Canada Trip Launches Campaign to Increase PMU Horse Adoptions

Vol. 21
| No. 4 | Fall 2007
p u b l i s h e d f o r m e m b e r s o f u ni t e d ani m a l na t i o n s
Canada Trip Launches Campaign to Increase PMU Horse Adoptions
LifeLine Crisis Relief Grant eases rescue burden • EARS volunteer team helps Kansas flood victims
What’s new at the UAN Store • Pet winter safety tips • 1997 flood victim living happily ever after
Greetings!
The holiday season is the perfect time for
me to thank you, our valued members, for
all you do for animals.
Although it was my love of animals that
first drove me to work for the animal protection movement, what moves me the most
is seeing what caring people do for the
animals day to day.
I mean people like you — who care deeply
for animals you share your lives with; who
cannot bear the thought of an animal alone,
scared, hurt, sad, hungry or thirsty; who
recognize that animals depend on us and
need us to speak on their behalf.
But our job is big, and we need more
people like you to join our cause of bringing
animals out of crisis and into care. For all
the hundreds of animals we help each year,
thousands more still need our help. Please
consider using the holiday season to let
your family and friends know how to help
animals in need.
Visit our Web site at www.uan.org to
see how you can tell others about UAN and
the work we’re doing, such as purchasing
UAN holiday cards at our online store, sending e-cards and signing up for our e-Journal
e-mail newsletter. The more caring voices we
can gather, the better future we can create
for animals.
Thank you for your open hearts and
generous spirit.
Have a wonderful holiday season,
Nicole Forsyth
President & CEO
Nicole visited a former PMU ranch
in Canada. Read story on Page 6.
Vo l . 2 1
| No. 4 | Fall 2007
Table of Contents
2
Program News
3
What’s New in the UAN Store
4
LifeLine Saves Lives
6
For the Love of Horses
8
Emergency Animal Rescue Service
10
Feeling for Felines
11
Hokie & Friends
12
Kudos & Katcalls
13
Animal Legislation Update
C over : Horses cast off from the industry that makes
hormone drugs from pregnant mares’ urine
at a ranch in Alberta, Canada.
The Journal is published quarterly by United
Animal Nations and is distributed to its members.
© 2007 United Animal Nations.
Design/Layout Page Design Group
S TA F F
President & CEO Nicole Forsyth
Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Sarsfield
Director of Programs Karen Brown
Director of Communications Alexis Raymond
Director of Emergency Services Matthew Herlocker
Director of Field Services Shannon Asquith
Program Coordinator Cristina Stoyle
Volunteer & Education Coordinator Alexa Mergen
Membership Services Coordinator Erin Sowa
Program Assistant Rachel Mowery
Administrative Assistant Tiffany Benton
Receptionist Angela Murray
U N I T E D A N I M A L N AT I O N S
P. O. Box 188890
Sacramento, California 95818
tel: (916) 429-2457 fax: (916) 429-2456
web: www.uan.org e-mail: info @ uan.org
2
6
10
PROTECTING ANIMALS
IN DANGER OR NEED
The mission of United Animal
Nations, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, is to
protect animals in danger or
in need and to focus attention
on their plight.
Vol. 21
| No. 2 | Spring
2007
Members Matter
publiSh
ed for m
emberS
of uNit
ed
aNimal
N at i o N S
UAN receives many notes of gratitude and encouragement
from generous donors and friends who make our work possible.
Here are just a few of them.
Thanks so much for doing
a super job of keeping
us well informed, so we
can all fight together for
the sake of our dear fourlegged friends. Keep it up!
—Evelyn
Hancock, Maryland
I’m happy to say this is yet another
opportunity to give a donation to
EARS from my efforts of collecting and
recycling cans and bottles. I collect
containers in gutters, construction
sites and empty lots, and I have friends,
neighbors and co-workers who save
them as well. I have now given over
$9,000. With all the floods and fires,
I’m sure this will be put to good use.
I am writing this letter so
you can see that rescued
PMU foals can become
Grand Champions. I adopted
my Belgian draft horse Jacob
Marley three years ago. He was
saved from the slaughterhouse
in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since
this time Jake has been the love of my
life. I have used him in my field of equine
assisted wellness interventions, helping
people recover from catastrophic loss.
Jake won the Grand Champion ribbon in
the draft horse division at the Utah State
Fair in 2005 and 2006. Thanks for all
you do to help save the horses.
—Rick
Salt Lake City, Utah
ber
m
e
M vey
Sur
LifeLine Gives
Abandoned Do
g a Second
uaN at forefr
ont of national
uaN president
revolution in disas
ter
and Ceo visits
horse rescue
Chance
response for anim
als • 2006 progr
am highlights
• horse slaug
hter update •
pet summer safet
y tips
T
hank you to all the UAN
members who completed our
recent Member Survey! Below are
some of the interesting things we
learned about our members.
•LifeLine stories are your favorite
part of the Journal
•Eighty percent of you read the
Journal from cover to cover
•Half of you have visited UAN’s
Web site, www.uan.org, or
PMURescue.org
—Judy
South San Francisco, California
•More than two-thirds of you
Don’t miss out on the benefits of making
a special tax-deductible gift to United
Animal Nations before December 31!
Give online at www.uan.org or use the
enclosed envelope.
receive e-mail news from UAN
•The Emergency Animal Rescue
Service is your favorite program
•Almost 80 percent of you have
Ballot for election of Directors for United Animal Nations
For your vote to be counted please
mark your vote on the enclosed envelope
and return it to United Animal Nations
by December 15, 2007 or vote online at
www.uan.org/board.
In order for a director to be elected by
written ballot, United Animal Nations must
receive 688 written ballots. To be elected,
each director must receive a majority
of votes of those members voting. UAN
members will receive only one ballot. The
Board of Directors will fill vacant positions if
members do not return a quorum of ballots.
There are presently six (6) Directors on
the Board of United Animal Nations. If
both nominees receive the required votes,
there will be six (6) directors on the Board.
advocated for animals since
becoming a UAN member
•On average, you have three pets
living in your household
You are entitled to vote once for each
nominee. Votes withheld shall not be
counted for or against a director.
Nominee: Donna Apidone, a public
radio journalist
Nominee: Karen Jacques, Ph.D., Vice
Chair, a psychologist and long-time feral
cat advocate
Fall 2007 Journal www.uan.org
Program News
LifeLine Crisis Relief
Grant Eases Rescue Burden
Jerry Finch, a certified cruelty investigator, self-described “cowboy,” and
president and founder of the Texas-based horse rescue group Habitat for
Horses has cared for many horses that came from neglectful situations, but
a recent case near Galveston, Texas left him horrified.
F
or months, residents complained to
Habitat for Horses when they spotted
skinny horses on a heavily wooded, 50acre parcel of land owned by an elderly
man. Habitat for Horses representatives
investigated, but because of lack of access
to the property, they couldn’t find enough
evidence to lawfully take action. Eventually, a horse died within sight of a publicly
accessible area. Habitat for Horses
immediately sought and received a warrant
from the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office
to seize the horses, expecting to rescue
only a few.
But when they served the warrant the
next day, there were more than just “a
few” horses. They found 16 purebred
Arabian stallions and 9 pregnant mares,
all terribly neglected. The only water
source was filthy and clogged with algae;
food was nowhere in sight. The stallions
fought so aggressively with the other
horses that they caused serious injury.
Worse still, the rescuers saw remains of
horses on the property, including one
that may have starved due to lack of
routine dental care.
“In all my years rescuing horses,
rarely had I seen horses as emaciated
as these,” recalled Jerry. A couple of
the horses received the lowest possible
score to describe their body condition.
“The horses wouldn’t have made it
much longer. Thankfully, the Galveston
What can you do if you suspect neglect?
“Learn the animal cruelty laws within your state,” advises Jerry. “If you
find something in violation of an animal cruelty law, contact law enforcement. If that doesn’t work, go to other authorities, such as animal control
or constables; and if that doesn’t work, take pictures and go to the media.”
Remember, the body condition of horses can vary due to numerous
factors, such as breed and dominance status in a herd. Investigators may
not be able to do much unless horses display obvious signs of neglect,
such as severely protruding bones. Avoid confronting someone directly
with charges of abuse or neglect.
Above: Thanks to a LifeLine Crisis
Relief Grant from UAN, Habitat for
Horses in Hitchcock, Texas, was able
to rescue more than two-dozen horses
who were literally starving to death.
United Animal Nations Fall 2007 Journal
What’s New in the UAN Store?
County Sheriff’s office responded rapidly
and was willing to support our work in
any way possible to get the horses out
of there.”
Habitat for Horses turned to UAN
to assist with the unexpected costs they
would face while caring for the horses;
UAN provided a $2,500 LifeLine Crisis
Relief Grant.
“Without UAN’s support, I didn’t
know how we would give these horses
the treatment and care they need,”
Jerry said. It may take as long as nine
months for some of the horses to
become healthy enough for adoption.
The elderly owner of the horses will
remain under observation to ensure that
he does not obtain any more animals.
Three weeks after the rescue, Jerry
reported that the horses’ health is slowly
improving. “It’s amazing to see how
much they eat, and how appreciative
they are. They are wonderful horses
who love people, despite what they’ve
been through.”
UAN joins nationwide
effort to help horses
This summer, United Animal Nations,
Habitat for Horses, The Humane
Society of the United States, the
Animal Welfare Institute and 16 other
organizations met in Washington, D.C.
to discuss challenges facing the
horse rescue community and
the feasibility of an
accreditation program
for horse rescue groups
and sanctuaries. We’ll report our
progress in the Journal as further
meetings take place.
The UAN Store has some exciting new items, just in time for
the holiday giving season! All proceeds benefit UAN’s programs
to bring animals out of crisis and into care and help to spread
the word about our work.
Holiday greeting cards
With beautiful photography by Elissa
Kline, these simple cards featuring
horses in a winter scene will be a
welcome greeting for the animal
lovers in your life. The inside reads
“May the beauty of the season be
with you throughout the New Year.”
Note cards
Whether you need to send a thank-you note,
a birthday or holiday greeting, or a friendly
hello, these blank cards will meet your needs.
Choose either a dog photograph by Robyn Kessler or
a cat illustration by Holly
Jackson. Blank inside.
The Rescue of Loredo
In January 1997, a severe flood struck
Sacramento, California. Ten years later,
residents still talk about Loredo, a dog
who was stranded on a roof and rescued
by the crew of a television news helicopter.
Read Loredo’s story in this heartwarming
book written by Jim Follis and illustrated
by Dick Pike. This exciting story also
presents a great opportunity to talk to
kids about disaster planning for pets.
Recommended for ages 8 to 14.
Visit www.uan.org to order these
items and more at the UAN Store!
Fall 2007 Journal www.uan.org
LifeLine Saves Lives
Through its LifeLine program, United Animal Nations (UAN) provides lifesaving
emergency veterinary care grants to animal caregivers. Many of the animals in need
are victims of abuse or neglect who are rescued by Good Samaritans or grassroots
rescue groups. UAN also awards grants to low- or no-income families and seniors.
Meet a few of the hundreds of animals we will help through LifeLine this year.
Mickey
E
ue Grant to
LifeLine Resc
UAN issued a
’s leg repair.
cost of Mickey
assist with the
arlier this year, a Good Samaritan
found a starving, dehydrated dog
with a broken leg who was left to fend
for herself behind an airplane hangar. It
was clear the dog was left to die, so the
man brought her to Noah’s Ark Animal
Sanctuary, an independent, volunteerrun animal shelter in Houston, Texas,
hoping they would be able to help.
With limited funding and so many
other animals to care for, Noah’s Ark
Founder and Director Heather Schmidt
was not sure how they would be able to
foot the expensive surgery bill, but she
couldn’t turn the dog, renamed Mickey,
away. Luckily, one of the sanctuary’s
volunteers is also a volunteer with UAN’s
Emergency Animal Rescue Service and
was familiar with the LifeLine program.
Mickey’s foster family missed her so much when
they went on vacation that they adopted her
when they returned home from Disneyland!
The volunteer pointed Heather to UAN’s
Web site where she quickly submitted
a plea for help; UAN answered with a
LifeLine Rescue Grant to assist with the
cost of Mickey’s leg repair.
“Mickey, and all of us at Noah’s Ark
Animal Sanctuary thank you for acting
so quickly to help get Mickey the care she
desperately needed,” said Heather.
LifeLine Also Helped…
Shadow Girl… a puppy
slated for euthanasia, undergo
emergency surgery to remove
dead skin from half her body
and prevent an infection.
Jooney Jellybean…
receive treatment for a serious
condition that his previous
owners left untreated.
Aras… a horse found
LuLu… a spunky kitten
found hit by a car, receive
urgent leg surgery.
United Animal Nations Fall 2007 Journal
in an abandoned area
with nothing to eat, grow
from an underdeveloped
horse into a healthy one!
Learn More on the Web
Learn more about the LifeLine program and
read more success stories at www.uan.org
Sadie Dawn
H
og Heaven Rescue Farm (HHRF) in
Cochranton, Pennsylvania recently
acquired a few horses from a hoarder
who was overwhelmed with animals.
The horses did not receive all the basic
care they needed, or very much human
interaction. HHRF Founder and President
Regina Martin soon discovered that one
of the foals, Sadie Dawn, was healthy
in every way except for a condition that
caused her to constantly dribble urine,
causing painful skin sores. Surgery was
the only way to correct the problem, but
HHRF had several other animals in its
care, and with the cost of hay for the
animals rising they did not have enough
funding for this unexpected expense.
Regina was not sure HHRF would be
able to help Sadie when she ran into
Mary, an old friend who runs For the
Love of Horses, a Premarin horse rescue.
Mary is familiar with UAN through the
organization’s use of PMURescue.org,
and suggested Regina apply for a LifeLine
Rescue Grant. Luckily, Regina took that
advice and UAN was able to help HHRF
with Sadie’s surgery.
UAN was able
to help Hog H
eaven Rescue
Farm with Sa
die’s surger y.
Today, Sadie is doing well and quickly
growing into a gorgeous horse. According
to Regina, she was losing hope in finding
the help she needed and was not going
to go through with Sadie’s surgery until
she found the LifeLine program. “UAN is
really responsible for saving Sadie’s life!”
she said.
Letters of Appreciation
T
hank you from the
bottom of my heart
for this chance of life
for Harley. I received
the phone call letting
me know my grant was approved when I was
on my way to the clinic to euthanize Harley
and I had to pull off on the side of the road
because I couldn’t believe the news. I know
Harley is not “out of the woods” yet, but at
least I have an excellent chance of having my
furry little guy around for years to come.
—Thank you, Katie Batten
T
hank you so much for
your help with Nicky’s
surgery. It was successful, and
Nicky is doing very well. He’s
a very personable horse, and
follows us around whenever
we’re out there. I’m sure if he
could talk, he’d say “Thanks!”
Keep up the good work.
—Debbie Coburn,
Four Corners
Equine Rescue
I
can’t tell you how
much it means to all
of us to be getting some
relief from the financial
stress Earl’s accident has
caused. Thank you to all
of your staff, volunteers
and donors for making
it possible for Earl to
continue to receive the
care he needs!
—With much appreciation,
Kelly Carlson
Fall 2007 Journal www.uan.org
e
e
For the Love of Horses
Canada Trip Launches
Campaign to Increase
PMU Horse Adoptions
Two hundred miles north
of the United States border in Alberta, Canada, an ocean of
grass meets an impossibly blue sky at the horizon. Here, the
land is large and ranchers rely on pick-up trucks to navigate
their property. The sun-drenched fields are a cornucopia for
grazing. This is horse country.
Until a few years ago, it was also a hub of the industry that
harvests estrogen from pregnant mares’ urine (PMU) for use in
Premarin and Prempro, popular hormone drugs for relief of
menopausal discomfort. But as demand for these drugs declines
due to health concerns linked to their use, the economy in much
of Canadian horse country is collapsing. The ranchers who made
their livelihood from the PMU industry are closing their doors,
leaving thousands of Canadian horses “jobless” and potentially
at risk for slaughter.
United Animal Nations Fall 2007 Journal
e
In August, two UAN staff members traveled to Alberta to
meet some of these ranchers and find out how UAN, through
its Premarin Awareness Campaign and PMURescue.org Web
site, could best help the horses left behind as the market for
PMU drugs disintegrates.
A rescue network
“PMURescue.org is the only Web site where people can search
for PMU horses available from dozens of organizations all in
one place,” said Nicole Forsyth, UAN’s president and CEO. “We
want to make sure the site is effectively connecting at-risk horses
with people who want to adopt them.”
In Canada, Nicole and UAN Director of Communications
Alexis Raymond joined Jennifer Johns and Cheryl Forbes of The
Animali Farm in Santa Maria, California, who have been rescuing
All horses pictured here are living on Canadian ranches and are byproducts
of the industry that uses pregnant mares’ urine to make hormone drugs.
Many of these horses are available for adoption on PMURescue.org;
Opposite page, top left, Jennifer Johns of The Animali Farm takes a break
from her photo shoot.
horses cast off from the PMU industry
A difficult situation
since 2000. They have placed approximately According to one former rancher in
1,000 horses in all, including more than
Winfield, Alberta, it costs $500 per year
800 posted on PMURescue.org. Jennifer
to maintain one mare. The rancher had
and Cheryl were visiting 10 Alberta ranches 95 mares in her barn when she lost her
to photograph nearly 300 horses who were
contract with Wyeth.
once used in or born of the PMU industry
“I didn’t know what I was going to do
and in need of new homes. Most of these
with myself and the horses. I didn’t have
horses are now posted on PMURescue.org, a lot of options because at that point I
along with horses from other organizations. had two young children,” she said. “I was
“We are working primarily to help
nineteen when I started [in this business]
ranchers who are transitioning out of the
and this is all I’ve really done.”
industry, and we have a lot of work on
Without other options and training,
our hands,” said Jennifer. “Some of these
many former ranchers continue to breed
ranchers had hundreds of horses in their
their mares and sell the foals to generate
barns when they learned they weren’t
income to continue feeding the mares.
needed any more.”
But other industries, such as racing and
At the PMU industry’s peak in the
breeding, have contributed to a surplus
early 2000s, as many as 70,000 mares
of unwanted horses across the U.S. and
and 422 contracted ranches were involved
Canada; so some of the byproduct PMU
in the production of hormone drugs.
foals end up at auctions with meat buyers
When Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, maker
as the only interested parties.
of Premarin, Prempro and other PMURescue and placement groups, like
based hormone
The Animali
drugs, cut conFarm and others
More than
tracts with ranches
who post horses
2,400 horses have
in 2003 and 2005
on UAN’s
found
homes through
in response to
PMURescue.org
PMURescue.org
decreased demand,
Web site, are
the ranchers were
helping ranchers
left with thousands of unwanted pregadopt out these horses instead of selling
nant mares, many of whom had received
them for meat.
little training and handling and were
“There are still a lot of horses needing
difficult to sell.
homes — those directly involved in the
PMU industry and those who exist because
of it,” said Jennifer of The Animali Farm.
“We will continue working to find them
permanent, loving homes.”
e
Grateful companions
To make sure that even more people know
about the rewards of giving a home to
PMU horses and foals, UAN is using the
footage and interviews Nicole and Alexis
gathered in Alberta to create a short video
promoting PMU adoptions.
They hope the additional visibility will
How you can help
Even if you can’t adopt a PMU horse of
your own, you can still help. Here’s how:
•Sign
up at www.uan.org to receive our
e-Journal and PMULines e-mail newsletters to find out when our educational
video is done and how you can spread
the word.
•Order
free copies of our Premarin: The
Bitter Truth brochure to share with your
doctor and others who may not know
that manufacturing these drugs causes
animal suffering. Order at www.uan.org.
•Support
the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act, which would prohibit
the slaughter or transport of horses to
be slaughtered for human consumption.
Learn more at www.uan.org.
lead to a happy ending for horses like Kit
(PMURescue.org horse #4059), a 26-yearold Tennessee Walker who served the
PMU industry for many seasons and now
needs a loving home for her golden years.
Nicole and Alexis learned first-hand in
Canada that it’s easy to fall in love with
horses from the PMU industry. One
morning, they visited some Fjord mares
and their month-old foals, who were
already relatively tame thanks to daily
interaction from a ranch hand. The foals
followed them around the pasture, sniffing in their pockets for treats and offering
them their soft, young faces to caress.
“If anyone interested in adopting a
horse could have stood among these mares
and foals, they would realize that in most
ways, a PMU horse is no different from
any other,” Nicole said. “They just want
love and attention, and once they have it,
they give it back to you tenfold.”
Emergency Animal Rescue Service
Small But Mighty EARS Volunteer Team
Helps Kansas Flood Victims
“Small but mighty.” That is how Ohio State Coordinator Bonnie Morrison
described the team of UAN’s Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS)
volunteers that helped flood victims in Coffeyville, Kansas in late July.
B
onnie led the five-person team that
helped operate a temporary emergency
animal shelter for victims displaced by a
major flood on June 30 and a subsequent
oil leak at a local oil refinery that contaminated flood waters.
In addition to Bonnie, UAN deployed
three Kansans with hands-on animal experience —Julie Castaneda, Philip Castaneda
and Judy Carman — and experienced
responder John Maglia of Missouri. Through
a mutual aid agreement, the EARS team
provided sheltering expertise and supported
the work of The Humane Society of the
United States (HSUS), a fellow member
organization in the National Animal
Rescue and Sheltering Coalition.*
“They were great to work with,” Julie
said of HSUS. “They were very apprecia-
tive that we were there. We were very
happy to help.”
The Coffeyville area was declared
a federal disaster area. Red Cross
provided shelters for displaced residents
and a temporary animal shelter was
created at a nearby school.
EARS volunteers fed, groomed,
walked and socialized approximately
180 animals — about half cats and half
dogs plus some hamsters and a fish.
Bonnie took pride in her EARS team.
“The HSUS team said that with the help
of EARS, that was the quietest shelter
they had ever been in.”
According to Mary Prewitt, Kansas
State Director for HSUS, the EARS volunteers were hard workers who contributed
much to the success of the response.
Are you prepared for a disaster?
During National Preparedness Month, UAN conducted an online
poll to determine how well pet owners are prepared for a disaster.
The results? While many people have taken steps to protect their pets
when an emergency strikes, pet owners still have some work to do!
•More than half of the respondents said they have not assembled
a disaster kit for their pets.
•Thirty-eight percent have not identified places where they could
evacuate with their pets.
EARS Ohio State Coordinator Bonnie Morrison helped
establish protocols to make the emergency shelter in
Coffeyville, Kansas run smoothly.
“UAN’s sheltering abilities and reputation
are unquestioned, and that held through in
Coffeyville,” Mary said. “We
know if UAN people show up
for sheltering they are going
to be competent and well
trained.”
Cooperation among
animal rescuers meant the
animals received exceptional
care. “By getting along as
famously as we did,” Julie
said, “it allowed optimal
time with the animals.”
•Only 59 percent of respondents have identified their pets with a
microchip — proven to be the best way to find a lost pet after a disaster.
If you haven’t already, start your animal disaster planning today!
Visit www.uan.org for tips and to order supplies.
United Animal Nations Fall 2007 Journal
EARS volunteer Julie Castaneda and an HSUS
team member tackle dirty dog bowls.
EARS Volunteers Commemorate
National Preparedness Month
I
Bonnie explained the value of EARS
volunteers. “We spent a lot of time
teaching human protocol within the
shelter. We taught [other volunteers] how
to interact with animals throughout the
entire day.”
The hands-on care reassured animals’
owners.
“I feel like I’m helping people by
helping their pets,” Julie said. “It’s not
just an animal issue. When the owners
come in and see a system in place, they
feel confident that the animals will be
there when they get back.”
EARS volunteers also helped prepare
the temporary shelter for a successful
Adopt-a-Thon. All but 20 animals were
returned to owners or adopted out;
the remaining animals went to a no-kill
shelter, Bonnie said.
The safety of the animals depends
on organizations working together,
Bonnie, Julie and Mary agreed, with
each participating agency bringing its
strengths. “Our focuses are different,”
Bonnie said of UAN and HSUS. “HSUS
is great at quick set-up. We’re focused
on the sheltering aspect.”
“Presuming we see heavier storms
and more severe natural disasters as
people predict, these collaborations will
be of paramount importance,” Mary of
HSUS said. “We are all going to need to
work together to get the job done.”
* The nine organizations in the National
Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition are
American Humane Association, ASPCA,
Best Friends Animal Society, Code 3 Associates,
HSUS, International Fund for Animal Welfare,
National Animal Control Association, Society
of Animal Welfare Administrators and United
Animal Nations.
n September, UAN and its Emergency
Animal Rescue Service (EARS) volunteers celebrated National Preparedness
Month by staffing 22 educational outreach
tables at disaster preparedness events
in 14 states.
Two years ago, in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina, the United States
Department of Homeland Security
designated a preparedness month to
encourage local communities to increase
their readiness for emergencies.
When asked about the purpose of
disaster preparedness events, EARS Ohio
State Coordinator Bonnie Morrison said,
“If we taught one person how to prepare
and get the animal out of the [disaster]
situation, we don’t have to go back and
rescue that person and that animal.”
Bonnie was one of more than 30
EARS volunteers who represented UAN at
disaster preparedness events nationwide.
“Katrina opened my eyes to how the
general populace can help out,” said
Nicole Gerber of New York, who trained
as an EARS volunteer in July.
“People really liked the five-step
brochure on preparing a kit for animals
and the wallet cards,” she said,
referring to United Animal Nations’
“Five Animal Disaster Preparedness
Essentials” checklist and wallet
cards for notifying emergency
services personnel that a rescued
person has animals at home.
“They’ve taken a step just by filling out the card and putting it in
their wallets.”
Like Nicole, Kathy Hayes of
Kentucky participated in her first
disaster preparedness event this
September; she trained as an
EARS volunteer in May. “We
needed something to make the
community more aware and
appreciative of what needs to be
done to prepare for
the whole family,”
Kathy said of including
animals in disaster
preparedness events.
EARS volunteers
Deborah Humphrey
and Kelly Brinkley joined
Kathy in providing
information. One event
attendee — active in his local Community
Emergency Response Team — drove from
40 miles away to learn more.
“Our goal is to get one of my animal
people on every CERT team that goes
out,” Kathy said. “Say there’s a situation
where an owner has been injured and
the animal is possessive and won’t let
people in. At least we’ll have someone
who can handle the animal so people
can get near the person to help.”
Helping people and animals is at the
heart of educational outreach for EARS
volunteers. “I like spreading the word,”
Nicole said. “I have loved animals all my
life. It feels good to think that you can
be doing something little that helps
make a difference.”
In September, EARS volunteers educated the
public at a community disaster preparedness
fair in South Sacramento, California.
Fall 2007 Journal www.uan.org
ABC Campaign: A Better Choice for the Animals
Designed to help people make choices in their daily lives to help animals.
Feeling for Felines
A how-to on helping feral cats in your own neighborhood
By Karen Jacques, Ph.D., UAN Board Director
Want to reduce animal suffering and the euthanasia rate at your local shelter?
One of the most effective things you can do is become a responsible caretaker
for the abandoned, stray and feral cats in your neighborhood.
T
his may mean caring for one or two
cats, or a large cat “colony”— a group
of homeless cats who share a common
area and interact regularly. Uncared for,
these cats live short and painful lives and
can produce several litters a year. But cared
for, they can have long, high-quality lives.
My first experience as a caretaker
was with a colony of more than sixty cats
(not counting the kittens born while I was
still trying to get everyone spayed and
neutered), a few of them tame stray or
abandoned cats and the remainder feral
and extremely distrustful of humans.
(“Feral cats” are born homeless and
have never lived with people. They are,
essentially, wild creatures.)
Being a responsible caretaker means
doing what feral cat advocates call TNR
(trap, neuter, return) until all cats in
the colony are spayed or neutered, and
making an ongoing commitment to feed
the colony as long as the cats live. This
may sound daunting, but armed with
the right knowledge and support, it’s
extremely manageable and rewarding.
Getting started
Start your TNR program by finding a
reasonably safe, secluded place to feed
the cats at a regular time once or,
ideally, twice a day. While feeding,
make a list of all the cats with a detailed
description of each so you can keep
track of them. Once the cats are
accustomed to coming for meals at a
regular time, you can begin trapping.
See the sidebar below for trapping tips.
Being a cat caretaker is a big commitment, particularly for a large colony.
Karen’s Trapping Tips
• Buy
or rent humane traps from a pet supply store
• Trap
before meals when the cats are hungry
• Bait
traps with wet, smelly cat food, different from
what you provide at regular feedings
• Tie
traps open for the first few days so cats experience the success of entering them and getting food
• Cover
the bottom of the traps with newspaper so the
cats don’t see the trip mechanism
• For
a large colony, set several traps of different sizes
• Stay
out of sight of the traps, but close enough to hear when a trap is sprung
• When
a cat is trapped, place a blanket or large towel over the trap immediately
to calm the cat
For more tips, contact: Alley Cat Allies | (202) 667-3630 | www.alleycat.org
All photos this page courtesy of Alley Cat Allies.
10 United Animal Nations Fall 2007 Journal
If possible, find others to help you feed
and trap, and locate veterinarians who
are comfortable working with feral cats,
can work your cats into their schedule as
you trap them, and are willing to provide
low-cost spay/neuter. Some shelters and
non-profit organizations have low-cost
programs for feral cats, so investigate the
resources available in your community.
Providing ongoing care
The bigger your colony, the more likely
it is to include feral kittens. If possible,
tame these kittens and place them in
good homes, along with any adult tame
cats. Don’t forget to spay or neuter them
first! The best way to place cats is to
work with a local animal rescue group.
If you do your own placement, screen
adopters carefully and don’t use “free
to good home” ads.
When you have a cat altered, make
sure the veterinarian takes the tip off an
ear. This is a nationally recognized sign
that a feral cat is spayed or neutered,
and it will help you keep track of which
cats in your colony have been altered.
Although rabies is relatively rare
among feral cats, getting them vaccinated is a good idea. There is debate
about the necessity of testing feral cats
for feline AIDS and leukemia. Some say
removing cats who test positive can
stop the spread of these diseases, while
others say the money spent on tests
that often produce false positives could
be better used on spay/neuter. You may
wish to talk to your veterinarian about
this issue.
I began caring for my first colony in
1991. No kittens were born after 1993,
and all of the cats have since died, most
relatively recently and of old age. The
last cat, Spotty, died this summer at
age 17. He never let me touch him, but
I treasure him anyway. It was a lot of
work, but it was also one of the most
rewarding things I have ever done.
Hokie & Friends
Dear Caring Animal People,
It’s the time of year that many of you refer to as
the “season of giving.” This year I want to give all
of you Caring Animal People (CAPs) some advice about taking care of
your animals as the temperatures drop and the winter holidays approach.
To help you, my friends and I put together this list of five pet trouble spots
and tips for keeping companions like us warm, safe and happy this winter.
Brrrrr, cold: Protect your pets from the cold by keeping them inside.
A sweater will help short-haired dogs keep warm, and dogs should not be
shaved down to the skin, as their hair also provides warmth.
Winter plants and substances: Mistletoe, poinsettias, ivy and holly are
toxic to animals and should be placed out of their reach. Also, don’t tempt
us with Christmas tree water! It may contain fertilizer that is harmful to dogs
if ingested; cover the tree stand to reduce this risk. Antifreeze products can
cause severe kidney damage, but pets love the taste and smell — so store and
dispose of these products carefully!
Holiday eats: Some of the yummiest holiday goodies can be very dangerous
for pets. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine that is extremely
toxic to dogs. Grapes, raisins and uncooked yeast dough are all common
winter holiday foods that should be kept away from your pets. Fatty and spicy
foods may cause upset stomachs. Lastly, cooked bones left over from holiday
meals can splinter or cause blockages. As a rule, “people food” should be for
people, even when you’re feeling most festive
Read previous Hokie
and giving! If you feed your pets a homemade
columns on the message
diet, be sure it is approved by a veterinarian to
boards at www.uan.org.
ensure all necessary nutrients are included.
Harmful holiday decorations: Tinsels, ribbons, cellophane and glass
ornaments can obstruct or cut our intestines. Candles could burn us, so place
them out of harm’s way. Electrical cords for lights can be fatal if chewed on,
so cover or secure them out of your pets’ reach.
Holiday travel: As you make plans to see loved ones and friends, don’t
overlook your pets! If you are traveling with your pets, confirm that they will be
welcome wherever you stay. While traveling in snowy or icy conditions, keep
pets leashed because they could get lost when snow covers up the scents they
need to return to you on their own. Or, to reduce stress for your pets and yourself, consider hiring a sitter or boarder to take care of your pets as you do your
holiday traveling. We know you’ll miss them, but think of how happy you’ll be
to see each other when you get home!
Seasons greetings,
Hokie
P.S. Visit www.uan.org to read more tips on winter pet safety under
our “Latest News.”
Fall 2007 Journal www.uan.org 11
Send your Kudos or
Katcalls by mailing a letter
or sending an e-mail to
the address provided.
Kudos to Miss West Virginia, Summer Wyatt,
for choosing the theme “Making the connection — animal cruelty and family violence” as
the platform for her reign. A one-time volunteer with the Mercer County Animal Shelter,
Ms. Wyatt believes current animal cruelty laws
in West Virginia are “lax” and is lobbying for
stronger laws, better enforcement and harsher
penalties. “Animals are like children. They
don’t have a voice, they can’t say ‘we’re hungry,
we’re cold, we’re hurting,’” she said. Thank
Ms. Wyatt for using her place in the public eye
to draw attention to the plight of animals.
Miss West Virginia Scholarship Organization,
PO Box 4146, Clarksburg, WV 26302-4146;
[email protected].
www.summerwyatt.com
Kudos to the Buncombe County, North
Carolina commissioners for requiring all loose
pets to be identified with a microchip before their
owners can reclaim them. The new mandate
is part of Countdown to Zero, a collaborative
campaign to end euthanasia of healthy animals
in Buncombe County by 2012. You can thank
the county commissioners for taking this action,
or better yet, become an advocate in your own
community by starting a similar campaign to
reduce the number of animals coming into your
local shelters! Buncombe County Commissioners
Office, 60 Court Plaza Suite 206, Asheville,
NC 28801-3565; fax: (828) 255-5535.
www.buncombecounty.org
Katcalls to PetSmart for selling dwarf rabbits.
PetSmart began a test phase for selling the
rabbits at 25 stores on July 9 and will decide
later this fall whether to make the sales
permanent. This is an about-face
for a company that has historically
limited its sales of animals to small
pets like fish and hamsters and
worked with rescue groups to
adopt out homeless cats
and dogs. Rabbits are the
third most frequently euthanized animals in shelters and
PetSmart’s new program will
only worsen this problem. Ask
PetSmart to abandon this pet-selling
enterprise and focus instead on its commitment to promoting responsible pet ownership,
pet adoptions and curbing pet overpopulation
through spay/neuter. Robert F. Moran, President
and Chief Operating Officer, PetSmart, Inc.,
19601 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027.
Kudos to the Houston Chronicle for taking
an editorial position against horse slaughter.
Its September 30 edition described the horrible
conditions horses endure as they are transported
to and slaughtered in Mexico, since horse
slaughter is currently illegal in the United States.
“The answer is not restoring horse slaughter in
the United States, but to ban its export,” the
editorial said. The editorial calls
upon Texas lawmakers to
push Congress to act
on the American
Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act,
currently awaiting
a Senate vote. In
a letter 250 words
or less, thank the
Chronicle for speaking out against the inherent
cruelty of horse slaughter in a state that is home
to two defunct slaughterhouses and an active
pro-slaughter contingent. (Include name, address,
and day and evening phone numbers for verification purposes.) [email protected].
www.petsmart.com
www.chron.com
12 United Animal Nations Fall 2007 Journal
Animal Legislation Update
An update on state and federal legislation related to UAN’s programs.
Animals in Disasters
Horse Slaughter
In 2007, five states passed laws incorporating
animals into their disaster plans — Connecticut,
Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.
“Human lives will remain at risk if people
refuse to leave dangerous areas because they
cannot protect their pets, and the number of
animals abandoned in a major evacuation
would overwhelm Virginia’s animal welfare
groups,” said Virginia Senator and Majority
Leader Walter A. Stosch, who introduced the
successful law in his state. “The law I wrote
will help ensure that these contingencies are
worked into any disaster planning.”
Fifteen states now have such laws to
complement the federal Pets Evacuation and
Transportation Standards (PETS) Act requiring
local and state emergency preparedness
authorities to include pets and service animals
in their disaster plans to qualify for Federal
Emergency Management Agency grants.
Legislators in Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Rhode
Island and Washington introduced similar bills
that either died or were stalled in committee.
In fire-prone Arizona, Representative David Lujan
said he intends to reintroduce his bill next year.
“It is important for governments to realize that
pets are often an integral part of families and
we need to plan ahead to ensure the well-being
of those family members in the event of catastrophes,” Lujan said.
A bill banning horse slaughter in
Illinois has effectively shut down the
horse slaughter industry in the United
States. After a series of complicated
legal battles, a federal appeals
court in September upheld the
bill, prohibiting the slaughter of
horses in Illinois for human
consumption.
Although Illinois
Governor Rod Blagojevich
Find your senators and their contact inforsigned the bill into law in
mation at www.senate.gov or by calling the
May, the one slaughterCapitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
house in Illinois — Cavel
International in DeKalb—
was allowed to remain open while the company challenged the law. The only two other slaughterhouse
in the United States are in Texas, and both remain
closed after courts upheld a ban earlier this year on
the sale or possession of horse meat in the state.
Now more than ever horse advocates are focused
on the U.S. Congress and passing S 311 and HR 503,
the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA)
to prevent U.S. horses from being transported to
Mexico and Canada for slaughter. The bill passed
through a Senate committee in April and is awaiting
a vote in the full Senate.
Horses bound for slaughter now travel hundreds
of miles to reach Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses and many arrive injured, bruised or dead.
Slaughter methods, in Mexico
in particular, are more primitive and brutal than those
used in U.S. plants.
States with Animals in Disaster Laws:
California
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Illinois
Louisiana
Maine
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Contact your U.S. senators
and ask them to co-sponsor
the AHSPA if they haven’t
already, and to call for a full
vote in the Senate.
Fall 2007 Journal www.uan.org 13
After the Flood, a Decade of Love
I
n January 1997, severe flooding put 300,000 acres of Northern
California under water. After watching the scene unfold on
television at her home in Sacramento, former vet tech Viki Duncan
answered the call for help at UAN’s Emergency Animal Rescue
Service (EARS) emergency shelter at the Placer County Fairgrounds
in Roseville, where volunteers ultimately cared for 878 animals
displaced by the flooding.
Viki exercised the animals, assisted the veterinarians, and had what she described as “one of the
most interesting and frankly remarkable experiences ever.” “I had never seen a group like yours do
so much for so many animals in need,” she told us when recounting her story recently.
There, Viki met Maggie, a young Rottweiller mix who had been found floating down a river. Viki was
taken by the dog’s friendly and social nature. She took Maggie home to foster, and when her family
didn’t come forward to reclaim her, she was able to adopt her.
“I thought Maggie would be a good companion for my other dog, Phoebe,” said
Viki. “They became pals, and Maggie ended up being the protector of the two.”
Maggie never has to worry about being left behind again. Viki included her
pets in her disaster planning, even before the 1997 flood. Maggie, Phoebe and
Viki’s third dog, Rocky, all have their own life jackets, in addition
to microchips and pet disaster kits.
“If you’re living with animals and they are around you all
the time, you have to think about these things,” Viki said
of animal disaster planning. “Our pets are living, breathing
creatures we are responsible for.”
Find out how you can protect your own pets from disasters.
Visit www.uan.org and look for our disaster preparedness tips.
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