NC Public Schools benefit from animal advocates, did you know that?

How does your child going to a NC public school have any connection to my volunteer work as an Animal Advocate? I’m about to show you the direct connect and why I would welcome any support to help my cause which in turns helps your child’s education here in NC.

First of all please view the first screen shot from the NC School Board Association of NC. Pay close attention to the line that states “ North Carolina Constitution requires that public schools receive “the clear proceeds of all penalties and forfeitures and of all fines collected in the several counties for any breach of the penal laws of the State.” (Click on all pictures for full view)

Then view the second screen shot from the NC General Statues Articles 31 A 115C-457.1 Creation of Funds

Now please view the 3rd screen shot from the NC Dept of Agriculture site for civil penalties and fines accessed. When you view this screen shot or link for full view, you will find very few civil penalties placed and even less collected by the NC dept of Agriculture due to their lack of due diligence to uphold the current NC General Statues 130A-192 or the NC Animal Welfare Act. This shows a lesser amount of money going to your kids education here in North Carolina that what should be and therefore shows the connect of my work as and Animal Advocate and your child’s future education in the State of North Carolina.

view link: http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/aws/penalties.htm

Whether you have an animal or even care about animals in general my hopes are with me explaining how our NC School System could be awarded more money to keep the classrooms with teachers, with the much needed supplies or even the security to keep them safe while at school, I might be able to get you to view the issues and concerns some of us have with our County Animal Shelters in a different light.

I understand many people want to label all animal advocates as extremists, but if you look past those extremists you will find a large amount of caring individuals who work for the animals and their better care from their hearts and their own wallets. With any concern or issue in our world you will always find extremists, people who only scream and yell profanity’s and run without correct facts. However there are those of us that work only with facts, we work to help change the inhumane conditions that many of our homeless animals find themselves in even those that make their way into some of our failing county animal shelters.

We do understand that some wonderful shelters exists in NC along with a caring and humane staff, and this is not to taint those and their efforts. But sadly we do have a high number of county animal shelters that refuse to be humane to the animals in their care, who refuse to follow the current Animal Welfare Act as it’s written, and we do have a high number of shelter employees that need to be re-trained or possible be moved over to a different county positions.

We have county animal shelters that are feeding animals mouldy food, not removing the fecal matter from their water bowls, not going in on their weekend shift to care for the animals locked inside those cages, we have county animal shelter employee’s refusing to take pictures of the animals in their care, those who refuse vet care to sick and injured animals along with a high number of shelters who are euthanizing animals every day with no weigh scales prior to injecting them with fatal plus or another narcotic which you can view in the below screen shot needs to be followed.

We are more than halfway into 2013 and still the NC General Assembly still has been unable to move forward in correcting their own mistake with SB 467 ( GS 130 A-192 ) signed into law by then Governor Bev Purdue on July 7, 17, 2009.

4 years later, with many major agencies and overseeing offices being made aware on this issue, they have sat by and allowed a law to remain on the books under the incorrect enforcement office and done little to nothing to correct their own original mistakes. My question is how many other laws are on the books in NC just as this one under the incorrect enforcement office and basically making them null and void?

NC makes provisions thru the general statues for animals left unattended in vehicles

(click on picture to view larger text)

A huge thanks to Pricey Harrision for her hard work to make sure this provision was included with SB 626.

NC Animal Shelter Sanitation Rules

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My local animal shelter hose down and clean the kennels with the animals still in the cage, is this acceptable in a NC County Animal Shelter? The answer No.

The animals must be removed from the kennels during the cleaning process for a number of reasons to include the assurance that the animal is not coming into contact with the cleaners and disinfectants, to keep the animal dry esp. if it’s a younger animal to ensure it stays clean and dry to better fend off the parvo or distemper virus, but mainly to be humane to these shelter animals who have found their way into a shelter environment that’s unfamiliar and frightening to them. And last but not least as it’s part of our NC Animal Welfare Act that these shelters must abide by.

What should you do if you see a NC County Shelter employee using cleaning products or a water hose in an kennel while the animal is still housed inside? Document the events. Write down the time, the employee’s name, the kennel number or ID number of the animal, take a picture if possible and report this to the shelter manager immediately but also follow up with an email to the NC Department of Agriculture on these events to ensure this situation doesn’t happen again.

Email address for the NC Dept. Of Agriculture: AGR.AWS@ncagr.gov

Update on the NC Wildlife Policy and our NC County Animal Shelters

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Update on NC Animal Shelter Events: In late April 2013, most is not all NC County Animal Shelters were sent a reminder to NOT be transporting or euthanizing our wildlife unless they show signs of rabies. And if they shows signs of rabies then other steps must take place, not just euthanasia. If your NC County Animal Shelter is still euthanizing our wildlife for lack of knowledge or for the “ thrill”, please step up, write down the events that took place and contact both the NC Wildlife Commission( POC is Gordon Myers) Phone: 919-707-0010 email wrccomments@ncwildlife.org or gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org and the NC Dept of Agra at AGR.AWS@ncagr.gov

Opossums are not vicious creatures, their only means to frighten you is to show their teeth and play dead. Please respect our wildlife in NC and let’s learn to co-exist. Same for foxes, skunks, bats, beavers and so on.

To read the PDF in full:

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Trapping.aspx\Go then go to the right of the page and click on the link for PDF for ACO and wild animals

Bravo Raw Chicken and Cat Food Recall

Another recall, now on Bravo Raw Chicken: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/warning-issued-two-brands-raw-dog-food/

Charlotte NC Police bust reported dog fighting ring

By WSOC

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 13:42 PM.

http://www.gastongazette.com/news/local/police-bust-reported-dog-fighting-ring-1.92784

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Friday, officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department’s Hickory Grove Division and Animal Care and Control Unit made arrests in a dog fighting ring in east Charlotte.

Officers said the house on Carelock Circle has several pit bulls in the backyard. When officers arrived, they reported several pit bulls were tied up with large chains that were attached to spikes driven into the ground.

Upon arrival, Animal Control officers said they located evidence consistent with training dogs for the purpose of fighting.

Officers located a total of 27 animals on the property and several of the animals had injuries consistent with dog fighting.

Both paraphernalia for dog fighting and a dog fighting arena were also discovered on the property.

Melvin Smith, 46, and Lefonze Williams, 42, were arrested and are both being charged with felony training animals with the purpose of dog fighting and baiting.

Based on the number of dogs and evidence seized at the scene, this location is one of the largest dog fighting operations the CMPD and Animal Care and Control have investigated to date.

U.S. marines killing a sheep with a baseball bat

Is this where we really want to be in this world? Is this where we have slipped to? For anyone to kill an animal in this fashion is unacceptable but w.o a doubt our Men in Uniform. I can only think of the extreme pain this animal was put in by being hit so hard over and over in the head. God will punich us all one day for this type of behavior. It is totally UNACCEPTABLE !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGn610jADJY

Foster Care for a Rescue Dog

The following article appeared in the March 1994 issue of Texas Dogs. Texas Dogs, 2737 Oak Mountain Trail, San Angelo, TX 76904; (915) 944-7016. Copyright 1994, M. Shirley Chong. by M. Shirley Chong You heard about this dog from your hair dresser; you got a referral call from the chair of your national rescue club, someone that you know from dog shows heard about this dog that needed help and found your name through an old show catalog. You met the dog; not a gem and not a monster, but a nice dog with some promise. You’ve got a foster dog. Like any foster parent, you have a special task ahead of you. You have to guide, teach, help, and love this refugee, without becoming this dog’s special one-and-only person. You have to be ready to spend time and energy and love on this dog, and yet be able to give it up when the right family comes along. If everything works out right, someday not too far in the future, there’ll be a lump in your throat and maybe even tears in your eyes as you watch your foster dog eagerly leave your home and loving care for a new life with a new family. But before that day comes, you’ve got work to do! Very few dogs land im rescue without a few minor quirks or problems-hey, if they were perfect, they probably wouldn’t have landed in rescue! The less you know about the dog, the more you’ll need to do to increase the chances of a happy placement. The first thing that needs to be done is to make sure the foster dog is housetrained. Even if you were told by a previous owner that the dog never makes a mistake and is perfectly housetrained, be a skeptic! Dogs that didn’t get much socialization often learn not to soil the house they live in, but they never had a chance to generalize to other houses or buildings. The first week or 80 that you have a foster dog treat it as if it were an eight week old puppy. Constant supervision when the dog is loose in the house and crated or otherwise confined to their bed when it isn’t possible to supervise. During this first week or so, don’t push any other training issues, if possible. Let the foster dog settle in and get oriented Carefully referee interaction between the foster dog and your own dogs. If the foster dog is not in good health, postpone serious training and testing until the dog is well on the road to recovery. Dogs that are emaciated often show mental effects of starvation–they can be unnaturally passive, uninvolved, uninterested in other dogs or in human beings. It is impossible to accurately assess the temperament of a starving dog. I don’t want to try to provide a guide for dealing with an emaciated dog–consult with your vet. I will say that in general, slow and steady weight gain is better than putting on a lot of weight in a hurry. The mental effects of starvation can take as much as twice as long for the dog to recover from as it took to put the weight back on the dog (in other words, if it took six months to build the dog up to a normal weight, it can take up to a year for the dog to be mentally normal.) An emaciated dog CAN be brought back, but it isn’t a quick fix-it project. After the first week or so, start working on basic commands. Make sure the foster dog knows how to walk nicely on lead, sit and down on command, and come when called. If you add in stays, most pet owners would consider this a well trained dog! Also work on the problems that are least acceptable to most pet homes: destructive chewing and jumping up on people. Again, treat the foster dog as a puppy–get it out as much as possible, expose it to new people and new situations Make sure to visit several different (dog lover’s) houses, so that you can be sure that the dog really does understand that housetraining means ALL houses, not just yours! As you work with this foster dog, be alert to things that may be TRIGGERS for fear or aggression. Common triggers are holding a rolled up newspaper or magazine and tapping it on one hand); calling the dog in a loud (angry sounding) voice; shuffling feet toward the dog—dog interprets it as an attempt to kick); holding any long object, such as a yardstick or leash; bending over the dog, especially if the dog is lying down; suddenly raising a hand (for instance, as if you were waving to a friend across the street); suddenly reaching out, especially towards the dog’s head; being near or picking up the dogs food dish; taking away a toy that the dog is chewing on; taking away an object that the dog has stolen (like a sock or a piece of garbage); leaning over the dog as you put it in a down. Don’t avoid triggers; in fact, you should test for them. If the dog reacts to something, this shows you an area that you need to defuse, for the dog’s peace of mind and the safety of the adoptive family. If you discover a trigger, you need to assess how strong the dog’s reaction is and whether you feel capable of de-fusing it. This may also affect your selection of an adoptive family. There are some other things that you should learn about vour foster dog: how this dog reacts to children of different ages (from babe in arms to teenagers) how this dog reacts to cats how this dog reacts to birds (ducks or pigeons) outside is there any difference in how this dog reacts to men or women? is this dog more likely to be irritable or cranky after more exercise than usual? how does this dog react to having it’s usual activity level curtailed for a day or two? how does this dog react to being given a pill? (you can test by using a pill sized bit of hot dog or cheese; open the dog’s mouth and push it down as if it were a pill; repeat the test later) The above information will definitely affect your choice of an adoptive home; what these things have in common is that they are basic instinct/temperament/personality issues. If the dog has very high prey drive (wants to chase any cat or bird it sees), placing it in a home with small animal pets might not be a good match. If the dog truly does not like children of a certain age, it may learn to love a family member of that age, but it may never like other children of that age (so does this child bring home lots of friends?). The pill test tells you how willing the dog is to accept unfamiliar sorts of handling. To a certain extent, the breed you are dealing with influences how long you should hold onto a foster dog to assess them. An easygoing, gentle, typically submissive breed may be easier to place sooner, without extensive testing and training than a breed with a more difficult temperament. Taking the time to really learn about your foster dog will pay off when you are trying to play Yentl, to make a match for life!

Our Efforts

Nc Shelter Rescue, Inc. works tirelessly on issues that greatly impact our Shelter Friends. Whether it’s organizing a fundraiser to buy new beds, cages, food or a blanket drive, we do what we can to make a positive difference in theselives of an abandoned animal. We also look at what programs are in place in the county shelters and if they can be improved upon and if so we offer to help accomplish these tasks. We here at Nc Shelter Rescue, Inc. are not just an agency that alerts others of issues that impact our shelter friends; we are hands on involved. When we set out on a program you will see us involved until the very end, no matter how long it takes, and we will work hand in hand until the tasks are accomplished.

What can you do to help our shelter friends? You can start by spaying\neutering your family pet(s) and spreading the word that in North Carolina alone over 280,000 shelter friends are killed each year. And sadly North Carolina has around 21 counties that still use Gas Chambers as the form of euthanasia. Help end the huge useless loss life of so many by reaching out for low cost spay and neuter clinics at http://www.snap-nc.org along with standing with us to end gassing in North Carolina by contacting our state legislators at http://www.ncleg.net.

One Voice can make a difference in the life of an animal and that one voice starts with you.