New York – Robert, the 4 year old paraplegic rescued just hours before he was to be put to death, is in pain and needs extensive diagnostics and surgery immediately in order to have a fighting chance at being able to ever walk again.
Robert lay immobilized in his cage at the NYC Animal Care and Control facility, just moments away from being killed when Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary stepped in to save him. Robert had originally been surrendered into the Brooklyn CACC as a stray on February 26th, and then was scheduled for death on the 29th.
Robert is extremely intuitive and bright, yet shy. His injury and handicap have not broken his spirit, and he wags his tail at the slightest affection from anyone. Read the rest of this entry »
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Animal Rescue by kerry on Feb 28, 2012. There are comments.
Sanctuary Animal Updates
It’s a new year and we have already seen many changes at Pets Alive Westchester (PAW). We said good bye to our beloved Executive Director Joy Carson and our Shelter & Facilities Manager Ken as they moved on to take on Pets Alive Puerto Rico. Joy and Ken did so much for PAW and our animals that I will be forever grateful to them! I’ll admit it- I was a little nervous when I first got to PAW. Many of you may know me as the Shelter Manager of Pets Alive in Middletown. I’m also one of the first staff members to visit the old Elmsford Animal Shelter when we originally stepped up to help. My first day at Pets Alive Westchester was in November, only about a year since I had been there last, and it was immediately apparent that a transformation of epic proportions had taken place. My nerves turned to overwhelming excitement and I have never been more certain that this is where I needed to be.
In January we adopted out 43 dogs, 31 cats, and 3 rabbits!! A total of 77 animals who found their forever homes in just one month! That’s a tremendous increase compared to January 2011. We are so excited to continue increasing our adoption rates each and every month. Due to the incredible rate of adoption we were able to collaborate on a mass rescue of over 100 dogs, with the ASPCA and committed to each and every animal from the JP Ranch Rescue in Arkansas, in addition to our regular intakes. Some of those dogs went to Pets Alive Middletown (PAM), but here at PAW we rescued 83 dogs, 12 cats, and 1 rabbit.
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Updates by kerry on Feb 27, 2012. There are comments.
It has been a very “up and down” couple of days and for many that read the normal Pets Alive twitter and Facebook, we haven’t been up to our usual light hearted tweets and posts.
I learned a long time ago that the thing that keep all of you coming back, and following us, and supporting us, is to feel good about what we do and why, and how, and to show you all that goodness. It makes us feel good too.
That isn’t to say there aren’t horrible things in rescue. There ARE. We see it every day, of course. But we don’t feel you need to be pelted with it. I’d rather show you the picture of that dog AFTER we loved him back into health, or that kitten after we cleaned her up and she is on her way to her forever home.
But sometimes bad things are going on that we need you to step up and fix because without you we are truly powerless. I can write a letter or call someone on the phone and that can mean nothing at all. But when we ask all of YOU to, and you DO, it is so tremendously powerful that it brings the opposition to it’s knees. Collectively we are very powerful and collectively we can implement change. Good change. Positive change. Read the rest of this entry »
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Legislation by kerry on Feb 16, 2012. There are comments.
WE NEED YOU AGAIN! CAARA back on the table (previously known as Oreo’s Law)
(Below written by John Sibley)
Though the ASPCA gives the occasional glimmer of hope, recent events remind me that they remain mired in a killing mentality and seek to preserve the status quo in sheltering, even fighting to expand the power of shelters to kill at will.
Recently the ASPCA convinced NYS Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to introduce their pseudo-shelter reform legislation. Embarrassed by the outcry in favor of Oreo’s Law (now CAARA), they immediately scrambled to write their own shelter reform law – one that they could claim made a difference for the better in the lives of NY animals while actually quietly blocking actual reform and expanding NY shelters’ power to kill.
The ASPCA co-opts meaningful shelter reform legislation largely by copying it but then including weasel words like substituting “may” for “shall”. So instead of requiring shelters to work with outside rescue groups, it simply says that they can if they choose to. Other meaningful reforms, like requiring shelters to scan for microchips, post found animals online, and make an effort to match lost and found animals are scuttled by including an exception if the shelter does not find it “practicable” to do so. Well, given the choice, they won’t find it practicable, which is why we need legislation that mandates it.
Most destructively and unbelievably, the ASPCA written legislation contains a clause that would, for all practical purposes, eliminate the legally mandated holding period for stray animals by allowing shelters to kill any animal who they found to be in “psychological pain”. This is nothing less than a declaration of war on feral cats, scared dogs, or any animal that found themselves scared and confused upon being brought into the chaotic shelter environment – or any animal they simply wanted to find a flimsy excuse to kill. Animals judged by laypeople with no training whatsoever to be in “psychological pain” could be killed instantly on admission to the shelter and bypass the legally required holding period to give their owners the chance to find them.
New Yorkers, we need your help – quickly. This bill, known as New York Assembly Bill A05449A, will face its first committee vote on Wednesday, February 15th. We haven’t much time. The first thing we need to do is to tell our elected officials that we will not tolerate an ASPCA encouraged increase in shelter killing in New York State.
Please visit New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin’s Facebook page and leave her a polite, personal comment asking her to withdraw her bill, A05449A, from consideration. Asw. Paulin is up for re-election in November and wants to be a champion of animals in New York State, and she probably would not want to risk her re-election on being dubbed Amy “Quick Kill” Paulin. You might also consider sending her a message on Twitter, although she appears to use that less. Also drop an email to ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres and ASPCA Board President Mary Jo White and let them know what you think of their organization’s legislation. Then visit the following four links to email key legislators to send them your thoughts:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4
Keep in mind that although you can use the text that’s been written for you, a heartfelt personal note always goes a long way.
Finally, support REAL change in the form of CAARA, which mandates REAL reform instead of making it optional. CAARA is trying to get the support of NYS Senator Patty Richie, Chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee, and her support would really help move the bill forward. Email her here and ask her to support this lifesaving effort – and you can read more about CAARA here and read the complete text of the bill here. New York’s animals deserve better than the deadly slight of hand of the ASPCA Quick Kill. They deserve the lifesaving provisions of CAARA.
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Updates by kerry on Feb 14, 2012. There are comments.