Endless (and not so friendly) Skies (New York City)

It is a perfect, spring day in New York City after what has been a week of mostly rain, dreary skies and storms.

Unfortunately, "storms and dreary skies" seems descriptive of the general animal situation in New York and one imagines, elsewhere.

News headlines, in addition to more mundane matters bespeak troubled times.

A teenage girl placed a 6-month-old kitten in the oven last week and burned the animal to death as vengeance against her lesbian lover. When asked why she did this, the 16-year-old answered, "I don't like cats."

There is presently a letter-writing campaign to the Bronx DA who is handling the case.

A person who commits this kind of heinous and depraved act is deeply disturbed and cannot simply be set free in the community. Such rage issues do not confine themselves to animals alone. That law enforcement is generally lax on animal cruelty shows an incredible denial of what should be simple and recognized fact: Violence is violence, regardless of who its victims are.

More bad news for animals: Mayor Bloomberg and other city leaders have decided to basically wage war against Canadian Geese, many of whom live around the airports.

A plan has been devised to shoot and kill at least 2,000 geese, supposedly as means to "prevent" possible airline collisions with the birds when planes take off or land at Kennedy or Laguardia airports.

One wonders, in this day and age, why plane engines can't be designed to not suck in birds?

Even if the city succeeds in killing 2,000 geese, how does that prevent ducks or other birds from being sucked into airline engines? What about the few geese that manage to escape the guns? Could they not be sucked into engines and cause a plane to go down?

This is just one more example of government "knee jerk" reaction that does little or nothing to actually address problems and fully prevent tragedies, but instead "punishes the many" for the errant ways of the few or is done primarily to give the public a false sense of security that "something is being done" when in fact, nothing concrete is.

It's like frisking little old ladies who get on planes in so-called "searches" for terrorists.

Or, like banning pets from apartment buildings because some tenants (whether owning animals or not) are irresponsible.

In none of these cases are the cores of the problems actually addressed.

More bad news this past week are the "Euth lists" from our shelters.

As always in the spring and summer, really, really bad.

And one more example of government agencies "killing" the results of problems, rather than addressing the causes - human irresponsibility.

The problem with all of these "solutions" is that they are no solutions at all, but merely perpetuate and guarantee that whatever the "problem" is, it will continue unabated.

I have been in animal rescue work now for twenty years. But, more and more, I see matters merely becoming "hopeless."

Rescue too, addresses results, rather than causes.

And as such, merely guarantees that there will always be perpetual "need" for it.

We are like an old song from the 1950's by Vaughn Monroe:

"Then cowboy, change your ways today or with us you will ride
Forever trying to catch the devil's herd
Across these endless skies." -- PCA

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The Real Mission (Reply) -- New York City

(Picture Left: -- A dog named, "Pat" on shelter Euth list today. Have no real place to send this older Shepherd mix, but pulled her anyway. She has the same name as I do.)

Karyn Writes: I've been a dog and cat owner my whole life, but even so, have learned so much by reading your blog. Enough to persuade my husband NOT to breed the border collie he bought before we were married. And enough to persuade my husband that the next dog we get will be from the shelter; not from a breeder. Your blog has ripple effects that you might not even be aware of... it would be a shame if you discontinued it.

Reply: I want to first thank you for taking the time to write and show support for this questionable venture.

Many times I ask myself if writing on here is just to "vent" personal frustrations or if it actually serves any positive purpose?

But, even if just one thing written results in a shelter or rescued dog or cat finding a truly loving home or someone deciding to neuter their pet, then it indeed springs forth some positive result.

I thank you for sharing how this journal (and presumably other things) has helped to open yours and your husband's eyes to more enlightened choices with animals.

One of the things we have to face up to in shelter and rescue work, is that desire and try as we may, it is simply not possible to save every loving cat or dog that is dying either in our shelters or on the streets.

That is a very sobering (and depressive) reality and it is one particularly drummed forth during the "dog days of summer" as we watch shelter kill lists literally skyrocket and shoot off the charts.

It becomes harder and almost impossible to rescue new animals, as we cannot find homes for the ones we already have fast enough. We begin to think:

"For all the efforts made, it has not made ONE bit of difference in the overall and big picture! We can never save the animals as fast as they are being dumped!"

Its like being trapped between a rock and a hard place. -- There is little room for any maneuverability or movement.

We read the various "Alerts" every night and scout the Euth lists, fully knowing there is little if anything at all we can do.

As written the other day, I have lost the motivation to keep up with the blog because there is little of "good news" to report.

How do we, after all, find the "silver lining" in the 47 cats or 29 dogs that are going down today in the local shelters?

Maybe, we only try to save one.

And then pray to God, that there is still some "miracle" out there for that one dog or cat you've decided to "pull" but have no place for.

Or, perhaps (and better yet) to realize something you said has prompted or inspired some one else to go save a dog or cat.

If the latter, then such is the true "miracle" because ultimately, it is hearts and minds we have to ultimately influence and change if ever there is be true "hope" to turn the shelter situations around.

It's like the old adage: "Give a man an apple, he will eat for a day. Teach him to farm and he can eat forever."

Rescue is like that, too.

Severely limited, unless the knowledge learned from it is properly distributed, shared and most of all, received and accepted.

We may, after all rescue a thousand animals. But, if the knowledge obtained from those experiences dies with us when we go, then we have failed in our most important mission: that of positive teaching and lasting change that ultimately saves many thousands or even millions of lives long after we, as individuals have exited this planet. -- PCA

"Comedy of Errors" (Reply)

(Picture left: There are "perfect dogs" out there -- like Coby pictured left and rescued in 1992. But, at the time of his rescue as a one-eyed, battered, filthy and "old" Harlem junkyard dog, no one wanted him. -- He was the best dog I ever had. )

Alison in California Writes: I thought what you said about the old lady who didn't want a dog with a saggy belly was hilarious.

Reply: Thank you for your supportive comment.

Yes, many of the things in animal rescue/placement work would be truly funny, if they weren't in fact, so tragic. For examples:

The people who tell you they are "committed" -- as long as they have the pet. That is like someone saying they are "committed" for the few hours of a one-night-stand.

The people who go into a tizzy when you inform them that you "don't have a magic wand" to come up with the instant home for their discarded cat or dog before they "move" tomorrow morning.

The people who call you on a furry Chow Chow -- and then in the next breath, tell you they "don't want a dog who sheds."

The people who call seeking a young and healthy dog. But, then tell you two seconds later that the dog should be "already trained, mellow and not jump on my 6-year-old child." -- In other words, "I want an old dog in a young dog's body."

Something, we unfortunately cannot wave our magic wands and create.

The people who threaten to "report you to the Better Business Bureau" because you dare to ask them why, as pet owners, they chose to move into a "no pet" apartment? What seems like the most obvious and logical question under the circumstances, is instead, major "insult" to those who should have asked this question of themselves before calling us to unload their pets.

The people who call seeking to give up a purbred dog that they bought in a pet shop or from a breeder (and presumably paid big bucks for), but then cry "poverty" when you request that they neuter the dog. "I don't have the money for that!" they pleade. (No, but they had plenty of money to BUY the dog!)

The people who need "to give up my loved cat or dog" but then have "no time" to email you a picture of the animal for Internet advertising. "Love" apparently knows "no time" these days.

Oh yes, one could indeed go on and on about all of these things, which on the surface seem bizarre, ironic or even laughable.

But sadly, combined, they contribute to and add to the deaths of millions of dogs and cats in this country every year.

In the wise words of William Shakespeare, Life is a "comedy of errors." -- PCA

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"Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover?" (New York City)

(Picture Left: Three senior, abandoned Cocker Spaniels presently sitting in one cage (due to shelter crowding) as shelter personnel send out multi, desperate pleas to rescue groups to "Please save the animals!" Unfortunately, most animal rescue groups are now completely saturated.)

I haven't been motivated to write much in this journal lately.

There are a number of reasons for that.

First, I don't believe many people follow the blog as admittedly, there are literally millions of more titillating and absorbing places to go on the Internet.

Secondly, little seems to really change in the areas of animal abandonment, rescue and placements. In writing a (usually) daily blog over a period of several years, I feel almost everything has been covered at some point, without (hopefully) becoming overly repetitive and redundant.

Thirdly, I hate to write a journal that is mostly "negative" (and/or depressive) in its reporting.

It reminds one of an old poem read in Junior High School:

"Why so pale and wan fond lover?
Prithy, why so pale?
If looking well won't win her heart
Will looking ill prevail?"

The simple limerick applies not only to the area of romance, but to life as well.

Especially, when it comes to animals, most people want to hear only the good stuff: "The miracle rescues and life saves!" All the wonderful adoptions to "loving familes." The "looking wells" while we traverse the road to a "no kill" society.

Unfortunately, as lovers and others often hide their deepest, darkest secrets and "ills", from those closest to them, so too, does our culture hide most of its treatment towards animals from the general public.

The simple fact is, however, that were matters really so positive and "well" (just in the area of companion pets) we would not still be killing upwards of five million cats and dogs in shelters every year -- tens of thousands of pets a day.

So, no, all is not (really) well in the land of lollipops, roses, cat trees and dog biscuits.

Quite the contrary.

As we approach and enter the "dog days of summer" the kill lists grow longer in our shelters as fewer and fewer people adopt with the prospect of looming vacation plans.

Meanwhile, the spring and summer litters of kittens (usually from "homes") flood into animal shelters causing the facilities to literally burst at their seams. This forces shelter personnel into making "hard decisions" at the end of every day in terms of which kittens and cats have to die in order to make room for the new batches arriving the following day.

Due to high costs of animal boarding and veterinary treatment (especially in a tanking economy) more dogs find themselves abandoned to shelters in the summer, as well. The drop off in adoptions during this period translates into a much higher percentage of these pet dogs dying -- in many cases, because the former owners simply went on "vacation."

Meanwhile, those few people contacting shelters and rescue to actually "adopt" seem to become ever more picky and demanding in terms of the pet dog they will bring home.

"Can the dog make a good therapy dog?" they ask. "Will s/he be good with my cats, my neighbor's dogs and the grand kids when they come over?" "I am looking for a young, healthy Labrador, but I don't want the dog to jump on my 6-year-old child." (Ah, well, Ma'am, perhaps you need to seek an older, more mellow dog or be willing to hire a trainer?")

Ah, that only we in animal rescue had crystal balls! Ah, that we could only "program" and tailor dogs to people's specific needs, such as one programs a computer or designs gloves to "fit" the hand.

But, unfortunately, we can't.

Sure, we can (and do) medically treat the animals for any conditions they may have. We can assess and interpret the animals general temperaments. We can even send dogs to trainers to try and work out any "kinks" in the behavior or temperament.

But, can we "predict" and/or guarantee how any dog (or cat) will react and behave to every conceivable human situation?

No, we can't.

At some point, people have to be willing to accept responsibility for their own choices, actions, behaviors and lives. -- We can't do it for them.

Tragically, this (more recent) tendency on the part of many people to insist on impossible guarantees and "predictions" in animal adoptions results in shelters and rescues being unable to place many or most of the (imperfect) dogs and cats they have -- A situation that inevitably results in higher and higher shelter "kill lists" -- even as we still continue to promise the "wellness" of a "no-kill" society.

"Why so pale and wan fond lover,
Prithy, why so pale?"

Because, in looking and feigning "wellness" we have in essence, hidden the truth and lied.

And now we -- and the animals must pay for that. -- PCA

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"Mirror" to What the Soul is Feeling and Experiencing (Reply)

(It was the eyes of Bruno, more than anything else that "got" to and moved me to pull him from the shelter euthanasia list. Just an ordinary "mutt" -- so much like most who die in our shelters. But, the eyes belong to one with a soul.)

SKDean53 Writes: I love the "before and after" photos of Bruno, the first taken in the shelter when he was on the euth list and obviously terrified, and the second taken on the happy day of his liberation. He looks like a completely different dog! Very touching.

Reply: Thank you for noticing.

Anyone who claims that animals don't experience fear, confusion, depression, disorientation and sometimes even panic when abandoned to a shelter simply has not opened their eyes.

Of course, the truly wonderful thing about photographs is that they so often capture what the human eye does not.

As you perceptively note, the two pictures of Bruno are probably a good example of that.

Someone once said that, "The eyes are the mirror to the soul."

But, more accurately, I believe that the eyes are mirror to what the soul is experiencing and feeling at any particular moment in time.

Still photographs, more than anything else, capture those feeting glimpses to the soul.

And that applies to animals, as it does to humans.

When noting particularly, the expression in Bruno's eyes in the first picture and then comparing that to the happiness and joy captured in the second picture, I beleive one can deduce that animals, like humans, have souls. -- PCA

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The Right Thing for the Right Reasons (Reply)

(Picture Left: A very happy Bruno, just before leaving for his new foster home yesterday.)

SKDean53 Writes: It seems to be the two extremes that are most likely to be adopted--the "perfect" (the young, housebroken,trained,groomed pets) or the "rejects" (those with disabilities, amputations, blindness, and the like). I guess no one wants the average dumped pets unless they are exceptional in one way or another.

Reply: You are exactly right. Unfortunately, it is mostly the "in betweens" (or the simply nice and reasonably healthy, mongrel dogs and cats) who comprise the majority of animals coming into and unfortunately, dying in our animal shelters.

But, few people call seeking a "simply nice" mixed breed dog or cat to adopt.

Rather, most people call with actual agendas, as well as demanding guarantees and the ability to peer into crystal balls: "The dog has to be good with this and that." "How will the dog be when my 2-year-old niece visits?" "How will the dog be as a therapy dog?"

One could go on and on, but hopefully the point is made.

And yet, once in a great while, we actually encounter people who ARE simply seeking a nice dog to adopt!

Like yesterday, for example:

A very sweet, young Manhattan couple came to visit Bruno at the boarding facility I sent him to and low and behold, they took Bruno home as a trial adoption!

It is extremely rare that we have luck like that these days.

But, I don't know if it was "luck" so much as the fact Bruno really "sold himself" so to speak to the people. He truly is a terrific dog. Cheerful, happy disposition (amazing, considering he was on the shelter kill list the day before.) Bruno is easy to walk, friendly around other dogs (and people) and just a real pleasant dog to be around.

I am not normally a corny "optimist" (its impossible to be in this line of work), but I feel quite optimistic that this (foster) will turn into a permanent adoption.

Why?

Simply because the people did the right thing for the right reasons.

In those (rare) cases where expectations and demands are tempered and the willingness to be open is prioritized, the animal placements almost always turn permanent. ;) -- PCA

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What Becomes of the Simply Nice?

(Picture Left: "Bruno." Owned, healthy and fully trained dog dumped at shelter because owner is "leaving for college." Bruno is a very nice, already neutered "Heinz 57" mutt who nevertheless ended up on shelter euth list. Apparently, nice just isn't exotic, exciting or newworthy enough.....The reality (and irony) is that simply nice is usually a death sentence in animal shelters.)

Today was pretty cool. Rescued a nice dog from the Brooklyn AC&C's euthanasia list -- without even leaving my house! These days, one can often arrange rescues, transports and sometimes even adoptions through phone work alone. It beats the old days when one often had to climb fences, squeeze in small holes and pull all kinds of maneuvers in order to rescue stray cats (or an occasional stray dog). Now, a simple phone call "pulls" the animal from the shelter euth list and other calls arrange transport and either boarding or foster care of the dog.

Sometimes I miss the old challenges of standing out in the freezing cold with humane traps or patiently trying to outwait and outwit a terrified dog, but then again, not really. -- It is, after all, much easier and actually more effecient this way. We can save more animals by networking and communicating with others, though it is not merely as "exciting."

Not sure exactly why I decided to pull "Bruno," (pictured above). He doesn't appear to be an especially "exotic" or gorgeous dog. But, he has a good behavior and health profile from the shelter and is already neutered. Why did an affectionate, healthy and supposedly already trained dog end up on the kill list?

The shelters are totally "packed" now and the animals only get a few days. Its kind of amazing and ironic that so often, it is the healthy and social animals who "go down" at the drop of a hat, but shelters and even many rescues will go out of their way to "save" the severely injured, ill, disabled (three legs or blind, for example) or even behaviorally challenged, IF the animals are PB, cute or have some unique "story."

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense and to me feeds the public misperception that all the shelter animals get "rescued" and saved. -- After all, if Michael Vick's dogs can get rescued and rehabilitated, why wouldn't the healthy and friendly dog someone is dumping at the shelter when they "move" get rescued and placed? Most animals don't require months of "rehabilitation." But, if the dog (or cat) isn't tiny, cute, PB or have some compelling "story," chances are, s/he simply becomes a shelter statistic.

Not fair, practical or sensible. But, for one nice and regular shelter "mutt" things worked out today. It won't garner a story on the news, Animal Cops or Dogtown, but the reality is if we could ever get to the point of being able to rescue all the "regular," but simply nice cats and dogs, that indeed would be THE major news story!

True "news" is often found in the mundane, rather than the sensational. -- PCA