Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act (CAARA)

From a New York Action Alert by Best Friends Animal Society:

CAARA would set minimum standards that would allow qualified rescue groups to recover animals from a shelter, spca, humane society or pound that are scheduled to be destroyed. Current New York law only allows for individuals to adopt form shelters, which gives the shelters the ability to deny qualified groups access to these pets.

Pets Alive Westchester also alerted me today. (They call CAARA "Oreo's Law").

Note from me: You may recall, there was a dog thrown from a roof in NYC, who ended up surviving but became extremely aggressive. ASPCA had custody of that dog, Oreo, and after a long while and many attempts at rehabilitating her, they felt it was best to euthanize her. I support ASPCA and I trust their decisions (more than the Humane Society of the United States, that's for sure), but I do think it wouldn't have been terrible for Oreo to go to a sanctuary. In rescue/shelter work, you often support groups who sometimes have strongly opposing views.

Back to Pets Alive Westchester's alert...

 WE NEED YOUR HELP!

http://www.petsalive.com/

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.

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. 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. THIS HAS TO STOP!

WITHOUT YOU MAKING THESE CALLS AND SENDING THESE EMAILS - CAARA 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. 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 & email Senator Ritchie & ask her to pass CAARA! ritchie@nysenate.gov 518-455-3438

Please post on your social media sites and ask your friends to do the same. You can find a sample letter here. (Please modify it into your own words). You can also cut and paste the following e-mails to your letter as well.

mageew@assembly.state.ny.us; amedoreg@assembly.state.ny.us; benedettom@assembly.state.ny.us; blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us; bronsonh@assembly.state.ny.us; butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us; crouchc@assembly.state.ny.us; finchg@assembly.state.ny.us; gunthera@assembly.state.ny.us; hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us; liftonb@assembly.state.ny.us; lopezp@assembly.state.ny.us; maisela@assembly.state.ny.us; markeym@assembly.state.ny.us; mcenenyj@assembly.state.ny.us; moyaf@assembly.state.ny.us; reillyr@assembly.state.ny.us; riveraj@assembly.state.ny.us; riverap@assembly.state.ny.us; russella@assembly.state.ny.us; rosenthall@assembly.state.ny.us; avella@nysenate.gov; gallivan@nysenate.gov; shuntley@nysenate.gov; kennedy@nysenate.gov; omara@nysenate.gov; ranz@senate.state.ny.us; ritchie@nysenate.gov; seward@nysenate.gov; valesky@senate.state.ny.us; cyoung@senate.state.ny.us;

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.

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Pets Alive Makes It!

Thanks to your voting, Pets Alive Westchester made it into the Top 50 of ASPCA's Shelter Contest, and now will be eligible for the $100,000 contest. I cannot thank you enough!

More soon...

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Posting will be light for the next few days. I have a conference in Nashville. Looking forward to seeing that city.

In the meantime, I'd be grateful for your vote for Pets Alive Westchester in the ASPCA's contest.  Their city is actually Elmsford, NY and the name is as I've listed it! You can vote once a day from each email you have!

And, this looks like a cool event! As per usual, it is being sponsored by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. 

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Please Vote Once A Day From Now Until April 15th

UPDATE: Pets Alive is # 46!! Keep voting! So important for this shelter to have a shot at the top 50... then they can qualify for the $100K contest! Thanks for your votes!

Help us win $100,000!

We need YOUR vote... NOW!

http://petasalive.com/

go here to vote

100K Challenge!

Pets Alive is participating in the ASPCA $100K Challenge, and your help is needed during the qualifying heat! From April 4th through April 15th, we need our supporters to vote for us every day. I know, I know, every day? Yup...for those 12 days, Pets Alive is asking that you click daily and help us save more lives. It's easy! There's a handy dandy button right up there that will take you to the voting spot, or you can click here:
http://votetosavelives.org/




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Vote For Pets Alive Westchester

CALL TO ACTION!

ASPCA has a $100K contest currently going on, and the very deserving
Pets Alive Westchester is in the running. (I think all shelters are deserving but might as well marshall the forces so one you know can win!)

How it works is you vote for a shelter DAILY and the one with the most votes wins!

In order to make the next round, Pets Alive Westchester (which is currently in spot 55) needs to be in
spot 50. So your daily vote will really make a difference!

This is the shelter that adopted out one-third of its senior pets in one year (is it a no-kill and as such had been essentially warehousing animals), and whose amazing year-end newsletter prompted me to add them to my monthly contribution list. They took over the antiquainted (but lovingly-run) Elmsford Animal Shelter, where I got three of my last four dogs, and have really energized the place. This is exactly the type of place you want to see receive a large grant like this because they will maximize that money for the benefit of many animals.

Here's what you do:

Cast one vote each day to help decide which fifty animal shelters will get to compete in the ASPCA $100K Challenge. Even one vote can make a big difference to your favorite challenge contestant.

You can vote once each day between April 04, 2011 at 9:00AM, Eastern Time and April 15, 2011 at midnight, Eastern Time. We’ll announce the fifty contestants on April 18, 2011.

VOTE NOW!




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Pets Alive, by Guideposts

I posted about this fine group recently.

Guideposts just did a video of them.




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Transport Saturday, Odds and Ends, Two More Great Groups

Transported this moo-moo and six other sweeties Saturday night. They made their way from North Carolina to Maine, to be adopted.  Came out of a high kill shelter.  I brought a friend who didn't want me to drive the two legs of the transport myself but didn't particularly want to go (though she does a ton for shelter dogs).  We left at 5:30pm, and parted at 1:00am with her saying, "so when do we do this again?" Nothing like puppy breath, squeals, and playing to make you feel good! Four of the pups were all black, and I'm glad they will have their lives. So often they are forgotten at the shelters.

I am adding two organizations I have recently become acquainted with. I have given to both, and hope you will consider them.

Pets Alive took over Elmsford Animal Shelter in Westchester, the place where I have adopted three of my last four dogs, including Renaldo the Red. Elmsford was a no-kill shelter that loved the dogs and cats (and other small animals they had) but had trouble moving them out into adoption. They have had some success already! Since April '10, 50 out of 102 senior dogs have been adopted out. That's just one little fact that is stuck in my head.  I am amazed. I will do another post about them, and scan the very nice newsletter that I received in late December, and which caused me to make them one of the groups that gets a monthly contribution. Till them, here's a bit about them from thier home page.  They even have a pet food pantry!

I also recently learned they are starting a sanctuary in Puerto Rico, where some dog abuse has made the news in the last couple of years. Their work is not only much needed, but to this experienced fundraisier's eyes, they are stewarding and using their collected money well. More on this later but here they are in facebook.

Noahs Ark Rescue is another great group. I learned about them recently because they are taking in this dog: (look carefully)

This does is Smiley, who's lip was torn off and who has numerous scars and missing parts due to being used as a bait dog. That she is able to bond with humans is amazing to me. She is showing dog aggression but as long as she's with a large mellow dog she is doing okay. She will likely not be able to be near small animals, but in the right home she will be okay, and in fact, grateful and loving for the rest of her days (with conscientious dog ownership!)

This is good news, especially when you see a dog like Smiley. And this, too!

The group taking her in, Noah's Ark Rescue are, I just learned, miracle workers. They take in the super-difficult cases of abuse and neglect, fully vet the animals (many need amputations), foster and socialize them (or address whatever need they have), and adopt them out to great families.

Right now they are taking care of Emrick, a severly emaciated and neglected American Bull Dog, who is on their home page. Please consider making a gift to his care, and Smiley's. I did just this morning.

Also on their home page is this quote: how true it is!

“No one could make a greater mistake

than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”

Edmund Burke  

Odds and Ends:

Another state is considering making life better for puppy mill dogs, or, as Best Friends Animal Society would have us say, "substandard-kennels that house dogs to be used for volume breeding."  Here's why it's needed.

Not thrilled about this, since he bought a puppy, but it's good he quit smoking.

Heroes come in all shapes. And sizes.

What a great idea!

Many things about my two fourteen pounders make sense after seeing this.

Expensive and maybe not worth it.

Oakland's Bravest.  Little one rescued. Thank you God for both of these!

Ingenuity, though I see many owners soaking wet anyway.

Once again, dogs faithfully doing their duty. Here, too.

God bless this man.

So glad stupidity didn't rule the day in Detroit.

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