Pets Alive Blog

Kerry’s update – March 22

Many of you may have seen the issues with our taxes from 2007, covered on the news and in the local papers. We are happy to say that this is all resolved now, thanks to County Executive Edward Diana. When Sara, the founder and past director of Pets Alive was dying in 2007, she never signed the form that says “everything is the same” and mailed it back to the town of Wallkill. We tried to fight it, but were getting nowhere fast and then got word that they were going to start foreclosure proceedings on us. Thanks so much for the great article in the Times Herald Record by Keith Goldberg, we started to get some attention and some help. Ed Diana personally called us and said that we wouldn’t have to worry – he had our back and was going to personally see to it that this got resolved for us. He was true to his word, working late that night with a team of lawyers to figure out a way to resolve the issue.

The problem will be solved at the county level. As a backup our Assembly Member Annie Rabbitt drafted a bill that would absolve us of the tax bill from 2007. PLEASE take a moment, right now to thank Ed Diana: (845) 291-2700, Ediana@Co.orange.ny.us. Without him, we would have been looking at foreclosure or coming up with over $40,000 to pay the bill. We ARE tax exempt 501(c)3, and thankfully someone was willing to say “Hey, this makes no sense”. Thanks so much Mr. Diana. You are the only government official who we actually felt understood the situation and worked to fix it. It’s great to have friends like you in high places.

Big Fundraisers Planned!
Pets Alive is planning TWO amazing charity fundraising events in May. One is on May 22, 2010, at Catlin Gardens, in Slate Hill, NY. The tickets are $125 to that event. The other is on Thursday May 27th, 2010 at Life in Ardsley, NY (7-11 pm). The tickets to that event are $200. The FurBall is a fabulous formal evening celebrating the animals that have been saved by Pets Alive. There will be cocktails, dinner, music, dancing, celebrities, a silent auction and a special presentation featuring the animals of Pets Alive. This will be the animal event of the year, and it is VERY likely that Marisol and Rob Thomas will be attending these events! Do not wait, buy your tickets now for Westchester Furball, or buy your tickets now for Hudson Valley Furball! (Note: no crazy people. Crazy people will be removed! DRUNK crazy is ok. Crazy fan crazy is not!)

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Filed in Updates by kerry on Mar 22, 2010.  There are 2 comments.  

Saving Xena

West Virginia may be almost heaven to John Denver, but as a state West Virginians are quite poor.  In fact, it ranks 49th out of 50 for per-capita income of $16,477 and 49th out of 50 for median household income at $37,989.   Comparatively New York ranks 8th at $23,889 per-capita and 17th at $56,033 median.

It’s a tough life for many West Virginians as well.  They toil in coal mines for 12 hours at a time, sometimes stooped over in tunnels as short as four feet high, breathing in coal dust and the dampness of the mines.  Ottawa, West Virginia is about 45 minutes from Charleston along a windy road that goes pretty much through nothing.

I know what coal smells like, and as the rain poured down on Sunday I drove the Pets Alive van down Route 119 from Charleston to Logan and I could smell the coal in the air.  The coal mine on the side of Route 119 changed my concept of big.  It was enormous, with coal silos and conveyor belts and hundreds of lights.  That’s the part that is ABOVE the ground.  The action as we know is below.

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Filed in Animal Rescue, No-kill by Admnistrator on Mar 22, 2010.  There are 10 comments.  

Old Souls

Kerry’s face was all smile as she wheeled the $5 cart  (yes she complained when she paid the five bucks) across the terminal canopy.  There was a single battered plastic pet carrier on it.  It was the usual bland tan color, with stripes of gray duct tape criss-crossing it.  Pets Alive NYC was written above the wire “gate” at the front.

I had tucked the rented van in behind a full-sized bus that was picking up crew members from American Airlines.  As Kerry and the pups passed by the crew members every single person craned their neck to get a glimpse of them.  I didn’t realize that where I had wedged the van to hide from the Port Authority Police “shoo away squad” blocked the driver from getting to the cargo doors for the bus.  He looked at me, looked at the crate, and waited patiently, without a sound.  When I picked up the crate off the cart and headed for the van he offered to help.  Nice guy.  It dawned on me later that he had purposely dragged his feet loading the bus so Kerry would have enough time to make the three trips to get the dogs.

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Filed in Animal Rescue by Admnistrator on Mar 03, 2010.  There are 10 comments.