Cross posted from another list.
TX-RPOA E-News
>From RPOA Texas Outreach and
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
"Animal welfare, not animal 'rights'
and, yes, there is a difference."
Permission granted to crosspost.
August 2, 2009
More information on the failure of Mandatory Pet Spay/Neuter with Intact
Animal Permits in Los Angeles, CA! Fax and/or email this information with
"Oppose Pet Spay/Neuter with Intact Animal Permits Ordinance" in the subject
line to all Fort Worth city officials below who will be voting on this
August 11th.
Record numbers of animals crowd shelters - The Daily Breeze
Record numbers of animals crowding shelters
By Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer
Posted: 07/28/2009 07:59:11 PM PDT
Los Angeles animal shelters are seeing a record number of furry friends -
and euthanasias - as a result of the down economy.
The shelters are so overcrowded that the Department of Animal Services is
offering two-for-one cat adoptions to make room for a feline influx.
The influx also can be attributed to spay and neuter ordinances being more
difficult to enforce for cats, many of whom are free-roaming, said Capt.
Daniel Pantoja, who oversees the Harbor Animal Care Center
in San Pedro.
"I'm at capacity and every other shelter is as well," Pantoja said. "We have
cats in cages in the hallways, in the lobby, in rooms that
are supposed to be for quarantined animals. We're using every space we can."
Rescue
Area animal shelters have been experiencing a feline population explosion.
The Harbor shelter was built with 24 cat kennels and they
currently are housing 104 cats and kittens. A cat rests in a kennel in the
lobby at the Harbor shelter. Cats are being kept all throughout
the shelter.
"We need some recuperation," said Kathy Davis, interim general manager of
the department. "We're certainly hoping at some point that the economy will
recover and, as a byproduct, people will quit turning
their animals in."
The surge in abandoned pets has continued unabated since May 2008, when
soaring job losses and home foreclosures began fueling an
increase in surrendered dogs and cats at city shelters.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, the number of dogs and cats turned in to
the city's six animal shelters soared 14 percent to 55,742 - the
highest in five years, according to city data.
But while pet adoptions increased 24 percent, so have the number of animals
killed, with cats bearing the brunt of euthanasias.
"Due to the economy, people are opening their doors and letting the animals
go because they have nowhere to take them," said Missy
Woodward of Reseda, on the board of Stray Cat Alliance.
"There's a desperate need for people to take in pets and spay and neuter
their own."
Pantoja said the new San Pedro shelter - which opened in June 2008 - was
built with only 24 cat cages.
"Twenty-four cages is not enough," he said.
The shelter at 957 N. Gaffey St. currently is holding 104 cats and 105 dogs
(with 74 dog kennels), he said, adding that animals are being euthanized for
reasons of "time and space."
"They're not sick or aggressive, but we've got to make room for new ones,"
he said.
Despite a spay-neuter law implemented last fall, the department destroyed
nearly 13,000 cats, a 30 percent increase, while unweaned
kitten kills rose 41 percent in 12 months.
Pantoja said the numbers of animals coming into the Harbor Area shelter have
grown over the past few years.
"Every summer, as soon as the heat waves start, the multiplying of cats
continues," Pantoja said. "People ignore the fact that spaying
and neutering cats is important."
The increase has incited animal welfare activists, who say the shelters are
"red-listing" - designating animals in immediate danger
of euthanasia - up to 40 cats a day.
Adding to the pressure is a decision made Tuesday by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger to halve the mandated adoption time from six days to three,
and decrease funds to shelters as part of the 2010 state budget.
"I think it's a sad time for the animals in California," said Judie Mancuso,
founder of Social Compassion in Legislation, an animal
welfare advocacy group. "It creates a heavy burden to shelters across the
state."
Davis said that the minimum holding period for adoptable pets in Los Angeles
shelters will not change, despite the governor's action, with the average
adoption period of nine to 12 days.
"Our mission is, we're holding animals as long as we have space," she said.
Critics, however, called for a complete rethinking of animal shelter
policies to achieve the city's stated no-kill goal.
"Our shelters are failing," said Ed Muzika of the blog LA Animal Watch.
"When you kill 4,000 animals more than last year, it's not success.
He said despite more than 40,000 free spay-neuter vouchers passed out by the
city last year, cat impounds have increased dramatically. He questioned
whether the city's spay-neuter law imposed in October, which requires owners
to fix their pets, may be forcing those who can't afford surgeries to
surrender the animals to city shelters instead.
"In order for no-kill to be realized," said Muzika, "the (department) needs
a top-down analysis by the nation's top no-kill experts."
Because cats are not licensed, Pantoja said, it is more difficult to enforce
a spay-neuter law for felines. A low-cost, community spay-
neuter clinic, Clinico, now operates on the grounds of the San Pedro
shelter.
Davis said it may take three to five years to see results from the city's
spay-neuter ordinance. Meanwhile, she said gradual improvements
are being made.
A nonprofit program to encourage pet owners in South Los Angeles to keep
their pets has saved 800 dogs and cats since January, she said.
And the two-for-one-cat "Summer Buddies" program sponsored by the Found
Animal Foundation at the San Pedro and East Valley shelters and is in effect
through August.
[email protected]
Staff Writer Donna Littlejohn contributed to this article.
Fort Worth City Officials Contact Info:
City Manager Dale Fisseler
Fax: (817) 392-6134
E-mail: [email protected]
Mayor Mike Moncrief
Fax: (817) 392-2409
E-mail: [email protected]
Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 2 Councilman Sal Espino
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 3 Councilman W.B. "Zim" Zimmerman
Fax: (817) 392-6187
Email: [email protected]
District 4 Councilman Danny Scarth
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 5 Councilman Frank Moss
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 6 Councilman Jungus Jordan
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 7 Councilman Carter Burdette
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 9 Councilman Joel Burns
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
Brandon Bennett
Fax: (817) 870-2249
E-mail: [email protected]
Keane Menefee
Animal Care and Control
Fax: (817) 561-3741
[email protected]
James Agyemang
Animal Care and Control
Fax: (817) 561-3741
[email protected]
RPOA Texas Outreach (501C4 Nonprofit)
RPOA Texas Outreach
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (501C3 Nonprofit)
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance - Home
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To subscribe, contact [email protected]
>From RPOA Texas Outreach and
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
"Animal welfare, not animal 'rights'
and, yes, there is a difference."
Permission granted to crosspost.
August 2, 2009
More information on the failure of Mandatory Pet Spay/Neuter with Intact
Animal Permits in Los Angeles, CA! Fax and/or email this information with
"Oppose Pet Spay/Neuter with Intact Animal Permits Ordinance" in the subject
line to all Fort Worth city officials below who will be voting on this
August 11th.
Record numbers of animals crowd shelters - The Daily Breeze
Record numbers of animals crowding shelters
By Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer
Posted: 07/28/2009 07:59:11 PM PDT
Los Angeles animal shelters are seeing a record number of furry friends -
and euthanasias - as a result of the down economy.
The shelters are so overcrowded that the Department of Animal Services is
offering two-for-one cat adoptions to make room for a feline influx.
The influx also can be attributed to spay and neuter ordinances being more
difficult to enforce for cats, many of whom are free-roaming, said Capt.
Daniel Pantoja, who oversees the Harbor Animal Care Center
in San Pedro.
"I'm at capacity and every other shelter is as well," Pantoja said. "We have
cats in cages in the hallways, in the lobby, in rooms that
are supposed to be for quarantined animals. We're using every space we can."
Rescue
Area animal shelters have been experiencing a feline population explosion.
The Harbor shelter was built with 24 cat kennels and they
currently are housing 104 cats and kittens. A cat rests in a kennel in the
lobby at the Harbor shelter. Cats are being kept all throughout
the shelter.
"We need some recuperation," said Kathy Davis, interim general manager of
the department. "We're certainly hoping at some point that the economy will
recover and, as a byproduct, people will quit turning
their animals in."
The surge in abandoned pets has continued unabated since May 2008, when
soaring job losses and home foreclosures began fueling an
increase in surrendered dogs and cats at city shelters.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, the number of dogs and cats turned in to
the city's six animal shelters soared 14 percent to 55,742 - the
highest in five years, according to city data.
But while pet adoptions increased 24 percent, so have the number of animals
killed, with cats bearing the brunt of euthanasias.
"Due to the economy, people are opening their doors and letting the animals
go because they have nowhere to take them," said Missy
Woodward of Reseda, on the board of Stray Cat Alliance.
"There's a desperate need for people to take in pets and spay and neuter
their own."
Pantoja said the new San Pedro shelter - which opened in June 2008 - was
built with only 24 cat cages.
"Twenty-four cages is not enough," he said.
The shelter at 957 N. Gaffey St. currently is holding 104 cats and 105 dogs
(with 74 dog kennels), he said, adding that animals are being euthanized for
reasons of "time and space."
"They're not sick or aggressive, but we've got to make room for new ones,"
he said.
Despite a spay-neuter law implemented last fall, the department destroyed
nearly 13,000 cats, a 30 percent increase, while unweaned
kitten kills rose 41 percent in 12 months.
Pantoja said the numbers of animals coming into the Harbor Area shelter have
grown over the past few years.
"Every summer, as soon as the heat waves start, the multiplying of cats
continues," Pantoja said. "People ignore the fact that spaying
and neutering cats is important."
The increase has incited animal welfare activists, who say the shelters are
"red-listing" - designating animals in immediate danger
of euthanasia - up to 40 cats a day.
Adding to the pressure is a decision made Tuesday by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger to halve the mandated adoption time from six days to three,
and decrease funds to shelters as part of the 2010 state budget.
"I think it's a sad time for the animals in California," said Judie Mancuso,
founder of Social Compassion in Legislation, an animal
welfare advocacy group. "It creates a heavy burden to shelters across the
state."
Davis said that the minimum holding period for adoptable pets in Los Angeles
shelters will not change, despite the governor's action, with the average
adoption period of nine to 12 days.
"Our mission is, we're holding animals as long as we have space," she said.
Critics, however, called for a complete rethinking of animal shelter
policies to achieve the city's stated no-kill goal.
"Our shelters are failing," said Ed Muzika of the blog LA Animal Watch.
"When you kill 4,000 animals more than last year, it's not success.
He said despite more than 40,000 free spay-neuter vouchers passed out by the
city last year, cat impounds have increased dramatically. He questioned
whether the city's spay-neuter law imposed in October, which requires owners
to fix their pets, may be forcing those who can't afford surgeries to
surrender the animals to city shelters instead.
"In order for no-kill to be realized," said Muzika, "the (department) needs
a top-down analysis by the nation's top no-kill experts."
Because cats are not licensed, Pantoja said, it is more difficult to enforce
a spay-neuter law for felines. A low-cost, community spay-
neuter clinic, Clinico, now operates on the grounds of the San Pedro
shelter.
Davis said it may take three to five years to see results from the city's
spay-neuter ordinance. Meanwhile, she said gradual improvements
are being made.
A nonprofit program to encourage pet owners in South Los Angeles to keep
their pets has saved 800 dogs and cats since January, she said.
And the two-for-one-cat "Summer Buddies" program sponsored by the Found
Animal Foundation at the San Pedro and East Valley shelters and is in effect
through August.
[email protected]
Staff Writer Donna Littlejohn contributed to this article.
Fort Worth City Officials Contact Info:
City Manager Dale Fisseler
Fax: (817) 392-6134
E-mail: [email protected]
Mayor Mike Moncrief
Fax: (817) 392-2409
E-mail: [email protected]
Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 2 Councilman Sal Espino
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 3 Councilman W.B. "Zim" Zimmerman
Fax: (817) 392-6187
Email: [email protected]
District 4 Councilman Danny Scarth
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 5 Councilman Frank Moss
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 6 Councilman Jungus Jordan
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 7 Councilman Carter Burdette
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
District 9 Councilman Joel Burns
Fax: (817) 392-6187
E-mail: [email protected]
Brandon Bennett
Fax: (817) 870-2249
E-mail: [email protected]
Keane Menefee
Animal Care and Control
Fax: (817) 561-3741
[email protected]
James Agyemang
Animal Care and Control
Fax: (817) 561-3741
[email protected]
RPOA Texas Outreach (501C4 Nonprofit)
RPOA Texas Outreach
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (501C3 Nonprofit)
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance - Home
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To subscribe, contact [email protected]
