KINSHIP CIRCLE Animal Disaster Relief Alert

Posted 07/17/2006 


This list is circulated by http://www.KinshipCircle.org.
It contains news, articles of interest, adoptions, donations, etc.

IN THIS ALERT:

IF YOU RECOGNIZE THIS DOG OR WANT TO INQUIRE ABOUT HIM,
CONTACT: PETFINDER’S PUBLIC CONTACT INFORMATION - 803-417-9073  

ChrisBi writes, 7/16: This older guy has real serious eye problems, and came
with an ear infection that MAY have been caused by being in dirty water. He
is listed as a ShihTzu though some folks who have seen picture say he seems
to be a Pekinese mix? He sort of grunts like a goat when he wants something
so that's how come foster named him Grumpy! His best friend is a cat so he
might be used to being around cats. He seems to enjoy living on a farm and
his foster says he's a great dog. She's worried that his family likely
thinks he died! Does he look familiar to anyone?
Chris (SV)tisme@mindspring.com
REPLY TO: by ChrisBi, 7/16/06
http://www.nola.com/forums/animals/index.ssf?initial=true
Message 42563. FOUND ShihTzu/Pekinese - Anyone looking?

SOURCE: http://disaster.petfinder.com/emergency/rescue/reportDetail.cgi?id=13441
http://www.nola.com/forums/animals/index.ssf?initial=true

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7. Reminder: Big Fix Rig Trucking Spay/Neuter To South LA

In each location, surgery will be available to:
* Cats in hurricane-impacted households
* Cats in low-income households
* Adoptable cats in shelters and foster homes
* Feral and free-roaming cats
* In some locations, adoptable puppies may also receive surgery.

How long will it be here and where will it go?
The Big Fix Rig will begin providing services in Louisiana in July, and will
remain in Louisiana for several months, with an occasional trip or two back
to Mississippi, where the Rig's travels are directed by the capable folks at
Spay and Neuter (SPAN) Mississippi. While In Louisiana, the Rig will visit
areas that were most impacted by the 2005 hurricane season. Surgeries at
this location are open to cats from all surrounding areas. From there the
Rig will move west into Orleans Parish.

MAP: http://spaylouisiana.org/bigfixrig.html
SCHEDULE: http://spaylouisiana.org/bigfixrig-schedule.html

SOURCE: http://spaylouisiana.org/bigfixrig.html  

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8. “Question The LASPCA” Sparks Heated Feedback
ORIGINAL SOURCE: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/179533354.html

After Kinship Circle included the CraigsList post, “Question The LASPCA” in
its last Disaster Rescue report, we received feedback from hostile to
explanatory. Below is the original CraigsList post and responses:

ORIGINAL POST: Reply to comm-179533354@craigslist.org - What exactly is
LASPCA doing with nearly $10 million they received after Katrina? They're
not running a clinic, they're not running the mobile spay/neuter unit, and
they're not doing TNR on feral cats. They ARE going around town trapping
feral cats (even ones who’ve already been altered) and picking them up. They
claim to be releasing them, but one could only hope.

Call them. Ask them what they are doing to help the city, other than
euthanize the animals they are picking up. Hold them accountable for
accepting the donated Katrina money. Let's make them do something productive
for the animals in our community. LASPCA  504-368-5191

RESPONSE: Pam Leavy, tundraleap@msn.com, 7/9 - In regard to [Question
The LASPCA], I did ask Laura Maloney of the LASPCA the question below.

Laura's reply: It’s frustrating when people jump to conclusions, but it’s an
easy question to answer.

Our facility, New Orleans only animal shelter that housed 400 animals a day
and received nearly 1,000 animals a month, was destroyed in Katrina.
Consequently, while planning a new permanent facility, we are operating out
of a warehouse with no drainage, but the same expectations of staff to
provide outstanding service to the animals we care for.

We’re a $3 million a year operation and most of our donors are displaced and
dealing with their own challenges. Operating a shelter is expensive with
many fixed costs. Our monthly lease is $16,700 (which is shockingly a
“reasonable” rate according to realtors) and we spend $23,000 every other
month on puppy pads that capture urine. We clean completely by hand since we
cannot use hoses and water to clean as we would normally.

Because everything was destroyed, we had to buy cages, kennels, all new
equipment, fencing, computers, and all supplies needed to make a shelter
function at an acceptable level. The kennels alone were $400,000 and the
installation $80,000!!

We have a veterinary clinic for shelter animals and do all surgery, etc.,
on-site. We treat incoming animals for illnesses and hold animals for as
long as they are healthy. We’ve had some animals here for many months; many
puppies have sadly grown up here but they seem to be doing ok.

We have 3 dog exercise yards and separate rooms for cats to reduce stress.
We enjoy a terrific volunteer program where people come in to play and
exercise the animals. We also have a rehab tent and spend a lot of time
working with dogs that are traumatized. We have a trainer on staff to work
with individual dogs and evaluate each to determine things such as
compatibility with other dogs/cats, exercise needs, etc., so that the right
match is made with a new adopter. We are working toward fully implementing
“Meet Your Match,” but we’re only half way there.

To the surprise of many, we have 45 people on staff doing everything from
education programs to cleaning kennels to working the street to recruiting
volunteers and counseling potential adopters. We are a full-service humane
society PLUS animal control.

$5 million of the funds raised are going to the new shelter; we still have
at least $10 million to fundraise for our new “campus” which will feature an
animal control facility, adoption/education center, low-cost vet clinic,
exercise yards, and hopefully and agility arena. New shelters average
between $200 - $225 per square foot to build. We’re moving into Phase I
(animal control building) on January 1. The cost is $6.8 million for that
building excluding the land purchase cost of nearly $1 million.

Regarding s/n programs, we just partnered with Ally Cat Allies on Feline
Frenzy, a free spay/neuter drive for outdoor cats in the greater New Orleans
area. Over 1,100 cats were sterilized. Our mobile s/n center was used for
the surgeries done on our site. Later this month, we are hosting the Big Fix
Rig, a 55’ mobile spay/neuter center, in a partnership with SpayLouisiana.

Our shelter vet will also s/n feral cats that are being cared for by colony
caretakers (which are few these days). We will soon be launching a s/n
voucher program where New Orleanians can have their dog fixed for $20 and
cat for $10 in partnership with a local participating veterinarian. We pay
the local vet for their services. This program has been slow in getting off
the ground because it’s been tough to find veterinarians who can do it!!

It takes tremendous financial support to operate a shelter like the LA/SPCA.
Shelter experts around the country consider the LA/SPCA a leading humane
organization due to our “best practice” standards and programs. You can
compare the LA/SPCA to other shelters in the country and will see that our
programs are progressive and extensive despite the fact that we are
operating in crisis-mode everyday. The LA/SPCA is truly doing incredible
work despite the critic’s nay saying which gets very old.
  
Hope that helps answer the question!

Laura Maloney, Executive Director, LA-SPCA
701 Thayer St.; New Orleans, LA 70114
504-368-5191 ext 200, Laura@la-spca.org
http://www.la-spca.org/

RESPONSE: Chris Daigle, cjdaigle@excite.com, 7/10 - PLEASE REFRAIN FROM
FORWARDING MESSAGES LEVELING UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS AGAINST THE LA-SPCA. I
am a volunteer at the SPCA as well as having helped out with time and money
ARNO. It is very distressing you have your organization forwarding and
promoting this type of false information about the SPCA. you may not like
all that they do and especially their policy of euthanizing animals but that
is no reason to bash them unfairly.

I have seen this animosity towards the SPCA from animal organizations that
have come in after the storm. You should stop this type of activity or  you
should set up a shelter in the NO that accepts all animals that are brought
in as the SPCA does. There is not one no kill organization operating in this
area that will accept all animals brought to it in the summer. NONE. We
should be working together not sniping at each other.

RESPONSE: kinshipcircle@brick.net, 7/10 - Kinship Circle reports news,
inquiries, rescue requests and needs. We neither present nor publish ANY
BIAS toward animal protection, animal welfare, or animal rights groups and
have refrained from doing so since we began information alerts in September,
2005 after Katrina struck. However, please feel free to express your valid
feelings to the author of “Question The LASPCA” at:
comm-179533354@craigslist.org
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/179533354.html
Thanks, Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle

RESPONSE: Brian F. LeBourgeois, bfl@llbconsult.com, 7/10 - I forwarded the
question posed above to Laura Maloney because I thought it was worthy of a
response to the animal welfare community. I too was interested in how much
the LASPCA received and what their plans were for the funds. After all I had
read that Americans donated approximately $20 million to HSUS, Noah's Wish
received $6.5 Million and Pet Smart received $3.5 million  
( http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/05/katrina/3453906.html ).  I
think all donors want to know that their donations are not being wasted in
FEMA like spending.
 
I also would also like to see the large animal charities publicly disclose
what they did with their donations and circulate these figures, not because
I fear abuse or misuse, but because I think these groups can show the good
work that they did with the donations. Simultaneously this will call
attention to the fact that more work is needed.

For the record and in my opinion (for what little that is worth) the GNO
area is lucky to have Laura Maloney running the LASPCA instead of some
friend of a politician as has been the case all too often in this state. She
cares about her duties and doing the right thing. We may not always agree
with the actions and decisions she makes, but she has a hard and thankless
job. One that I think few of us would want to perform on a daily basis.

As for animals being euthanized there are definitely too many being
destroyed senselessly; every parish in the whole state has a record on
animal destruction that would make a NAZI death camp commander proud.
However, the fix to this problem lies with changing pet owners behavior and
an aggressive spay and neuter campaign.
 
Among other things Laura has been a frequent and vocal advocate to end
animal abuse in the form of illegal dog fighting. Remember the cases
involving the Boudreaux Clan  ( www.hsus.org )
and Darren P Williams ( www.pet-abuse.com )?
These arrests would not have occurred except for the direct involvement of
the LASPCA staff including Laura. I would also point out that prosecution in
these cases would not have occurred without the intervention of the Kinship
Circle members. This is Louisiana after all; a state where 2 chickens
fighting to the death is considered a legal "sport."

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9. UPDATE: Abused Shih Tzu Finds Forever Home
SOURCE: Deanna Theis, SAF

Deanna Theis writes 7/8: The abused Shih Tzu was
brought into SAF by the woman who rescued him. We gave him the works
(vaccines, de-wormed, neutered, & microchipped). He's a wonderful dog. He
was adopted yesterday by an amazing family who will spoil him rotten.
They're taking him for a much needed groom this weekend. I heard from the
new family today, and the "mom" couldn't say enough good things about him.
You could say he hit the jackpot... Deanna/SAF

Original Post: Abused Black/White Shih Tzu Needs Home
Reply to: comm-178557303@craigslist.org  *  Date: 2006-07-05
I found this dog other day who was being abused by a gas station attendant.
The owner of the station kicked the dog several times and said he would
probably shoot him by the end of the day if it didn't leave the area. I
brought him home with me because I was afraid the dog would run out on the
highway and get killed. The dog has a red collar with no tag. He is a male
black/white Shih-Tzu. The dog is extremely friendly, very playful, loves to
sit on your lap and is obviously an inside dog in need of TLC. I've posted
signs, called nearby Vets and done everything I possibly can to find it's
owner. Unfortunately, I can't keep the dog. Please let me know if you would
like to give him a home or if you know someone who might want him. Thanks.
If you would like a picture, pleas email me and I will reply. 504-582-3819.
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/178557303.html

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10. If I Leave, They Leave –
Not So Simple For Some Evacuees
SOURCE: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/181844454.html
Looking for Lost pets of Katrina / 2006-07-14
REPLY TO: comm-181844454@craigslist.org
For all the rescues that took our pets out of our yards, out of our houses,
and off our streets, we thank you....BUT can you please tell us where our
pets are NOW. Our pets are our children, and we miss them very much, and we
would like them to be able to come back too the families who love
Them....Please tell us where our pets are?????????????? 181844454

SOURCE: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/181985766.html
Re: Looking for lost pets of Katrina / 2006-07-14
REPLY TO: comm-181985766@craigslist.org
If your pets are your "children", then why did you leave them in your yard,
in your homes with a category 5 hurricane headed straight for us????? Would
you leave your real children, who couldn't take care of themselves, to that
same fate? Let the rescued pets, the ones that were lucky enough to survive
being left behind, live their lives in their new homes. If you want to be a
responsible pet owner now, then go adopt from your local shelter and save a
life. That would be a great way to honor your pet that possibly died in the
aftermath of Katrina. Save a life from LA SPCA, Jefferson Parish SPCA,
Terrebonne Parish SPCA... 181985766

SOURCE: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/182085189.html
Evaucating without your pets / 2006-07-15
REPLY TO: comm-182085189@craigslist.org
Most people didn’t want to evacuate because they didn't want to leave their
pets. However, in the weeks following Katrina the National Guard forced
people to leave their homes AND pets, sometimes at gun-point. PBS has done a
documentary about this, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/katrina/ . When the
media states residents were "forced" to leave their pets behind, they mean
that literally.

As for the people who evacuated without their pets prior to Aug. 29: when
you have lived in New Orleans all your life you get more than a little jaded
about hurricanes and evacuating. Of the 28 years I lived there, I went
through at least 20 "serious" hurricane warnings, and only 2 actually hit
us. So it's just not worth evacuating and usually no one does. My mom is 73
and NEVER evacuated because she wouldn't leave her dogs. We were in the
Uptown area for Betsy and Camille. However, with Katrina there was a
*mandatory* evacuation and people were told not to bring their pets. I can
say from my own experience that everyone thought they'd be back home in a
day or two, with maybe some wind damage but probably nothing more than a
yard to clean up. Every one of the people who left their pet felt absolutely
sure they were leaving them in a safe place with plenty of food and water
for a few days. There was no reason to think it could ever be more than a
few days. Had the levees not broken, they would have been right. And there
was no way to foresee that the levees would break.

Would we leave our "real" children? Well, no. But we also wouldn't leave our
real children to go to work, shopping or out to a movie. A reasonable and
sane approach to being responsible for one's pets is to ensure their safety
and well-being. The pet owners who were forced to evacuate tried to do that.

One good thing that came out of this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/22/politics/main1644260.shtml
http://noanimalleftbehind.blogspot.com/2006/04/pet-evacuation-bill-senate-bill-607.html
Peace, Tanya C.

SOURCE: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/182485185.html
Re: Evacuating without your pets / 2006-07-15
REPLY TO: comm-182485185@craigslist.org
Everyone is well aware some people were forced to leave without their pets.
I cannot imagine what that was like, but I can assure you that was the
exception, not the rule. Many people did not evacuate, based on the history
of storms over the last several years. It wasn't until things got really bad
during Katrina, that people wanted to leave, and at that point it was too
late. I'm not saying how the rescue effort was handled by the authorities
was right. However, their priority was the human factor.

I've lived here for 14 years, and have evacuated numerous times. I evacuated
for Katrina with 6 cats and 4 dogs, by myself. I also know that in those 14
years, the "big one" has been preached about over and over. There was no
reason to think you wouldn't be back in a couple of days??? Ever hear of the
New Orleans "fish bowl" theory??? So many people thought it was going to be
the same old thing. This will be a lesson learned.

It's about accepting responsiblity for your pets. If it's serious enough for
you to evacuate the city, then what makes one think it would be safe enough
for your pets to stay behind without you? Using the excuse of "it's what
we've done for years, and we thought we'd be back in a couple of days" is
getting really old. Again, if you thought you'd be back, and it wasn't that
serious, why did you even leave in the first place?

It's about having a plan for yourself and your pets, and not expecting
someone else to take care of it. If you have a pet, you need to have a plan.
Once again, hurricane season is nothing new to this area. No one can predict
exactly what a storm will do, or how the area will hold up after a storm.
It's better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately, a lot of people willingly
left their animals to deal with the sorry part.

Instead of people being so critical about how the thousands of animal
rescuers handled the massive rescue effort (unlike anything our country has
ever seen), it would be nice to see a little more gratitude towards them.
Many gave up weeks and months of their own lives to save the lives of the
suffering animals that were left behind. A responsible pet owner would
ensure their pets' safety and well-being by having an evacuation plan that
included their pet...

SOURCE: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/182578911.html
Re: Evacuating without your pets / 2006-07-16
REPLY TO: comm-182578911@craigslist.org
Everyone in this situation cannot be painted with the same brush. I stayed
in New Orleans until Sept. 9 BECAUSE OF MY ANIMALS. When I finally
evacuated, I was promised I could keep my pets with me. All were contained.
6 blocks from my house, I was FORCED to give up my animals to the SPCA. The
only reasons I evacuated were 1) one cat was vomiting every few hours and 2)
I was dehydrated and having chest pains. Although I was promised I'd go to
Gonzales with my pets, I was sent to Illinois where I grieved and wanted to
die for almost 2 weeks.

An internet friend of mine retrieved my dogs from Lamar Dixon, but my cats
had already been shipped to San Francisco.

I'm grateful for the efforts and concerns of animal rescue volunteers who
came to New Orleans from all over the country to help our babies. I've even
decorated the spray painted sign on my house (even though my animals left
with me) by HSUS volunteers.

Every pet owner's situation was different. We were NOT allowed to take our
animals in most cases. That's why a lot of people died--they couldn't take
their babies with them and wouldn't leave them behind.

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11. Grief
SOURCE: Capt. Ron, the Alliance

The following is sent to members of Pet Owners Alliance in Florida, when
grieving over a loss.

After the loss of a much loved pet, our feelings usually progress through several
stages. Recognizing them can help us cope with the grief.
          
1. DENIAL: This is the initial response of many pet owners when they are
confronted with a pet's terminal condition or sudden death. The rejection
seems to be the minds buffer against an emotional blow. We don't want to
accept the truth. There must be a mistake, etc.

2. A BARGAIN WITH GOD: The hope that a pet could recover can foster a
reaction like "if Rover recovers, I'll spend more time with him; or, I'll
never leave him in a kennel again.”  

3. ANGER: Anger can be obvious as in hostility or aggression, or turned
inward emerging as guilt. The first target is usually the Vet. "What
happened ?, I thought you had everything under control. Why didn`t you do
something sooner ?". Then comes the guilt; "If only I hadn't left the dog
alone.  If only I had gone to the Vet earlier ". The list of "If only"
regrets can be endless.  

4. GRIEF: This is the stage of true sadness. The pet is gone, along with the
guilt and anger, and only an emptiness remains. A lack of support from
family and friends prolongs the grief stage and it may be wise to seek the
help of a counselor or support group. Remember that other pet owners have
strong feelings similar to yours and that you are not alone. Alliance
members that I have tried to console over the phone usually start to cry and
then immediately apologize for it. Crying is okay. In fact, crying is good.
When I lost my friend `Toma' in 1991, I cried, then I cried, and then I
cried some more.  

THE FINAL STAGE: Resolution All things come to an end - even grieving. As
time passes, the distress goes away as you remember the good times and not
the pet`s death. More often than not, the answer lies in a new companion
animal to fill the emptiness. Do not act too quickly however or you will be
comparing personalities and that's not fair to your new pet. You will   
never   be able to replace what you had with your old friend. The following
sympathy card was sent to me after the death of my Toma. I hope it helps you
as much as it did me.

----------------------------------------------------------------  

A Death in the Family
Remember me always, but do not grieve for me too long.
I have tried always to comfort you in times of sorrow, and have made every
effort to add joy to your life.
I never wanted to cause you pain.
Peace for me is certain now, and I suspect I will have eternal sleep in the
earth I have loved so well.
Please, after your period of grieving for me, make room in your heart for another.
You are the kind of human being that should always have a friend like me to love.
Your kind and gentle heart should not be wasted on my memory for too long.
Give your love to another.
I know your new friend will never take my place, because we had something very special.
It may not be quite the same, but a new devoted and loving companion will in
time, become special in their own way.
You loved me very much and I loved you.
My spirit will always be with you, and no matter how deep my sleep, my
grateful tail will always be wagging for you.
(Unknown)