Post in Dogs and cats need our help asap
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Dogs and cats need our help asap From: Milton Deemer Date: Jun 12 10:37 UTC Short link
I'll second that. College students throw cats out when they go home for
the summer. I call them "college cats". One moved in with us so we had
it neutered and gave it all its shots. Its a very friendly cat about 9
months old. If you want it, or know of some one who wants a young cat
just give us a call, 454-8275.
Milt Deemer
On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:49:37 -0600, "Patricia A. Leahan"
<<email obscured>> said:
> This was in today's online Las Vegas Daily Optic. Please, if you are > so led to give one of these dogs or cats a home, they need help ASAP. > Just call the numbers mentioned in the article. Thank you. > > pat leahan > --------------- > http://www.lasvegasoptic.com/cgi-bin/storyviewx.cgi?080+News. > 2008611-4953-080-080007.Full+News > Las Vegas Daily Optic > 11 June 2008 > > Coalition uniting animal rescuers > > By Birdie Jaworski > > A string of large wire cages sits in the open sun next to a deserted > lot covered in wood scrap and rusted debris. The dogs pace, eyes > wary, sometimes dipping inside plastic igloos and beneath makeshift > shelters to hide from Junes relentless solar rays. > > Electra, a boxer mix with wiry yellow fur, leans her pug nose through > a space in the chicken wire. She seems to smile despite the meager > surroundings. > > Shes an incredible dog, explains Maureen OBrien, interim director > of The Animal Support Center, a no-kill shelter housed on Seventh > Street for the past several years. Shes one of the lucky ones. Her > spirit hasnt been damaged by her past or by staying here. Shell > make a wonderful, gentle companion. > > OBrien oversees the dusty island of forgotten dogs and cats. She > walks from one cage to the next, squatting low to the ground to > communicate, to extend a steady hand. > > Ralph, a shepherd mix with soulful eyes, barks and whines as he > presses one paw then another against the fence. OBrien consoles him, > promises a home with room to explore. Della, a mother to seven fat, > healthy puppies, watches her charges with expert care, as she paces > the cage in front of their shaded nest. Her coat carries burn-crusted > scars of torture, but she runs to the cage door to greet OBrien with > kindness. > > TASC is closing after all these years of struggle. Our projected end > date is June 30. We still have 10 dogs to place and are looking for > good homes in the community, says OBrien. The dogs we have are shy > dogs that need a lot of care and love. Nobody is aggressive. We have > red heelers, shepherd mixes, a Belgian wolfhound, plus several > mutts. We also have 30 domesticated cats and about 10 kittens who > need homes. We need the communitys help. > > Las Vegas residents often see stray dogs and cats travel the > overgrown alleyways traversing town, searching for their next meal. > The only available options concerned citizens could take involved > calling TASC or the City of Las Vegas to pick up stray animals. > Neither TASC nor the City and San Miguel County Animal Control > programs have adequate resources, however, to house and care for the > growing number of unwanted or feral animals. > > At a meeting on Las Vegas animal welfare, held on May 22 at the CCHP > building, city Community Development Director Elmer Martinez > expressed his desire to help both the animals and regional animal > control officers. > > The city officers enforce ordinances, but shift into welfare mode to > care for animals once they are picked up, Martinez said. The staff > has to constantly shift between caring and enforcing. There is a > perception that animal control officers are the bad guys, yet they > contribute a lot to the welfare of these animals. The citys animal > problem is, in reality, a people problem. > > In a move to help allay the growing burden of assisting for unwanted > pets with the coming close of TASC, concerned citizens and > representatives of the local population met for four hours to discuss > the development of a strategic, long-term plan for collaborative > animal welfare for the City of Las Vegas-San Miguel County area. In > addition to OBrien and Martinez, participants included Rep. Richard > Vigil, Lisa Gipe and Gabrielle Amster of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, > Las Vegas City Councilman Andrew Feldman, and San Miguel County > Manager Les Montoya. > > Animal control is just one part of animal welfare, said Feldman. > Citizen perspective is important, too. We need to focus on education > in order to help minimize services needed, and help develop > partnerships between the city, county, public organizations, and > private citizens. > > The group made a decision to band forces, and begin working together > to aid the animals of Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Initial > decisions included development of an agenda and planning committees > with the hope that a vision statement and concrete goals can be > achieved in a reasonable amount of time. > > This was a choice we all made together, says OBrien, the TASC > Board of Directors, concerned citizens for animal welfare, the City > of Las Vegas, San Miguel County officials, and the Santa Fe Animal > Shelter. Well continue to have ongoing meetings with the hope that > we can bring about a much larger facility and a shelter that can > serve Las Vegas and the surrounding areas, a spay and neuter clinic, > and a wellness and shot clinic. Everyone is on the same page now, > working together for the benefit of the animals. > > Meanwhile, Electra, Ralph, Della and the others wait. Two puppies, > just four weeks old, scamper across the hard mud floor of their cage, > adjusting to captivity after being tossed out of a moving car two > nights ago. OBrien pours dog kibble into a donated metal pot. As the > food hits the pan, every pair of canine eyes rises, hopeful, aware. > We need help. OBrien wipes her hands on her jeans and moves to the > next cage. We need folks to foster dogs, and a networking system in > place to help these animals until the new sanctuary is done. We need > a Web site, volunteers to help walk dogs, and especially new > permanent home for these loving animals. > > She pauses, surveying the sun-bleached pens with a determined > expression. Out of the ashes of TASC will rise a new beginning with > new facilities that will be much more pleasant for the dogs of Las > Vegas. > > For more information, or to adopt a dog, call Maureen OBrien at > 426-8203. For cat adoptions, call Linzy Behrs at 699-6018. > > Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved. > -------------- > > > > Pat Leahan > > Info about Pat Leahan: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/patleahan > > This topic's messages may be viewed at: > http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/4VKtfupaqORFbuirF2ocme > ----------------------------------------- > To post, send your message to: <email obscured> > To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest on," > in subject line and send to: <email obscured> > > More info about Las Vegas Issues Forum: > http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/lasvegas-issues > > E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules > ----------------------------------------- > Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net -- Milton Deemer