From The New York Shitty Inbox: Oreo’s Law

I am certain many of you know the sad story of Oreo. Earlier this year she was thrown off a six story building. She survived despite having all of her legs shattered. However, she proved to be “too aggressive” and the ASPCA euthanized her.

Although Oreo’s may be gone, her death is still the matter of much debate. The people at Empty Cages Collective have brought it to my attention that a number of respected animal welfare groups did, in fact, step forward to take Oreo. Nonetheless she was still put to sleep. Which brings me to the purpose of this post: Oreo’s Law. Here’s the 411 per Empty Cage‘s web site:

In June 2009, a one year old dog named Oreo was thrown from the sixth floor of a Brooklyn rooftop. The perpetrator was arrested and Oreo – with broken bones and fractured ribs – was “rescued” and taken to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The ASPCA started treating her broken body and she began to recover. She was quickly deemed the “miracle dog,” and a happy ending seemed possible. As Nathan Winograd, animal sheltering expert and advocate points out: the miracle was short-lived.

According to the ASPCA, Oreo – a dog traumatized and abused by humans – was showing some aggression towards the same species that had thrown her off of a roof and nearly killed her. While Oreo’s body had healed, she was still (unsurprisingly) distrustful and stressed by some people. Ed Sayres, President of the ASPCA made the decision to kill her due to this alleged behavior. Before she was killed, Pets Alive, a no-kill animal shelter located in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, contacted the ASPCA to ask for custody of Oreo. Pets Alive is a reputable, approved animal rescue organization with experience in handling dogs deemed aggressive. Pets Alive contacted the ASPCA repeatedly requesting custody of Oreo. The ASPCA refused. The ASPCA then killed Oreo.

Oreo, abused and possibly beaten before entering the ASPCA, thrown from a roof and injured, was “rescued” only to be killed far before her time, without being given a chance at rehabilitation – even when a responsible organization was willing to work with her and foot the bill.

This has led Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner and Senator Thomas K. Duane to introduce “Oreo’s Law”. “Oreo’s Law” will grant legitimate animal protection and welfare organizations the right to request healthy and treatable animals be given to their care when a shelter is planning on killing them. A similar law already exists in California, and has saved countless animals from unnecessary and untimely death at the hands of animal control and sheltering establishments.

If you are interested in making Oreo’s Law happen, please take the time to write a letter to your State Representative and Senator. Those of you who need assistance finding out who the elected officials are for your district can get help by point and clicking here.

Thanks!

Miss Heather