(Picture Left: "Meeka." Loving, 2-year-old, Lab mix on Euth list for "Kennel Cough." Typical of most of the animals who end up dying in city shelters.)Probably the toughest holiday of the entire year (at least for dogs and cats) is about to descend upon us and the kill lists from the NYC Animal Care and Control shelters certainly reflect that:
27 dogs and 45 kittens and cats just for today (Friday).
Again, I question how anyone in their right mind can claim NYC to be "on the road to no-kill" with these kinds of grim statistics. Last week there was a day when the shelters put down 56 kittens and cats in one day.
We have rescued two new dogs this week, one of whom was on yesterday's kill list. We were lucky to get a foster for one of the dogs, but the other one, "Meeka" is scheduled to go into boarding today. The reason I pulled Meeka is because she is indicated by former owners to be "good with cats" and she had stellar write-ups from several volunteers at the shelter.
Meeka is only two-years-old and was on the death list for Kennel Cough.
This of course is typical for most of the dogs and cats ending up on shelter kill lists.
Since almost all are guaranteed to get sick in the shelters after only a few days, "illness" thus serves as the rationalization for death -- even though the so-called "illness" is usually easily treatable with a short course of antibiotics.
The truth is these animals are being killed for lack of shelter space, lack of adopters AND population control. But, the shelters and the Mayor's Alliance will never admit that. It contradicts the Disneyworld message that NYC will be "no kill" ("for POPULATION CONTROL") by 2015."
What hogwash.
Still, neither the media, nor established animal organizations, nor the public challenges this message and so it continues unabated.
The "on the road to no kill" lie essentially removes all sense of responsibility from the public and virtually kills motivation for spaying and neutering animals. After all, if we are "on the road to no kill" and "will no longer be killing animals for population control," then why should people bother to neuter their cats and dogs? On the contrary, why not buy animals from breeders and pet shops? Why not breed the animals and make a few bucks by "selling" the puppies or kittens on Craig's List or other Internet sites?
As mentioned a few days ago, we rescued a lovely, healthy and affectionate kitten last week, ("Sasha"), had the kitten fully vetted and have advertised her on several adoption sites. I have yet to receive even one inquiry for Sasha. She will most likely end up being kept by her rescuer -- a woman who already has 20 rescued (and never publicly adopted) cats.
Among my emails today is one from Animal Control advising that the "construction" in the Manhattan facility will be undergoing a "new phase" starting this month (no completion date forecasted) which will involve putting in new floors.
Lord only knows how long this "new phase" will take as so far the renovations at the Manhattan shelter have taken almost two years. (I could swear at last week's board meeting they said that construction in the Manhattan shelter was scheduled to be finished by the end of last month! Of course, it was obvious that wasn't true or perhaps I was just hearing things.)
Anyway, this of course results in even a bigger "space crunch" then has already been suffered by the animals over the past two years.
But, who does this notice and alert go out to?
Rescue groups of course!
The same rescue groups and New Hope partners who are already bombarded with dozens of email "Alerts" every day from the shelters begging rescue for individual animals and the same rescues that are already totally saturated with animals.
Its certainly not a message that will be sent out to the media in a press release:
"We need the public to step up to the plate and help rescue and adopt these animals!"
Or, better yet:
"We need the public to act responsibly and neuter their pets!"
"We need the public to stop dumping its animals when people celebrate holidays or go on vacation!"
But, those are messages we will never hear from our Animal Control shelters, the media or our city government.
The "no kill (for population control) of animals by 2015" message is comparable to BP's and the government's message of "making whole the Gulf."
And if you believe these PR spin and lies from administrations and corporations, then there is a nice bridge in Brooklyn, we would like to sell you. -- PCA
*******
27 dogs and 45 kittens and cats just for today (Friday).
Again, I question how anyone in their right mind can claim NYC to be "on the road to no-kill" with these kinds of grim statistics. Last week there was a day when the shelters put down 56 kittens and cats in one day.
We have rescued two new dogs this week, one of whom was on yesterday's kill list. We were lucky to get a foster for one of the dogs, but the other one, "Meeka" is scheduled to go into boarding today. The reason I pulled Meeka is because she is indicated by former owners to be "good with cats" and she had stellar write-ups from several volunteers at the shelter.
Meeka is only two-years-old and was on the death list for Kennel Cough.
This of course is typical for most of the dogs and cats ending up on shelter kill lists.
Since almost all are guaranteed to get sick in the shelters after only a few days, "illness" thus serves as the rationalization for death -- even though the so-called "illness" is usually easily treatable with a short course of antibiotics.
The truth is these animals are being killed for lack of shelter space, lack of adopters AND population control. But, the shelters and the Mayor's Alliance will never admit that. It contradicts the Disneyworld message that NYC will be "no kill" ("for POPULATION CONTROL") by 2015."
What hogwash.
Still, neither the media, nor established animal organizations, nor the public challenges this message and so it continues unabated.
The "on the road to no kill" lie essentially removes all sense of responsibility from the public and virtually kills motivation for spaying and neutering animals. After all, if we are "on the road to no kill" and "will no longer be killing animals for population control," then why should people bother to neuter their cats and dogs? On the contrary, why not buy animals from breeders and pet shops? Why not breed the animals and make a few bucks by "selling" the puppies or kittens on Craig's List or other Internet sites?
As mentioned a few days ago, we rescued a lovely, healthy and affectionate kitten last week, ("Sasha"), had the kitten fully vetted and have advertised her on several adoption sites. I have yet to receive even one inquiry for Sasha. She will most likely end up being kept by her rescuer -- a woman who already has 20 rescued (and never publicly adopted) cats.
Among my emails today is one from Animal Control advising that the "construction" in the Manhattan facility will be undergoing a "new phase" starting this month (no completion date forecasted) which will involve putting in new floors.
Lord only knows how long this "new phase" will take as so far the renovations at the Manhattan shelter have taken almost two years. (I could swear at last week's board meeting they said that construction in the Manhattan shelter was scheduled to be finished by the end of last month! Of course, it was obvious that wasn't true or perhaps I was just hearing things.)
Anyway, this of course results in even a bigger "space crunch" then has already been suffered by the animals over the past two years.
But, who does this notice and alert go out to?
Rescue groups of course!
The same rescue groups and New Hope partners who are already bombarded with dozens of email "Alerts" every day from the shelters begging rescue for individual animals and the same rescues that are already totally saturated with animals.
Its certainly not a message that will be sent out to the media in a press release:
"We need the public to step up to the plate and help rescue and adopt these animals!"
Or, better yet:
"We need the public to act responsibly and neuter their pets!"
"We need the public to stop dumping its animals when people celebrate holidays or go on vacation!"
But, those are messages we will never hear from our Animal Control shelters, the media or our city government.
The "no kill (for population control) of animals by 2015" message is comparable to BP's and the government's message of "making whole the Gulf."
And if you believe these PR spin and lies from administrations and corporations, then there is a nice bridge in Brooklyn, we would like to sell you. -- PCA
*******
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