Archives for Legislation category
A healthy 3 week old kitten arrived at the ACC, and 45 minutes later was killed for “having no mother”.
No adopter or rescuer was given the opportunity to save this kitten.
On Mother’s Day, a mother cat and her two tiny kittens were on the ACC kill list. What in the world?
These are tiny kittens, some as young as two weeks old. Dying by the dozens in our NYC shelters. At Pets Alive we simply could not stand by and watch that. With the help of volunteer, John Sibley, we went in and took 64 kittens (and mamas) out of the NYC shelter system and saved all their little tiny lives.
It is for reasons like this that New York needs a rescue access law like CAARA. CAARA would make it illegal for shelters to kill animals without giving rescues an opportunity to help.
How can it be that the three week old kitten was not even offered to rescue to help? How is it that these decisions – life and DEATH – can be made so arbitrarily? At what point do people stop seeing each of these tiny creatures as little lives? Little beings deserving a CHANCE at a life? The kitten was completely healthy. There was no reason to kill her.
Pets Alive is committed to stopping the killing of all animals in the shelter system. We took 64 cats and kittens in one shot. 64. Think about that number. 64 tiny babies never having a chance at a life. Why? Who decides these things? With CAARA they wouldn’t have a CHOICE but to let us have a chance to save them all. That is why Amy Paulin’s bill is worthless, because HER bill wouldn’t stop this. This is why we NEED to pass a law like CAARA. To save these delicate lives that some organizations may not care about.
And some of the workers at the CACC do care. Some of them send us emails or get on the phone and ask for help. They feature a dog or a cat and personally take the time to write something about that animal, what they know about that animal. They reach out. They take pictures of the animals being held by people, poignant, loving, affectionate. And what do they get for it? Reprimands. Termination. It is forbidden to take pictures of animals WITH people in them, even though all studies have shown that this can increase adoptability. It seems to us that any staff member there that starts to actually care a little, either has to hide it, or risk termination. We’ve been watching this happen for years. Why does this continue in NYC? When will we get some sort of leadership that cares?
And the lack of care is monstrous. As you know, we have taken dogs from the cacc where their bladders were not expressed and almost burst (Robert). We have taken a cat with a broken leg (Gloria) that was left to sit there for weeks without any care.
And now look at THIS cat. We have named her Mitzee. Her medical sheet says this cat has conjunctivitis. I’m no vet but even *I* can tell THIS is not plain old simple conjunctivitis. A week later, a vet examination notes a possible ruptured eye. Possible? A week later? But no pain meds? No drops? No ointment? I know this is grainy, but look at this kitten’s intake picture a week before. Look how bad the eyes looked THEN. Now look at them a WEEK later. Was there any CARE for them, any treatment?
This is an absolutely disgrace and this is what goes on in your NYC shelters. The BEST city, the most FAMOUS city, one of the RICHEST cities in the nation.
Pets Alive will work feverishly to provide medical care and find loving homes for all of the “Itty Bitty Kitties”. Half of the kittens are at the Middletown NY sanctuary, and half are being cared for at our Elmsford, NY rescue center.
Little Mitzee, the cat pictured above is at risk of going blind. Our vets feel that one of Mitzee’s eyes must be removed and the other needs daily care and possible surgery in order to save her vision, if indeed it can be saved. Could it have been saved a week ago when she entered into the Animal CARE and Control Facility in NYC?
Maybe.
Where is the “CARE” part of Animal CARE and Control??
One of the kittens has no foot. Almost all are sick with URI and various infections. One has already passed away from a massive blockage in her little intestines. Did the staff not notice that she was not defecating? Within less than 24 hours of having her, WE did. But by then it was too late and we lost her early this morning.
Please note that this is not some hoarder. We did not go in and do a mass rescue. This is the New York City Animal Care and Control Facility. YOUR NYC shelter.
The cost to Pets Alive to save this many lives, and handle the medical crisis, the vetting, the altering and the caring for all these cats will be astronomical. But THEY ARE WORTH IT. These little lives are WORTH saving and WORTH having a chance. Please help us. Pets Alive is asking for donations to help not only this little kitten have a chance at life, but to help cover costs for all 64 of these saved lives.
How To Help:
Financial donations are urgently needed to help provide continued care and medical treatment for the itty bitty kitties, including Mitzee, who is currently undergoing treatment to try to save her vision. To help provide care for them, donations of kitten food, toys, and scratching posts are also needed. Please also consider welcoming one into your home. They should all be in a home, being loved. Please fill out an application now to adopt an Itty Bitty Kitty.
Because THIS is the kind of life they have now. Now that they are with us. We take responsibility for all the animals in our care and we tend to all their needs. This is how every shelter should be run. Including the one in the most famous city in the world. Look at the BEFORE kittens on this page – from the CACC. And the AFTER kittens – at Pets Alive. Which do YOU think is the right way? Support no-kill. Support CAARA. Together, let’s put an end to this madness of murdering tiny creatures that haven’t even had a chance at life.
We are trying to pass legislation in NYS that would make this illegal. It would require the director to contact rescue groups and give them 8 hours to respond. Assembly Bill 07312 (CAARA) would empower non-profit animal rescue organizations to fulfill their missions, a right often denied to them by larger non-profit organizations and shelters. It provides whistleblower protection for rescue groups, creating an incentive for non-profit organizations to help end cruelty or neglect at shelters without fear of retaliation and loss of rescue access. It has specific provisions to ensure that these groups have the best interests of animals at heart and are able to care for them. And it prevents needless animal suffering by mandating precise, sensible, and objective criteria for determining which animals are dangerous or irremediably suffering and therefore exempt from rescue access provisions.
The bill will be voted on in the next week or two. Unfortunately, the ASPCA is trying to kill it, and the chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, William McGee, is willing to do their bidding by recommending that the bill be tabled. That will be the continued kiss of death for 25,000 animals a year who have an immediate place to go.
Please help us pass the Companion Animal Access & Rescue Act by Kellner. Use all three alerts to reach ALL members of the Assembly Ag Committee:
Be polite!
Use all three alerts to reach ALL members of the Assembly Ag Committee:
Alert #1 of 3: http://bit.ly/GJmNH9
Alert #2 of 3: http://bit.ly/GOUkwd
Alert #3 of 3: http://bit.ly/GHR7lW
Let’s stop the madness. And the murder.
Filed in
Animal Rescue,
Legislation,
No-kill by kerry on May 16, 2012. There are comments.
Below is an email sent by Pets Alive to the Middletown Council to consider instead of a city wide insurance requirement for renters. We hope that they might consider this option instead of the current plan, or working in conjunction WITH the insurance plan:
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In regards to the issue in Middletown with the problem owners of problem dogs. I think that we are actually on the exact same page about this. I believe in reading the PDF you posted originally that it doesn’t explain the real issue at stake, and contrary to the mayor’s opinion, we are far from naïve about the issues involving dogs in cities. If we are going to be honest and upfront about this here – you have some irresponsible citizens using dogs to intimidate, threaten and wreck havoc in your city. Terrorizing neighbors, making it difficult to do inspections or deal safely with public issues in those areas.
You asked for a possible solution. I’ve come up with an idea that I’d like to have you all review.
Please forgive me for the convoluted nature of it. It is just in the “thinking” stages right now, which is why I didn’t voice it last night. It would need some major fleshing out, but maybe this is a possible solution.
It seems to be that you have the majority of Middletown residents that are law abiding, responsible people. You also have a fair share of “issue people” with “issue dogs”. How many would you estimate? 50? 100? 150? How many would you honestly say are the problem people in the city? I have no idea what the number would be but I think it would be a fair guess that it is not 95% of the population.
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Filed in
Legislation by kerry on Apr 05, 2012. There are comments.
This speech was given last night, April 3, to the Middletown Council Members in response to the proposed ordinance that would ban the feeding of feral cats and require all renters to carry dog insurance. There were no pictures in my speech. I just added these to break up all this text. The town announced they would continue to review the dog ordinance and were RESCINDING the feral cat ban! THANK YOU MIDDLETOWN COMMON COUNCIL!
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Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak.
My name is Kerry Clair and I am the executive director the Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary in Middletown.
We very much appreciate being heard on legislation regarding animal issues.
I’d first like to address the proposal before the council to mandate the purchase of dog insurance by renters.
In every town across the nation, where mandated animal laws were adopted, the law never solved the issue it was supposed to resolve. In every case, towns that adopted ordinances such as insurance requirements, mandatory spay neuter and breed specific legislation have never been successful. The problem is that only the responsible pet owners will follow these mandates. The irresponsible ones will ignore them ANYWAY.
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Filed in
Legislation by kerry on Apr 04, 2012. There are comments.
At the last Common Council meeting in Middletown a proposal was made and it appears to have been accepted, to prohibit the feeding of stray or feral cats. This ban on the feeding of feral and stray cats, while on the surface appears to address a problem, will actually cause a MUCH larger problem for cats and animals in Middletown. I am sure that the people proposing this feeding prohibition believe that if people do not feed feral and stray cats that the cats will “move on” and will no longer continue to procreate and reside in the neighborhood.
What the author of this amendment is probably unaware of is that THIS METHOD OF CONTROLLING CAT POPULATIONS HAS NEVER, EVER, WORKED.
The ONLY way to decrease stray and feral populations of cats is by TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return).
I wrote a blog on this very issue some time ago and it is called “Feral Cats – Educating Communities“.
“When cats are removed, rodent populations explode and increase the spreading of disease. Instead of eradicating a colony and killing cats, sterilization would be the most effective and humane method of control. Roger Tabor adds that, “if a colony is neutered and returned to its area it will continue to hold the location and keep other cats out by its presence. The group’s population will gradually decline over a few years.”
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Filed in
Legislation by kerry on Apr 01, 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 »
Filed in
Legislation by kerry on Feb 16, 2012. There are comments.
So all over the nation the no-kill movement is growing and growing and growing. Building momentum. More and more people are getting involved, not accepting the status quo (that they “have to die, there are no other options“), and putting an end to the killing in their neighborhoods. BSL is being fought, kill shelters are frowned upon, TNR is supported and good is conquering evil.
Each day, each week, each month, we hear more and more success stories. We learn more about the good that people are doing and we watch as the “evil-doers” are verbally and legally attacked by their community for their killing. People flooding meetings to standing-room-only status, bringing law suits against their shelters, and standing up for what is right and good. No longer backing down, but fighting to save lives. The “bad” is no longer covered up, but put out there with the press covering it, blogs light up across the internet with “do you believe this?? SIGN THIS PETITION”.
We rejoice that you are no longer tolerating it.
Good for you.
However it still seems that tiny people with small minds and with a wee bit of “power” are out there abusing it and trying to use it to do harm. Old-style shelter directors, animal hating animal control officers, town officials, co-op board members that seem to have nothing better to do than to continue to try to kill animals that their own communities want to protect and save.
On Tuesday we will be going to court to fight just such a situation. Let me tell you about it.
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Filed in
Legislation,
No-kill by kerry on Sep 25, 2011. There are comments.
With only a couple of weeks left in the legislative session, it is urgent for New Yorkers to contact NYS Senator Joseph Robach and urge him to bring the Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act (CAARA) to the Senate floor for a vote. CAARA will save roughly 25,000 animals a year currently being killed in New York State shelters despite qualified rescue groups willing to save their lives at no cost to taxpayers.
CAARA would:
- Make it illegal for shelters to kill animals if qualified rescue groups are willing to save them;
- End “convenience” killing when there are empty cages and when animals can share kennels or be sent to foster care;
- Require pounds to post strays, including photographs and descriptions, on the Internet so their families can search for them online;
- Require transparency in operations by requiring shelters to make their statistics public;
- Require pounds to scan for microchips, maintain lost/found lists, and match lost with found animals in the shelter;
- Require fresh food and water, environmental enrichment, clean living environments, as well as prompt and necessary veterinary care; and,
- Allow shelters to transfer stray animals to rescue groups during the holding period to free up cage space or get vulnerable animals out as soon as possible, subject to the same rights of redemption for the animal’s family.
Senator Robach is a sponsor of CAARA, but he is being opposed by powerful industry groups in his own district. We need to thank Senator Robach for standing up for the animals and urge him to ignore the Naysayers who want to make sure that their power is not upended since they do not represent either his true constituents or the people of New York.
Please telephone or e-mail Senator Robach today: Thank him for sponsoring CAARA and let him know that if he pushes forward, he will be a hero not only to the animals, but also to the many thousands of animal-loving supporters of CAARA, who have written, telephoned, emailed elected officials in Albany to let them know how much we care and want this bill passed as it is currently written.
As always, please be polite and positive.
Telephone: (518) 455-2909
E-mail: robach@nysenate.gov
Filed in
Legislation by kerry on Jun 16, 2011. There are comments.
Oreo’s Law (now CAARA) WILL “die” without your calls and letters!
On Monday or Tuesday, Oreo’s Law (now known as CAARA – Companion Animal Adoption & Rescue Act ) will be voted on by the New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee. But it is not likely to pass without a large showing of community support between now and then. That is because the opposition has been lobbying strongly against the bill once again. We told them last year we would NOT allow this to happen again.
WE NEED YOU NOW.
“Where New York goes, SO GOES THE NATION.”
CAARA would:
- End “convenience” killing when there are empty cages and when animals can share kennels or be sent to foster care
- Require pounds to post strays, including photographs and descriptions, on the Internet so their families can search for them online
- Require transparency in operations by requiring shelters to make their statistics public
- Require pounds to scan for microchips, maintain lost/found lists, and match lost with found animals in the shelter
- Require fresh food and water, environmental enrichment, clean living environments, as well as prompt and necessary veterinary care
If CAARA is defeated, thousands upon thousands of cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, rabbits, and other animals will continue to be needlessly killed in NYS shelters every year—animals CAARA has the power to save.
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Filed in
Legislation by kerry on Jun 03, 2011. There are comments.
Today, marks six weeks since shots rang out in Chesterfield SC, killing as many as 22 dogs, and yet to date no arrests have been made, no criminal charges have been filed and the men accused of these reprehensible acts remain on PAID administrative leave.
Yes. Paid. After viciously murdering animals, they can sit home, basically on vacation, and get paid for it.
Sheriff Sam Parker’s office, which oversees the Chesterfield Shelter, initiated the investigation. So here we have the department that is directly connected with running the operation investigating themselves. Nice, right?
Well, YOU didn’t think so, and thanks to your calls and outrage, Governor Nikki Haley’s office stepped in and asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to takeover. SLED was asked to lead the investigation and turn over their findings to the Attorney General’s (AG) office. Great, right? Welllll, not so fast….read on.
On March 31 when the investigation was “complete” and the findings turned over to the Attorney General for review, it appears almost NONE of the KEY people responsible for calling attention to this were even interviewed!! That includes the volunteer who first unearthed the bodies of these animals, the 4 animal control officers accused of these crimes, the eye witnesses who came forward regarding the abuses they witnessed at the shelter, and none of the evidence of dog fighting was ever examined.
SAY WHAT??
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Filed in
Animal Rescue,
Legislation by kerry on Apr 16, 2011. There are comments.
So we were able to get Oreo’s Law put forth again to the Agricultural Committee (Thank you Micah Kellner).
This is just the first step of getting this bill passed.
Truly none of us felt it would be a problem, initially, to get it through this first committee. It was later we thought we’d have the true battle. But we underestimated the ASPCA – they have done this before, we were neophytes. They recognized that the best way to make sure it never saw the light of day was to influence the first committee to can it…and they did. They didn’t actually shut it down, they were just able to get it “tabled”, which meant that months ago they just all agreed NOT to vote on it until next session.
So in that time, we estimate that 16,629 number of animals have died in New York Shelters as a result.
Well here we are again.
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Filed in
Legislation,
No-kill by kerry on Feb 11, 2011. There are comments.