August - 2022

                      WAGGIN TAILS                 AUGUST 2022

                  INTERNATIONAL HOMELESS ANIMALS DAY
                                         AUGUST 20, 2022

Dear Friends and Members:
 
          Summer heat is at its highest in August.  Animals are suffering.  Please carry food, and water.  If nothing else, it will be a momentary relief.
 
          I saw the picture below on Facebook, which we reprinted as best we could.
           
       
 
            It is about an old dog that has gone over the Rainbow Bridge, and he is seen talking to the new pet.  This is something that we have to think about.  There are so few homes out in the world, and so many animals.  I know that when we lose a pet because of age or illness, we can’t think of getting another right away.  Something to think about as time passes.  The best way to honor a pet family member, is to adopt a new one.  However, you have to take into account your age, and the pet’s age.
 
          Pets give us a reason to get up in the morning.  To walk them, feed them, or with a cat, a clean litter box and food.  The joy that they can bring back into your life cannot be measured.  There are so many older pets that need to find new homes, for many reasons.  Please think about adopting an older pet.  Remember, if the pet outlives you, the family members do not always to take on the responsibility.  So, your age and the pet’s age is a start.  Joy, and happiness is just around the corner at the Local Shelter, or Rescue Group.  G-d works in mysterious ways.
 
          Happiness always to you, and your family.
 
 
LEGISLATION                                                                                                          [REPRINTED]

 
Indiana’s ban on public contact with bears and big cats goes into effect this week
The state has been home to roadside zoo operators, including Tim Stark
INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana’s law prohibiting direct public contact with big cats and bears goes into effect on July 1. Implementation of this law brings much needed protection for some of the animals who have been subjected to public handling and forced to live in abysmal facilities in the state.  
Operators of roadside zoos pull young animals away from their mothers at birth, pass them around to visitors for cub petting and bottle-feeding opportunities until they age out at a few months old, and discard them when they can no longer turn a profit for the zoo.  
Over the last two decades, law enforcement authorities have stepped in to remove animals from facilities in Charlestown, Flat Rock, Idaville, Gary and other locations across Indiana. The new state ban on public contact with big cats and bears will help prevent situations like those from occurring in the first place.     
When Tim Stark’s Wildlife in Need in Charlestown was shut down in November 2020, he had 16 tigers, six lions, seven tiger-lion hybrids, six cougars, two leopards and three bears on the property. Over the years Stark—who was featured in the Netflix series Tiger King—racked up dozens of citations for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. It was only after the Indiana Attorney General won a lawsuit in 2021 against Stark for abuse and neglect of animals, that the more than 200 animals at his facility at the time were confiscated, at a cost of $95,676 to the state.
Samantha Morton, Indiana state director for the Humane Society of the United States, who worked with lawmakers on this bill, said: “By passing this bill, Indiana has acknowledged that big cats and bears are not props or business commodities and should not be languishing at roadside zoos for the sake of a photo op by the paying public. Besides the cruelty to these wild animals, this is a risk to public safety. Several people, including children, were bitten and scratched by tigers at Stark’s Wildlife in Need between 2014 and 2015.”
 
 
 
 
LEGISLATION                                                                                                          [REPRINTED]

 
Indiana’s ban on public contact with bears and big cats goes into effect this week (CONT.)
In Flat Rock, authorities removed more than 30 big cats and bears from horrific living conditions in 2005. Two years after two tigers escaped from Great Cats of Indiana in Idaville in 2010, authorities seized six big cats from the facility. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture seized four tigers from a tattoo parlor in Gary in 2010. These facilities all had some involvement in the cub petting industry, either as big cat breeders, dumping grounds for unwanted big cats, or allowing public contact with the animals.
Indiana’s decision to ban direct contact with certain dangerous wild animals follows similar restrictions in Nevada, Virginia, Kansas, Connecticut, Arkansas, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
State Rep. David Abbott, R-Rome City, Rep. Chris Campbell, D-West Lafayette and State Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Elkhart, were the primary sponsors of the legislation, which passed both the Indiana State Senate and House of Representatives with several bipartisan cosponsors, on March 11, 2022.
“Rep. Abbott, Rep. Campbell, Sen. Doriot and Gov. Holcomb did the right thing for animals and people alike in our state by supporting and signing this important bipartisan legislation,” said Morton.
Facilities like the ones in Indiana are found in other parts of the country, too. The Humane Society of the United States conducted undercover investigations at roadside zoos around the country including at Joe Exotic’s G.W. Exotics and Tiger Safari in Oklahoma, and Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia. The HSUS documented that cubs who are used for public interaction are torn from their mothers at birth and physically disciplined by being slapped, punched, dragged and choked. At just a few months old, the cubs are too large to handle and are discarded and replaced with new infants. The plethora of captive big cats in the U.S. is largely the result of this abusive industry.
At the federal level, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263 and S. 1210, is gaining momentum. This legislation would advance animal welfare and protect public safety by prohibiting public contact with big cats such as tigers, lions and leopards, and prohibit the possession of these species as pets.
 
 
 
 
FYI                                                                     [REPRINTED]

The Humane Society of the United States embarks on a historic operation involving the transfer of approximately 4,000 beagles from the Envigo facility in Cumberland, Virginia
The Humane Society of the United States is the sole party responsible for coordinating the removal of approximately 4,000 beagles housed at a facility which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.
The transfer plan was approved by the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia after being submitted by the Department of Justice and Envigo RMS LLC, with the agreement of the Humane Society of the United States to assume this huge responsibility. The transfer will take place in stages over the next 60 days, and the dogs will be up for adoption to loving homes via the Humane Society of the United States’ shelter and rescue partners.
The transfer plan comes as a result of a lawsuit filed against Envigo by the Department of Justice in May, alleging Animal Welfare Act violations at the facility. Repeated federal inspections have resulted in dozens of violations, including findings that some dogs had been “euthanized” without first receiving anesthesia, that dogs had received inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food, and that they were living in unsanitary conditions.
In June, Inotiv Inc. announced it would close the Virginia breeding facility operated by Envigo, its subsidiary.
“These dogs have lived their lives in a massive breeding facility riddled with Animal Welfare Act violations,” said Miguel Abi-hassan, chief animal rescue, care and sanctuary officer for the Humane Society of the United States. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with our shelter and rescue partners to give these beagles a new life.”
The Humane Society of the United States animal rescue team is highly trained and typically gets called in to assist with rescue operations when the scope of animal needs exceed what local law enforcement or animal services has the capacity or resources to handle. Resources the HSUS can offer in these situations include legal assistance, temporary sheltering, on-scene assistance with evidence collection and animal handling, animal transportation and assistance with placement through our network of shelter and rescue partners—all at no cost to the community requesting help.
Our shelter and rescue partner program is a network of more than 350 organizations committed to serving as a safety net for pets and mentors for overwhelmed shelters. A list of partners accepting animals into their adoption program will be available here as information is confirmed. All interested adopters will need to work with the local placement groups and follow their required application processes.
 
 
 
 
FYI                                                                      [REPRINTED]


The Humane Society of the United States applauds Florida governor for standing up to puppy mills
 
Gov. DeSantis vetoes disastrous bill that would have blocked efforts of Florida localities to reject puppy mill sales
LLast week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed SB 620—the so-called “Local Business Protection Act”—and in doing so ensured that Florida localities can continue to protect animals and consumers from the cruel puppy-mill-to-pet-store pipeline. The Florida legislature recently passed the extremely broad preemption bill, which would have had many unintended consequences, including protecting businesses that abuse animals.
SB 620 would have allowed businesses impacted by local ordinances to claim damages, meaning cities and counties would have to use taxpayer dollars to reimburse businesses for losses that owners claim are the result of a local ordinance. If a city passed an ordinance to stop the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores, or even just implemented common-sense health and animal welfare standards, the city could have been forced to write a check to those pet stores to cover the profits they claim they could have made. This would have been a massive deterrence to Florida localities that wish to reject puppy mill cruelty as it could have flooded Florida courts with lawsuits and would have the effect of blocking efforts to save dogs in puppy mills.
“We applaud Governor DeSantis for taking a strong stand against cruel puppy mills and their pet store sales outlets with his veto of SB 620,” says Kate MacFall, Florida state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “He rightfully sided with pet-loving Floridians over powerful special interests.”
Puppy-selling pet stores often source their puppies from puppy mills and public records connect Florida pet stores to some of many problematic puppy mills. Too often, they sell gravely ill and behaviorally challenged puppies to unsuspecting consumers, leading to high veterinary bills, heartbreak and alarmingly, zoonotic infections of Florida residents. One of these puppy-selling pet stores is the subject of a lawsuit brought by the attorney general for allegedly selling sick puppies. 
Over 80 localities in Florida have already prohibited the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores.
 
 
LINDA’S LINE
 
Hi.
 
August, the hottest month of summer.  Please, please watch out for the strays, and remember to carry dry food (moist food will spoil in the heat) and bottled water with you, also something to put the water in.  You can make a bowl from aluminum foil wrap, which you can fold in your bag.   It is just as difficult for the strays to find these necessities in the hot weather, as it is in winter.  They will be most grateful for your help.
 
          This month, on August 21st, we also celebrate International Homeless Animals Day.  If you are thinking of getting a new pet, please consider adopting from a shelter, rather than buying one from a pet store.  There are so many wonderful animals in the shelters that are deserving of a good, loving home.  You should also consider adopting from Animal Care and Control, and ASPCA, as by doing so, you can save lives.  There are other shelters in the five boroughs of New York that you can adopt from also.  If you are interested in contacting them, please feel free to call me Monday to Friday, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, and I will be happy to help you, and to those of you that live outside of the New York area, please adopt from your local ASPCA.  There are many rescue groups that are 501(c)3, that hold animals for adoption.  You can google them in your area.
 
          As I said above, this is the hottest month of summer so please remember, whether you are at home or away on vacation, that in the heat of the summer, the best time to walk your pet is before 11 a.m., and late afternoon, as these are the times when the sun is weakest.  Also, remember to wet the bottoms of of your pet’s feet, to keep them  comfortable when walking on the hot pavement.  Remember that extreme heat is just as bad for animals as it is for us.  Please remember to carry water with you for your pet.  It is important to keep them well hydrated in the warm weather.  Also, and again, I know that we have said this before, but I feel that it is important enough to repeat – NEVER, EVER leave a pet or a child in a parked car in the heat, as this can lead to tragic results.  We see stories of tragedies like this on the news too often.  If you see an animal or a child left in a situation like this, please don’t ignore it – notify someone immediately.  If you see an animal that looks like it has been abused, please don’t pass it by, do something about it.  Remember that we are the guardians of the strays, and they will be grateful for any help that we can give.
 
          On another note, even though many people in this country have already been vaccinated, we all know that the Covid-19 situation is far from over, so when you leave the house, please continue to be careful to protect yourself, and your children properly with masks, (especially if you go into a store).  This is so important, because even if you have been tested, and found to be negative for the virus, there are still so many people out there, who have not been tested yet, and are not wearing any protection.  As such, if they are carrying the virus without knowing it, you can become infected and carry it back to your family, and even your pets.  So, please be aware, and be careful.
 
          Also, If, you have not done so already, please have your pet microchipped.  It doesn’t hurt them, and it will make it easier to find them, if they get lost.  This is very important.
 
          That’s all for now, but I’ll be back next month.  Enjoy the rest of the summer!
 
                                                                   Till next time.
 
CLOSING THOUGHT
 
Things to think about during the summer months, and the winter months.
 
DO NOT leave a pet tied up outside a store, even for a minute. DO NOT leave a pet in a parked car, even with the window opened a little. DO NOT leave a child alone in a car EVER.  
In order for us to remain open, we need more Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A
Stray members.  I know that we are in an inflationary period, and we are headed possibly to a recession.  We are all hurting.
 
            We have funds to continue helping strays at the veterinarian’s office.  We help many each month.  We were fortunate to receive a small trust from one of our members, who passed and left a legacy to the strays.  The funds are only for veterinary bills, and adoptions.  They cannot be used for anything else.
 
            It would be a horror if we ran out of Administrative Funds.  No Director is paid at ALL never.  We do need funds for our clerical help, Attorney and Accountant.  Funds are needed for supplies, phones etc.  Funds are needed on the business end.  When these funds are exhausted, we will have to close, even though we will have funds to help the strays.
 
            So, please keep us here.  If you haven’t given us a donation in a while, please think about one now.  It is really important.
 
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!”
 
Please remember, if you buy on Amazon.com, our information is printed below.  Please use it as the funds are very needed.
 
To help you, our supporters, who shop on Amazon to support Save Our Strays through the Amazon Smile program, please visit www.smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7282525.  This will bring you to the Amazon Smile home page for Save Our Strays.  If you look under the white search bar, with the word “All” in it, you will see “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, and occasions i.e.: birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, chistenings, bar mitzvas 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.
 
Have a wonderful rest of summer, and please pass the newsletter around.  If you know of a reliable source where we could buy a mailing list to increase our members, please let us know.
                                                                                    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.
 
Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app, and tap into “Settings.”
Tap “Amazon Smile,” and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
 
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.