The beginning of my internship was heavily focused on assisting in grant writing and research. This was new to me, as was the fundraising aspect of a non-profit. This was the first non-profit group that I have ever been affiliated with, so I learned a lot about what it takes to keep this type of group organized and running; especially when one is responsible for several animal in their care.

We started preliminary plans for a low-cost spay/neuter clinic that will hopefully open in a few months or the next year. We will be focusing on feral cat TNR and ensuring that people who do TNR and other cat owners have an outlet for inexpensive spaying and neutering so that less animals die in shelters.

Recently, we hosted a large adoption event and I was able to be included in the planning and promotion of the event. With hard work, donated materials and spaces, and collaboration with other groups, we were able to adopt out several animals that day. I enjoyed being able to watch our hard work and planning unfold into a truly successful event.

I feel like I have had the opportunity to grow in many different ways while working with The Center, but what I am most grateful for is being exposed to the truths about shelters and the No Kill movement. I am thankful that The Center holds high standards for animal rescue and they have not only enlightened me on several issues, but they have taught me that I should always keep a critical mind and not settle for things that I don’t believe in. We will be doing great things in the future.

On the weekend of August 22, my boyfriend Shawn and I fostered a Pitbull named Cowboy Charlie from The Center for Animal Rescue and Adoption. The Center was hosting a huge adoptathon event to celebrate No More Homeless Animals Day that weekend. Since Cowboy stays at a boarding facility that is closed on Sunday, he stayed with us in order to participate in the adoption event. Now I have never met an animal that I didn’t like, but Cowboy was different than all the rest. Without going into every detail about our weekend together, I will highlight some of the best parts of the experience:

When I picked Cowboy up from the place where he was staying, he trotted out to greet me, tail wagging. I took him by the leash, and within the short span of our introduction, he was ready and willing to go wherever I was taking him. He sat in the back seat of my car with his ears perked and tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

We arrived at my house to pick up our two dogs, Drake and Maya, for a trip to the dog park. Cowboy stood politely in the doorway and allowed my dogs to sniff him all over, rudely put their paws on his face, and run around him whining like little maniacs.

At the dog park, Cowboy played with every dog that would let him, and he surprised everyone with how gentle he was for a dog his size. On the way home, he put his entire mouth around the air conditioning vent on the car console and tried to swallow the cold air (This was absolutely the moment that I fell in love with him. He was so hot and tired, and he figured out a great way to cool down!)

The next day at the event, he sat by whomever was holding his leash and wagged his tail when people came up to pet him.He didn’t bark the entire time he was with me. Even at the event when there were maybe 30 dogs and 50 cats all in the same room, he stayed his calm self and tried to find people to scratch his butt.

Cowboy slept on the floor next to my bed. He snored. That’s the only negative thing that I can think of. And it was so cute, that I didn’t mind at all. He was so tuckered out and content.

To some people, they might see Cowboy’s breed and epilepsy as character flaws, but he is just as kind and gentle as any dog, and he loves to gobble his medicine down with his food in the morning and evening like a good boy. We are so happy to have met him and gotten to know him. Hopefully soon, someone will be lucky enough to have that pleasure.

This video was created to highlight a wonderful No Kill animal shelter in Green Valley, Arizona. The Animal League of Green Valley is COMPLETELY volunteer-run all the way up to the president. They not only strive to maintain excellent shelter standards, but they also succeed in accomplishing a No Kill environment when other shelters are not even willing to try. The Center for Animal Rescue and Adoption endorsed The Animal League of Green Valley in the Petfinder.com Shelter Challenge, an annual contest where the shelter with the most cumulative votes could win a big cash prize. Unfortunately, TALGV did not win the contest, but much support and recognition was gained throughout the length of the challenge.

By the time of the Civil War, the aristocratic Bergh (Henry Bergh, the son of a wealthy ship builder) had moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he had been granted a diplomatic post by President Abraham Lincoln in the court of Czar Alexander II. Finding the duties tiring and mundane, Bergh spent less time on official duties and more time taking aimless carriage rides throughout the city. When he witnessed a peasant beating his donkey on one such ride, Bergh ordered the man to stop, which the man did in deference to Bergh, who looked like a well-dressed gentleman of official position. According to legend, the experience completely transformed Henry Bergh and left him with an abiding sense of accomplishment. Bergh spent his remaining time in Russia traveling daily by carriage in search of such transgressions, which he could prevent by reason of his social class, official position and immense physical stature.

On his return to the United States, he stopped in London for an extended visit with the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The conversion was complete. Bergh had found his calling. “At last,” Bergh wrote, “I’ve found a way to utilize my gold lace-and about the best use that can be made of it.”

This quotation is taken from Nathan Winograd’s book entitled “Redemption; The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America.” I thought this passage would be a pertinent one to share because it exposes the little known history of how the ASPCA was founded. It is clear that the ASPCA was founded on moral grounds. Now I’m not saying that helping animals is only possible if you are in the top social class, have an official position, and immense physical stature, but it all started just by someone noticing the cruelty of a common act that had never been questioned before.

My dog Maya, who is my rescued beagle-mix, has recently had to endure a couple of trips to the animal hospital. Among all of her health issues (which are being treated and she is actually doing visibly better after only one week!), her diet did turn out to be a factor in her poor health. To make a long story short, my boyfriend adopted her about 2 years ago when we first started dating. He put her on Purina Beneful dry food (I think it was just what the gas station on the corner sold). I have lived with Maya for about five months now, and since then, we also have a new puppy in our home.

I honestly was planning on putting them both on “the good stuff” once Drake (the puppy) was old enough for adult food, but it turns out, there is no time to waste when it comes to feeding your pets well. If most pet owners are like me, they love their animals more than anything in the world, but the dog food that’s not the cheapest yet doesn’t cost an arm and a leg will do just fine for their little companion with no other questions asked. When Maya went to the hospital the other day (prepare for graphic mental image…), her x-ray showed that the lining of her bowels were completely swollen and had enlarged to take up a huge portion of her abdomen. Her poor diet had caused her intestines to bulge, she was overweight, and she had a myriad of other risky problems. She is now on a prescription diet and has already lost five pounds in one week! Go Maya! Needless to say, I felt it was necessary to post a list of the top ten recommended dog foods so we can all give our doggies the food they deserve…

This list can be found in full at http://www.consumersearch.com/dog-food/best-dry-dog-food

1. Innova EVO

2.Orjen

3.Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Formula

4.Wellness CORE

5.Nature’s Variety Instinct

6.Taste of the Wild

7.Innova Adult Formula Dry Dog Food

8.Natural Balance Ultra Premium

9.Pet Lover’s Soul dog food

10.Canidae All Life Stages

I know that we are all at different points in animal rescue. Just a year ago, I considered myself a hard-core animal lover!! Then I moved to Tucson and met the Founder and Director of The Center for Animal Rescue and Adoption, Cynthia Barstad, and have since been introduced to all sorts of resources for educating myself not only on ways to help more animals, but the politics (yes politics!) involved in being an animal advocate.

As a young animal lover, I volunteered at the nearby dog shelter, tried to help any animal I could, ate vegetarian, and always said my piece when in a discussion about the treatment of animals. Little did I know, there was much more to “helping” animals than I was lead to believe. By volunteering at my county’s animal shelter, I had been unknowingly supporting a kill-shelter. When I was a young girl, I found a cat and my friend helped me take it to the county shelter, which was the only shelter we knew of. I didn’t know that I was handing the cat over to be held for two days and subsequently killed for no reason. I thought I was doing the right thing. In hind sight, I feel that I was wrong in not doing more research before taking the cat in. Maybe my community wasn’t doing a very good job endorsing No Kill facilities. Maybe living in a suburb my entire life kept me from encountering more homeless animals and as a result, more shelter situations. Either way, I was completely unaware of the fact that there are two kinds of shelters or rescue groups: one kind that keeps animals until they are adopted and works hard to improve the animals’ quality of life, and one kind that needlessly kills animals in its care.

The Center is a steadfast supporter of the No Kill movement. I wanted to share with you some of the resources that helped me to understand the issues with today’s shelters. Getting educated helps to increase the power of one’s actions and words. Research your local animal rescue organizations and be aware of their stance on No Kill issues versus traditional kill-shelter philosophies. Here are some links to some of the No Kill resources that I gained access to after becoming involved in The Center for Animal Rescue and Adoption:

http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/index.html

http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?page_id=166

Nathan Winograd’s books “Redemption” and “Irreconcilable Differences”

These two websites provide answers to FAQ as well as step-by-step how-to trap feral cat instructions:

http://www.feralcat.com/trapinst.html

http://www.aspca.org/adoption/feral-cats-faq.html

We all know that adopting an animal can be difficult on its own. If you don’t know what to look for in an adoption center, it can be even harder to find the right animal for you. Here is a checklist of the top ten questions to ask yourself and your adoption center before bringing home a new companion. Remember that adopting is a life-long commitment, and above all, the most important thing to ask yourself is, “Am I willing to give this animal the love and care that it deserves for the rest of his/her life?”

1. Have you done your research? It is extremely important to research the breed(s) of dog or cat that you are adopting. Be aware of the size, strength, and personality typical of the breed. Each individual animal has their own personality and specific needs, but you can prepare yourself further by knowing what to expect.
2. Are the adoption center employees knowledgeable about their animals? If the employees do not know the animals in their care, or have no records of the animals’ behavior and health, you might not get the animal you thought you were getting. Every animal comes with its own individual needs.
3. Has the adoption center fulfilled the medical needs of the animal? Make sure the animal you want to adopt has been seen by a vet and spayed or neutered if age permits.
4. Does the adoption center require you to fill out an adoption application or complete an interview before taking the animal home? Adoption centers should care about where and with whom their animals are going home. The application process allows the employee as well as yourself determine if the animal will be happy in its new environment.
5. Are you financially able to support the needs of a new animal? Pets can be expensive. Make sure you will be able to take care of them from feeding them to emergency situations.
6. Can you commit the time and the patience to transitioning your new pet into your home? Especially with young puppies and kittens, extensive training is usually needed to help adapt the animal to its new home and the new rules that come with it.
7. Is the entire family willing to commit to loving and caring for the animal? An animal deserves to be treated with love from everyone in its new home.
8. Do you travel often? If the answer is yes, can you afford boarding or a pet-sitter?
9. If you have other pets already at home, will they accept a new animal? Animals can become very territorial of their homes and their families. Make sure your pets will all get along.
10. Are you ready to commit to your new pet and treat him/her like a treasured member of your family?

Here is a link to a helpful checklist by Petfinder:  http://www.petfinder.com/before-pet-adoption/pet-adoption-checklist.html

As I mentioned before, one of the functions of this blog will be to serve as a discussion board and a resource center for questions about animal rescue. Something that I have been itching to post is what to do if you find a stray animal, or if you witness an act of animal cruelty. Here is an email response from the Director of The Center for Animal Rescue and Adoption in response to a question about a dog being chained up outside:

“You may wish to contact the Animal Cruelty Task Force of Southern Arizona (www.act-az.org/report.html)
ANONYMOUS REPORTING TO THE A.C.T. LINE:
(520) 547-0260
When making your call, it is helpful to know who, what, where, why, when and how.

You may also call Pima Animal Care Center (county animal control – www.pimaanimalcare.org), which has enforcement officers they can dispatch.
(520) 243-5900
If you wish to follow up on what is being done after your report, you’ll want to make sure to get the name of the person you speak to and some sort of case number.

Note that in our community, it unfortunately is not a crime to ignore your dog’s emotional and social needs, as long as its physical needs are being met (clean food, water, shelter and medical care). It definitely sounds like there are infractions, but it is up to animal control’s discretion whether to cite/fine the owner or pass the case along to the county attorney for charges (unlikely). Even though Arizona does have a felony animal cruelty law on the books, I have seen cases much, much worse than this not be prosecuted. Also please note that one possible outcome will be that animal control will impound this dog and kill her.

Thank you for keeping an eye on this dog and getting involved.”

Also, you can visit http://www.act-az.org/laws.html to view Arizona and Pima county laws regarding the treatment of animals. Wherever you live, it is good to be aware of what resources you have in case you encounter a situation. For example, PAWS, an organization located in Lynnwood, Washington, specializes in the rescuing and rehabilitating animals, and they have a great web page full of information on deciphering and reporting animal cruelty. Visit them at http://www.paws.org/report-cruelty.html. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to save more animals!

My name is Elisa Gabor. I have been granted the amazing opportunity to intern at The Center for Animal Rescue and Adoption in Tucson, Arizona. If you are not familiar with our group, we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to save more animals through proactive, progressive leadership and collaboration. We are dedicated to rescue, foster care, adoption, spay/neuter, feral cat trap-neuter-return (TNR), medical treatment, behavioral training, retention, and community involvement programs. I have been doing it for about three months now. We have decided that it is high time to take advantage of all of the magical opportunities that the internet and social networks have to offer, so I will be updating our blog at least once a week.

I am hoping for this blog to have several functions: to operate as a virtual calendar listing upcoming events and details on what The Center is working on at the moment, to establish an environment for dialogue between The Center and anybody who is as committed to saving more animals’ lives as we are, and to serve as a general database of helpful information, tips, and resources so that we, as a community, may accomplish our goal of spaying more animals and saving more animals in the most successful way possible. I think that by creating a home for the community’s voice to be shared and learned from is the best way to connect and to utilize the power of working together. Best Friends Animal Society describes it as, “Social Networking to Save Lives.”

So, the first project that I started work on is a community-wide feral cat TNR program. We have applied for a Petsmart Charities grant to help fund the new low-cost, high-quality spay/neuter clinic based on the Humane Alliance’s clinic model that will hopefully open within the next few months. We have divided central Tucson into four quadrants and have established a plan to perform TNR in each quadrant over the next four years with the hopes of drastically reducing those populations of feral cats, and in doing so, reducing the number of animals killed in shelters. So far, we have done a significant amount of research on existing TNR literature and studies in order to re-evaluate and improve our project, as well as provide resources for hard facts and research on the subject for those who are already so committed to TNR or are just beginning. Right now, we are waiting to hear back from Petsmart Charities (wish us luck!!!) as well as negotiating on the location/property for the clinic itself.

To avoid blabbering on and on, I will mention one other thing before I say goodbye for today. If you live in the Tucson area or close, we ALWAYS desperately need volunteers, especially in the form of foster homes. With more foster homes, we can give more homeless animals temporary places to live, grow, and learn, and put them on the fast track to a forever home! I will have much more information, events, and updates in the future, but for now, thanks for visiting! Please feel free to post comments. Social networking is about communicating, and we would love to hear from you! You can also join our group on Facebook or follow us on Twitter! Check it out!

Elisa G