Shelter Dog Care Provided by
Jackson County Jail Trustees
G’day Mates!
Sharing this news item (with video link) about the Jackson County Animal Shelter (in Phoenix, Oregon), and the great work done by the trustees.
http://kdrv.com/page/149483 Check it out!
Doggy Dundee volunteers at this animal shelter daily, walking Ginny (she’s the white and brown pit-X in the video) and other dogs, so I can vouch for how vital the trustees work is to the care of the shelter dogs, cats, and other animals there. It’s a win-win-win situation for the offenders being rehabilitated, the animals, and the agencies.
Animal Shelter Work Gets Done
These fellows get in early in the a.m. (along with their supervisor crew chief) and have to immediately clean out all the (usually messed) kennels and take the dogs out (they also “cycle” all the dogs for time outside throughout the day), feed the dogs twice a day, help shelter visitors seeking a dog find a dog that matches the person’s needs. The trustees also sit with/pet/comfort the dogs. They do throughout-the-day and end-of-day clean up, and they are also the ones who come in on holidays when the shelter staff is “off,” to ensure the dogs, cats, and any other animals at the shelter are cared for throughout the day. Plus, it’s a hugh amount of laundry (towels, blankets, work clothes, etc.) they do daily to keep things cleaned up and comfortable for the shelter animals, as you might imagine.
This is an exemplary program, and it should be a model for other animal shelters andjustice programs in other areas of the country! The guys are great to work with, by the way, and do what they can for the animals.
FYI, the shelter has attempted to sometimes have women crews, but…there are insufficient numbers of women incarcerated who fit the requirements to keep that going consistently – and a shelter dog (and other shelter animals) – need consistent crews)
A 3-month-old puppy burned and left for dead in a park in North Carolina has — amazingly — recovered and is soon to be adopted.
Meanwhile, her former owner, Lashawn Whitehead, made a court appearance yesterday — the first since he was jailed in Greensboro on felony charges of animal cruelty and “burning personal property.”
Whitehead’s mother told the Greensboro News & Record yesterday that her son was afraid the puppy might harm his newborn child.
The dog, since named Susie, was found in Greenfield Park with burns covering more than 60 percent of her body. A pit bull-shepherd mix, had a broken jaw, broken teeth and second and third degree burns on her head, back, stomach, tail and legs.
Veterinarians estimated she had been laying in the park for weeks, based on her body being infested with maggots.
The dog has had extensive treatment for her injuries and is expected to be adopted soon.
“We are really impressed and amazed at how she’s recovering,” said Marsha Williams, director of the Guilford County Animal Shelter.“We didn’t think it would happen this quickly.”
Sixty people have signed up to adopt the puppy, the Greensboro News & Record reported in October.
At least I'd say so after hearing about New York City. Did you know that New York City just enacted a new policy about the size of dogs. Effective this past May, people living in public housing can't have a dog that weighs more than 25 pounds. People are having to find new housing or surrender their dogs to shelters. There are over 175,000 public housing units in New York City.
Now, I guess I understand that landlords anywhere can decide if pets are allowed to live in their property, as well as how big those pets can be. I mean, this is America (you know what I mean.) But what I heard is that this was a move by New York City to target what they call dangerous dogs. Yeah, you know, pit bulls, dobermans and rottweilers.
Dangerous dogs. I've got news for New York City. I've met some dogs under 25 pounds who were dog gone dangerous. It doesn't have to do with the breed of the dog. It's the owner of the dog. It's the dog's people. How many ways can I say this? If people shirk their responsibility to socialize and train their dogs, it's the dogs who suffer. Always. It's not their fault and it has nothing to do with their breed. How many dogs will have to die in a shelter because New York City public housing officials don't know the difference between a pit bull, doberman, rottweiler and a dangerous dog.
Besides, I bet New York City is full of dangerous people. A lot more dangerous people than dangerous dogs. And I think some of them are making the rules for public housing.
Woof!
Tucker
Head of Security, For Love of a Dog
Each year in the United States, millions of dogs are killed due to the overpopulation crisis of companion animals (www.petpopulation.org). According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, approximately six to eight million dogs (and cats) enter animal shelters, and about three-and-half million dogs (and cats) are euthanatized each year (www.petpopulation.org). These figures illustrate a heartbreaking reality for millions of companion animals nationwide. Perhaps this information may assist in a better understanding about what factors may cause pet-overpopulation and why adoption should be mandatory.
Animals as a Social Problem. A social problem is defined as a “condition that (1) is widely regarded as undesirable or a source of difficulties; (2) is caused by the actions or inactions of people or of society; [and] (3) affects or is thought to affect a large number of people” (Farley, 1987:2). Pet-overpopulation is a serious and overwhelming social problem, which has created many difficulties in the animal shelter community. The results to this problem depict a sad and disheartening fate for many homeless animals. The social problem of unwanted pets is associated with our morals as a human society (Arluke and Sanders, 1993; Hines, 2003).
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, for every person that is born each day, there are 15 puppies (and 45 kittens) that are born in the United States. The remaining animals are abandoned to the streets or end up in an animal shelter (www.petpopulation.org). Each day 10,000 humans are born in the United States and 70,000 puppies (and kittens) are born. In order to keep up with the current flood of puppies (and kittens), every person would have to own two dogs and six cats during their entire lifetime, (assuming people live for 75 years and dogs and cats for 10). A household of 5 would have to harbor 10 dogs and 30 cats! In addition, only one in five puppies (and kittens) remain in his or her original home for his/her entire lifetime. As long as these birthrates continue to exist, there will never be enough homes for all of the animals (www.spayusa.org).
These statistics represent the intensity of this crisis and proposes that pet-overpopulation is a national disaster which seems to be only getting worse. If animals were to exceed the human population, the possibilities and consequences would be tremendous. Given the prevalence of this social problem and our affinity for companion animals, the ramifications could become too great to control if this problem is not ameliorated (Patronek, Glickman and Moyer 1995). As the birthrate continues to rise there could be a more serious problem at hand pertaining to pet-overpopulation. Finally, the overwhelming amount of animals will be euthanatized at a staggering rate and pet-overpopulation could become too great to control if this crisis is not rectified soon.
How can you help?
- Adopt a dog only from your local Humane Society, SPCA or animal shelter.
- Consider animal rescue (available locally and/or breed specific rescues).
- Never buy or purchase a dog for any reason.
Important questions to ask your animal shelter and/or animal rescue:
- Where do the dogs come from? Are they surrenders, strays?
- Are the animals well cared for?
Important questions to ask yourself while thinking about adopting a new friend:
- Do we have the time to properly care for a dog?
- Remember dogs need plenty of exercise and socialization.
- Do we have the financial means to pay for requirements for dogs?
- Vet bills, vaccinations, food, pet fee (for some residences).
- Are we moving or are changing our living situation in the near future?
- Moving to a new house, out of state, or even out of the country is never a good excuse to surrender your animal. Please keep in mind that if you are moving in the near future, perhaps you want to wait till after you move to adopt a dog.
- Do you travel a lot?
- If you travel a lot and will be unable to spend adequate time to care for your dog, maybe now isn’t the best time to adopt a new friend. It is never healthy for a dog to live in a unstable living condition. Dogs depend on consistency and routine and by traveling a lot and not being available for your dog is not healthy for your new friend.
- Are you will to put the time into training your new friend?
- All dogs must have manners. This is executed by proper training and socialization repeatedly through the dogs life. Potential pet parents must include a plan to train the dog so he/she is able to have manners in many situations. Whether you train your dog yourself or get your dog professionally trained, either way it is something to think about before you adopt a new companion.
- Cuteness is not a characterisitic to look for when searching for a canine companion. Breed, temperment, age and size should be the deciding factor when looking for a dog.
- Puppies need a LOT of work and a LOT of training. Are you willing to invest your money, time and belongings that your puppy will inevitably chew, for a puppy?
- Adult dogs are easier to maintain and may not require as much supervision as a puppy. Consider an adult dog for a variety reasons: You know how big the dog will be, you know the dog’s temperament, you may have to train the dog less, and so on.
- When looking for the right temperament, consider your lifestyle and what you are able to handle. If you choose to adopt an active dog, you must conform to his/her needs, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. However, a new pooch is a wonderful way to start a new exercise routine, shed the pounds, and get in shape!
If you liked that post, then try these...
Dog Adoption Series: Influencing Factors by HarleysMission on November 14th, 2009
Stray Dogs Commute to Find Food by Leslie Brown on November 10th, 2009
Separation Anxiety in Dogs by Leslie Brown on November 6th, 2009
What is Adopt-a-Pet.com? by adoptapet on November 4th, 2009
UP COUNTRY Donates a Collar and Lead Set for Every Dog Adopted Through the RISPCA by feltboots on October 30th, 2009
One kitten and her offspring can produce up to 300,000 kittens a year. There are hundreds of thousands of cats brought to shelters every year and the sad truth is that many of them end up being euthanized. You may think that most of these homeless cats are children of feral cats. The reality is that many of them are offspring of beloved family pets. Some are even pure breeds. Maybe the cats sneaked out of the house one time or the litter was intentional, but helping them find a new home was not successful.
The reason that animals are put down at some shelters is because there are always more animals coming in than willing families to adopt them. No-kill shelters always find themselves struggling with over-capacity.
Alliance for Humane Action (AHA!) created a music video to help raise the awareness of spaying and neutering. The video carries an important message from our cats and shows what we can do to help save lives.
Other related posts:
Do Spayed or Neutered Cats Live Longer?
Fascinating Video About Rescuing Feral Cats
Image: lynnmwillis
Read more here.
