No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

January 16, 2004
From super adoptions to spay/neuter successes, people working together to bring about a time when there will be No More Homeless Pets.

• Amazing Animals
• Feral Cat News
• Adoption News
• Spay/Neuter News
• Fabulous Fundraisers
• In Your Communities

TOP STORY

Army Reserve Capt. Gabriella Cook's urgent email brought an outpouring of compassion and a deluge of support for hardworking Iraqi police dogs. Just prior to the New Year, Capt. Cook sent the email from Iraq, requesting food shipments for the Iraqi Interior Ministry's only bomb-sniffing police dogs, who had been surviving on table scraps and garbage.

The response to Capt. Cook's plea was overwhelming. Offers of help came from around the country.

The big news, however, came from Hill's Pet Nutrition in Topeka, Kansas, which arranged for a continuous, complimentary supply of its Science Diet product to be made available to feed the 13 Iraqi Police Academy dogs (12 German shepherds and one black Labrador retriever).

In addition to the immediate assistance, a Hill's spokesman said an additional 30,000 pounds of food is en route -- targeted for both the Iraqi dogs and U.S. military dogs in the war zone.

Capt. Cook, a Las Vegas police officer, is commander of the 313th Military Police Detachment, which arrived in Baghdad in mid-December to train Iraqi police, including officers with bomb-sniffing dogs.

The Las Vegas Valley Humane Society had been coordinating a fundraising effort to purchase food for the dogs, and received an enormous response. Following the announcement from Hill's, however, the society announced that it was returning all of the earmarked funds, urging donors to use the money to support local rescue and spay/neuter programs.

Although food is no longer a problem, the dogs and their handlers continue to need items such as boots, treats, toys, medicine and leashes. For a complete wish list and information about how to help, please visit Military Mascots. Read more from the Review Journal.

AMAZING ANIMALS

Bozeman, Montana - If Freddie, a 13-year-old Pekingese, could only talk, he'd have quite a tale to tell. According to veterinarian John McIlhattan, Freddie survived a flight in an eagle's talons, as well as a week on his own in the depths of a Montana winter. McIlhattan said Freddie had cuts on his neck, apparently from the eagle's talons, and an eye injury, but was in remarkable shape considering his ordeal. The dog found his way back home after being missing for more than a week.


Washington, D.C. - The DC Cat Assistance Team (DC CAT), a coalition of Alley Cat Allies, the DC Department of Health, and the Washington Animal Rescue League, plans to spay or neuter more than 480 outdoor cats during Feline Frenzy!, to be held February 19 and 20 in Washington, D.C. Two-thirds of the cats will be ferals who will be trapped, sterilized, and vaccinated, then returned to their outdoor habitats by volunteers. One-third of available surgery appointments will be for the house cats of District residents who qualify to receive low-cost spay/neuter services and vaccinations.

ADOPTION NEWS

Worcester, Massachusetts - The Worcester Ice Cats of the American Hockey League are joining with several area shelters in for Cats for Pets, a unique effort to try to find homes for homeless pets. At each of the Ice Cats' Sunday home games, pets from the various shelters will be featured in the Centrum Centre's main lobby for an hour prior to face-off. The effort is designed to increase both adoptions and awareness of the needs of homeless animals.

Portland, Oregon - The closing of the last greyhound race track on the West Coast (Multnomah Greyhound Park) means that more than 50 dogs are in need of new homes. The closing came about when Magna Entertainment which owns the park, decided not to renew the track's lease because it had become unprofitable. Oregon law prohibits euthanasia of the greyhounds, but their future remains uncertain, and the Oregon Greyhound Association is working to place the animals. Anyone interested in providing a home for a greyhound can reach the Multnomah Greyhound Kennel at (503) 669-2291.

SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

Tuba City, Arizona - The Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) is looking for volunteer veterinarians to assist with its clinics on Native American lands throughout the Southwest. One recent clinic on the Navajo Nation at Tuba City resulted in 118 dogs and cats being sterilized over five days. In 2004, veterinarians participated from across the country, including the states of Washington, New York, Connecticut, Louisiana, California, and Wisconsin.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

New York City - Clout Et Cetera, Inc., has launched Fraidy's Friends, a charity support group that will assist New York City Rescued Kitties. The image and lifestyle consulting organization will host networking events for professionals and animal lovers alike, in alliance with other networking professional organizations. The purpose is to raise funds and supplies while also promoting awareness and finding homes for the rescue's cats. Fraidy, poster boy for the group, was born a feral feline. Adopted by Jude L. Gorgopa, Clout's president and founder, he is now a healthy, friendly, handsome ginger tabby.

Walnut Creek, California - Musical stars from a wide spectrum turned out recently for the 14th annual Stars to the Rescue benefit for baseball manager Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation. Country stars Vince Gill and Amy Grant (pictured) headlined the program, which attracted some 800 people. La Russa was inspired to help abandoned pets after rescuing a stray cat that wandered onto the playing field during an Oakland A's game in 1990. When he learned there were no shelters with a no-kill policy in the East Bay area, he found a home for the cat, and started the Animal Rescue Foundation. Read more from the Contra Costa Times.

Savannah, Georgia - It's a social club with a furry twist. The Chatham/Savannah Humane Society has launched Animal Lovers Meeting Others, a social club catering to dog owners who want their pets to meet other dogs. Monthly social events will alternate between strolls, tours through downtown Savannah, cocktail hours, and get-togethers at local restaurants. The annual membership fee will benefit the humane society, and the society also hopes the group will help promote awareness of the plight of homeless pets. Read more from Savannah Now.

IN YOUR COMMUNITIES

Los Angeles, California - Five Los Angeles mayoral candidates attended the Citizens for a Humane Los Angeles mayoral convention earlier this month, to bid on the endorsement of the 140 animal rights and welfare advocates in attendance. After speeches from each candidate, conference attendees voted to endorse Republican mayoral candidate Walter Moore, who used his cell phone to illustrate that his first call as mayor would be to order the end of killing in city shelters.

Moore also advocated a dog beach, shelter inspections, a free spay/neuter program, mandating that landlords allow pets in certain circumstances, and moving zoo elephants to a sanctuary. Current Mayor James Hahn was the only invited candidate who did not attend the convention, which was designed to unite the votes and volunteer efforts of thousands of city animal advocates. Read more from an opinion column in Frontiers of Freedom.

San Francisco, California - Outdoor dogs in San Francisco will have a higher standard of living under a law passed by the board of supervisors last week. Among other things, the law requires that dogs have houses with raised floors, a roof, and at least three sides; water provided in a non-tipping bowl and changed once a day; and palatable and nutritious food. The law also discourages people from chaining or tying their dogs.

Dogs Deserve Better is looking for elementary students to make Valentines for chained dogs for its third annual "Have a Heart for Chained Dogs" Week, February 7-14. The group will deliver the Valentines, along with brochures and treats, to outside dogs across the United States, as well as in Canada and Australia. The group hopes to deliver more than 3,000 Valentines this year, and seeks to have them all hand-made by elementary students. Toward this end, it is looking nationwide for elementary teachers and students, as well as girls and boys groups, who are willing to pitch in to the effort. Volunteers, people interested in sponsoring the effort, or those who know of a chained dog who needs a Valentine, can contact the group by emailing info@dogsdeservebetter.org.

Riverside and San Bernardino counties, California - Ten animal welfare agencies will be able to provide financial assistance to low-income seniors who have trouble affording veterinary care for their pets, thanks to a grant from the Albert and Anna Herdina Memorial Fund for Animals. One of the organizations, the Riverside Humane Society Pet Adoption Center, received $7,500 to distribute to seniors within a six-month period. The first recipient was a 67-year-old woman who has adopted 12 homeless cats and three dogs, and who used the money to get a teeth cleaning for Tuppy, her spaniel. Read more from The Press-Enterprise. (Content free, but registration required.)

Tucson, Arizona - Reagen Kulseth, a woman who lost Murphy, her mixed-breed dog, because no blood was available for a transfusion, is heading a campaign to open the first animal blood bank in Arizona. Unlike some blood banks, which get blood from animals housed at "blood-bank kennels," Murphy's Blood Bank will keep an on-call list of people whose dogs and cats have been pre-qualified to be blood donors. The blood bank hopes to be up and running, and saving lives, by April. Read more from the Daily Star.