Dallas Animal Services Pet of the Week Feb 4th

This week’s Feature Pet is Sadie, an adorable 12-week old Australian Shepherd. Will someone give her a home? As with all DAS animals for adoption, she’s been spayed, microchipped and vaccinated – and just look at that little paw wrapped around Kent’s arm, she’s clearly a little sweetie!

Filed under: Pets for Adoption, Take action!, Updates

Looking for Volunteers – how you can help

Getting the Dallas City Council to make changes in the law is one thing, but to make sure those laws can be upheld takes education and the support of the community. We are looking for people to help us spread the word and help the city’s animals. If you are interested in the volunteer opportunities below, please send email to dallasanimaladvocates @ gmail.com (no spaces).

• We need volunteer(s) to research pet-friendly blogs in our area that might be willing to post information about the new ordinances – if you have a blog, please consider posting about the ordinances!
• We need a volunteer to put together an email list of groomers, boarding & daycare facilities in the DFW area.
• Know anyone at Petco? Who can we talk to at the corporate office about getting their stores to post information?
• Media moguls! We need contact information for the folks at Dig Fido.
• We need someone to research homeowner’s associations in South Dallas.

Your efforts make a difference to the people and animals of Dallas!

Filed under: Take action! , apartment association of greater dallas, blogs, dig fido, petco, pets, research, volunteers

Bob Barker Campaigns in Chicago for Spay/Neuter

Bob Barker is helping to drive the issues of pet overpopulation and the need for responsible Spay/Neuter onto the national agenda.

The charming and passionate former host of “The Price is Right” spoke out in support of Spay/Neuter legislation in California. He helped us successfully lobby the Dallas City Council to introduce mandatory Spay/Neuter ordinances in our City.

And now, he’s actively encouraging the city of Chicago to become the next community to embrace the promise of spay and neuter, presenting to a standing ovation at Chicago City Hall last Tuesday, July 29.

View The CBS Video Coverage.

Supporters at Tuesday’s hearing outnumbered opposed by almost 2 to 1, and so many people were waiting to comment that they couldn’t get to everyone and the committee was adjourned for a future hearing.

But it’s going to take more than a huge turnout of supporters and Bob Barker’s charisma and persuasion to get these measures passed. Frenzied underground animal breeders from around the country are assaulting the Chicago Council Members daily with bluster and misinformation about spay and neuter programs and they need to continuing hearing from reasonable pet lovers who support common sense spay and neuter programs.

The session adjournment gives you time to help Chicago follow in the footsteps of other cities, like Dallas, that have adopted mandatory Spay/Neuter provisions!

Here’s what you can do: Please call (or if possible, call and fax) the following Chicago Aldermen:

Committee on Finance:
- Chairman EDWARD M. BURKE (Sponsor, no need to contact)
- Vice-Chairman PATRICK J. O’CONNOR
      Phone 773-769-1140, Fax 773-769-3804, Phone 312-744-6858, Fax 312-744-7248.

Committee on License and Consumer Protection:
- Chairman EUGENE C SCHULTER
      Phone 773-348-8400, Phone 312-744-3180, Fax 312-744-4021
- Vice-Chairman ISAAC CAROTHERS
      Phone 773-261-4646, Fax 773-261-8687, Phone 312-744-3070

If you have time, feel free to contact other Council Members too, by leaving polite messages for them requesting that they support the proposed animal ordinances – every call and fax counts and the animals of Chicago will thank you with their lives!

Filed under: Take action! , Bob Barker, Chicago, Illinois, Price is Right, spay/neuter

Your last chance to act!

Our petition CLOSES today - we’d like to say a HUGE thank you to over 4,000 people who have signed our online and offline petitions – together your voices will be heard!

If you don’t get a chance to sign the petition, it’s not too late to make a difference - you can still send the council a letter (all you need to do is add your details and click “send” – it couldn’t be easier with this HSUS template) or call your council member to let them know you support the proposed animal ordinances before tomorrow’s vote – act now, there’s no time to waste!

Filed under: Resources, Take action! , act now!, last chance!, Letter, petition, Take action!

Dallas Is Going Green! But How Green, Really?

Mayor Tom Leppert has gone on record saying that “Dallas is not only committed to improving the environment, but is committed to being the Greenest City in America.”

The new Dallas Animal Services shelter is doing some laudable and innovative things to reduce its impact on the environment, that have earned it LEED silver certification.  Check out the new shelter’s green initiatives – and some of its green limitations - here. 

Dallas Animal Services & Adoption Center is only one of a handful of LEED certified animal shelters nationwide – a fact that that caught the eye of the producer’s of the documentary “Big Ideas For A Small Planet”, so set your DVR to record!  The June 24 episode, “Animals”, features Dallas’ new 52,000 square foot animal shelter and airs at 8 p.m. on the Sundance channel.

The one big thing holding Dallas Animal Services & Adoption Center back from being all it can be is that it doesn’t reduce waste sent to our landfill.  Instead it contributes over a ton of landfill waste EVERY DAY, in the form of euthanized animals’ carcasses.

This goes to show there is nothing green about euthanasia - and until the Dallas City Council can do something about the pet overpopulation problem, Dallas will never be the Greenest city in America.

So here is your chance Dallas – pass Mandatory Spay/Neuter to help address shelter overcrowding and reduce the number of animals sent to the landfill. Help make the shelter truly “green”, and move Dallas one step closer to leading the nation in environmental initiatives and protecting our planet for future generations.

Filed under: Resources, Take action! , animal overpopulation, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, Dallas Animal Services, euthanasia, Greening Dallas, LEED certification, Mayor Tom Leppert

The Facts of the Matter Lie Before Us

There are a lot of reasons these animal ordinance changes make sense.  Need convincing?

• Check out our “Facts” page and “The Case For the Proposed Ordinance Changes” page – you’ll find loads of reasons to ask your Dallas City Council member to approve the changes!

The Council votes on Wednesday – get informed and make that call or send that email today!

Filed under: Resources, Take action! , city council, Dallas, ordinance, The case in favor

Humane Society makes it easier for Texans to have their say

The SPCA has sent postcards; the HSUS has sent email to its members. Both organisations are calling for Dallas residents and businesses to take action by calling on the City Council to accept the proposed ordinance changes in an effort to curb the pet overpopulation issue and reduce the taxpayer dollars being spent on euthanising animals.

Now, if you live in Texas, you can take action with a minimum of effort – the HSUS has already written your letter for you, all you need to do is put your details in and click SEND. It couldn’t be easier, what are you waiting for?

The HSUS letter is here – https://community.hsus.org/campaign/Dallas_2008_petordinance2 - please take 30 seconds to send yours. The animals of Dallas thank you!

Filed under: Resources, Take action! , HSUS, Letter, sign, spca, Take action!

SPCA calls for action – Dallas, it’s time to act!

Filed under: Resources, Take action! , Dallas, ordinances, spay/neuter, spca

Bob Barker says “the price is right” for mandatory spay/neuter

In a letter to Mayor Leppert and the Dallas City Council members last week, Bob Barker – host of the long-running TV show “The Price is Right” – urged the council to approve the ordinances proposed by the Animal Shelter Commission.

Mr. Barker is a passionate proponent of the benefits of spay/neuter programs, and even formed the DJ&T Foundation in honor of his late wife and mother in 1995 which spends millions of dollars a year helping to defray costs for spay/neuter clinics throughout the nation.

The Dallas City Hall Blog posted a link to Mr. Barker’s letter – which you can view here or on our Letters page, along with many other letters of support that have been sent to the Council recently.

You still have time to do something! Please email or call your City Council Member before next Wednesday’s vote, and urge them to approve these new ordinances – and if you can, please come to the Council meeting next Wednesday (June 25) to show your support.

Filed under: Resources, Take action! , Bob Barker, Dallas council, spay/neuter, The Price is Right

Altered animals don’t create stray, unwanted animals

We hear the breeders stridently saying “why are we being penalized, we’re responsible!”. They can’t get into their heads that it’s not only just about them. But, let’s face it, they are producing goods (dogs and cats) for which there is more supply than demand (or we wouldn’t be killing healthy animals like we do). So, they are part of the problem and no amount of their saying they aren’t changes that fact.

I was on my way to work on Thursday when I came across the dog in these photos. What a lovely lab! I noticed she had on a collar AND tags, so I got out of my car and tried to lure her to me with dog treats. She would have none of it. My plan was to call her owners and return her. No such luck, she just barked at me and ran away.

So, this dog is on the streets, who knows why, perhaps she’s in heat and she’s out and about. I noticed she looked like she had had puppies in the past. Apparently, there’s a positive probability it will happen again. I hear the sound of my tax payer dollars being spent to “dispose” of her puppies.

But, here’s the kicker. If this dog were spayed, then the fact that she got out of her backyard, for what ever reason, means for sure she won’t come back pregnant. Altered dogs don’t get pregnant and they don’t impregnate. Altered dogs can’t create stray, unwanted animals.

Dallasites, stand up for your City. Stop letting irresponsible people, including the breeders, spend your money on killing unwanted animals. Call the Mayor and your Council Person and tell them you support the ordinances and you want them to vote YES on Wednesday.

Don’t wait, the vote is right around the corner.

Filed under: Take action! , spay/neuter, stray dog