Who ya gonna call -UBER KITTEN!!

Uber - now a noun - "order an Uber". A verb - "let's Uber". An adjective - "it's an "Uber like" system and probably more. On October 29th, one can Uber Kitten. Yes - click on the kitten option on your app and an Uber will arrive with kittens for 15 minutes of love, stress relief and some adorable in your day. A portion of the proceeds will benefit your spcaLA!

Fun notwithstanding, it is an opportunity to spread the message of adoption, the significance of your local shelters and, the critical importance of corporate philanthropy.

Uber - a good corporate citizen and spcaLA Friend for Life!

Please help spcaLA fund our much needed domestic violence program

Abusers use everything at their disposal to terrorize and control those they batter - including the family pet, often threatening to harm or kill an animal if the domestic violence survivor dares leave. We are now in the worst of it as incidents of domestic violence increase exponentially with the start of footbal season and extreme heat - both occuring right now! Since the mid 1990s spcaLA’s Animal Safety Net (ASN)™ provides a safe refuge for the domestic violence survivors’ pets, free-of-charge, so that they may leave a dangerous situation without fear for their animals’ lives. Unfortunately, there is great demand for this help and we must expand these services.  There are 3 ways to help us help these human and animal victims, one of which is to help us win a contest! 1. Vote. Help spcaLA earn $100,000 to help expand ASN in the LA2050 Challenge - with enough votes between now and November 3, 2015, we can make LA a safer place to live. 2. Donate. Help survivors of domestic violence and their pets right now. Make a special, one-time donation. 3. Shout. Tell your friends about ASN. Ask them to vote. Ask them to donate. Where domestic violence is present, child, elder and animal abuse usually are too. If animal abuse is suspected, spcaLA investigates, gathers forensic evidence, and builds a case against the abuser. While under our care, animals receive veterinary treatment, vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery. Families remain in contact with their pets through photos and updates until they are safely out of the shelter and reunited. At its core, ASN gives domestic violence survivors peace of mind. The comfort in knowing their adored pet is protected and cared for helps survivors escape, persevere, and begin building safer, healthier lives. Please, help us help them. Vote, and if you’re able, donate today. *If you don’t already have one, you will need to create a Good account using your email or Facebook in order to vote. Just one vote per account between now and November 3, 2015 at 12pm. More info.

The OTHER reason the bullhook veto hurts

Courtesy Google Images

In his message vetoing the ban on bullhooks, the governor stated that he did not want "to create a new crime", lamenting that there are so many, and that "our jail and prison population have exploded".

For the most part I agree that we should not criminalize every individual type of behavior when such behavior would be subsumed under a general, elastic, broad statute. The reason is that when there is a list of specific prohibited conduct, and a criminal does something not on the list, the door is opened for the defense to argue that if the legislature intended this to be wrong - it would have added it to the list. Bullhooks however, though instruments of torture, were universally accepted as a necessary training device, a likely defense to the crime of animal cruelty, and therefore needs its own statutory language. But that is NOT the reason for the veto. Prison overcrowding is the reason to the detriment of elephants and the rest us.

Our country uses prisons to house the mentally ill, the homeless, minor drug offenders, and an assortment of others hapless souls. California is already under Federal decree to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Therefore, there is an impetus to avoid the creation of new crimes, reduce sentences and release broad categories of prisoners back into society. Various broad stroke propositions like 109 (which realigns categories of crime) and 47 (which reduces penalties) among other things govern this exodus. The problem, is that these are general, clumsy, thoughtless ways of emptying the jails with no targeted and tailored programs on the other end that will reduce crime, aid re-entry, and prevent recidivism. Additionally, violent offenders who need to be incarcerated squeak out under these "fixes", (Note the increase in crime in this state!) It is analogous to cutting off an arm to treat a splinter!  The splinter is gone but the process, without more, leaves a person in serious peril.

Thus the veto on our bullhook ban. A new crime needed to be created but now won't be because of massive mismanagement of the system.

We can pass city by city bans to help our elephants as we have been doing - but who do I see about fixing the rest of this mess for us all?

Enter the Flexitarian

Courtesy Google Images

Food issues are a thing. People eat with a purpose which can be ideological, health based, weight loss related or simply trendy. One can be vegan for heart health reasons, environmental concerns or because of a philosophical belief that it is wrong to eat animals. There are conscientious omnivores, pescatarians, fruitarians, an entire panoply of diets from Zone to Paleo and of course endless food allergies real and imagined.

Planning menus for organizational events is just as challenging as hosting a dinner party at home where everyone attending has very particular food issues. As a toddler my son would only eat food that was green, my friend won't eat beige food, another is kosher and so on and so forth. 

I thought that I dealt with it all until a guest pronounced himself a flexitarian! In case you are wondering - a flexitarian is a vegetarian who sometimes eats meat. Is that even a thing? Is it different than a carnivore who sometimes eats vegetables or someone on the wagon who occasionally drinks? What is the purpose of this? How is it not just a varied and balanced diet?

I thought I had seen it all, but frankly, this takes the cake - gluten free of course.

Man Caught on Video Beating His Dog Pleads Guilty

 A 22-year-old Huntington Park man who was caught on video repeatedly striking his 2 year old German Shepherd, “Sam” in the head, pled guilty today to animal cruelty charges. 

2 year old German Shepherd, Sam

Victor Almendariz (DOB: 06-19-1992) was convicted on one count misdemeano r animal cruelty in case #5FF00619 before Judge Gustavo Sztraicher at the Metropolitan Court House.  Deputy District Attorney Kelly Sakir prosecuted the case. Charges were brought against Mr. Almendariz as a result of an animal cruelty investigation by Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA). 

Video shot by an anonymous tipster was sent to spcaLA Humane Officers in January of 2015.  Upon investigation of Mr. Almendariz, three German Shepherds including Sam were found, removed, and brought to spcaLA for medical care.


Mr. Almendariz was sentenced to 500 hours of community labor; 5 years probation; Level II animal abuse counseling (48 week program); and m ay own no animals for five years.  Mr. Alemndariz must also undergo a psychological evaluation and pay restitution.  As a condition of probation, he waived his 4th amendment right and is subject to search and seizure at all times.  Any violation of these terms of probation could result in 180 days jail time.

Click here for video.

  

Since 1877, spcaLA has been the premiere independen t, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California.  There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support to spcaLA.  Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigation, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education, and a variety of shelter services. 

LA City Council poised to fail cats again

spcaLA.com

UPDATE: City attorney directed to draft a regulation allowing the maximum number of cats one can have to go from 3 to 5   BUT- it must include "any required analysis required by the California Environmental Quality Act as part of said ordinance".

This would be easier if the amendment required that all cats must be indoor only, sterilized and wearing visible identification. At lease they listened to us and abandoned the idea of clowders of 20 or more cats!



The PAWS committee of Los Angeles city council has once again come up with an ill-conceived scheme and will ask the entire council to support it.

They want to raise the cat limit per household to 5.  We have no issue with 5. As you know, there are those who should not be allowed to have even one cat and those who can keep many more than that in a safe humane environment. There is no magic number! The devil is in the details, and the details here are nuts.

As always, demagoguery to special interest groups and ignorance of this complex issue, appear to inform the internal logic of this proposed regulation and ultimately defeats its stated purpose to reduce euthanasia and provide homes for cats.  What on earth does it mean that households with 3 cats can allow the cats outdoors while those with 4 or 5 must remain in? How can an enforcement officer know the difference between a cat who is legally out and one who is not?  Perhaps a scarlet 4 or 5 emblazoned on the cats would help identify law breakers.

The solution is simple. All cats must be sterilized, must wear a visible identification tag and must be kept indoors or in protected outdoor areas. Doing so would accomplish several things. It would extend the lifespan of the pet as indoor cats live longer free from outdoor perils. It would help shelters find homes for cats who need them rather than recycling lost cats who already have homes. It would protect cats from predators and save animals who are prey to cats. The visible tag would both assist in the return of the cat home to allowing animal control personnel to differentiate stray, community and feral cats from a lost owned cat. (Invisible microchips are useful but not for these purposes.) 

All of the above would in fact help reduce euthanasia and improve animal control efficiency as more cats would have homes, stay in their homes and animal control would have clear tools and a means of enforcement. Finally, the visible tag will help neighbors, who do not have scanning devices, return a lost cat who accidentally escaped thereby also freeing animal control personnel from that task.

Honestly, it is just tiring and trying to see our ill informed elected officials just put anything on paper that appears to do something but either doesn't or makes things worse. There is no evidence of critical thinking or an attempt to study the issues. They are just creating feel good captions to vote on. There is a lot of evidence that this city is sinking while the band plays campaign tunes. Elected officials seem to think their job is running for office and it seems that deals and regulations are achieved for those who contribute, endorse or otherwise help the officials stay in office. Beyond the animal welfare issues look at the increase in crime, traffic and weird construction projects. 

As far as cats go - this can be fixed easily. The question is will the full council do so. I guess it depends on who asks them to.....

Kangaroos and Californians

Courtesy Google Images

California has prohibited the trade of kangaroo parts since 1971. However, lobbying from the Australian government, sports equipment manufacturers and the kangaroo industry led to a temporary exemption of this longstanding ban. 

Kangaroo skins are most commonly used for high-end soccer cleats, gloves and other leather products. The existence of new high-tech synthetic materials have rendered kangaroo leather unnecessary for superior performance. In fact, these new materials and greater awareness of the inherent cruelty in the kangaroo hunting industry, have inspired some professional soccer players like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo to stop wearing cleats made from kangaroo skin.

This exemption is due to expire at the end of 2015 thus reinstating the ban! We, along with a multitude of other organizations around the world, are watching closely to see if a move is made by Australia to submit legislation that would extend the exemption and/or repeal the ban. We have taken some preemptive measures to deal with this and are poised to respond instantly if such legislation is introduced.

The mechanics of kangaroo hunting are cruel and in its current state is jeopardizing the viability of the species.

Essentially, if our legislators do nothing, the ban will be reinstated. Seems like a job they can do!!