"Breakdowns" Led to Brutal Death of Animal Shelter Dog

BREAKDOWNS’ LED TO BRUTAL DEATH OF ANIMAL SHELTER DOG
Heather Reger Thu. April 03

The brutal death of a pit bull suggests there’s trouble at Animal Control, a document obtained by the District Weekly suggests.

The March 15 report by registered veterinary technician Christine Culhno of Long Beach Animal Control describes an incident in which an untrained officer used a rabies pole to drag an out-of-control pit bull from its holding pen. The report alleges the officer inadvertently choked the dog until blood gushed from its mouth and nose.

“The dog was flipping around and fighting so much that my syringe needle bent and I had to replace it before administering the drug. I lost my footing on a pool of blood as I walked across the room,” Culhno wrote in the report.

The scene was so exceptionally gruesome that, when the dog was finally euthanized, workers hosed blood off floors, walls, doors, cages and cabinets in the euthanasia room, the complaint alleges.

A source said someone sent the report to members of the media and city officials just a day after Long Beach City Council members voted unanimously to ask Animal Control to enforce stricter regulations for so-called “dangerous dogs” and their owners.

The dog’s death “resulted from several breakdowns in protocol that cumulatively made for an unfortunate incident,” said Michael Johnson, acting press information officer for the Department of Health, which oversees the Animal Control division.

The incident is still under investigation.

The shelter typically requires employees to sedate dangerous dogs before they’re removed from their cages for killing. Johnson says the animal shelter lacks a designated veterinarian on site and has failed to post medical license. California state law requires both. The animal shelter has not had an on-site veterinarian or premise license since December, according to Johnson.

Culhno filed a separate consumer complaint with the state Veterinary Medical Board after the death of the pit bull. She alleges the city has not had a premise veterinarian since October. Employees have been illegally administering controlled substances and vaccinations, an apparent violation of several codes of the state Veterinary Practice Act, according to the complaint.

Johnson said the agency is moving quickly to correct at least one problem. Loren Eslinger, a vet at the Belmont Shore Veterinary Hospital, verbally agreed this week to become the shelter’s premise vet, Johnson said. Eslinger was not available for comment.