Local Shelter Sued By The Humane Society of Southern NM

The Humane Society of Southern New Mexico is suing the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley to obtain detailed records of 72 missing or stolen animals from ASCMV in 2010.

That number seemed high to the Humane Society of Southern New Mexico so they decided to launch an investigation into ASCMV records beginning in April 2011.

The president of the HSSNM, Fran Bryce, said that after a little digging they found a near seven-fold increase in the number of missing or stolen pets over a two year period.

According to Bryce, only 11 animals were reported missing or stolen from ASCMV in 2008 and shot up to 72 in 2010.

Bryce said his organization is asking for a review of public records for each of those 72 cases.

“We want to do a pretty thorough analysis of where these animals went, how they went, why they went, who they went to, and who is responsible for passing through the system,” said Bryce.

ASCMV refused to speak to ABC7, but during a phone interview ASCMV attorney Damian Martinez told ABC7, “we do not comment on ongoing litigation.”