NORTH CAROLINA -- In the wake of a 6-year-old’s death, Buncombe County officials are asking for more information about how the pit bull that killed Joshua Strother was adopted from the Asheville Humane Society.
In a July 16 letter from Assistant County Manager Amanda Stone, officials requested an “immediate moratorium” on the transfer of any pit bull or pit bull mix from the shelter. They also asked for additional documentation regarding health temperament screening and animal transfer procedures.
Pit bull or pit bull mixes currently in the Asheville Humane Society Adoption Center will continue to be available for adoption.
Buncombe County contracts with the Asheville Humane Society to operate the Buncombe County Animal Shelter.
“We want to make sure that the process in place for the transfer of animals to the shelter is in the best interest of the animal and in the best interest of the community,” said Jim Holland, manager for Buncombe County’s Health and Human Services Support Team. Holland oversees all animal-related contracts for the county.
“We don’t have any reason to believe they are not following best practices and procedures that are the most appropriate. We just want to make sure we have the opportunity to review those and have a time-out to evaluate those processes because a child has died.”
The Humane Society would not comment on the issue, however Holland said the nonprofit plans to fully cooperate.
No charges were filed in the June 7 attack in Henderson County.
The boy was killed by the dog after he reportedly climbed a fence into a neighbor’s yard. The owners of the pit bull were not at home at the time of the attack.
The family adopted the dog from the Asheville Humane Society about three weeks before the incident. The dog was a little over a year old and came into the shelter as a stray.
During police investigation, Major Frank Stout of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said the Asheville Humane Society was forthcoming with its records and cooperative.
“There was nothing that showed any aggressive tendencies while the dog was in their custody or in their adoption process,” Stout said at the time.
(Asheville Citizen-Times - July 17, 2015)
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