15 thoughts on “Open Thread

  1. Does anyone have contacts in the NY/PA/OH area to help with placement of a deaf dog? There is a very pretty, very smart young dog in my local shelter that I suspect may be deaf.

    1. If you could drop me an email with details, I can pass the word around to my contacts. Email is original.wacky[at]gmail[dot]com.

  2. sorry.. looks like I’ll have to copy and paste.. this is posted on FB
    Please read and share.

    Maryanne Dell
    Just received this in an email. Gonna take a village, literally:
    *****. It looks like it is the end of the road for the Kern County Animal Shelter. The City of Bakersfield has given them an eviction notice. They have 40 days to move 700 animals. Please share tag and help. *****…** This is going to take an army of a community to find safe places for all these critters!!!
    Kern County Animal Control
    The following information was submitted in response to the unexpected announcement from the City of Bakersfield by the County Administrative Office and the Board of Supervisors.

    CITY’S ABRUPT EVICTION OF COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL
    ENDANGERS ANIMAL WELFARE AND PUBLIC SAFETY

    At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday August 21, 2013, the City of Bakersfield notified the County of Kern
    that the County must vacate the Animal Control Shelter on Mount Vernon Avenue by October 1,
    2013. The City’s action gives the County only 40 days to move the shelter’s entire population of nearly
    700 dogs, cats and livestock to a different location.

    Second District County Supervisor Zack Scrivner said the City’s unilateral action comes without
    warning and despite a July 31 verbal accord between the City and the County on a plan for a new
    Animal Shelter. Scrivner said the City’s claim that the County has been unresponsive and
    uncooperative on animal control issues is completely at odds with the facts.

    “Just three weeks ago, Supervisor Maggard and I met with City Manager Alan Tandy and his staff and
    we jointly came up with a tentative two-year plan to move forward on the development of a new
    Animal Control Shelter,” Supervisor Scrivner said. “A week after that, Alan Tandy communicated his
    thanks to County Administrative Officer John Nilon for putting County staff to work on our mutually
    agreed solution.”

    “Yet today, without any public input in any public setting, let alone a proper City Council meeting,
    and without a single phone call to any of us, including County Supervisors or County staff, the City
    gave the County a 40-day eviction notice,” Scrivner said. “I’m shocked and disappointed in the
    behavior of the City Council.”

    Jen Woodard, Director of Kern County Animal Control, said, “I’m very concerned about the welfare of
    the animals in the County’s care. Right now, we’re trying to figure out how we can move 700 animals
    in 40 days to a new place where they will be safe, secure, and healthy.”

    Supervisor Scrivner said he suspects the City’s abrupt termination of the animal control agreement
    may stem from a July 29 letter that independently elected County Auditor-Controller Mary Bedard
    issued to the City of Bakersfield regarding the State Controller’s audit staff comments confirming that
    the County is correct in its recent recalculations of the historical tax-split agreement. The agreement is
    the subject of a City lawsuit against the County. Scrivner stressed that Ms. Bedard has sole legal
    authority to correct and adjust tax allocations and that no other County officials have input in her
    decisions.

    “Every attempt by the County to propose holding the City virtually harmless on historical tax split
    calculations has been universally and unequivocally rejected by the City,” Scrivner said. “Apparently,
    the City Council’s strategy is to hold innocent animals hostage in negotiations regarding the
    appropriate sharing of tax dollars.”

    Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Maggard was equally concerned.

    “We recently had a very productive meeting with city staff on the shelter agreement, and it is
    unspeakably troubling to see all of that washed away by the City Council in a knee-jerk reaction to a
    completely different matter,” Supervisor Maggard said.

    “At the end of our recent meeting with the City Manager, we were very hopeful that real progress was
    being made on the Animal Control Shelter. It’s unfortunate that the City Council would disrupt this
    progress, but it is even more troubling that the City Council has reached a new low by endangering
    animals for political ends.”

    Fourth District County Supervisor David Couch said, “I’m really surprised by today’s announcement.
    I’ve always been optimistic that the City and the County would work something out. In fact, I felt that
    recently, both sides were taking positive steps toward a mutually acceptable agreement. I hope we can
    pick up the pieces and reactivate discussions with the City because a joint facility is best for the people
    of Kern County.”

  3. Nathan Winograd wants to do free No kill seminars in a bunch of cities, and one of them is Charlotte, NC, but he needs to connect with a local pro-No Kill group that will help him plan it. From his Facebook post: I’m going on the road in 2014. If you are a pro-No Kill shelter, rescue group, or advocacy group from Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, or Cleveland, I need your help planning a free No Kill seminar. Can you please contact me through the No Kill Advocacy Center’s website?: http://bit.ly/Tcufg6 (here’s the link to the post on FB: http://tinyurl.com/mfhftdp)

    Someone from Charlotte contact him and help, because we NEED this in NC!!!

    1. Dot, this petition contains false information. The eviction notice came with an offer to extend until December 1 if more time was needed to complete the move. The county has gone on record saying they do not want the extension. I think that like so many things in life, this is all political posturing. The victims – the shelter pets – are currently being killed, as is Kern Co pound’s usual practice, while both sides play political games.

      https://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/what-will-happen-to-hundreds-of-animals-at-kern-co-pound/

  4. My local SPCA is open on Labor Day and adopting out any adult dog or cat for minimum wage – $7.85! Hope they get lots of takers!

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