An animal rescue centre is standing by its decision to put two Jack Russells to sleep after being hit with backlash online.
Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary faced strong criticism after a Facebook post slammed their decision to euthanise Jack and Marty but it has since insisted staff and visitors were not safe around the animals. It also said the dogs could not enjoy a good quality of life while living in kennels long term due to a lack of interaction there.
In a lengthy statement, trustees for the sanctuary, in Blackpool, said the animals were unpredictable and that staff were in a "no win" situation. Trustees also said the dogs frequently bit staff members and were very different to the "cute, cuddly dogs" which were seen in heart-warming social media posts.
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A Facebook post which has been shared hundreds of times accused the centre of a "selfish" and "heartless" decision in putting the dogs to sleep and questioning Eastleigh's commitment to its "no kill" policy, Lancs Live reports.
In response, the trustees said the decision to put Marty and Jack down was made by majority vote and done after a final attempt to get the dogs rehomed. They also said that both animals had been with them for a number of years but had never been taken by a member of the public.
Part of their statement said: "Sadly, both Jack and Marty were very unpredictable in their behaviour. They continued to regularly bite the staff members who cared for them, to the point where some members of staff had become very uncomfortable and nervous being around them.
"No member of staff should be subject to being bitten at work on a regular basis. Animal welfare staff had recently been bringing Jack and Marty up to the sanctuary in an attempt to enhance their lives as they were living long term in kennels.
"However, due to their unpredictable behaviour and biting this could never be a long-term solution as members of the public come to the sanctuary for meet & greets when looking to adopt/sponsor an animal.
"Had Jack or Marty got loose they would have bitten. How would members of the public feel if they came to visit the sanctuary, and they or a family member, child, grandchild, or friend had been bitten by either of these two dogs? No doubt people would then have posted comments on social media accusing Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary of being irresponsible and failing to protect their staff, visitors and members of the public. We can’t win!"
The trustees said the decision was made in May following a meeting involving them, the sanctuary manager and the centre's animal welfare staff. There, it was agreed that it was "unfair" to the dogs to spend several more years in the kennels and that one last effort would be made to find alternative accommodation.
They said: "Unfortunately, even though our animal welfare staff contacted many potential adopter organisations none were willing to take either Jack or Marty. As it had been previously agreed that it was not in the best interest for the dogs to spend the rest of their lives in kennel facilities with a poor quality of life, the decision to have them put to sleep was agreed.
"Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary has always abided by having a no kill policy, unless it was on veterinary advice, or it was deemed to be in the best interest of the animal concerned. We reiterate that it was agreed to be in the best interest for Jack and Marty by the majority of trustees and staff present at the meeting in May 22."
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