On Tuesday, Oreo’s Law will be voted on by the New York State (NYS) 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 Committee Chairman is recommending a “hold,” the equivalent of being tabled, which would mean Oreo’s Law would die in committee, despite the fact that it has legislative cosponsors across the state and supporters outnumber the opposition.
If Oreo’s Law 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 Oreo’s Law has the power to save.
A statewide survey of NYS rescue groups found that over 70% were being turned away because the shelters were hostile to rescue groups, and then those shelters turned around and killed the very animals the rescuers were willing to save. Shelter directors across New York State are arbitrarily turning away qualified rescue groups because they are hostile to rescue and arbitrarily refuse to work with them. We have experienced this time and time again, right here in Orange County, in our own backyard. Time and again we offer to take in animals that other local shelters are about to kill and they turn us away and laugh about it. THIS HAS TO STOP!
WE HAVE MADE IT EASY FOR YOU TO EMAIL ALL THE AG MEMBERS WITH ONE CLICK! Just click this link: http://www.petsalive.com/email/
and it will do everything FOR you.
Why should animals across New York State be killed even though rescue groups have offered to save these animals? Today, those animals are ending up in landfills, when they should be going to rescue groups where they will be cared for at no cost to taxpayers until a permanent and loving home can be found. Oreo’s Law would give NYS shelter animals that future. The law would make it illegal for a shelter to kill an animal if a qualified rescue group is willing to save that animal’s life. Oreo’s Law was written with the assistance of the nation’s top animal lawyers, the nation’s most successful former and current shelter directors, and those who have actually created successful No Kill communities (which neither the ASPCA nor Mayor’s Alliance, Oreo’s Law chief opponents, have been able to do despite hundreds of millions of dollars in combined annual revenues).
It saves lives and it saves money.
And it protects against hoarders, abusers, and dog fighters.
So the animals need you. They need the voice of the people, every day animal lovers, and rescuers to speak for them. They need you to call committee members and urge them to vote "Yes." Because they don’t have anyone else and only an overwhelming show of support can save Oreo’s Law from defeat and the animals from certain death.
WITHOUT YOU MAKING THESE CALLS AND SENDING THESE EMAILS – OREO’S LAW is dead – just like Oreo is today,
even though Pets Alive offered to give her sanctuary.
Tragically, right doesn’t always defeat might. Sometimes the animals don’t win. Sometimes they continue to get killed despite a readily available lifesaving and rescue alternative. Sometimes a feral kitten who a rescue group is willing to socialize and place in a loving home will instead get injected with poison from a bottle marked “fatal plus” and then dumped in a landfill. Sometimes a puppy who can go to rescue and be guaranteed a home will be killed instead. Sometimes a person who kills an abused dog a rescue group was willing to save gets away with murder. For their sake, please do not let this be one of those times. This may be the best chance we have as a generation to make a PURPOSEFUL POSITIVE impact for animals! We can change the world here folks – please. Help. This is critical. Time is of the essence. Don’t think about it – take a few moments to send an email or make a call.
Please call (all the assembly phone numbers can be found here: http://bit.ly/9nC0z2)and e-mail the NYS Assembly Agriculture Committee members today.
WE HAVE MADE IT SUPER EASY FOR YOU TO EMAIL THEM ALL WITH ONE CLICK! Just click this link: http://www.petsalive.com/email/ and it will do everything FOR you.
Because without you, the animals don’t stand a chance.
This is Oreo. She was killed even though Pets Alive offered her sanctuary.
Don’t let this happen to another animals.
Thank you to Nathan Winograd for compiling much of this text.
Filed in
Animal Rescue,
No-kill by kerry on Jun 10, 2010. There are comments.
I know. I know.
Everyone that knows me is shocked. Wait…huh, who is writing this? Is this Kerry?
KERRY IS WRITING A BLOG ABOUT CATS??
Yes. Why, yes I am.
Contrary to what many of you believe I do NOT dislike cats.
I am just more of a huge dog lover, but there are some blackmail pictures of me out there snuggling up with a cat or two. I do NOT dislike cats. And feral cats…I actually REALLY like feral cats. I’m impressed by them. And moved by them. And I like to watch them. I find them mysterious, and entertaining, and independent. I love their disdain for humans (I feel like that many days too!) and I love that they survive almost anything and that they can be seen throughout the winter, and in the heat of summer, and survive not only extreme heat and cold, but floods, and starvation, and injury and illness. I’m so impressed by how they adapt and find a way to survive and live and thrive, how they develop family networks and extended family communities, even though almost all the odds are stacked against them.
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Filed in
No-kill by kerry on May 27, 2010. There are comments.
So over the past week many of my friends, relatives and fellow rescuers, have been sending me a petition to sign.
I warn you that I see and read a lot of “horrible animal stuff” on a regular basis, doing what I do for a living. Reading this one resulted in a lot of grief and tears for me from the imagery it presented. I’m not quick to that reaction anymore. Perhaps I’ve been desensitized or learned coping methods of not letting it in too far. I won’t analyze it, but accept that how I shut a lot of it out is a necessary survival mechanism.
So I read a little of this one and was not able to shut it off and I didn’t finish the read. You can if you like, here is the link: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-the-use-of-gas-chambers-in-north-carolina-pounds.html
For the weak of heart I will summarize.
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Filed in
Legislation by kerry on May 20, 2010. There are comments.
Sanctuary animal updates:
Since our last update on March 22, the following dogs have found homes! Casey, Nugget, Cody, Gus, Tat, Zack, Fuzzy, Aubrey, Rocks, Ty, Sleek, Larry, Sparkles, Trace, Bella, Oreo, Hooper, Gabby, Fuzzy (again), Chase, Buddy, Marley, Madison, McGreggor, Bob, Sophie, Jillian, Spud, Foxy, Petunia, Hawkeye, Natascha, Angus, Dooley, Pluto, Abigail, Jilly, Monkey, Junior, Cindy, Lincoln, Neiko, Hawkeye (again), Badger, Will, Butterball, Gracie, Hansel, Gretel, Gomer, Caramel, One, Daisy, Copper, Benji, Elizabeth2, Byrdie, Sharpey, Ty (again), Cashmere, Earnhardt, Snookie, Trisha, Elizabeth, Larry, Tango, Augie.
We also sent dogs from the West Virginia rescue to other rescues who stepped up and offered to help. We are really grateful to all of them. 21 dogs went to St. Huberts, one dog went to Mountain Rottie Rescue, four to Sullivan County, four to Newburgh Shelter and one to Paws Unlimited. Almost all of those dogs have been placed as well.
The following cats were placed: Oreo (yes, I’m not kidding. OREO!!), Violet, Robert & Bob (who went to MHAA), Fred, Tiki, Tangerine, Mickey, Christie, Chloe, Hermes and Kadji, Summer.
We also adopted out both the donkeys! They went to live on a 700 acre farm with cows and goats (all pets!) and little Peanut has learned to play soccer!
That is almost 115 animals in less than six weeks. Wow. What a long way Pets Alive has come in three years.
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Updates by kerry on May 06, 2010. There are comments.
Gus was a dog we took from another shelter a few months back. We didn’t have any issues with him at the sanctuary and we had a LOT of applications on this really adorable dog, but after being adopted, his new owners returned him the next day advising us he was vicious and very aggressive. Huh? We were shocked. We loved our little Gus and he was the happiest dog we’d ever seen. Always ready to wag his tail and always with a big grin on his face. But any dog returned for aggression raises many red flags. Will this dog become a lifer? Destined to spend his life here because he is unsafe to be placed?
That is the absolute worst possible scenario and something none of us want to see. We immediately put Nancy to work with Gus and he was a charmer. Still. We had to make him a yellow dog, based on what the previous adopters had said and we had to be very careful about adopting him out. I lost a lot of sleep over Gus. The previous shelter was willing to take him back (we had touched base with them to see if there were any issues when he was with them) but they were not a no-kill and we really feared for Gus. And….sigh…we loved him. He came into our arms, into our shelter and we felt responsible for him. He was so young too. Was he really as aggressive as the previous owners had said?
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Filed in
Case Studies by kerry on May 05, 2010. There are comments.
Ah…another Sunday. Here I am on this glorious day, sitting at my picnic table on my back deck. I can hear the birds chirping as I sip my fresh iced tea. I am surrounded by five of my dogs lounging at my feet. Tyson is actually UNDER my chair, looking up at me every so often.
I am, of course, working.
There are still fifteen things on my to-do list, and I am finishing up the first one. Sigh.
Some days are tough. Lately it seems we’ve had a string of some days though. We don’t talk much about the emails we get and the tribulations we go through, but I’d like to give you a taste. Some days are very difficult. The emails never stop. Story after story about dogs, cats, goats, donkeys, turtles, roosters — any animal you can think of pretty much. They are all innocent of course, and we start every day knowing we can’t save all of them and knowing that means death for some of them.
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Why we do this by matt on Apr 14, 2010. There are comments.
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY: http://www.petsalive.com/furball
PLEASE SUPPORT US IN OUR BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR!
WE NEED THIS SUPPORT!
It’s also that time of the year again!
The Annual Pets Alive Spring Yard Sale is just around the corner.
The sale this year will be June 5th and 6th – so make sure to save that date.
Help the animals of Pets Alive by donating items for us to sell.
Suggested items are:
- Household Items
- Children’s Items
- Clothing
- Sporting Equipment
- Knick Knacks
- Pet Related Items
- Holiday Items
- New and Used Items
- Craft Items
- Books
- Movies
- Music
Please note the following:
- Drop off donations any day between the hours of 10-3pm in the kennel lobby.
- Mark your donation(s) as Yard Sale Item(s) labels will be available in the lounge if you need some.
- Please observe the cut-off date for donations: Saturday, May 8th.
- ***For large item donations*** – Please schedule a drop off time with Becky. Email her at becky@petsalive.com. (Guideline for definition of “large item”: if you are not sure, assume it’s large.)
Thank you in advance for what we are sure will be a huge success!
The Yard Sale Divas – Debbie, Debby, Kim, Yvonne and Becky
Filed in
Uncategorized by kerry on Apr 10, 2010. There are comments.
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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Updates by kerry on Mar 22, 2010. There are comments.
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 matt on Mar 22, 2010. There are comments.
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 matt on Mar 03, 2010. There are comments.