Everything is connected

There have been two items on the CBC website this week from Nfld that caught the eye of most folks here in NS.   The first of course was the next sequel in the ongoing story of animal abuse by an eight year old boy.  Readers have been horrified by the age of the accused and it should be no surprise to anyone in the animal loving community that that the coverage has extended to an expert opinion that this is a child who needs immediate assessment and intervention .
The second story is also part of an ongoing saga.   A man from the Valley has been remanded for psychiatric assessment following a very public violation of the bail terms for the original offense of weapons related offenses and threatening to kill a couple of police officers.
No question about it ... both are serious situations but there is one glaring difference between the two.   In the first instance, the child is still at home while the investigation is going on. Why?  Is it because there are a completely separate set of rules for children?  Is it that the existing animal cruelty laws don't send a strong enough message?  Or is that it isn't viewed as the same type of criminal activity that harming a human would?
In the second instance, the police were able to act before Mr Baltzer had the opportunity to kill the police men.  Why?   Is it because he is an adult?  Is it that he was threatening harm on human life?  Or is that the law contains provisions for a proactive and lifesaving approach?
And before the keyboards catch on fire ... life is life and it all precious.   Should the policemen ... and all other human victims... be protected?  Of course they should.  At its best, the purpose of the law is to protect all members of society.  Not simply from the criminals, but from the vigilante justice that occurs when the laws don't step up to the plate.
Human life is precious .... and better protected under the law.   So why the concern for animals? 
"According to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse" ( from Pet-Abuse.com ... where that same article goes on to document the convicted serial killers who began their careers by torturing and killing animals )
In other words ... we are neither protecting our children, nor our communities by failing to recognize that children who violently kill and torture animals are in desperate need of intervention.
Nor are we are sending a suitable message when our animal cruelty laws lack sufficient penalties to act as a real deterrent.  The reason that most violent offenders begin with animals is that they are more vulnerable in every possible definition of the word.
Even worse .. when the laws do get changed .. and more penalties are on the books ... animal abuse can still pass under everyone's radar. Why?  Because it take practical resources to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty.  Here in Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia SPCA is mandated to investigate and provide the evidentiary basis for successful prosecution.
So what's the problem?   Funding is the problem.  Like something out of a Monty Python movie .. they are told to the job without anything remotely resembling sufficient funding.  
There is no company in this province that would accept those kind of terms.
I also noticed an interesting tidbit in the Herald this morning.   Front and center on the front page, it would seem that the provincial deficit is actually going to be $246.000,000.00 less than the NDP bobsled team had originally projected in April.  
If you love animals and you love children, might I suggest this would be a dandy time to contact your MLA and ask them to press for more funding for animal cruelty investigations for the society.
What time is it?   Its always time to remember that the best way to have some say in how your tax dollars are spent is by directly contacting the politicians who represent you.

Lost Dog in Hillsvale

This is Abigail, and she has been missing from her home in Hillsvale since 7pm on tuesday.  For more information, go to the special facebook group that has been set up to Help find Abigail .. a lost Chihuahua
Even if you don't live in that area, joining the group and inviting your friends to do the same is a very quick and effective way to help get the word out.

Its a red letter day!

From the No Kill Advocacy Centre :
July 23, 2010

Dear Friends,
The Governor of Delaware just signed the most sweeping, progressive companion animal protection legislation in the United States. The law was modeled on the No Kill Advocacy Center's Companion Animal Protection Act and spearheaded by the non‐profit No Kill shelter Faithful Friends, in Wilmington, Delaware, and involved groups like Stray Haven Animal Sanctuary.
Like Oreo’s Law sought to do, the Delaware Companion Animal Protection Act mandates collaboration between shelters and rescue groups. A shelter cannot kill an animal if a rescue group is willing to save that animal's life. But that is just the beginning. It also makes convenience killing illegal—shelters can no longer kill an animal when there are available cages or the animals can share a cage or kennel with another one.
Specifically, the Delaware CAPA states:
Animal shelters shall ensure that the following conditions are met before an animal is euthanized:


(i) The holding period for the animal required by this chapter is expired;
(ii) There are no empty cages, kennels, or other living environments in the shelter that are suitable for the animal;
(iii) The animal cannot share a cage or kennel with appropriately sized primary living space with another animal;
(iv) A foster home is not available;
(v) Organizations on the registry developed pursuant to §8003(d) are not willing to accept the animal; and
(vi) The animal care/control manager certifies that the above conditions are met and that he/she has no other reasonable alternative.

The law also requires posting "all stray animals on the Internet with sufficient detail to allow them to be recognized and claimed by their owners," requires shelters to maintain registries of rescue groups willing to save lives, and requires shelters to post statistics (intake, adoption, reclaim, transfer and killing rate).
While the law is now the most progressive companion animal protection legislation on record in this country, and can only be considered an unqualified victory for the No Kill movement, some of the No Kill Advocacy Center's recommendations were not accepted. Nonetheless, Delaware, the first state to ratify our nation's constitution, continues to lead the way in embracing the legislative framework necessary to ensure justice. And we will build upon this framework in the coming years to strengthen protections for animals even more.
Our deepest gratitude to the animal loving citizens and legislators of the great state of Delaware.
Very truly yours,

Nathan J. Winograd
Wow!   What an awesome precedent.  When I passed the link to the new law around on facebook before supper, one animal lover very sensibly suggested that a copy of this new law be sent to every municipal councillor and MLA in this province.
Now there's another great idea!
When the story of these times gets written, we want it to say that we did all we could, and it was more than anyone could have imagined.  Bono

Never too old to be loved.

What a great morning in the woods!  With that good brisk breeze and the cooler temperatures there wasn't a horsefly in sight!  Being able to do this is always one of the best bits about being retired ... but even more so when we get a break from the bugs.
Casual acquaintances are sometimes surprised to find out that Andy has no trouble keeping up with the big dogs.   Why?  Because he's a senior?  Because he's not much bigger than a cat? 
How many times do small dogs come into rescue because people don't realize they need all the same things that their bigger counterparts do?  Exercise, training and boundaries are really the only way to make love of any size last forever, eh? 
I wish I could hand out booby prizes .. so far this year it would go to the woman who surrendered her lovely little poodle because her new boyfriend wanted a big dog.  Sheesh.  Before he became ill, McG could tire out any big dog!
How many times are seniors surrendered or abandoned because they are thought to be past their expiry date?  ( the topic of how many seniors are abandoned by backyard breeders who feel they are 'no good for anything' is a separate rant needing a separate post on another day. As is the topic of how many of them make a side trip to an unsuspecting home via Kjijii before they come into rescue )
How many times are seniors passed over by adopters?  Some worry about vet bills.  Some are afraid to adopt a pet who might not have fifteen years of love left to offer.  And some just believe the old saw that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
To be perfectly honest, one of the nicest things about adopting a senior pet is that they don't always need to be taught new tricks.  Being older and wiser, even the ones that aren't housetrained are so eager to please that they catch on quickly.
Years ago, I adopted a senior terrier named Scamp and had the pleasure of living with him for over six years.  Readers who followed the old blog likely remember reading about Ben - who was a beautiful five year old Golden that I adopted.  Ben was only with us for a few months before we suddenly and very unexpectedly lost him :( 
In other words .. living breathing sentient beings do not come with a warranty for mileage.   The only thing that pets can guarantee us is that they will love us unconditionally for the time they have to offer. 
We can boost the odds a bit by taking the best possible care that we can.   Buttercup was a senior when my friend Joan adopted her and they have been regaling the dog loving world with stories and pictures for years, eh?
With only two teeth, its hard to pin down Andy's age reliably ... our best guess is that he was 13 last fall when he was adopted.   Which in his case turned out to be a lucky number as he clearly hadn't been accustomed to a lot of life's comforts.  From wearing coats on cold days to being allowed on the couch, it took the little man a while to understand that these things were ok in this house.
Andy has gone from trying to hide in the closets to sleep at his foster mom's to looking for a lift up on the bed every night.
If providing an adopted pet with a better new life brings special satisfactions, that experience is multiplied with senior pets.  They are old enough and wise enough to really appreciate things, eh?  I know that I say it all the time... but if everyone knew how wonderful senior pets were, there wouldn't be enough to adopt.
Which of course is why I do The NS Senior Pet Project .  I know I tend to see the world through rose colored glasses, but I truly do believe that one kind heart at a time, senior pet adoption is starting to catch on.
This spring, I was telling anyone who would listen about being awarded a Golden Paw award from the society for my work with the homeless pet sites.  But I could pass out my own awards, it would be to the way they have embraced change and now pull out all the stops for the senior pets in their care.
What time is it?  Its always time to remember that pets are never too old to be loved.

Time to come out of the cocoon

What a great morning to go to the woods!   The horseflies didn't like that lovely light misting rain so we were able to go hiking down some of the trails we haven't dared to go down for a while.  It is so beautiful up on the ridge that its just frosting on the cake when we are treated to the sight of an eagle fishing in the river below us.
Last month, I was speculating about why more shelters and rescues in Nova Scotia weren't taking advantage of the free publicity available for those who signed up for the IAMS Home for the Holidays program.   At that time, the only ones onboard were SHAID and the Colchester SPCA ( who have mysteriously dropped off the list since then sadly.)
Its been a while since I popped into the Home for the Holidays site, so I was happy to see several SPCA Branches have signed on  .... Metro, Kings,
Cape Breton and Yarmouth .
The advertising campaign for this starts in the media on the first of October.  Each participating shelter or rescue gets a package that includes information on contacting the media along with media materials such as fill in the blank press releases.   Its almost frosting on the cake that their local radio and TV stations will be able to download IH4TH Public Service Announcements recorded by official IH4TH celebrity spokesperson and Academy Award winning actress Diane Keaton.
And while the program has become so wildly popular that there aren't always enough for everyone, IAMs also provides starter kits of goodies to offer holiday adopters.
There are still a lot of misconceptions about Holiday adoptions.   I really like what Nathan Winograd had to say about it  

“A kitten or puppy under the tree in December would end up in the shelter in January” was the dogma of the times and many shelters across the country actually refused to adopt out animals during this time of year. Taken to its logical conclusion, the argument is nothing more than “shelters should not do holiday adoptions because the animals may end up back at the shelter.” This, the thinking goes, is bad because shelters are bad places where animals are killed. The problem should be immediately obvious: the animals are already in the shelter! Stopping adoptions which would get them out of the shelter because they might end up back in it was bad enough. But not adopting them out ensures that the harm they claim to fear is all but assured—the animals will be killed, exacerbating shelter death rates

Holiday adoptions do not put pets at risk.  Why?  Because the adoption procedure puts the brakes on impulse.  One has to apply and have references checked.  If an adopter would meet all the criteria today, why shouldn't they be able to adopt in December?
At the end of the day, rescues and shelters are 'competing for the market share' when it comes to good pet homes.  To make matters worse, when they close their doors for the holiday season, the only thing they are really doing is encouraging potential adopters to turn to other sources for pets... sources that have a proven track record of creating all those problems for rescue later.
Why not LET folks adopt instead of scolding them? 
What time is it?   Until there are no more homeless pets in this province ... until there are no waiting lists ... until there are no more Unhappy Tails for the unwanted ... it is way past time for shelters and rescues to rethink their holiday adoption policy.
"If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies"  Author unknown.

Taking it to the streets

Within the last twenty four hours, there have been two articles in the media about the record numbers of cats being surrendered to shelters and abandoned.  

from last nights CBC News website

Pet giveaways a problem: SPCA

Online offers lead to more strays
Last Updated: Sunday, July 18, 2010
3:29 PM AT .
The Nova Scotia SPCA says this has been one of the worst years on record for stray and unwanted cats, and the internet must share the blame for the problem.
Executive director Kristin Williams says the number of animals arriving at shelters in Halifax is up 20 per cent over last year. She says the rising popularity of selling and giving away pets online is increasing the demand for shelter space.
'There's no such thing as a free pet.'—Holly Stevens, Bide Awhile Animal Shelter
For example, the online classifieds site Kijiji had more than 400 listings under "cats, kittens for sale" in the Halifax area Sunday. Most of those are ads for free cats.
Holly Stevens, who works at the Bide Awhile Animal Shelter in Dartmouth, said people turn to the Internet because they don't want to pay the $125 needed to get animals vaccinated, checked for worms, and spayed or neutered.
Stevens said many pet owners who get their cats online don't bother with those procedures. That leads to future health problems for the cats and increases the likelihood they'll be abandoned at shelters.
"It's countless the number of times we get phone calls even on a daily basis saying, 'I got this animal off Kijiji and it turned out not to be what I wanted … and I don't want it anymore. Can you help me?'"
Like most shelters in Nova Scotia, Bide Awhile is full and often can't take the animal. So the pet goes without medical attention or is abandoned without being spayed or neutered, increasing the number of unwanted animals.
"They're not thinking it through," Stevens said. "They're thinking, 'Oh, those cute little kittens. They're free. Let's get one. They're free.' It's an illusion. There's no such thing as a free pet."
The SPCA says people looking to adopt a pet should go to a reputable shelter where medical examinations are already done.

---

from this morning's Herald

Cat influx strains shelter’s limit

Facility extends hours to ease adoptions

By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau

Mon. Jul 19 - 4:52 AM
Shari Rafuse holds Gonzo, left, and Flash, two of the seven cats dropped off on the front step of the SHAID Tree Animal Shelter just outside Bridgewater last week. (Beverley Ware / Staff
WHYNOTTS SETTLEMENT — The animal shelter just outside Bridgewater is going to extend its hours of operation in hopes of finding new homes for an influx of animals.
"There have been a lot dropped off lately," said Kelly Campbell, manager of the SHAID Tree Animal Shelter.
"Seven cats were dropped off just last week, which is a huge number that we weren’t expecting," she said Sunday.
Campbell said an employee came to work one morning and found the cats in a dog crate at the shelter’s gate, "and we had nowhere to put them. If it wasn’t for several of our staff and volunteers who took them home we’d have been in a really tough situation."
Campbell said the shelter opened in 1985 to accommodate 65 cats, but it had 90 until a few recent adoptions saw that number drop by about 10.
"This time of year there are always a lot of kittens being born so our numbers do go up for a couple of weeks," Campbell said, but the recent influx is unusual.
Seven of the 10 dog kennels are also full.
SHAID, which stands for Sheltering Helpless Animals in Distress, is a "no kill" shelter.
"We keep them until we find them a home. We only ever euthanize if the animal is extremely aggressive and we can’t bring it around, or it’s extremely ill," said Campbell.
The shelter has decided to stay open late every second Thursday, beginning this week, to make it easier for working and vacationing families to get there. The shelter’s usual hours are noon until 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
It will now open from noon until 7 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 5 and 19 and Sept. 2.
The shelter is run by eight staff and 20 volunteers who do everything from cleaning out the cat cages in the morning to walking the dogs and playing with the animals. Campbell said the shelter is in need of more volunteers but those under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For more information, visit http://www.shaid.ca/.
( bware@herald.ca)
Well then.  While its great to see animal rescue getting media attention ... two articles in 24 hours does pose the bigger question of WHY are there more cats being surrendered or abandoned?
Is it the number of jobs that have been lost this year?  The resulting loses of homes? That some have had to move out west to find work? 
Admitedly, Kijiji can claim a lions share of the blame for the ready availability of pets.  Its easy.  Its convenient and there are no forms to fill out.  There are no worries about whether one will pass the screening.
Just answer the ad ... put on a good face and Bob's your uncle.
Do we need legislation to ban the traffic of living sentient beings in the free online ads?  You bet.  Would that solve everything?  Not even close.
Getting articles in the media is a great first step.  Why not take it one step further and get the kitties out where the public can meet their sweet selves.
Why do I keep going on and on about this?  If you look at the comments under either article, one underlying current is that people choose to use Kijiji to source pets because its easy and convenient.
In many cases, they know they'll wind up spending more money.   But we live in a world where people happily spend more at the grocery store for prepared food items that yield quicker results at suppertime. 
Why do rescues need to compete with that?  I would think it would be obvious:

• every pet adopted from reputable rescue is already altered and so will be part of the solution, not the problem
• adoptables are the best ambassadors rescue has ... each one spreading the good word to family, friends, neighbours and coworkers
• adopters often become volunteers or suppporters
• and of course every pet that is adopted is one more 'chink out of the market' for unscrupulous and / or misguided puppy brokers and backyard breeders

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, the very best way for rescue to 'compete' for the market share of the kitties is to hold cat only off site adoption events.   In a world where everyone is looking for the easy road, its the best way to promote the kitties. 
Offsite adoptions are a proven way to boost adoptions and promote animal rescue.   Why?  They make it simple for potential adopters to meet the pets and provide an environment where it is easier to fill out the form and have references checked.  Best of all, rescues that use offsite adoptions have found them more successful than reducing fees.
What time is it?  Its time to understand that 'taking it to the streets' is the very best way to overcome the negative urban legends about the difficulties surrounding pet adoption.

What a great idea!