Tag Archives: Animals

Graphic horse case —Susan Leavens

Received 28 June 2011. -jsq
On 05-07-2010 horse was euthenised

This 18 month old Tenn. Walking Horse was refused vet care or euthensia not only by its owner but by my Director as well. I was alerted through 911 dispatch on a Saturday while working. I spoke to my director (Linda) about the colts situation and she advised me she was not going to WASTE COUNTY FUNDS picking him up, euthenising him or disposing of him. Five days later with a Lowndes County deputy and Officer Ronnie Ganas and Dr. Mary Rogers, he was darted (colt was not halter broken) and euthenised; Tifton Diagnostic Lab found a high utensil wire embedded in the left hind leg (pastern) which had severed his deep flexor tendon. PLEASE REMEMBER vet care or euthenising was REFUSED

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Arrests for speaking in an Arizona town

Something seems familiar about this story of a couple of people being arrested at small town council meetings for speaking up.

Ben Popken wrote for the Consumerist 15 July 2011, Small Arizona Town In Furor After 2nd Citizen Arrested For Speaking At Town Meeting:

The town of Quartzsite, AZ, population 3,466, is in disarray after a video showing police hauling away a citizen for speaking at the town meeting podium went viral. The woman was saying that the town council had been violating open meeting laws.

It was the second citizen arrested at a Quartzsite town meeting in two weeks.

What’s all this about? Continue reading

Return of the Sock Puppets!

A new spate of sock puppets, this time spitting against animals!

Someone commenting as lowndes county tax payer and resident yelled and screamed a bit, concluding

“DAMN.”
Less than an hour later, long time citizen as well commented:
“I certainly can agree with you on that….”
Guess what? They both posted from the same IP address and supplied the same email address. And then lifetime citizen of lowndes county, not just a visitor complaining posted
“STOP BOTHERING THOSE PEOPLE”
with a different IP address, yet the same email address. You may have suspected that just from the same kind of ALL CAPS INVECTIVE.

This is a sock puppet:

sock puppet: the act of creating a fake online identity to praise, defend or create the illusion of support for one’s self, allies or company. — New York Times

As I pointed out back in April, Sock puppets may not be such a good idea, because: Continue reading

Somebody has gotten fired at the animal shelter

Improper use of drugs for euthanizing animals is apparently enough to get someone fired from the animal shelter, at least if there is a parade of witnesses and paperwork, but only after someone files a complaint with GA Dept. of Ag.

On 16 June 2011 Susan Leavens got a letter from Shirley King, with attached PDF, containing:

  • complaint from Susan Leavens (unknown date):
    “Employee working with Lowndes County Animal Services euthanizing animals wihtout certification.”
  • 2011-06-03 PDF notice of violation from Ga. Dept. Ag. to Lowndes Co. Animal Services
  • a long handwritten statement by Pat Smith, also annotated:
    “Copy of report received by [signed] Joe Pritchard 6-3-11”
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hold for safe keeping mother and puppy’s born at the shelter —Susan Leavens

Received 28 June 2011. -jsq
This puppy was born at the shelter, the mother and litter mate was on hold for “SAFE KEEPING” the owner was in jail and the Director (Linda) removed the dew claws by forcyps and spinning them off, the litter mate to this puppy died at a later date.

-Susan Leavens

Ashley Paulk is a big man again

Kay Harris wrote on the front page of the VDT 1 July 2011, Fireworks at Parks and Rec meeting, quoting board member Ashley Paulk,
“These contracts are invalid, and the same employees who did this did the same thing last year and we told them then not to do it again. They seem to think the Authority doesn’t run Parks and Rec., but we do, and since this was done illegally, with prior warning not to, these individuals should be fired for insubordination.”
This was about a contract with Black Crow media. Last night Ashley Paulk told various people after the County Commission meeting that when he went down to Black Crow to do the morning radio show he usually does before the board meeting, he wasn’t even allowed in the building. I asked him, so does this mean you’re going to keep quiet? He answered,
“No, not when I’m right!”
Remember, Ashley Paulk was a big man back in April Continue reading

The horse from the shelter Ruby —Susan Leavens

Received 28 June 2011. -jsq
This was Ruby, she was seized from her owner by me because she had a hole in her back and her body condition was a one (1) on the Henneke scale per the American veterinarian standard rating scale. There was no feed or grass/hay on scene. While in the protective custody of Lowndes County Animal Shelter she got maggots in the wound on her back. Ruby also had
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Falsified logs at the animal shelter?

Previously I’ve posted briefly about the notarized statement by Susan Leavens of 5 May 2010. Here is more detail, with pictures. The statement alleges animals smothered, strangled, stabbed in the eye, cut, torn, beaten, slapped, thrown. Improper drug use “who signed this thing?”. Racial profiling and discrimination. Unresponsive county officials and threats from them. Oh, yes, and falsified logs of euthanasia.
“And it was time for the abuse, neglect and deceitfulness to stop.”

Susan Leavens stated:

“On 4/28/2010 I came in from checking traps around 1030 am, I was told while euthenizing a cat, the syringe I was draw pentosol out didn’t matter what mattered was the 10cc syringe, so if it was not enough to euthenize the animal then set it aside it would die. But the 10cc one is the one that needed to come out right. I said “WHAT!” Tim Cook explained that to me he went and got Ryan Curtis and he explained the very same thing, he said even if you don’t have a full cc of pentosol, say it’s a cc on the log because the 10 cc syringe mattered not what we were using to euthenize with! It was very apparent that human[e] euthanasia was not important that the numbers were. This was very disturbing to know we were being made to make the animals suffer because the numbers might be off!”
In the statement she names multiple people she says were witnesses to the falsification of euthanization log entries, and even to the complete rewrite of a log and shredding of the previous copy.

Her statement also describes: Continue reading

“Once the investigation is complete and closed all documents will be provided to you.” —Custodian of Records

More from Susan Leavens:
—– Forwarded Message —- From: “King, Shirley”
To: “sleavens4@bellsouth.net”
Sent: Wed, October 27, 2010 2:21:02 PM
Subject: Open Records Request
Ms. Leavens, as you requested under the Georgia Open Records Act, please find message from the custodian of records for Animal Protection attached.
If we may assist you any further, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thanks.
Shirley J. King
Open Records Coordinator
The attached PDF is here on the LAKE website. Interestingly, although that message from Patricia Mitchell, “Animal Protection Office Custodian of Records” says
“Once the investigation is complete and closed all documents will be provided to you.”
it also says:
“By policy the department only retains 2 years (2008 & 2009) inactive files and 1 years (2010) active files.”
So if the investigation takes more than 2 years, do the earlier files about it start to vanish?

-jsq

All employees were drug tested and interviewed —Joe Pritchard

Susan Leavens sent this Tuesday:
John, this is the first open records reguest I did with GDA. The rest will be in order of date of the request.
The document Shirley King attached for Item #2 was this PDF of a letter from Joe Pritchard of 27 August 2010 telling USDA GDA all employees (presumably of the animal shelter) had been drug-tested and were being interviewed.

Documents about the animal shelter are appearing here on the LAKE web pages. Here are the messages Susan Leavens forwarded along with this particular letter.

-jsq Continue reading