South County Animal Shelter Coalition

South County Animal Shelter Coalition Update - January, 2012
 You can join us by e-mailing your name, e-mail address and city to BlandMJ@AOL.com or just read the blog at http://scasc1.blogspot.com/ 
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RUFF’s PET FOOD FOR THE UNEMPLOYED - Free Pet Food for unemployed people on the second Saturday of every month from 10 AM to noon at the Alicia Pet Care Center at 25800 Jeronimo Rd. #100, Mission Viejo. Also, the South County Outreach Food Pantry at 26776 Vista Terrace, Lake Forest, is open Monday - Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM and has free pet food. Ann Breuer who started the Pet Food Giveaway program, with her husband Jim Gardner, is also part of a volunteer group making coats for pets in animal shelters. Both Pet Food programs are sponsored by RUFF (Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends www.ruffrescue.org). You can contact Anne Breuer at annebreuer@yahoo.com Donations from local food banks and pet food manufacturers have dried up in the last month or two so donations of pet food are needed again. Please call 949-722-1511 for drop off location and information.

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WHAT'S NOW FOR SOUTH COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER COALITION
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Happy New Year to all of you and all your pets!!!

We are so pleased to announce that we received NO LOST or FOUND Pet Reports during the 2011 through the 2012 New Years holidays, so hopefully everyone's pets faired well over one of the most dangerous times of the year for them. We hope this will continue and that everyone now has identification for all their pets so that if they are lost they can be quickly returned to their homes in 2012.

We got a lot of good news in Jan. of 2012 related to public pressure to stop puppy mills and a Retail store switching to selling shelter dogs - http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/storysection=news/local/los_angeles&id=8503367

KABC TV reported that for the 1st time thanks to Pet Connections Inc. Barkworks pet store in the Westside Pacilion in Los Angeles will no longer sell commercially bred dogs. It said that if all goes well in this store Barkworks they will convert the rest of their stores into adoption centers.

70 Malls Across US To Ban Pet Sales - an Oct. 11, 2011 story - The story says much of this is thanks to film producer and animal activist Jennifer Peterson. http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/10/11/breaking-news-70-malls-across-us-to-ban-pet-sales/54618/

City Of Angels Bans Puppy Mills - a June, 2011 story http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/06/08/city-of-angels-bans-puppy-mills/41868/

Locally we thank Barb Holcomb and all of her group including Valerie Bromberg who have been tabling constantly at the Mission Viejo Mall for years to inform people about the issue of puppy mills and Barkworks.

We also locally thank Gail Lewis and her group of Citizens in Irvine who worked with the City of Irvine to encourage them to ban the retail sales of dogs and cats in their City. Congratulations to the citizen group and to the City of Irvine.
OCREGISTER: Irvine bans retail sales of dogs, cats
http://www.ocregister.com/news/irvine-321520-animals-pet.html

Good Cities and good people working together are accomplishing great things all over the country
For more success stories from the year 2011 you can see this Best Friends Society Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cFnEM69r8c&feature=email&utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=A%20video%20tribute%20just%20for%20you&mid=82443322&ml=22494976

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WHAT'S NEXT FOR SOUTH COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER COALITION
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*** You can sign the ASPCA Pledge against shopping at pet stores who sell puppies at - http://www.nopetstorepuppies.com/ - "If a pet store sells puppies I won't buy anything there." Take the pledge. Thank you to Rose for this information.

*** Update on the Issue of Orange County Pet Rescue Groups being forced to pay the Orange County Animal Shelter for Kenneling and other fees - On Dec. 19 we received a message from Fran that a letter dated Sept. 20, 2011 had been received from Ryan Drabek at the OC Animal Care Services that it was determined by the County Board of Supervisors that the retail establishments (Petsmart) are responsible for the permit (kennel) fees. Then on Dec. 7, 2011 Fran received a certified letter stating that unless her rescue group pays the balance of the kennel fees, they must have only 4 cats remaining at Petsmart. She also said that on Dec. 18, 2011 she received a tax due statement from the county for kennel fees and unless they are paid by Jan. 8, 2012 her group will be closed down. Fran asked that you who are involved with other groups please let her know if you are dealing with the same problem. So this issue Remains Unresolved for Pet Rescue Groups

Go to- The site is: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-kennel-fees-for-animal-rescue-organizations/ If you have questions please contact Fran at frannie0416@comline.com "
****A 2011 News Story about how much these rescue groups help the Orange County Animal Shelter. - 2 kids, 110 cats removed from Santa Ana home http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cats-291334-rescue-home.html

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FEATURES OF THE MONTH AND SPECIAL THANK YOUs
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We did a story on Bunny's Busy Day in the Sept 2011 issue of the SCASC Blog, but for a new and really wonderful story about this with great photos go to http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/12/20/for-bunny-whisperer-its-a-riot-of-wild-rabbits/165807/
For ‘bunny whisperer,’ it’s a riot of wild rabbits December 20th, 2011, 8:00 am · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor

The story is about Laguna Hills resident Marilyn Mansdorf, author of a children's book, and wildlife photographer, extraordinaire.  The title of her first book is Bunny's Busy Day, where she tells the story of wild bunnies who come to play in her back yard with childrens toys that no one could have imagined would be so popular with wild bunnies. Her photos have earned the attention of National Geographic and now we hear that:

"Looks like Busy Bunny is hopping into many hearts! The book has lately received so much positive press that it has flown off the shelves and is momentarily out of stock. Please check back soon as we are having more books printed. In the meantime, check out our online gift store, The Bunny Lady's Magic Garden and Gift Emporium. You can get prints, coffee mugs, and even aprons with Bunny playing busily across them!"

Congratulations to Ms. Mansdorf for her success! We bought copies of her children's books and agree that they are wonderful reading tools for children as well as fascinating photography.
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HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR PET OWNERS
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How to Ease Your Dog's Separation Anxiety - From the ASPCA
Does your dog get stressed or depressed when you leave, then get into all sorts of trouble while you're gone?

Tips to find the perfect pet sitter.http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/10-tips-to-find-the-perfect-pet-sitter-1877335/http://www.ospcablog.ca/?p=173.
ASPCA tip on boarding facilities - http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-sitters-and-boarders.aspx

Be alert and walk with a walking stick to protect your dog from Coyote Attacks and continue so protect your pets at all times when they are outside.

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PET LOST AND FOUND E-MAIL NOTICES FROM SCASC
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Laguna Hills Citizens who sign up with SCASC at BlandMJ@AOL.com help protect their pets through our Free Lost and Found Pet e-mails to everyone on the Laguna Hills e-mail list. If you lose or find a pet e-mail us a description of the pet, when and where it was lost or found, and your name, phone # and/or e-mail address for contact information. The anxiety you feel when you lose or find a pet in Laguna Hills is because it is not tolerable to turn a defenseless pet over to the Orange County Shelter with its high kill rate. While most other So. County Cities have or share safe City Shelters, the Laguna Hills City Council has chosen to retain the worst animal control services available - the 70 year old County Shelter 20 miles away that is consistently overcrowded, and has a consistently high kill rate. These are the same services we had before we became a City 20 years ago.
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE ISSUES FOR CA. PETS & PET OWNERS
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=94119
Beginning January 2012, Bill SB 917 prohibits the sale of animals on streets, in parking lots and from other similar public venues, and increases the penalty for animal cruelty by neglect to up to one year of incarceration. A Victory for California's Animals. Unregulated animal sales are an animal welfare problem in addition to posing problems for consumers. Many of these animals are bred and raised in poor conditions and are often sick at the time of sale. They are usually not spayed or neutered, which further contributes to the tens of thousands of homeless animals that are euthanized in California each year. Thank you to Rose T. for this info.

Join the ASPCA in helping to fight PUPPY MILLS at http://www.nopetstorepuppies.com/ and spread the work on social networks.

Visit website@aspca.org to learn more about supporting puppy mill reform
From Mike Markarian, President, Humane Society Legislative Fund - http://www.hslf.org/ One of our top priorities in the 112th Congress is to pass the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act which would crack down on puppy mills selling directly to consumers via the Internet. Take action now to urge your legislators to support this bill.

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JUST FOR FUN
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Don't Miss The War Horse and We Bought a Zoo

WAR HORSE - an epic adventure from Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks about a boy's beloved horse (Joey) in WWI in England that was sold to the calvary and shipped to France. A compelling story about the events of the war and the boy's efforts to find his horse again is told through the eyes of the horse. It's from a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo written in 1982.
For the True Story of a Real Life War Horse, Reckless, who was a Marine in the Korean War and is memorialized at the Camp Pendleton Stables go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=YIo3ZfA9da0

WE BOUGHT A ZOO - A widower (Matt Damon) purchases a zoo in order to bring his family back together in this Twentieth Century Fox adaptation of Benjamin Mee's autobiographical memoir.

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SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR
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Sunday, January 22   from 1 to 6 pm 3rd Annual Wine Tasting plus Hors d'ouvres, Silent Auction and Raffle from OC Animal Rescue Coalition - $25 per person at Hi-Time Wine Cellars - 250 Ogle St. in Costa Mesa OCARC rescues and rehabilitates cats from extensive and life threatening injuries. Purrs Fund supports these activities at www.OC-ARC.com 
For more information about the special event fund raiser call 949-451-3272

January is Adopt a Shelter Rabbit Month at the Orange County Animal ShelterHop on down to OC Animal Care during the month of January to celebrate Adopt a Shelter Rabbit Month. All adopters who find their forever bunny will receive a free spay/neuter and a gift bag filled with rabbit goodies.

Saturday, February 25  - The Animal Kinship Ministry sponsoring "Doing It for Love" at the Aliso Creek Inn and golf course in Laguna Beach  Have a good time and be helping animals at the same time. It is open to the public and all the profits will go to an animal welfare organization chosen that evening by the attendees. Any type of animal welfare organization qualifies, domestic, farm or wildlife with a 501(3)(c) nonprofit designation. http://events.ocregister.com/laguna-beach-ca/events/show/230836444-do-it-for-love
To purchase tickets, all you have to do is call this automated line (949)633-1056. Tickets are $50.00 each. We will have dinner, live music for dancing or listening, entertainment and fantastic silent auction items. An evening celebrating the love we all share for animals with people of like mind. Hope we see you there. If you desire, it could also be a great belated Valentine celebration for you and your friends.

All Winter - Presents for Paws Drive - Desperate Paws of Orange County is running a collection drive for lightly used blankets and dog and cat toys for its annual and will distribute items to dogs and cats at area animal shelters - please go to http://www.ocregister.com/articles/blankets-327714-toys-paws.html for drop off sites all over Orange County.

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LISTENING TO SCASC SUPPORTERS
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Dec. 2011 - Anonymous said - Sellers Exposed - This morning, NBC's "Today" show aired the shocking results of a new Humane Society of the United States investigation linking a massive Internet dog seller, Purebred Breeders, LLC, to cruel puppy mills. HSUS investigators visited and researched many of the facilities that sell puppies online through Purebred Breeders and found dogs living in shockingly poor conditions. HSUS attorneys also filed suit on behalf of customers who bought sick or dying puppies from Purebred Breeders.
The winter holidays are the busiest puppy-buying season of the year. Help us spread the word about the danger of purchasing puppies online. Watch our video; then take action today to urge the USDA to immediately close a loophole that allows large-scale puppy mills to sell puppies online without being licensed under the Animal Welfare Act or meeting even basic animal care standards. http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2011/12/purebred_breeders_120711.html and Send a message to President Obama at https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=5291

Dec. 2011 - Anonymous said...The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council is the lobby unit that sent out a "Pet Alert" against the Irvine Ordinance to block the sale of live dogs and cats in Irvine Pet Stores. This link shows both people from Petco and Petsmart as Directors on the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council : http://www.pijac.org/about/board/ For an example of where they stand, click on the 2nd "In the Press" titled "Irvine Citizens to be deprived of Pets, circuses and Rodeos" on this link: http://www.pijac.org/about/press/ To understand why Petco and Petsmart would be so active in this organization, take a look at this element of the PIJAC's mission statement: ENSURE the availability of pets.  People will have pets and spend money on them with or without Puppy Mills but they don't see it that way. If you think about how salesmen think, their job is to sell you something that you may not have intended to buy such as a cute puppy. Petco and Petsmart set an image that they are against the selling of pets but they are not. They are just "back dooring" it. It is always about making money.

From Rose Tingle with the Animal Kinship Ministry - Vital Farms has received the Humane Certification for raising their egg laying hens. Currently the eggs cost just a little more than average but certainly worth it because they are more nutritious for us, produced by chickens raised humanely on pasture and supporting this farm. Here is a brief video. http://vitalfarms.com/ Mother's Market and Whole Foods Market carries these eggs. You can ask to have the dozen packs cut in to 1/2 dozen packs if you wish. If you do not live in the area of these markets, you may check online for a grocer near you, at this website.http://www.certifiedhumane.org/index.php?page=where-to-buy

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IMPORTANT REMINDERS
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*** Winter is here again and Operation Blankets of Love needs your help to help shelter animals at http://www.operationblanketsoflove.com/ provides recycled and new pet-related items to comfort stray, sick, neglected and abused homeless animals in shelters, rescues and foster homes. They also partner with other organizations to provide relief and comfort to animals displaced or endangered by catastrophe.

The Blankets of Love Collection Centers in So. Orange County are:  Mission Viejo - Neighborhood Car Care, 23761 Via Fabricante, # A, 949-707-5991 and Pet Supply Warehouse 23854 Via Fabricante, # E1, 959-951-1284; Laguna Woods - Nifty after Fifty, 24258 El Toro Rd., 949-900-0500; Laguna Hills - The UPS Store 24881 Alicia Parkway Ste. E (behind Carl's Jr.), 949-855-8544; Tustin - 14402 Chambers Rd., 714-368-7077.

Due to the very bad economic conditions there are many Farm Animals in need of adoption in Devore, (by San Bernardino) CA. including horses, game fowl, goats - pygmies and standard, chickens, donkeys, mules, ponies and rabbits. Contact: Horse_Rescue_and_Sanctuary@yahoogroups.com to learn more about these animals if you live where you can have a farm animal and want to give any of them a good home for the rest of their lives.

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PETS & PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
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Don't forget to track Samantha Gowen OC Register Staff Writer and Pet Reporter online at her new address - ocregister.com/pets

Also look for OC Register Reporter Erika Ritchie who writes a lot of pet and wildlife stories.

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HOW TO CONTACT ELECTED OFFICIALS
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Laguna Hills City Council  e-mail - ccouncil@di.laguna-hills.ca.us for all City Council Members
City web site - www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us phone - 949-707-2610 fax 949-707- 2614

Orange County Supervisors:
Pat Bates: Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, the community of Newport Coast, & the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, and Wagon Wheel PatBates@ocgov.com

Shawn Nelson: Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Placenta Audra.Adams@ocgov.com

John Moorlach: Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Stanton. district2@ocgov.com

Janet Nguyen: Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminister janet.nguyen@ocgov.com

Bill Campbell: Anaheim, Brea, Irvine, Orange, Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda. Bill.Campbell@ocgov.com
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