Dear Friends,
UPDATE: Hope & Pipas Have Been ADOPTED To GERMANY!!

These pups were dumped outside the most notorious kill ‘shelter’ in Istanbul, while Let’s Adopt! staged a protest about the horrific conditions and unjustified killings at the death camp.The injuries they sustained indicated that both of them were thrown out of a car.

Pipas had a broken jaw and the skin on her lower jaw had been ripped apart.

Pipas

Hope was found with a broken leg and hip

Hope

It took us two months of operation, treatment and intensive care to get them out of danger.

Today the two puppies are saved, but they are looking for homes.

(: Hope & Pipas today

Animal lovers picked them up and handed them over to Viktor, asking Let’s Adopt! for help. Once again – we cared for these pups, paid for their vetting and gave them a safe place to heal.

Here we are months later, and these cuties still don’t have a home.

Not one offer.
At this point we are accepting applications from other countries.

Preferably EU countries w/out lengthy quarantine laws, the US & Canada.
Let’s Adopt! application standards apply.
Please contact viktor@myletsadopt.com for more information.

Let’s Adopt! is an animal rescue organization, the largest in Turkey.We educate leading by example.
This is your change to do something unique, and to change the life of an animal (and yours), forever.
Hope and Pipas are looking for foster or final homes. We cannot keep them at the vet forever.
Hope and Pipas, you helped us save their lives. Help them now providing or finding a forever home for them.

Take action today. Adopt or foster one of this two babies.

Please keep in mind that we are also looking for flight volunteers from Turkey to Germany, France the US or Canada. There is no cost or paperwork involved for you. Everything is handled by Let’s Adopt! Representatives.

Please share/RT this note with your network, friends,

We need homes for our animals currently in our care, so we can rescue others.

Be The Change….

~misha

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….

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