(Picture left, a man walking his dog during the snow storm of yesterday and today.)Really big snow storm in NY today. Bitter winds and temperatures; almost two feet of snow in the city.
A man was killed in Central Park yesterday when a snow-leaden branch toppled on top of him.
People are being warned to stay out of the park today because of the danger of falling branches or trees.
I worry over the birds and other animals. Everything frozen over, they struggle for food.
I hope the animals all make it through over the next couple of rough days. Temperatures are predicted to rise to the mid-forties next week. The question is, can all our little friends survive until then? I don't know. Nature, can at times, be cruel. It weeds out the weaker of its creatures.....
Matters are bleak in the city animal shelters, too.
Cuts in the city budget have resulted in a major short-fall of wet dog and cat food.
While some volunteers and rescuers have put the word out on Facebook and Craig's list pleading for donations of wet food, the city, Department of Health and shelter administrators have once again failed to put any sense of urgency to this situation.
That is truly shameful and disgraceful.
It seems the city and shelter leaderships are more concerned with saving face and perpetuating the Disneyworld delusions to the public that all is fine and NYC is "on the road to no-kill" than in addressing an actual crisis.
Last week I wrote about a recent Chow we rescued from Animal Control ("Morris") who has to have all of his teeth pulled due to former owner neglect.
Unfortunately, the case of Morris is the rule, not the exception. Most of the animals dumped in our city shelter have been victims of human neglect.
Many senior dogs and cats arrive at city pounds with severe dental disease and/or missing teeth.
How can these animals be expected to eat hard kibble?
New York City is not some poor little hick town whose people don't have two dimes to rub together.
Many billionaires live in New York City -- at least a few of whom might be considered to like animals.
We also have two of the richest animal organizations in the country: The ASPCA and North Shore Animal League, both of whom sit on top of millions of dollars.
How is it possible that in a city swimming in wealth, greed and all kinds of non-essentials, our city animal shelters could be without BASIC wet food to feed its formerly neglected animal population?
Are the city animal shelters to carry on and continue such neglect?
I worry about some of the birds and other wild animals in our city possibly starving or freezing to death during a particularly nasty snow storm.
But, what about city pets directly under human control in our animal shelters? They can't rely on their own wits and luck to survive (like animals in the wild) as they are totally and utterly dependent upon the humans and institutions they have been abandoned to.
Nor, should matters be left up to shelter volunteers or rescuers to try and come up with the necessary wet pet food supplies to feed the tens of thousands of cats and dogs routinely abandoned at city animal shelters every year.
Its time to put the "all is fine" Disneyword facades behind to be replaced with honest pleas of urgency to the PUBLIC, large corporations and the wealthy animal organizations in our midst.
Wet food is not a luxury for shelter animals. It is necessity for those thousands of cats or dogs who, like Morris have never known a day's worth of responsible human "care" in their lives.
Although spring is only a few weeks away (by the calendar), the storms and crisis' in our animal shelters continue with seemingly no reprieve and no "spring" in sight. -- PCA
*******
A man was killed in Central Park yesterday when a snow-leaden branch toppled on top of him.
People are being warned to stay out of the park today because of the danger of falling branches or trees.
I worry over the birds and other animals. Everything frozen over, they struggle for food.
I hope the animals all make it through over the next couple of rough days. Temperatures are predicted to rise to the mid-forties next week. The question is, can all our little friends survive until then? I don't know. Nature, can at times, be cruel. It weeds out the weaker of its creatures.....
Matters are bleak in the city animal shelters, too.
Cuts in the city budget have resulted in a major short-fall of wet dog and cat food.
While some volunteers and rescuers have put the word out on Facebook and Craig's list pleading for donations of wet food, the city, Department of Health and shelter administrators have once again failed to put any sense of urgency to this situation.
That is truly shameful and disgraceful.
It seems the city and shelter leaderships are more concerned with saving face and perpetuating the Disneyworld delusions to the public that all is fine and NYC is "on the road to no-kill" than in addressing an actual crisis.
Last week I wrote about a recent Chow we rescued from Animal Control ("Morris") who has to have all of his teeth pulled due to former owner neglect.
Unfortunately, the case of Morris is the rule, not the exception. Most of the animals dumped in our city shelter have been victims of human neglect.
Many senior dogs and cats arrive at city pounds with severe dental disease and/or missing teeth.
How can these animals be expected to eat hard kibble?
New York City is not some poor little hick town whose people don't have two dimes to rub together.
Many billionaires live in New York City -- at least a few of whom might be considered to like animals.
We also have two of the richest animal organizations in the country: The ASPCA and North Shore Animal League, both of whom sit on top of millions of dollars.
How is it possible that in a city swimming in wealth, greed and all kinds of non-essentials, our city animal shelters could be without BASIC wet food to feed its formerly neglected animal population?
Are the city animal shelters to carry on and continue such neglect?
I worry about some of the birds and other wild animals in our city possibly starving or freezing to death during a particularly nasty snow storm.
But, what about city pets directly under human control in our animal shelters? They can't rely on their own wits and luck to survive (like animals in the wild) as they are totally and utterly dependent upon the humans and institutions they have been abandoned to.
Nor, should matters be left up to shelter volunteers or rescuers to try and come up with the necessary wet pet food supplies to feed the tens of thousands of cats and dogs routinely abandoned at city animal shelters every year.
Its time to put the "all is fine" Disneyword facades behind to be replaced with honest pleas of urgency to the PUBLIC, large corporations and the wealthy animal organizations in our midst.
Wet food is not a luxury for shelter animals. It is necessity for those thousands of cats or dogs who, like Morris have never known a day's worth of responsible human "care" in their lives.
Although spring is only a few weeks away (by the calendar), the storms and crisis' in our animal shelters continue with seemingly no reprieve and no "spring" in sight. -- PCA
*******
2 comments:
An update about Morris: Dr. G was able to save his canines and, after some initial disorientation, he has adjusted to his new dental situation. It's a shame such extensive surgery was necessary, but Morris is a very resilient dog and bounced back quickly. He seems happy and healthy.
This is Morris (now known as Jacob), enjoying the snow in Central Park with a friend.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103339939639326986952/2010021302?authkey=Gv1sRgCNzUhePr2u6LMQ#5437754775114524770
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