Buba, ID# 327482
Buba, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, was surrendered to MCAS on October 12, 2024. His owner, who had taken care of him for a year, was in jail and the family could no longer continue Buba’s care. On the owner surrender form, Buba was described as fearful and shy, afraid of strangers, new dogs and cats but easy going around children under 10 years old. Buba was also described as protective, afraid of car rides, and being at the veterinary office. He liked walks and solicited pats and attention.
The circumstances that led to his owner’s family no longer being able to care for Buba are not documented in the report. MCAS offers no counseling to owners surrendering their animals about resources that might allow them to keep their dogs. Nor do they provide respite fostering for persons and families in crisis. On the day of impound, October 12, Buba’s owner was unsure when he would be getting out but gave the names of the family permitted to redeem him.
After 3 admissions exams attempts on October 13, 15, and 16, he was forwarded on October 17 to what is called “data collection.” “Data collection” in this agency refers to visits to a kenneled dog in order to gather more information about its willingness for contact, for being leashed, walked, and how far their personal boundaries can be pushed. Buba was scared, retreated, and avoidant. They made no effort to accommodate for Buba’s mental state beyond prescribing behavior medication. There no intervention plans to address a dog’s fear. Instead, untrained staff do the same thing over and over again hoping for a different outcome. The only interventions for fear, anxiety and stress are escalating doses of psychotropics.
Buba’s fear was visible.
October 13, 2024; Admission Exam Attempt # 1
“Observations During Interaction: Approaching dog on outside run, dog immediately raised his hackles when he saw me, started growling and barking, and retreated quickly into his inside run. From his inside run he was hard staring at me with a tense body and whale eye. Given this behavior, I am not comfortable attempting an intake exam/treatments today. Ended interaction.”
On the evening of October 12, a veterinary assistant had prescribed psychotropics for Buba with the following note: “High FAS [fear, anxiety, stress] with safety concern on Intake.”
MCAS staff are not taught skills to help them befriend anxious dogs who become afraid in a strange environment. “Treat and retreat” is an exercise based upon the premise that one does not advance on a dog afraid of the person in front of him, but gives the dog space to make decisions on his own. Unsafe conditions are created by staff and management who then assign blame for their actions to a dog calling the dog they have just made more fearful by their advances “unsafe.”
October 14, 2024; Admission Exam Attempt # 2
“Observations During Interaction: Approached inside run and shut guillotine when Buba did not see me yet. I stepped into his line of sight and tried to speaking to him softly – he began growling, barking and retreated quickly into the furthest point of his kennel. Throughout interaction he was giving me a hard stare, whale eye. Again, I am not comfortable attempting an intake exam/treatments today and believe this dog is a safety risk. Ended interaction. ACR for Behavior meds: 10/12/24. – on meds now.”
The staff person made the same errors of engagement as during the first admissions attempt that escalated fear instead of creating space and comfort. They trapped Buba in a narrow confined space, shutting the guillotine door of his kennel so he could not retreat.
The staff worker escalated Buba’s fear, then called him a safety instead of reviewing his/her own behavior as a stressor.
October 15, 2024; Admission Exam Attempt # 3
“Observations During Interaction: Approached outside run after closing guillotine, dog retreated to furthest point of kennel, he began barking repetitively, growling, ears semi flattened back and was urinating on himself. He would not come forward to handlers, and did not want any treats that were tossed to him. Same behaviors as last 2 attempts. Per protocol, removing from awaiting intake and placing on rounds review to determine next steps.”
Instead of reviewing what they were doing and could do differently to be effective, staff repeated the same approach over and over again and expected a different response. There was no pause to consider or review how they could change their approach in the exam process. They’re utter lack of training set Buba up to fail.
His psychotropic medications were not readjusted from initial levels to address Buba’s escalating stress. MCAS Veterinary assistants and technicians independently diagnose and prescribe medications in violation of Oregon State Laws. Their veterinarians that then sign off on the prescriptions are also not in accordance with the law. They need to be present to make the diagnosis themselves, not just defer to assistants and technicians.
“All duties of a veterinary technician must be performed under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The Oregon State Veterinary Medical Examining Board shall promulgate rules regarding the services a veterinary technician may perform, including, but not limited to:
(1) Obtaining and recording information cases.
(2) Preparation of patients, instruments, equipment, and medicants for surgery.
(3) Collection of specimens and performance of certain laboratory procedures.
(4) Application of wound dressings.
(5) Assisting the veterinarian in diagnostic, medical and surgical proceedings. [1975 c.619 §8; 1989 c.171 §79; 1993 c.491 §13]”
“(15)Permitting the veterinary technician, preceptee, or student intern to perform a duty, task or procedure not specifically permitted by the board. [Amended by 1975 c.619 §5; 1979 c.744 §57; 1993 c.491 §7; 2009 c.756 §60]”
On October 16, MCAS failed again when the family members who had brought Buba in on behalf of the owner had returned to reclaim him, planning to rehome Buba to a cousin. Instead of facilitating a reclaim by the same persons who had brought him in, MCAS told the family that they must tell the owner, someone with a noted possible language barrier, to call in and give permission to reclaim Buba. The agency could have made that call and contact immediately while they were at MCAS. Given the circumstances, this was an acceptable option. Instead they prolonged Buba’s stay, continuing their “data collection,” despite having an immediate effective solution.
What is clear in cases like Buba’s is that MCAS managers run an authoritarian agency governed by contempt towards the public accompanied by the use of threats and intimidation. The agency told the family they must be the ones to get Buba’s owner to call the agency and give permission. Requiring permission normally wouldn’t be problematic, but Buba’s owner was in jail. The Agency would have had far more leniency and flexibility in being able to contact the jail, from one governmental agency to another, than the family ever could.
This requirement turned out to be entirely unnecessary, as the Rounds Review Committee authorized Buba’s reclamation to a family member anyways 2 days later on October 18. The same day of this authorization, the Shelter directly threatened that if the family member didn’t show up by the end of that business day, they would kill Buba the following morning.
These threats are exactly how the managers at MCAS believe their public service is meant to be fulfilled. They govern with irrational fears, impatience, blatant ignorance, and a total lack of compassion. Their conduct is the absence of any knowledge about public service whatsoever.
October 17, 2024; Data collection
“Dog barks and runs as far away in kennel as possible, sitting out of sight. Would only eat treats with no one present. Attempted to interact from inside, then outside door. If I opened door to get a look at Buba he would begin to growl and tremble. Closed him outside and sat by kennel door, he barked and leaned back into wall, ears flat, lifting paw. Bounced a tennis ball, and his ears perked up for 1 second, then he returned to barking, same reaction to squeaky toy. Cracked door, and asked if he wanted to go on a walk, showing my leash. He began to tremble heavily and growl. Left lots of treats. Ended interaction.”
On October 18, two events happened within an hour of each other. Buba began to become less fearful.
“Morning interactions
Closed out for morning cleaning. Sitting against the back wall of outside kennel, against building. Ears perked, furrowed brow, looking at me. I tossed a few slices of hot dog, he looked at the ones that got close to him. I walked away to interact with another dog, when I came back he was in the same spot but all the treats had been eaten. I started to toss more hot dogs and he stood up and slowly walked around and ate them. Willing to come up to fence, ate a few treats through the fence but skittish and would retreat back to the back of the kennel if I moved too quickly. I feel confident could get him out of the kennel.”
The record does not mention if the owner was able to call out from the jail to allow his relatives to redeem Buba from MCAS. On October 18, the same day Buba was making behavioral progress. MCAS called the family of Buba’s owner, who was still in jail, advising them that Buba was scheduled to be killed the following day, October 19. They said the family had until the end of the day, October 18, to redeem him, telling him he was scheduled to be euthanized due to “behavior.” They stated that Buba was “dangerous.” But the Buba’s records document otherwise: he was avoidant, fearful, and retreated at every turn because he was scared. The worker, during the last interaction on the same day he was called “dangerous,” stated “I feel confident I could get him out of the kennel”. But MCAS uses fear and intimidation to bully as motivations at every turn.
October 18, 2024, 2:31 PM
“… Called finder [family] Eloise at… and asked if she wanted to pick up the dog, stated expected outcome. She stated she wanted to reclaim dog. I told her she would need to get this dog out of the kennel because its dangerous for our staff. She said she can do that. Advised of hours of operation and outcome tomorrow is she does not reclaim dog.”
The finder and relative of the owner redeemed Buba on October 18, 2024, a week after he was surrendered. MCAS management never met with the family before his surrender. There was no owner surrender counseling to ask what resources they might need as alternatives to surrender. They both harmed the family and harmed Buba at their overfunded animal prison on the hill.
Gail O’Connell-Babcock
MCAS Guiding Principles, formally in effect since 2016
Buba’s MCAS Records, Redacted