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The Jambar...
Youngstown, Ohio...
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Animal cruelty laws take next step
By Chelsea Telega
Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 21:02
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An animal rights gathering scheduled for this Saturday will be not only a demonstration but also a celebration.
On Wednesday, House Bill 108 for Nitro's Law passed through the Ohio House of Representatives, increasing the animal cruelty penalties in Ohio from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The bill will now make its way to the Senate.
The recent House Bill vote encouraged Youngstown State University student Nova Sanguinetti to organize a demonstration for people to raise awareness for future votes and to celebrate their advancement.
On Saturday, local animal supporters plan to gather at the corner of Market Street and state Route 224.
"There are going to be a lot of tears of joy, a lot of happy people. Now we're just letting people know that we were heard," Sanguinetti said. "Your message and your voice will be heard; it just comes down to being diligent."
A page created on Facebook for the event has already had 715 positive responses from people who want to attend. Sanguinetti said she hopes to organize a group that will travel and fight for the cause.
Sanguinetti said the people she talks to are worried about their pets, and that, for many, pets are not considered animals, but as a part of the family. She wants to organize more community watches to increase progress.
"People are either heartbroken, pissed off or both. They want to be heard and want to be recognized. Our representatives have to hear us," Sanguinetti said.
Within the past month in Youngstown, two German Shepherd puppies were found strangled, two dogs were stolen and thrown over a bridge onto Interstate 680, a pit bull mix was found dead in a trash heap and a Labrador Retriever mix was found with its leg and part of its tail cut off.
To many concerned residents, Ohio's punishment laws for the first offense of animal abuse were less than sufficient.
"I looked into the Nitro laws, and I saw that the penalties for animal abuse are less than if someone had one joint on them," said animal activist Katelyn Bowden. "It's little to no penalty. Maybe 30 days in prison."
Current animal cruelty penalties in Ohio range from a minor misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor, while the most costly penalty enforced if the animal is killed or injured is worth $300 or more, according to Ohio Revised Code.
The decision to pass the bill on to the Senate, however, acts as a double-edged sword for some.
"I just kind of calmed down. It's been a rough day, but of course it's very hard. My dog suffered and died, so while I'm happy, it's bittersweet," said Elizabeth Raad, the founder of Nitro Foundation
In 2009, Nitro's Law was introduced after Raad encountered a devastating issue at High Caliber K9, a dog daycare and obedience school in Youngstown. Raad left her dog, Nitro, at the facility while tending to a family crisis.
Raad said she would call the facility a few times a week to check on her dog, and during one phone call, she was told that Nitro was excelling and that she and her husband could even extend the dog's stay.
"We were told to leave him for another week or two and that he was doing great," Raad said. "When he told us that, Nitro was already dead. This is definitely not an accident; you don't starve to death overnight."
Seven dogs were found dead and 12 were found starving in the facility after a police investigation.
Steve Croley, the owner of the facility, was sentenced to four months in jail on four counts of animal cruelty and neglect.
Raad said that while the votes were coming in, she was "hysterically crying" because she was proud that her efforts came to fruition as the bill passed through the Ohio House.
"A lot of people have really stepped up to the plate, went door to door, passing out fliers. This is 100 percent a grass-root effort," Raad said.
Younger people are becoming increasingly passionate about combating the abuse of animals in the area and are elated with the news of Nitro Foundation's progress.
Sanguinetti watched live coverage of the decision and recalled all of the work the group has done up to this point.
"It's kind of ridiculous, but as I was watching it, I just began crying. I couldn't believe that it was finally there and on the floor," she said. "When I saw how many people voted ‘yea' for it, it warmed my heart. I just felt a great sense of accomplishment that all of these calls we made and letters we have written aren't in vain."
Years ago, Sanguinetti found a stray cat in the woods behind her grandparents' house. Not long after, she took in the stray and found that its neck had been slit with fishing wire, as though someone had tried to hang it.
Another one of her past pet cats, she said, was poisoned.
After experiencing these — and multiple other — cases of animal abuse, Sanguinetti became a fervent supporter of Nitro's Law and its components.
"When I had heard about what had happened to Nitro, it completely broke my heart, especially because it was someone who was supposed to be trusted," Sanguinetti said. "When you leave your animal with a professional, you expect them to be safe."
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.The Jambar...
Youngstown, Ohio...
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Animal cruelty laws take next step
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Los Angeles Times...
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Getting a handle on feral cats
A nonprofit group in South L.A. employs a trap-and-neuter service to bring down the feline population over time.
PHOTO: Stray Cat Alliance founder Christi Metropole is shown with some feline friends.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
By Ricardo Lopez, Los Angeles Times
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November 19, 2011
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The 90037 ZIP Code in South Los Angeles has about 60,000 residents.
And by some estimates, almost 12,000 feral cats.
Colonies of the strays roam the alleys and backyards of these low-income neighborhoods.
L.A.'s mild weather means the cats come into season frequently, breeding like wild. Add to that residents' inability to seek veterinary care when most are struggling to make ends meet, rescue groups say.
"I can hear them right outside my window when they're fighting and mating," said Cydney Fellows, a retired high-rise window washer who lives near Vermont Avenue and 22nd Street.
Sometimes she is awakened in the middle of the night by the dozen or so cats that frequent her apartment building. "I've been living here for almost 10 years. I've never seen so many stray animals in my life."
Officials say that the city's Animal Services Department is stretched too thin to trap any cats and that when residents take them into city shelters, many are euthanized.
But one nonprofit group is hoping to decrease the number that are killed. And even more ambitiously, the Stray Cat Alliance hopes to trap and neuter at least 7,000 cats within this roughly two-square-mile area, using a grant from a private company.
"When people are struggling to put food on the table, they don't focus on feral cats," said Christi Metropole, the nonprofit's founder. "We're stepping in to fill a need. Animal Services doesn't have the budget, and residents often don't know what to do."
The group's strategy is simple: trap, neuter and return the cat to the spot where it was captured.
This method, Metropole said, results in zero population growth. Eventually, as cats die, the population will dwindle through natural attrition. The cats that remain lead healthier lives and don't fight as much because they've been neutered, she said.
In recent weeks, Metropole's volunteers have begun canvassing the neighborhood, educating residents and encouraging them to help trap cats. On Saturday, there will be a small rally to officially launch the capture effort, dubbed "I Spayed LA."
Carol Brookshire's home, directly west of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, is the ZIP Code's "trap depot."
"My yard was overrun with cats and kittens, some diseased," Brookshire said. She remembers the band of cats that occupied her avocado tree-lined backyard when she moved here six years ago.
Now they're all neutered, and she has volunteered her home to be the headquarters for nighttime trapping missions.
In her garage, she demonstrates how the steel crate traps work. She admits it takes a bit of finesse to trap. Location and bait are important. Foods with strong scents, like sardines and rotisserie chicken, do the best job of luring cats from their hiding spots.
After a quick surgery at the nearby Animal Rescue Center, a nonprofit animal hospital, the trapped felines are returned to their homes within a couple of days.
Opened in January, the hospital offers low-cost medical services for residents' pets and partnering rescue groups. Some of the cats are put up for adoption if deemed suitable.
During a drive around the area, Metropole pointed out the handful of strays roaming the sidewalks along Exposition Boulevard. She remains undaunted by the sheer number of cats she wants to trap and neuter, instead mulling over future efforts.
"We just want to be able to move on to the next ZIP Code," she said.
.Los Angeles Times...
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Getting a handle on feral cats
A nonprofit group in... more
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Animal rights in Egypt: Truth or myth?
Amany Aly Shawky
Sat, 04/06/2011 - 11:53
Although the term “animal rights” may sound like Chinese to many, the Cairene community seems to be becoming gradually interested in the welfare of domestic animals.
“Comparing to other governorates, Cairo is animal heaven,” says Dina Zulfikar, one of the most renowned animal welfare activists in Egypt.
She says there are 11 animal rights organizations and they are all in the capital. “There is Brooke, an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of working animals in poor countries, the donkey sanctuary, and the Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization (EMRO) for Mau cats, which also encourages adoption,” adds the activist, explaining that there are also sanctuaries concerned with the welfare of cattle. Finally, there are three animal shelters: the Egyptian Society for Animals (ESAF), the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE) and the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA), which currently shelters 632 animals (cats, dogs and horses).
It is very hard to get correct numbers and statistics on stray animals in Egypt. According to Zulfikar the census office and the American Embassy are the most reliable sources. However, she believes that thorough statistics are really hard to get today because of the increasing number of slum areas in the capital.
Mona Khalil, chairperson of ESMA, says that “the government stands rigid against any project to gather statistics,” and the Ministry of Agriculture does not see the urgency of projects concerning stray animals. Mass killing using poison or shooting seems to be the most common method used by the government to ‘solve’ the problem of stray dogs, she adds. “Strychnine is an internationally banned poison but the Egyptian government pays in dollars to import it to kill stray dogs. It is a highly toxic alkaloid.”
According to Zulfikar, there are enough people interested in animal welfare in Egypt, but in order to make this fight a priority, they need to get involved in politics. “There has to be a serious attempt to the change the law concerning animals and that would be achieved through the parliament."
Khalil explains that the major problem related to animal welfare in Egypt is lack of awareness. “ESMA approached 20 public figures and only one showed interest and got back to us,” she says. “It is not the animals' fault that we live in a country that has no human rights! What happened to mercy?”
“In the 19th century, there were masaqy al-kelab (fresh water source for dogs) behind Al-Azhar supervised by a dedicated sheikh called al-Sawaf,” says Khalil.
Both activists think that the Organization for Veterinary Service, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and all society should all be involved in the passing of a new law on animal welfare. “We have the best laws for wild animal protection worldwide because they were passed through the Ministry of Environment. But domestic animals fall under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and are only mentioned in two vague paragraphs," Khalil says.
“The law that protects domestic animals is extremely vague, she explains, quoting the following excerpt: “It is forbidden to kill an animal without necessity,” stressing how the term “necessity” can be understood in many different ways.
"Donation money and sponsors are effective for animal rights organizations and shelters but awareness is even more important,” explains Zulfikar. She organizes events in public facilities and events to reach more people and raise awareness, for example at the Cairo Film Festival for children.
Zulfikar’s last event was “Orphans Day” in Saqqara, raising awareness on animal rights among a group of young children through games and drawing. “Children are the future,” she explains.
Breeders and pet shops also share responsibility for spreading awareness. “We all need to work together, the media, prominent NGOs, activists, animal welfare societies, law makers and enforcers, to reach a comprehensive and applicable law," Zulfikar says. “Do you know that most animal abuse is committed by kids? How do you expect to legally punish a child for abuse charges?"
“We have to refuse violations and report any incident of abuse to the police or to an animal organization,” says Khalil, addressing each and everyone one of us. “There has to be a change of attitude and animal lovers need to work together and know that they are not a minority anymore. There has to be an elaborate article in the Egyptian law concerning all types of animals, stray, owned, circus and working animals, in addition to exports and imports of animals.”Animal rights in Egypt: Truth or myth?
Amany Aly Shawky
Sat, 04/06/2011 - 11:53... more
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Advocating for Stray and Feral Cats – A Quick Guide
You don’t have to do Trap-Neuter-Return in order to help cats. You can make a difference in cats’ lives by working for change at the local level. Help build the movement to expand humane care for cats and end the killing by raising awareness and educating others about feral cats and about what’s going on in our nation’s animal shelters.
Five Ways to Advocate for Cats in your Community
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Learn about issues facing cats.
Every day, Alley Cat Allies is on the front lines, mobilizing individuals and communities to support cats and press for changes that will end the killing and improve the lives of cats. Stay up to date on urgent legislative issues facing cats as well as upcoming events by joining our FeralPower! e-action alert list.
Want to get started now? Visit our online Action Center. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can protect and improve the lives of cats by signing petitions and sending letters directly to your elected officials and decision makers.
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Write an editorial for your local paper.
Each time an article appears in the paper about feral cats, or cats in general, it’s an opportunity to write a letter to the editor. Use your letter to educate the public—on the basic facts about stray and feral cats, Trap-Neuter-Return, the truth about shelter kill rates, and local programs and groups. Your letter will show others that there is a public movement on behalf of cats. Ready to send one today? Use Alley Cat Allies’ letter to the editor templates.
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Distribute literature in your community.
Help educate your community by placing literature in locations that animal lovers frequent. Displaying brochures at your local pet store or veterinary office can help educate people with pets. For a display stand and pack of brochures, visit our Marketplace.
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Educate your elected officials.
Don’t wait until feral cats are an agenda item. Teach your local elected officials about feral cats and Trap-Neuter-Return and encourage them to enact policies that protect and improve cats’ lives. Use our tips for organizing for strategic change.
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Promote feline-friendly practices at your local shelter.
Encourage animal pounds and shelters in your community to adopt socially-responsible approaches that serve both the animals and the public. These include improving community education programs, refusing to accept feral cats into shelters, and providing free or low-cost neuter services for the public. Read our full list of humane practices that shelters can use to protect cats’ lives.Advocating for Stray and Feral Cats – A Quick Guide
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National Animal Control Association Comes Out Against Gassing Animals
by Ledy VanKavage September 20, 2010 11:30 AM (PT) Topics: Shelters & Adoption
The National Animal Control Association adopted a new guideline condemning the use of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, electrocution, gunshot, and blunt force trauma for animal shelter euthanasia of dogs and cats. Their new policy reads: "NACA considers lethal injection of sodium pentobarbital, administered by competent, trained personnel, to be the only method of choice utilized for humane euthanasia of animal shelter dogs and cats."
Obviously, we all hope to see a time when there are no more homeless pets, but this policy is a good one and it's been a long time coming.Throughout the years, there have been a variety of barbaric methods used to kill dogs and cats. In the 1800s drowning and clubbing were the most common methods of death for shelter dogs. (If you read The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant, you'll find Michael Vick and his co-defendants were fans of these inhumane methods.) Indeed, there are vivid illustrations from that time depicting iron cages filled with dogs being lowered into New York City's East River amidst a cheering crowd.
Tell the American Veterinary Medical Association: Stop Supporting Gas Chambers
Sign Petition
http://animals.change.org/blog/view/national_animal_control_association_comes_out_against_gassing_animals
To replace the drowning and clubbing with a quicker and less painful death, a steel chamber was developed into which gas could be introduced to asphyxiate the animals — the gas chamber. Yet, gassing animals takes as long as 30 minutes or more and isn't always painless. Several animals are crammed into the gas chamber at once, causing panic and, often fights, to break out in their last moments. Some animals, like Quentin of Stray Rescue fame, come out of the gas chamber alive, amidst piles of dead bodies.
Lethal injection may not have been available to shelters in the 1800s, but these days it's widely accessible and recognized as much faster and more humane than the gas chamber — hence NACA's policy.
Unlike NACA, the American Veterinary Medical Association continues to support gas chambers, despite the myriad of problems with them. The American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines on Euthanasia state, "Carbon monoxide used for individual animals or mass euthanasia is acceptable for dogs, cats, and other small mammals, provided the commercially compressed CO is used." They also list various precautions that must be taken, like trained personnel, high quality chamber construction, placement in a well-ventilated environment, a specific flow rate and a well-lit view port to observe the dogs and cats dying.
The majority of pet lovers, and I bet the majority of veterinarians, are horrified by the use of gas chambers and would not want their pets euthanized in one. Just last week, Stephanie Feldstein described 93 dogs being killed by a breeder in a homemade gas chamber.
The AVMA should follow NACA's lead in condemning the use of gas chambers in our nation's shelters. Ask your veterinarian to contact the AVMA, too, and urge them to rescind their policy recommending carbon monoxide for mass euthanasia of dogs and cats. Until we become a nation of No More Homeless Pets, the very least open admission shelters can do is give our abandoned pets a humane death.
Photo Credit: Best Friends Animal Society
Ledy VanKavage has worked extensively on behalf of animals for over 25 years. She is currently the Senior Legislative Attorney for Best Friends Animal Society.National Animal Control Association Comes Out Against Gassing Animals
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Craig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary for all the cats he has rescued. He lives there with the cats and provides lots of love, care and companionship. The farm was named Caboodle Ranch and is now a permanent home for all the homeless, rescued cats. Each of them has a sad story of their past, but now they are living in heaven. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/bizzareweird/5511-cat-shelterCraig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary... more
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New Pit Bull Law in San Bernardino
Starting Friday People Living in Unincorporated Areas of San Bernardino County Must Spay or Neuter their Pit Bull Dogs or Face Fines.
By JULIE BRAYTON
Updated 8:00 AM PDT, Fri, Aug 13, 2010
Pit bulls and pit bull mixes are among the top three breeds of dogs being admitted to inland shelters. Yet, fewer than 10 percent are actually being adopted.
Animal rescue groups have worked to save the dogs.
"Since January 1 this year, we have been able to get 400 dogs out of here (the shelter) and about 40 cats, but quite frankly it hasn't really made a dent. People by the droves keep dumping their animals here because they're not spayed or neutered," according to Kim Sill from Last Chance for Animals.
Starting Friday, Aug. 13, a new law takes effect requiring pit bull owners in unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County to sterilize their dogs, or face stiff fines.
A first offense fine is $100, the second offense $200, and a third offense within the same year costs $500.
"We feel that there is an overpopulation problem resulting from pit bulls, and state law does allow us to establish breed specific legislation or laws to control pet overpopulation of any given breed," according to Brian Cronin of Animal Care Control.
But the new law targets pit bulls because more than one person was fatally attacked by the breed in recent years here. It's fashioned after pit bull legislation first introduced in San Francisco, a city that experienced the same thing.
"The idea of spaying or neutering is to lower the population, because right now every shelter around is way too overcrowded. The minute we can get that under control then other possibilities can happen," according to Teri Seymour of the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley.
The county is offering $50 and $100 vouchers to help pit bull owners defray the cost of surgery, and comply with the new law.
First Published: Aug 12, 2010 6:17 PM PDTNew Pit Bull Law in San Bernardino
Starting Friday People Living in Unincorporated... more
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December 12, 2008 at 12:15 pm by Sarah Irani
9 Reasons You Should Never Buy an Animal from a Pet Store
When my husband and I were about to move to our new place, I told him I’d like to get a cat, so we planned to adopt one. We didn’t get that far, however, because as soon as the landlady unlocked the front door to let us in to our new place, a skinny little black cat scurried in and made herself at home. She’s been with us ever since.
Speaking of black cats, there still prevails a superstitious bias against dark-colored animals and they are often passed over for adoption at animal shelters. Unless you have all-white furniture and the dark shedding fur would cause you major grief, consider bringing a black dog or cat home with you.
There are some other important and compassionate reasons to consider adopting a pet over buying from a store.
Puppy mills. Most pet stores get their puppies from factory-style breeding facilities called puppy mills. Puppy mills are high-volume breeding facilities where many dogs are kept in squalid, caged conditions until they’re ready to sell. They often have health and socialization problems.
Save a life, make a friend for life. It’s sad but true ““ space is limited in animal shelters and if that sweet little creature doesn’t get adopted within a certain amount of time, it will have to be euthanized. There are some no-kill shelters, but they are in the minority.
Save money. It costs much less to adopt from a shelter than to buy from a pet store. What you pay to the shelter generally includes vaccination, de-worming and spay/neuter services. You’ll also get some guidance and advice for the care of your new pet!
AKC papers don’t guarantee health. Purebred papers from the American Kennel Club guarantee only the purity the breed ““ nothing more. Even if a puppy is purebred, it might have hereditary health problems. If you are looking for an AKC-certified pet, look beyond the anonymity of the pet store or the internet and visit a reputable breeder in person to find out more about the puppy’s parentage and living conditions. These days there are rescue organizations for nearly every breed, so it’s not necessary to adopt a mutt if you want to rescue an animal.
You can find purebreds at a shelter. If you’ve got your heart set on a particular breed, give animal shelters a chance; purebreds show up there all the time.
Good karma. Many years ago, our family cat went missing and although my mom scoured the local shelters for him, he was never found. In the meantime, however, she came across a scrawny little ball of fluff that caught her eye and tugged at her heart. She brought him home, took care of him, and now he’s the biggest, fluffiest Maine Coon you’ll ever see. He and my mom are inseparable. She saved his life and he’ll never forget it.
Socialization. A pet store animal has probably never been in a house before, whereas a shelter animal most likely has. Most shelters screen for good behavior and temperament and will be honest with you about the animal’s personality and needs, whereas a pet store only wants to make a profit. Most shelter animals have been left behind because of a cross-country move, a new baby, or expense. These animals have likely been housebroken and know how to manage their way in the world of humans. They’ll certainly be happy to have a new home.
Don’t support animal over-population. There are already so many domestic animals in this world that need a home. Pet shops and puppy mills support over-breeding of these animals for profit. It’s estimated that 6 to 8 million pets are euthanized every year! Rescue a spayed or neutered pet instead and give it the loving home it deserves.
Shelters offer a huge selection of animals. Many shelters rescue more than just dogs or cats. Birds, horses, guinea pigs, hamsters, reptiles, farm animals and all kinds of other critters may be your ideal companion, too.
Image: Conway L.December 12, 2008 at 12:15 pm by Sarah Irani
9 Reasons You Should Never Buy an... more
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Cat ownership in WA is under siege by local cat laws newly introduced by the Shire of Swan and soon to be implemented by the City of Joondalup. Cat owners will be penalized by fines if their cat unwittingly trespasses onto a neighbors property without their permission. The ultimate penalty is the trapping of your beloved moggy by a neighbor in a trap supplied by the shire and the impoundment and possible euthanization of your cat if you can’t locate it within 7 days.
Location map of City of Joondalup, Western Aus...
The legal trapping of cats opened up by these new local cat laws will only encourage vigilantes who hate cats to have an ‘open season’ on cats in their neighborhood. The Cat Haven, a well known Perth based cat rescue group have already reported incidences of cats caught in traps being drowned in lakes. A horrible death for any animal with no chance of escape and astonishingly still a set of laws introduced in such poor format by local councils that policing these laws is almost impossible.
Very little forethought went into the ultimate outcomes that these laws would fester, if councils honestly thought that residents of their shire would act responsibly under these new laws they have already been witness to the folly of their naivety. With cats being drowned in traps and my own experience of having my cat Simon being trapped by a neighbor in my own street and taken to the pound with no consultation with the shire. I managed to rescue my cat Simon on Day 6, it was clearly a lucky day for him will your cat be so lucky?
Parts of these laws have validation with responsible cat ownership including limiting the number of cats per household, sterilizing cats, micro-chipping or identifying your cat with a collar & identification tag and keeping your cat indoors from the hours of 9pm to 6 am is also very doable.
What these laws fail to take into consideration is the intrinsic nature of cats and the impossibility of cat owners to always control some of their inherit behaviors which have allowed cats to survive well prior to their domestication.
Cats are highly independent creatures who value their freedom, they have instinctual drives to patrol their territory and to chase off any intruders entering their territory. Cats have very strong maternal instincts and are predatory in nature and mark their territory with their scent to keep any other animals out of their area. Cats rely on these instincts to get through life and expecting them to change these behaviors is literally asking them to stop being a cat.
Cats cannot be trained like the dog species and forcing cat owners to achieve the impossible by preventing their cats from occasionally wandering into a neighbors yard is simply ludicrous! The harsh penalty of trapping cats, impounding them and having your cat euthanized as a result is a sickening and heart breaking reality now for cat owners and their families. That this type of action is being implemented by your local shire and your neighbors is just disgusting.
You can protest against these new local cat laws by visiting www.aussiecats.com and having your say.
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* Cat wanders into police parking lot, is euthanized (seattletimes.nwsource.com)Cat ownership in WA is under siege by local cat laws newly introduced by the Shire of... more
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Animal adoption is less expensive and more humane than municipal euthanasia programs, said an Austin lawyer and “No Kill” advocate visiting Baton Rougeans trying to sustain a “No Kill” initiative.
“I started like a lot of people start in the animal welfare world,” said Ryan Clinton, 34, who grew up in Baton Rouge. “Stumbling on a stray dog or cat or two or three or four in the neighborhood.”
Municipal animal shelters think “No Kill” too expensive, Clinton said, but “the budget of a shelter has shown to be unrelated to whether a shelter becomes ‘No Kill.’”
“There’s a long tradition that says spay/neuter is the only answer,” Clinton said. “The shelters say they do hard work all the time. But it’s spay/neuter, adopt out a few, kill the rest. It’s been that way a hundred years.”
Nonprofits and individuals pick up the tab for adoptions and spay/neuter in Austin, Clinton said.
“We have a good rapport with Hilton Cole (head of Baton Rouge’s Animal Control and Rescue Center),” said Patricia Calfee, a Baton Rouge Area Foundation project manager, who has worked with animal welfare people here on a “No Kill” initiative.
Figures provided to Calfee by Cole show 8,222 animals (3,855 cats and 4,367 dogs) put down by the East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control and Rescue Center in 2009.
Cole is on medical leave, said Richard Byrd, operations manager at the center, but a figure in the neighborhood of 8,000 sounds right.
About 80 percent of the stray cats and dogs brought to the center each year are killed, Byrd said.
“But that’s changing drastically,” Byrd said. Adoption, foster homes, spaying or neutering saved 550 dogs and 152 cats through October 2009, he said.
The kill rate in Charlottesville, Va., is less than 10 percent.
“We could do that in Austin,” said Clinton, who with his girlfriend has provided a foster home for 14 animals.
Charlottesville has 2,000 foster homes.
Clinton estimated that Austin would euthanize 6,000 to 9,000 dogs and cats this year, but thinks just a few years ago it was as high as 14,000.
“Thirty-five percent of animals impounded in Austin die, and it was higher in past years,” he said.
A 10 percent kill rate is achievable, he said. A certain percentage of animals that end up at a municipal animal control center can’t be saved, Clinton said.
Clinton founded http://www. FixAustin.org, a “no kill” advocacy group.
He’s a volunteer foster “parent” and legal counsel with Austin Pets Alive.
Yelp BR is modeled after Austin Pets Alive, said BRAF”s Calfee.
To contribute to the “no kill” initiative, send contributions to Baton Rouge Area Foundation, The ‘No-Kill Baton Rouge Fund, 402 N. Fourth St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802.
Clinton’s research shows 40 million Americans looking for pets this year. “With only five or six million animals going into shelters,” he said, there’s no reason millions of animals can’t be saved.
“The loss of an animal means opportunity for adoption,” he said. “Adopt a pet as opposed to buying from a breeder or a pet store or convincing a friend to let his animal have a litter.”
Clinton, who’s with the Dallas-based law firm Hankinson Levinger, is the son of Ralene Cerise and Jim Clinton.Animal adoption is less expensive and more humane than municipal euthanasia programs,... more
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L.A. begins a robust search for an animal services manager
Establishment of 'no-kill' facilities is expected to be a key part of a demanding job.
[These are among the 54,129 dogs and cats impounded in Los Angeles in 2009. Almost a quarter of the dogs and more than half the cats were put down. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times / December 9, 2009)]
http://www.ilovedogs.com/media/pup_behind_fence.jpg
Wanted: a general manager who can run Los Angeles' municipal animal shelter system.
The successful candidate must be compassionate but business-minded, able to inspire the army of staffers who care for the city's abandoned animals and lost pets; to survive interrogation by the L.A. City Council; and to appease the legions of devoted volunteers, rescuers and advocates in the city's humane community.
The new steward of the city's Department of Animal Services should be steeled for the fact that one of the "services" the agency offers is euthanizing animals. But the new manager must also be ready to devise a plan to transform the shelter system into a "no-kill" program that will pledge to euthanize no healthy animal for lack of space.
Warning: The man who last held the job tried hard but satisfied no constituency. He endured criticism from animal welfare advocates, a public upbraiding from a city councilman and near-mutiny by department staffers before he quit last June. His predecessor, who lasted only 13 months, was fired by the mayor and targeted by animal rights activists who smoke-bombed the lobby of his apartment building.
"Francis of Assisi would have trouble in this town," said Bill Dyer, a veteran animal welfare advocate who invoked the patron saint of animals more than once when speaking of the general manager's job.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made a point during his first campaign of telling animal welfare advocates he would take their concerns seriously. But the department's last general manager, Ed Boks, who left the job June 30, endured criticism from the moment he started in early 2006.
This time Villaraigosa has initiated an elaborate search process.
The city hired a search firm, sent an e-mail survey to 450 so-called stakeholders in the animal welfare system and set up a focus group. In what one source called "a brainstorming session," the mayor met with a small group of animal welfare experts -- including "dog whisperer" Cesar Millan and Francis Battista, one of the founders of Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal-protection nonprofit that runs its own sanctuary.
The city put out an official bulletin last week requesting applicants and listing more than a dozen sought-after qualities. ("Be confident and courageous in the face of criticism.")
There is general agreement that the goal is to stop euthanizing animals. But that may require a thorough rethinking of the agency, said Battista, who wouldn't reveal the details of his meeting with the mayor.
"The animal shelter system is an outgrowth of rabies control, and it's been nibbled at from the bottom by rescue groups," Battista said. While still protecting the public from dangerous animals, it needs to "change to being proactive. It needs to own the idea of being a compassionate humane organization."
Battista doesn't think the new general manager necessarily needs to come from the world of animal sheltering. (Some believe that the new agency head absolutely should not come out of municipal sheltering.)
Scott Sorrentino, who heads the Rescue and Humane Alliance, a coalition of animal welfare groups, echoed Battista. "The idea of adoptions and all this work that the humane community does is fairly new in the mission of the department," said Sorrentino.
"First and foremost, a new general manager needs to believe that no-kill is possible," he said. "If you come into this job and on an elemental level do not believe no-kill is possible, you're just setting a course for failure."
Carl Friedman ran San Francisco's Department of Animal Care and Control for 21 years, from 1988 until his retirement last year. During that time, his shelter system went from killing about half its impounded animals to euthanizing 15% -- none for lack of space. Still, he refuses to use the term "no-kill." Instead, he said simply, "You have to save as many animals as possible."
Friedman, now a consultant to the beleaguered San Francisco Zoo, is not interested in the L.A. job. He attributes much of San Francisco's success to partnerships with rescue groups and the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which help find people to adopt stray animals.
Also, he said, "you need an aggressive spay-neuter program and you need an education program: Don't breed them."
He recalled a woman years ago going into a shelter saying she wanted to adopt a dog but not get it spayed until the dog produced a litter of puppies. "She said she wanted to show her kids the miracle of birth. I said, 'After that, bring them down here and I'll show them the miracle of death.' "
San Francisco is a smaller city than L.A. Last year, according to Friedman, it took in about 12,000 animals.
L.A., by contrast, impounded 54,129 dogs and cats in 2009. Almost a quarter of the dogs and more than half the cats taken to the city's six shelters were put down -- for untreatable illness, intractable behavior or dearth of space. A staggering 4,930 were neonatal animals that could not be kept alive without bottle feeding or a nursing mother. Most of those were kittens.
And that is despite the city's success last year at increasing the number of foster volunteers, performing free sterilizations (800 at six special community events), opening another spay-neuter clinic and completing about 26,500 adoptions of canines and felines, according to interim general manager Kathy Davis. A total of 31,000 dogs and cats did make it out of the shelters alive last year.
"Truly it takes a village to make sure animals get treated and handled the way our community wants," said Davis, who is quick to make clear that she does not want the job on a permanent basis.
"Are we ready for a new general manager? We've been through a pretty bad break-up," she said. "Like any relationship, there are trust factors. A lot of things went on. My question is, are we ready? Are we ready to let go of the baggage and embrace a new leader?",0,2872176.story
L.A. begins a robust search for an animal services manager... more
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Best Friends Animal Society challenges recent Los Angeles court ruling as dangerous precedent for cats and birds
Best Friends Animal Society is trying to change the focus of national dialogue about the universal problem of free-roaming cats.
Community cats are in every neighborhood and townSources estimate there are between 50 and 80 million homeless felines in the United States. They hide in alleyways, dart between houses and lurk behind businesses. Many of them are completely unsocialized, while others are tame housecats left on the streets when homes are vacated. In neighborhoods throughout the United States, free-roaming, community cats are part of the landscape.
Meanwhile, there is a lively national discussion about the best way to help these cats and reduce their numbers. There also is a raging debate on the extent of these cats’ impact on wild life and more specifically native wild birds, as well as litigation related to this particular issue in Los Angeles.
A recent ruling by a California judge (Los Angeles Superior Court -- Case #BS115483) has barred the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Animal Services from their nominal support of the humane community cat management policy known as trap/neuter/return (TNR). TNR demonstrably reduces the number of unsocialized (and therefore unadoptable) cats entering and being killed in U.S. shelters, and is universally advocated as the only workable method of controlling community cat populations.
The ruling favored the bird groups, but not necessarily the birds they seek to protect. Gregory Castle, interim chief executive officer for Best Friends Animal Society said, "The irony of this misguided court ruling is that banning TNR means there are more cats breeding out there to hunt birds. TNR actually helps reduce the number of community cats thus helping the birds."
The traditional practice in most areas of the country was to round up homeless cats in response to complaints and take them to animal control facilities where almost all of them were killed. TNR involves humanely capturing homeless cats in live traps, sterilizing and vaccinating them before returning them to their original location, where volunteer caregivers feed and watch over them.
According to Castle, TNR has proven to be the most successful method of humanely dealing with cat overpopulation, as well as the costs to municipalities to deal with the problem.
”Go into almost any shelter in this country and what you’ll see more than any other animal are cats,” Castle says. “Most of them have no future, and once they enter the shelter system, they rarely come out alive.”
Castle, who pioneered several feral cat initiatives in the state of Utah, points to a failure of communities to deal with the problem in the most sensible way -- encourage and facilitate the ability of cat lovers to limit cat colony populations through TNR management.
Continued...Best Friends Animal Society challenges recent Los Angeles court ruling as dangerous... more
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