Montgomery County shelter employee viciously attacked

ROOT – Part of the typical routine at most animal shelters is to make sure dogs get out of their cages every day for exercise. When that happened Monday morning at the Ayres Memorial Animal Shelter in Montgomery County, the result was anything but typical.

When an employee of the Ayres Shelter tried to exercise two Lab mix canines, those dogs turned on her, causing serious injuries, and leading to an emergency airlift to Albany Medical Center, a victim of the uncertainty of caged animals.

“You’re in a very stressful environment,” points out Nancy Haynes, Director of Behavior and Enrichment at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands. “If that is part of your job, you might be in that situation some day, unfortunately.”

Haynes says her team is heartbroken by the news. She’s glad to hear the animals will be quarantined and monitored in the aftermath of the attack.

“I can tell you from cases we’ve dealt with here (in Menands), you see a lot of dogs from neglect cases that are very fearful, haven’t had socialization,” she said. “I had heard these dogs were tied out their whole lives, so that contributes to their behavior.”

The victim is expected to recover.