22 thoughts on “Open Thread

  1. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tullahoma-Animal-Shelter/165121893506488

    Here’s the link to my local shelter, if you get a chance, take a look at the great work they are doing. They are funded completely through the city and additional monies raised by the EMPLOYEES and have been NO-KILL for several years. The shelter does not have room for kitties right now (they go to the county facility).

    I can’t tell you how proud I am of this little shelter; they go above and beyond to get pets back to their owners (their first priority) and then if you’ll look through their listings of adoptable dogs you’ll notice that some have been in their shelter for up to a year waiting for a home.

    All we hear are the bad stories and how no-kill can’t happen. I’m sure that under the close examination this shelter is far from perfect by some standards out there, but these people truly care and they make me glad they are in my town!

      1. Shirley, I was just at Brent T.’s blog (KC Dog Blog) and saw a link to a little story about the Richland County Dog Warden and the good work they’re doing there – 4 months with zero euthanizations, along with what seems to be a pretty low kill rate for a while (maybe one or two a month). http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20120215/NEWS01/202150302/Richland-County-Dog-Shelter-record-4-months-0-euthanizations

        Maybe a nice, uplifting story about Tullahoma and Richland would be fun for you to write. (I worry about the sadness weighing you, and us, down!)

  2. I have a cousin who does amazing acrylic paintings, specializing in pet portraits! She did one for us at the end of 2011 that we are just so thrilled with!!! She finally has a website. Here is a link to the painting that she did for us on her site:

    http://www.acrylicsbymattie.com/3-dogs-on-a-bed/

    The two on the left are no longer with us (Bobby & Lobo) and the white GSD on the right is our Sr. girl, Sin. This painting is so perfect in so many ways… Please take a look at her website and if you have ever thought of having a pet portrait done, she does just incredible work!

    1. Thank you for putting that link in. Michelle Obama is both classy and down-to-earth, and Bo’s a cutie, too.

      1. They’ve done a good job with Bo all the way around. And did you see Michelle Obama on the Ellen Degeneres show doing 25 pushups? 25! I can’t think the last time we had a First Lady promoting health and fitness by actually putting it out there like that. After we saw the clip, both Billy and I hit the floor for some pushups ourselves. (We didn’t get to 25.)

  3. My head hurts. I just held my second “no kill possibilities” meeting with some folks from my area. This one included some new faces not at my first meeting, one of whom is very close to the director of the local kill shelter. I was concerned about her being there and should have listened to my instincts. At the end of the meeting, she questioned my math and tried to “call me out” so to speak. I know some shelters use a Maddie’s Fund reporting form which I’m pretty sure is a product of the Asilomar Accords. I’m not sure how many no kill communities do their math.

    I recognize there are different opinions on how to calculate “E” rates. Mine is simple = number killed divided by total intake = percentage killed. I can go futher to number of healthy/treatables killed divided by total killed = percentage of those killed who were healthy and treatable.

    I know there are differences on how to do the math. I will say this: it matters not if my calculations differ from someone else’s by a few percentage points. Killing almost 70 percent of intake = way too many bodies. So why expend energy on math when that same energy could be spent on saving lives?

    1. This is one of those clips I have been dodging. I’m sorry to hear he was reinstated and given back pay. It’s not unusual for these situations though I hope the police department will progress beyond that 1920s mentality.

  4. I would like to start building real pressure to get my local pound, (run by an outside group under contract with the county), and pounds in nearby counties, to go no-kill. I’d like to start by finding like-minded people to work with, and I thought a Facebook group would be a good place to try. Ideally I would call it “No-Kill Triangle,” because I’m in the Research Triangle area of NC (Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Cary), but that name is taken by a group that seems mostly dormant. So I need a good name for my FB group, one that would work well once it’s bigger and stronger than just an FB group. Any Ideas?

    1. Is it possible to contact the admin of the dormant group? Were they also wanting to start a no kill group in your area or are they referring to a different “triangle”?

      1. It says “NC Triangle” on the info page. But the admin seems to like only posting feel-good stories about animals, which are great but not really the way to instigate change. I’ve never figured out how to contact a group admin other than posting on that group’s wall. Is there a way I am not seeing? I sort of don’t want to post something on the wall asking if s/he intends to actually advocate/foment change, or if the group is just a place for posting about the Puppy Bowl.

  5. For anyone who has a disabled pet who drags his/her back legs, please watch this video. Leggings for Life is a not-for-profit group providing crocheted leggings to protect the pet’s legs from injury. Leggings are custom-made for a specific pet and are provided at no cost to the pet owner! Although the video shows a cat, leggings can also be made for dogs. To request leggings for your pet, contact them on their Facebook page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bazbEgq6jwc

Leave a Reply