Letter of Support for AVHS – Dr. Ben Hill

First and foremost, I want everyone associated with the recent situation involving the actions surrounding Echo to know where I stand.  As a community member, father, and veterinarian I whole-heartedly support  AVHS.  I have worked professionally with AVHS since 2004.   I have found the volunteers, employees, administrators, and board members to ALWAYS have the interests of animal health and care as their number one priority.

Recent public sentiment brought into question whether or not the staff at Ark Valley were caring or dedicated to the welfare of animals.  I read a lot of very negative comments that were quite disheartening.

I recognize the current set of events involving Echo are not easy to decipher or contend with.  A complex chain of events like these should not be easy to quickly judge or act on and should only be done so with the greatest of care.  That is, care in evaluating all known facts and a vigorous effort of discovering unknown facts and conditions.  Once the facts are collected they must be considered in light of the law, logic, and compassion for all involved.  The individuals involved in this particular case are:  AVHS, Echo, and the former owners. I (and many in the community) know that AVHS has shown itself to be nothing but an advocate for animal health and well-being.  The animal in question, Echo, is a very powerful dog with a history of unprovoked attacks, escaping a realistically adequate enclosure, a consistent violent response to stress or perceived threat that has become progressively worse, and a reputation that has put him in a position where no-one who knows him wants the responsibility of managing him.  And there are the former owners. They signed a legally binding document transferring ownership of Echo from themselves to AVHS.  I do not judge or blame the past owners for relinquishing Echo.  I have come to learn that sometimes there are so many stresses in life that a person or family feels they can no longer properly care for a pet or handle the stress that accompanies ownership.  Thankfully for this community, we have AVHS to help bridge the gap between an unsuccessful situation and a new chance.  Thankfully for this community, we have AVHS and they have the courage to intervene for the betterment of animals and the people living in this valley.

The staff and administration at AVHS do NOT have an easy job.  They perform a service I could not do.  They do, however, prove their dedication to the animals of this community every day.  They work in an environment that the vast majority of people have no concept of.  Can you guess what dogs do when they are in a sheltered facility?  They bark, and eat, and drink, and pee, and they even poop.  Each and every one, every day.  They also get walked, played with, socialized, evaluated for physiologic health and indeed evaluated for behavioral health.  Animals that are sick are evaluated, diagnosed, and treated (sometimes it is minor but sometimes it is quite costly with long days of post surgical or medical after care).  All the dogs and cats in good health are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and microchipped.  Animals that need behavioral intervention have a series of training and socialization modules uniquely tailored to ensure a safe and successful placement.

The animals’ physical and medical needs that are met by the staff of AVHS are incredible.  That, however, covers only part of what the staff manages regularly.  It is the social interactions that can be disheartening.  The PEOPLE at AVHS frequently have to try to repair the mistakes and poor treatment inflicted upon the pets in this valley by the unfortunate, irresponsible, or uncaring owners.  The staff at AVHS did sign up for this, they do it without complaint, they do it well —and they are the only ones doing it.  The staff (paid and volunteer) take up the slack that some in our community drop when it comes to animal well-being.  These fine people should not be denigrated over false accusations and the ill-directed emotional manipulation put forth by a few bad actors.  To suggest that the staff at AVHS are mean, short sighted, uncaring, or in need of being replaced is incredibly unfair.  In fact, it shows an ignorance and lack of human compassion I truly thought did not exist in our community.

The reality of this situation is harsh.  AVHS currently owns a 170 pound liability.  It is dangerous to animals, to children, to adults, and as shown -to the well trained staff at AVHS.   We will never know how many people this dog has injured or threatened (we learn of more cases as the days go by).  To let Echo back into the community would be irresponsible, unfair, fraught with liability, and cowardly.  Believing he can be calmed down or trained is a common consideration —but a consideration made only by someone who hasn’t been attacked by a large dog, by someone who is not well-versed in the behavior modification of aggressive dogs.  Echo is not a fear biter.  He is deliberate.   He is a proven threat to the community.

Unfortunately it has taken a disheartening situation for me to sit down and formally recognize all that AVHS does for this valley and what a mess we’d be in if they weren’t here.   I hope others have considered and weighed these things and may agree with some of what I have said.  I hope we can agree there is no need in blaming AVHS or the past owners for Echo’s fate.  Unfortunately some dogs become unpredictably aggressive with age -I’ve seen it too many times (and almost always I am quite confident there is no human-error or fault to be found).  As I have told many clients and friends, “there is a lot of room for sadness here, but there is no room for guilt.”  Guilt plays no role here, it is simply a tragic situation.  And recognize it is much less tragic than a child or even an innocent dog being severely injured by Echo.

One last point…in 2022 AVHS took in, cared for, and placed over 1,800 animals.  How many animals did the most vocal dissenters we heard from in the last few days take care of last year?  How many hours did they volunteer?  How many litters of kittens did they foster? How many words of kindness or thanks did they offer last year?  I don’t know.

I know how many times I thanked AVHS last year….zero.

Zero times.

Thank you, AVHS.

Ben Hill, MS, DVM

Owner of Salida Veterinary Hospital