Vacation Day - Yay!

Just a quick note before I have to walk the dog.  I have a vacation day today, and its much needed.  The house had a lot of clean up to be done as I had my floors refinished this week.  Furniture all over the house, but at least I got the couch out of the kitchen.  Boy these kitties and doggie with bladder cancer can do a number on your woodwork.  But it looks beautiful, and I am so glad I had it done.  Reasonably priced too. 

The latest news to share regarding the recent animal abuse case is this - My officer friend met the Humane Society officer yesterday morning at the location with the intent of removing all the animals.  The only animals that were there were three puppies and the owners own 14 year old dog.  There were no charges filed as the owner gave up the puppies willingly.  This abuse has apparently been going on for years, and could very well happen again by this slap of this man's hand.  He is apparently an old man too.  I will quote from Matt - Founder of PAWS (Providing Animal Welfare Services)'s Facebook page: 

We want all of you who kept persisting something be done about the welfare of the animals, and made sure your voices were heard, to know we applaud you. We ask to always remember to keep the message positive, do not attack or bash anyone, just demand accountability and answers, and if all of this is considered 'harassment and constant complaining,' well so be it. We are all these animals have, a...nd they can't speak up loud and clear and so they deserve us to do so on their behalf. We strongly advise those of you looking to doing anything illegal to refrain from doing so, and please do not do anything which would jeopardize the goal of what we are all trying to accomplish here at PAWS and as a community; which is to enhance the welfare of all animals within the city of Rochester, and everywhere in which there's a need.


This story is heartbreaking, and we still want answers, as to why was this man not held accountable for the current conditions of animals at his home, forget about what has been going on for over a decade? Why was any animal, including the cats inside his house allowed to stay at his residence, let alone a dog who has more than likely lived its entire life in agony? What type of insulated shelter was left, if it was an igloo, sorry, that's not sufficient in these freezing temperatures, as I'm sure this poor animal living in the freezing cold has a hard time retaining its own body heat? Are you going back every week to provide straw, because that would help the dog retain it's body heat, because this man is obviously is not going to bring this dog in the house, because he didn't do it even after you left? How much can this poor dog endure between all the extreme temperatures of the winters and summers its had to endure? We've been told the caregiver for those dogs doesn't even live there, so what kind of life is this....you saw bread left out, did you leave the pet owner with dog food to provide for this dog? Is there an ongoing investigation as to all the information you've been provided with thus far, which clearly shows this pet owner has been violating numerous animal cruelty laws? Are you reaching out to all the neighbors who have been reporting and documenting all these incidents for numerous years as part of your ongoing investigation?

Bottom line, we want to know these animals suffering all over in our community have the law enforcement, put in place to protect them, are stepping up and holding people accountable.
We always remember our first meeting with one of our well known advisors, who is active and well known in our community. The first thing he warned us when starting a non-profit was the fact we will get heat from other organizations thinking, 'you are stepping on their toes, you don't need to do this because there are already programs or things in place for the animals'....well if there are, show us, if we've been wrong we will work beside you. However, bottom line, our city's animals and their welfare was abandoned long ago. That's why we are here with our chests out, nothing to hide, and moving forward to keep working to make sure the people and the animals in this community are better off. PAWS has been able to make such strides, and gain the wonderful support of our community, and with limited resources, because it takes heart and integrity to do what this program and its members are doing.