11/01/2026
PULLING BACK THE CURTAINS continued...
Do you ever wonder why you pursue some things? Years ago, there was a dog at MAS named Murry. His intake pic is in the comments and is quite gruesome. That's your ⚠️ warning ⚠️ Murry and his cohort were traveling around Memphis like they were participating in "Cannon Ball Run" when a young boy locked them up in a fenced yard.
MAS arrived, loaded him and his friend (no mention of a rabies control pole being needed). So, what the 🔥 happened to him? Immediately, MAS went into a full throttle sweat and replaced his pic with something more appropriate.
A FOIA was submitted for his case report, MAS notes, MEDICAL RECORDS, and intake card. The officers stated in their notes that he was a bit difficult to handle, but they were able to safely load them both in the bus. There was NO MENTION of the use of a catchpole. None.
One might say that the curtains were not pulled back. They were ripped down and burned because Murry's medical records were not provided 🔥 The Office of Open Records Counsel (OORC) was notified and they punted immediately to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH). Mary Gramsberg, Chief Legal Counsel for Memphis, got involved.
Eventually, Paige Edwards, TDOH, opined that shelter pet medical records were exempted from TPRA (Tennessee Protected Records Act). In short, shelter pet medical records are NOT AVAILABLE, even via FOIA. The details of this are complicated and deserve their own post in this series. Stay tuned.
Now, back to the YWAC policy of NOT disclosing pet medical records to potential adopters. Only after the ink has dried on the adoption contract and ownership has changed, are adopters informed. Based on the TDOH opinion, it is allowed until legally challenged. That means that shelters can dope up aggressive dogs with behavior modifying meds such as trazodone, clonidine, gabapentin, ... and never inform potential adopters. Is that a risk you are willing to take? YWAC forgot to fill up the pet's clonidine when the dog was adopted (see comments). Google "what are the side effects of a dog on clonidine going cold turkey?" 😳 This story digresses...
In conclusion, dog bite lawyers discuss "informed consent" and recommend that animal shelters provide ALL information they have prior to a pet being adopted to avoid legal actions. It has been five (5) years since Murry was impounded (November 2021). Nothing has changed. No legal challenges. It's coming though. Using behavioral modifying meds on dogs having their bios written by AI, as recommended by BFAS, is a giant train wreck waiting to happen.
Stay tuned for the next "Pulling Back the Curtains" post.
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