Two pit bulls that attacked and killed 29 cats at an Alabama shelter have been euthanized.
Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish told WTVY-TV the dogs were put down last week. Parrish says the owner of the dogs, Kenneth Hamilton, agreed to give the animals to the city after initially refusing. Animal control officers picked up the dogs after they were found wandering the neighborhood.
Shelter Director Bill Banks said the dogs killed the cats after forcing their way out of a pen, pushing hard on a galvanized bar and knocking it out of a clamp. About 30 cats that survived were taken to a no-kill shelter in Ohio.
The outlet says money has been appropriated for preliminary plans for a new shelter but no funds have been allocated for construction.
WTVY posted the story on its social media pages, sparking numerous reactions.
“I think the facility needs to do some kind of rearranging with the animals or make sure that everything is properly boarded up so it doesn’t happen again,” one commenter wrote.
“Every single animal shelter I’ve been to has a dog wing and a cat wing with at least 4 doors between all animals (kennel door and the door to the wing),” another commenter wrote, adding, “How is this even possible???? Was this a licensed shelter???”
“Have y’all even been to the shelter lately?” someone responded. “They do in fact have two wings for cats and dogs inside. However they have so many strays coming in they have an area in the back chained in. These workers are doing their best to care for the unwanted and lost animals. How about going out there and taking a look for yourself instead of passing judgement.”
The Dothan Animal Shelter is operated by the Dothan Police Department in order “to protect the rights and lives of both the citizens in Dothan against vicious at-large animals and to protect the beaten, neglected and unwanted animals from their aggressors.”
The Associated Press and Epoch Times Reporter Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
