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In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the public became aware of the need for laws to protect the animals and safeguard them for future problems associated with National Disasters. It has also come to light that many animal victims of Katrina ended up being lost in the system. Animals were taken in by rescue workers and turned over to shelters with the understanding that they would be protected and reunited with their owners if possible. Unfortunately this was not the case. Animals were left behind by shelters that were supposed to be there to help them. People left their pets behind with the promise that they would be safe and they were not. So how does one solve these problems so that it will never happen again?
US Animal Protection Organization focuses on shelter reform
Enter US Animal Protection Organization. This is just one of their many goals and projects. The organization itself is based in Atlanta, Georgia and has dedicated itself to fight to end all forms of animal cruelty. They have become the watchdogs of shelters. They are working to pass laws that will assure animals doomed in shelters will be euthanized in a humane manner. Their organization has put into place a system where shelter violations can be reported and where people can find out which shelters are violating animal cruelty laws. They have put in place a large database that not only lists shelter violation but also includes animal cruelty cases and furnished the proper documentation of neglect in our shelters. It is sad to think that such a thing must be put into place but it is now a necessity. In most cases the American public is unaware that these things are going on behind the walls of the very organizations that were set up to protect their charges.
Their Mission
The US Animal Protection Organization has made it their mission to start a national coalition for shelter reform. They plan to appoint members in every state that will properly report abuses to government offices including the State Department of Agriculture and media outlets. One of their goals is to educate and inform the public of these atrocities. They wish to end the shootings, heartsticks, gassings and drownings in America shelters. The general public is totally unaware that this goes on in shelters even today. They are also working to ensure that animal cruelty that falls under the criteria of 'felony' will be tried as a felony. Shelter workers committing animal cruelty must be held accountable for animal cruelty. They also plan to demand local shelters properly check for rigor mortis and heart beat to insure death has actually occurred following the administration of established protocol for euthanasia before these bodies are cremated, frozen or other methods of disposal utilized. There have been several cases recently where a dog was still alive hours after the euthanasia process was complete and suffered because of this. They also wish to effectively end all cruel, inhumane, outdated methods of killing shelter animals and to pass laws in each state to prohibit shelters from selling shelter animals to laboratories and to further prohibit other methods of Pound Seizures. The word 'shelter' should not be legally utilized to describe houses of brutality and warehouses for animals to be sold into research. Shelters should be just that, a shelter and safe haven for homeless animals. Other facilities should be aptly named to prevent citizens from unknowingly placing animals in harms way.
They also want to stop shelters from profiting on rendered animals and pound seizures. According to Dawn Taylor Bechtold, founder of US Protection Organizations animal Control facilities that operate as killing machines need to be abolished. She feels that if the activists are silenced these animals will have no voice at all. She has a call to arms for everyone to get involved in defending our Constitutional right to demand accountability on the part of our lawmakers. She is calling on everyone to demand that they do their jobs and uphold the laws of the land. She says that allowing legislation to silene activism will protect no one but tyrants.
Campaigns
Although their campaigns are wide and varied, they have some that they are heavily involved with shelter reform. Their website lists a number of animal shelters that are on their hot list of problem shelters. This is one of their primary focuses. They also are mounting campaigns against laboratories and the research associated with them. And working toward ending dog fighting. Their website is currently under renovation so that many of their latest campaigns will be added but if you want to help out you can contact them at usape@ureach.com to find out how you can help with their latest campaigns. You can also join their Shelter Reform group on yahoo at the link below. to keep up to date with what they are doing and where they need the most help.
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Links
US Animal Protection Organization
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