 WAGGIN TAILS JANUARY 2023
HAPPY NEW YEAR Dear Friends & Members: The year has passed so quickly. Unfortunately, we are still fighting off viruses, and the flu. Remember, for the sake of your family, and especially the strays who desperately need us, get your vaccines. We have been working hard all year. The strays that we have found unfortunately, are in terrible shape. We have had dentistry done on 80% of them. There have been more issues with infections, especially of the eyes. We have had to have an eye or eyes removed from at least 10 cats. When this happens, the Rescuers adopt the cats for themselves, and hope to find a home with a caring person who doesn’t mind a handicapped cat. Please don’t purchase an animal. There are Rescuers with the perfect pet for you. We have Rescuers that have friendly, adoptable cats, and some dogs. They all have their shots and are spayed or neutered. Don’t buy from a pet store. It only encourages the breeders more. Have you seen any pictures of a mother dog or cat, that has been breeding for years? It is horrible. Put yourself in their place. If you want to adopt, get a pet from a Rescuer or a Rescue organization. Start the year off helping to find a home for one stray animal. For all of us, it can be groundbreaking. Happy homes are filled with happy pets. We here at Save Our Strays wish you a Happy, and Healthy New Year. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your constant support. Best of all, the strays thank you. We are nothing without you. LEGISLATION [REPRINTED] Breaking: Animal protection groups fight for New Jersey black bears, taking legal action to stop trophy hunt TRENTON, New Jersey ─ Today, a coalition of state and national animal protection groups including Animal Protection League of New Jersey, the Humane Society of the United States and Friends of Animals, launched an emergency court challenge to the black bear trophy hunt that is scheduled to begin Dec. 5. The hunt was authorized by the New Jersey Fish and Game Council earlier this month. Hunt clubs nominate six of the Council’s eleven members. The animal groups are challenging the Council’s misuse of an emergency rulemaking loophole to bypass required procedures that guarantee the public the right to weigh in and require the Council to respond to said public comments. Despite having ample time to comply with these procedures, the Council forced through a last-minute emergency rule, leaving the public no time to respond. The lawsuit seeks emergency relief stopping the Dec. 5 hunt. The hunt targets hundreds of bears and sets no express limitation on the number that can be killed. The Council advanced the proposal without counting the number of bears in New Jersey and without performing a scientifically sound estimate of the population. The Council then went further by claiming without evidence that the state’s bear population will expand by a preposterous 33% in just two years without a hunt. That speculation has no basis in science; black bears are extremely slow to reproduce. “The Council is not above the law and should not be allowed to impede public input by fabricating an ‘emergency,’” said Jennifer Best, Director of Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program. “The only thing that will keep the public safe and black bears wild is education on simple and effective solutions, such as bear-resistant trash cans and removing bird feeders from March through November.” The Council claimed that emergency action was necessary due to an increase in reported bear incidents. But the number of incidents reported this year is not unusually high compared to many other years during which hunts were conducted. In fact, over 90% of bear-related complaints were reports of routine bear behavior and incidents that pose no imminent danger to the public, such as sightings of injured bears and bears seeking food from unsecured garbage cans and bird feeders. To date, the state has failed to take steps to establish the trash control programs that have successfully mitigated conflicts in Western states. “The Fish and Game Council unlawfully used emergency powers to ram through an unpopular and unnecessary hunt while denying New Jersey citizens their due process rights under state law,” said Kate Hendrix, staff attorney for the Humane Society of the United States. “The public is not facing any ‘imminent peril’ from New Jersey’s bruins, and the numbers that the agency cites to claim otherwise are misleading and taken out of context. The real emergency is the threat hundreds of New Jersey’s bears will face if this horrific, unscientific hunt is not stopped.” Scientific studies show only a weak correlation between the population of bears and bear attacks. Bear-human interaction is more closely connected with specific human behaviors that drive encounters. Some states with large black bear populations have fewer conflicts than states with much smaller bear numbers, a study by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies found. California, for example, which has 35,000 bears, reported just 259 interactions. Black bears are among the slowest reproducing land mammals in North America. Trophy hunts and high kill rates over bait can lead to irreparable population damage. Hunting bears causes additional mortalities from infanticide when father bears are killed and new males enter their territory. When the state sanctions a hunt, poaching incidents go up—there has already been a case earlier this month when four bear cubs were killed in an apparent poaching incident in Passaic County. Public safety is also threatened by a bear hunt in New Jersey, where hunting accidents have killed more people than bears have. “In addition to the disingenuous emergency, the New Jersey black bear hunt is illegal because the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy is arbitrary and capricious and fails to meet the standards set out by the state Supreme Court,” stated Doris Lin, Legal Director of APLNJ, who successfully overturned the state’s bear management policy in 2007. FYI [REPRINTED] Coming together for dogfighting survivors An unknown number of dogs were chained in the woods on a recent Sunday morning, and rescuers could hear them barking before they saw them. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the joint rescue is believed to be the biggest takedown of an alleged dogfighting operation in South Carolina’s history: The first day, federal officials interrupted a scheduled dogfight and rescued 14 dogs. The next day, federal and state law enforcement officers executed nearly two dozen search and seizure warrants at multiple properties. More than 20 people were arrested for state charges relating to animal cruelty and dogfighting. Officers worked with animal welfare organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States, to rescue 275 dogs. Because the dogs were housed across so many locations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General assigned the responders to work at specific sites. Our Animal Rescue Team helped remove 70 dogs from three sites and witnessed the heartbreaking conditions the animals lived in firsthand. Responders also found evidence of dogfighting, such as a self-propelling treadmill and a large pit with chairs around the perimeter. “Some of the dogs had no shelter. None of the dogs had water. They were really emaciated. […] Many of them had open infected wounds,” says Laura Koivula, HSUS director of animal crimes and investigations, about the dogs on the property she was assigned to work. Several dogs had injuries so severe they needed emergency veterinary care, including a small black dog with gaping wounds on his chest and a leg injury that made him limp. “You could smell the infection, the odor of the infection, before you got up to him,” says Jessica Johnson, senior director of our Animal Rescue Team. A circle of worn grass around the end of his chain indicated that he had been confined to the same spot for a while. Johnson stroked the dog’s back as she took in the scale of his injuries. The young dog accepted her affection but stayed hunched over, staring straight ahead. Koivula describes his face as “totally blank.” She suspects he “simply didn’t have much [energy] left in him to acknowledge the fact that we were there.” Despite everything they had endured, many of the dogs eagerly approached responders with wagging tails. Others were withdrawn and fearful. After the rescue, the dogs went to confidential locations to recover. The HSUS continues to care for 44 dogs, including the small black dog, now called Ray. The seizure was a collaborative effort between government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Bark Nation helped remove, transport and care for dogs from one of the three properties assigned to our rescue team, and RedRover assisted with the hands-on needs of the 44 dogs in our care during their initial arrival. Koivula is also grateful to the local, state and federal agencies who pursued the case that made this rescue possible. “Building a case like this takes months, sometimes years, of research and investigation,” says Koivula. “It is a massive effort and takes a lot of dedication from so many people.” Now freed from their chains, the dogs’ role is simple: rest and recuperate. After undergoing extensive surgery to repair his wounds, Ray is doing just that. Johnson visited him after his surgery and was greeted with gentle tail wags. After a little while, the small dog fell asleep, his head in her hand. LINDA’S LINE Hi. January,2023 and once again we are starting a new year. It’s hard to believe how quickly the years go by. I would like to start off by wishing all of you, and your loved ones a HAPPY, and HEALTHY NEW YEAR. Let’s hope that this year will bring about better things for us, and for our four-legged friends, including getting more people to get vaccinated so that the COVID-19 virus, which has plagued us for the past three years, will finally be irradicated. As we all know, there are still variants of this virus out there, and even though the symptoms of these variants are easier to handle, thanks to the vaccines and boosters, it isn’t over yet. So please, if you have not done so, get yourself vaccinated with the latest booster shot. It will help family, friends and the strays – they need you. Please try to remember to reach out, and help those who are less fortunate than we are. If you see a homeless person, whether you are in your own home town or traveling for the holidays, try to lend a hand where you can by giving them food, and warm clothing, and if they have pets, please give food and a blanket for their pets as well. They will be most grateful for the help. The cold weather is upon us, so I hope that you all have your shelters up, and ready for the strays, with plenty of dry food and water. Remember that “we are their guardians.” Please remember, when walking your dog in temperatures that are below 50 degrees, to make sure that your pet is protected from the elements with a sweater or coat. As of this writing, we have just had our first snow storm in the Northeast, and the temperatures have dropped to the 20s, and 30s. Contrary to what some people may think, an animal’s fur is not enough to keep them warm, and they can catch cold, and also pneumonia, the same as humans do. A reminder that our phones are open from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, Monday to Friday. I am always here to guide you through any situation that comes your way, and messages are always picked up, and returned in a timely fashion, and on weekends also. Remember, if you see an animal that needs help, please try to see what you can do to help – don’t ignore it, and walk away. The strays have a difficult time of it out there, especially when it comes to finding food, and any help that we can give will be appreciated. Remember, any good deed that we do here, is a gold star in the “Book of Life.” Again, a HAPPY, and HEALTHY NEW YEAR to all our friends, and members. CLOSING THOUGHT We have heard some good news. Some of the Asian countries are cutting down on dog meat. Our country is still sending horses overseas to be killed for horse meat. When will we learn that animals have rights, and that everything G-d put on this earth is not about us. Linda will start to prepare the tax receipts for our Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members. Receipts are sent as we receive a one-time donation. I would like to say thank you to all the volunteer Rescuers in New York, Florida and North and South Carolina, who work to help the strays, as well as all the good people around the country, and the world that help our wonderful 4-legged friends. Let’s say a special thank you to the Humane Society, and to all the organizations that went into the areas where the tornadoes hit. We lost many people in those areas, but we also lost many animals – they are important also. So give a shout out to all the Rescuers, both for people and animals. We need more Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members. These programs keep us going. We can’t be here without your support. Have a wonderful year, and may this year be the best one ever. From our hearts, and the strays hearts to your heart. Take care, be happy, be healthy and save a stray one stray at a time. It all adds up. Please Remember Our Troops “We salute you for all you have done. Your courage has kept us safe. +Your sacrifice has kept us free. All of America owes you more than we can repay. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. We are behind you all the way – From the battlefield. . .to recovery!” To help our supporters, who shop on Amazon, to support Save Our Strays through the Amazon Smile program, please go to Google and type in AmazonSmile.com. You will then be directed to a home screen that says AmazonSmile in the upper left-hand corner. Log in with your Amazon account (email/phone number and password). If you are already logged in, just go to the search bar, and type in “SAVE OUR STRAYS INC.” Then select the second option, “Brooklyn, NY.” Click on the Amazon Smile LOGO in the top left corner of your Amazon page. Once you have done this, Under the word ALL in the search bar you should see a line that says “SUPPORTING: SAVE OUR STRAYS.” Now you are ready to shop. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to Save Our Strays Inc. Amazon has a large variety of gifts that are perfect for all holidays (remember that Chanukah, Christmas & Kwanzaa are coming) and occasions i.e.: birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, christenings, bar mitzvahs and lovely gifts for all occasions. Items that they have are: electronics, jewelry, clothing and more. You may have to set up an Amazon account to use Smile. Please try. It is important. (See instructions on the next page.) Love, and caring to everyone. May the New Year be a good one, and let’s pledge to help at least one stray at a time. Have a wonderful New Year. Till next time - Waggin’ Off AMAZON SET-UP PAGE GOOD NEWS Supporters of Save Our Strays can now use the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on Amazon Smile, and start generating donations. Please pass this on to anyone who uses Amazon, and doesn’t necessarily have a charity that they support. Now is the chance to support Save Our Strays. The funds go for food, and medical treatment. We are certainly a worthy cause. A dollar spent this way feeds an animal in need. Amazon Smile is now in the Amazon Shopping app You can now support Save Our Strays on iPhone, and Android phones. If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, please update your app. How to turn on Amazon Smile in the mobile app – instructions below. 1 Join Amazon Smile If you are already an Amazon Smile member, sign up on your web browser. Simply select Save Our Strays to start generating donations, at no cost to you. 2 Get the app Download or update the latest version of the Amazon Smile Shopping app on your phone. You can find it in the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android. 3 Turn on Amazon Smile Open the app, and find “Settings” in the main menu. Tap on “Amazon Smile,” and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on Amazon Smile on your phone.
Amazon Smile benefits Same products, same prices, no cost to you. Amazon Smile has the exact same low prices, Vast selection, and convenient shopping as the Amazon you know.
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