We love to tell a good story, a successful story, a story that fills up with hope.

But today we won’t.

Today I’m going to tell you one of my most painful stories in animal rescue. I’m doing this so that you get a glimpse of how it is to do what we do, every day and so that you understand why our adoption rules are what they are and why we cannot make exceptions.

Missy was rescued by one of the SHKD volonteers two years ago. She was a a wonderful sweet gentle and kind female dog. She arrived to the shelter with signs of sexual violence. She had been raped.
The rapist chose its victim well.  She was too kind and gentle to fight back.
For months SHKD worked on her, made her recover from her ordeal, brought her confidence up to speed.
Let’s Adopt! had just been created.. we had just a few members, lots of ideas.
I put up Missy’s pictures on my profile and sent an email to the 400 people or so that made up the group in those days.
A few hours later I received an email from a member. His name was Hakan Bozkurt. Nice guy. told me how he had a dog but had died of old age and how he missed him so much.. wanted to adopt another animal for his child. Any breed would do.
I liked him.
We met at the shelter, he came with his kid and a friend.. they were lovely people, animal lovers, kind and sweet. They liked Missy and Missy liked them.
We got his details, explained all about the dog, he had experience, we trusted him.
So Missy jumped on the car, wagging her short tail, one of the happiest days in her life.
We called that night.. Missy was sleeping with the kid. He sent us some pictures… wonderful!
One week later we called to check how things were going… the guy answer the phone. He was drunk.
He told us that Missy had been missing for three days. She was lost.
Apparently her six year old kid was walking her on the street without a leash, a truck passed, she got scared and run away.
He had done NOTHING to look for her. Nothing. Life continued as normal.
We spent three days looking for Missy all over the area. We checked every shelter, every street, we put posters everywhere…
Nothing.
I would love to think Missy is still alive and in a nice home with a wonderful family, but thinking so would be delusional.
Chances are Missy is dead. And if she is not dead she is trying to survive eating garbage in some construction dump, or dumped at the forest by one of the municipalities in this vast sprawling city.
So Missy was dead… nothing I could do about it.
But what I could do was to learn the lesson and to create a system that minimizes adoption risk. To create a set of rules that secured successful adoptions whilst at the same time helping us enlarge the community. And that is precisely what I did.

This is how we came up with our three basic adoption rules:

1. Family MUST have an existing animal.
2. Animal MUST live inside the home, not on the garden.
3. Animal MUST be fed raw.

Each and every adoption in Let’s Adopt! must be approved by me, and every time we screen a family I have Missy on my mind.

Missy was a failure and a painful lesson… but we learned from it, and created a system that saved thousands.

We must be ready to accept failures if we want to move forward…. and this applies to all of us, in all we do.

Never forget that.

-Viktor Larkhill

The judge will take a decision on Brindi’s life on Tuesday, March 9 at 9.30 hrs.

It is our firm belief that the only decision that will serve true justice is the sparing of Brindi’s life and her return to Francesca Rogier .

Imparting true justice is a very difficult task and this is why judges are held in such high regard in democratic societies. This authority is not God-given; it is granted by all of us as individuals.

Judges are there to deliver true justice, whether it serves the interest of the minority or the majority, the rich or the poor, the locals or the naturalized citizens or, in this case…

… a dog.

Viktor Larkhill

Let’s Adopt

We would like to thank everyone for your generosity and support in saving Genny’s life.

We could have truly not done it with out you.

Hooray For Genny & You!

Every single Dollar, Euro and Lira made a difference – there was no contribution too small and certainly not too large.

Genny has beaten the odds and is now in a new foster home, awaiting to meet her soul mate. Her final home, where she can have a sofa to call her own or at least share ♥
….where she can relax, knowing that she’ll be safe and treated like the princess she is.

Here are some current photos of Genny and her foster siblings…

They are guaranteed to bring some happy tears to those who have been following her story over the past month or so. They left me with a big smile all day…… Enjoy!

...just five more minutes...

*Doggie Bliss*

Thank YOU!

Please continue to support our work.

We currently have several special needs animals in vet care.

Apologies for the graphic image – but you need to see what we deal with here.

Meet LATTE…

Latte is fighting for his life

Latte was found nearly dead..

He has been lucky. We happened to have the most effective remedy available for this disease.

We are confident we will be able to save him.

Stay tuned and connected.

BE The Change! ♥

~Misha Dee

We are in urgent need of flight volunteers to the US, Canada (Montreal, Toronto), Germany and Holland.
Please get in touch with

Viktor: v.larkhill@googlemail.com

or contact me via

misha@myletsadopt.com

Thank You!

BE The Change

~Misha

Here’s an article by Viktor about how it works and why we are relocating animals to other countries.

Let’s Adopt! is Looking For Flight Volunteers for Angels Without Wings

Since its conception almost 2 years ago Let’s Adopt! has always been a pioneer in animal welfare related issues. We have introduced, singlehandedly, the concept of foster homes in Turkey. We have, for the first time in homing animals, put down rules other than the stupid documentations they ask for in shelters, gas bill, electricity bill, residence papers… We have, more than any bureaucratic nonsense of filling forms and providing that you live where you say you live, made sure that our dogs and cats actually LIVED INSIDE HOMES, not gardens and factory properties. We have insisted that the family should have another companion animal to adopt one from us. This is to make sure that they are aware of the responsibilities and requirements of an animal. Also, a great way to see how they care about their existing animals. We never agree to adoption of pure breeds simply on the basis of their blood. We make sure that the family adopts a stray first to be able to own a Golden Retriever or a Rottweiler.

And most of the time we have succeeded. The failures always happened when, out of the goodness of our hearts and naivete that we still
carry inside us for the goodness of people, we made exceptions.

No more exceptions, ever! Our rules are chiseled in stone and won’t be broken.

But, then there is something that really breaks our backs: The crisis and the way it effects thousand of families in this country and around the world. This is one of the reasons why there are so many abandoned animals, not only here but all around the world. Yet, people in Europe and North America still have the necessary funds to take care of their animals where the animals are seen as a part of the family and not accessories that look good near the fire place.

Why do I ramble on? Because that is what I do to ask for your help again, as you need to know why we do the things we do and need the
things we need?

We have declared that due to the non-existence of adoptions in the current climate we have a massive backlog of animals who need homes.

Not only that, we are experiencing an influx of animals which we had homed and now are being returned to us after months of being home dogs. Imagine the total destruction of the animals, imagine the damage the family makes their kids go through, imagine the state we are in…

Give Our Dogs Wiiiiings

Friends, though not every day of the week, we receive emails from our members in Europe and North America where people tell us that they are moved by the stories and struggles of our animals, asking us whether it would be possible to adopt them outside the country. After careful consideration, Skype conferences and many emails, we come to a decision.

It is all okay until when we need to fly our babies out, after their legal requirements are fully met;  chips, bloodwork when necessary,
vaccinations, fulfillment of a certain age etc.

This is when we need you. Many of you are professionals, many of you take trips outside the  country for business and for leisure, many of you study in foreign countries or visit friends and family who live abroad. Be our flight volunteers!!! Fly with one of our animals,
provided that there is the perfect family waiting for them on the other end and take part in the joy of knowing you have placed a life
in need in the safest of hands.

Get in touch with me a couple of weeks before you are due to fly and hopefully we will have  a dog or a cat for you as your flight
companion.

Go on, give us wings…

Viktor Larkhill
v.larkhill@googlemail.com

At the end of this brief post there is a link to a video. It is extremely thought provoking and I want you to watch it.

But first reflect on these wrong propositions.

A wrong proposition:   Humans own animals as property.

Companion animals are much more than that. They are a part of your family, they are a part of your life. Their value is not measured by cash. Society needs to rethink its stance as a whole.

A wrong proposition: You make a mistake, your animal pays for it. (pounded, killed).

You make a mistake, it is you who should pay. It is never the animal, it is the human, who makes things go wrong. The payment should be in proportion to the crime.

Letting your dog run without a muzzle CANNOT constitute a crime.

Wrong proposition: Breed Specific Legislation

A dog cannot be executed based on his looks. Breed Specific Legislation is a monstrosity and needs to be fought by all.

Your dog is right now at the merci of whomever decides to report him based purely on the way he looks. This leads to absurdities like the case of Rambo and Brittany.

A wrong proposition: If there is a law, even if unjust, we must obey.

If there is an unjust law, we must fight to change it. We must fight not only for ourselves but for those who follow, for those who might suffer, for those who believe in us.

And now pls watch this video because this is the very basic proposition we are trying to change.

It is time for Brindi to go home and to be reunited with her owner, Francesca Rogier.

If you are in Canada please CALL Mayor Peter J. Kelly, Mayor of Halifax on ph: 902-490-4010 and tell him that Brindi must be spared AND returned to her owner.

If you are abroad please email kellyp@halifax.ca and express the same… We have 7 days.…

For Brindi

For the Animals

Viktor Larkhill

Let’s Adopt!

to follow Let’s Adopt!’s entire Brindi campaign – visit our Canadian blog

BE The Change!

~Misha

Visit our Canadian blog to follow the entire campaign.

It’s important to contact (info listed at the bottom of this blog)

the major of Halifax IMMEDIATELY!!

BE The Change!

Misha

Many of you are asking us what has been the role of the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) since the Brindi Affair began.

Most of you hold the SPCA in high regard. So did I. Not any longer.

It would be fair to say that the SPCA is a pawn in the middle of this situation. They had a contract with the city of Halifax to house animals seized by animal control — such as Brindi. The contract was worth some $414,000. In addition to this contract, they operate a non-profit SPCA where strays and drop-offs and such are offered for adoption (just as any other SPCA). The city has opted to not renew the contract, that has since been awarded to a third party, a woman who runs a wildlife rehab center.

The SPCA is designed to house animals for no more than 30 days. Brindi has been in there for more than 570 days.

Since confinement, Brindi’s teeth have become infected. She has twice in the last maybe 5-6 months been treated for pancreatitis. So it’s safe to guess it may now be chronic.

Brindi is a mascot of sorts, her days are spent under a staffer’s desk.

Francesca had to FIGHT to be allowed to see Brindi. The first time she was allowed to see her was in January, 2009 (she was seized in July, 2008). She was not allowed inside the building and was confined to a
fenced area – the temperature was in the teens (or -0 celsius as we measure in Canada). She was given a ridiculous list of conditions to follow — come alone, no camera/video, no treats, 30 minutes to be determined by the SPCA, supervised visits only, and a few more. The terms changed at the whim of Halifax Regional Municipality/SPCA.

Her visits have been started and stopped throughout the year. The continuous change of rules prompted complains and the loss of her visitations rights.

Whenever Francesca wanted Brindi to be seen by her own vet a lengthy process of negotiation had to take place to everybody’s desperation.

In most cases the requests were denied.

Case law in Canada generally favors allowing an owner to see their animal during confinement when there is a case before the courts. Not Halifax. Case law also supports remediation between the owner and the SPCA. Not Halifax.

The SPCA could have stood up and said Brindi is not dangerous or mean, she sleeps under a staffer’s desk after all. In an attitude that betrays their lack of principles they decided not to challenge the city and risk their contract, a contract that was eventually lost.

In a recent letter signed by Kristen Williams, a spin doctor, the SPCA advocates an “alternative” to killing Brindi. This letter is nothing but a carefully crafted attempt by Halifax Municipality and the SPCA to cover themselves for their inadequate handling of the entire case.

A desperate attempt to save face after a number of recent scandals.

It’s too late for that. The SPCA has, in the handling of Brindi’s case betrayed its very founding principles, and the community has taken note. The SPCA will never be regarded in the same way by the Canadian Community.

It is time for Brindi to go home and to be reunited with her owner, Francesca Rogier.

If you are in Canada please CALL Mayor Peter J. Kelly, Mayor of Halifax on ph: 902-490-4010 and tell him that Brindi must be spared AND returned to her owner.

If you are abroad please email kellyp@halifax.ca and express the same… We have 8 days.…

For the Animals…
For Brindi…

Viktor Larkhill

Let’s Adopt!

from our Canadian blog

The Words Of A Child…. Day Three Of Our Campaign

..

On September 26, 2008 a four year old girl, Brianna Clark wrote a letter to Mayor Kelly, the Mayor of Halifax.

It was a candid and compassionate plea like only a kid could produce, asking Mr. Kelly to spare the life of a dog, Brindi, and to return that dog to her desperately worried owner, Francesca Rogier.

a plea from a Briana to mayor Kelly

Mr. Kelly received the letter by fax. His secretary must have placed it quite visibly on his desk. We don’t know what went through Mr. Kelly’s mind, but the letter was promptly trashed and ignored.

Being an adult is not only about making money, buying a house having nice clothes and sending your children to expensive house. Being a role model is about doing what is best to the community. Is about being the kind of person your children will forever be proud of.

Being an adult means carrying great responsibility in your shoulders.

It is the responsibility of leaving a legacy behind you as well as leaving a better world for those who will follow you.

When we look at the world we see how unjust and indiscriminately cruel it can be, as good people, our one and only aim is to change everything for better.

Mr Kelly and all those involved in this case, the SPCA, the “experts” and the general public should think about the kind of example we are all setting for the Halifax community, for the young people, the children in this town and the youth in other cities around Canada. Mr. Kelly should think about the impact of his stance on people like little Brianna Clark or his own two sons, Craig and Blake.

We want our children to live in an innocent world.
We want our children to believe in us.
We want our children to believe in justice and truth and goodness

We would like Mr. Kelly to think about this about this before closing his eyes at night, to think about this when he first opens his eyes in the morning.

We fight for a dog. We fight for our children and a better world for them.

Please CALL Mayor Peter J. Kelly, Mayor of Halifax on

ph: +902-490-4010 or if you are abroad please email kellyp@halifax.ca and express your deepest inner feelings regarding this case.We have 12 days…For the Animals…
For Brindi…

Viktor Larkhill

————————————————————

Please don’t forget to express your concerns on our blogs as well. Best is to comment on the Canadian blog, but we welcome your thoughts here as well.

Please don’t delay – we need your help to free this poor dog from death row.

BE The Change

~Misha

12 Days Left To Save Brindi

Today’s entry about Brindi has been posted on our Canadian Sister Network.

http://canada.myletsadopt.com/2010/02/26/day-2-something-is-clearly-wrong-with-halifax/

Please don’t forget to comment, repost, share, tweet and most importantly contact Mayor Peter Kelly IMMEDIATELY.

If you have already done so, and not received a response (other than the bot-mails), write him again…every day…

Better yet – call his offices.

Phone: +902-490-4010

email: kellyp@halifax.ca

This is about saving Brindi’s life, bringing  justice to a case riddled with personal agendas against Brindi’s Mom, Francesca.

Let’s bring Brindi home – NOW!!

Be The Change…

DAY ONE.

“Canada eliminated the death penalty on July 14, 1976.The last execution in Canada took place on December 11, 1962 at Toronto’s Don Jail.”

Canada is, by all measurable standards, one of the most advanced countries in the world. The Economist ranks Vancouver as the world’s most liveable city, ahead of Vienna and Melbourne. Toronto is number 4.

Canada is the country where the cream of the crop wants to emigrate. A haven of sorts where individual freedoms are respected and communities care for their members.

A model society.

This is what makes Brindi’s story so puzzling and this is the reason why the eyes of the international animal welfare community are now fixed on Canada as a whole and on the city of Halifax in particular.

Brindi is an adopted mutt. She is smart, gentle, affectionate and has passed obedience classes.

On July 24, Brindi was seized and put on death row.

A minor incident, completely distorted by some of the people involved, would lead into a most incredible ordeal for Brindi and her family. Brindi’s owner, Francesca, an American recently emigrated to Canada, found herself tangled in the worst possible plot any animal owner could ever envisage: Her beloved dog, her child, put on death row by the City of Halifax.

There was never an offence charged; Brindi was assessed by an expert and found highly trainable. Thousands of dollars were paid to get the execution order quashed in court. But the city ignored the Law and kept Brindi. Instead of holding a fair hearing to decide whether Brindi presents a true danger (she obviously does not), the city charged Brindi’s owner with 3 by-law violations in a last minute attempt to push for a new kill order.

On the 23rd of February Brindi’s owner was found guilty on all counts.

Sentence hearing will take place on March 9. It is feared the judge will order the Killing of the animal.

We have 13 days to Save Brindi.

History is full of miscarriages of justice.

Brindi’s case is one of those. It was never about the dog.

It was obvious from the beginning that the issue had grown into a personal vendetta, as it is too often the case; a power play where Brindi and her owner Francesca had become mere pawns in the hands of “authorities” clearly more concerned about saving face than about truly pursuing justice.

We have 13 days to Save Brindi.

Today we are launching a local and international campaign to drive public opinion and to prompt the world to take action.

We want each and every one of our readers and the entire international community to stop for a second and think.

Her life is all that Brindi has. We will not allow it to be taken away from her. Think how you would feel if it was YOUR child put in this position. Going through months of isolation while waiting for the moment to be administered a lethal injection and killed. What would you think of Canada every morning if you were in Francesca’s place?

Today the internet and social media have made a new kind of world and a new way to demand justice possible. There are millions of us ready to stand up and fight for what most would consider worthless.. a dog.

However, Brindi is not just a dog. Brindi is a living being, with feelings of sadness, anxiety, fear, longing. A living being that will be executed unless we all stand together and take action.

Starting from today, Brindi is no longer just a dog.

Brindi is now a symbol that represents our most essential values: Justice and the Right to live.

The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights was solemnly proclaimed in Paris on 15 October 1978 at the UNESCO headquarters.

Article 7 states:Any act unnecessary involving the death of an animal, and any decision leading to such an act, constitutes a crime against life.

We need YOU to tell the government of Canada and the City of Halifax that to execute an innocent animal based on obscure by-laws is about the lowest a government can sink into. We will do our best to send a clear message to the Canadian Government and concretely to the City of Halifax; we will show them that doing this would be a terrible mistake, a miscarriage of justice.

We have 13 days to save Brindi and we are going to need YOUR help.

Get involved. We wont give you a model letter to copy and past. We want YOU to speak your mind.

Contact:

Mayor Peter J. Kelly, Mayor of Halifax on ph: 902-490-4010. Email kellyp@halifax.ca and express your deepest inner feelings regarding this case.

We have 13 days…

For the Animals…

For Brindi…

Viktor Larkhill

Happy Spay Day From Let's Adopt! USA

Today is Spay Day…

and I would like to remind you about the importance of fixing your pets.

Here are some quick facts to remember:

One unfixed tom cat can produce THOUSANDS of kittens.

One unfixed cat can (and will) have two litters per year.

Kittens reach sexual maturity as early as at the age of 5 months.

Once a cat has given birth, she can go back into heat within 48 HOURS! As a foster volunteer veteran I have watched this happen (in disbelief) many, many times.

Contact your local animal services or do a quick online search for low cost spay/neuter in your metro area, and do the responsible thing.

Fix your animals. Do YOUR part to end the suffering of thousands of animals born each year, just to rot in pounds, being abused or starve to death before they can even open their eyes.

Thanks, and remember….

Spread The Word!

…Be The Change

~Misha