urgent help needed

Changing the Lake County ordinance regarding feral cats and TNR needs Lake County residents to show up

/ Pamela Kramer

PLEASE JOIN US:

Lake County Board of Health Meeting on Wednesday, August 28, at 6pm at 3010 Grand Ave, 3rd floor Board Room, Waukegan, IL 60085 IL.

Illinois law: 510 ILCS 5/2.16, supports TNR (trap/neuter/release) of feral cats and protect “caretakers” (feeders) from ownership laws. Lake County’s ordinance deeming “owners” as anyone “feeding an animal 7 days or more” does not support the TNR process.

What is important for taxpayers to know?

TNR saves taxpayers money! TNR is not just about saving cats, it is about population control and disease control. Each female cat can produce up to 10 kittens three times a year. TNR sterilizes cats thus decreasing reproduction. Each cat going through the TNR program is vaccinated for rabies and distemper. Decreasing the feral cat population through sterilization saves taxpayers the cost of euthanasia, which is what LCAC does for feral cats (they are euthanized). TNR organizations cover the costs of both sterilization and vaccinations which saves taxpayers money!


PLEASE SHOW UP AND HELP CHANGE Lake County’s lamentable lack of support for TNR. Lake County’s ordinance needs to mirror the State of Illinois’ TNR language.

For more information about TNR and this issue in Lake County, please read the previous blog post. Instead of supporting the trapping of feral cats so they can be sterilized, vaccinated, and returned back to their home area where they know how to find food or where there is a colony caretaker who provides food and shelter, Lake County animal control recently charged a Lake County resident with having animals at large.

Toward the goal of changing or amending the Lake County ordinance, concerned residents are urged to attend the meeting of the Health Department this Wednesday, August 28th, at 6:00 pm, at 3010 Grand Avenue in Waukegan. Please attend if you can to show your support for the feral cats who have no voice of their own. Supporting TNR policies saves taxpayers money, reduces the spread of disease, and at the end, is the humane way to deal with the feral cat issue.

Urgent: Help needed to ensure TNR is enshrined in Lake County law as it is in Illinois law

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment

While TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) is old news in much of the country, apparently the Lake County Board and the Lake County Health Department are still living in the days when feral cats were caught and killed, as most are unadoptable. To any Lake County Board members; Mark Pfister, Public Health Director; and Robin Van Sickle, Director of Animal Control; who might be reading this, TNR is a real thing. It’s even enshrined in Illinois law, which states:

Sec. 2.16. Owner. “Owner” means any person having a right of property in an animal, or who keeps or harbors an animal, or who has it in his care, or acts as its custodian, or who knowingly permits a dog to remain on any premises occupied by him or her. “Owner” does not include a feral cat caretaker participating in a trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate for rabies, and return program. (Source: P.A. 101-295, eff. 8-9-19.)

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An open letter to Facebook and Instagram (Meta)

/ Pamela Kramer

Dear Facebook and Instagram (Meta) powers-that-be:

Please restore my accounts so I can continue to help dogs, cats, and authors.

Championing animals and books is my passion and purpose. I have used Facebook responsibly for almost 20 years, sharing my book reviews and my mission for rescuing animals with my audience. I actively support reputable animal rescues from coast to coast, including Placing Paws of Libertyville, Fat Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, and Dream Team Angels Rescue. Countless dogs and cats have found homes through my posts, and my husband and I have personally fostered hundreds of animals over the years. I have reviewed books from hundreds of authors and have also interviewed many authors including New York Times bestselling author CLAIRE COOK (Must Love Dogs, Bonus Time), New York Times bestselling author MICHAEL GRANT (the GONE series, the Animorph series), New York Times bestselling author KATHERINE APPLEGATE (The One and Only Ivan, Willodeen), BRIAN HARE (Scientist, professor, and author of The Genius of Dogs), New York Times bestselling author SPENCER QUINN (author of the Chet and Bernie series) and many more. 

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Lake County Animal Control ignores Illinois law regarding humane treatment of feral cats and fails to reunite lost dogs and cats with owners (UPDATED)

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment
Jade: feral mother cat
Two of her tabby kittens
Another of her kittens

Those of us who live in Lake County, Illinois, assume that our county government is doing its best for us. That would include how our county treats our animals, our beloved cats and dogs. I’ve recently discovered that Lake County Animal Control is seriously lacking in not only how it follows Illinois law regarding feral cats, but also fails miserably at posting stray dogs and cats so that owners can find their lost pets.

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Part I: Volunteers feed and save abandoned, scared dogs — big and small — in Redland, Florida

/ Pamela Kramer / Leave a comment

redland shepherd.jpg

Please note: This article was originally published on ShelterMe.tv in 2016.

The Problem:

Redland, Florida; it’s a rural area southwest of Miami. A place that is haunted with the despair from the many animals who are abandoned there every week. Daily, cars and trucks stop on one of the streets or highways, open a door, shove out a confused animal, then drive away quickly.

The Redland area is not a safe place for the animals who are left there. Most are dogs, and while some learn quickly to stay away from humans, others are shot, poisoned, hit (on purpose) by cars, stolen by dog fighters; or they die from starvation and dehydration in the Florida heat. The lucky ones hide during the day, coming out as the sun goes down as a group of dedicated volunteers bring the food and water they need to survive. Join the volunteers, Jessie, Yleana, and Ramsey, on a hot July evening as they bring me along to witness the sad situation.

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Part II: The Solution to “The abandoned, scared dogs — big and small — in Redland, Florida”

/ Pamela Kramer / Leave a comment

redland pup

Please note: This article was originally published on ShelterMe.tv in 2016.

The Solution (Part II to “Volunteers feed and save abandoned, scared dogs — big and small — in Redland, Florida”):

It appears that any solutions to the huge problem of stray and abandoned animals in the rural areas of Miami-Dade County, like Redland and the Rock Pit Quarry, will have to be addressed by the volunteers. Rescues have approached the shelter, asking if there is a process for pulling stray dogs from the county (not the shelter, the stray dogs). According to Jennie Nicholas of Pennsylvania, the shelter never responded to her email. She said that when she wrote Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS), “I got zero response. I wrote an email asking if I needed any special permission to take the dogs and the email went unanswered.”

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Devastated adopter after shelter allowed his dog to die, “They take dogs away from people for being treated like that and then they do it themselves right here.”

/ Pamela Kramer / 5 Comments

What happens when a shelter allows a dog to suffer in agony for days before the staff veterinarian bothers to check on the dog, then finding that his intestines had perforated, and he had to be euthanized? What happens when after surgery, another dog is allowed to bleed to death, found two days later dead in her kennel? If the shelter is in Tampa, Florida, namely the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center (PRC), and the director is Scott Trebatoski, nothing happens. And according to the latest Target 8 report by Steve Andrews, “Shelter woes blamed on county commissioners’ refusal to listen,” the county board doesn’t care, either.

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The future of stray and unwanted animals in San Bernardino, CA, appears bleak and deadly thanks to a rushed decision by several city council members

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment

GSD at SB shelter

Photo by Alice Chow, volunteer San Bernardino shelter

The San Bernardino City Animal Shelter was always the little shelter that could. While they couldn’t save all the abandoned animals that crossed their doors, the fervent volunteers worked tirelessly to try to save as many as possible. And they did this in spite of little support from the shelter manager, who at times almost seemed to work against the volunteers.

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Florida dogs abandoned in rural shelter desperate for rescue or they may be killed; shelter is packed

/ Pamela Kramer / Leave a comment

Luna
Cora looks like a beautiful young dog! Her deadline is Tuesday. This young girl is under two years old. She is sweet and under 50 pounds. She has lots of life and love to share with a family. Cora is #5626.

There are 39 dogs in Sebring, Florida who have a deadline. That means that if they are not adopted or pulled by rescue before then, they are in danger of being killed. Don’t blame the shelter — blame those who dump their dogs with no thought of what will become of them. These dogs are wonderful, and the shelter is very transparent about what they do and don’t know. They often know if the dogs will not get along with other dogs and cats and will indicate that. Many of these dogs have lived outside and never known a soft bed, while others were family dogs discarded when they became inconvenient.

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20 Dogs in Rural Florida County Shelter Urgently Need Rescue by March 20

/ Pamela Kramer / Leave a comment

sebring 3:20

There are 20 dogs at the Sebring, Florida county shelter who are scheduled to be killed on Tuesday if they are not rescued or adopted before then. The volunteers are desperately trying to spread the word so that no lives are lost. Please share their story and please see if any of these dogs might work with your rescue, should you have one. The volunteers are willing to help with transport and pulling the dogs.

Note that all the dogs have the comment that they need a slow introduction to other dogs and cats. This is because shelter workers and volunteers know that when adopters are rushed and impatient, the results can be bad, so dogs get returned to the shelter. There are proper ways to introduce new dogs into a household. The internet has lots of information — just Google it. But a dog needs time to decompress from the stress of being in a shelter with many, many other dogs. Just throwing a dog into a new environment without slow introductions is taking a huge risk. And when an adopted dog is returned to the shelter, often a second “owner surrender” at that point, the shelter often doesn’t give the dog much time to find a new home. Please, no matter where you adopt from, do some research. Ask questions and take lots of time.

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Young Florida Dogs Urgently in Need of Rescue By March 1

/ Pamela Kramer / Leave a comment
PhotoGrid_1519773558552

On Thursday, ten dogs at the Sebring Shelter in Florida will die unless they are adopted or pulled by rescue. Many of these dogs are still practically puppies. A few of the dogs should not go to homes with cats, including Ramsey, who is a volunteer favorite! Please read about them, share their story, and help them if you can. Pledging on their Facebook post helps rescues know that any medical needs will be covered. Please visit the Sebring Facebook page to see videos of the dogs, too.

Hammy is an incredibly sweet dog who arrived at the shelter horribly emaciated. He only weighs 36 pounds and he should be around 60 pounds. The volunteers say he’s sweet and happy. He certainly deserves a home where he will be fed and cared for, and where his love will be returned for the first time in his life. He’s only a year old.
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