It was with tremendous relief that I heard from Oreo the man responsible for the gutting of the that pathetic animal has been charged. I went on line to the RGJ Mostly Dogs blog and read the details they are releasing to the public. From the many bizzare stories I've heard from prisoners, it sounded like Methamphetamine to me. But, I am not here to make suppositions. I am more interested in the back of the story. The dog was a spayed female pitbull mix, most street people don't get their animals altered, so the dog was probably adopted pre-spayed from the releasing agency. Had to come at some point from NHS or SPCA, both No Kill and both in desperate need of homes. The original owner went to jail on another set of cruelty charges, and the dog ended up in WCRAS. My experienced guess would be the dog may have been in protective custody. The SPCA pulled the dog and the ( incarcerated ) owner's boyfriend came to claim it. According to the killer, he had "bonded" with the dog and wanted to care for it.. The dog's favorite pastime was running up and down the railroad tracks.
The RGJ would like to shift the focus on the drug addict who killed the dog, the real focus belongs on the releasing agencies. A few months ago a man was stopped by a passer by, for beating his pitbull with a club. He explained he had adopted the dog two months earlier from NHS and it wasn't obedient. The man had a string of drug convictions, and lived in a motel. Where are the home checks ? Homeless people were being given pets, and still are in some cases. How are all these pitbulls ending up on the balconies of of 5th rate motels ?
The answer is No Kill. It happened in Rancho Cucamonga, it happened in Pennsylvania, and it is happening in Reno, Nevada. The reason it's not happening in more places is because there are shelters with strong adoption policies that protect the animals and the public. The No Kill demand for relaxing adoption requirements and releasing questionable pets is affecting the public in a very dangerous way for the human and animal citizens.
The problem doesn't lie with the crazy people on the streets; it lies with the crazy people who set the adoption standards so low.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Christmas Adoptions And Other Bad Ideas...
We don't promote pet store purchases, but we don't deny anybodys right to choice either. Nobody should be made to feel guilty because they don't want a maladjusted 65 pound pitbull for Christmas. We don't think pets are appropriate Christmas gifts unless.......well we just don't !
It's a frantic time of year, the house is filled with people and things that are only going to interfere with the dogs ability to adapt. Most definately a shelter dog should not be introduced during the melee. Anyone who has ever worked with dogs knows that a frightened dog is a danger to those nearby, and Christmas with all it's drop-ins and noisy glitter is not the time to be bringing in a dog who probably spent their entire life in the backyard. Not to say there are not some dogs that come into the shelter from loving homes who just lost everything; but the shelter envirionment is condusive to rapid decline in mental stability. Nothing rattles Ol' Oreo, and Burley has the same viewpoint, but the little new girl had a different life experience. She is a rehomed dog who had been treated well but not socialized ; and we believe, may have worked her way into the backyard with her rowdiness. She did fearful barking at everything.
At 5 month's old, when we got her, she had not done Halloween or Christmas, and those holidays are only learned through experience. We brought her home in June, thus we had a few months of working with her before trees started sprouting from her living room floor. Even with tons of exposure she had a few issues with those blow up things in people front yard. She didn't like them and she let the world know.
We prefer the imersion method of training, Oreo has always felt a dog trained in the basement would perform well, in the basement, and that is not what most of us want. The problem with the Christmas surprise" feel good, look at me" adoption is; there is no way in hell to get the dog balanced enough to do that. On her first Halloween, I walked Priss for hours past hissing twirling witches and goblins, until they became part of her background, like the web, just another troll...By her first Christmas she was leveling out from what she learned at Halloween, and the singing Santa's didn't put her on the ceiling. It is unfair to take a dog from one frightening situation into another, unless you have the time to devote to helping it heal and balance out. Most people do not have that at Christmas.
As far as all the emotional appeals from the agencies pushing the dogs, guess what ? Dogs don't recognize Christmas....nope even if Bitsy gets a Christmas Stocking, she won't thank Santa.
Pictured is Oreo, trying to regain lost dignity....
Saturday, December 18, 2010
We Have Been Busy.
The steady stream of unwanted and unloved continue to flow daily into the shelters, human and animal.. Yes I have gone back to helping at Sally's. I had promised my wife I really was retired, but volunteers are in short supply. The children and the animals are most tragic, they are caught in a web not of their own making.
Sometimes it feels we should build them a shuttle from Sac to Reno, back and forth . Snow in Reno, so they will come down here and then migrate back up there to panhandle & prostitue.
C'mon Chap, I say to myself, where are you going with this ? Hard to write stuff, from one of my collegues in Reno. He oversees the Tent City on a rotation basis. Recently NHS had a big thing about getting food for the homeless peoples pets, took a mobile vaccination clinic, they thought they had found a whold new market for their unadoptables. Anyone could see the trouble brewing there, except the Nevada Humane Society.
About 3 days after one of the larger campaigns to get their name in the paper, the City of Reno swooped in with an ordinance banning pets at Tent City. According to my friend there had been an incident a fews weeks prior that had ended up with a man stabbing his girlfriends pitbull to death during a domestic dispute. He doesn't know if Animal Control was called, but nothing was done. It left a bad taste in the mouths of the social workers, but the homeless took it in stride and went on. What was to follow was horrific. In a separate unrelated incident a man high on narcotics decided his sleeping dog had something hidden in her stomach. He sliced the poor thing from vulva to throat and entrails were everywhere. Animal Control said it was a police issue. I think it's animal cruelty on more than one count. Putting these dogs in these dangerous living conditions is inhumane, don't kid yourself. On many occasions while working at the 4th street shelter store a homeless person would try to tie a dog up out front. When asked where they got the dog it was always given to them by the Humane Society in a free promotion. They were promised food and free shots. Pets make great begging tools and are conversation starters. I had observed many of the pets were very old and small. I think maybe the owners brought them into be put to sleep, and because that would ruin their numbers, they gave them away instead to live with the bums by the river.
We have our animal abuse down here, it's everywhere, but giving animals to homeless people is not done here and should not be permitted anywhere...
Remember the reason for the Season, our Savior, Christ the Lord,
Chap
Sometimes it feels we should build them a shuttle from Sac to Reno, back and forth . Snow in Reno, so they will come down here and then migrate back up there to panhandle & prostitue.
C'mon Chap, I say to myself, where are you going with this ? Hard to write stuff, from one of my collegues in Reno. He oversees the Tent City on a rotation basis. Recently NHS had a big thing about getting food for the homeless peoples pets, took a mobile vaccination clinic, they thought they had found a whold new market for their unadoptables. Anyone could see the trouble brewing there, except the Nevada Humane Society.
About 3 days after one of the larger campaigns to get their name in the paper, the City of Reno swooped in with an ordinance banning pets at Tent City. According to my friend there had been an incident a fews weeks prior that had ended up with a man stabbing his girlfriends pitbull to death during a domestic dispute. He doesn't know if Animal Control was called, but nothing was done. It left a bad taste in the mouths of the social workers, but the homeless took it in stride and went on. What was to follow was horrific. In a separate unrelated incident a man high on narcotics decided his sleeping dog had something hidden in her stomach. He sliced the poor thing from vulva to throat and entrails were everywhere. Animal Control said it was a police issue. I think it's animal cruelty on more than one count. Putting these dogs in these dangerous living conditions is inhumane, don't kid yourself. On many occasions while working at the 4th street shelter store a homeless person would try to tie a dog up out front. When asked where they got the dog it was always given to them by the Humane Society in a free promotion. They were promised food and free shots. Pets make great begging tools and are conversation starters. I had observed many of the pets were very old and small. I think maybe the owners brought them into be put to sleep, and because that would ruin their numbers, they gave them away instead to live with the bums by the river.
We have our animal abuse down here, it's everywhere, but giving animals to homeless people is not done here and should not be permitted anywhere...
Remember the reason for the Season, our Savior, Christ the Lord,
Chap
Monday, December 6, 2010
A Letter From Sgt. Doggett. ...
Hello kids. I'm your friendly neighborhood Animal Control Officer, and I'd like to officially tell you all to bite my butt. Before I ride off into the sunset, however, here are some parting words... To all the "citizen taxpayers" who ask me if I don't have something better to do than giving them a ticket for no license/dog off leash/being a "micro-manager". The answer is no. No, I have nothing better than to take my precious time and taxpayer dollars to write you a COMPLETELY LAME ticket for not doing what was your responsibility to do in the first place. I love nothing more than babysitting grown adults who seem incapable of wiping their own butt without law enforcement present. Thanks for asking.
There is no such thing as "No Kill". I hate to burst your collective bubble, but when you call and ask if our shelter is "no kill", don't treat me like a kitten murderer when I tell you NO. There are simply not enough resources or homes available to find every pet a home and that is NOT MY FAULT. Quite simply, there is no "dog whisperer" in the world who can save your eight year old Rottweiler that spent his entire life chained to a tree in your backyard. Sorry, buster - but this one's on you. And the places that claim to be "No Kill"? They simply send the unplaceable pets across the street to Animal Control who do the killing for them. WAKE. UP. You know what's fun? Being told that I must "really hate dogs" because I'm an Animal Control Officer. Yes'sir. I put up with cretins like you, the abysmally low pay, and this fabulously flattering uniform just so I can take all my bitterness out on your dog. That's also why I foster animals, paying for their care out of my own pocket and using u p my precious little free time to do it. Yeah, that's it. Now how's about you shut your mouth and put a leash on your dog you , so I don't have to peel him off the street later. LEASHES, PEOPLE. They're not just for the "bad dogs". Quite frankly, dogs are carnivores - predators, if you will. When they see something furry and running fast, like a squirrel or a cat - they tend to chase after it. Next thing you know, I'm scooping up Scooby with a plastic bag...not fun. Or, how about the person who does not in fact, like dogs and has to be accosted by your poochie when they walk down the street? Or, what about the dog aggressive dog being walked safely and in control on a leash until your unleashed dog comes up and just wants to say "hi"? Dog fights are pretty ugly, and NO ONE seems to anticipate them until it's too late. So don't cry and moan when I give you a verbal warning for having your dog off leash...because that leads me to... write the ticket, partner ! Yep, your mouth will write you a ticket. Oh yeah, no kidding. I hate writing tickets. They're a pain in the butt. I have to deal with your melt down, then I have to go back to the office and write a report about it. Next, I have to show up in court because you want to contest the ticket, even though 60% of the time YOU NEVER SHOW UP !. So, the deal is this - if you're nice and not eggregiously breaking the law, I'm probably just going to warn you and then go about my day. As soon as you break out the lip however, I'm breaking out the ticket book. Press hard, there's four copies.In conclusion. I quit! Actually, you irresponsible " citizen taxpayer , who pay my salary " broke me a while back and it's been months of therapy before I could write this little missive. I still shudder when I see a pair of testicles on a dog though, so watch out.
Nate
There is no such thing as "No Kill". I hate to burst your collective bubble, but when you call and ask if our shelter is "no kill", don't treat me like a kitten murderer when I tell you NO. There are simply not enough resources or homes available to find every pet a home and that is NOT MY FAULT. Quite simply, there is no "dog whisperer" in the world who can save your eight year old Rottweiler that spent his entire life chained to a tree in your backyard. Sorry, buster - but this one's on you. And the places that claim to be "No Kill"? They simply send the unplaceable pets across the street to Animal Control who do the killing for them. WAKE. UP. You know what's fun? Being told that I must "really hate dogs" because I'm an Animal Control Officer. Yes'sir. I put up with cretins like you, the abysmally low pay, and this fabulously flattering uniform just so I can take all my bitterness out on your dog. That's also why I foster animals, paying for their care out of my own pocket and using u p my precious little free time to do it. Yeah, that's it. Now how's about you shut your mouth and put a leash on your dog you , so I don't have to peel him off the street later. LEASHES, PEOPLE. They're not just for the "bad dogs". Quite frankly, dogs are carnivores - predators, if you will. When they see something furry and running fast, like a squirrel or a cat - they tend to chase after it. Next thing you know, I'm scooping up Scooby with a plastic bag...not fun. Or, how about the person who does not in fact, like dogs and has to be accosted by your poochie when they walk down the street? Or, what about the dog aggressive dog being walked safely and in control on a leash until your unleashed dog comes up and just wants to say "hi"? Dog fights are pretty ugly, and NO ONE seems to anticipate them until it's too late. So don't cry and moan when I give you a verbal warning for having your dog off leash...because that leads me to... write the ticket, partner ! Yep, your mouth will write you a ticket. Oh yeah, no kidding. I hate writing tickets. They're a pain in the butt. I have to deal with your melt down, then I have to go back to the office and write a report about it. Next, I have to show up in court because you want to contest the ticket, even though 60% of the time YOU NEVER SHOW UP !. So, the deal is this - if you're nice and not eggregiously breaking the law, I'm probably just going to warn you and then go about my day. As soon as you break out the lip however, I'm breaking out the ticket book. Press hard, there's four copies.In conclusion. I quit! Actually, you irresponsible " citizen taxpayer , who pay my salary " broke me a while back and it's been months of therapy before I could write this little missive. I still shudder when I see a pair of testicles on a dog though, so watch out.
Nate
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thanksgiving Greetings From Oreo's Place !
Happy Thanksgiving !
Our family will be serving at the 9th street shelter and look forward to meeting new friends. I don't expect any time to write between now and then, and wanted to wish all my readers a blessed Thanksgiving. At the shelter we are preparing for the the sad tide that always return between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's not a solid reason for the influx but it happens regularly. My thoughts would be the added stress of the upcoming holiday season and lack of patience.
We have had a large number of hits from the south Florida group and hope you will comment on the recent seminar . It looked like a small turnout, perhaps 100 people, Do continue to visit our blog and others that decimate the truth. I diagree with some of the flaming that goes on at the news story level. I have learned that the loudest and most offensive are the least informed. Of course some are trolls who like any parasite, come to feed but may stay to learn. I received a wonderful email from a person who was at the Indianapolis Shelter under Doug Rae, and witnessed the carnage there, and I read on another blog that two of the midwestern no kill shelters have started to turn away owner surrenders.
It is usually after animal lovers have lived through the tragedy that they contact us. Where are these animals to go? For readers who have not stumpled upon Gretthevetretired, I recomend it strongly. It's comprised solely of actual websites that show the intake policy of the supposed no kill shelter. Pushing animals off on another shelter is not creating a no kill community. That is transfering the problem.
This time last year I was part of the problem, placing animals hastily out the door, one promotion at a time, two weeks later they were right back. As much as I want to see these creatures find a home, this is not a good time of year to adopt without a strong strategy in place. These are not your parents shelterdogs, they are very different from the dogs of my youth.It is only fair to adopt them understanding the care and time they will take.
ps. to the reader with the question on webpage privacy, when anyone clicks on this site, the IP number and information appears in a small box on my monitor. It's never sold, strictly a protection mode for those of us who are doing our best to help animals.
Christ's love to you,
Chap
We have had a large number of hits from the south Florida group and hope you will comment on the recent seminar . It looked like a small turnout, perhaps 100 people, Do continue to visit our blog and others that decimate the truth. I diagree with some of the flaming that goes on at the news story level. I have learned that the loudest and most offensive are the least informed. Of course some are trolls who like any parasite, come to feed but may stay to learn. I received a wonderful email from a person who was at the Indianapolis Shelter under Doug Rae, and witnessed the carnage there, and I read on another blog that two of the midwestern no kill shelters have started to turn away owner surrenders.
It is usually after animal lovers have lived through the tragedy that they contact us. Where are these animals to go? For readers who have not stumpled upon Gretthevetretired, I recomend it strongly. It's comprised solely of actual websites that show the intake policy of the supposed no kill shelter. Pushing animals off on another shelter is not creating a no kill community. That is transfering the problem.
This time last year I was part of the problem, placing animals hastily out the door, one promotion at a time, two weeks later they were right back. As much as I want to see these creatures find a home, this is not a good time of year to adopt without a strong strategy in place. These are not your parents shelterdogs, they are very different from the dogs of my youth.It is only fair to adopt them understanding the care and time they will take.
ps. to the reader with the question on webpage privacy, when anyone clicks on this site, the IP number and information appears in a small box on my monitor. It's never sold, strictly a protection mode for those of us who are doing our best to help animals.
Christ's love to you,
Chap
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Oreo Is Pooped
I think most folks here read Chap, but just in case, my sister is trolling for the loonies again, so update your alerts. He shot over an email of his sitemeter and yes indeedy, much like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, she's baaaaackkkkk. What can I say, just be cautious and understand this is a less than clear thinking person. Chap offered up a prayer for her and that may be the kindest thing. I have thought before when she finds inner peace, the vindictiveness will fade. I know I've said this before, but she was a true love before her breakdown.
They are giving away free animals again, which is just heartbreaking, we know the return rate for free animals. Very tired tonight, long day, short neck, but keep the faith, the animals need to be protected.
A plug , for those of you who have not yet found Gret's blog since she reopened it. it is a info blog, not much chatter going on, but solid info. Gret the vet retired.blogspot. com/
Monday, September 27, 2010
Requesting People To Come From Behind The Curtain
How can I ask someone else to come forward when I'm not willing to do that myself ? This early in the game I'm seeing why people get burned out and give up. It's given me a whole new respect for PETA, they were painted to me as "flakes". I now admire their courage. I've been doing some research since I've been here, and as a volunteer. I'm not protected under the whistleblower act. Don't get me wrong and not backing out of the fight, but I am reorganizing. I wish I had paid more attention to who it was that told me to go to that bank of cats, they haven't been out in a week. What we need on these blogs, are times with supervisor names, and the dates with the. animal number. Every prisoner I visited with, we logged in the number. There was a paper trail of where I'd been, who I had visited,with notes on the visit. There were no records that I know of at the shelter, who did what. or when. We were always on reactive mode. It's pointless to say I should have kept better track;, hindsight is always 20/20.
I'm considering legislation that would enable a public records request on any private corporation contracting with the government. Most of these nonprofits that are using up the government funding, do so behind the curtain of secrecy. Legislation to bring light is needed more that ever. I have spoken to a legislator here in California, you Nevada residents need to find out where your legislature stands and begin to lobby your position..
I'm considering legislation that would enable a public records request on any private corporation contracting with the government. Most of these nonprofits that are using up the government funding, do so behind the curtain of secrecy. Legislation to bring light is needed more that ever. I have spoken to a legislator here in California, you Nevada residents need to find out where your legislature stands and begin to lobby your position..
Friday, September 24, 2010
A Great Liitle Shelter In Sonoma County
I met a young woman today who came in to pull 4 dogs and 2 cats for a small no kill limited admission shelter. People like her are the hope of the future, very kind and intelligent. I walked through our kennel area with her and noticed her selections, she didn't take any pitbulls, but she pulled two large breed mixes that were under a year. Both may have had Chow, which isn't the friendliest dog in the world; but she said long coats place well in her area. We talked about the animals she turns away and how that still affected her. Her dream is to someday have a better way for open admission shelters to screen out the unadoptables more quickly. Of course you don't want to put down somebody's pet, but if it's a bite dog and the owner doesn't want it back. The humane thing is euthanasia. If you don't want your own bite dog back, the shelter will have a tough time adopting it to a permanent home, and the animal pays the price. I was surpised to read that Reno adopted out a vicious cat. The person taking it may be a little deranged, but what about the neighbors ? Cats wander, and they can do a lot of damage. I have learned since being here, that behavior is the #2 reason for a cat being put down.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Oreo's Going To Indiana..
We hope you have a lovely beginning of fall, here in the valley....We are off to Indiana to honor the memory of a fallen friend.. We are looking forward to roughing it, but may land near a signal at a Starbucks; is Starbucks" roughing it" If we have time and bandwidth we will post reader comments, but we will be running on battery power. I love this picture of Oreo, captures her true spirit, a dog designed for chaise lounges...Actually the title is a lie, Burley is going to Indiana, the vet thinks the trip would be to much for the old girls "issues" she stands pretty far back on her pasterns and balancing in the van for 3,000 miles would be to much. Hall ball and walks around the neighborhood are her big deals today. It would be fine if she would just lay down, but that is not her style in the car. She "covers" all the windows, and falls off the seats...She grew up on bench seats, now we have buckets, and she can't get the hang of them. Most of our older readers know Oreo always comes back, but you newer Sacramento folks might think we had gotten lazy. So stay tuned to Gret by the bay, and the Chap, whoops just recalled Greta closed her blog. Well No Kill No Way is pretty in touch with the latest news. PS Chap sent me an email saying NHS is on his sitemeter, so WC employees be reminded that the two are " married" now....It has been quite a while since they have come here, but they do drop in from time to time and I alway document the site meter in case of any intimidating posts to you folks still employed........
The Nevada Humane Society Has Joined Our Readership.....
Reply |Anonymous to me
show details 9:19 PM (13 hours ago)
I received such a wonderful comment on another posting I decided to bring it to the top of the page to share.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Reno Is Not No Kill, Never Has Been, Never Will.":
All I can say is thank God there are people out there speaking truth to this issue. I'm watching, heartbroken and terrified, as Austin's formerly not-perfect-but-really-really-outstanding Town Lake Animal Center starts to sink into the mire of No Kill goals forced upon it by a misled City Council and caring but uninformed citizens who think there is a magic bullet that will end euthanasia (or killing, whatever your preferred language) in shelters. All that Town Lake's staff has worked to acheive in the last 10-11 years, under the leadership of (no, not perfect but pretty damn good) Dorinda Pulliam is now at risk and Central Texas will lose it's best and most consistent true resource for TRUE animal welfare. The spectre is horrifying and it's happening in front of my eyes. Please, keep up your excellent work.
Publish
Delete
Mark as spam
My goal as a pastor was to reach the largest segment of the community, and I never cared who sat in the pews. I doubt we make you a convert, but conversion was not ever our goal. The truth, is our mission . I forwarded the sitemeter print screen over to Oreo since it was her name they did the google search on. I hope you come back again NHS, I met many nice people while there, would enjoy reconnecting with some of them.
You only read the article about Reno, come back and read the interview.
show details 9:19 PM (13 hours ago)
I received such a wonderful comment on another posting I decided to bring it to the top of the page to share.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Reno Is Not No Kill, Never Has Been, Never Will.":
All I can say is thank God there are people out there speaking truth to this issue. I'm watching, heartbroken and terrified, as Austin's formerly not-perfect-but-really-really-outstanding Town Lake Animal Center starts to sink into the mire of No Kill goals forced upon it by a misled City Council and caring but uninformed citizens who think there is a magic bullet that will end euthanasia (or killing, whatever your preferred language) in shelters. All that Town Lake's staff has worked to acheive in the last 10-11 years, under the leadership of (no, not perfect but pretty damn good) Dorinda Pulliam is now at risk and Central Texas will lose it's best and most consistent true resource for TRUE animal welfare. The spectre is horrifying and it's happening in front of my eyes. Please, keep up your excellent work.
Publish
Delete
Mark as spam
My goal as a pastor was to reach the largest segment of the community, and I never cared who sat in the pews. I doubt we make you a convert, but conversion was not ever our goal. The truth, is our mission . I forwarded the sitemeter print screen over to Oreo since it was her name they did the google search on. I hope you come back again NHS, I met many nice people while there, would enjoy reconnecting with some of them.
You only read the article about Reno, come back and read the interview.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
TNR, Who Does The Cat Belong To?
On the website of our Sacramento shelter we provide information about trap neuter release. We don't endorse that, we only make the information available. One of the biggest problems faced by staff and volunteers, concerned cat snatching. When these organizations go forward offering free trap and neuter for feral or free roaming cats there is a tremendous liability issue. Because the animal is free roaming, it does not mean it is unowned. All found animals by law must be turned in to the public shelter; that includes cats. There is a moral as well as legal responsibility for doing that. If you lost your cat would you want some well-meaning idiot taking it down, and getting it neutered then releasing it in some other part of town? Most informed people would never take a free roaming dog and just keep it; so why do you think it's all right to do that with cats?
We have cats. We keep them indoors, but if for any reason they should get out. We would go to the pound looking for them. It is a matter of grave concern that people are given license, in their own minds, to pick these animals up and relocate them. They are breaking the law, and they need to be told that on our city website. If the cat does not belong to you, it is not your cat to dispose of. We have only been here six months & I 've heard two horror stories of stolen cats. Both were older cats in established neighborhoods, & usually stayed in the owner's yard, but sometimes would go visit the other neighborhood cats. In both cases, the cats were later found with their ears tipped ( a sign of neutering and feral ) in another part of Sacramento. Luckily these cat owners were persistent, and by advertising on Craig's list and in local papers with pictures of the cat's; they were notified by a citizen & the cats were returned to their proper owners. Had these cats not become a nuisance immediately upon being relocated they might never have been returned to their owner. As it happened in both cases, because these were domesticated felines, they began scratching on people's doors and got attention. There are a lot of unintended consequences with TNR, but the heartbreak of these families losing their cat's is an unnecessary evil. Nobody that's dealt with TNR thinks crazy cat ladies are funny. If you find a cat & feel that it's free roaming, take it to the shelter, if it has an owner it can be reunited with its family. That's the decision the shelter should make, that's the duty of the public shelter, to provide a place for owners to look for lost pets.
We have cats. We keep them indoors, but if for any reason they should get out. We would go to the pound looking for them. It is a matter of grave concern that people are given license, in their own minds, to pick these animals up and relocate them. They are breaking the law, and they need to be told that on our city website. If the cat does not belong to you, it is not your cat to dispose of. We have only been here six months & I 've heard two horror stories of stolen cats. Both were older cats in established neighborhoods, & usually stayed in the owner's yard, but sometimes would go visit the other neighborhood cats. In both cases, the cats were later found with their ears tipped ( a sign of neutering and feral ) in another part of Sacramento. Luckily these cat owners were persistent, and by advertising on Craig's list and in local papers with pictures of the cat's; they were notified by a citizen & the cats were returned to their proper owners. Had these cats not become a nuisance immediately upon being relocated they might never have been returned to their owner. As it happened in both cases, because these were domesticated felines, they began scratching on people's doors and got attention. There are a lot of unintended consequences with TNR, but the heartbreak of these families losing their cat's is an unnecessary evil. Nobody that's dealt with TNR thinks crazy cat ladies are funny. If you find a cat & feel that it's free roaming, take it to the shelter, if it has an owner it can be reunited with its family. That's the decision the shelter should make, that's the duty of the public shelter, to provide a place for owners to look for lost pets.
Monday, September 20, 2010
This Came As A Comment, But Would't Fit In The Comments Box On Blogger
Situation
InboxX
Reply |
show details 3:44 PM (16 hours ago)
I've been following your blog for the last few weeks. I would like to say that you have provided an anchor of sanity for me. It is for that reason I am going to take a chance and share something with you I have written regarding the version of Winograd we have in our area. I have blanked out the names used, however the events are true.
=================================================================
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What is going on at the <ORGANIZATION>?
“The <ORGANIZATION> is a Grass Roots, Volunteer Driven, Non Profit 501(c)3, "ANIMAL PROTECTION ORGANIZATION" .” That is a quote from the organization’s Facebook page. That being said, because it is a tax-exempt organization, the organization is required to provide for public inspection it’s
exemption application IRS form 1023. It is also required to provide for inspection or copying it’s annual return IRS form 990. These requirements can be reviewed at the IRS website,
The <ORGANIZATION> has not provided these documents when requested by individuals and organizations. The response was that IRS form 990 did not have to be filed by any organization with less than $25,000 in revenue. However, that changed in 2009 and became a requirement for all non-profit organizations to file regardless of revenue. The IRS form 1023 form is not available.
The President of this organization, <BLANK>, is aware of these requirements. A nonprofit organization, <BLANK>, that was registered in the state of <BLANK>, by his wife, in 1996 and dissolved in 1998 would indicate <THE PRESIDENT> would be somewhat familiar with these requirements. However laws have changed since then and perhaps he does not seek counsel from his wife in these matters. His position is that anyone who asks for these documents is only looking to make trouble for his organization. Perhaps a news organization that requests the documents would get a different response. It would also be of interest to see the bank records of the <ORGANIZATION> to verify the organization has revenue of less than $25000.
There are donations jars at various businesses in the area, there is a PayPal donation account known as <BLANK> club, an annual <BLANK> event and <STORE>, that the organization operates. These are all sources of revenue for the <ORGANIZATION>. The organization has a fiscal responsibility to the community to spend these donations as best they can. However, the current manager of the <STORE>, was able to make a tax-exempt purchase of appx $500 from Wal-Mart, with the approval of President,<BLANK>, a set of tires for her personal vehicle. This is to be repaid by <MANAGER> back to the organization, but no taxes will have been paid. The justification for this purchase was that <MANAGER> used her vehicle for animal cruelty cases that she went to. But remember, this is a volunteer driven organization. And there are other volunteers that went on animal cruelty investigations. Were those volunteers also able to be reimbursed for their efforts?
The treasurer for this organization has resigned and was escorted from a public meeting that the organization holds at the <STORE> by the <CITY> Police Department on June 24th, 2010. The secretary of the organization, that is also a charter member of the organization, was also escorted from the premises. This leaves only the president, making decisions for this organization. And that has always been the case. Only <THE PRESIDENT> has access to the bank accounts to spend money. All fiscal responsibility lies with him. The public that donates to this organization should be aware of this.
There is also the decision that <THE PRESIDENT> made to let go a part time employee at the <STORE> in favor of a work force provided thru <SCSEP>. A program called Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) provides subsidized, service-based training for low-income persons 55 or older who are unemployed. More information can be found out at their website, This allowed the <STORE> to reduce it’s workforce from a general manager, asst. manager, and 2 part time employees in favor of , a general manager and 1 part time employee, a federally funded work force. This was not the intent of the program. The general manager, who also was the secretary/charter member of the organization was fired, the asst manager quit, and the part time employee was fired. This issue has since been resolved by the <SCSEP> organization pulling it’s work force from the <STORE>.
The <ORGANIZATION> has been in the local news in recent months for transporting puppy’s thru a program known as Pilots N Paws. These puppy’s have come from a source outside the <BLANK> County community, that source being <PERSON>. In 2008, <PERSON> pled guilty today to 23 counts of animal cruelty and was fined $5,697.00. She was placed on probation for 11 months and 29 days and prohibited from owning more than 4 animals in <BLANK> County. This is a neighboring county.
The president of the organization is more than aware of this incident as he commented here, on a news webiste covering the story
<PERSON> is also given access to the food bank that the <ORGANIZATION> has for needy families in the area that are faced with feeding their animal or taking it to the pound, even though she resides outside the community.
The general public making donations is likely unaware this is what their support is going to. And there are others who likely are supportive of it as long as it means animals will be saved. The public donor should be informed of a nonprofits intent to use donated resources and to use them effectively. This organization needs transparency to be considered legitimate. An internet search of <THE PRESIDENT> will find his criticisms of the local government and animal organizations, but <THE PRESIDENT> is unwilling to provide access to his organization for any criticisms.
The President will not even allow access to his property where he has 14 dogs along with cats. Members of his own organization have not been to the property to see these animals that are referred to, at times as either part of an animal sanctuary The President proclaims to have or his personal animals. The pictures show why The President may not want people to see his property. The dogs in the pictures are tethered. In 1997, the USDA ruled that people and organizations regulated by the Animal Welfare Act cannot keep dogs continuously chained. The United States Department of Agriculture has stated, "Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog's movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog's shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog's movement and potentially causing injury." The City of <BLANK> has an ordinance restricting tethering.
This may or may not apply, but as the President of a Humane Society, you might expect better living conditions for animals. It is unknown how often the dogs are let off the tethers or are restricted to them. The dogs do appear to have adequate housing. An adoption contract for a canine,, from the organization asks the following:
How many hours per day will the pet you are interested in be outside?
How many hours will this pet be home alone each day?
Where will your pet sleep at night?
Do you have a fenced yard?
Do you plan to keep your pet in an outside pen or on a stake tie out?
Why you would you provide any less to animals in your care as the President of an animal protection group?
The President will likely view this information as an attack on his organization and it’s mission. He will view the pictures of his animals as an invasion of personal privacy and trespassing. His counter point to all these events will likely be that it is for the good of animals. The animal community is divided and each side is passionate about their cause and the means by which they pursue it. The no kill philosophy is a just cause and with coordinated efforts by all, it likely can be achieved. It is transparency that will give credit to an organization that seeks to succeed in their plight.
This letter has been sent to all local newspaper, television, and radio outlets in the hope that someone would ask the questions needed to be answered.
=================================================================
=================================================================
I hope you understand my removal of the names. I removed the names to protect myself should this information ever be published without my consent.
I shared this with you to ask your opinion what you would do if you knew all this. I would like to send it to the news, but this president is a smooth talker and I am sure would put the spin on it to say he is being attacked. A typical Winograd tactic so I have been reading.
I am concerned this person will turn our community into no-kill before it is ready to accept the idea. The first week that our new shelter was opened, 200 plus cats were brought in. How many would be brought into a no-kill shelter?
I'm new at all this and really am just seeking guidance. I thank you for your time.
InboxX
Reply |
show details 3:44 PM (16 hours ago)
I've been following your blog for the last few weeks. I would like to say that you have provided an anchor of sanity for me. It is for that reason I am going to take a chance and share something with you I have written regarding the version of Winograd we have in our area. I have blanked out the names used, however the events are true.
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=================================================================
What is going on at the <ORGANIZATION>?
“The <ORGANIZATION> is a Grass Roots, Volunteer Driven, Non Profit 501(c)3, "ANIMAL PROTECTION ORGANIZATION" .” That is a quote from the organization’s Facebook page. That being said, because it is a tax-exempt organization, the organization is required to provide for public inspection it’s
exemption application IRS form 1023. It is also required to provide for inspection or copying it’s annual return IRS form 990. These requirements can be reviewed at the IRS website,
The <ORGANIZATION> has not provided these documents when requested by individuals and organizations. The response was that IRS form 990 did not have to be filed by any organization with less than $25,000 in revenue. However, that changed in 2009 and became a requirement for all non-profit organizations to file regardless of revenue. The IRS form 1023 form is not available.
The President of this organization, <BLANK>, is aware of these requirements. A nonprofit organization, <BLANK>, that was registered in the state of <BLANK>, by his wife, in 1996 and dissolved in 1998 would indicate <THE PRESIDENT> would be somewhat familiar with these requirements. However laws have changed since then and perhaps he does not seek counsel from his wife in these matters. His position is that anyone who asks for these documents is only looking to make trouble for his organization. Perhaps a news organization that requests the documents would get a different response. It would also be of interest to see the bank records of the <ORGANIZATION> to verify the organization has revenue of less than $25000.
There are donations jars at various businesses in the area, there is a PayPal donation account known as <BLANK> club, an annual <BLANK> event and <STORE>, that the organization operates. These are all sources of revenue for the <ORGANIZATION>. The organization has a fiscal responsibility to the community to spend these donations as best they can. However, the current manager of the <STORE>, was able to make a tax-exempt purchase of appx $500 from Wal-Mart, with the approval of President,<BLANK>, a set of tires for her personal vehicle. This is to be repaid by <MANAGER> back to the organization, but no taxes will have been paid. The justification for this purchase was that <MANAGER> used her vehicle for animal cruelty cases that she went to. But remember, this is a volunteer driven organization. And there are other volunteers that went on animal cruelty investigations. Were those volunteers also able to be reimbursed for their efforts?
The treasurer for this organization has resigned and was escorted from a public meeting that the organization holds at the <STORE> by the <CITY> Police Department on June 24th, 2010. The secretary of the organization, that is also a charter member of the organization, was also escorted from the premises. This leaves only the president, making decisions for this organization. And that has always been the case. Only <THE PRESIDENT> has access to the bank accounts to spend money. All fiscal responsibility lies with him. The public that donates to this organization should be aware of this.
There is also the decision that <THE PRESIDENT> made to let go a part time employee at the <STORE> in favor of a work force provided thru <SCSEP>. A program called Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) provides subsidized, service-based training for low-income persons 55 or older who are unemployed. More information can be found out at their website, This allowed the <STORE> to reduce it’s workforce from a general manager, asst. manager, and 2 part time employees in favor of , a general manager and 1 part time employee, a federally funded work force. This was not the intent of the program. The general manager, who also was the secretary/charter member of the organization was fired, the asst manager quit, and the part time employee was fired. This issue has since been resolved by the <SCSEP> organization pulling it’s work force from the <STORE>.
The <ORGANIZATION> has been in the local news in recent months for transporting puppy’s thru a program known as Pilots N Paws. These puppy’s have come from a source outside the <BLANK> County community, that source being <PERSON>. In 2008, <PERSON> pled guilty today to 23 counts of animal cruelty and was fined $5,697.00. She was placed on probation for 11 months and 29 days and prohibited from owning more than 4 animals in <BLANK> County. This is a neighboring county.
The president of the organization is more than aware of this incident as he commented here, on a news webiste covering the story
<PERSON> is also given access to the food bank that the <ORGANIZATION> has for needy families in the area that are faced with feeding their animal or taking it to the pound, even though she resides outside the community.
The general public making donations is likely unaware this is what their support is going to. And there are others who likely are supportive of it as long as it means animals will be saved. The public donor should be informed of a nonprofits intent to use donated resources and to use them effectively. This organization needs transparency to be considered legitimate. An internet search of <THE PRESIDENT> will find his criticisms of the local government and animal organizations, but <THE PRESIDENT> is unwilling to provide access to his organization for any criticisms.
The President will not even allow access to his property where he has 14 dogs along with cats. Members of his own organization have not been to the property to see these animals that are referred to, at times as either part of an animal sanctuary The President proclaims to have or his personal animals. The pictures show why The President may not want people to see his property. The dogs in the pictures are tethered. In 1997, the USDA ruled that people and organizations regulated by the Animal Welfare Act cannot keep dogs continuously chained. The United States Department of Agriculture has stated, "Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog's movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog's shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog's movement and potentially causing injury." The City of <BLANK> has an ordinance restricting tethering.
This may or may not apply, but as the President of a Humane Society, you might expect better living conditions for animals. It is unknown how often the dogs are let off the tethers or are restricted to them. The dogs do appear to have adequate housing. An adoption contract for a canine,, from the organization asks the following:
How many hours per day will the pet you are interested in be outside?
How many hours will this pet be home alone each day?
Where will your pet sleep at night?
Do you have a fenced yard?
Do you plan to keep your pet in an outside pen or on a stake tie out?
Why you would you provide any less to animals in your care as the President of an animal protection group?
The President will likely view this information as an attack on his organization and it’s mission. He will view the pictures of his animals as an invasion of personal privacy and trespassing. His counter point to all these events will likely be that it is for the good of animals. The animal community is divided and each side is passionate about their cause and the means by which they pursue it. The no kill philosophy is a just cause and with coordinated efforts by all, it likely can be achieved. It is transparency that will give credit to an organization that seeks to succeed in their plight.
This letter has been sent to all local newspaper, television, and radio outlets in the hope that someone would ask the questions needed to be answered.
=================================================================
=================================================================
I hope you understand my removal of the names. I removed the names to protect myself should this information ever be published without my consent.
I shared this with you to ask your opinion what you would do if you knew all this. I would like to send it to the news, but this president is a smooth talker and I am sure would put the spin on it to say he is being attacked. A typical Winograd tactic so I have been reading.
I am concerned this person will turn our community into no-kill before it is ready to accept the idea. The first week that our new shelter was opened, 200 plus cats were brought in. How many would be brought into a no-kill shelter?
I'm new at all this and really am just seeking guidance. I thank you for your time.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Exclusive Interview With Ardena
Chaplain: Thank you for agreeing to the interview Ardena. There has been so much rumor and innuendo lately about a lawsuit I wanted to ask directly if you have plans in that direction.
Ardena: You're welcome Chap; and the short answer remains no, the rumor is absolutely untrue. I would never sue a person who is disabled in any form, most especially the mentally challenged. I feel any lawsuit would be giving my attackers badly needed publicity.. Mr. Winograd places me in good company with the top two animal welfare groups in the United States, the HSUS and be A S.P CA... PETA has a totally different style; so while it differs from the other two. It contributes greatly to animal welfare. Mr. Winograd contributes nothing.
Chaplain: Have you ever met Mr. Winograd or would you like to? Has he ever contacted you personally or given you an address where you can contact him ?. He makes an allusion that you are an anonymous blogger, care to comment on that?
Ardena: I've never met or spoken with Mr. Winograd; he isn't anyone I would normally associate with. I'm trying to address your questions in order asked, and keep it brief, not an easy task for a blogger. He has never, to my knowledge, attempted to make contact with me. He has addressed me in a secondhand manner through a local newspaper blogger. He seems the type of person who would throw eggs from a fast-moving car, just hoping to hit anything; and to my knowledge lives behind a mailbox in a mall . I don't have any anonymity as such; I have written for Readers Digest, and a few other family oriented magazines. Because I'm extremely visible on city and county levels., one can get my address on the Internet. My animal blog is listed under my regular e-mail address. So I don't know how anonymous that would be.
Chaplain: Do you feel that his attacks on you have affected your fundraising ability for animal welfare issues? If so, in what direction do you feel the change? Or has the economic downturn caused the pinch? In the Internet world, there must be some impact from having his accusations come up when a web search is done on you. Are you a 501(c) nonprofit?
Ardena: His attacks have had no impact on my ability to help the animals. I am not a rescue or a 501(c). I do not set up accounts, or accept funding. I introduce the person with the money to the agency needing the money... I have always felt that is the most transparent way to do business. I don't know about any person or company who would look me up on the Internet and read Winograd's opinion and give a damn. All of my business is done with people I have known most of my life; I am not the transient party in this relationship. Addressing your question of the downward turn in the economy and donations.. Everybody has been hurt, because there is less to share, & more who need it.
Chaplain: I'm trying to be delicate here. Would you care to discuss the restraining order?
Ardena: Being very involved in law enforcement, I know restraining orders are extremely easy to get because no cop wants to get sued by not issuing one; and judges are reluctant to not enforce for the same reason.. When NHS took out a restraining order against me, they did more to hurt their cause than anyone else could ever do. It was rather like someone mugging Mother Theresa. The animal in question did not even belong to me, purely a chance for publicity on their part.
Chaplain: How long have you been involved with animal welfare in Washoe County? Do you continue to volunteer for animal services?
Ardena: We moved to Reno in 1973, so pretty much since then. Steve Asher, who went on to become Chief of Police in Sparks, was the dog catcher when I was volunteering for Katy Stevens at County. There was a lovely Blue Merle Collie, it was so terribly shy; my husband and I brought him home for three month,s until he was ready to be adopted into a permanent home. To address your second question, I resigned as a volunteer at WSCRAS when Mrs. Sabatoni discussed retiring. I did not agree with Mr. Schnieder during his tenure under Mrs. Sabatoni. He did write a nice article for Oreo's blog however...
Chaplain: Seeing how ugly Mr. Winograd has become over your article do you regret writing it? Did it have any bearing on the creation of the Oreo blog?
Ardena: I will never regret writing the article; it brought people together and gave them hope. All of the negativity that had been written about public shelters, plus all the destruction, had caused people to lose faith in goodness in their fellow humans. The Oreo blog was created to give a safe place to all the people and animals injured by this particular movement. It's a place where people who love animals can get together and try to find a solution that is humane, and sustainable. All of these employees and volunteers had concerns, and no place that they could go with them. Mr. Winograd often comments on people defending the status quo; my thought on that would be, if he has the right to attack it; we have the right to defend.it!!
Chaplain: The status quo being the reality of an open admission public shelter euthanizing animals?
Ardena: Absolutely, there is a saturation point in every community. I personally feel we are very near that in Washoe County. Mr. Winograd repeatedly says "don't kill the animals", yet has failed to offer a solution other than warehousing them. A couple years ago, a commentor on Oreo's raised a thought-provoking question. If we save 5 million dogs in the year, where we going to put them? I don't have an answer for that in Mr. Winograd doesn't either..
Chaplain: Of course I've read your profile, but for our friends here in Sacramento, who may be forced to get their information from the Internet, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Ardena: Sure. Actually most of my information is on the Internet, my life is an open book. I volunteer on several levels in Washoe County. I serve on appointed positions in the City of Sparks, & I lead several volunteer groups. As a master gardener for the past 10 years. I help my neighbors and fellow citizens in several ways. We keep ditches and open spaces free of weeds, and offer free services such as visiting schools, planting gardens around public buildings, and even helping seniors maintain their yards.
Chaplain: So, you're not a drunken person hanging out on the street corner waiting to commit fraud?
Ardena; I am so boring.. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble. I even gave up eating meat 60 years ago when I found out where it came from.. ... I've been married to the same man for 35 years. I say my prayers in the morning, and my thank you's at night God has been good to me; my life is peaceful, and filled with loving friends.
Chaplain: Boring is not the adjective I would use describe a life as full as yours. Ardena.
Thank you for this interview.
Ardena: You're welcome Chap; and the short answer remains no, the rumor is absolutely untrue. I would never sue a person who is disabled in any form, most especially the mentally challenged. I feel any lawsuit would be giving my attackers badly needed publicity.. Mr. Winograd places me in good company with the top two animal welfare groups in the United States, the HSUS and be A S.P CA... PETA has a totally different style; so while it differs from the other two. It contributes greatly to animal welfare. Mr. Winograd contributes nothing.
Chaplain: Have you ever met Mr. Winograd or would you like to? Has he ever contacted you personally or given you an address where you can contact him ?. He makes an allusion that you are an anonymous blogger, care to comment on that?
Ardena: I've never met or spoken with Mr. Winograd; he isn't anyone I would normally associate with. I'm trying to address your questions in order asked, and keep it brief, not an easy task for a blogger. He has never, to my knowledge, attempted to make contact with me. He has addressed me in a secondhand manner through a local newspaper blogger. He seems the type of person who would throw eggs from a fast-moving car, just hoping to hit anything; and to my knowledge lives behind a mailbox in a mall . I don't have any anonymity as such; I have written for Readers Digest, and a few other family oriented magazines. Because I'm extremely visible on city and county levels., one can get my address on the Internet. My animal blog is listed under my regular e-mail address. So I don't know how anonymous that would be.
Chaplain: Do you feel that his attacks on you have affected your fundraising ability for animal welfare issues? If so, in what direction do you feel the change? Or has the economic downturn caused the pinch? In the Internet world, there must be some impact from having his accusations come up when a web search is done on you. Are you a 501(c) nonprofit?
Ardena: His attacks have had no impact on my ability to help the animals. I am not a rescue or a 501(c). I do not set up accounts, or accept funding. I introduce the person with the money to the agency needing the money... I have always felt that is the most transparent way to do business. I don't know about any person or company who would look me up on the Internet and read Winograd's opinion and give a damn. All of my business is done with people I have known most of my life; I am not the transient party in this relationship. Addressing your question of the downward turn in the economy and donations.. Everybody has been hurt, because there is less to share, & more who need it.
Chaplain: I'm trying to be delicate here. Would you care to discuss the restraining order?
Ardena: Being very involved in law enforcement, I know restraining orders are extremely easy to get because no cop wants to get sued by not issuing one; and judges are reluctant to not enforce for the same reason.. When NHS took out a restraining order against me, they did more to hurt their cause than anyone else could ever do. It was rather like someone mugging Mother Theresa. The animal in question did not even belong to me, purely a chance for publicity on their part.
Chaplain: How long have you been involved with animal welfare in Washoe County? Do you continue to volunteer for animal services?
Ardena: We moved to Reno in 1973, so pretty much since then. Steve Asher, who went on to become Chief of Police in Sparks, was the dog catcher when I was volunteering for Katy Stevens at County. There was a lovely Blue Merle Collie, it was so terribly shy; my husband and I brought him home for three month,s until he was ready to be adopted into a permanent home. To address your second question, I resigned as a volunteer at WSCRAS when Mrs. Sabatoni discussed retiring. I did not agree with Mr. Schnieder during his tenure under Mrs. Sabatoni. He did write a nice article for Oreo's blog however...
Chaplain: Seeing how ugly Mr. Winograd has become over your article do you regret writing it? Did it have any bearing on the creation of the Oreo blog?
Ardena: I will never regret writing the article; it brought people together and gave them hope. All of the negativity that had been written about public shelters, plus all the destruction, had caused people to lose faith in goodness in their fellow humans. The Oreo blog was created to give a safe place to all the people and animals injured by this particular movement. It's a place where people who love animals can get together and try to find a solution that is humane, and sustainable. All of these employees and volunteers had concerns, and no place that they could go with them. Mr. Winograd often comments on people defending the status quo; my thought on that would be, if he has the right to attack it; we have the right to defend.it!!
Chaplain: The status quo being the reality of an open admission public shelter euthanizing animals?
Ardena: Absolutely, there is a saturation point in every community. I personally feel we are very near that in Washoe County. Mr. Winograd repeatedly says "don't kill the animals", yet has failed to offer a solution other than warehousing them. A couple years ago, a commentor on Oreo's raised a thought-provoking question. If we save 5 million dogs in the year, where we going to put them? I don't have an answer for that in Mr. Winograd doesn't either..
Chaplain: Of course I've read your profile, but for our friends here in Sacramento, who may be forced to get their information from the Internet, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Ardena: Sure. Actually most of my information is on the Internet, my life is an open book. I volunteer on several levels in Washoe County. I serve on appointed positions in the City of Sparks, & I lead several volunteer groups. As a master gardener for the past 10 years. I help my neighbors and fellow citizens in several ways. We keep ditches and open spaces free of weeds, and offer free services such as visiting schools, planting gardens around public buildings, and even helping seniors maintain their yards.
Chaplain: So, you're not a drunken person hanging out on the street corner waiting to commit fraud?
Ardena; I am so boring.. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble. I even gave up eating meat 60 years ago when I found out where it came from.. ... I've been married to the same man for 35 years. I say my prayers in the morning, and my thank you's at night God has been good to me; my life is peaceful, and filled with loving friends.
Chaplain: Boring is not the adjective I would use describe a life as full as yours. Ardena.
Thank you for this interview.
Ardena Perry Requests Oversight from the BCC On The Relationship Between The Nevada Humane Society & Washoe County Regional Animal Services
Ardena Perry went before the board of Washoe County Commissioners this September as she has for the past three years. Her concerns were legitimate, the relationship between NHS and WCRAS has become a case of the tail wagging the dog. During her brief presentation, Mrs. Perry provided the commission with a printout depicting a dog, complete with WCRAS # ID that had been brought in for an owner requested euthanasia. In the standard operating manual agreed upon by the BCC at the opening of the regional services, it is very specific that all owner surrendered animals go to the Nevada Humane Society. After changing direction in 2006; based on the unilateral decision of the board of directors; the nonprofit organization voted to hire a No Kill, CEO. Washoe County had not made a contract with a No Kill nonprofit, the Nevada Humane Society changed the rules and abandoned their duties as a public intake facility. This is what Ardena has been fighting for three years.
In the picture was a 15-year-old German shepherd, the picture depicted the dog barely able to stand and clearly out of place in that environment. The new policy selected by the Nevada Humane Society requires any owner surrendered euthanasia to go to the county side of the building, and they cannot euthanize the animal until NHS has decided whether or not it could be adopted. We believe state law prevails, and dogs are property in the state of Nevada, and can be disposed of, humanely by the owner. Whether or not one agrees with the law, it is the law. After receiving a call from a concerned citizen. I contacted staff at WCRAS. The employee I spoke with told me the dog came in nine days earlier. It was unable to walk, but it had not been observed by NHS until that morning. For nine days, this crippled animal struggled to walk, and laid on concrete, unable to escape its own excrement. I'm sure it was fearful in that threatening environment. I also believe that animal control staff treated this dear animal as caringly and lovingly as they could. The dog had finally been cleared for Euth later that day, nine (9) long days, the last on this earth, spent alone in a kennel... Clearly, this is the case of an owner trying to do the humane thing for his dog, and the Nevada Humane Society ignored its contractual agreement with Washoe County and sent the dog to WCRAS. Perhaps the new animal control manager finds it easier to acquiesce to NHS; however there are still those silly little county codes, ordinances and statutes and commission approvals that are bad things to ignore.
Later Oreo hopes to have an interview with Ardena Perry
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The No Kill Myth, Or Just Plain Lying
My wife and I drove over to the East Bay today to check out their shelter, excellent facility; We went over their policies with them, and chatted with several volunteers as well as staff. Their approach to no kill was refreshing. Like ordinary citizens, they don't want to kill animals, but they are moving in a positive direction to save them. The discussion rambled along the horrible economic conditions existing right now, abandoned homes and families forced to give up beloved pets.They feel as we did that it's important to understand that not every pet can be saved, no matter how admirable goal may be.
When the shelter becomes no kill it reaches the saturation point quickly and then is forced to turn away animals. The animal then goes to the nearest open admission shelter, which doesn't put down because it's a kill shelter. It puts it down because it doesn't have any space. The slandering of good animal care and control agencies continues to be a problem, and a tool used frequently by the No Kill Advocacy Center. They don't have a solution, but they can whine more than anybody I've ever had the pleasure of not meeting! We lost four dogs today at our shelter in Sacramento that I have already bonded with, that was not easy. But, the truth is, they were beginning to self-destruct; and if an animal hasn't been placed in six months. Its chances for successful adoption are very slim. I wish that weren't true, but it is. We all hear the stories about the amazing animal that survived six years in the cage, and when rescued saved 12 drowning children while putting out a house fire. The need for mythbusters on no kill is simply this. It keeps animals in harsh conditions and causes other animals that haven't had a chance to be adopted, to die. How many animals were turned away, while one pitbull languished for eight months? And that amount of time, is generous, because it's often quite a bit longer.
This may really offend people, but having spent a life working with prisoners and people who have lost their way; I've learned two things. Not every creature can be rehabilitated, and some things are genetic. We don't take a child with down syndrome and try to force it into a " normal" lifestyle; not because child is not worthy, but because the basic skills are just not there to develop. I'm using this analogy because my niece is a down syndrome person, and she has a good life; but she doesn't have a normal life. Some of these prisoners, and some of these animals, carry their own genetic defects and because of the nature of their defects, their outlook is bleak. I'm a man of the cloth, but I believe in the death penalty; I vowed not to quote the Bible here, but I will simply say it is the eye for an eye thing. I have noticed many of these no killer's are childless, and seemingly no God. They seem to use animals in an abnormal relationship. And I'm not suggesting beastialty or any type of perversion sexual in nature. It appears they're unable to enjoy human companionship' and turned to animals for comfort or an attempt to feel better than .Even with a minor in psychology, I have never been able to understand the mind that cannot connect with its own species.
Crazy cat ladies? Probably closer to the truth than we care to look at. If we continue to lower the bar at the shelter's we will be releasing sick crazy vicious dogs and where do you think they will go? I think we're already doing that.
When the shelter becomes no kill it reaches the saturation point quickly and then is forced to turn away animals. The animal then goes to the nearest open admission shelter, which doesn't put down because it's a kill shelter. It puts it down because it doesn't have any space. The slandering of good animal care and control agencies continues to be a problem, and a tool used frequently by the No Kill Advocacy Center. They don't have a solution, but they can whine more than anybody I've ever had the pleasure of not meeting! We lost four dogs today at our shelter in Sacramento that I have already bonded with, that was not easy. But, the truth is, they were beginning to self-destruct; and if an animal hasn't been placed in six months. Its chances for successful adoption are very slim. I wish that weren't true, but it is. We all hear the stories about the amazing animal that survived six years in the cage, and when rescued saved 12 drowning children while putting out a house fire. The need for mythbusters on no kill is simply this. It keeps animals in harsh conditions and causes other animals that haven't had a chance to be adopted, to die. How many animals were turned away, while one pitbull languished for eight months? And that amount of time, is generous, because it's often quite a bit longer.
This may really offend people, but having spent a life working with prisoners and people who have lost their way; I've learned two things. Not every creature can be rehabilitated, and some things are genetic. We don't take a child with down syndrome and try to force it into a " normal" lifestyle; not because child is not worthy, but because the basic skills are just not there to develop. I'm using this analogy because my niece is a down syndrome person, and she has a good life; but she doesn't have a normal life. Some of these prisoners, and some of these animals, carry their own genetic defects and because of the nature of their defects, their outlook is bleak. I'm a man of the cloth, but I believe in the death penalty; I vowed not to quote the Bible here, but I will simply say it is the eye for an eye thing. I have noticed many of these no killer's are childless, and seemingly no God. They seem to use animals in an abnormal relationship. And I'm not suggesting beastialty or any type of perversion sexual in nature. It appears they're unable to enjoy human companionship' and turned to animals for comfort or an attempt to feel better than .Even with a minor in psychology, I have never been able to understand the mind that cannot connect with its own species.
Crazy cat ladies? Probably closer to the truth than we care to look at. If we continue to lower the bar at the shelter's we will be releasing sick crazy vicious dogs and where do you think they will go? I think we're already doing that.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Going To The Dogs..
These guys are living the life of Riley. I know some of you out there are thinking that pitbulls are not natural fishermen... absolutely correct. These boys were both adopted, and ended up in an extremely responsible home, who understood the breed and protected them from their own misdirected instincts. Now, if we could just find a good home for some of the No Kill fanatics who could protect them from their misdirected instincts. They are was an agreement e-mailed to me, by the Dir. of public Works , indicating that the next inspection on the Nevada Humane Society would be done by AHA (American humane Association) this could be awkward since Bonney Brown currently sits on the board of directors for the No Kill Advocacy, their consultant, and every day mentor.
As I continue my research to find out if NKAC is a suitable partner for Washoe County, because there is a tremendous fiscal impact at stake here, the board of commissioners need to be aware that Nathan Winograds server shows 19 name changes for that IP. Not the picture of stability. His bragging of 33,000 hits a day or month or whatever it is he's claiming about the moment; actually read more like 383. Just a slight thousand percent embellishment. Also it appears that Washoe County signed up for transformgov.org, a forward thinking group that Mitch Schneider is writing papers about animal control for. It's very difficult to keep track of county spending in these tough economic times; but it is imperative that we do so. Longley Lane, even with the decrease in property values, is a huge financial asset. We need to keep it as promised to the citizens of this valley, under the control of the Board of County commissioners. Animal care is currently spread so thin, that the wait time can be an hour and a half to three hours. According to witnesses at pit bull attack in Sparks, a Sparks police marked unit was held at the scene for three hours waiting for animal control. That is secondhand information I was not at the scene; however, this is a community populated by professional people, including judges, police officers and government workers. They would get the impact of lying more than some other groups of people. Not because are smarter, but because they're the ones usually getting lied about. This post may be updated.
Pictured are a pair of my neighbors Pitbull rescues on my their boat at Lake Tahoe, it was a lovely sunset a lovely family moment for all..
Going To The Dogs..
These guys are living the life of Riley. I know some of you out there are thinking that pitbulls are not natural fishermen... absolutely correct. These boys were both adopted, and ended up in an extremely responsible home, who understood the breed and protected them from their own misdirected instincts. Now, if we could just find a good home for some of the No Kill fanatics who could protect them from their misdirected instincts. They are was an agreement e-mailed to me, by the Dir. of public Works , indicating that the next inspection on the Nevada Humane Society would be done by AHA (American humane Association) this could be awkward since Bonney Brown currently sits on the board of directors for the No Kill Advocacy, their consultant, and every day mentor.
As I continue my research to find out if NKAC is a suitable partner for Washoe County, because there is a tremendous fiscal impact at stake here, the board of commissioners need to be aware that Nathan Winograds server shows 19 name changes for that IP. Not the picture of stability. His bragging of 33,000 hits a day or month or whatever it is he's claiming about the moment; actually read more like 383. Just a slight thousand percent embellishment. Also it appears that Washoe County signed up for transformgov.org, a forward thinking group that Mitch Schneider is writing papers about animal control for. It's very difficult to keep track of county spending in these tough economic times; but it is imperative that we do so. Longley Lane, even with the decrease in property values, is a huge financial asset. We need to keep it as promised to the citizens of this valley, under the control of the Board of County commissioners. Animal care is currently spread so thin, that the wait time can be an hour and a half to three hours. According to witnesses at pit bull attack in Sparks, a Sparks police marked unit was held at the scene for three hours waiting for animal control. That is secondhand information I was not at the scene; however, this is a community populated by professional people, including judges, police officers and government workers. They would get the impact of lying more than some other groups of people. Not because are smarter, but because they're the ones usually getting lied about. This post may be updated.
Pictured are a pair of my neighbors Pitbull rescues on my their boat at Lake Tahoe, it was a lovely sunset a lovely family moment for all..
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mitch Snyder, Bonney Brown and The No Kill Man.
Crawling over the Internet trying to put the pieces together, it seems like the dynamic trio are joined at the hip. It was an exciting piece on the Fix Austin.org site indicating that Austin is looking for a new animal services manager ; they even have hired a headhunter. This blog would like to step up to the plate and offer to give them Mitch Snyder and Bonney Brown. That would solve two problems, it would allow Reno to get back to the business of animal control and having a well-run facility, and it would let Austin Texas know how bad a facility can get.
When Winograd. admits on his blog that the Nevada Humane Society is seriously overpopulated by design standards for the building, but it's okay because the animals are healthy you know he's feeling the pressure. They always talk about their cats now, never mention a dog. $14 million building has become a cat sanctuary and not a very tidy facility at that. I have heard people say that it's kept clean, but clean compared to what. ? How can you clean up after 700 cats, stacked floor to ceiling. Using common shelter methodology, if each of the 700 cats get one half hour a day of handling, cleaning & what have you. That would be 350 hours a day just on the cats. Now, if you have the volunteer there eight hours a day that makes them an employee. A volunteer doing the duties of an employee should be covered by insurance, with full benefits the same as any other employee. Go ahead, divide 350 hours by eight hours per day, and see how many volunteers you would need on duty to handle the workload. It is a physical impossibility for them to get adequate care to the animals in their custody. And giving animals away at no charge is irresponsible at best.
Business takes me to Reno once a week, so I will be able to continue my monitoring the situation. God's Army has no patience for the abuse of any living creature
When Winograd. admits on his blog that the Nevada Humane Society is seriously overpopulated by design standards for the building, but it's okay because the animals are healthy you know he's feeling the pressure. They always talk about their cats now, never mention a dog. $14 million building has become a cat sanctuary and not a very tidy facility at that. I have heard people say that it's kept clean, but clean compared to what. ? How can you clean up after 700 cats, stacked floor to ceiling. Using common shelter methodology, if each of the 700 cats get one half hour a day of handling, cleaning & what have you. That would be 350 hours a day just on the cats. Now, if you have the volunteer there eight hours a day that makes them an employee. A volunteer doing the duties of an employee should be covered by insurance, with full benefits the same as any other employee. Go ahead, divide 350 hours by eight hours per day, and see how many volunteers you would need on duty to handle the workload. It is a physical impossibility for them to get adequate care to the animals in their custody. And giving animals away at no charge is irresponsible at best.
Business takes me to Reno once a week, so I will be able to continue my monitoring the situation. God's Army has no patience for the abuse of any living creature
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Reno Is Not No Kill, Never Has Been, Never Will.
I have worked extensively on this project while serving as a chaplain visiting the prison in Carson City. I did volunteer at the Nevada Humane Society for a very short period of time. I was present on that day April 16,2009 when the Washoe County Commission made it abundantly clear to all present that No Kill was not viable for Washoe County. Mr. Snyder opted for" pet friendly". Any skeptics can go to the Washoe County Nevada website and look at archived video of that meeting. I was one of the volunteers who had gone to speak on behalf of the Nevada Humane Society and was struck with a moment of sanity as I sat there watching the process. I never left my chair that day; and I never went back to the Nevada Humane Society to volunteer. The turnover rate is horrific. I read the report that Winograd did for them and he stated what was visible to the naked eye. Most of the volunteers show up to get a T-shirt and never come back. I never saw any logs for when volunteers were to arrive or to go. We just showed up when we felt like it.
I continued to visit the animals since I had become attached to many of them; and I never made a big deal about not coming back. It bothers me as a person who tries to live a life of decency to see the constant spin put out by these No Kill groups. FixAustin and all the other "Fix's " just dump that garbage out there hoping nobody will do the research. "Washoe County Regional Animal Services, is a government agency. During my time at NHS there was a change of command in that agency. The new director is a puppet for Winograd, and goes from state to state in a County uniform spreading BS. That's the strongest expletive I can use on this blog. I don't understand how he has allowed an outside agency to take over a government agency. Perhaps it's my military background and my respect for my uniform.
So long as Mr. Winograd goes from state to state, with his little wooden dummy in khakis, sitting on his knee the crazy cat people will flock. The reason there is such a high return to owner rate in some No Kill communities, is because the animals are never brought to the shelter in the first place and they count that as a win. If you follow the Reno Gazette Journal mostly dogs blog very closely (it's available online). You will watch the shells as they shift around the table top. On the County website Mr. Snyder declares that animals taken home in the field are counted as redemed. That is a major tool for No Kill, what doesn't make it to the shelter doesn't have to be counted. Also if you follow the blog another farce used in getting good numbers, every other week, approximately, they give away the animals. I was actually there the day they gave animals away along the roadside where construction was being done. The cars had to slow down their orange cones everywhere. What a perfect time to toss a homeless animal in the trunk!!
The Nevada Humane Society continues to try to force its will upon Washoe County Regional Animal Services, and it is costing the County of great deal of money to do what NHS should be doing If this is what future victims such as Austin, Houston and San Antonio and Indianapolis would research they would reject this as soundly as other communities have before they go bankrupt.. I have seldom in my life felt moved to speak so vehemently in the defense of animals, I have never felt them so threatened. If you're considering this aberration in your community, do your homework don't, absolutely don't believe what you read on the web.
I currently volunteer at the Sacramento shelter, and I can feel the difference. A new building doesn't make a better shelter if the people running it don't know what they're doing. So we are older as a facility, but we try harder.
I continued to visit the animals since I had become attached to many of them; and I never made a big deal about not coming back. It bothers me as a person who tries to live a life of decency to see the constant spin put out by these No Kill groups. FixAustin and all the other "Fix's " just dump that garbage out there hoping nobody will do the research. "Washoe County Regional Animal Services, is a government agency. During my time at NHS there was a change of command in that agency. The new director is a puppet for Winograd, and goes from state to state in a County uniform spreading BS. That's the strongest expletive I can use on this blog. I don't understand how he has allowed an outside agency to take over a government agency. Perhaps it's my military background and my respect for my uniform.
So long as Mr. Winograd goes from state to state, with his little wooden dummy in khakis, sitting on his knee the crazy cat people will flock. The reason there is such a high return to owner rate in some No Kill communities, is because the animals are never brought to the shelter in the first place and they count that as a win. If you follow the Reno Gazette Journal mostly dogs blog very closely (it's available online). You will watch the shells as they shift around the table top. On the County website Mr. Snyder declares that animals taken home in the field are counted as redemed. That is a major tool for No Kill, what doesn't make it to the shelter doesn't have to be counted. Also if you follow the blog another farce used in getting good numbers, every other week, approximately, they give away the animals. I was actually there the day they gave animals away along the roadside where construction was being done. The cars had to slow down their orange cones everywhere. What a perfect time to toss a homeless animal in the trunk!!
The Nevada Humane Society continues to try to force its will upon Washoe County Regional Animal Services, and it is costing the County of great deal of money to do what NHS should be doing If this is what future victims such as Austin, Houston and San Antonio and Indianapolis would research they would reject this as soundly as other communities have before they go bankrupt.. I have seldom in my life felt moved to speak so vehemently in the defense of animals, I have never felt them so threatened. If you're considering this aberration in your community, do your homework don't, absolutely don't believe what you read on the web.
I currently volunteer at the Sacramento shelter, and I can feel the difference. A new building doesn't make a better shelter if the people running it don't know what they're doing. So we are older as a facility, but we try harder.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Oreo's Back With A Fury.......These Wrists Are Made For Writin"
The annual Dog Daze of Summer are coming up and Burley Dog is ready.....His towel is a bit more colorful than most and his hinney a tad more generous....that's so if you don't like what he says on this post you can kiss it. Somehow there is a doggie event every 5 minutes in this town, and almost all of them are hawking dogs for adoption........So Burley Dog & Miss Priss are again this year, giving Idlewild a pass. We never know which dogs are civil and which are waiting to rip your dogs throat out. It is our sincere wish that all dog parks would be closed or paid for by use fee's, because it's for damn sure, decent pet owners can't get near them any more. All the parks in Reno are wiped out with pit mixes, and the Sparks Marina is just the back yard for the pitbulls living in the apartment complex. These animal become territorial, they see the Marina as their spot and don't want cushy east end dogs on their turf. Over and over dog owners come to me with that complaint, we need to find a better plan folks. And by the way, parks are not the place for feral cat colonies either. Please we don't have to pick up every hair brained idea California comes up with......
Oreo's Back With A Fury.......These Wrists Are Made For Writin"
The annual Dog Daze of Summer are coming up and Burley Dog is ready.....His towel is a bit more colorful than most and his hinney a tad more generous....that's so if you don't like what he says on this post you can kiss it. Somehow there is a doggie event every 5 minutes in this town, and almost all of them are hawking dogs for adoption........So Burley Dog & Miss Priss are again this year, giving Idlewild a pass. We never know which dogs are civil and which are waiting to rip your dogs throat out. It is our sincere wish that all dog parks would be closed or paid for by use fee's, because it's for damn sure, decent pet owners can't get near them any more. All the parks in Reno are wiped out with pit mixes, and the Sparks Marina is just the back yard for the pitbulls living in the apartment complex. These animal become territorial, they see the Marina as their spot and don't want cushy east end dogs on their turf. Over and over dog owners come to me with that complaint, we need to find a better plan folks. And by the way, parks are not the place for feral cat colonies either. Please we don't have to pick up every hair brained idea California comes up with......
Step Two, Reforming No Kill ; Fighting The Non-Profit Secrecy
I came upon the post below approximately 2 years ag; prior to that time I had believed No Kill might work. I don't know, where we find our inspirations, but I believe that that blog post was mine. I have noticed in looking over some of the comments we have repeated links. I'm sorry about that blogger does not permit me to alter posts coming in, so I will leave the links in and you could ignore mine at the bottom of the page. I normally do not put links with in the message body because it pulls the reader away from the article. I've received some excellent posts so I want to make sure people read all the way through, so please, if you're going to add a link consider adding it to the bottom of your comment.
The public needs to be aware that if their nonprofit shelter is partnering with municipal shelter, any information given from the nonprofit to the municipal shelter becomes public record. I would definitely use that as a means to gain access to nonprofit information. The things we are looking for are the return rate, the duration of stay, and the number of animals on property. If your municipal agency is the enforcing agency, they need to enforce their partners behavior. In Reno Nevada, there is no supervision from WCRAS over the Nevada Humane Society. They do not enforce space limits, they have animals stored in areas not designed for animal warehousing, thus the air exchange rates are in appropriate. In the situation in Nevada there are two separate air-conditioning set ups one for human one for animal. When the animals are stored in an area where the duct work is connected to an air conditioner used for humans, two things happen. Office workers are subjected to kennel air for the duration of their shift, and air exchange for the animals is substandard.. Because animals breathe much more rapidly than humans they need a higher air exchange this is not the case of the Washoe County shelter on Longley. Overcrowding and incorrect air exchange are the primary causes of disease outbreak .
The public needs to be aware that if their nonprofit shelter is partnering with municipal shelter, any information given from the nonprofit to the municipal shelter becomes public record. I would definitely use that as a means to gain access to nonprofit information. The things we are looking for are the return rate, the duration of stay, and the number of animals on property. If your municipal agency is the enforcing agency, they need to enforce their partners behavior. In Reno Nevada, there is no supervision from WCRAS over the Nevada Humane Society. They do not enforce space limits, they have animals stored in areas not designed for animal warehousing, thus the air exchange rates are in appropriate. In the situation in Nevada there are two separate air-conditioning set ups one for human one for animal. When the animals are stored in an area where the duct work is connected to an air conditioner used for humans, two things happen. Office workers are subjected to kennel air for the duration of their shift, and air exchange for the animals is substandard.. Because animals breathe much more rapidly than humans they need a higher air exchange this is not the case of the Washoe County shelter on Longley. Overcrowding and incorrect air exchange are the primary causes of disease outbreak .
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Step One Of Reform Is To Educate The Public
No kill is a nasty little euphemism, the sooner the public knows the truth behind the masquerade, the better for the animals. For the record curse words don't shock me, as a former military chaplain I've heard my share. But I do intend to send this blog out some of my church members and as such need to keep it in their comfort zone, in order to better carry the message. I am not an active pastor, currently I am very active member of my congregation, which numbers approximately 1000 members. My goal is to get this truth to as many people as I can.
The first myth is that cats are colony creatures and love being thrown together in big batches. The truth is, cats are rather solitary creatures and would prefer not to be thrown into a herd. Their (cat ) rooms in the shelter that I was visited (comprised of two seaparate agencies ) were very overpopulated in areas of space. The colony room does not allow floorspace per cat as designated in the Nevada Revised Statute. So these poor animals huddle, each on their little cat ladders trying to stay out of each other's way. If each cat is out of the cage for half an hour day, that means 23 1/2 hours a day in the cage. That can't sound reasonable to any sane person. If the civilian pet owner treated an animal that way they would get the animal taken away from them rather quickly. There can't be two sets of rules one for shelter and one for rescue; although that seems to be the trend. All the regulation focus on open admission County shelter and let the rescues run helter-skelter over the countryside. I believe Winograd creates dissension solely for the purpose of diverting people from the real issues at hand, and the real conditions in these No Kill shelters. I continue to follow Nevada animal welfare events through their paper, although the animal blog is a poor source of truth. While living in Nevada, I met several people who truly do care about the animals, most of them as you mentioned in your post do remain in the shadows. We tend to recognize each other as kindred souls as we walked through the hall's. I believe my chaplaincy bars gave me an air of trustworthiness, though I'm not sure I'd consider myself worthy.
I will do what it takes to bring about a reform of this insane movement. To bring before the general public, a clarity and understanding of the agony these animals suffer at the hands of this policy. These animals do go crazy, they are often beyond redemption. I stumbled some time ago across the blog post called "beyond redemption", it was an excellent blog. I hope to grow readership among my new friends here as well as my old friends in Reno and Carson City; I know there are many of us out there, we just need to unite and fight. If any of my readers are familiar with the post that I'm talking about, could you tell me where I could find it again? below is a link to an oldie, but a goodie.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/02/17/18479756.php?
Peace to you, until the animals we love are free, we shall be practicing war and peace.
The first myth is that cats are colony creatures and love being thrown together in big batches. The truth is, cats are rather solitary creatures and would prefer not to be thrown into a herd. Their (cat ) rooms in the shelter that I was visited (comprised of two seaparate agencies ) were very overpopulated in areas of space. The colony room does not allow floorspace per cat as designated in the Nevada Revised Statute. So these poor animals huddle, each on their little cat ladders trying to stay out of each other's way. If each cat is out of the cage for half an hour day, that means 23 1/2 hours a day in the cage. That can't sound reasonable to any sane person. If the civilian pet owner treated an animal that way they would get the animal taken away from them rather quickly. There can't be two sets of rules one for shelter and one for rescue; although that seems to be the trend. All the regulation focus on open admission County shelter and let the rescues run helter-skelter over the countryside. I believe Winograd creates dissension solely for the purpose of diverting people from the real issues at hand, and the real conditions in these No Kill shelters. I continue to follow Nevada animal welfare events through their paper, although the animal blog is a poor source of truth. While living in Nevada, I met several people who truly do care about the animals, most of them as you mentioned in your post do remain in the shadows. We tend to recognize each other as kindred souls as we walked through the hall's. I believe my chaplaincy bars gave me an air of trustworthiness, though I'm not sure I'd consider myself worthy.
I will do what it takes to bring about a reform of this insane movement. To bring before the general public, a clarity and understanding of the agony these animals suffer at the hands of this policy. These animals do go crazy, they are often beyond redemption. I stumbled some time ago across the blog post called "beyond redemption", it was an excellent blog. I hope to grow readership among my new friends here as well as my old friends in Reno and Carson City; I know there are many of us out there, we just need to unite and fight. If any of my readers are familiar with the post that I'm talking about, could you tell me where I could find it again? below is a link to an oldie, but a goodie.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/02/17/18479756.php?
Peace to you, until the animals we love are free, we shall be practicing war and peace.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Reforming No Kill
I believe we should impose the same rules on the shelter that we impose on private citizens. And, I believe any shelter should be open to public scrutiny. As a chaplain, I'm opposed to the death penalty. But as a human, I understand sometimes there are no other options. There are humans and animals that society must be protected from. That is the job of animal care and control.
A freestanding no kill shelter, not replacing the public intake facility has every right to take a No Kill stand. They are usually financial failures, however. Many weeks and months of research have not shown me any successful no kill operations that do not restrict intake.
Delaware is no longer connected with their animal control unit They say they're tired of taking the strays that the county should pay for; I say to them as I say to my children, when you're big enough to pay for it, go ahead My wife and I have read hundreds of no kill claims, and everyone has intake restrictions. So the killing just goes on down the street, society's problem continues.
Every time an inmate comes out of prison he has a little harder time adjusting to the outside world. Every time a dog or cat is re-homed it faces the same challenges. Over time, their loss of coping skills places them beyond help. Having open statistics in the shelters would allow the public to see the return rate. Rescues are quick to tout the one dog who found a "forever home " after 5 years in a kennel, one out of 10,000? The rest languish, the volunteers quit coming; they lived lives of misery frustration and lonliness. And the animals that are turned away while others are warehoused, they paid the high price of "feel good" No Kill mythology. Below are links dealing with TNR.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/Lepczyk-2010-Conservation%20Biology.pdf
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/17/local/la-me-feral-cats17-2010jan17
http://www.gazette.net/stories/07292010/prinnew164059_32536.php
A freestanding no kill shelter, not replacing the public intake facility has every right to take a No Kill stand. They are usually financial failures, however. Many weeks and months of research have not shown me any successful no kill operations that do not restrict intake.
Delaware is no longer connected with their animal control unit They say they're tired of taking the strays that the county should pay for; I say to them as I say to my children, when you're big enough to pay for it, go ahead My wife and I have read hundreds of no kill claims, and everyone has intake restrictions. So the killing just goes on down the street, society's problem continues.
Every time an inmate comes out of prison he has a little harder time adjusting to the outside world. Every time a dog or cat is re-homed it faces the same challenges. Over time, their loss of coping skills places them beyond help. Having open statistics in the shelters would allow the public to see the return rate. Rescues are quick to tout the one dog who found a "forever home " after 5 years in a kennel, one out of 10,000? The rest languish, the volunteers quit coming; they lived lives of misery frustration and lonliness. And the animals that are turned away while others are warehoused, they paid the high price of "feel good" No Kill mythology. Below are links dealing with TNR.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/Lepczyk-2010-Conservation%20Biology.pdf
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/17/local/la-me-feral-cats17-2010jan17
http://www.gazette.net/stories/07292010/prinnew164059_32536.php
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Connection Always Comes Back To One Man With A P.O. Box
This is certainly not a march I thought I would be on. You could say saving souls is saving souls, and I do believe that animals have a soul. God didn't create any thing without one. I learned in theology the Beast wears many faces. I also know there are many ways to thwart it.
In doing my research I found over 90 blogs coming back to one IP, one man making lots of noise. I would advise anyone who is considering volunteering or donating at a no kill shelter to go to Guidestar and research the 990 forms,ask yourself if this is the highest use of resources for the animals. There are many faces publicly, such as Fix Austin, or Fix Indianapolis, Mike Fry and his radio show. The really big "Fix" groups are all after the same thing, a government contract. I have not seen him go after any shelters not attached to government funding.
I am not talking about the small independent no kill groups; they can decline an intake, and usually take care of their limited inventory. The animals are killed at the nearest public shelter when they are turned away, but truly humane shelters know when they are at capacity and close the door. I have met many such shelter operators, responsible people making tough decisions. I have also seen the ugliness when the twin devils hoarding and greed rear their ugly heads.
I would start the new reader off with the TNR Reality website. If, you need further proof of how insane this idea is, I recommend laanimalwatch.com . It is a blogspot by a very sincere man who unwittingly tells the truth about TNR.
In doing my research I found over 90 blogs coming back to one IP, one man making lots of noise. I would advise anyone who is considering volunteering or donating at a no kill shelter to go to Guidestar and research the 990 forms,ask yourself if this is the highest use of resources for the animals. There are many faces publicly, such as Fix Austin, or Fix Indianapolis, Mike Fry and his radio show. The really big "Fix" groups are all after the same thing, a government contract. I have not seen him go after any shelters not attached to government funding.
I am not talking about the small independent no kill groups; they can decline an intake, and usually take care of their limited inventory. The animals are killed at the nearest public shelter when they are turned away, but truly humane shelters know when they are at capacity and close the door. I have met many such shelter operators, responsible people making tough decisions. I have also seen the ugliness when the twin devils hoarding and greed rear their ugly heads.
I would start the new reader off with the TNR Reality website. If, you need further proof of how insane this idea is, I recommend laanimalwatch.com . It is a blogspot by a very sincere man who unwittingly tells the truth about TNR.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day World!
What an absolutely glorious morning for Mother's Day we're having here in Sparks Nevada. I'm looking forward to coffee with neighbor Stan, we're going to go Raley's. Up in the front of the store they have this neat little coffee area, and its three little tables, and the best coffee in the world and shelves and shelves full of fresh danish rolls. So I am so ready to celebrate Mother's Day. Rick is generally off on Sundays, and this is the first Sunday he has had to work in five years, and of course it's Mother's Day but we're so grateful to have job in this economy that were going to skip the bitching. My sister Tootie just called me, she's coming back from her vacation in her RV. She sounded bubbling and happy, and like her day was just what she wanted it to be. I know this is a bittersweet day for my dear friend Janet, so for those readers blessed enough to have parent and child both alive consider yourself doubly blessed. I should probably toss in some poem about what is a Mother...This is called platitudes from a book called when I'm an old woman I shall wear purple.
Platitudes
Mother is with God, Mother is at rest, Mother's with dad, Mother was ready to go, Mother's paid her dues, Mother is still with us, Mother lived a full life, time heals all wounds... you will mourn Mother the rest of your life.
I'm not so sure that mourning is a bad thing, it reminds me of my humanity, it reminds me how dependent I am on human love. I got lost in this the book. It deals with aging and everywhere I turn around, I find me... I like this book, so I'll try this one for you...
Happy Mother's Day World!
What an absolutely glorious morning for Mother's Day we're having here in Sparks Nevada. I'm looking forward to coffee with neighbor Stan, we're going to go Raley's. Up in the front of the store they have this neat little coffee area, and its three little tables, and the best coffee in the world and shelves and shelves full of fresh danish rolls. So I am so ready to celebrate Mother's Day. Rick is generally off on Sundays, and this is the first Sunday he has had to work in five years, and of course it's Mother's Day but we're so grateful to have job in this economy that were going to skip the bitching. My sister Tootie just called me, she's coming back from her vacation in her RV. She sounded bubbling and happy, and like her day was just what she wanted it to be. I know this is a bittersweet day for my dear friend Janet, so for those readers blessed enough to have parent and child both alive consider yourself doubly blessed. I should probably toss in some poem about what is a Mother...This is called platitudes from a book called when I'm an old woman I shall wear purple.
Platitudes
Mother is with God, Mother is at rest, Mother's with dad, Mother was ready to go, Mother's paid her dues, Mother is still with us, Mother lived a full life, time heals all wounds... you will mourn Mother the rest of your life.
I'm not so sure that mourning is a bad thing, it reminds me of my humanity, it reminds me how dependent I am on human love. I got lost in this the book. It deals with aging and everywhere I turn around, I find me... I like this book, so I'll try this one for you...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Super-Adoption, Community Saturation Apparent........
Well it feels good to be back in the saddle, I'm using the voice writer; so look for strange things to appear. I'm sure by now most of you have read that adoptions were down 46%. Some would blame it on good weather, some would blame it on the economy; Oreo feels the truth is somewhere in between. The community is staggering under a tremendous debt load, some folks can't feed the kids, they certainly cannot afford pet food. In every area where No Kill has been attempted; the community becomes saturated, rescue groups are overflowed and volunteers are overwhelmed. It has taken Washoe County only two years to reach this point. Our shelter which was to last 30 years, has become overcrowded in three.The local grooming parlors are getting clients who don't even know they have a pit bull. I will add more later, we are really just testing the voice writer. Pictured is Burley Dog at the groomer.....
Monday, March 29, 2010
Oreo Has Carpal Tunnel
I see we continue getting hits, and I want everone to know; we are coming back. Both wrists require surgery, and I can't stand to touch the key board.Typing with the eraser end of pencil will dampen the spirits, but know we have lots to catch up on.
Pictured is Oreo in the midst of her "hall ball" tourney..........
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Oreo Says " Who Can A Girl Trust ? Really "
A recent " un-announced " visit to our local animal shelter, was not un-announced really.... Sad to say but true. I didn't think the person we had to deal with had enough integrity to keep any word, or vow, and it's boring to be right all the time. Sometimes the bad guy has to prove how stuborn he can be. My Mama used to say that about my Brother, if you can't be right, be stubborn in your wrongness. It was a photo-op for the ass-holes and they played it to the hilt. There was a small accomplishment, however, it was the first time the private side had been clean and had volunteers.... all for little ol' us. One building which is not designed for animal storage these days didn't get checked because we thought they might play by the rules, seems we mis-judged. Several staff told Oreo later, it's still used for animal storage, even tho it was replaced because it was unfit.There was an old GSD on Petharbor, pretty broken down and clearly not capable of being stray...seems the owner brought it in to be put down because it couldn't walk. The new policy is no animal will be destroyed without approval from the " partner" that is truly one dead brain cell thinking......Well the old guy couldn't walk and had trouble standing, but WCRAS kept the poor creature 9 days, on concrete, immobile and unable to escape his own fecal matter. Do you think an old 15 year old house pet was afraid in that envirionment ?, perhaps felt defenseless against all those young aggressive dogs. Wonder what went on in his head spending his last nine days alive in a strange place in pain, when all his owner wanted was to bring him peace and freedom from the pain. This is a new low for Washoe County Regional Animal Services and I hope they are sincerely ashamed of their lack of compassion. Just when you think the slime can't crawl any lower, they surprise you. Next time you see all those old helpless creatures on Pet Harbor, you will know the truth, they aren't strays and they aren't adoptable, but they are captive. I hope a gentle reader out there doesn't have to look up and see some nut job dragging his beloved, but sick dog down the street after a " free adoption" senior to senior, ya know.... Or, have it's image on Petharbor, barely standing, burned into their mind forever because of some misguided perhaps well meaning fool. This truly was a sickening day, and yes dear readers, Oreo is back with a vengance. Dispicable cowards, and all for the mighty dollar, Sancho, bring me my sword !!
Pictured is Oreo, pleading for one more splash of Parmesan Cheese on her food, she got it....
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