Esmeralda, a Let's Adopt! dog from Turkey, found her forever family and some wonderful new canine siblings overseas.

We’ve been talking a lot this week about animals in Bali, Turkey, and other places. Today I’ve got some ideas that might hit a bit closer to home.

Here are three ideas for ways to show your love for animals this Valentine’s Day weekend…

1. Make a rescue kit for your car so that you’re prepared next time you find an animal in need. I keep a big bag of items in my trunk, and virtually everything in there came from discount stores like Big Lots. I always watch for sales and have been known to buy every collar in stock! Even if I don’t need it in my trunk, there’s always a local rescue that does. You don’t need to spend much money at all; in fact, you probably already have most of the items you need.

This list should get you started:

• cell phone
• phone numbers for local animal control, local ASPCA and Humane Society, local rescue group(s), and local wildlife rescue group(s)
• phone number and directions to your nearest 24-hour emergency vet
• cat carrier or cardboard box (Cat cardboard boxes are quite inexpensive and can be found at rescues, pet shops, and vet clinics.)
• collars (a small one for cats and one for dogs that adjusts to a wide range of sizes)
• leashes (heavy enough to hold a large dog)
• heavy blanket and towels
• large bottle of clean water
• bowls for food and water (I use inexpensive plastic ones.)
• several cans of tuna, sardines, or anything that smells good to an animal
• animal first aid kit (the basics: gauze rolls, adhesive/first aid tape, hydrogen peroxide, antiseptic cream, tweezers, and scissors)
• roll of paper towels and a bottle of cleaning spray (for any clean-up jobs)
• flashlight
• pair of heavy duty working gloves (to protect your hands and forearms from scratches or bites while trying to pick up an injured animal)

For more detailed information about pet first aid and emergencies, refer to my earlier blog post on this topic.

This Let's Adopt! kitten is one of three brothers who were lucky enough to find a home together!

2. Don’t forget that the 16th annual Spay Day is around the corner. It falls on February 23rd this year, and it’s all about spaying and neutering pets as well as feral cats.

You can put in your zip code to find out about Spay Day events in your local area. Why not help raise awareness in your community this weekend by publicizing some of these events by word of mouth, by using local blogs, or even by putting up posters? Many people might not know about low-cost spay/neuter options, but if we spread the word far and wide, more people might go ahead and spay or neuter their pets.

And if you’re up for a bit of fun…

There’s still time to enter the Spay Day online photo contest which helps raise funds for the Humane Society and helps make events like Spay Day possible.

There are some pretty fabulous prizes up for grabs!

Here are some resources to help with low-cost spay/neuter any day of the year:

• Love That Cat List of Spay/Neuter Resources
• SPAY/USA (not the same as Spay Day)
• Spay Alabama: 1-866-9-SPAY-AL or www.spayalabama.org
• Spay California: 1-866-PET-SPAY or www.spaycalifornia.org
• Spay Colorado: 1-877-654-SPAY or www.spaycolorado.org
• Spay Florida: 1-888-SPAY-FL or www.spayflorida.org
• Indiana Spay/Neuter Alliance: 1-866-957-SPAY or www.spayneuterindiana.org
• Spay Maine: 1-800-367-1317 or www.spaymaine.org
• Spay Massachusetts: 1-888-495-SPAY
• Spay Michigan: 1-888-5-SPAY-HELP orwww.allaboutanimalsrescue.org
• Mississippi Spay & Neuter: 1-866-901-SPAY or www.msspan.org
• Spay Ohio: 1-877-644-6446 (4 to 8 pm) or www.spayohio.org
• SPAY/TEXAS: 1-877-TEX-SPAY or www.spaytexas.org
• Vermont Companion Animal Neutering: 802-223-0034 or www.vt-can.org
• Spay Washington: 1-877-4-SPAY-WA or www.spaywa.org
• Spay Wisconsin: 1-877-510-PETS or animalfriendlywi.org/spaywi
• Kentucky: http://www.kycentral.org/spayneuter.htm

another Turkish puppy who found a forever home overseas thanks to Let's Adopt!

3. Get registered with a rescue transport coordinator so that you can help by driving animals from shelters to rescues. This can take as little as an hour or an hour and a half of your time as you form part of a chain to move dogs and cats from Alabama to Maine or from South Carolina to North Dakota. There’s even one transport this weekend going from Bowling Green, Kentucky, all the way up to Prescott in Ontario, Canada, and they still desperately need drivers on a few of the legs. If you’re anywhere in Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, or Ontario, Canada, and could help drive a leg on Saturday or Sunday, please check the run sheet and contact the coordinator, Lucy, at lmoye0617@sbcglobal.net .

This is a huge two-day effort to move about 20 dogs out of an extremely high-kill shelter in western Kentucky, and they need all the help they can get!

Here’s one great list of transport coordinators, but check with your local shelters and rescues to find out which transport coordinators assist them. Then get yourself registered and watch for weekend runs through your area. In many cases, your mileage will even be tax-deductible!

In the same spirit, get registered with your local shelter or rescue as a foster home. Unfortunately, there is always an influx of pregnant animals and babies every Spring. Getting registered now will save precious time when your help is needed.

Harley is another Let's Adopt! beauty from Turkey who found her forever home (and a new pair of glasses!) overseas.

And one last thing…

The USA Network will be running the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Monday and Tuesday. The show is sponsored by Pedigree.

I don’t even need to tell you how many animals there are in our pounds across America.

So why on earth do people keep breeding animals?

Well…

Dog shows such as this one are not helping in any way. In fact, Westminster decides each year to recognize “new” breeds which only encourages a ton of breeding in the lead-up to this recognition and in the fall-out afterwards as people decide they, too, want to own one of these “rare new breeds.”

Take a moment to tell the Westminster Kennel Club, the USA Network, and Pedigree what you think about dog shows. Let them know that you don’t value a purebred dog any more than a mixed breed one. Tell them that you would rather see sponsorship of and programming about the truly important issues in animal welfare. Why not suggest they sponsor or run programming about low-cost spay/neuter programs? Tell them about Spay Day 2010, and let them know that the breeding encouraged by groups like Westminster is part of the problem.

Ask them if they saw the study about how unaware most people are of the pet overpopulation in America, and ask them if they are doing their part to raise awareness and prevent 4 million animals from being killed in our shelters each year.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Help save one.

While you’re here, don’t forget to join the Facebook group of Let’s Adopt! (USA).

Sterilizing pets is not a priority for new owners.

Check out this article.

The survey cited in this article is the first large-scale effort to quantify the actions and perceptions of pet owners and non-owners relating to spay/neuter, pet overpopulation, and adoption of pets from shelters and rescue organizations.

Educating people about animal welfare must be one of our top priorities. Legislation is also key, but the national survey in this article reveals 3 important facts:

1. “Despite campaigns encouraging sterilization to reduce pet overpopulation, and despite expanding options for low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, nearly half of people who have acquired unsterilized pets in the last year haven’t fixed them.”

2. “Many pet owners are unaware of the scope of overpopulation: 62 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds and 47 percent of 55-plus respondents estimated shelters euthanize fewer than 1 million animals annually; 28 percent put the euthanasia number at 100,000 or less.” In fact, the Humane Society of the United States estimates that 4 million animals are killed in our shelters each year. And that number could be on the low end because there is no national system for tracking the amount of animals that are killed in our shelters.

3. “Southerners and the under-35 set are the least likely to sterilize their pets. … 42 percent of people who recently got a pet did no prior research, formal or informal.”

And we all know what happens when people don’t spay and neuter their pets…

Grace, a Sheltie mix, and her seven puppies made it out of a high-kill shelter in Memphis, Tennessee, at the last minute two days ago thanks to two very dedicated rescuers, Holly and Jill. One of Grace’s puppies was just too weak and died last night while in foster care.

Grace and her puppies will be up for adoption soon. Applications can be made by emailing Jill at dogscats6@yahoo.com .

And you can contribute to the enormous costs of caring for this momma and her babies by contacting their vet:

Dyer County Animal Hospital
410 Hwy 51 ByPass W
Dyersburg, TN 38024

731-285-2043

vet clinic contacts: Jessica Harrison & Amy Campbell

one of Bali's magnificent beaches

Who wouldn’t like to be whisked away to Bali just in time for Valentine’s Day and right in the middle of our winter?

It is indeed a beautiful island, but its dogs and cats are suffering greatly.

A kind tourist offers water to a thirsty Bali dog on one of the island's beaches.

The Indonesian island of Bali is just over 2,000 square miles in size. The island has a population of about 4 million people and approximately 600,000 dogs, down from an estimated one million ten years ago thanks to a population management program.

Today we have an interview with Paula Hodgson, co-founder of the Bali Street Dog Fund (BSDF), which raises funds for the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA). Paula has some great information to share with us and some insight on TNR amongst the street dog population on Bali. She also has all the details on how you could take a volunteer vacation to help Bali’s street dogs.

BAWA is a not-for-profit charity registered in Indonesia. The organization’s aim is to relieve the suffering, control the population, and improve the health of Bali‘s street dogs through medical care, spay/neutering, street-feeding, puppy adoption, and education of school children.

BAWA currently has an experienced team of 7 Indonesian vets, who have been supported in the past by vets from Veterinarians Beyond Borders and by vets and vet nurses from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. BAWA’s vets are supported every day by a local dedicated team of nurses and helpers.

The BAWA street teams work outside in the central gathering place called the "banjar" in each village they visit.

BAWA’s street teams led by Indonesian veterinarians travel daily into villages and set up mobile operating stations to conduct up to 40 sterilizations per day. Some of the dogs they sterilize are brought in by their owners, but most are street dogs who are caught in nets and immobilized immediately before a vet sedates them for surgery. The mobile team remains in a village until 60-70% of its dogs have been sterilized. While the dogs are still sedated after their surgery, the vets place a small mark on one of their ears to enable easy identification.

BAWA’s clinic just outside Ubud offers free sterilization of pets belonging to any Indonesian family who can not afford to pay.

The organization operates under a no-kill philosophy and only euthanizes animals (by injection) when the organization’s veterinarians believe that the animal is suffering entirely too much and has no chance of making a recovery.

BAWA and its American founder Janice Girardi were featured in the September/October 2009 issue of The Bark magazine. Stay tuned for a future interview with Janice!

What’s a Bali dog anyway?

Bali dogs are unique. A 2004 genetics study by the University of California, Davis revealed that they were probably established in Bali 12,000 years ago when it became isolated from Java. They are the most genetically diverse dogs in the world. Their closest relatives are the Chow Chow, Australian Dingo, and the Akita. Until recently there has been no influence by European breeds.

BAWA is funded 100% through donations.

Paula is going to tell us how they accomplish this feat.

Paula holding a sick and injured Bali puppy.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your furry family.

I am an ex-pat New Zealander who has lived in Australia for 20 years, and I work as a medical secretary.  I have always been an avid animal lover and was heavily involved with anti-vivisection groups whilst in New Zealand. I had six cats and one dog growing up. I knew from the time I was very small that I was destined to be involved in animal welfare.

My furry family consisted of 4 gorgeous cats. Pumpkin, my eldest, was two weeks old when I found her in a drain. I hand raised her on a bottle until she was six weeks old.  She was born to feral parents, and even though she was domesticated she never lost that feral streak which I found to be an endearing part of her personality. Six weeks after I got Pumpkin, I took in a white cat with blue eyes who was profoundly deaf. Chantelle and Pumpkin became inseparable, but sadly Chantelle died at 12 months of age due to a bee sting. Nine months after losing her, I found myself saying “yes” to two beautiful 6-week-old kittens who had been dumped in a rubbish bin.  My family of one suddenly became a fantastic trio of tortoiseshells: Pumpkin, Apples, and Dusty. Dusty passed away aged 13 in 2006, and Pumpkin passed away aged 16 in 2008. Apples is now 16 and a diabetic. I cherish each day she is with me.

the divine Miss Apples enjoying some time outside

2. Why Bali? How often do you go to Bali?

Why Bali is a question I am often asked, and I say, “Why not?” I became involved in this cause when my closest friend Natasha came back from Bali and asked me to help the dogs in Bali. She became distressed each time she went there, and on a visit in 1999, she found a vet who was trying to help the street dogs. She came home determined to try and do something, and in September 1999, Natasha and I founded the Bali Street Dog Fund (Australia).

I try and go to Bali at least once a year, but due to unforeseen circumstances with my health and my cat Apples’ health, I have not been to Bali for 2.5 years. Even so, I am in daily contact with BAWA (Bali Animal Welfare Association) via email.

3. Tell us some of the things you do in Australia to help raise awareness and money for BAWA? What works?

Raising awareness for a charity can be difficult at times, but you must take every opportunity that arises to let people know about your work. A good website is the first step followed by brochures and business cards, word of mouth, and merchandise. Creating a database of supporters is essential, and putting out a newsletter once or twice a year is a good way to raise more awareness and to bring in donations.

BSDF holds a “Bali Nights” fundraising auction every year to raise money for the BAWA spay/neuter van and the animal welfare education program in the schools. Having great merchandise works wonders. I hand make greeting cards (everyday and Christmas) depicting gorgeous puppies and adult dogs from Bali, and those cards are one of our best sellers. Everyone who receives one of those cards gets our contact information and website on the back of the card, so that helps to bring in additional donations. A full range of merchandise is displayed on our website so that people can purchase it all year round and not just at our fundraiser.

4. Are there any Bali dogs in Australia? Do any of the dogs ever get adopted by families outside Bali?

There is one Bali dog living in Australia. Her name is Nessa, and you can see her story on our website.

It is extremely expensive to bring a Bali dog back to Australia due to the amount of quarantine required. Dogs from Bali have to go to Singapore for nine months before they are allowed into Australia. When Nessa came to Australia 5 years ago, the cost was $10,000. I imagine it would be much more now.

Sometimes dogs go to the USA, Holland, or Belgium after being adopted by families there, but currently NO dogs are allowed out of Bali due to the presence of rabies. Janice and everyone at BAWA are working to eradicate rabies from the island and to vaccinate and protect the island’s dogs during this time.

5. Are there any particular BAWA accomplishments that you would like to share with us?

BAWA has achieved a lot in the three years they have been operating. In 2008, they put Bali‘s only 24-hour animal ambulance on the road which was desperately needed, and it is kept busy every day. Ideally, another ambulance to cover other parts of the island is required. Unfortunately, BAWA does not have the funding available to make this happen, and BSDF only manages to raise enough money each year to fund the spay/neuter and education programs. At present, the 24-hour ambulance and the 24-hour vet clinic are both funded entirely by Janice Girardi, the organization’s founder. BAWA also launched the “Bali Idol” competition which is a puppy adoption competition within the schools. The success of this program has been phenomenal.

Village children are often very curious when the BAWA team arrives to spay and neuter dogs. They are supervised, of course, but the staff do allow the children to come close to the dogs. This is a great learning opportunity for the children, many of whom have never even touched a dog.

The biggest and latest accomplishment is hosting a Rabies Seminar just two weeks ago. Janice has worked tirelessly since rabies was first found in Bali in November 2008 and since the government started massacring the dogs in a misinformed attempt to eradicate rabies. Bali’s governor ordered that the island be eradicated of all street dogs and called on villagers to exterminate strays themselves. Dogs were poisoned and shot much to the horror of many tourists and even island residents, some of whose pets were also killed.

Janice and her amazing staff have never given up with their campaign to get the government to vaccinate not eradicate. The seminar was attended by experts from the World Health Organization, prominent veterinarians, and members of the Balinese Government, and it was made clear that culling will not work. Now it’s up to the Indonesian government to listen to all the expert recommendations and move forward in managing the situation.

6. What’s the biggest challenge you face in trying to raise funds for BAWA?

The biggest challenge is trying to get goods donated for our annual fundraising auction. All involved in the fund spend hours contacting companies asking for donations. It is always sad to be told, “No, your charity does not fall into the worthy cause category,” but we never give up. We just cross that organization off the list, and send out a letter to someone else. A lot of people will not donate to “overseas” charities, especially for animals. In the 10 years that the Fund has been going, we have come up against a lot of opposition as to why we help the dogs and not the people. As I always point out, there are plenty of charities for children in Bali but not for the animals. They have as much right to life as a human.

Paula holds a Bali puppy with terrible skin problems. Unfortunately, such skin problems are common among the puppies on Bali.

7. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to help animals overseas?

My advice is to follow your heart. Don’t be put off by what people think or say. Animals are just as deserving as we are. I would definitely look into the charity you are thinking of helping to make sure they are above board, i.e. a registered charity that has been established for a while.

Last year, I was contacted by a Bali Street Dog Fund supporter who wanted to help a charity in Jamaica. She was uncertain of the charity’s authenticity, so I did some research on the Internet for her. In the end, they were a genuine charity, but it does pay to check organizations out.

If people want to volunteer for an overseas charity, again research the charity and establish a good email rapport with the organization before booking your ticket!

8. Anything else you would like to share with us?

BAWA desperately needs donations to continue its amazing work. That’s why I do what I do! We keep our operational costs as low as humanly possibly by capitalizing on the efforts of a small army of human volunteers.

You can make donations directly on BAWA’s website via the PayPal link, and for everyone in America, you can also donate by mailing a check to: BAWA; C/O Janice Girardi; 12407 Torrey Pines Drive; Auburn, CA 95602.

BAWA needs to keep its current ambulance on the road and fund another. BSDF would like to raise more funds to extend the spay/neuter and education programs across the island so that we can make a lasting impact on the status of animals on the island.

Another ambulance and spay/neuter van would be a dream come true so that BAWA teams could travel to other areas of Bali where the dogs currently receive no help. The western and northern parts of the island are quite remote, and BAWA has not been able to begin work there yet. Bali is over 2,000 square miles in size, so it’s almost impossible to reach out to the entire island with only one ambulance and one spay/neuter van.

The BAWA Animal Ambulance responds to calls from around the island 24 hours a day to assist dogs and cats in need.

Bali is pretty far away for most of us, but there are still ways we can help the island’s street dogs.

You can sign this petition requesting the Indonesian Government to create an effective law against cruelty to dogs. Every day in Bali. dogs are poisoned or stolen, often for meat. Others are starved, beaten, or neglected.

There are currently no laws whatsoever to protect the animals of Bali. BAWA works proactively to educate children in the correct treatment of companion animals and provides free medical care to street dogs and dogs owned by Balinese people, including sterilization, ambulance services, and a rescue program.

Without effective animal welfare laws, BAWA is handicapped.

Would you be interested in helping BAWA in Bali?

Volunteer vets and vet nurses as well as non-veterinary volunteers are needed to help at the clinic. Flight volunteers are also needed sometimes to carry supplies to Bali with their excess luggage allowances. (Customs letters and all paperwork are supplied though such documentation is rarely requested by the Balinese officials upon arrival.)

If you are planning a holiday to Bali and would like to offer a couple of days or even a week of your holiday to help at the clinic, please contact BAWA by emailing bawabali@aol.com . Please note that to volunteer at BAWA, you must be able to pay your own airfare and support yourself whilst in Bali. It is also essential you have your rabies shots and an up-to-date tetanus vaccination.

I enjoyed spending time in the vet clinic - especially in the bottom level which has an adoption center with lots of indoor and outdoor room for the puppies to play.

I volunteered with the Bali Street Dog Fund during the time I lived in Australia and have been lucky enough to carry medical supplies to Bali and to spend time with the BAWA street teams. These amazing people net and spay/neuter the street dogs every day. I can assure you that any time you spend volunteering with them will only serve to enrich your holiday. It’s the sort of experience you’ll never forget.

Also, for those of you who are wondering about the cats on Bali, BAWA does help them as well. The vet clinic outside Ubud desexes and adopts out cats and kittens in addition to dogs and puppies. The majority of the group’s work is with dogs, but cats are never turned away!

Don’t forget that Let’s Adopt! is always in need of flight volunteers to transport animals from Turkey to their forever families in places like Canada, Germany, and the United States. Turkey makes for an amazing vacation, so if you ever decide to go, please get in touch with Let’s Adopt! founder Viktor Larkhill (viktor@myletsadopt.com) to offer your time as a flight volunteer. This good deed will cost you nothing at all!

Also…

Genny, one of the dogs Let’s Adopt! has rescued in Turkey, has come down with distemper over the weekend and is in need of our support. Please read about her here, and email Viktor (viktor@myletsadopt.com) if you are able to help with Genny’s medical costs and those of the dogs she has been in contact with the past two weeks.

Have you ever volunteered overseas with animals? Please tell us about your experiences and your organizations. Let’s Adopt! members can be found all over the globe, and many of us travel a great deal. It’s always wonderful to have meaningful experiences and meet other animal lovers while on the road!

MYTH: “My pet will get fat and lazy.”

The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much junk food (canned or dry) and treats loaded with HFCS, and don’t give them enough exercise. A run around the yard is NOT exercise.  Consider switching our animals to a raw diet, which will keep them healthy, happy, lean and your visits to the vet at a minimum.

Read Viktor’s blog about why Let’s Adopt insists feeding our animals a raw diet.

MYTH: “It’s better to have one litter first.”

Actually,  science indicates just the opposite!!!
In fact, evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. The best time to spay your female dog or cat is before her first heat. Early spaying greatly reduces the incidences of mammary cancer.
Both pregnancy and birth can be very stressful for the animal.
Animals giving birth sometimes die from complications.
Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age.

MYTH: “I’ll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.”

You may find homes for all of your pet’s litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year’s time, each of your pet’s offspring may have his/her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The original problem of crowded kill-shelters is created by just one litter at a time. 

"FREE to good home"... the "wonders of birth" come at a high price for the animals AND our communities

There’s no need to breed – PERIOD!
This must stop!

I once had a lady from Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on my door to tell me about her vision of doomsday and all….while we were chatting, two of my five foster kittens jumped on the window sill and played in the sun.

orphaned kittens under the age of three weeks are euthanized on arrival at a shelter near you.... too much work, too little resources.

I told her that these kittens were born in my house to a rescued homeless cat, who was barely a year old herself.
The lady was so excited seeing the kittens, that she didn’t listen to a word I was saying beyond “babies”.
Said the following: “I want to get a cat for my children so they can witness the wonder of birth”.
I explained to her how this was exactly part of the problem, and asked her to take her children to a city shelter to show them hell on earth first.

Perhaps consider fostering for a local rescue like myself, and not only show the kids the wonders of birth, but also educate them (and obviously herself) about the consequences.
She said she couldn’t do that. Foster pets and then give them away…. “I don’t know how you do it”, she said.
“I get joy out of seeing them united with their adoptive home, and there’s always a never ending supply new fosters…”
The lady walked away, on to the next home to tell them about doomsday, not realizing that her thinking perpetuates the ultimate doomsday vision for every pet out there.

MYTH: “But my pet is purebred.”

So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats; mixed breed and purebred.
Your purebred’s testes aren’t any more valuable than those of a mixed breed. They’ll contribute to the same problem.

MYTH: “I want my dog to be protective.”

S/N does not affect a dog’s natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog’s personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones. The only changes in behavior you’ll see are positive ones.
Tom cats tend to reduce their territorial spraying depending upon the age they are neutered. If neutered young enough, before they begin spraying, they may never develop the behavior.
Neutered male cats and dogs fight less, resulting in fewer battle scars, contagious diseases such as Feline Leukemia and horrible abscesses.
And since they aren’t interested in pursuing females in heat, they also wander less, greatly reducing their chances of being hit by a car or getting lost.

MYTH: “I don’t want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.”

Pets don’t have any concept of sexual identity or ego – HUMANS DO!
He doesn’t suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered – HUMANS project that onto them.
If your dog’s balls mean so much to YOU, and you have the resources to spend, consider Neuticles. </sarcasm>
However, you might consider getting a larger pair for yourself, and give your dog a break!
When I worked with a city shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area, I witnessed a young man trying to pick up his lost dog from the pound.

It was an intact pit. Very sweet – his owner not so much. He was informed that they wouldn’t release an un-neutered pit, and that by claiming the dog, he had to get the animal neutered within a certain time frame. He made a huge scene about how his beloved dog can’t be neutered. He couldn’t have his “baby’s balls cut off….”

The argument went on for a while.

Pitbulls are likely one of the most misunderstood and most abused breed in our society.

He finally said – “F*ck it – keep the stupid dog!!” - and stomped out.

Left his beloved dog, his baby there, on death row. Now jumped from “stray” up the death row chart to “owner surrender”. Needless to say – this once beloved baby was destroyed.
Why did I not do anything. Because our rescue was already over capacity, boarding dogs because foster homes were full and I personally had a house full of orphaned “wonders of birth”-kittens to foster.

neo natal orphaned kitten - death by ignorance of humans. Kittens like these are euthanized by default if no rescue will take them. And most won't/can't because of the lack of volunteers..

There are no resources.

Volunteers are hard to come by, and the ones shelters and rescues are so very lucky to have are exhausted!

MYTH: “It’s too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.”

The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian’s fees, and a number of other variables.

But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost; a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits.

It’s a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most important, it’s a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets.

Many counties offer free or low cost spay/neuter clinics or vouchers.
Yesterday, I posted a list of low/no cost spay/neuter resources.

Contact your local HS or SPCA for more information. If it turns out that there are no resources in your area, consider getting involved in you community, and help organize a yearly event. Thanks to social networking it is getting easier and easier setting up events and get the word out.
Use this tool!
Remember to BE THE CHANGE – don’t wait for others to do it for you!

Fix your pets, educate your friends and family, and don’t forget to you join us on Facebook, so we can network and delegate the resources each of us has to offer.

~Misha

Each year between eight and twelve million dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens end up at animal shelters around the country.

Some are lost, some are abandoned, some are unwanted, most are the result of irresponsible people.

Approximately four to six million animals are killed each year in the US alone.

Sadly, between four and six million of them must be euthanized, because there aren’t enough adoptive homes out there for them.

Ready for some more mind boggling number?…
In six years, one female dog and her offspring can the the source of 67,000 puppies.
In just seven years, one female cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens.
In addition, there is no limit to the number of offspring male dogs and tom cats can produce.
Every single day in the United States, tens of thousands of cute little puppies and kittens are born.
Compare this to ‘just’ 11,000 little humans each day, and it’s easy to see that we’re in big trouble here.

Most of these animals end up in municipal shelters. That’s the administrative term for your regular dog pound. The one that is by law required to take in every single animal surrendered or found, no matter how full their cages and kennels…they’ll just have to make room.
How? Read Julia’s article on the gas chambers of America.

“Spay/Neuter is the cornerstone of a successful lifesaving effort,
Low-cost, high-volume spay/neuter will quickly lead to fewer animals entering the shelter system, allowing more resources to be allocated towards saving lives.”

- Nathan Winograd,Founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center
and author of "Redemption", The myth of pet-overpopulation
and the no-kill revolution in America.

A must read for anyone involved in animal welfare, no matter what country you reside in….

Here’s a task for YOU – yes YOU..

I’m asking you to contact your local animal services and shelters to gather information about low-cost/free spay/neuter locations in your area.
Be courteous, and ask how much of their annual budget is going towards programs such as

• Spay/Neuter  for low-income and senior citizens,
• TNR (Trap Neuter & Release)
• Community Education

Post your findings here or on our Facebook Page

The results will likely surprise you.
Most large shelters will not spend a dime on public outreach, other than press releases, media events and fundraisers.
Our municipal shelters have not a dime in their budget allocated towards such services.

Which leaves small 100 % volunteer-run rescue groups to do the deed.
WHAT CAN WE DO AS A COMMUNITY of animal lovers?
What are YOU willing to do?
Organize a spay/neuter event?
Lobby local veterinarians to honor discount vouchers or set aside one weekend a year to offer a Spay/Neuter Marathon?

freshly altered kittens in the recovery line up of a mobile spay/neuter event

Imagine the great publicity these businesses would receive!

We will soon start posting lists of rescue friendly businesses and veterinarians.
The ones who have proven to go the extra mile to save a life.
Please e-mail me your suggestions for consideration.

But I am not letting YOU off the hook just yet

Every single day, we are bombarded with desperate calls for HELP!
There’s a puppy in NC to be PTS (put to sleep) in 24 hours…PLEASE RESCUE- HELP!!!
A senior doberman pincher on death row in NY, nothing wrong with him, his owner died – he’s so sad at the shelter and his time’s almost up….PLEASE RESCUE – HELP!!!!

Soon there will be drones and drones of kittens- they all seem to magically appear on someone’s porch, in the garage, under the house.
Is there such thing as the kitten fairy??
I doubt it, because most of these cute little critters will end up in shelters and killed immediately,starve or freeze to death, die of diseases, eaten alive by fleas….yes fleas!
Other dogs and cats will be killed each Friday afternoon to make room for the weekend rush of kittens and puppies.

What are YOU willing to do this year?
Re-posting bulletins has saved some lives,

BUT – WE NEED TO DO MORE!

We want the killings to stop!
We want the dumping of animals to stop!
We want the breeding to stop!

We want the YOU to stop for a moment, and think about what you can do right now!

What can YOU do today to save animals in your community?

Start by asking questions, and be more observant.
Visit your local municipal shelter and just observe.

• How are the animals handled?
• Is staff helpful and attentive?
• Where is the shelter located in approximation to the city’s center?
• Does your city have a Citizen Humane Commission?

If yes, attend meetings!!!
If not, consider setting wheels into motion to create one.

• Is your city funding any spay/neuter events?

If not – start asking questions!
If yes – volunteer!

The killings must stop!!

There is no humanity in killing perfect animals.They either shouldn’t have been born in the first place, or they should be in loving homes.
The only reason to take an animal’s life is out of compassion to free it from physical suffering.
Killing animals to make room to kill more doesn’t make sense!

So, I’m asking you again- what are YOU willing to do TODAY to change our hideous system?

Need some inspiration?

Here’s a great video about TNR, courtesy of the Feral Cat Coalition Of Oregon

These events are actually a lot of fun to attend, and a great place to network with other rescuers. Please don’t forget to support your local feral cat networks as they all do tremendously important work. They deserve their own article, so stay tuned for more on these courageous & compassionate “kitten wranglers”.

Links:
HSUS Spay Day – find a location near you!
USA Neuter and Spay Resource Database

Join us on Facebook: Let’s Adopt! (USA)

And Don’t Forget….