is She "Hope-less"?? Update on Hope

Never Underestimate the Cruelty of Man:   I Believe

Never Underestimate the Kindness of Man:   Trying to Learn

Well, I returned to the shelter today to visit "Hope."  This old lady has been weighing heavy on my heart.  How could someone just dump her there?  Well, I spent some time with her and she is quite a case.  It seems she is blind in one of her eyes and I would guess she was used as a breeding bitch.  Looking at her records it states she was kept outside for AT LEAST the last 5 years, she is not house broken and is frightened of people.  It's rare when dogs don't respond positively to me, and she is one who didn't.  It breaks my heart when I see that, because I know their chances are slim.  When I tried to pat her, she turned around with a look in her eyes, tail pulled back and let out a bark, that told me - she didn't want any part of me.  The irony is that Hope has no issues whatsoever with other dogs.  Look at her in her cell with her mate.  She is comfortable with her friend.  Her one solace is probably that animals have shown her the kindness that humans didn't.

I had received emails from 2 different people that are willing to give a home to Hope.  One locally here in Southern CA, and one in PA.  Both of these people are absolute God-sends.  People that make me believe in the second of my above statements.  WOW.  The tough thing to figure out will  be where to send her.  I will meditate on this and make a decision.  I just want her to be safe.

A friend of mine asked me tonight, why would you spend such energy on this old gal, there are so many young ones that need help....  and she's right.  However, I feel certain things come into our lives for a reason.  She is not friendly to me, shows me no love and is as aloof as any dog ever has been to me, yet there is something about here.  She weighs on my heart.  Of course Sharpei have a way to my heart.  I don't think Hope has had a great life, in fact I believe her life really sucked.  I think the ass who owned her, used her for the time and good they derived from her and then cast her out knowing full well she would be out of sight - out of mind.  Using the shelter system to do their dirty work is a cowardly and pathetic tool to avoid dealing with the realities of life.  I could ....  never mind.   Hope certainly deserves a little love before she dies.  However many days she has left on this earth, let her experience the love that she has missed all of these years.  Let her feet touch carpet and let her come to the understanding that a pat on the head from a human is a good thing.  Let love enter her heart even if its only for a moment.  Let her know that some human cared and when she passes over that bridge, let her know someone cared and loved her.

If you'd like to help with Hope, please visit www.boundangels.org and make a donation in her name.

Thanks for reading and caring.

Robert Cabral

BOUND ANGELS

a letter from a dog... please read

Dear Mom & Dad,

Last week you took me for a ride and left me at this place called the shelter. I’ve been waiting every minute for you to come back and get me, and I’m wondering if you forgot. For the last 10 years I’ve been with you and loved & adored you. I’ve been there to wag my tail when you came home from work, I loved the walks you took me on, I loved waking up to my favorite food, and that pat on the head you always gave me. I thought we’d be together forever, but I see I was wrong. I would never have left you…NEVER.

Today I was told that you will never come back to get me, that you left me here and that you moved. I’m not sure why you couldn’t take me with you, but it makes me sad that I’ll never see you again, and that I may die here in this place called the shelter. Not sure if you know this, but older dogs have little chance of getting adopted. Do you think I’ll die before my 10th birthday? I’m scared here and don’t know who to turn to, since the people I dedicated my whole life to have turned their backs to me.

I pray that someone will find me here and give me a chance… Even though you abandoned me, I will promise my love to someone, anyone who will take me as I am. I’m not young and pretty like when you bought me as your new plaything. Now I am refined and wise and relaxed in the golden years of my life. I don’t need to many walks or playtime, I’ll be happy with someone who will just love me, and I will love them…


Love,

Hope
aka : A0957564 at the LA North Central Shelter

DEAD in 7 Days

Take a good look at this dog. It could have been your dog. It could have been anyones dog, but it wasn't... She was just another statistic in an "Animal Care" system that isn't working... NOT AT ALL. The little girl was 2 years old when she was killed. Not by thugs, a car accident, not from sickness or negligence, but at the hands of our "Shelters." She lasted all of SEVEN days before she as killed. The reason? Overcrowding!! Its like a bucket of water, if you keep putting water into it, it will eventually overflow. The trick is to take some of the water out. That equates to several things, one is getting a system working that gets shelters into the business of adopting out dogs, not taking them in. Most shelters in LA and throughout the US are not as active as they could be in getting dogs adopted.

I am totally perplexed at the "pet overpopulation problem" when last year $2.1 BILLION was spent on live animal purchases. This while our shelters are killing 5 MILLION animals a year. I think we can do the math here. Most people don't want to go to a shelter because of several reasons: mainly they are in bad neighborhoods and they are depressing. I won't argue with either of those. But since we know the objection, wouldn't any good sales person look at a way to overcome that objection and make it work? Not if your status, income or job did not depend on your performance. The option is always there to kill the animals that are not placed, with little or no thought.

There is a bill on the table (AB1634), here in California, you can check out the site at www.cahealthypets.com The basis to the plan is mandatory spay and neutering. The wording of the bill is written in a sense that people would not be jailed, nor would their animals be taken from them if they are in violation of the bill. That is all fine and good, but what good is the bill if it punishes people for bad behavior, instead of rewarding them for good behavior. For the most part, I believe that most most animals should be neutered. If you are a 100% responsible person and can assure that your dog or cat will NEVER be out of your control, and never ACCIDENTALLY get another animal pregnant, then lets talk. I have only met a very small percentage of these people. Am I against responsible breeders? No! Am I for people breeding their dogs in their back yards or in puppymills? NO! I believe that most people should fix their dogs and stop this insanity.

A person who lives below the standard of living who can barely afford food and gas is not looking to a vet to spay and neuter their animal. Most responsible people who have dogs, have them spayed. It is people who can't afford it, or who are unaware of the problem that need to be addressed. Mobile spay and neuter clinics sent into areas where people can not afford the procedure is a far better answer. Pet food and rewards for people who spay and neuter their pets is a better incentive, then punishing those who can't afford it. Today most people can't afford medical care for themselves, let alone get their pets spayed and neutered. Make the procedure Available and Affordable. Try that. I am not saying that the idea of mandatory spay and neutering is not a good idea, conversely, I think its a GREAT IDEA. My point is make it accessible and EASY. I support anything that helps animals, but I also support things that make life a little easier for people who are trying to do the right thing. Read over the bill and think for yourself. I don't think it is what we need, because it does not address the important issue of making spay and neuter available for those who need it most and those whose situation affects the problem the most. Its an easy step for the government, because its a hands off approach. We need much more than this bill.

Look at the picture of the dog above... she died for the crime of being born. Her crime was life. She will never receive a pat on the head again, never run through a field, chase a ball or chew on a bone ever again. The reason is because the system is broken. She was brought to a place called a SHELTER, a shelter that did not SHELTER, but instead KILLED. There are plenty of steps we can take to fix it. DEMAND animal care in our shelters. Demand that shelters open their doors to the public during times after work hours, Demand mobile adoption programs, better shelter reform and lets not forget that the employees of these shelters are there to serve the animals. They should be available to be sure the animals are cared for, clean and that people who want to see them can get in and see them. The employees should not be crowded behind a desk in the main office texting or chatting when people are walking through the kennels looking for help.

Just Kill the Ones that Aren't Adoptable

Here is the email I received... The photos above are self explanatory...
"Apparently the owner said Chaquira was fine with people and other dogs. Upon impoundment June 6th it was noted she tried to bite. She has been in isolation at the ANNEX at South Los Angeles where nobody sees her unless they specifically ask to be taken to the ANNEX. Now it is said that she is extremely sad. She is scared, has psychologically shut down, is peeing and pooping on herself, and cowering in the corner. The contact is the shelter. PLEASE TRY AND HELP THIS POOR DOG."

As soon as a dog "tries to bite" someone in a shelter they are isolated and are pretty much screwed. Their chance for adoption are slim to none. And to make matters worst, they are then isolated where no one can see them, given little if any attention and of course we know what follows.

Chaquira struck me as a very sad case. When I saw her picture and story I saw into her soul the sadness that she felt having been abandoned by her owner and then scared and confused made a small error.. she "tried" to bite someone. After that she totally shut down. There are no rehab programs at the shelter, they kill friendly dogs there, puppies, kittens, beautiful and unique looking dogs... The shelter system of our country is truly non biased and has no prejudice.. No matter who you are, if you come through the front door, chances are good that you're gonna be killed, its usually only a matter of time.

When I received the email from Labs and Buddies, I was ecstatic. Chaquira was saved. Not completely saved, but saved from death. You can visit their site and donate, foster or maybe even adopt ol' Chaquira, that happy Mama.

The reason I am featuring this story is two part:
1. Someone's good deed should be rewarded. This is a dog that I don't believe anyone would have gone out of their way to adopt.. BRAVO Labs and Buddies for being a true champion.
2. Look at the difference in the face of the dog from Before to After. Do you notice a different dog? Can you see that a dogs personality is greatly different when living in the pit of hell then in the backseat of a car? The dog is not even aware where they are heading, but the energy and personality of the dog has completly changed.

I've seen this a hundred times. The energy in the shelter brings out one of two personalities in dogs, either the dog gets strong (or aggressive) to fight for his position, or they begin to shut down. This can occur through spinning (jumping around in the kennel like crazy), total emotional withdrawal, or complete abnormal behavior. In the kennel you're either gonna be tough or weak, there are very few dogs that are "just dogs" in the shelter. And, since there are no areas around the shelter you can "test drive" a dog to see how they would be away from that vibe, dogs are often discarded for behavior that is not true to them.

On Sunday I helped a good friend rescue another dog out of a shelter, but I'll save that story for another post. For now I want to focus on the happy story of Chaquira and the great work of Labs and Buddies.

Robert Cabral
BOUND ANGELS

Why Do We Call Them "Shelters?"

When children are taken out of abusive homes they are put in "foster care." When criminals are taken out of society they are put in prisons. No matter how crowded these systems get or how sick the humans get within these systems, they are never killed. Which leads me to question the integrity with which we treat animals. Of course we have to start out with the understanding that we, as humans, as the superior beings, and of course white humans are the superior race, and that Americans are the greatest of all. What a load of bull. Who is to say, who is better? What gives humans the right to claim this place in society? I guess the same thing that gives those who oppress others the right to oppress, conquer and kill. If we can open our hearts and minds for just a short period of time to let some light and understanding in, we might just see the world for what it is. There is and always well be conflict. There always will be those who revel in this conflict and those who would like to see the world be at peace. When we can be compassionate to those of different colors, beliefs, ideals, nationalities and other animals, the world might just be a better place. Are we really the superior species.. I think not. As long as we can act as we act with little compassion to one another, and even less regard to animals, we have little hope. A book I read comes to mind which shed light on this. The book is Ishmael. Its a wonderful insight to the human ideal.

Today an email came across my desk about a Labrador that was surrendered to a local shelter here in CA. The reason the owner gave was that the dog was aggressive. The dog lasted but a few days at the shelter before the staff murdered him. The reason, lack of room. UNREAL. There is no system of checks and balances that confirms this and shelters are often playing GOD, deciding who should live and who should die. There were plenty of rescue groups that never had the chance to check in on this guy. He was surrendered by someone he built his life around. Dropped off and murdered, in cold blood. NO, its not putting to sleep, euthanasia or any sweet term like that... it is murder. I ca assure you that there was no qualified tests done, no attempt to rehab or no attempt to place the dog. He was simply killed. Add his soul to the 5,000,000 that will be killed this year. Please note, they will not die in the shelters, they will be killed.

The excuse we hear all so often is that the shelters are overcrowded and that we face a pet overpopulation problem. I fail to see that we have pet overpopulation. We have less pets than people, and many people own more than one pet. Pet stores are selling dogs every day, as are breeders. I'm confused where the "overpopulation" comes in. What we have is too many unwanted animals in shelters. Part of that comes from the fact that no one wants to go to the shelters to adopt an animal. Wonder why?!! Maybe because many of them are filthy, depressing hell holes staffed by people who are not available when someone has a question or is interested in an animal. I can give several examples. As a contrast, there is a shelter that I've visited here in Downtown LA which is clean and most of the people who work there like their jobs, the lady in charge is kind and courteous and there is almost always someone available. This, however, is a rare find. Others I've visited have the omnipresent stench of death once you walk in the building. Wonder why mom and dad don't wanna take little Susie there?

We need a shelter system that is geared toward "Sheltering Animals" NOT killing them. As long as the option to kill animals is there, shelters will take that option, because it is easy. Don't be fooled by the hype that it is a very difficult job. I do not feel there is an incredible level of remorse by those killing the animals, and if there is, it must be short lived.

The labrador that was murdered in Lancaster on June 11, 2008 early in the morning, before the shelter even opened is a distant memory today. His body will be thrown in the landfill with many others. His owner is probably on to other things and will probably get a nice "New" puppy in the future. People are iresponsible with their animals and our animal care system is not "caring" for the animals that are placed into its custody. If this was the child care system or prison system it would be an outrage. FIVE MILLION animals will be killed this year. Its time to wake up and demand a change.

Contact your legislators, vote for those who support a NO KILL system, and pressure those who are in office to do the same. We demand rights for all people, lets demand the same for the animals who can not speak for themselves.

When Those Who Are Supposed Save - Cause Death

This is a topic that could span many posts, as most of the dogs and cats that die today, do so at the hands of those we entrust to save and protect them. For the most part I would point the finger at the failing "shelter system." However, since entering into the rescue community I've also found that many others are guilty of this crime and should be shamed.

Each person who stands in the way of a rescue, spreads gossip, or wastes the time of those working to save lives is also guilty of murder. For the more than 5 Million shelter animals that die each and every year this point needs to be made. I abhor those who mistreat animals in any way.. and I do mean in any way. My position on animals may be different than many, and I am not going to debate that, but I know my way is best, since I see animals, those with 2 legs and with 4, those clothed in skin and those clothed in feathers and fur have rights. No one deserves less and no one more.

BOUND ANGELS is not about hands on rescue but about public awareness and motivating and mobilizing people to make a difference and build a NO-KILL society, one person at a time. And, because of this, I am motivated to write this entry. I've saved plenty of animals myself by diong hands on rescue, often times when others ran from the rescues I took on. I know how it works, and I also know how it "Doesn't Work." And, how it doesn't work is the way its "NOT WORKING" now.

That way is a bunch of people emailing in a small circle and as soon as something is about to happen that would lead to a positive result, someone starts bashing the other. There are a few in the rescue circle who make it bad for many others. Some are confused, some are inexperienced and some are down right evil. We know who these "evil" people are. These are the people who stand in the way and bash the people who are trying to get the job done. Let me get this straight, EVERY animal is precious and deserves to live. There are no breeds that are bad and there are no situations in which any animal should die because of our failing system, however, that is exactly what happens. The animals so often suffer for human EGO. While those who sabotage and say that this rescue is bad and this sanctuary is bad, the animals die and never had the choice.

I've asked this question to some of these people: "If given the choice, would you prefer to live in less than perfect conditions, or die at the end of a needle?" No matter what their answer, I believe the animal should be given the choice. Many animals live with homeless people and are quite happy. But I don't believe any animal would be happy to know it is going to be murdered because "we humans" thought it was "more humane." THERE IS NOTHING HUMANE IN MURDERING A HEALTHY ANIMAL... and lets get it straight, it is murder, not euthanasia or putting to sleep. Its MURDER.

Today an email came across my desk slamming A Passion for Paws Rescue. I'll go on record here and say that I do know know Cheryl nor the rescue, but it seems to me that many of the people who are writing emails about this situation don't either. And many, if not all of these "slammers" are the ones who have slammed others, over and over again. Here's my point, people who are rescuing animals are overwhelmed and underfunded. There are thousands of animals killed every day because there is no one to take them. If someone does take them and something goes wrong, everyone jumps on the bandwagon saying, ABANDON THIS PERSON. How unbelievable!! Like rats from a sinking ship, and we wonder why millions die.

It is so easy to point the finger and say DO NOT HELP this person.... Take their animals away from them, and..... well, what should we do with them? How about we put them into the shelter. Thats a good idea, put them into the shelter so they can be murdered there. Animals deserve to live in a clean, healthy environment. I do not know the conditions of anyones home or the rescue of which we speak, but I DO know the conditions in the shelter -THEY SUCK. And, worse yet, as if living in the filth and abuse of our government run shelter system isn't bad enough, you don't know when, but you're gonna die. Animals who go into the "shelter" are watching the salt run through the hour glass. A human who commits murder has a better chance of getting out of jail then a stray dog has of getting out of the shelter.

From what I gathered from these emails, this woman placed some animals in a foster and the condition of the foster was terrible, and for that she now can not pull animals from the shelter system. Which means, they DIE in the shelter. The person guilty of wrongdoing is the person doing the doing... that is the person who has the animals. Are we such a society of hypocrites that we point the finger at the person who sold the gun and not at the person pulling the trigger?

I get hundreds of emails a day filled with pictures of animals that I know will die because I deleted the email.... and a little part of me dies with each of them.

It was not my goal when I decided to enter into animal rights to make friends, but to say what is right. To say what I would want someone to say if I was an animal suffering at the hands of human ignorance. Someone needs to take a stance for the animals, and that person is me.. Here's the bottom line:

1. if you don't have something to say thats gonna help -Stop Talking
2. if you can help someone, help them, if not, Get Out of the Way
3. if someone who is trying to save a life is down, don't kick them, help them, if nothing else, Step OVER them and pick up the pieces.
4. if you send emails slamming someone, back it up with fact, NOT "reliable sources." You are a witness - not a reporter.
5. if you can do it better, get busy doing it, not emailing and slamming others. There are plenty of animals to save. However, I've never seen an email that says, the conditions at this and this place are not good, I will take the animals to live with me... NEVER have I seen that email.


To those of you, and you know who you are, who are sabotaging the efforts of the many who are doing their best.... The blood of every animal that dies, because of your deceit is upon your hands.

If you would like to work on building a No-Kill Society, I am available to talk at any time..

Robert Cabral
Founder / Director
BOUND ANGELS