NEWSSHELTERS & ADOPTION

Animal advocates and Change.org members scored a huge victory when they successfully lobbied  to increase the funding levels at New York City's Animal Care and Control. Let's face it, in this economy, that was not easy feat. Mayor Bloomberg and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn agreed to raise funding levels to a 77 percent increase over the current budget by July 2014. That's a huge win for the cats and the dogs, especially in a city that has boasted one of the lowest per capita rates in the nation for funding animal control.

To capitalize on that success, Council Member Jessica Lappin filed Intro. No 655, a humane bill that would help provide a safety net for New York City's animals. This legislation would codify trap, neuter, and return programs for feral cats, in addition to requiring all free-roaming owned cats to be sterilized to help reduce the homeless cat population.

Cats aren't the only species that would benefit from this legislation. It would also require facilities that receive lost, stray or homeless dogs and cats from the public to be maintained 7 days a week, 12 hours a day in boroughs of the city in which there is not a full-service shelter. Additionally, at least one of the full-service shelters would have to be open to the public for the purpose of receiving animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It looks like a crime scene: a closed  building  with yellow police tape around it. To Bay Village, Ohio, animal advocates, laying off of their only animal control officer and  closing their small "no kill" animal shelter is indeed a crime perpetrated on pets by the Mayor and City Council.

Local advocates are outraged by  the council' s disregard for public safety and their  decision to ship Bay Village's dogs and cats off to animal control agencies with much higher euthanasia rates. They are working hard to get the council to reconsider their decision. They created a petition on Change.org to convince the city to reinstate its lone animal control officer. Saturday morning, they will exercise their right to free speech by  taking to the streets to peacefully protest the council's actions.

The closure is allegedly because of money. Mayor Deborah Sutherland explained the change in an email: "The rationale was based on budgetary constraints and planning for future massive budget cuts in state funding that we will experience through 2013. The state of Ohio balanced its budget on the backs of local governments — a move that will reduce my General Fund Revenue by 10 percent or approximately $1.0 million."

The Mayor's explanation sounds plausible, until you speak to one of the many activists organizing the campaign to reinstate animal control. When asked about the monetary concerns, Nancy Brown is skeptical. "To save $40,000 a year, the city abandons animal control, shipping pets to a high kill shelter, yet the Mayor has a brand new car on the taxpayers' dime? They are even talking about installing a sprinkler system in a soccer park, but they eliminate animal control? Public safety and our pets should be a concern.  This council has their priorities all wrong."

South Bend humanitarians descended on the city council in droves on Monday night to listen to the debate concerning funding for a new animal shelter in the city. Many carried homemade signs stating, "No Merge" or "Listen to the People."

The controversy was over a proposal to merge South Bend Animal Care and Control with St. Joseph Humane Society instead of funding a new animal shelter. Local activists opposed the merger, noting that South Bend Animal Care and Control had been making great strides toward improving the welfare of animals in their community and they desperately needed a new facility.

In a recent blog, I noted that  these smart activists had gotten the South Bend Redevelopment Commission to approve $1.5 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the animal shelter project. Unfortunately, because of cost overruns, they needed the city council to pass a resolution for  more money ... $400,000 more.

Dr. Sara Pizano, the Director of Miami-Dade Animal Services, officially resigned from her position on August 4, following months of protests and controversy. Local animal advocates are celebrating what they hope will be a new day for Miami-Dade's animals.

Not only do shelter records reflect that more than 114,000 animals were killed during Dr. Pizano's tenure, but several documented reports of alleged neglect and abuse plagued the taxpayer-funded facility.

Dahlia Canes, Founder and Director of Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation (MCABSL), said, "While we wish Dr. Sara Pizano the best of luck on her next project, we are also ecstatic and hopeful for a bright new future for the animals. It's been a long fought journey, attempting to save dogs and cats from a decrepit shelter and a Director who not only did not embrace No Kill, but supported breed specific legislation."

No Kill Nation's Founder, Debi Day, said, "This could be the new start Miami-Dade Animal Services needed. A change in leadership at MDAS was long overdue."

There's no shortage of reasons for communities to support animal welfare programs: saving lives tends to save tax dollars and enhance public safety by getting animals spayed and neutered and off the streets. But what if there was a way to help the areas of town that it need it most while helping animals? There is.

Tax Increment Financing provides funds that can't be used for general projects, but can be used to develop economically depressed areas. Through redevelopment funds, Jacksonville, Florida, was able to help build the First Coast No More Homeless Pets Spay Neuter Clinic to bring low-cost programs to the area that needed it most. And in South Bend, Indiana, a creative and politically savvy crew of animal advocates are working the phones, gathering signatures, and attending meetings to secure an additional $300,000 in TIF funds for a new animal shelter on the city's impoverished west side.

The South Bend Redevelopment Commission has already approved $1.5 million in TIF funding for the project. If the commission and the city council approve the extra funding that will allow the new facility to be constructed in the part of town where new buildings and services are needed most, it will be a win-win for the human and animal residents of the city.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is rewriting their animal control ordinance to give animal control unprecedented power.

Angelenos for Animals, who started a petition on Change.org opposing the new language, rightly believes that the amendments to the provisions of Title 10 governing "potentially dangerous dogs" and "vicious dogs" are misguided and unfair. They believe the changes would result in more unwarranted killing. After reading the proposed ordinance, I agree.

Under animal control's proposal, dogs would no longer get their day in court before being deemed “vicious. Instead, the determination could be made by an Administrative Hearing officer, which could be an officer or employee of the Animal Control Department. This is nothing more than a rubber stamp.

Memphis Mayor Wharton promised to clean up the shelter when he took office in 2009. So far, he has spent the past two years defending the shelter's mismanaged operations instead of confronting the challenge of taking a stand for animals.

In the most recent blow to the reputation of Memphis Animal Shelter, a dog has gone missing and an animal control officer is charged with two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

On June 25th, Brooke Shoup went to MAS to reclaim her two dogs after they escaped from her backyard. She quickly found one dog, Jersey, but was unable to locate the other, Kapone.

The previous day, ACO Demetria Hogan responded to a call regarding two loose dogs. Neighbors confirmed the identities of the dogs as Jersey and Kapone, yet only one made it to the shelter four hours after being picked up.

Missing dogs are not a rare occurrence at MAS — as many as 155 dogs went missing in 2010 alone.

Euthanasia of healthy dogs, cats, puppies and kittens is a national tragedy. Although approximately 4 million homeless pets are still euthanized each year, we’ve made huge strides since the '80s when over 20 million were killed. How? Through targeted spaying and neutering programs.

Yet the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is actively going after low-cost spay/neuter clinics in an effort to shut them down. Why? Cash, lira, and dollars. Many private vets charge and arm and a leg to sterilize dogs and cats, a service which these clinics offer in a more accessible, affordable way.

The Alabama Spay/Neuter Clinic received a certified letter, dated June 7, from Tammy Wallace, executive director of the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, alleging that the clinic is in violation of the Alabama Code that defines veterinary practice, and therefore must cease operations.

What began as an attempt to broaden lines of communication between animal advocates and Memphis Animal Shelter regarding the treatment of shelter pets has led to threats and intimidation by the City of Memphis toward one South Carolina blogger.

Shirley Thistlethwaite began her YesBiscuit! blog to discuss standards of welfare in shelters of the Southeast and to advocate for communities to adopt the no-kill paradigm. Lately, the focus has been on MAS and their unacceptable 77 percent euthanasia rate.

In an attempt to help as many pets leave MAS alive as possible, a ChipIn donation page was set up to have funds available to get homeless cats and dogs into private rescue. Unfortunately, the City of Memphis prefers to continue the status quo and let adoptable pets die.

It was one disaster after another when Japan was slammed in early March by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The earthquake caused a tsunami that swept away homes and lives. Explosions and leaks at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station led to what’s been called the world’s largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

When the community surrounding Fukushima was evacuated, people were given very little warning that they had to clear out. They had no time to prepare, and shelters weren’t set up accommodate animals. As a result, countless animals were left behind to fend for themselves. Linda Wolfe, Program Associate for Born Free USA, explained that, “Unfortunately, Japan is now learning what New Orleans learned with Katrina regarding the non-existent contingency for animal evacuation.”

According to Wolfe, the Japan Anti-Vivisection Association believes that nearly 675,000 farm animals lived in the evacuation zone, and the number that survived could be as few as 1,000 or less. It’s unknown how many companion animals were left behind, or how many are still alive.