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Puerto Rican government and animal welfare apparently don't mix
I pulled this from Liz Kracht's blog. Save-A-Gato Threatened By OECA & Health Dept. Yesterday Save-A-Gato, the famous Old San Juan TNR (trap, neuter and release) group, was threatened by the State Department of Animal Control (OECA, by its Spanish acronym), the Health Department and one of the group's attorneys. Sylvine Sherwood, President of Save-A-Gato, said both Dr. Carazo, veterinarian and director of Zoonosis of OECA, and a health department official, said they not only had plans to strip Old San Juan of its Hemingway-like cats, but also planned to do the same with the dogs on Puerto Rico's beaches. Rescue groups became aware of beach sweeps a couple months back when it was revealed that attempts at working with Tourism officials and other agencies had apparently failed when the rumor-mill brought wind of the agencies meeting in secret, denouncing help from outside agencies--a bad public relations move according to the rescue community. Although OECA has every right to pick up stray animals on the beaches and streets of Puerto Rico, in Save-A-Gato's case they have a signed contract by the National Park Service for the cats of Old San Juan, a fact that surprised all three officials. And not only that, but Save-A-Gato has kept statistics on their project that once started out with 250 cats and now only feeds as many as 100 due to the death of cats by natural causes, valuable information that TNR is a humane alternative that works; humane alternatives also being something that government agencies, despite recently being educated on, refuse to even acknowledge as options--this being a critical issue of mistrust between rescue groups, private shelters and government agencies. Plenty of humane alternatives beneficial to the image of Puerto Rico exist, so why aren't these agencies forward-thinking enough to adopt them? Not only would rescue organizations and shelters be willing to fund such alternatives, but they'd also do all the work. So what gives? Sylvine Sherwood said in a call last night, "The gloves are off." And this is where government agenices don't realize the power of rescue groups and the media who are keeping a constant watchful eye on animal welfare issues in Puerto Rico. We aren't going away, and we are a force to be reckoned with. Thanks to the efforts of Twig Mowatt from Save-A-Sato, who single-handedly is responsible for the constant pressure the media is providing, both The New York Times and People magazine recently published articles on animal welfare issues in Puerto Rico, not to mention countless other articles she is responsible for inspiring. And, of course, Yaisha Vargas, also of the Associated Press, was responsible for not only the investigative report on Julio Diaz's company that got the sickening inside scoop from ex-employees, but has also covered Dead Dog Beach on several occasions. And these are to name just a few. Countless other articles have been written by local favorite Peggy Ann Bliss, whose column appears regularly in the San Juan Star, on local stateside heavy-hitting animal welfare organization websites... Again, we wonder, what gives? Hundreds of people are willing to cooperate, work hard and fundraise to make sure the right solutions are reached in respect to the animals. Puerto Rico's very image is in question over its neglect, abuse and abandonment of its animals--and the Barceloneta incident alone cost a conservative $15 million in tourism dollars. Do these agencies not see that refusing to adopt SOME humane solutions is bad for business? Obviously they don't see the animal welfare community as a threat, and don't see the tie between the media coverage and the animal welfare community. We just submitted a proposal to the veterinary licensing board (with all other agencies including Tourism copied) for the training of 40 to 50 volunteers in 7 municipalities on spay and neuter clinics that will spay and neuter as many as 1,000 animals and prevent the unwanted births of hundreds of thousands more. We've also been told repeatedly that we won't get the temporary license and waiver we are requesting, just because. I don't know about you, but it seems these government agencies don't realize the kind of money rescue organizations pump into the local economy (specifically to the vets), and they don't care about Puerto Rico at all if they won't accept help that would secure a positive image for Puerto Rico by adopting a program that ensures the prevention of the unwanted births of hundreds of thousands of animals but prefer instead to collect and euthanize the strays regardless, still untrained in their capacities as Animal Control officers and unknowledgable in general. "Do you want another Barceloneta?" Sylvine Sherwood asked each stunned and quiet official. "Do you? Because that's where you are headed."
We need donations for Mookie and Jason
  The short story is that I have finally found placement for Mookie and Jason, the two scaredy-cat dogs, at a sanctuary in southern Indiana but the flight costs $850 (gulp!)and I want/need to make a nice donation to the sanctuary who is taking them. So, we need donations for their flight and donation to the sanctuary. Now, the long story is.... Jason, Mookie and Sofi were sent from P.R. to a shelter in Florida but were too terrified so the shelter was going to euthanize them. I, of course, went and picked them up and brought them to my house. These were not my rescues and I would have never sent these dogs, but it’s not the dogs fault. So Sofi was adopted to a couple who are horse trainers and they have worked miracles with her. The other two are not doing well. They are happy, bouncy, playful, funny dogs with me – though one will not let me touch him except when I hand-feed him – but when anyone else comes around, they take off and hide. Not too good for getting them adopted! I have more hope for Jason than for Mookie but I really need to find options for both of them. I do not have the skills, time, energy, or space to keep them here (they’ve already been here almost 2 months) b/c I have other dogs that are more readily adoptable to concentrate on. So it’s a tough situation. Jason can definitely eventually be a great pet – he loves to come inside and plop down on the cough. But if a stranger comes in, like to visit one of the other dogs, he will just go nearly comatose and end up peeing and pooping all over himself (while curled up on the couch!). Mookie is a happy boy but has no interest in being an inside dog. Living with someone who has land and will take good care of him and offer him socialization he ASKS for would be perfect for him. I’ve met with two trainers here about these two and they confirm that these are very long-term socialization cases. And yesterday, I got that dreadful call from Animal Control that they were all loose. I had left two new fosters, Pinky and Rocco, in the yard with them and one of the new guys must've taught them the fun of digging and out they all went. I picked up Pinky and Rocco from Animal Control and the other 4 (Mookie, Jason, Laila, and Traer) ran back in the yard. I tried my best to replace all the dirt in the hole but about an hour later, the little buggers got back out. I was at my wits end last night and called and emailed every sanctuary I found online begging for help. A woman named Katherine who runs Save That Dog sanctuary in New Albany, IN was the only person who responded and she graciously agreed to take them in. So I began working on flights. They have to go in extra large kennels and all the flights into the closest airport, in Louisville, KY, fly in only smaller aircraft that couldn't accommodate both of them. Only Delta had a larger aircraft flying into Cincinnati so I booked them on that - but it's $850. I have to get these sweethearts out but this will pretty much deplete all our funds. If you can please donate whatever amount you can for this shipment, please do so.
Animal abuse and neglect is a global problem
Floods Prompt Big Rise In Dumped PetsUK: April 29, 2008 LONDON - The number of unwanted pets being dumped by their owners rose 23 percent last year, the RSPCA said on Monday, with people using excuses such as "my cat doesn't match my new carpet" for getting rid of their animals. The animal charity said 7,347 animals had been cast aside by their owners in 2007, up from 5,959 the previous year. Almost half were cats. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it had rescued almost 150,000 wild, exotic, farm and domestic animals, many which needed help because of the floods that engulfed much of Britain last summer. But among those pets that were simply abandoned were a litter of kittens left in a dustbin bag for refuse collectors and a rabbit dumped in a box in a crushing machine at a recycling centre. Owners had also given bizarre reasons for getting rid of their pets, such as "my dog hurts my leg when she wags her tail." "It is an offence to abandon any animal and there is never any excuse for doing so," said Tim Wass, chief officer of the RSPCA inspectorate. "Last summer we deployed the biggest number of RSPCA staff for a generation to the rescue of farm animals, horses and other much-loved pets from the severe floods that swept the country." The charity said the trend for dumping pets looked set to continue with 2,621 abandoned animals already rescued this year. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison) REUTERS NEWS SERVICEhttp://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48140/story.htm
Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to?
  You can turn to Sandra, of course! Sandra found this little girl now named Jenny and whisked her off to the vet to get healthy and start on her way to a happy new life. She's a cute little girl with lots of bouncy personality! And Jenny is too!
Posting for help on Puerto Rico Day Trips
Thank you so much Ray at PR Day Trips for posting our call for help for shipping animals. They did so unsolicited and we are all so grateful.
Success at the carnival!!!
Beautiful Ross didn't make it
 Katie and Steve of Island Dog rescued Ross, the gorgeous but emaciated German shepherd, from Dead Dog Beach a few weeks ago. Ross had many physiological problems but Dr. Ramos and all of us were hopeful that the issues could be taken care of. Unfortunately his body just wasn't strong enough to fight off all the problems and he died last night. You can read the whole story on the Island Dog journal page.
Laika Lou has a new home!
 Beautiful Laika made herself a comfy nest in a wonderful new home. She spent a week as a foster in the Monahan home and they fell in love with her! When I called them to tell them I had someone interested in adopting her, they just couldn't bear to part with little Laika and decided to keep her for their own! She is very happy with her new family and though I miss her, I know she's going to have the wonderful life she deserves.
Special girls for adoption
 
Traer and Laila were rescued from Dead Dog Beach. They are very shy at first, probably because they were abused before they were rescued, but are both absolute angels. They will take a good week or so to warm up to you so you’ll have to be patient with them – but once they get settled, they are just magical beauties who will love you forever. They will probably never be the social dogs you can take to the dog park and will want to run to their “safe space” when a stranger comes to visit. They are both spayed, microchipped and up to date on shots. They are both about 14 months old and weigh 30 lbs each.
Goodbye Phoenix
 I had to make one of the horrible decisions yesterday to have Phoenix euthanized. Sadly, his cancer was very aggressive and the tumor was getting bigger very quickly and causing him a lot of discomfort. Yolanda visited him on Tuesday and said he was just in too much pain and it wasn't fair to him. The tumor was inoperable so there was no real hope other than very aggressive chemotherapy which would only have bought him a couple more months of life but he would be in misery from the treatment. I am so angry that the person who had him in the first place never took care of this situation at the beginning because there could have been a much better outcome for Phoenix. Instead, Sandra, Yolanda and I had to make this call and poor Phoenix had to pay the price.
Article in People magazine
People did a story on Steve and the situation at Dead Dog Beach (April 28 issue). I've already gotten 2 emails from people who must have googled my name or "dead dog beach" and mentioned they saw the article and made a donation! Sorry the copy here isn't readable - you'll have to pick up "the real thing" at the store. Also, Beth, the little darling Steve's holding in the picture, is coming here on Friday for an adoption event on Saturday. I bet she'll get adopted super fast!!!  
Good dog Drake
 Drake is at the vet and is safe and getting all "dolled up" for a new home. He's been at the beach for over 2 years. We're looking for foster homes in Puerto Rico for him for the next couple of weeks and then he'll come to the U.S. for adoption. 
Tick Tick Tick!!!
There are only 10 more days to get raffle tickets for the Caribbean cruise for 2! The tickets are $10 and all the proceeds go to Hands for Paws and The Ark Animal Sanctuary. You can buy online here - go to the home page and click on the "Win A Caribbean Cruise for 2" button.
Big dogs CAN fly!
  Scooby and Mika are resting comfortably at their new foster home in Pennsylvania, thanks to Second Time Around Rescue and a couple of big-hearted flight attendants. Scooby is a Rhodesian ridgeback mix rescued by Gina and Mika is a mastiff rescued by Melodie. Gina and Melodie sent out pleas for help in finding temporary or permanent placement for Scooby and Mika which is so difficult to do because these are big dogs. At about the same time, Heidi from STAR contacted me offering help with fostering and placing large-breed dogs. PERFECT!!! Then Deb, a flight attendant who has helped with escorting some of our pups before, found another flight attendant to make the trip to San Juan to pick the pups up and take them up to Newark. Donna made that trip solely for the purpose of getting those dogs to a good safe home - and she even went so far as to pay the costs for their trip! All of us - Gina, Melodie and myself as well as Scooby and Mika - are so grateful to Donna, Deb and Heidi for their beautiful hearts. We know those dogs are in good hands and will soon find their forever homes.
Desperate need for funds
Our bank account is nearly empty - seriously, less than $100! And we have many dogs that are in line to be sent to the states that will have to be paid for. If you can, please go to the "donate" page and give what you can. Here's what we have on our plate: Kaiser - The beautiful German shepherd has been accepted in a rescue in Virginia but his flight there will cost about $250. Christy and Pitusa - The two girls rescued, with Christy's puppies, from an industrial area in Bayamon. The pups have all been adopted but Christy and Pitusa need foster care. Rebecca in North Carolina has agreed to foster them and find good homes for them but it will cost between $400-500 for them to fly there. Phoenix - This is the little angel with the cancerous tumor that we are trying to treat. He's a beautiful boy with a great spirit but his care will be extensive and costly. Pinturo - Pinturo boy was a stray that was rescued from the Bayamon. Someone had even spray-painted the poor guy with yellow paint. He was heartworm positive so he's been at the vet for treatment for about a month but is now going into foster care. His treatment has already cost over $600. Drake and Byron - These boys need to be rescued from the beach ASAP - Sandra is trying to get them today or tomorrow. Keeping them at the vet for 2 weeks will be $400 for both of them if they are healthy (i.e. not heartworm positive). Jake and Tucker - These boys were picked up by animal control about a month ago and are now in foster care with Carol. Tucker is still very skittish but coming along. Jake is sweet and wonderful but has serious sarcoptic mange so will need treatment for that. We also have Beth, Krizia, Kiera, Bindi, Becky, Betsy, Nia, Kelly, Kei, and Kiyoshi in foster care as well as about 12 cats & kittens. And Laika, Katya and Karyn, Mookie, Jason, Laila, and Traer are alllllll at my house. They are up for adoption but are with me until then.         
School carnival - adoption opportunity
This is the information for the upcoming school carnival at Christa McAuliffe School. The Animal Rescue Club at the school donated $2,300 to us!!! Saturday, April 26th from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. The Animal Rescue Club will have an animal rescue booth at our school carnival this month held on our school grounds in Boynton Beach , FL. Admission to the carnival is FREE. At our booth we will have 8-10 of the dogs that we saved off of the beaches where they were left to die in Puerto Rico . They will be up for adoption at the carnival for only a $95 adoption fee plus a $150 refundable spay/neuter deposit. This HELPS pay for the medical and food costs of the dog. More information regarding the adoption process will be given at the carnival. We will also be selling dog and cat treats in exchange for donations that will go towards the Manos por Patas organization, which used our money our from Dollars for Dogs fundraiser to fly in the dogs that will be at the carnival up for adoption. One dog Phoenix has cancer, and we will be raising money at the carnival to help pay for his chemotherapy treatments.
Roxy Roxanne's new home!
 Roxanne went to her new home yesterday and it's a perfect fit! Her new mom, Diana, wrote the note below: "Roxanne is doing awesome. She is sound asleep right now. She likes to be where I am. So if I am working at my desk, she likes to sit on the sofa beside me :) She's an angel... heaven sent :) Thank you so much for being so honest and wanting the best for Roxanne and all the other puppies you take care off. I really feel like this is a good home for her and that makes me feel happy and even good about me. You know? She even loves her new bed and loves to snuggle in it. I didn't even have to introduce her to it. I just happened to go into my room and there she was all snuggled in her bed :) She's such a cutie. Oh, and she did eat and she drank a lot of water. We went out for a nice walk after we got home and then later in the evening. She went poopy just fine which is good. I know sometimes transitions can makes them nervous and that can affect their tummies. At least, that has happened to our dog at my parents house." Roxanne has a long history with Dead Dog Beach. She appeared there sometime in the spring of 2007 and soon after, gave birth to a litter of puppies. She was very shy and wouldn't let anyone near her so when we all went for a spay and neuter event in July, we had to drug the poor girl with a sedative in her hot dog just to catch her. She was spayed and, since she was too fearful and even snippy for adoption, we had to return her to the beach. But perhaps somewhere in that little doggie brain she recognized that there are some people who would be kind to her because slowly - very slowly - but surely, she began to trust again. Finally in February 2008 she would get close enough to Sandra and Jessica that they could catch her and get her started on her journey to a new life. She stayed in foster care with Jessica and made a nice little nest there - and Jessi and her mom were really sad to finally see her go but they knew it was the right thing for her. She arrived in Florida about 10 days ago and was timid at first but in no time was doing her cute little circus-dog spins for me when I came home after work. And now she's found just the right home to snuggle up in and is starting the life of love she's always deserved. Thank you Diana for being Roxanne's hero!   
Update on Nancy
 Nancy did not make it. Dr. Reyes did what he could do for her after she was poisoned with rat poison but she was just too sick to get through it. Rat poison is an excruciatingly painful way to die. I will NEVER understand how ANYONE feels that poisoning any animal - rat or dog - is okay. It is NOT okay and anyone who commits such a crime is NOT okay. It is not okay now and never EVER will be.
Another poisoning at the beach
Nancy showed up at the beach a few days ago and had a collar and seemed friendly. Yesterday Sonia found her with symptoms of poisoning and rushed her to Dr. Reyes. The vet office said she had symptoms of being poisoned with Tres Passos, which is a rat poison. They were treated her but didn't know whether she would pull through. I'll know tomorrow morning. 
Flyers, we need flyers
We have 5 dogs that have placement in foster homes or with rescue groups but we need to get them to where they're going. Mika the Mastiff and Scooby the Ridgeback need to go to Second Time Around Rescue in Pennsylvania. The rescue group is willing to pick them up in Newark, N.J. Kaiser needs to get to a woman who does German shepherd rescue outside Washington, D.C. (closest airport for her is Reagan National). And Christy and Pitusa need to go to a foster home in Winston-Salem, N.C. (probably closest/best airport would be Greenville, N.C.). If you have any pull to get free or super cheap flights (i.e. flight attendants) from San Juan, Puerto Rico to their new lives, please let us know. We will take care of getting the animals to the airport in their kennels, all the paperwork, and any fees that would have to be paid.     
Teacher inspires students to raise money to rescue dogs
 By KATHI MCFARLAND Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Wednesday, April 09, 2008 Dana Silbersweig wants to make a difference in her students' lives that goes beyond academics. Silbersweig, 28, teaches math to sixth-graders at Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Boynton Beach. In February, she started the school's Animal Rescue Club. There are 100 students in the club, 40 of whom are in Silbersweig's classes. Dana Silbersweig, a teacher at Christa McAuliffe Middle School, reaches down to pet a couple of small dogs that are up for adoption at the Tri County Humane Society in Boca Raton. She was on a tour of the facility with members of the school's Animal Rescue Club. The club raised $1,000 for the Tri County Humane Society from the sale of dog cookie treat bags on March 29 and from recent donations. "I want to inspire them to rescue dogs, inspire them to make a difference," she said. By early March, Animal Rescue Club members had collected $2,300 in their Dollars for Dogs fund-raising drive. The club is donating the entire amount to Manos por Patas (Hands for Paws), a nonprofit group that works to end the suffering of stray dogs in Puerto Rico. The students decided to make their donation after reading "Escape from Dead Dog Beach," a story about Manos por Patas that was published in The Palm Beach Post on Feb. 13. The story revealed how these animals are neglected and often mistreated, sometimes falling victim to machete-wielding teenagers. "When I read that story, I wanted to cry," Silbersweig said. "But I was at school and I couldn't cry there. If I had been at home, I would have cried." The money raised by the Animal Rescue Club will help fly some of the dogs from Puerto Rico to South Florida to be adopted, she said. Club members are seeing "real-life applications" of what they learn in the classroom, Silbersweig said. For its next project, the club is planning a carnival on April 26. "We hope to raise a bunch of money," she said. In addition to math, Silbersweig teaches her students the importance of saying please and thank you. "I teach my students manners," she said. "My kids respect me." She also teaches them the importance of never buying a dog from a pet store, because so many of the animals are the products of puppy mills, dog-breeding organizations that often keep the animals in hellish conditions. Silbersweig said she is always touched when she receives thank-you letters from former students. "It tears at my heart," she said. Silbersweig, a native of Philadelphia, received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Florida. She earned her master's degree in school counseling from Florida Atlantic University. She has lived in Florida since 1985, when her family moved here following her father's retirement. She originally wanted to be a school counselor. But after taking her first teaching job five years ago, she discovered that she "loves being in the classroom." She had always excelled at math, so becoming a math teacher was a natural fit. She taught at American Heritage School in Delray Beach for three years, and has been teaching at Christa McAuliffe for the past two years. Silbersweig and her husband, Adam, live in Boynton Beach and will celebrate their third anniversary this summer. They have three "fur kids" — purebred Pekingese named Gizmo, Hubbell and Jack. Silbersweig has had Gizmo since graduate school. She rescued the other two dogs. Hubbell was used for breeding in a puppy mill. Jack was born blind and later had one eye removed. "They're just amazing dogs," Silbersweig said.
New puppy
 This is Krizia. Isn't she adorable?! Sandra rescued her this morning so she is getting all checked out at Dr. Reyes' office.
Update on dog with tumor
  This sweetie was rescued yesterday and Sandra named him Phoenix. He is heartworm negative and we got him started on his shots and is very sweet and friendly. The bad news is, the tumor he has on his belly is really bad. It's cancerous and aggressively growing and the tissue is necrotic so the tumor is fetid and draining. I don't think it's fair to put the poor guy through all the horrible chemotherapy and treatments that would simply prolong his life by a couple of miserable months. But he is a very sweet boy and I would like to keep him in foster care until the tumor takes over too much and becomes a quality of life issue for Phoenix. But as I said, the wound is very messy and stinky and he'll need a special foster home for his hospice care. I don't think it's fair to keep him stuck in a vet's office for his last months of life so I need help with options. Is there anyone out there who is willing to take this boy in - yucky tumor and all - and give him a good life for his remaining time on Earth? Also, his care (especially the initial costs for testing, biopsy, etc..) will be expensive so we will need all the donations we can get for him.
Flea Market event (no fleas were harmed!)
Help for dog at the beach
  This dog has been at the beach for at least a week and a half, but he never got close to Sandra until earlier in the week. She noticed that he has a huge tumor coming out of his left side that reach the genital area and he has no testicles either. It's either a tumor or someone shot him or wounded and that may be his intestines coming out of the wound. When she saw him for the first time Sandra saw something reddish at his side but couldn't distinguish what was it. That means he has been at the beach all this time like that, and that obviously bothers him to walk. He is nice and friendly and needs to be rescued. He looks a lot like Laika!
New rescue
Kiera, a precious little lab mix pup, was rescued this week and is at the vet awaiting a place for foster care.  
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