Dr. King and Social Change

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I wanted to share some of his words of wisdom regarding social change.  There are many quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which can be applied to the no kill movement.  I will include just a few here.  Please share additional quotes from Dr. King in the comments which you feel are relevant to our work.

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

Just as the Holocaust was legal, so is the abuse and needless killing of pets in our shelters.  This is why we need CAPA passed in every state.

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

There are those who will look the other way, make excuses or outright lie to whitewash the abuse and killing happening at their local shelters.  I call them enablers.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

What is needed in every community where the municipal shelter is killing pets is for someone to stand up and speak out; to have the uncomfortable conversation; to risk becoming the target of a smear campaign.  If not you, it will be no one.

We’ll take a cup of kindness yet

Tomorrow I will be posting an overview of 2011 no kill stories but today I wanted to take a moment to share a few personal highlights from this past year.

• Tracking the Alabama 44 was an ongoing and challenging task and I appreciated all the help I received from readers.  I feel like we helped those dogs, in our own ways, even if it was just to honor their memories.

• Attending the No Kill Conference in D.C. was a great experience and I will always be grateful for the opportunity.  I highly encourage anyone who is able to attend next year’s conference to go for it.

• Saving Mari(o) from MAS was one of the most exhausting and rewarding experiences of the year and it would not have happened without a wide network of support from readers and rescuers.  I am so thankful for everyone who pitched in – whether you stayed up half the night networking for transport or stood by for moral support while the city tried to shoot us down – you are appreciated.

• Bringing Surrey home from a pound in TN was possible because of help from readers.  I probably can’t type too much more than “thank you” without getting a bit sniffly.  I love her.

I feel very lucky to have such wonderful readers and I truly value your company.  I wish all of you a very happy 2012.  Thank you for participating in this blog.

How about you – do you have some personal highlights to share from 2011?

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

A celebration of the human-animal bond with photos and captions submitted by readers.

Here's a doctored picture of Sam and Zachary. - Tammy S.

Bobbie & the Silverwalk Hounds sharing houndsong

My husband blowing bubbles with our Bernese Mountain Dog, Petra. - Sarah

Girl with her beloved Rosie, a Chow mix adopted from MAS in August of 2002. - Claire

Lost Pitbull loves Sue in Malden, MO.

Foster puppy and Dot Kirby, NC. "Freeway" now lives in VA.

Anne and Yvie (the best adopted dog EVAR) at the Walk for Animals in MN.

Kelly and DeSoto Animal Rescue "Ms. Lola Devine"

Philip and Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue "Maximus"

Here are my sweet babies - both were strays that found me. Blondie is standing and Nicky is on the bench beside his Momma. They were the loves of my life and I was so blessed to have them. - Gwen

Here is a photo of me participating in the Valley Funale, a dog sled race here in Two Rivers, Alaska. Four of these dogs were available for adoption at the time the photo was taken. - Lynn

Willow & her "daddy" having together time when he gets off of work. - Nicci

This is a recent picture of me (Angie Huser) and my two dogs, Kayla (black dog) and Orlando. My husband kindly took the photo. Orlando was recently certified a therapy dog a day before in that picture, and Kayla already is a therapy dog. We all reside in Noblesville, Indiana.

Brenda & Noah with Cleco & Chesley on Cadillac Mountain in ME.

Me and Nori the kittie, watching TV together on a winter day in Corvallis, Oregon. - Suzanne

The picture is of my Granddog Lady and my new son-in-law Tony McEntegart. - Tammy G.

Thank you to everyone who sent in photos. This post was a joy to put together. – Shirley

Christmas Shopping

Please share your experiences giving gifts that help shelter pets.  This could include making a donation to a shelter in a gift recipient’s name (please tell us how the recipient was notified of your gift), shopping online via a group’s Amazon button (such as the No Kill Advocacy Center has), buying from a company which donates proceeds to shelters/rescues (like Rescue Chocolate) or any number of other gift ideas.

Help us late shoppers out by sharing your suggestions, experiences, and links.

Pets Alive in NY Partners with Santa to Promote Christmas Adoptions

You know how sometimes there’s an idea that starts out good but then it snowballs into a dirty blob?  For example, it’s a good idea to spread the word about keeping your cats indoors on Halloween.  There are all sorts of comings and goings, kids traipsing around the neighborhood at night and yes – there is a tiny minority of people who are going to do tricks instead of treats and you don’t want your cat to be used in someone’s idea of a prank.  Somehow this good idea got dirty blobbed into “shelters and rescue groups must not adopt out black cats near Halloween because Satanists want to sacrifice them in bloody rituals”.

Another one surrounds the notion that people should be aware of the responsibilities of pet ownership and avoid giving a pet as a Christmas gift to someone who might not want a pet or who might be allergic, or who might be under the impression that it’s fine if they aren’t home for 12 hours a day because a puppy can wait until they get home for a potty break.  This is a good, common sense message to promote.  But over time, this one got dirty blobbed into “shelters and rescue groups must not adopt out pets as Christmas gifts because the only people who would get a pet as a Christmas gift are those who will put him on a chain in the backyard on December 26 and leave him there until the day he dies”.

Any policy which denies a home to a shelter pet based on arbitrary criteria such as “It’s Halloween” or “The pet will be given as a Christmas gift” needs to be dirty blobbed into oblivion.  As long as you are conducting your normal, common sense screening of adopters and asking the appropriate questions in order to ensure a potentially good match, it shouldn’t matter whether it’s a holiday or not.

It’s understandable that shelters and rescues want to avoid so-called impulse adoptions which might not be a good fit.  That’s why the normal screening process of applicants is important – to weed out those negative impulses which by the way, can occur at any time of the year.  It’s good to remember too, as Bonney Brown pointed out in her seminar at the No Kill Conference this year, that people can have positive impulses.  Running into a burning building to save a baby is a positive impulse.

I was glad to see that Pets Alive in NY is offering to make adopting a pet as a Christmas gift easy and fun – in a very responsible way:

If you are a parent and you have already told Santa it is ok for your children to receive a pet this holiday season all you need to do is fill out our application, get approved, come down and select your pet (within a week of the holiday). Pets Alive will tell Santa and we will drive up to your house on Christmas morning, (with the Pets Alive MAGIC BUS) and knock on your door.

DING DONG!
::door opens, little boy looks up. There we stand in Santa hat, with clipboard, big MAGIC BUS behind us::

Us: “Hello, is this the house of Susie and Timmy So-and-So?”

Little Boy: “Yes. This is. I am Timmy So-and-So”.

Us: “Well, Timmy, get your sister, because we have a very special delivery from Santa for the two of you!!”

::We turn, whistle and out of the bus comes Santa’s Elf with Fido!! ::

Us: “Timmy and Susie – Santa asked us to take care of your new dog, Fido. He stopped by Pets Alive so that Fido didn’t sit under the tree in a box all night! He asked us to deliver him to you this morning! Merry Christmas Timmy and Susie from Santa and Pets Alive! ….. and Merry Christmas to YOU , Fido, for you my sweet little furry friend, have finally  found your forever home!”

I love this idea.  Every year some parents are going to give the kids the pet they’ve been asking for as a Christmas gift.  If shelters and rescues refuse to allow adoptions of pets as holiday gifts, they are driving parents to alternate sources to buy the pet – and probably turning them off shelter adoption permanently.  Pets Alive is employing their normal screening practices to ensure a good potential match between pet and family and making it easy for the parent to save a life while giving the kids the present of their dreams.  No pet store salesman or flea market vendor is going to hold your pet for you until Christmas morning and then show up in a Santa hat – but Pets Alive will!

Good on you Pets Alive for thinking outside the box.  I would love to see this idea catch on with other shelters and rescue groups.  Some number of responsible people are going to give pets as Christmas gifts this year.  Refusing to allow adoptions at Christmas will not change that fact but it will deny the pets in your shelter a chance at a good home.  Why not consider each applicant on their individual merits and see if breaking the mold can get more of your pets into homes this holiday season?

 

Photo Call

I’d like to put together a post for Christmas celebrating the human-animal bond in pictures.  If you would like to submit a photo for inclusion, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Photo should feature at least one pet and one human in keeping with the human-animal bond theme.
• Please include a brief caption identifying the pets, people, and what area you are from.  Your caption can be specific (e.g. “Shirley and shelter pet Fluffy in South Carolina”) or vague (“Neighborhood kids with our Pitbull in New England”).  If you prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate that.
• Photo should have no copyright issues – that is, the photo should be taken by you, a family member or someone who isn’t expecting payment for the use of the photo.
• Please e-mail photos to me no later than December 20, 2011.

I hope lots of readers will consider participating.

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone in the States is enjoying the holiday.  This photo was sent in by reader Joan Massey and features 2 of her pets – Jackie and Karma.

It's good to have friends.

Happy Easter

A Shelter Christmas Carol

Sent in by reader Rebecca Barocas:

Away in the Shelter

(sung to Away in the Manger)

Away in a shelter, concrete for a bed,
A little mixed breed dog lay down his sweet head.
He didn’t do nothing to get here they say,
The little mixed breed dog asleep where he lay. 

The shelter is open, the little dog wakes,
Our little mixed breed dog, no whining he makes.
He sits so attentive, as people walk by
And waits for a person who’ll give him a try.

The kennel door opens, someone scoops him up,
He goes down the hallway, he’s a nervous pup.
He’s dropped in the lap of a man with a boy,
The look on their faces is love mixed with joy.

Be near me, my new friend, I ask you to stay,
You will have a soft bed and good food all day.
We will bless the day that you no more will roam,
You’re part of our family, this small dog is home.

Jennie is a small dog, rescued from a kill shelter in NM, currently in a foster home and available for adoption.

Happy Memorial Day

Thank you for your service, one and all.