12/08/2023
This letter was sent anonymously to our email address, [email protected]. VERY CONCERNING about what is going on at CASPCA.
Dear CASPCA Concerns,
I am writing to you about a concern that I have for CASPCA. Taylor Reinson and Dr. Emily Beichel have both been in charge of recent euthanasia at CASPCA. Together as a team, they have changed the euthanasia protocols. They have been using the Virginia Bite Laws, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (AVS), and the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA Animal Bite Scale (ABS) to determine when they will be euthanizing specific dogs.
The Virginia Bite Law states that, “a scienter requirement under common law that requires the plaintiff to first bear the burden of proof in pleading and proving that the dog owner either knew or was negligent in not knowing that the dog had a propensity to injure people.” Virginia uses the “one-bite rule” to determine animals, specifically dogs, dangerous to the public. One bite is noted as being the point when owners and shelters should put in the proper precautions, time, and energy to ensure these dogs are cared for effectively and prevent further bites. The “one-bite rule” is stating that dogs get one free bite with no repercussions in the state of Virginia, not that they get one bite and should be euthanized. The dogs are allowed to have “One-bite” and if the animal continues biting, courts usually charge the owners with negligence, due to the fact that the owner is aware the animal is capable of biting and not fixing the animals physical and mental health to prevent future bites. Virginia also cannot deem a dog dangerous for a few reasons like, their particular breed; the dog is working; it is protecting their owner, property, itself, their kennel, or their offspring; if the animal is provoked, tormented, or physically abused; and if they injured someone trespassing or committing a crime on the property.
The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) says that “Shelters must have protocols and criteria in place that attempt to identify and manage animals at high risk of causing harm to shelter personnel, the public, or other domesticated animals.” They use five different factors to decide why the animal has bitten. The ASV first use their characteristics, they view the age, s*x, neuter status, and size history. They also look at the animal’s emotional and physical health, along with the ability to treat or manage conditions that impact behavior. They do this to try and find ways to allow the animal to be emotionally sound enough to not resort to biting. They will also look at other behaviors leading up to the bite, examples include animal’s trying to escape their enclosure or impulsivity. The ASV then looks at behavior details, in this step they find the context for the behavior. They use the number of incidents, consistency, effort made to engage, and severity to determine the dog’s behavior. The severity of the bite is the ASV looking for damages caused to persons or animals, number of bites per incident, and if it is a sustained or brief bite. When the ASV is looking at how much effort is used to engage with the animal for them to react with biting. Thirdly the ASV is looking for behavioral triggers along with how complex and how much effort is used to manage or prevent the trigger. Next, the ASV is looking at the environment the animal has bitten in. They are looking to see if it was one single environment or many environments that caused the animal to feel stressed enough to bite, and they are looking for a way to manage the environment to reduce risk of biting again. Then finally, The ASV looks into the animal’s response to intervention. They are looking to see how the animal responds to treatment and management efforts. Once all of these steps are performed and there is no change in the animal, they then suggest euthanasia is a likely scenario.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA Animal Bite Scale uses five points to grade a bite. The grading system begins with 1 being the least lethal and 5 being death. Grade one is described as obnoxious or aggressive behavior, but no skin-contact is made by the mouth. A Grade Two bite is considered a near-bite, meaning skin-contact is made by teeth but there's no skin punctures. This means that the skin can have nicks and slight bleeding caused by a forward or lateral movement or teeth against skin, much like a scratch, but there are no vertical punctures made into the skin. A Grade Three bite is categorized as one to four puncture wounds from one single bite with no puncture deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine teeth. There may be lacerations in a single direction from the victim pulling away, owner pulling at the dog, or gravity of the bite; meaning if the dog is jumping, bites and then falls to the floor. A Grade Four bite is considered a serious bite, this means that one to four punctures from the bite are at least one puncture deeper than half the length of a dog’s canine teeth. A grade four is also accounted for if the dog had bitten and held on, causing deep bruising, or biting on and shaking the head, causing lacerations in both directions. Now a Grade 5 is considered death of the victim.
Now Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson are telling staff and community members that they are using the two above resources to determine euthanasia candidates, but they are not doing any of the build up to prevent future bites. I will be using many examples in this letter to show how they, themselves, have been negligent towards the animals in their care. A few animals I will be using for this example are Bane, River, Skadoo, Cow Hippo, Mother Goose, Lobo, and Shrimp. They have committed seven euthansia’s in the span of a month due to behavioral concerns. Reinson and Beichel have also put Autumn on hold temporarily, seeming to be their next victim. In each paragraph after this I will be going into detail about the negligence committed to each dog and how they can change their ways to prevent euthanizing Autumn.
Firstly, I will cover River and Bane, who were the most recent euthanasia candidates:
Bane was a senior neutered male, coming from a hoarding situation, and had a phthisis bulb in his left eye, meaning it was shrunken and he was not able to see from that eye. Bane was submitted to the clinic many times throughout his stay at CASPCA and has never shown signs of aggression towards staff members, he was only ever marked as being jumpy and mouthy, not aggressive. Bane, while in CASPCA’s care he had three bite quarantines, none being over a ABS of 3. Bane received his first bite quarantine in April, during this time Bane had just been placed in a foster home with four adults and while in the house Bane was startled during eating causing the bite. The person who was bitten came up on Bane’s left side, which previously mentioned he is blind on. In the report it is mentioned that Bane was startled and then bit. Bane received an ABS score of 2 for this bite, breaking the skin, but with no punctures present. Bane’s second bite was in May, where he was in another foster home. This foster home was specifically looking for kittens to foster but somehow had Bane in their custody. Bane was on the couch with two people from the home. When foster 1 reached for the TV remote, Bane thought it was a toy, and in the fast actions of trying to move the TV remote from Bane he bit the hand not holding the remote. The foster had to remove their hand from Bane and then Bane bit the second person on the couch on their hand as well. Bane latched onto both people’s hands and had to be pulled off resulting in an ABS of 3. Finally Bane went on a home trial, in the home trial there were 2 adults and 3 children. Bane was in the cargo in a vehicle and tried to get into the backseat. The person sitting in the backseat put up their arm and pushed Bane, causing him to bite. This bite caused some scraps on the arm, receiving an ABS of 2. Using the ABS scoring system, Bane has never received a serious bite and was still euthanized. While in the care of CASPCA, Bane was only ever put on Trazodone for behavior management. With the variety of behavior management drugs, CASPCA could’ve tried other approaches. Bane was also marked as not being a resource guarder back in February 2023, but they blamed Bane being startled as being a resource guarder. If a dog is startled, and bites, it is considered a dog protecting itself and would not be deemed dangerous. Also while Bane was in the car and the person in the backseat actively pushed Bane back into the Cargo, he was protecting himself from someone being physical with him. Bane should not have been euthanized for the negligence of humans. He should have been tested properly to see what causes him to bite and not just put on Trazodone and staff believing he is emotionally sound. Instead of Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson believing this dog should’ve been euthanized, they should’ve worked together to understand Bane and put him into a proper home where he could thrive based on his needs. If they had learned what Bane liked and didn’t like and worked with him, he could’ve been put into a proper home that he would’ve thrived in and he would still be alive.
River was a one year old neutered male transfer patient. River, since being in CASPCA’s care, had shown signs of stranger danger. When he first arrived, there were no notes about RIver ever showing aggressive behavior. River was then adopted and returned once in August, he was returned due to being too protective over the adults in the home. River had lived with this family since he was 3 months till about 6 months of age. He started as a foster, then was adopted. While in this home, River was only returned for being too protective over the adults in the home. He never bit anyone in the home, only tried to nip once to a strange man (as it says in the owner surrender questionnaire). Once River was returned from this home, he started showing signs of stranger danger, it took him a little over a week to be comfortable enough to start getting walked. He was being walked by volunteers and staff and never once tried to bite. He even was fostered again and there were no problems, other than destructive behavior, like getting into the trash. River then was adopted this month. He was instantly taken home and introduced to the husband and daughter. River was showing signs of being uncomfortable, he was barking and growling. The husband then got on the ground and tried to baby talk River until he calmed down. River was noted as approaching slowly and then lunged at the face of the husband. The husband blocked his face with his arm and needed stitches. This bite was never labeled on the ABS. River was noted as having stranger danger and being weary of men, but he was taken to a new environment and introduced to two new people all in the span of a few hours. River was also only ever on Trazodone, never tried on another medication to help his anxiety. With the fact that staff knew River has stranger danger, and his weariness of men, River’s potential owners should have been coached properly before adoption. Even if staff had labeled River as a one female owner, with no other pets, River most likely would still be alive today. Instead Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson decided he should be euthanized based on his one bite, noting that they used the proper resources (as noted above). Once again they have shown their negligence to another dog at CASPCA.
Next dogs who were euthanized prior to Bane and River are Mother Goose, Shrimp, Lobo, Skadoo, and Cow Hippo:
Mother Goose was a seven year old spayed female, who came in as a stray. When she first arrived she showed signs of being scared and touch sensitivity. She was noted as becoming wary of clinic staff, but she was able to be medicated and examined by animal care staff and was very treat motivated outside of her kennel. She did show signs of kennel aggression too. Back in 2022, Mother Goose was noted as needing potential adopters to be briefed in respecting her body language and boundaries. During her time at CASPCA Mother Goose was fostered, during her fostered time she was noted needing lots of space, weary of men, and resource guarding tendencies. She was returned for a bite, but there is no record on her account for this bite report. Next she was adopted into a family of seven, three adults and four children. While in this home Mother Goose committed her second bite. Mother Goose was sleeping on her dog bed, when someone in the house petted her on her backside. Mother Goose was startled awake and reacted by biting. She bit the person on the face, leaving a four inch laceration on the cheek. She received an ABS grade of 4, even though noted above a laceration is only a grade two, regardless of location. Mother Goose was not on any behavioral medications during this interaction or the interaction with the foster. She was removed from behavioral medications in July 2022. Once again, Mother Goose was euthanized due to human negligence. There were notes about how she was touch sensitive, needed respect for her body language and barriers. The person who was bitten did not keep Mother Goose’s boundaries in mind, resulting in a bite. Due to her bite, Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson once again euthanized a dog at CASPCA. Mother Goose was protecting herself and her space during the bite, she was once again a startled dog that got met with death. She was never put on behavioral medications or given any attributes to prevent bites from happening. She was not given the chance to find the perfect home and thrive.
Shrimp was a two year old neutered male. He, much like Bane, had bad vision. It was noted on his account that he may accidentally bite thinking that hands are food. Bane was never deemed dangerous or even has a formal bite report written. The only thing Shrimp has ever shown was resource guarding and a few nips in the adopters house. If Shrimp went to a home with an owner who was properly debriefed about resource guarding behaviors, he wouldn’t have been euthanized. Shrimp needed his own space and a routine for his feeding to prevent biting. They started a behavior regimen in April, but there were no notes put in after, saying that he was doing better or worse. Shrimp also was taken off of Trazodone back in March and never tried again on other behavioral medications to try and help his resource guarding. He was instead decided to be euthanized by Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson.
Lobo was a five year old neutered male, who was transferred to CASPCA. He was adopted and returned two times before he ever bit someone. It wasn’t until his third adoption that Lobo bit someone. Lobo while in CASPCA’s care had one bite quarantine while being at CASPCA and one where he was returned shortly after biting somebody. While living at the adopter’s home, Lobo and the owner’s other dog both had gotten out of the yard. While out of the yard, Lobo had bitten someone on both hands. The person bitten, had been trying to shoo the dogs away, Lobo had ended up grazing, both hands. There were no puncture wounds present during this interaction. Lobo then, once returned, was in a playpark with a volunteer, during this interaction Lobo ended up biting and shaking when the volunteer tried to clip the leash on. Lobo during this interaction had latched onto and shook, causing about 8 puncture wounds and gaining an ABS of 4. Lobo in the past, had been marked as being touch sensitive. If Lobo had ended up biting based on his touch sensitivity, he should have been walked with a slip lead set up to be quick release. Once Lobo is comfortable with someone, he often does not mind his neck and head touched. Lobo had only just met the volunteer who took him into the playpark. Lobo also was never aggressive in the clinic setting, when he was comfortable with the handler. He also was never started on any behavioral medications, so this is once again a prime example of how Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson have shown their negligence to an animal at CASPCA.
Skadoo was a three year old neutered male. Skadoo has no record of ever being human aggressive, he was only reported as being a huge lovebug. Skadoo only ever showed signs of dog aggression. He had only one bite report due to Skadoo going after another dog and somebody trying to remove Skadoo from the other dog by grabbing his mouth. The person ended up with a scratch from a tooth and an ABS score of 2. Skadoo never even went after the person, the person was only scratched from their own negligence. Skadoo should have been walked by authorized personnel only to prevent him from escaping, and other dog walkers should not have allowed the dog they are walking to be within Skadoo’s grasp. Skadoo was being given Trazodone, but he was never tried on anything else to prevent his aggressive tendencies towards other dogs. If proper precautions were put in place before he kept biting other dogs, he would still be alive today.
Cow Hippo was a four year old neutered male. During his time at CASPCA he would display submissive behaviors and some stranger danger. He would often cower if anyone moved too quickly towards him and he would only be able to be taken out of his kennel by specific staff and volunteers he had a relationship with. He oftentimes would hide on the other side of the kennel than the side the stranger was not on. Cow Hippo was adopted for a month at the beginning of his stay, while in their care, Cow Hippo started showing signs of overprotectiveness over the female guardian in the home. He had bitten the male owner three times before being returned. Each bite would be somewhere on the legs and twice the female owner had to yell at Cow Hippo to release. These bites were never graded. Next, Cow Hippo went to another family. While in this home, firstly, Cow Hippo was in the living room on a leash when two handymen entered the home. Cow Hippo had immediately shown signs of stranger danger. He was barking and growling and attempted to bite the man but missed and got his keys instead. Cow Hippo also was returned from biting the 14 year old in the house. Cow Hippo had only just met him that day and the child went up the stairs to the kitchen alone where Cow Hippo was. Cow Hippo immediately started growling and the kid still went to pet him, Cow Hippo allowed petting and then bit him. Cow Hippo was showing signs of stranger danger and some overstimulation from the petting. Cow Hippo was then returned, this bite was also never graded. Cow Hippo finally was put into a foster home with three adults. While in the foster home he liked the foster and the female in the home. Cow Hippo became attached to the female and when the third, male, roommate entered the living room Cow Hippo started growling again, once the roommate went to leave, is when Cow Hippo bit and released the male roommate's leg. It was graded a 3. Cow Hippo obviously showed many signs of stranger danger, especially towards males. If Cow Hippo had been adopted into a low traffic home with a woman, he most likely would still be alive today. Cow Hippo was only ever tried on Trazodone for his behavior management. He also only received one behavioral assessment and then was entered into the foster home. The foster he was sent with did not have any previous experience with behavior management. Cow Hippo was another dog who was failed by Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson and he paid with his life.
Every week, Taylor Reinson and Dr. Emile Beichel met together to decide to euthanize another dog. They have killed seven dogs in the span of two months. They have plans to euthanize even more, every single Saturday. Sometimes trying to euthanize up to three dogs in one day. They haven’t utilized their resources correctly and feel they are making the right choice in euthanizing these dogs. They have decided that one bite is all they need to put them on the euthanasia list. At what point are they going to start euthanizing highly adoptable dogs for biting in pain, discomfort, feeling uneasy, etc? All of these animals deserved a chance to get better but instead they allowed them to regress in their kennels for months on just trazodone before deciding euthanasia is the best answer, especially when there were so many other options they could have utilized. They could have reached out to rescues to take on these dogs, reached out to the community or local dog trainers, anything other than just trazodone and hopes. These dogs and many more that are coming could have had a chance if Dr. Emily Beichel and Taylor Reinson could have just spent a few hours a week to critically think about each and every dog and their needs. If they had identified the causes of these dog’s behaviors, rules and regulations could have been put in place, but instead these dogs have paid for the negligence with their lives. They will never get to be happy or see a change at CASPCA.
