Saturday, July 16, 2005By Brian Wheeler

bwheeler@citpat.com -- 768-4928
The accidental posting of a dog from the Jackson County animal shelter on an animal adoption Web site is rekindling a debate over sales of those animals for research.

Several animal lovers this week asked the shelter to let them adopt five Labrador-type dogs, one of which they have nicknamed "Chance."

The shelter sold the young dogs July 6 to a dealer who in turn will sell them for research. Days earlier, a shelter volunteer erroneously placed one of them on the animal-adoption site www.petfinder.com. By the time callers inquired, they already had been sold.

Alex Zawinsky, a Royal Oak resident who works with animal-rescue groups, said the shelter should undo its sale and at least have the dogs tested to see if they can be adopted. He has offered to pay for that testing.

"Being a lab owner and having trained them for so long, I know a 5-month-old (dog) that's been untrained, you can socialize them," he said.

"I'm very outraged that this happened," said Judy Dynnik, the executive director for a group called Jackson County Volunteers Against Pound Seizure. "It's yet another example of why they should stop this practice."

County commissioners last summer heard pleas from dozens of people to ban "pound seizure" -- the sale of animals for research -- but ultimately continued the practice.

The county sells dogs and cats that would otherwise be euthanized to Howell-based Hodgins Kennels.

Through May the shelter reported selling 46 animals for research, and such sales typically bring in a few thousand dollars a year.

Kimberlee Luce, the county shelter's director, said that aside from the accidental Web posting, her agency followed protocol with the dogs. They were picked up June 24 from a home with unsanitary conditions and had tried to bite people. Their owner gave up ownership rights June 30.

Luce said the dogs shouldn't be released because they might harm people, saying she needed to "err on the side of caution and public safety." The shelter, she noted, has other labradors that are available to adopt.

"There are so many nice dogs out there, and the safety of the community is very important," Luce said.

So far, other county officials endorse her handling of the situation.

"It sounds like everything was done right," said Commissioner DeAnn Gumbert, R-Blackman Township. She reviewed the case after getting several e-mails this week.

Still, Zawinsky said he can't understand because of the public's interest why the shelter won't reconsider. He said he would cover all expenses.

"I think this is an extenuating circumstance," he said. "What I proposed, it was a compromise. By saying no, I can't see what she gains by it."