june - 2025

WAGGIN TAILS                        JUNE 2025
FLAG DAY
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
ADOPT A SHELTER CAT MONTH
 
To All our Friends and Members:
 
          June, a happy time.  Nice weather, summer vacation.
 
          Let’s not forget that there is no vacation for the strays.  They are still looking for food, shelter and water every day.
 
          There is one stray in particular, that I keep watch on.  He walks, and walks all night.  He seems to have several places that he goes to, to find food, but he works very hard for it walking all over the area.  Sometimes, when it rains it is hard to find food.  He is one of thousands that need help.  We do what we can, but without you, we are nothing.
 
          Many of these stray cats do not have colonies that have “Feeders.”  They are the sad ones with little hope.
 
          Please, if you have cats or know of anyone that has cats, please have them spayed and/or neutered.  We don’t need new 4-pawed mothers, and fathers.  A Happy Father’s Days for cats is not to be a father.
 
          Thank you all, for what you continue to do to care for the strays.
 
          Enjoy your Father’s Day – Fathers, Grandfathers, Uncles, Brothers and in-laws!
 
          We appreciate all of you. 
                               

LEGISLATION                                                                                                                 [REPRINTED]

As Maryland’s 2025 legislative session concludes, advocates celebrate landmark animal welfare reforms
 
Legislators approve measures to strengthen anti-cruelty penalties, ensure transparency in pet rental policies, expand access to veterinary care, and establish collaboration on mitigation of wildlife deaths through car strike and habitat fragmentation.
 
ANNAPOLIS—As the 2025 legislative session ends, the Maryland legislature has proven that even during one of the most challenging political environments in recent years, support for animal welfare remains a top priority among lawmakers.
The session included a historic first in humane law as a prohibition on the breeding of roosters (SB375/HB513) passed with bipartisan support. The session also saw the passage of SB152/HB89, which closed a loophole in the state code, thus ensuring that separate charges can be brought for each animal in cases where an individual is accused of cruelty to multiple animals. SB896/HB1152, a first-of-its-kind law approved by the legislature, requires landlords with five or more rental properties to make their pet policy accessible on their websites, via rental search engines, and through hard-copy rental applications, providing greater transparency for renters with pets.
“This year’s session opened with an air of trepidation as the state faced so many issues, including a budget crisis, funding imperative agencies and the elimination of some federal agencies with potential implications for the state,” said Stacey Volodin, Maryland state director for Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States. “However, our leaders have shown that they are able to work through serious issues including humane legislation that helps animals and the many Marylanders who care about their welfare.”
Lawmakers also passed additional animal protection measures, including, Sb318/HB643, a bill that allows veterinarians to participate in Maryland’s public service loan forgiveness program, thus expanding access to veterinary care in the state; HB731/HB635, which established the Maryland Connectivity Coalition, bringing together state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and other parties interested in protecting endangered wildlife from habitat fragmentation and car strikes via wildlife crossings and other means for creating safe pathways for animals, preventing collisions and saving lives.
This session was also notable for the introduction of two measures that will resurface as legislative priorities in the future. One sought to end the cruel confinement of egg-laying hens in cages so small they cannot spread their wings, while the other sought to prohibit the use of animal testing where it is not required and ensure stronger welfare standards so long as such testing continues. 
 
FYI                                                                                                                                             [REPRINTED]

RIU Hotels Group commits to a 100% cage free egg supply chain globally
 
MEXICO CITY, Mexico—RIU Hotels Group, with 100 locations in over 20 countries, announced its commitment to implement a fully cage-free procurement policy for all types of eggs utilized by its hotels around the globe by the end of 2025.
 
The hotel group has been working with Humane Society International/Mexico since 2021 to begin this supply chain transition, supporting egg producers who have made the change to higher animal welfare systems and cage-free living for thousands of hens.
 
The cage-free systems provide the laying hens with space to walk and develop their natural behavior. In caged systems, the laying hens do have not enough space to walk, nest or perform other fundamental behaviors. RIU Hotels has been committed to sustainability and animal welfare initiatives throughout its global operations. This commitment represents an important step in fulfilling its path as a socially responsible company.
 
“Within the framework of our Animal Welfare Policy, we commit that 100% of the eggs consumed in all our hotels and in all our products come from cage-free birds by the end of 2025. We will not accept breeding systems combined. This transition will be gradual, and we will work hand in hand with expert organizations in the field, as well as local suppliers and producers to achieve it. We will publicly report our progress toward full compliance with this commitment on our website or other means annually, said RIU Hotels Group.”
 
“HSI congratulates RIU Hotels for its commitment to farm animal welfare and for taking steps to implement better conditions for hundreds of thousands of laying hens worldwide. We commend RIU for taking action to ensure that this important commitment will be met and are excited to collaborate further in Mexico and beyond,” says Arianna Torres, corporate relations, and public policy manager at HSI/Mexico.
 
Reference in this article to any specific commercial product or service, or the use of any brand, trade, firm or corporation name is for the information of the public only, and does not constitute or imply endorsement by HSI/Mexico or any of its affiliates of the product or service, or its producer or provider, and should not be construed or relied upon, under any circumstances, by implication or otherwise, as investment advice. Links and access by hypertext to other websites is provided as a convenience only and does not indicate or imply any endorsement with respect to any of the content on such website nor any of the views expressed thereon.

LINDA’S LINE
 
          Hi.
 
June is here again, and hopefully, we are free of all the rain, enjoying much better and warmer weather and making plans for the arrival of summer.  This is a welcome break for all of us, especially for the strays.  This month we also honor all the Fathers of this world.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the two-legged, and four-legged fathers out there a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.  I am hoping that the amount of 4-legged fathers will decrease, so we will have less strays in the world.
 
On another note, whether you are at home or on vacation, please remember to carry pet food, and water with you in your travels, in case you come across any strays that need a helping hand.  It’s a rough world out there, and as their guardians, it is up to us to do what we can, whenever we can to help them.  If you see an injured animal, please don’t pass them by, and do nothing.  Please call Animal Care & Control (dial 311- the Mayor’s Office) to report it, to have them pick up the animal.  If you live outside of New York or are on vacation, please call the local Animal Care & Control Center.  It is important to remember that the strays too, are G-d’s children,
and as such, they deserve to be given the same respect, and treatment that we would give to a human being that is hurt.
 
A reminder that this month is also Adopt A Shelter Cat Month.  So, if you are thinking of taking in a cat or dog, please consider looking into adopting one, or even two, from a shelter, rather than buying them from a pet store.  There are so many wonderful and deserving animals in shelters such as ASPCA, and Animal Care & Control, where you could be saving an animal’s life.  You can look within your local rescue groups.  If you have a computer, you can check the internet, under Google.com for rescue groups in whatever area you are in, to find them.  The animals desperately need, and want a good, loving home.  If you don’t see what you are looking for at these shelters, please feel free to call Save Our Strays, and we will be happy to offer you some other options to consider.  Our phones are opened Monday to Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  All phone calls, and messages are always returned and answered in a timely fashion.
 
          Also, please remember whether you’re on vacation or here at home, to carry cool bottled water for your pets.  It is very important to keep them well hydrated, and as comfortable as possible in the hot weather.  Yes, they feel the heat, and can be affected by it the same way as humans are.
 
Also, please remember to wipe the bottom of your dog’s paws with a cool cloth or pet wipe, as well as the top of his or her head, before walking them as this will help to keep their bodies cool, and keep their paws from being irritated by the hot sidewalks.  It is a good idea to wipe their paws,
and the nose and mouth area after a walk as well, because we do not know what germs they may pick up while they are out on the streets.
 
          Never leave a pet dog or cat or a child in a locked car, even with the windows opened a little bit.  The summer heat, along with a metal roof of a car, will make the temperature rise very fast.
 
          Have a wonderful summer!  Stay safe!  That’s all for now, but I’ll be back again next month.
 
                                                                   Till next time.

CLOSING THOUGHT
 
                I am happy to say that the people reading this newsletter are enlightened people, who have learned in their years, kindness and giving.
 
            We need new men, and women who can give their time, energy and their hard-earned money to feed, and care for the strays.  I know our Rescuers go out early in the morning, and late in the evening to care for colonies of strays.  During kitten season, they help mommy cats with food to nourish their “babies.”  If they find a kitten that has wandered from its mommy, they try to find the litter, if they can.  If not, they take the kitten home.
 
            I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all the caring people, who share what they have to help these small creatures that live among us.
 
Our hearts continue to go out to the Rescuers around the world that helped to rescue animals where there is need.  There is still so much need in the Ukraine for the animals that became homeless during this horrific war, and unfortunately, most still are.  There is also a need in Gaza, and around the world.  Animals are not given the respect that they should have.  Now, as we have just learned on television, pigs will become organ donators to humans with their hearts and their kidneys, and we still don’t give them the respect they deserve.
 
            The Fourth of July is coming soon, and firecrackers go off starting in June.  Please be aware of the strays in your area.  They can become frightened by the noise, and run out in front of a car.  Pets can pull out of their leash, and collar.  This day is NOT a celebration for them.
 
            If you are a snowbird, please update your address with us.
 
Thank you to all our Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members.
 
            Please pass our newsletter around.  We need more Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members.  We rely on the funds from these donations.  They are really very important.  These funds help keep us here.
 
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 one, and all have a wonderful summer, and let’s try to help one stray at a time. There are many stray animals out there that won’t have a wonderful summer.  That’s why we must continue to spay, and neuter and hopefully, reduce the stray population.
 
            And yes, More Humane Laws for all animals – cats, dogs, horses, farm animals etc.
 
            We have to become a better world.
 
Till next time.
 
                                                                                                            Waggin’ Off