After 15 years in animal welfare as a rescuer, full-time volunteer, foster, mentor, and trustee of a grassroots rescue group in Berkeley, CA, volunteering for big established shelters, smaller shelters, no kill/kill…
I just had enough of turning in circles.
Here I was 15 years later, deeply disappointed by the lack of understanding of volunteer and shelter management by the last shelter I volunteered for the past 6 years.

I wanted change!

Each year we’d wait for the first litter to hit the shelters, and within weeks, there was mayhem, kittens/puppies everywhere. People “miraculously” found them under their porches, in their garages, no idea how they got there, but they always knew exactly how old they were
I was tired of listening to the excuses from people. It was always the animal’s fault, well if you didn’t count the allergies, baby on the way, boy/girlfriend moving in.
People are treating animals like a piece of furniture, the latest fad. Once out of fashion, they’re discarded.
Latest bold example are the little toy breeds, filling up the shelters all over the country right now. Thanks to Hollywood bimbos clutching them in front of cameras like purses – their airhead fans want to be like them, so instead of a frontal lobotomy they get a chihuahua or a pug or other little cutie.
These might be small animals, but they still need attention, affection, exercise, and yes, they live 10 years or longer. Cats can live over 20 years.
Are people not realizing that? Why is that?
Is it that the cute puppy or kitty is too tempting and they’ll agree to anything just to take the cutie home TODAY?!
I’ve held hundreds of adoption counseling sessions, and am still amazed how people setting themselves up to fail as responsible guardians.

So, what makes Let’s Adopt different?
Let’s Adopt is about awareness and holding humans accountable.
We are not in the business to build yet another shelter.We are here to change the system.Saving lives by educating humans, changing legislature, building local communities of animal lovers from the inside out.
Each of you can contribute to our mission by joining our network on Facebook and help us grow.
We want to connect a rescuer with a foster home, and get the animal directly into its new home.
Our adoption rules are a little different than the standard “fill out application- be approved-pay & good bye- whew“.(rescuers out there, you know exactly what I mean!)
We want to educate the adopter, and ensure that s/he understands beforehand the responsibility and the gift each animal coming through Let’s Adopt! is.We want to find forever homes. Nothing less will be good enough, and we have no issue turning applicants down. Our history in other countries prove that we’re on to something. Check out the Turkey based main page at blog.myletsadopt.com
Let’s Adopt! is not about moving a large number of animals, but about finding quality homes, educating communities and saving lives not even born yet.

The city I currently live in has it’s municipal shelter about 30 minutes from downtown.The Humane Society is a 10 minute drive.

Guess where prospective adopters will go browse for animals.
Guess where most animals are dying just days after arrival.
This needs to change!!!
I am tired of hiding the city’s dirty little secret with my tax dollars, while charity is sucking dry the donation pool. Easy, with 6 figure marketing budget.
Animal Rescue is big business.

When I went to a workshop at a Humane Society, the person leading the workshop started the day by saying… “Hello, my name is XXXXX XXXXXX, and our mission is to put us out of business….” >
Well, needless to say that after 7 years they are still up & running and probably still using the same line.
What has changed in the area? Nothing!
The municipal shelters are still overwhelmed and underfunded. The HS does good work, I don’t want to take that away from them.

However, 40 thousand animals are being killed in my metro area each year.

This is an outrage.

Which leads me back to the answer of the original question.

Why I am with Let’s Adopt!?
Because we’re here to change the game. To make to officials a bit more uncomfortable, ask tough questions and ultimately bring change. True change.
You can do this as well.
I will soon post some resources I am currently collecting for YOU to use in your community. How to start petitions, get measures on your local ballots, start a spay/neuter program… just to name a few.
So, stay tuned for that!
Meanwhile don’t forget to join the US network on Facebook.

Feel free to introduce yourself in the discussion section and share some of your local issues. Start a dialog with our virtual community…

Here’s to real change – for the animals!

One Love!
Misha

Frida was once feral, and her ear was tipped after she was spayed. She wears a breakaway collar with a bell and an ID tag.

1. Record all of your pet’s information in one file.

We file away our credit card bills and our important personal information, so it makes perfect sense to keep a file for each of our pets. We move, we change veterinarians, and we forget. If we have everything in one file, we will always be prepared. Some things you might want to record about your pet are:

• birthday and adoption anniversary
• microchip number and the company’s contact details
• vet’s contact details (normal vet and emergency, 24-hour vet)
• medical history
• any necessary medications
• pet-sitter details
• any important behavior information (i.e. not cat-safe, aggressive with other dogs, etc)

If you have more than one pet, it might be easiest to keep one file for each pet. This allows you to grab exactly what you need and also makes things easy for anyone else who might be caring for your pets in your absence.

2. Be prepared in case your pet is ever lost.

• Record your pet’s microchip number by emailing it to yourself and saving it on your phone. I also make sure my family knows this information, and I make sure pet-sitters have it as well if I am going to be gone longer than a day. Notify your microchip company immediately if your pet is lost. Many companies automatically alert your local shelters for you.

• Make sure that you have two clear photos of your pet (one which shows his or her whole body from the side and one which shows his or her face close-up). You can use these photos to create posters to pass out at shelters and vet clinics during your search for your pet. Having all of this ready will save precious time and make it easy to start the search for your pet even if you are in a panic.

3. Craft a plan for personal and pet emergencies.

• Locate your nearest 24-hour emergency vet and make sure you know how to get there. Check to see if they allow you to pre-register your pet so that they have all the important details on file. Make sure you post the clinic’s phone number and address on your refrigerator or somewhere in your home, and keep a copy of those details in the glove compartment of your car so that you have them in case you are rushing to get your pet there. Definitely program the phone number into your cell phone, too!

• Speak to a trusted neighbor or friend about helping your pets if something were to ever happen to you. No one likes to think about this, but tragedies do happen. Make sure someone has a key to your house as well as detailed instructions about how to care for your animals and whom to contact to care for your animals long-term. Let this person know where you keep your pet’s files as well. It is also a good idea to prepare a signed letter stating that your neighbor or friend has your permission to access your home and care for your animals. Explain to whom your animals should be released in case they are ever taken to a shelter by emergency personnel who enter your home in the event of your death.

• Don’t forget to include your pets in your will and make sure your family is aware of what should happen to your pets in the event that you are no longer able to care for them.

Share some of your ideas for keeping your pets safe. We’d love to hear from you in the comments section of the blog!