

Paris also said one of the Troys had taken a swing at Stem and flipped
over some tables as they stormed out.

Steve Troy admitted he flipped over a table in anger and frustration
after being stonewalled on how and why Kayla's dog died. He denies
threatening Stem. "I'd be in jail now if I did that."

His frustration is understandable. Something smells bad at PACCA, and I
don't mean dog poop.
E-mail Stu Bykofsky at
or call 215-854-5977.
 




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