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| May Newsletter 2010 |
| New Challenge Grant… We Can Still Double Your Money till May 31 Can We Raise $10,000 More in Just 30 Days? Thanks to a huge surge of support, we reached our goal of raising $20,000 by May 1. Now our anonymous donor has double-dog-dared us to do it again! Our donor is offering to match another $10,000 if we can raise it in just 30 days. From now until May 31 if you give $10 we will receive $20. Give $200 and we receive $400! As you will read in this newsletter, the timing could not be better as we face a tidal wave of abuse and neglect cases in counties all over West Texas. As we take in record numbers of animals from these cases, our medical expenses are soaring as well. Our Heartworm Wing of 12 kennels is staying full of dogs in treatment year round. We hope you can help us meet this critical double-dog-dare! A Historic “Cruelty” Arrest Marks Our Great Progress for Animals… When we first began investigating reports of animal abuse and neglect, we received very little support. The City of Abilene refused to take action even in well documented and serious cases. Surrounding counties and small towns either had no one to handle such cases or could not find time to deal with them. Over the last 10 years we have seen remarkable improvement! In April, Sheriff Ed Miller in Albany made an arrest for animal cruelty. It was historic because it was the first case in which we had offered a reward that resulted in an arrest! A local tip put the suspect behind bars. We have reached the point where we are receiving tremendous assistance from local law enforcement from Abilene to Colorado City and from Eastland to Stamford. Now there is a network of local officials from Animal Control Officers to Sheriffs who are dedicated to improving the living standards of animals. This also means we are helping more animals than ever: 46 Chihuahuas in Merkel, 17 Chihuahuas in Cisco, 18 Shih Tuzs in Haskell County, 13 Corgis and Pyrenees, 10 horses. All these cases occurred in just the last six months, in addition to all our regular flow of homeless animals. Now What Happens to a Dog, Cat, Donkey, or Horse is Important! We have elevated animal abuse and neglect to an important crime throughout West (page 1 bottom) Texas by hammering away case by case. Also, local officials are hearing us when we tell them that the people who abuse and neglect animals are the same people who break other laws. Your support has helped us make animal protection important to everyone. What About Donations to National Humane Groups? We hear from many people who are shocked to find that their donation to ASPCA or HSUS does nothing to help animals in West Texas. These national organizations run massive fundraising programs, but none of their money supports Rescue the Animals, SPCA. If you want to help win the war against animal abuse and neglect in West Texas, we hope you will make your donations to us because our only financial support comes from private contributions. _________________________________________________________________ Arrest Kicks off Prevent Animal Cruelty Month in April On April 5, 2010, Sheriff Ed Miller in Albany helped us make history. For the first time, one of our rewards has led to an arrest for animal cruelty. Just a week before, we had held a press conference to offer a $500 Reward in three animal neglect and cruelty cases. In the Albany case, an apartment tenant abandoned two Dachshunds in his locked apartment with no food and no water when he left town. When he returned to town a few weeks later, Sheriff Miller pounced and made the arrest. Here Dominos and Checkers visit with Deputy Randy Miller who found them and Sheriff Miller on the courthouse steps in Albany. When our Lynn Shults went to Albany a week after the arrest to take this picture, she gave Deputy Coleman information on three more dogs in distress. By the time Lynn drove back to Abilene, Deputy Coleman had contacted the owners to arrange better conditions for the dogs. He told Lynn, “The first thing they asked was if they were going to jail like that other fellow!” The word gets around in a hurry. _________________________________________________________________ Octomom Almost! Where are the Cameras? We have our own Octomom (almost), but there are no TV cameras crowding around to catch the story. Our story began when we took a cat from the pound. She quickly surprised us with 3 kittens. Next a lady brought us two very young kittens whose mom had died. Then we arrived at work one day to find two more kittens dumped on our porch with no mom. Octomom has topped out at seven kittens. Maybe one more will put us in the national news! Click Here for Page 2 |
