GBHS takes over shelter after dogs found dead, sick and starving

FIELD. WE’LL GET TO THE FORECAST IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH THE GREATER BIRMINGHAM HUMANE SOCIETY TAKING OVER A SISTER SHELTER IN WALKER COUNTY. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON SHERI FALK. I’M GUY RAWLINGS AS OF THIS MORNING, JBS IS MANAGING WALKER COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES. AS MANY ANIMALS WERE RECENTLY FOUND DEAD, SICK AND STARVING. WVTM13’S LISA CRANE EXPLAINS HOW THE COUNTY FACILITY GOT SO OVERCROWDED. COME ON, CAN YOU GOT IT. THIS IS ONE OF THE PUPS THAT DID NOT SURVIVE THEIR STAY AT WALKER COUNTY’S IMPOUND FACILITY, THE GREATER BIRMINGHAM HUMANE SOCIETY. WORKERS TOOK THE STARVING DOG TO A VET, BUT IT WAS TOO FAR GONE. IT’S JUST REALLY HORRIFIC. THEY THE DOGS WE SAW LAST WEEK WERE EMACIATED. THEY WERE EATING CAT FOOD, WHICH IS NOT NUTRITIOUS, NUTRITIOUS ENOUGH FOR A DOG TO EAT. AND THEY’RE SICK AND THEY’RE FULL OF WORMS AND THEY’RE JUST THEY’RE SICK AND THEY’RE IN BAD SHAPE. AND WE JUST WANT TO TAKE THE ONES THAT ARE HERE AND WE WANT TO SAVE THEM AND HELP THEM. GBS NOW HAS THE CONTRACT TO RUN THE IMPOUND FACILITY FOR WALKER COUNTY. THEY’RE HERE TODAY CLEANING UP POUNDS AND POUNDS OF FECES AND URINE, TRIAGING THE ANIMALS AND WORKING TO GET THEM BATHED, FED, TREATED AND VACCINATED. THEN THEY’LL FOCUS ON THE BUILDING AND FACILITIES. IT NEEDS A LOT OF NEW STUFF TO BE HUMANE PLACE FOR ANIMALS TO BE RIGHT NOW IT YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, YOU’D BE BETTER OFF NOT BEING HERE BLACK CORNELIUS SAYS MANY COUNTY FACILITIES IN ALABAMA ARE IN THE SAME SHAPE. NOT ENOUGH MONEY OR WORKERS. A SHORTAGE OF VETS. AND IN THIS CASE, WALKER COUNTY WAS TRYING TO BE A NO KILL SHELTER. SO PLENTY OF ANIMALS COMING IN AND NOT ENOUGH GOING OUT. IT’S LAUDABLE, BUT WHEN YOU’RE AN IMPOUNDMENT FACILITY, THAT’S HARD TO DO BECAUSE YOU MAY HAVE A HOARDING CASE COME IN, YOU MAY HAVE TO TAKE IN DANGEROUS ANIMALS. YOU DON’T HAVE ANY CONTROL OF YOUR INTAKE. SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT AND YOU CAN’T HOLD ANIMALS INDEFINITELY. RIGHT NOW, JBS IS WORKING TO SAVE ALL THESE ANIMALS AND GET THEM HEALTHY ENOUGH TO BE ADOPTED. UNTIL THEN, THE BEST WAY TO HELP IS TO ADOPT FROM THEIR OTHER FACILITIES. THAT’LL FREE UP SOME SPACE FOR THESE ANIMALS. AND RIGHT NOW ADOPTION FEES ARE ONLY $25. THAT SPECIAL RUN

Greater Birmingham Humane Society takes over shelter after dogs found dead, sick and starving

Updated: 8:01 AM CDT Oct 4, 2023

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is now running the shelter in Walker County.GBHS workers and volunteers arrived on Tuesday morning to find many animals dead, sick and starving. One of the pups they tried to save last week didn’t make it and more diseased animals had to be put down Tuesday.“It’s just really horrific,” said Allison Black-Cornelius, the director of GBHS. “All the dogs we saw last week were emaciated. They were eating cat food, which is not nutritious enough for a dog to eat. And they’re sick, and they’re full of worms, and they’re just they’re sick, and they’re in bad shape. And we just want to take the ones that are here, and we want to save them and help them.”GBHS now has the contract to run the impound facility for Walker County. They’re cleaning up pounds and pounds of feces and urine, triaging the animals and working to get them bathed, fed, treated and vaccinated. Then, they’ll focus on the building and facilities.“It needs a lot of new stuff to be a humane place for animals to be. Right now, it’s, you know, frankly, you’d be better off not being here.” Black-Cornelius said.She said many county facilities in Alabama are in the same shape. They don’t have enough money or workers, or veterinarians and in this case, Walker County was trying to be a no-kill shelter.Plenty of animals were coming in, and not enough were going out.”It’s laudable, but when you’re an impoundment facility, that’s hard to do because you might have a hoarding case come in, you might have to take in dangerous animals. You don’t have any control of your intake. So, it is very difficult, and you can’t hold animals indefinitely,” Black-Cornelius said.GBHS is working to save as many animals as possible and get them healthy enough to be adopted. Until then, the best way to help is to adopt from their other facilities, which will free up space for these animals.Right now, the adoption fee is only $25. That fee runs through Oct. 15. To learn more, click here.

WALKER COUNTY, Ala. —

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is now running the shelter in Walker County.

GBHS workers and volunteers arrived on Tuesday morning to find many animals dead, sick and starving. One of the pups they tried to save last week didn’t make it and more diseased animals had to be put down Tuesday.

“It’s just really horrific,” said Allison Black-Cornelius, the director of GBHS. “All the dogs we saw last week were emaciated. They were eating cat food, which is not nutritious enough for a dog to eat. And they’re sick, and they’re full of worms, and they’re just they’re sick, and they’re in bad shape. And we just want to take the ones that are here, and we want to save them and help them.”

GBHS now has the contract to run the impound facility for Walker County.

They’re cleaning up pounds and pounds of feces and urine, triaging the animals and working to get them bathed, fed, treated and vaccinated. Then, they’ll focus on the building and facilities.

“It needs a lot of new stuff to be a humane place for animals to be. Right now, it’s, you know, frankly, you’d be better off not being here.” Black-Cornelius said.

She said many county facilities in Alabama are in the same shape. They don’t have enough money or workers, or veterinarians and in this case, Walker County was trying to be a no-kill shelter.

Plenty of animals were coming in, and not enough were going out.

“It’s laudable, but when you’re an impoundment facility, that’s hard to do because you might have a hoarding case come in, you might have to take in dangerous animals. You don’t have any control of your intake. So, it is very difficult, and you can’t hold animals indefinitely,” Black-Cornelius said.

GBHS is working to save as many animals as possible and get them healthy enough to be adopted. Until then, the best way to help is to adopt from their other facilities, which will free up space for these animals.

Right now, the adoption fee is only $25. That fee runs through Oct. 15. To learn more, click here.

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