Montcalm County Michigan Animal Shelter Ships Animals to Class B Research Dealer to be Euthanized

Written by:  Justine DePalma

Stanton MI.  Patricia Lentz the new Animal Control Director of Montcalm County graciously took time from her busy day to answer some questions about how the shelter operates.

Montcalm County Animal Control Shelter in Stanton Michigan is one of only five Michigan animal shelters that sell or give animals to a USDA Class B Research Dealer.  R & R Research of Howard City Michigan, run by James Woudenberg is under contract with Montcalm County to haul dead animals in exchange for allowing Woudenberg to take his pick of shelter animals.  Until early May 2008, Woudenberg allegedly had a key to the county animal shelter.  It is a certainty that Woudenberg gassed all of the animals at the shelter for years.  Woudenberg at the shelter gassed unadopted stray pets that or that Woudenberg did not take for resale to researchers.   

Patricia Lentz confirmed that the shelter stopped using the CO2 barrel to kill animals that weigh more than 30 pounds because it is illegal.  She claimed that Woudenberg no longer loads animals into the CO2 barrel at the shelter; instead, her staff performs that function.  Lentz admitted that there is neither training nor instruction on how to use the CO2 barrel.  She explained, “They just keep the gas going until the animal dies.”  She did not know whether there is a stethoscope at the shelter. There is no calibration procedure followed.

Lentz explained that Woudenberg picks up animals that weigh more than 30 pounds.  She seemed rather sketchy about what he does with the animals, but she said, “The contract says they can take what they want”.  If Woudenberg did not take a dog weighing over 30 pounds Lentz was not certain what would happen, more than likely they would have to take the dog to a vet to be euthanized.

National animal welfare and animal rights organizations have been polled; none could locate another shelter in the United States that had a similar arrangement with a USDA Class B Dealer.  There are only 15 licensed USDA Class B dog dealers in the United States.  Two of the largest are located in Michigan.  Seventeen states ban shelters from giving animals to research dealers and most Michigan cities and counties ban Class B Research Dealers from their shelters

The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners operates the county shelter.  The next meeting is July 14, 2008 at 1 pm at the Administrative Building, Third Floor, 211 W. Main Street, Stanton Michigan.

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Concerned Citizens Coalition is a local group advocating for Montcalm animals.

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