Randy Grim and Miracle Dog Quentin help end the suffering of North Carolina sheltered animals.
By Michele King, Best Friends NetworkTwo years ago, Randy Grim answered a call that would change his life forever. A Saint Louis animal shelter employee begged him to rescue a dog who wouldn’t die, a fearless Basenji mix standing atop a pile of dead dogs in the shelter’s gas chamber. Randy took Quentin into his no-kill rescue, and has since traveled the country to put an end to gas chambers and to encourage adoptions of stray animals.
Randy is the subject of the book, “The Man Who Talks to Dogs” and the author of “Miracle Dog: How Quentin Survived the Gas Chamber to Speak for Animals on Death Row.” He is also President and founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Missouri, an organization that saves thousands of animals from the city streets each year.
After receiving thousands of emails about North Carolina animal shelters, Randy made a trip last week that he will not soon forget. I had the privilege of giving him the tour. Culture shock set in quickly, as Randy noticed, “Everything is so spread out down here and it’s so dark.” He laughed at my southern accent, but soon acquired a taste for sweet tea and collard greens.
Randy’s first stop was one of the strangest facilities in the state, a makeshift animal shelter leased to Rockingham County Animal Control in Reidsville. He was surprised to find that a local veterinary hospital owns the building, which is not completely enclosed and leaves the animals to brave the elements. The hospital also owns the huge gas chamber, which is used to kill approximately 5000 animals per year including puppies and kittens. There is little focus on adoptions here. Randy says, “I could adopt all of these dogs and cats out with both hands tied behind my back.”
Sheriff Sam Page eagerly met with Randy and Quentin and listened to suggestions for changes at the animal shelter. He later announced his decision to abandon the gas chamber and have all animals put to sleep by injection, and to seek help of another veterinarian for euthanasia. The county is also considering building a new shelter at the request of local residents and animal welfare groups.
Randy and Quentin interviewed with many TV and newspaper reporters to share experiences and call for changes at animal shelters throughout North Carolina. But travel was difficult as they headed to an early morning TV news interview. The navigation system flashed, “Recalculating…recalculating.” The pair were stranded on a dark country road as they waited for someone to come and find them.
The tour of North Carolina continued with visits to more animal shelters and county offices. Randy traveled hundreds of miles of Carolina back roads, unfamiliar to this big city native, and sat face to face with decision makers. He has a way of making them feel at ease, mixing humor with his passion to help animals. Randy explained how other shelters have made the change from gas chambers to humane euthanasia by injection. “For any dog to survive a gas chamber is reason enough not to use it. It isn’t working. It’s not a quick death,” he says.
Grim says he witnessed a gassing before he began his mission. "One dog went into seizures. Another was defecating and howling. It was so horrible. Two dogs were fighting. It wasn't this peaceful, fall asleep." He explained that while the cost is nearly the same for both methods, the risk of employee sickness or death from exposure to carbon monoxide should also be a deciding factor.
A steep gravel path led Randy and Quentin up a lonely hill to the Randolph County Animal Shelter near Asheboro. Here they met a friendly pot bellied pig and dozens of cats and dogs eager for a new home. But how does anyone find this place? The shelter is remotely located in a wooded area at a landfill, miles from the nearest town. Kennels are in view of two large stainless steel gas chambers, which the employees say are used every day. Randy said, “Most of these dogs seem clueless to what is going on, and I want them to stay that way.”
Then he noticed a shy husky mix whose eyes followed his every move. “She had this intense look, stared at me everywhere I went. She seemed to know she was in trouble.” The poor dog was in heat, and kept in a kennel with two intact male dogs. Randy decided to save her and named her Charlotte as a reminder of her time in North Carolina. Later at the hotel, Charlotte sat quietly gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Her life had forever changed.
Just as Randy was ready to take a break, I begged him to visit one more county. By this time he was tired and depressed, but it was all worthwhile in the end. He was again successful in convincing government officials to commit to a change to humane euthanasia.
Then we asked the animal control officers to take us to the animal shelter. The officers boarded the elevator with us, but they ducked out and ran away just as the door was closing. We drove out to the shelter anyway, where Randy was horrified at the conditions. Outdoor kennels with no protection from rain, wind, sun or snow…no office and no open hours to adopt. I explained that there are several municipal shelters like this in our state, where animals are dropped off with little hope of being saved. Catch and kill.
Randy compares conditions at some North Carolina shelters to those in Mississippi and Louisiana. “It’s not pretty,” he says. He inquired about minimum standards of care, and found that while public shelters are now included under the Animal Welfare Act, there is little enforcement at poor rural facilities.
Randy is also concerned about corruption linked to the widespread use of gas chambers in our state. At most shelters he visited, employees and government officials spoke proudly of Dr. Ralph Houser, a veterinarian who is referred to them by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture for euthanasia training and also sells the equipment. One health board director even attended the killing class. Randy says, “One reason you have so many gas chambers is that you have a vet training employees who sells gas chambers. It’s a conflict of interest.”
Randy felt more at home as he spent his last two days in the city of Charlotte. “When I saw a skyscraper and a traffic jam, I almost cried,” he said.
Randy said goodbye to North Carolina with a book signing at Concord, the home of NASCAR auto racing. Cabarrus County is one of the most progressive, wealthy areas of the state, and yet the county shelter still uses an old patched-up gas chamber to kill unwanted pets. Local residents who visited the book signing said they were unaware that this is how animals are treated in their hometown.
At the end of the visit, three counties had committed to ending use of their gas chambers as a result of Randy’s monumental effort, while others will be harder to convince. Quentin is known as the Miracle Dog, but his guardian Randy Grim is a miracle worker. We love you, Randy.
Read more about Randy and Quentin’s trip to North Carolina at these links:
WFMY TV News Video "Miracle Dog Helps Others"WBTV News Video "Doggie Death Chambers"Salisbury Post/ Kannapolis Citizen "Quentin the Miracle Dog Brings Message to Concord"Randy and Miracle Dog Quentin have appeared on The Today Show, It's a Miracle, CNN, MSNBC, CBS News, Access Hollywood and in People Magazine, National Geographic, Forbes and Guideposts. He has a radio show called “Animal Tails” and a new TV show coming up soon on Animal Planet International.
"Randy Grim is the best kind of hero: a flawed, ordinary person who wouldn't let anything - either in the world or in himself - stand in the way of his desire to help his fellow creatures."
- Ptolemy Tompkins, Senior Editor, Guideposts MagazineWhat You Can Do:Visit Stray Rescue of St. Louis
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