Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Eva McDowell and Terry Chapman Hutchison's Letter Writing Campaign

Here are the names and email addresses for the Mayor and Ward Councillors of Hamilton. The snail mail mailing address is: Hamilton City Hall - 2nd floor - 71 Main St. West - Hamilton, Ontario - L8P 4Y5

PLEASE START EMAILING AND WRITING TO EACH OF THEM. WE NEED TO START A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

HERE ARE THE EMAIL AND PHONE NUMBERS:

Mayor Bob Bratina mayor@hamilton.ca 905-546-4200
1 Brian McHattie Brian.McHattie@hamilton.ca 905-546-2416
2 Jason Farr Jason.Farr@hamilton.ca 905-546-2711
3 Bernie Morelli Bernie.Morelli@hamilton.ca 905-546-2702
4 Sam Merulla Sam.Merulla@hamilton.ca 905-546-4512
5 Chad Collins Chad.Collins@hamilton.ca 905-546-2716
6 Tom Jackson Tom.Jackson@hamilton.ca 905-546-2707
7 Scott Duvall Scott.Duvall@hamilton.ca 905-546-2706
8 Terry Whitehead Terry.Whitehead@hamilton.ca 905-546-2712
9 Brad Clark Brad.Clark@hamilton.ca 905-546-2703
10 Maria Pearson Maria.Pearson@hamilton.ca 905-546-2701
11 Brenda Johnson Brenda.Johnson@hamilton.ca 905-546-4513
12 Lloyd Ferguson Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca 905-546-2704
13 Russ Powers Russ.Powers@hamilton.ca 905-546-2714
14 Robert Pasuta Robert.Pasuta@hamilton.ca 905-546-2705
15 Judi Partridge Judi.Partridge@hamilton.ca 905-546-2713

--
Letter to Mayor & Councillors of Hamilton:

I wish to state my concerns about Hamilton Animal Services. I have been informed that public adoptions are not allowed and only a few animals are saved by rescue organizations. Thousands of animals, especially cats are needlessly killed each year. If Hamilton Animal Services were to allow public adoptions, it would significantly reduce the number of animals that would be killed.

Many of the cats that Hamilton Animal Services are picking up are not feral or stray cats. They are people’s pets. By holding these animals only 72 hours before killing them, they are not giving the owners enough of an opportunity to reclaim their missing pets, due to the limited hours during the week, when most people are at work. Also a limit of 2 pets per household is very low.

I am also aware that Hamilton Burlington SPCA offer a reduced cost spay/neuter program to low income families. By expanding on this spay/ neuter service or even offering rebates for those who spay/neuter their animals at their own vets, Hamilton would be able to further reduce the number of cats that are killed each year.

In this day and age these old fashioned shelter practices are no longer acceptable. Animals are sentient beings – intelligent and with feelings who do not deserve to be put to death needlessly.

In Calgary, Alberta, they were able to increase the number of animals saved each year to well over 90 percent. There is no reason that Hamilton cannot reach this goal as well. I am certain Mr. Bill Bruce of Calgary Animal Services is very willing to speak with the city of Hamilton so that you can make the same improvements to your animal control program.

There is also a program in the United States and other parts of the world based on Nathan Winograd’s No Kill Advocacy that is very similar.

The needless killing of so many innocent animals can no longer be tolerated. I do not know of any other city that does not allow adoptions from their Animal Control. I hope that the City of Hamilton will take the steps necessary in order to correct this terrible injustice.

I would appreciate a response indicating your stand on this important issue.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

--
By HAC-STK

Monday, May 16, 2011

"Cruelty in Hamilton-OSPCA aware and doing nothing,"

Greetings,

There needs to be an investigation made into Hamilton Animal Control. The animals are suffering, with minimal vetting, and being euthanized, usually in 72 hours. It is NOT open for puplic adoptions and only rescues can go in to save, but only if they are friendly with a specific person.

If you live in Hamilton and your cat gets out of the house, you should kiss that cat goodbye because if Hamilton Animal Control finds it, they are killed in 72 hours and no posting about found pets with pictures and locations is published. Most people in Hamilton are not even aware it exists as it is in the same building as the OSPCA. They just think it is the OSPCA in the building.

So you will need facts. There is a story about Jessie, http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19276662, a persian who was left to die at the shelter with no medical care, then rescued, and whose struggle is documented by AARF rescue. You can talk to their vet to confirm if the cat was vetted and the state that the cat was in when rescued.

There is a vet in Toronto you can also interview who has been trying her best to rescue as many as she can from this shelter but all the animals are sick with URTI. She has recommendations and is a vet. Please message me for her email if you like.

I have been threatened numerous times that if we go public (i.e. people trying to help), then the shelter will stop allowing this one woman to post the animals to rescues. I have been told to be quiet while they turn adopters away because they do not want to screen. I have seen first hand that when this one woman does not like you, you get blacklisted and cannot rescue from the shelter. If this one woman is busy, then animals die. If she doesn't like you, then animals die. Who is she? Not a vet, but only a volunteer. How can it be up to one person to decide which animal lives and dies? It sounds like Tim Trow syndrome to me! All powerful....

I have emailed the Hamilton mayor with no response. I called the OSPCA on Jessie and got yelled at by them. After stating that even if they are in the same bulding, THEY HAVE TO investigate Jessie dying in his cage and it is cruel. They did, and I got an email from this rescuer stating that the OSPCA investigated and they will not post the animals if this continues. I was threatened again!

Please, look at these two petitions that were started a few days ago.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/68/Stop-the-killings-at-Hamilton-Animal-Control/
and
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ora-project-accountability-now/

Look at the links I will attach, and worse, look at the pictures. These are all animals that were, at some point, at this shelter suffering.

Cats at the shelter now on death row: http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=ON112

Lastly, even if you are a healthy animal, if you are brought into this shelter environment, you will get URTI and spend your last 3 days sneezing in a metal cage, unable to breathe. Why? Because these animals are left in their own filth.

I am not a rescue, just someone who cares. I am sick from all the emails I get about this place with no one getting involved because they do not want to be blacklisted.

Why do they not open this shelter to public adoptions a few days a week? Why do they not give the animals alpha interferon and start treating the animals the minute they come into the shelter as well as Azithromycin capsules to give EOD, to stop the URTI that is, and has been, a constant epidemic at this shelter?

Why do they take house pets and make them sick by taking them to this shelter without posting a found page? To give the people of Hamilton a chance to recover their lost beloved pets?

I know it is bad in Hamilton economically but seriously, if your cat gets out in Hamilton, you’re screwed!

There is a picture of Nayla, a cat at this shelter RIGHT NOW with a broken jaw. She is suffering right now and no one cares. How can this torture be in Canada? How can we sit still without helping?

(Monday, May 16th, 2011)

P.S. I want to tell the OSPCA about Nayla but I am afraid of what will happen. Can you help? Investigate? Get this cat the medical attention she needs? Well, tomorrow the vet comes in the a.m. so maybe it won't matter. At least I told her story so that her life did not go unnoticed. I noticed her. I saw her picture and i reacted. What will you do to help?

By Lillian Szilagy

Photos and Original Posting: http://www.facebook.com/notes/ora-animalrescue/sound-off-with-guest-advocate-lillian-szilagy/223617177650839