Dear Friends,
last month I asked whether, we as a community could save 100 animals this summer.

What has happened since…

I’ve met Mary Ann, a wonderful lady from NC.She saved several cats from a property, who’s owner threatened repeatedly

Using cats for target practice for procreating? An oxymoronic situation considering who's doing the shootin'

to just use the cats  for target practice.
Mary Ann and her patient husband set up traps, and over the course of a week were able to catch all of them.

trapped kitty - ready to be spayed

All have been altered, vaccinated and an older kitty is being treated for a couple of fighting wounds.
Stay tuned for Mary Ann’s story…..

a new lease on life instead of a never ending cycle of kittens

Then there is Daniela, who literally took us up on our challenge the very next day. She lives in Atlanta, went to a high kill shelter in Rome, GA and saved a beautiful English shepherd mix from death row.

Daniela named him Borgo, after a district in Rome.

Borgo on Death Row at the Rome, GA animal pound

Within days Borgo came down with the kennel cough. Daniela spent hours taking him to the vet, treating him, comforting him.

After several baths, a trip to the groomer, lots of love, vaccinations and finally getting neutered – Borgo is ready to move to his new home, which is already waiting for him in Indiana.
Unfortunately, Daniela is a poor student, with a minimum wage job on the side and has exhausted her resources.

She needs help with transport and/or shipping Borgo to Indiana. Please contact Daniela if you can help. dragomirovad@yahoo.com

What about the challenge?

We are a community of over 2000 members in the US. I think we can do better. Daniela, a student, with a minimum wage job, living in a small apartment has proven that there’s always a way to save a life.

Borgo and his personal angel, Daniela

Every life is worth saving. No matter how old or broken an animal is. We owe it to them to make things right.
If we don’t intervene, who will?
What can WE – as a community, as individuals do this coming month?

Step ONE: sign up as a volunteer with us.
if you can’t volunteer please consider supporting us via the Simba Fund.
100 cents of each dollar go to the care of our animals, and funding of special rescue operations. Let’s Adopt! does not have any overhead, because we are ALL volunteers.
This sets us apart from any other big organization.

• Send me your stories and pictures of the animals you saved.
• Sign up to volunteer for us. We are looking for volunteers in ALL 50 States and also in Canada RIGHT NOW.

Shoot me an email with your information:

• Name
• Location
• Volunteer Interest

Let’s make this summer one to remember…

Let's Adopt! Summer Of Luuuuv 2010

The summer we saved 100 animals - TOGETHER!

BE The Change
~Misha

Whenever you visit our blogs, you might have noticed
the Let’s Adopt Community Map to the lower right of your screen.

Put yourself on the map and start saving lives.

What is it all about?
Very simple – The Map connects YOU to the rest of the Let’s Adopt! Network worldwide!

This is the place to put your marker on the map, tell us a little about yourself or copy the code to of your Facebook badge and let us know in what capacity you can support us.
For example: foster, transport, flight volunteer, action calls, etc).

Misha Dee

Create Your Badge

SAVE THE MAP and you’re all done.

Need a step-by-step?

:. sign in or register with Google
.:. Go to the map at
http://bit.ly/LetsAdopt-Network-Map to add your pin to the map.
.:. zoom the map,
.:. click the blue pin and drag it to your location.
.:. add your information, and be sure to SAVE the map when you’re done.

Easy – Yet such an important step to connect with others.

Share the map and invite all your fellow animal activists, rescuers, and volunteer friends and family, so we can truly build a tight network and react fast in any sort of emergency rescue situation.

Become part of the solution.  Join Let’s Adopt! USA today.

BE The Change!

Misha

Please SHARE/RT

You’re reading this because you’re probably a member of Let’s Adopt!
I applaud you for joining our networks.

Now I want to ask you to join our tribe, by becoming an active member of our operations, to join our tribe!
We are of course animal lovers, but we are activists first. Which means, that we love all the cute pictures of pups and kitties. However, there are too many cute pups and kitties dying in our so-called shelters and by the hands of abusers and breeders every single day.
We must act – NOW!

I am often disillusioned by what I see, especially on the web.
Horrendous abuse, crush videos, starved animals, scared animals going crazy in their kennels at the pound.
I have seen many of these cases in my work as an activist and rescuer. The 1-day-old kittens I raised with an eyedropper or feeding tube, just to see them succumb to a simple upper respiratory infection. The kittens that were exposed to FIP, and ultimately died because their intestines and organs literally liquefied inside of them.

However there were hundreds that were a joy to foster and raised to be strong enough to be adopted. There are many, many success stories, which by far outweigh the bad experiences.
Now I want YOU to experience the feeling of saving a life and what an impact you alone can make in your community.
I want YOU to reach out to your local pound and rescue a dog or a cat.

Rescue an animal from death row - TODAY!

Become its caretaker and angel.
We will then rally as a network to adopt the animal into a new home.

adopting an animal will complete any family

Our adoption criteria are strict, yet very simple.

• the adopter has at least one other animal

• the animal will live indoors only! Not in the yard, not on a tie-out, not in a garage, or a barn. It will live indoors as part of the adopters family.

• the animal will be fed a raw diet only. Your animal will be healthier, you will be happier, and you’ll save money in the long run, on cost of food and vet bills. More info can be found at http://rawlearning.com

• We do not apply an adoption fee. One can’t buy any Let’s Adopt! dog or cat.

• We believe that adopting an animal is a privilege, not mercy.

• The adopter will create a Facebook album with photos of the animal with its new family and updates.

These are our adoption rules in a nutshell.
Do you think you can handle it?
Have you been thinking of how in the world can you make a difference at these overcrowded pounds? Well, here is your chance to put your action where your heart is.

• Pull an animal.

• Then take it home, let it settle in,

let the dog or cat settle down for a few days

• take pictures and post it on the Let’s Adopt! USA page,

• Include all details you have about the animal:
• Age, temper, likes, dislikes, history (stray, dumped by owner, etc)

• We’ll campaign to get the animals adopted.

Do you realize that you will be saving TWO lives at once.
Not only will you be taking the one dog off death row, but another one will have a better chance, because there’s new cage space. And hopefully, you’ll inspire friends and family to do the same all over the country.
Perhaps concentrate on high kill facilities such as many municipal facilities in the South, from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas – some pounds have a 90 (that’s NINETY) % kill rate.
Here’s where you can make a big difference.
There are many small groups that are willing to help you pull an animal and organize transport.
I will be listing some of these groups and links soon.
For now – please search your heart and decide whether you can open your home to a rescue this summer. I know you can and want to.

Let us help you figure out how and make it a reality. For the animals and for you.

We can potentially save hundreds of animals this summer. Are you with us?

Got Foster Dog?

Let’s start saving lives – one dog, one cat at the time.

BE The Change
Misha Dee

Read more »

According to the Robesonian Online, the Robeson Board of Commissioners and animal advocates have come to an agreement that Robeson County will no longer use the heart stick as a method of euthanasia, but switch to the more humane intravenous method of murdering perfectly healthy animals.

Perfectly healthy animals - murdered

Let’s Adopt! USA applauds the first step in the right direction as a interim solution.

However, we would like to see Robeson County working closer with the local Humane Society and the community to create the first NC NO-KILL municipal animal shelter.

This can be achieved by educating the public and holding free spay/neuter clinics at least twice a year.

We strongly recommend that the Robesonian Newspaper will use its resources to be a main supporter of such events, by offering free advertising space for sponsoring businesses and participating Veterinarians.

Veterinarians should also be offered a local tax incentive for every animal they altered under a county wide spay/neuter voucher system.

See Portland, Oregon based POPPA as a wonderful example on how it can work.

Please spread the word and help Robeson to become a truly humane county!

BE The Change!

Misha

!IMPORTANT ACTION CALL!

Please e-mail the officials listed in this note about your concerns of the bad conditions at the Robeson County Shelter.
Please be courteous, yet firm. It is important to bring your point across without threatening any council members or shelter staff. We are all angry and frustrated and we must find solutions that will change this shelter for good and the better.
The meeting is Thursday at 6:30 pm EDT so email must be sent asap..
Please attend this city Council meeting if you are local! This is an important event for the animals of Robeson County animal “shelter”.
Thank You!
Misha Dee
Let’s Adopt! USA

http://us.myletsadopt.com

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=205025950458

————————–
There is a meeting at the Board of Commissions at Robeson on Thursday to discus the requests of animal advocates for improvements at Robeson..

Please email the county manager,county commissioners and local legislator and ask them for the following to be introduced..

The meeting is TOMORROW Thursday at 6:30 pm EDT so email must be sent asap..

ACT & SHARE immediately!

Easy COPY AND PASTE E-Mail…

Addresses:

Ken.Windley@co.robeson.nc.us
Ricky.Harris@co.robeson.nc.us
Rod.Jenkins@co.robeson.nc.us
william.smith@robeson.nc.gov
noahwoods5746891@aol.com
hubertsealey@bellsouth.net
cummingsr.psrc@robeson.k12.nc.us
Garland.Pierce@ncleg.net

Subject:
Robeson County Animal Shelter Meeting

Letter:
Dear County Manager, County Commissioners and Local Legislator,

During your meeting regarding the Robeson County Animal Shelter on Thursday April 22nd at 6:30 pm EDT, I am asking for the following to be introduced…

1. Video/Web cameras throughout the shelter. Allowing viewing of the whole shelter 24/7 (similar to the cameras at Memphis Animal Shelter in TN).

2. Animal cruelty at the hands of the staffs comes to a complete end. Including Handling and Compassion Training.

3. ALL Adopters must have a Valid ID and fill out ALL paper work properly and completely.

4. Work to adopt seized dogs considered to be potential fighting dogs and bait dogs.

5. You must have at least one new Animal Advocate/Rescuer Coordinator on staff FULL TIME to assist with adoption and handle proper paperwork.

6. Implement a NEW Fostering program.

7. Use Community Service Workers and Non Violent Offenders to help, for their hours they must repay the county as Community Service.

8. Vet Care and Initial Assessment of ALL animals entering the shelter. With special care given to ALL injured or sick animals, versus putting them down right then and there.

9. Community Education Program in ALL Area Schools.

10. Shelter involvement in a Low Cost or FULL Supported of Spay and Neuter Program.

Thank You for your direct attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City, Your State]

See a bit of yourself in this video?

Welcome Home!

Join the Let’s Adopt! USA network on Facebook

add yourself to the regional volunteer/activist network
in the discussion area:  http://bit.ly/LA_volunteer

Invite/Share/RT – we need to grow as an organization to be ready to cover the US.

Invite/Share/RT...it only takes a few clicks

Donate a couple of clicks to this great cause, and share this post on your FB/Twitter pages.

BE The Change

~Misha

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

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

[fergcorp_cdt]

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…

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….