In March 2016 Nova, a young pitbull mix loved by many volunteers, was quietly euthanized at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA). Nova had come to RISPCA just two months prior, when RISPCA pulled him from Lincoln Animal Shelter where he had spent much of his life. After many months in a cage, Nova was beginning to deteriorate in a shelter environment. RISPCA agreed to be his saving grace and provide him the opportunity he needed to get a loving home and fresh start, but instead he would never make it out of their doors alive.

RISPCA initially claimed Nova was euthanized for biting someone, but when pressed for evidence eventually admitted he hadn’t bitten anyone and had only jumped up on a volunteer – a behavior they were fully aware he was prone to.

Nova’s life was short and unfair; we can only hope that his death won’t be in vain.  Please tell the RISPCA that euthanasia should only be a last resort in extreme circumstances and that they need to re-evaluate their standards and have more transparency.

NOVA’S STORY

Nova came to the Lincoln Animal Shelter as a young adult dog with little known about his past. He was malnourished and his skin was in awful condition. From there, Nova was sent to "live on a farm". It was discovered that Nova was in fact living most of his time outside and sleeping at night in a car. He was removed from that placement and stayed with someone else on a temporary basis. Because he still had no permanent placement he was then returned to the shelter, where he would remain for many, many months.

During his time at Lincoln Animal Shelter Nova began to come out of his shell. At first he had no interests other than destroying tennis balls but, with the love and care of shelter volunteers, he learned several commands including sit, stay, wait, and he even dropped his tennis ball when told. He interacted with the volunteers and staff, sought out affection, walked well on a leash and played (a little rough and tumble) with another large male dog at the shelter.

Nova had some behavioral issues typical of a dog who had never known a loving home: he could play rough, he liked to jump up and he was sometimes weary of strangers. He had never bitten any person or other dog, but the shelter decided it would be best for him to go to a rescue group to get more work on his manners. Broken Tail Rescue in Lincoln, RI was in the process of making arraignments to take ownership of Nova and put him in to an in-board training program where he could get out of a cage and spend time living with a trainer. Then, just days before Broken Tail Rescue was supposed to pick him up, he was transferred to RISPCA instead. Nova’s advocates were promised by RISPCA that they would provide him with the training he needed and get a great home. Broken Tail Rescue was still ready and willing to take him if needed.

Two months later, he was euthanized by RISPCA without even giving the volunteers who loved him a chance to speak out in his defense or say goodbye. He was never sent to an in-board training program or to a foster home; instead he continued to live in a similar shelter environment as the one he had already been doing poorly in. Yet he still bonded with many of the volunteers at RISPCA and continued to show potential.

So why did Nova have to die? Dr. Finocchio, president of the RISPCA, claimed to have a video of Nova biting but when pressed to release it admitted that it only showed Nova jumping (multiple witnesses who have been permitted to see the video say it shows him jumping up on a volunteer who bent down to pick up a dropped cell phone). Nova never bit anyone in his life, but he was still killed.

TIME FOR CHANGE

RISPCA claims to euthanize about 12% of the animals that they take in due to “terminal illnesses or severe medical issues, and because of dogs who come in extremely aggressive and unable to be safely adopted.” They also say they believe “strongly in giving pets an opportunity to be adopted into loving homes” yet there is little to no transparency in to their decision-making process.  Dogs that do not pass evaluations conducted by their internal staff based on vague and undefined standards can be immediately euthanized. Nova was loved by many volunteers and his death did not go unnoticed, but how many other innocent lives does RISPCA take behind closed doors that no one ever hears about? Yet they are still trusted by many to be a protector of animals.

How can a young, healthy dog like Nova who has NEVER bitten anyone be labeled beyond hope before he has ever gone to a rehabilitation training program outside of a shelter environment or been tried with an experienced foster, etc.?

If the RISPCA does not want to put the effort or expend their extensive resources on “difficult” dogs like Nova, they should reach out publicly to other rescues that would be willing to provide the help and environment that they need to thrive. MANY dogs enter rescues with issues that need to be addressed and go on to live long, full lives with loving families. Sadly, Nova never got that chance.

Tell RISPCA: we want transparency in to dogs you plan to euthanize ahead of time and dogs that you want to euthanize for subjective reasons (non-legal, no bite history)  should be networked to more appropriate rescue groups instead of being labeled not "save able" by RISPCA standards and sentenced to death.  

Please sign the petition. You may also contact Dr. Finocchio and respectfully tell him what you think:

Dr. E.J. Finocchio
President, RISPCA
(401) 438-8150
ejfinocchiodvm@rispca.com
186 Amaral Street, Riverside, RI 02915