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TOPIC:
The
Tough Get Going In Rough Economic Times
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Topics ~~> The
Tough Get Going In Rough Economic Times
Part of our
nation’s history and heritage has been that when the going gets
tough, we jump into the trenches and dig ourselves out. For
those that can, they do. For those that cannot, others will
step in and help out - it is just what we do as Americans and
community members trying to survive in tough times.
How has this
tough, faltering economy affected the humane community and our
companion pets?
More are
showing up in the shelters – either because the animals are
older and require more vet care than their guardians can
provide, guardians cannot afford simple things such as licenses
or have lost their homes and cannot locate a new one that will
allow them to take their pets with them. Sadly, some guardians
can no longer afford to feed their children well, let alone
their pets.
And add into
this equation the irresponsible owners who did not spay or
neuter the pets, producing the unwanted litters. The pet shops
continue to sell puppy mill puppies and the puppy mills
themselves continue to produce, leaving the burden of
eliminating unwanted companion animals to the shelters, and
ultimately the taxpayers who pay for the cost of this (whether
they ever owned a dog or cat at all!).
Shelters,
rescues, legislators and the general public need to come
together as we Americans do – to reach out to each other and
find new solutions for these new problems. The Los Angeles
(city) shelter system did so last December when they created a
program called "Operation
Safety Net" that asks each incoming person with an animal to
surrender, “What can we do so you do not have to give up your
pet?”. Sometimes it is a simple thing as providing a few shots
and veterinary care – at other times it has been an inability to
pay for a license. But whatever the reason, these services
provide that guardian the ability to keep their pet companion
instead of giving it up, and eventually ending up in the pile of
carcasses headed to the rendering plants.
Currently the
national average is that three out of every four cats
surrendered to a shelter will be killed. For dogs, the chances
of being adopted are 50/50, but their chances are increased if
they are either a puppy or young, small in size, healthy,
speutered, well mannered and not ill-behaved. One way or
another, the incoming tax revenue in every city and community is
being impacted by the increase of incoming animals to shelters
and shrinking budgets of localities.
What can you do as Joe
Q. Citizen?
Here are five suggestions you can make happen as an average
citizen and person who cares about our canine and feline
members:
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Pet Limit Laws:
See if your community has pet limit laws in place and work to
get them removed and/or modified for they are ineffective and
outdated. From the No Kill Advocacy Center of San Clemente,
CA: "The No Kill Advocacy Center has evaluated whether pet
limit laws are effective at preventing animal cruelty,
addressing perceived or alleged "nuisance" issues, and whether
they should be retained as part of a community's overall
animal control enforcement strategy. For reasons discussed
below, we have determined that they are not effective and
should not be supported. Nor is a variance by permit system a
viable alternative. Pet limit laws do not provide the
benefits which proponents claim, but rather have negative
repercussions for animals in our communities." (complete
report here in a pdf file)
There are MANY responsible guardians of pet companions who
would GLADLY take another rescued animal but cannot because of
the pet limit laws in their communities. Simple logic says to
use these experienced and willing resources in tough, tough
economic times! Pet limit laws are enacted as a
deterrent to animal hoarding, which we now know is a mental
disorder. How effective are laws against mental
disorders and compulsions? Think about it. Pet
limit laws just drive people underground and in turn, the pet
companions suffer one way or another.
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Rescues make or break
shelters: Contact your local shelter and see if
they have a good working relationship with a local rescue. If
they don’t, ask why. If there needs to be one created, don’t
wait for ‘somebody else to do it’ – in today’s times, YOU are
the ‘somebody’ that needs to step up to the plate if we all
are survive this economy in the days ahead. Speak with some
of your friends who are animal lovers and come up with a plan
that will enable you to help your local shelter.
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Local food banks:
Does your community have a local food bank? Ask if they are
also carrying pet food. Many homeless folks are guardians of
pet companions (and have also been known to eat pet food when
things are tough!). Families having a hard time of it will
frequent food banks for assistance – your contribution of pet
food to the local food bank might very well mean the
difference between them keeping their pet or dumping it off at
a local shelter, unable to feed it any longer.
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Be observant:
Look around in your daily lives. Neighbors might be a bit
ashamed to admit they are having a tough time financially and
if you have extra pet food in your cupboard, offer it to them
in a gentle fashion (i.e. “My Mimi just didn’t like this
brand, so I thought your Buddy might like it”). Chew bones
and toys are out of the budget for most pet guardians
struggling to make it right now. If you share your wealth, I
guarantee you it will come back to you two- and three-fold
down the road.
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Assess your own
talents and resources: You might be amazed at
what you can offer to an organization, agency or humane
community. Make a simple list of what you love to do best and
are good at, then find ways to use your talents to improve the
quality of life for others, especially our pet companions.
If
your advocation becomes your vocation, it is no longer a chore
but a gift from the heart, guaranteed to lift your spirit and
others around you. Attitudes are contagious – catch a
positive American spirit and pass it on so we all survive,
including the unwanted dogs and cats at our local shelters and
rescues!
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