Nakia Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 And I am heartbroken. I shouldn't have gone, but my brother and his fiancee' are adopting a new dog and I wanted to see my new "niece". :001_smile: Please please please spay and neuter your animals. There are just too many animals that need homes. If you are thinking about getting a new cat or dog, please consider a shelter animal. They make the best pets!! I am wondering what I can do to help. We have 4 cats and 1 dog (all shelter animals) so I don't think we need another dog. But what can I do?? Any suggestions? I guess I just kinda needed to vent a little... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 It's sad isn't it? We're in the process of trying to catch some wild cats at our barn to have them spayed. I'm going after the females first, then I'll worry about the toms up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 It's sad isn't it? We're in the process of trying to catch some wild cats at our barn to have them spayed. I'm going after the females first, then I'll worry about the toms up there. My mom had a stray momma cat with 3 kittens who showed up at her house once. They were wild!! The shelter provided her with traps so that she could she catch them and have them spayed. Maybe your local shelter can help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I'm going after the females first, then I'll worry about the toms up there. Are you going to neuter the toms yourself? Like you do calves? Just wondering. :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I am wondering what I can do to help. We have 4 cats and 1 dog (all shelter animals) so I don't think we need another dog. But what can I do?? Any suggestions? You can volunteer your time, give pet food and blankets, or spearhead a pet food/blankets/other supplies donation drive in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 You can volunteer your time, give pet food and blankets, or spearhead a pet food/blankets/other supplies donation drive in your area. I have actually been on the web looking at the volunteer opportunities at the local no-kill organization. It is called Sarge's Animal Rescue. They rescue 25-30 dogs per month from the animal shelter and foster, then adopt them out. They are raising money right now to buy a 10 acre tract to build a no-kill shelter. It looks like they are in need of lots of volunteers. I am going to call them tomorrow and see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Volunteers are often in short supply! Can you foster or is your house too full of animals? Transportation is often a problem too so maybe you can transport animals? A number of the rescues here have 'foster home coordinators' too whose job it is to stay in touch with the foster homes by phone & email, keep every animal's files utd and make sure the foster homes are being supported & the animals are being properly taken care of & prepared for adoption. That's a good position for someone who can't take on any more animals.... There are many other things to do, from helping an organization to get a website up, to assisting with admin duties or helping get the charitable status arranged, all the way to picketing at local petshops which sell live animals, or writing letters to legislators, or letters to the editor..... I have to warn you that in some areas, animal rescue communities are very "intense". A lot of passionate women (it is mostly women) and there's a fair bit of controversy about the 'right' way of doing things, what will make things better etc. There can be a lot of arguments. The debates on this board are just mild disagreements compared to the kinds of raging fights that I've seen break out in the rescue world. :D Sane people with cool heads who don't get sucked into emotional melodramas are always in demand LOL. Have you read Redemption by Nathan Winograd? He's spearheading the 'no kill' movement in North America, trying to get shelters on board with new practices that turn shelters into adoption centers rather than temporary warehouses for animals slated to die..... Check out the No Kill Advocacy Center http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ and Nathan's site & blog: http://www.nathanwinograd.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CactusPair Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 And I am heartbroken. I shouldn't have gone, but my brother and his fiancee' are adopting a new dog and I wanted to see my new "niece". :001_smile: Please please please spay and neuter your animals. There are just too many animals that need homes. If you are thinking about getting a new cat or dog, please consider a shelter animal. They make the best pets!! I am wondering what I can do to help. We have 4 cats and 1 dog (all shelter animals) so I don't think we need another dog. But what can I do?? Any suggestions? I guess I just kinda needed to vent a little... Thank you so much for posting this and spreading awareness. It is an absolutely tragic situation. Visiting an animal shelter is something every person is America should do so they could see first hand the suffering that results from our collective irresponsiblilty toward pets. I think most people don't *really* know how bad the situation is. Until I started looking for a dog 2 years ago, I had no idea how many homeless dogs and cats there are and how many are put down because of overpopulation. Visiting a shelter is a big reality check. Cage after cage after cage.... I have been to numerous shelters many, many times in search of a pet that would be suitable for our allergic household. I found the most wonderful dog in the world at a shelter. He is the best pet and worth the search! Because of my experience at the shelters and awakening to the problem, I kept going back. I felt powerfully drawn to the plight of these animals. I thought, "I can't do much to help the world right now given my personal circumstances, but this I can do. This one small thing. I can take in a dog, give it a home and commit to taking care of it." I felt not only was I helping this dog, I was helping the shelter open a space for one more pet, so maybe it wouldn't have to be put down for lack of room. I have 4 dogs now, all hypoallergenic pound pups. I can't adopt anymore, but I would foster pets if I had more space and property. The need is huge. Besides spaying and neutering, please think adoption first when looking for a pet. Also, please consider microchipping the pets you have and any new pets. So many animals get lost and brought into the shelters as strays. The shelters try to contact owners but collars & tags fall off, or sometimes the pet may not being wearing one when lost(bath day, etc). Most shelters only hold strays for a short time. Then, a dog that was recently a beloved family pet gets put down, just one more stray among countless. With microchipping, shelters anywhere in the country can immediately identify the animal whether it's wearing a collar or not, and then contact the owner so it can be returned. Nakia, just spreading awareness of the situation helps! Thank you so much! Shelters always need volunteers. You could foster a pet until it gets adopted, though you already have several animals, I see, and that might not work for you. You could also help by volunteering with a rescue foster group and doing computer work or being on hand at adopt-a-thons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Thanks for the supportive words and encouragement. And a friendly bump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed2fosteradopt Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Visiting the Humane Society (I have two shelter animals) is one of the most painful things I have ever done (aside from being a foster mom - working in the children's shelter) so I know how you feel. I think volunteering at a no-kill shelter may be a good outlet for you. My cousin (who has 5 cats that are all severely maimed - she takes the animals NOBODY wants - one-eyed, blind, without tails, etc.) volunteers faithfully and has even gotten involved in fundraising events. Bless you for having such a big heart and good luck with whatever path you pursue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 The responsible people always end up either paying for or feeling the burden for the irresponsible. In this case, I feel like you, being a responsible person, are feeling the burden because you know that because of someone Else's (in this case many) irresponsibility, many animals suffer. I hate it too. We have always bought our animals from the SPCA. The two cats we have now were from the shelter as well. Spaying/neutering is a requirement through them. It sounds like you have a full family of animals, so monetary donations might be your best course of action. Two years ago, we had all of the neighborhood cats coming around looking for some "fun" -- if you know what I mean. It was so annoying. I met the owners of one cat who befriended us. We thought she was really fat, only to find out that she had been pregnant and then gave birth -- to her third litter. This family just left all of the cats to roam the neighborhood. They had plenty of money for beer parties on the weekend, but not the proper care of their animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkerbell11599 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Around my area, they are in need of food (dog and cat), toys, and money. Volunteering your time is also a wonderful thing to do. Also some rescue/shelters are in need of foster homes. JenC from Upstate NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I know what you mean. We got a new dog in November from a shelter and it just broke my heart to see so many animals needing homes. I wanted to take them all home! We have 3 cats (two from the county shelter and one was a stray) and one dog, from a shelter. I think if I had land, I'd have a lot more dogs and cats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Some may remember that I posted about a very pregnant stray cat I brought home. We already have two cats adopted through a rescue group. So, I knew there was no room in our lease for another cat, and certainly not one who was going to have kittens any day. But I absolutely could not leave her where I found her. I then spent the next three days frantically contacting every rescue organization I knew of and begging for help and ideas from every person I knew. I lucked out and found a rescue organization who was willing to take her in if we agreed to cover her vet bills. We did so, and I heard later that she had her kittens and all are healthy. They have all been spayed. The kittens are up for adoption, but the mom may have a permanent home with the family who fostered her. This group does adoption events at a local pet store, and we make a point of stopping by and dropping a monetary donation for them at least a couple of times a month. My son is also making noises about wanting to find some way to volunteer with the group. We cannot foster, but are looking for other ways to help. I'm currently preparing to adopt a dog, and am finding myself just overwhelmed at the number of animals waiting for homes. I wish I could adopt them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If you want to help, see if you can volunteer. I worked at an animal shelter for 3 very long years. It was the city run shelter in Vegas and we got in 200 dogs and 150 cats EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. Spay and neuter. It's ridiculous and sad. Another great idea is to trap cats running around and make sure they're fixed and make sure all your friends and neighbors fix their animals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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