Oreo, Dog That Surivived Roof Toss, Euthanized

NEW YORK — A young pit bull mix that survived being thrown off the sixth-floor roof of a Brooklyn building still was not fit to live because of her aggressive behavior, her caretakers said, and she was euthanized Friday, despite pleas from animal activists to spare her life.

Oreo suffered two broken legs and a fractured rib when she was beaten and thrown off a roof June 18. After months of working to rehabilitate her, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals determined that she was unpredictably aggressive, and could never live among humans or other dogs.

The plight of the 1-year-old Oreo stirred emotions among animal lovers, and the ASPCA decision to euthanize her led many to flood the organization with hundreds of calls, e-mails and Twitter messages.

"We're saddened by the outcome," said ASPCA spokesman Andy Izquierdo on Friday afternoon after the organization announced Oreo's death. "But we truly feel it's the most humane decision for Oreo."

Earlier, Izquierdo said the agency had received well over 200 calls and e-mail messages, as well as at least two death threats.

"People don't know the behavioral piece," Izquierdo said. "We could fix her physically, but we couldn't do anything with her psychologically."

Protesters rallied outside the building Friday morning. And at least one pet sanctuary offered to take in the dog.

"The aggression thing is a dumb excuse because all dogs can be worked with," said Emily Danks, a self-described animal rescuer who said she was escorted out of the ASPCA's building on the Upper East Side after trying to convince staff members to let her take Oreo.

She said she had planned to take the dog to Pets Alive, a sanctuary in Middletown.

Matt DeAngelis, executive director of Pets Alive, said his organization had left phone messages for the ASPCA with an offer to take in Oreo. But he said they had not heard anything, and he was perplexed at why the ASPCA didn't accept the group's offer.

In an e-mail, Stephen Zawistowski, one of the ASPCA's lead animal behavior experts who had worked with Oreo, said the organization didn't believe that sanctuary placement was "good for her welfare."

"We made this decision having the experience of working with a number of well-known sanctuaries and rescue groups," he said, adding that the ASPCA was unfamiliar with Pets Alive.

Fabian Henderson, a 19-year-old who lived at the housing complex in Brooklyn's Red Hook section, where officers found Oreo badly injured, was arrested on felony charges. He has pleaded guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals, and is to be sentenced Dec. 1.

There was no phone listing for Henderson at the Brooklyn building. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Comments

[iriebelle]

It's incredibly disappointing that Oreo was put down. I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a better solution. I have faith in people and animals, and at the end of the day believe we're all capable of profound healing. But, I also know that humans will be humans and dogs will be dogs... and sometimes neither make the best choices and learning to live in harmony is an ongoing battle.

At the end of the day, unconditional love is unconditional love, and if you've ever adopted a dog, you know exactly what that means. Only wish Oreo could have experienced that loving forever home, and wish everyone would have fought till the end to give that to her. In the meantime, consider giving a dog a home in honor of Oreo. This site has a bunch of pitties up for adoption with profiles and information about their rescue stories, even a little section in the voice of the animal, so great! Please consider adopting one of these babies http://bit.ly/3Vn1dw

[clearwaterclearmind]

sarah mclaughlin better record a new song to play behind those ASPCA ads.

they'l never get any of my money. how can the ASPCA afford all that ad time anyway? if it's from donations, shouldn't they be spending that money on animals?

[lemondade]

let's toss the person or persons who 'tossed' the dog; see if they think its funny then.

[runner 08]

Having worked in wildlife rescue and canine & feline rescue for years, I have seen cases where even very good groups get collective ego problems. THEIR organization does the most, is the best -- and they get a propprietary attitide about their rescue cases.

Some of the instances of this I can think of were called out and resolved, but all were. I do not kow if that was the case in this instance, but I do know that healing and rehabilitating a dog that was as abused as Miss Oreo was is a long, complex process and I think it was not in her best interests for the ASPCA to refuse to let other experts try to help her.

[BILLHICKSPINNING]

I adopted my pit Blanca(named because she was white and my wife worked with a woman she hated named Blanca)because I'm an animal lover.
My friend's sister had a sewage line burst in her house and had to stay with him,but he wouldnt let keep her three pits in the house ,so they stayed in the unheated garage.the­y want me to take the youngest.
Now,at this time I'm still not moved,because pit bulls freak me out.So then they tell me that the youngest one might not make it because the other two won't let it eat and they bully her when they are alone.
now,I feel bad but not enough to take the dog.So my friend says 'just let me bring her out from the garage".
She was emaciated(at the vet that week she weighed 22 pounds at nine months)and happy!!!
That did it .
I just put Blanca down last year at the age of eleven.hap­py as a puppy right to the end.

[CostaMolta]

can you sum this up? sounds like you owned a good dog for free minus vet bills

[kwinter]

This is a sad story, but I trust the ASPCA on this.
There are some dogs that can't be rehabilitated.
I've read several comments here about successes ... but not all abused dogs respond the same way.
And sometimes euthanasia is the kindest choice.
It's a tough call and none of us know, first hand, all the details here.

The ASPCA does a great job, while being underfunded.
I suggest trying to help prevent future 'Oreos' by donating to the ASPCA.

[writer10027]

Euthanasia is the kindest choice when an animal is in pain and there is no way to heal/cure it.

I am not concinced that there was no alternative to death for Oreo.

[BluesDogLefty]

Yes exactly

[kwinter]

And nothing I could say would convince you ... I am not convinced myself.
As I said , I will trust the ASPCA on this ... they know more about this particular case than we do.
And - "Euthanasia is the kindest choice when an animal is in pain and there is no way to heal/cure it." ..... or if the animal must be confined and is merely being 'kept alive' for the rest of his life.

[Tommygun264]

There are some dogs that cannot be rehabilitated to the point that they can be adopted by just any generic caretaker that walks through the door, but the "we can't fix it to our standards, so let's kill it" philosophy is too brutally convenient. Sadly, there are very many dogs like Oreo that cannot bond to other animals or just anyone off the street, but that does not mean she cannot become bonded to a responsible, well-trained caretaker and live under special circumstances where her exposure to other animals and the public at large are limited and/or restricted. This dog's damage was the result of humans and therefore we as humans should hold ourselves to a higher than normal standard when it comes to her care and rehab. Granted, the ASPCA is an organization flooded with unwanted animals and has to make heart-wrenching decisions every day. However, they are and should not be the final judge, jury and executioner - there are other shelters, other alternatives.

[don quixote12]

You've articulated the crux of this perfectly!!

It's as if the ASPCA had a set expectation about her she should respond to their care, and when she didn't live up to that, she got a death sentence.

As you pointed out, there are other shelters and rehabs that could give her the care, time and rehabilitation that she needed.

[EKD]

If these people that made the decision to kill the dog knew anything about dogs they would have known about Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, who has devoted his life to the rescue of abused dogs, especially Pitbulls. For years he has had a very popular TV show.
I have been in dog rescue for over 40 years so I can say THIS ASPCA IS UNPROFESSIONAL.

[Siara]

As I read the article I was thinking, "Gee we treat traumatized animals the same way we treat our veterans." We see that they are damaged and can't be useful and we kick them to the curb.

I know that this is idealistic but... we humans are the the ones who screwed this breed up. The decent thing to do is keep the horrible ones under control and move the breed back to being what it should be. This whole incident came out of a general disrespect for life.

Sometimes I wonder... couldn't they give traumatized pit bulls root canals and then file down the canine teeth so they couldn't cause damage? Given the fact that "shelters" kill thousands of dogs every week for crimes like "he grew too big" and "he shed on the carpet" I guess the public attitude towards pit bulls isn't surprising.

[RachelMc]

idk. i still dont get why they just didn't give the dog to another agency that wanted to try to work with the dog or some1 else and have them sign away all liability of the ASPCA. sounds weird to me to get hundreds of letters calls emails and tweets about giving the dog away and still put the dog down. i mean the dog had 2 broken legs and fractured ribs so im quite sure it had to heal physically first. so how long after that had they been working with the dog to heal it mentally? we dont put humans down who were abused and plenty of those grow up to be effed up. even after they ki|| other ppl they still dont get put down.

[Liberal2]

"....we dont put humans down who were abused and plenty of those grow up to be effed up. even after they ki|| other ppl they still dont get put down...."

Yes we do. It's called capital punishment. We're one of the few countries that still do (China, Saudi Arabi, Russia...)­.

The only murders we don't put down are those that do it with a pen. The low IQ ones use a gum, knife, their fists, etc.

[RachelMc]

no mam... they get a trial even if they confess and its caught on tape etc. humans do not get put down automatically because they are aggressive because they have been abused and "may be a threat".

[cef911f1]

My wife and I rescue large breed dogs. Over the years, we have had more than I care to count. Unfortunately, this happens sometimes. We have had two rescues that were abused so bad that while we could nurse them back to health physically, we couldn't help them with their emotional problems. (I might add it was not for a lack of trying either.) There is nothing more heartbreaking than to have to put down a dog with unpredictable aggression issues.

Before you criticize the ASPCA for making this tough decision put yourself in the their position. An aggressive dog can not be trusted around other animals or small children. What would you do if it attacked your neighbor's dog, cat or toddler. Keeping a dog penned up is not only unfair to the dog, it is not a fail-safe solution.

[scottowego]

Baloney. Sorry, but I have a dog-aggressive terrier. I rescued her and now she's got a huge fenced and padlocked back yard to run in. She's just wonderful and I wouldn't trade her for a million bucks. What I don't understand is why HP ran this AFTER the dog was put down. I feel there would have been a national protest on this site if we'd known and possibly would have saved this dog. She could have been placed with a responsible owner out of the city. This is truely sad.

[don quixote12]

First: thank you for the kindness you have given to animals that you and your wife have rescued. that's important, heartfelt work.

Second: BS about the dogs who have to be put down because of aggression problems. that's what people do when they don't know what else to do and they won't admit it and take teh animal to professional rehabilitators &/r a haven that will give the dog a happy, healthy home for its remaining years.

[cef911f1]

I'm sorry, but that is BS. When you have a 150 lb dog that aggressive to other dogs and children (toddlers to middle schoolers) even after months of working with an animal rehabilitator, you would be well advised to put the animal down. If you have ever seen what an aggressive dog can do to a child then you would understand. My former boss's daughter was attacked by an aggressive Rotty. She was playing in her sandbox in the middle of her yard when the dog managed to escape from his fenced yard. After numerous surgeries she has healed but has permanent nerve damage and will be scared for life.

Keeping aggressive animals where there is the remotest chance of them encountering a child is very irresponsible. We work with rescue groups a lot and I have yet to see one that will take or an aggressive large dog

[don quixote12]

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that the ASPCA failed to give this dog to one of the legitimate rescue organizations that wanted to care for her.

It's hard to say what teh decision-maker(s) were thinking, but it could have been hubris -- an unwillingness to admit they are not the 'be all and end all' of animal rescue.

I intend to add my comments about this along with my next donation to the ASPCA -- they are one of about eleven organizations I give small but regular donations to.

[cef911f1]

Even legitimate rescue organizations will not keep a dog with unpredictable aggression problems.

[writer10027]

That is incorrect.

In fact, I can name two off the top of my head -- Black Beauty Ranch, and Bad Rap Org.. And there are others,

[writer10027]

I think the ASPCA does an enormous amount of good, and I donate money to them when I can, but I am overwhelmingly disappointed withtheir decision about Oreo.

There's a chance that she had serious pain from her accident and needed more time and/or physical therapy to get over that. Chronic pain can make even a puppy vicious.

I wonder if the people who signed the death sentence on Oreo have see where Michael Vick's "vicious killer" dogs are now.
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/vick/

[Debra Henk]

The sad fact is that there are so many totally socialized, totally trustworthy dogs destroyed every day--why waste precious resources on a dog that can't be trusted not to hurt someone?

There are more dogs than there are people to love them. Use the money to spay and neuter--that will do more to solve this problem than spending thousands of dollars on an unadoptable animal.

[writer10027]

So your logic is that, because one dog has psychological problems it should be killed because there are other dogs in need.

Wow. That "logic: doesn't really wash.

[SneathLane]

Have you ever been attacked by a dog which was known to unexpectedly and randomly maul people? It's a terrifying experience, and no one should go through that just so a dog can be itself and express it's nature.

The only way to prevent such attacks is to muzzle and lock up the dog, keep it tranquilized into docility, or kill it. There is no good way out, no route to happiness for such a dog. Talk therapy doesn't work for dogs.

[writer10027]

"The only way to prevent such attacks ..."

That's the only way YOU know of or recognize. It's okay to be limited in that regard, butplease don't make the mistake of thinking your limnitations define all of reality.

[yannb]

Why are so many people so cruel to their dogs in the US? I keep on hearing awful stories about pitbull dogs and similar breeds being abused, and I can't quite figure out why. Why is there so much violence in the US?

[don quixote12]

That's a very good question, and I, for one, have no definite answer... look at the statistics about abuse of cats, too -- not to mention children and women.

[lilnyc]

I wish the abuser could be put to death instead.

[LeeLeeOne]

Please, rethink this comment. Wishing that another entity, another life be "put to death" for what? It may be a recognized emotional response. But if it is truly your wish that a life be purposefully eliminated, then this view dips into so many other realms. If it is an impulsive wish and not an actual desire, that is another matter.

What that human did, yes, is deplorable. However, as an entity that has the ability to recognize societal consequences to every action, do you recognize what you are saying?

[ractols]

Oh shut up. The rotten SOB deserves to be thrown off a roof.

[RJII]

pa-leeze. but the SOB(s) down with the dog. Mike Vick too.

[SuburbanMalcontent]

Give me a break with your psychobabble nonsense. The person who did this deserves NO compassion. He should be thrown from a 6 story building and see how he feels. And if he survived the fall he should be taken to the roof and dropped off again. And I would suggest that there is something wrong with YOU for even sympathizing one bit with the beast that did this.

[Sing Out and Slap Iron]

Go hug a bunny you useless terd!

[antara]

Yeah! Throw him of the roof!

[rising sun]

Rest in peace, pretty girl