A Call to Action

You’ve seen the statistics, and you’ve heard the stories. California’s pets are suffering, and your pets are now at risk because of Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget cuts .

I urge you to write to the Governor and voice your concerns. Tell him to reinstate Haydens Law and to give back the original funding to animal shelters!

Click HERE to send him an e-mail!

Or send him a letter at:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Or better yet, call him and tell him exactly how you feel at 916-445-2841.

Aside from voicing your concerns to the governor, there are several ways you can help animals in need in your community starting today.

1) Sign up to foster! You can give a needy animal a second chance at adoption, and free up more space at the shelter at the same time. I have fostered animals before and it’s an extremely rewarding experience. I would recommend it to everyone.

2) Donate pet food or other needed items to your local animal shelter. Shelters are always in need of supplies!

3) Collect donations and start your own pet food bank to help struggling families in your community. This idea has helped families in dozens of communities.

4) Volunteer your time! Volunteering will not only increase the quality of life shelter animals have, but it will also help take the strain off of shelter staff. You could walk dogs, play with cats, care for kittens, or even help with their educational efforts!

Shelter Staff are Suffering Too

Pets are not the only ones hurt by the budget cuts. Shelter staff members are also hurt.

High euthanasia rates usually results in lower staff morale. Euthanizing two month old kittens because there is no space would not exactly brighten anyone’s day.

At the same time shelters are understaffed. Any shelter that chooses to uphold Haydens Law must absorb the costs for each animal themselves. That means less money for shelter programs and the inability to pay a full staff.

Shelter are so understaffed that in some areas shelters have had to decrease operating hours, or even stop adoptions.

Less money for shelters not only means more animals being euthanized, it means fewer jobs and fewer opportunities for animals to be adopted.

Pet Finder Finds the Facts

Given that some of the most dramatic effects of the economy have been more recent, statistics on the increase of euthanasia levels related to the economy aren’t yet available.

What is known is that the economy is dramatically impacting owner surrender rates and PetFinder.com has the evidence to prove it.

They asked nearly 13,000 animal shelters and adoption groups from around the nation how the economy was affecting their organization. The results are startling.

84% of animal shelters and rescue groups are getting more animals because of foreclosures, unemployment, and the economy.

47% say that the economy is the number one reason that pets are being surrendered at their organization.

18% said surrenders come from people who had to relocate.

16% said surrenders were related to foreclosures.

At the same time 37% of those same shelters were seeing a lower number of adoptions.

How can the government continue to ignore this?

Putting A Price on Life

$25 million sounds like a lot of money.

$25 million is the amount of money Governor Schwarzenegger believes California will save by allowing stray pets to be euthanized sooner.

As of July 2009 California had a state deficit of $26 billion dollars.

$26 billion compared to $25 million.

How can you put a price on the lives of California’s pets?

Nonprofits Coming to the Rescue for Some

With no help from the government, nonprofit organizations are picking up the slack and coming to the rescue of animal shelters across the nation.

The American Humane organization is offering Foreclosure Pet Grants to animal shelters to help offset the cost of care for animals who have been victims of the economy. The only requirement is that the shelter must be an American Humane member.
Over the last year and a half they have been able to hand out 19 grants to shelters across the nation.

The amount of grants they are able to give out depends on the amount of donations they receive. Unfortunately donation levels for nonprofits have dropped with the economy which means the organization will only be able to accommodate a small number of requests.

What about the shelters who aren’t American Humane members?

Who will come to their rescue?

It is imperative that Governor Schwarzenegger financially supports animal shelters during this time. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk every day and that number is only increasing with the economy.

Instead he has chosen to put every pet owner in California, regardless of their financial situation, at risk by suspending Haydens Law.

All our Governor has done is turn his back on all California pet owners.

Read This and Tell Me Cutting Funding Will Help

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

According to Newser around 4 million pets are euthanized at animal shelters every year in the United States.

Why does 12.5% of that number come from California alone?

- Silent Victims

Slipping Under the Radar

The first time I saw any press coverage about the impact the economy has had on animal shelters was on CNN’s The Cafferty File.

His words, along with the words of 300 other people from around the nation who commented on the story, drove the issue home for me. I had only been somewhat aware of the problem prior to seeing this story and that was only because of time I had spent at animal shelters.

Once I became more aware of what was happening, I noticed it happening everywhere. I wondered why no one was talking about it. Even more importantly, I wondered why no one was doing anything about it.

Someone was but they weren’t exactly doing anything to solve the problem.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cut animal shelter funding went widely unnoticed by the press. He was able to successfully go through with his horrible budget cut idea without causing too much of a stir.

In fact, he didn’t even speak to the press about the issue until after the budget plans were finalized.

Keep in mind that in 2004 the Governor proposed the same measure and was unable to implement it because it was opposed by so many constituents.

If the Governor thought the current system for animal shelters was failing, why didn’t he try to formulate a plan to alleviate the problem at some point over the last five years?

Animal organizations have not only opposed his budget cut both times he brought it up, but some have even introduced their own plans.

Why hasn’t the Governor listened?

Giving All The Secrets Away

Up until now most of my posts have been in writing. I felt it was time to switch it up, so I decided to make a video of what would have been my blog post.

All of the pictures in my video, as well as the pictures in my blog posts so far, are pictures I have personally taken of dogs waiting to be rescued at a California animal shelter.

257 more animals have been euthanized today in California since I made this video this afternoon.

$25 Million Saved Now, But at What Cost Later?

The bad economy has sent our government scrambling for a way to balance the budget.

This year Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger successfully proposed cutting the budget for animal shelters by suspending Haydens Law.

Haydens Law is like a bill of rights for California pet owners. It states that animal shelters are required to hold an animal for 6 to 10 days before euthanizing it to allow its owners enough time to come reclaim it.

What does suspending his law mean for you and your pet?

It means that you now have potentially only three days to reclaim your pet from your local animal shelter before it gets euthanized.

This is not the first time California Animal Shelters have been on the chopping block. Governor Schwarzenegger, whose dogs did not come from an animal shelter, made the same proposal in 2004, saying that the move would save the state $14 million a year according to USA Today. This time around Governor Schwarzenegger claims the move will save the state $25 million a year.

$25 million saved now, but at what cost later?

I believe Governor Schwarzenegger should immediately reinstate the funds he took from the California Animal Shelter system.

He must give animal shelters the additional financial support they need to keep animals in their homes.
He must:
1) Provide funding to keep animal shelters fully staffed.
2) Provide grants to shelters programs created specifically to fight the effect of the economy.
For example: pet food banks, free or discount spay/neuter program vouchers, or the creation of a separate foster program just for families who need a temporary place for their animals to stay.

Doing this will not only put Haydens Law back into effect but it will also keep families together, decrease the current strain on animal shelters/staff, and save thousands of our pets from being terminated by the Governors Budget cut.

The Drop Off

It starts with a happy car ride with the windows down and the wind rushing by. What he doesn’t know is where you are going. What he doesn’t know is that you aren’t staying with him.
I’ve seen it happen several times. One time in particular stands out in my mind. A family with two children walked up to the shelter. With them was a small dog on a leash. The family looked picture perfect, but what they were there for was not so pleasant. They had run into financial problems; I was unable to hear exactly what had happened. They would no longer be able to afford to care for their dog so they brought him to the shelter in hopes that he would find a new loving family to take care of him. I watched them as the father got down on his knees to wish their beloved pet one final goodbye. I watched as tears began to fill his eyes, and the children gathered around to say their goodbyes. The whole family hugged the dog one last time, and then within moments they were gone. The dog was taken inside to be checked by a veterinarian before he was put up for adoption, and out front it was as if the scene had never happened.

But it did happen, and it still is happening at shelters all across the nation. Owner surrender rates are rising, and adoption rates are falling. Meanwhile the California Government has cut funding for shelters, revoking the very laws that require shelters to hold your pet until you can reclaim him.
America’s pets have become the silent victims of the economy. They are silent because few have chosen to speak on their behalf. Few are even aware. This blog will be their voice. This blog will be the voice of the unwanted.