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

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

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….

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