"I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other and it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals."              -Barack Obama, Las Vegas Town Hall Meeting, February 2008

The single most helpful thing YOU can do is spay/neuter your own animals.  Fixed pets tend to be homebodies and do not escape from their yards as often.  When an intact animal leaves its home and lands in a shelter (however quickly its owner comes to claim it) that pet displaces another animal... meaning it causes another dog or cat to be euthanized to open up space in a cage.Another way you can prevent this recurring tragedy is to always keep an ID tag on your pet or have them micro-chipped.  Tags can easily be purchased in vending machines at most major pet supply chains.  Micro-chipping can be done through your vet or through your local animal shelter.  This is to your benefit, as well, because a tagged lost animal can much more easily be returned home... often without a stop at the shelter (which costs you a fine and another animal its life).  The scary statistic is this:  90% of runaway pets that have a tag or microchip, are returned to their owners within days or even hours, but a full 90% of lost pets who have no identification ARE NEVER RECOVERED by their family.  This is just not a risk worth taking.If your family is looking to adopt a new cat or dog, please consider rescuing from one of our local shelters or a breed rescue.

 PREPARE EARLY FOR HURRICANE SEASON

 If you have a pet, you really need to consider them in advance of a forced evacuation.  Many thousands of animals perished in the wake of Katrina and many New Orleanians put themselves in harm's way for not wanting to abandon their pets.  Visit this website for some suggestions and get tips for managing hurricane season on a budget:

HotelsAllowingPets.com.

  SAVE A LIFE   HELP A FAMILY

Perhaps the true canary in the coal mine for the financial crisis could be found in America's animal shelters. They knew early about the rise in foreclosures as family pets were being surrendered at an alarming rate. When families have to leave their homes for apartments or rooms in relatives' houses, often they feel they cannot bring Fido or Frisky.

If you have the ability to take in another animal, please check your local animal shelter and help with the overload of animals being relinquished right now.  These are often pets that are pre-trained, pre-housebroken and pre-socialized so they are eager to fit into a home.

If you are having financial difficulties and are finding it difficult to afford your pet, there are solutions.  The Louisiana SPCA has Wellness Wednesdays with low cost vaccinations and spay/neuter surgeries.  Call 504-368-5191, ext. 141 for more information.

Change Corps will seek to find more solutions to this crisis and will share them as soon as possible.  Please pass on any information you have to lynda@changecorpsnola.org.