Albuquerque NM 3 years later

I have been graciously given permission to share with everyone the following update on just what is going on in Albuquerque, New Mexico 5 years after the H$U$ sponsored HEART law went into effect. Here goes:

In the May 23, 2009 Abq Journal, Around NM D2: Albuquerque Gets PETA Award.

The 3 paragraphs state that Abq earned a Compassionate City Award from PETA for
working to save a colony of prairie dogs. PETA will present Mayor M. Chavez with
a certificate and letter of appreciation for his intervention in a dispute between the non-profit Prairie Dog Pals and Calvary Christian Academy, that wanted to level the colony to build a playground.

What is not mentioned in this blurb is that the nonprofit wanted the school to pay it $5000 to move the rodents. The school could not come up with the $$$. There was so much media hype the school was, apparently, afraid to kill the prairie dogs and in Abq., prairie dog compassion aint free!

And, last week, the 1st 2 cases of PLAGUE were reported in NM, with an 8 year old dying and his sister hospitalized. And what is the main carrier of plague fleas in NM......sweet prairie dogs. So, now the children of Calvary Christian Academy must play in their new playground feet away from flea carrying prairie dogs. Yes, for sure.....we are a compassionate city.

In addition to our concern for prairie dogs, we have our HEART ordinance, passed how many years ago....2 or 3? When I started paying attention to the Abq shelter impound #s, they were around 300-350 animals a week. As a matter a fact, 400 animals a week was used as justification for the ordinance. What a tragedy, 400 animals a week being impounded. The HEART ordinance would surely reduce such horrific impound numbers.

Well, the sad day came during the week of May 14-20: 600 animals impounded. Sadder still, May 21-27: 627. That comes after the smashing success of the great adoption event, Fetchapalooza, where shelters from around the state converged on Abq. with truck loads of their adoptable animals, for some reason not being promoted in their own communities as perfect pets. 630 animals found "forever" homes during the 2 day event, or did they. Because, even sadder, shocking actually, May 28-June 3: 682 impounds from our Compassionate City!

Remember, Abq is a mandatory spay-neuter, pet limit, micro-chip-micro-manage everybody's lives who own animals city. We have HEART here.

On an up beat, I received a funds request from Animal Humane NM [Help us home senior pets], a private shelter that reported a $3,000,000 budget awhile back, and it mentioned that 55% of the 5,200 pets that they served last year were owner surrenders. I was told at a local meeting by a person who does rescue on occasion, that one must pay to surrender an animal to them.

True or not, if one does the math, this shelter spends $577 per animal. Would that suggest that if somebody adopts from a local shelter, they could expect $577 in expenses associated with their rescue?

Does all this make sense to you?
Gail

One of the things Gail doesn't mention is that a part of the fall out has been the loss of all dog trainers who actually know how to train a dog and get good results. Does this make sense to any of you?

I know all it does is prove that every single one of the dire prediction's simply wasn't dire enough. How much longer before Albuquerque earns the first PETA Award as a city totally free of ALL domestic animals? Is this really what you want? If it isn't then STOP giving any money or any other sort of support to Animal Radicals and the Animal Rights Industry. Time is rapidly running out for all of us if the money and support isn't cut off and cut off yesterday.