WAGGIN TAILS - JANUARY - 2026

WAGGIN TAILS          JANUARY 2026

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Dear Friends & Members:

          HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

          Life Moves on, and at a very fast pace.  For the younger people, they are happy about the pace.  For us older people, time is getting shorter for us.  We need the young to join the Humane movement.

          On Facebook, I see that many countries around the world are ahead of us in the quest to help stray animals.  They have built warming stations where food is provided, and some places to sleep.  It is still in the early stages, but at least they have started.

          Hungary has solar-heated dog tunnels for stray dogs.  Italy, England and Switzerland to name a few, have created places for their strays.

          I hope that one day we will be able to do that soon.  In the meantime, better laws have to be created to help animals.  In many parts of our country animals are chained out in the freezing cold, rain or snow there whole life.  There are limited laws to help these fur babies.  They die, and are replaced.  This is the United States.  Why can’t we help the stay population in our country?  This is the question for the year 2026.  We need help for our stray population.

          We all need to look for ways to help.

          This is our world.  Let’s make it a better place going forward.

LEGISLATION                                                                                        [REPRINTED]

BREAKING: Sweden suspends mink fur farming in wake of COVID-19

LONDON—The Swedish government has today announced it will  suspend mink fur farming throughout 2021, in the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 virus having been found on 13 mink farms in Sweden so far. Sweden has approximately 40 mink fur farms and produced around 500,000 mink pelts in 2020.

Humane Society International, which campaigns globally for an end to the fur trade, welcomes the news but urges the Swedish government to permanently end the cruelty and public health risks by permanently ending fur farming. Thus far the government has said breeding mink will not be culled. In December, HSI published a white paper highlighting the link between fur farming, poor animal welfare and infectious zoonotic disease.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, says: “While we applaud the Swedish government for taking the decision to suspend mink farming, we urge it to go further and permanently shut down this cruel and dangerous industry. Confining millions of animals to small wire cages for fur production not only causes terrible suffering and deprivation, but scientists have also concluded that they could represent a serious reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and thus pose a very real risk to public health. The Swedish authorities have also recognised that the biosecurity measures taken so far have proved insufficient. We call on all Member States where fur farming persists to shut down this sector for good. For as long as the exploitation of animals for fur is tolerated, the potential for reservoirs of animal to human pathogens will persist. Sweden has taken an important step but must now prioritise human and animal welfare over the frivolous fur fashion industry by permanently making fur history.” 

Fur Facts:

• An estimated 53 million mink are farmed for their fur in more than 20 countries around the world, with the top three production countries in Europe in 2018 were Denmark (17.6 million mink), Poland (5 million mink) and the Netherlands (4.5million mink). China farmed 11.6 million mink for their fur in 2019, a sharp decrease from 20.6 million mink in 2018.

• Eight EU Member States have officially identified COVID-19 positive animals on mink farms: Denmark (290 farms), France (1 farm), Greece (21 farms), Italy (1 farm), Lithuania (2 farms), Netherlands (70 farms), Spain (3 farms), Sweden (13 farms). COVID-19 has also been confirmed on mink fur farms in the United States and Canada.

• Fur farming has been banned in the UK since 2003, and has been prohibited and/or is in the process of being phased-out in numerous European nations such as Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Most recently the government in Hungary declared a ban on the farming of animals including mink and foxes, France committed to a phase out mink farms by 2025, and the Irish government made a commitment to end fur farming.

• Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine are also presently considering bans on fur farming and in Finland the majority party of the coalition government recently announced its support for a ban on fur farms.

• In the United States, California became the first US state to ban fur sales in 2019 following similar bans in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood. In 2020, legislators in Hawaii and Rhode Island introduced fur sales ban proposals. The town of Wellesley, Massachusetts, passed a fur sales ban last year.

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. 

            January 2026, 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, for our four-legged friends, and for the world.  As we all know, there are still variants of COVID 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.

Over the years I have received many calls from people asking for help with strays.  No matter what the issue is Save Our Strays, and I have always been there to help.  Please, if you see a stray that needs help, DON’T pass it by.  Try to do what you can to help, whether it be with food, and water or a medical issue.  I am on the phones Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and at all other times, please leavea message.  I will get back to you as soon as I can.  I am always willing to help with any questions or issues that you may have.  Please do not hesitate to call.

            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.  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.

                                                                        Till next time.

CLOSING THOUGHT

            Our thanks go out to all the rescuers that help strays here, and around the world.  May they all have the help of people around them.

            Linda will start to prepare the tax receipt letters for the Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members.  Our members receive their receipts at the end of the year.  Linda keeps good records.  If there is a problem let me know, and we will look into it.  So far, we have an excellent record.

            Receipts are sent when we receive a donation from a non-Adam, Eve or Sponsor-A-Stray member, at the time of the donation.

            A Special “SHOUT OUT” goes to the many organizations that go into areas that are in a war zone, floods, earthquakes etc.  A special Blessing to them.

            More Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members are needed.  Please keep that thought in mind.

            Our needs for the New Year are simple.  New members are needed.  Please pass our newsletter around.  Ask friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to join our mailing list.  Hopefully, this will increase our donations.

            The funds are used to keep the phones open, and to pay veterinary bills.  Our grant is doing down fast, as there are more emergencies than every before. They are also used to buy food for our cat colonies in New York, and Florida.  We help with food in South Carolina as well, and funds permitting, we try to help where we can.  It is getting more difficult each year.

            We are here 57 years.  Help keep us here.  We are nothing without you.  You are the key to helping strays.  Everything, and anything is appreciated.  No donation is too small, and of course, no donation is too large.  Please help.

            Please help us increase our Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray program.  We need more people.

            As we start another year.  Let’s hope, as always, that it is a better year than the year before.  Laws have to change for the better to help the animals here, and around the world.

            Our wish for one, and all, people and animals here and around the world, is Peace, Respect, Health and Happiness for forever and a day.

            You are very important, to family, friends and especially to us.  Be well, Stay well and have a wonderful, Healthy and Happy New Year!

            Last thought, but not the least thought.  Let’s all pray for a better world.  Love, and peace to everyone.

            Remember to help one stray at a time.  It 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!”

                                                                                    Till next time.

                                                                                                Waggin’ Off