A wing and a prayer

Posted on February 22, 2017 by alexb2448

This vintage typwriter is our featured image.

I sure hope the passengers on four flights from Memphis, Tenn., to various parts of the country last week didn’t get air sick. It would have been a hell of a mess.

You see these weren’t ordinary passengers. These passengers happened to be cats and dogs. And they were on their way to their new homes.

Cute Kitten, courtesy of FURRR 911. Photo by A. Bogdanovic — Bolt, a kitten rescued by FURRR 911, at Puttin’ On The Dog & Cats, Too 2016. Photo by A. Bogdanovic

As The Commercial Appeal reported, a California-based animal rescue group provided the transportation for more than 400 unwanted dogs and cats languishing in Memphis-area shelters.

This was the second such mission for the group since the beginning of the year.

“We’re again here because they needed to go, the shelters are full and they are in absolute dire need of being saved,” said Yehuda Netanel, co-founder of Wings of Rescue.

Bound for better places

Representatives from some of the Tennessee shelters said they were thrilled that the animals were bound for better places.

Alexis Pugh, director of the Memphis Animal Shelter (MAS), said the fact that 25 dogs and 18 cats flown out last Tuesday will get another shot at lives in loving homes is “fantastic.”

Before the animals from MAS took off, Pugh got a chance to speak with her counterpart at their destination — a no-kill shelter in upstate New York.

“Their adoption gallery for dogs is empty. They have zero dogs. So we’re about to fill up their adoption gallery for available pets,” Pugh said.

In other words, it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

According to The Commercial Appeal, the director of the smaller DeSoto County Shelter put more than 100 unwanted companion animal flights on the recent Wings of Rescue flights.

“This is what we would do all month,” director Monica Mock told the media. “It’s very nice to move that many animals in one day, especially during the slow time of the year.”

She added that people want puppies, and demand for them is highest in the spring. Sadly, not many people are adopting the adult dogs and cats at the shelter.

“That’s why this is such a wonderful opportunity for us,” Mock explained.

Coming to the rescue

The rescue missions conducted by Wings of Rescue are part of an ongoing effort to save unwanted dogs and cats that might otherwise be euthanized. Specifically, animal rescue groups from states where there are fewer homeless dogs and cats travel to areas where overpopulation is still an issue. In most cases, the goal is to save unwanted dogs and cats in states with “kill shelters.”

At the same time, animal rescue and advocacy groups throughout the United States are also emphasizing public outreach and spay/neuter programs to combat overpopulation. And while they’ve made significant progress in some areas, it is still an uphill battle.

According to the ASPCA:

Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.
Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).
About 649,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 542,000 are dogs and only 100,000 are cats.
Of the dogs entering shelters, approximately 35% are adopted, 31% are euthanized and 26% of dogs who came in as strays are returned to their owner.
Of the cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% of cats who came in as strays are returned to their owners.

You do the math.

Connecticut’s new (kid) governor promotes animal advocacy

Posted on November 30, 2016December 1, 2016 by alexb2448

I know I’ve said it before — and I’ll probably say it again. This is one of the coolest, most awesome stories I’ve come across in a long time. And this time I mean it. Really.

Eli, the In Brief Legal Writing Services mascot. — In Brief Legal Writing Services mascot Eli catching up on the latest news. Photo by Alexandra Bogdanovic

Apparently, Connecticut school kids recently “elected” a new governor. Or more accurately, a new “Kid Governor.” Her name is Jessica Brocksom and she’s in fifth grade.

According to published reports, the John F. Kennedy Elementary School student is the second Kid Governor elected as part of the Connecticut Public Affairs Network’s Kid Governor program.

Brocksom “defeated” six other students from Connecticut schools who submitted campaign videos this year. She secured the victory by capturing most of the 4,000 votes cast by fifth-graders from more than 40 towns.

As one Connecticut TV station reported, the key to Brocksom’s success was a timely and appealing platform.

“I just chose something that I felt very passionate about and I knew animals was one of my things because not many people pay attention to animals,” Brocksom informed the media during her first “post-election” news conference.

Among other things, Brocksom feels strongly about harsher punishments for those convicted of animal abuse.

As the newly elected Kid Governor, Brocksom will share her passion for animal advocacy with her peers beginning after her “inauguration” in January. Specifically, she will share ideas about how kids can get involved in activities to help unwanted and abused animals.

“You can just have a bin and have it like a food drive once or twice a year and you can donate a lot to an animal shelter to help with the animals that have been abused,” said Brocksom.

Organizers said the Connecticut Public Affairs Network created the Kid Governor program in order to “teach kids about civics and state government, but also about civic participation.”

Based on this year’s outcome, I’d say the program’s definitely a success. Congratulations, Jessica. And best of luck in the future. I’d say it’s looking pretty bright.

This time a pit bull was the victim

Posted on April 20, 2016 by alexb2448

Every once in a while, I come across a story that makes me cry. This week I found two.

A Real Tear-Jerker

The first one was an article I found on Yahoo.com. To sum it up, the story is about a man who was afraid of pit bulls — and was scared to death of what his wife’s pit bull-mix might do to their newborn baby. As it turned out, the pit bull-Lab cross loved the little girl. As they grew up together, the bond between the girl and her dog got even stronger.

But one day, everything went horribly wrong. The man, Greg Heynen, claims some neighborhood children poisoned Zack — the pit bull-cross who faithfully followed his daughter to bed every night. Zack died and for the first time, Greg’s daughter didn’t have her faithful companion by her side as she climbed the stairs at bedtime.

That’s when Greg’s own dog, Sam, stepped in. Somehow sensing the little girl’s distress, Sam escorted the little girl upstairs that night — and continued the tradition until his death six years later.

Needless to say, a lot of people commented on this story. Some of them said it made them cry. Others expressed outrage that children killed Zack. One even said that they should be poisoned as well. Others said they should be thrown in jail. Most agreed they should be punished in some way.

I agree. If these children deliberately poisoned Zack, they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. If permitted under state law, I would charge and try them as adults. Not only did they (allegedly) kill an innocent animal — they robbed a little girl of the rest of her childhood with her best friend. They robbed the Heynen family of a loyal and loving pet.

More importantly, if this was a deliberate act, these children demonstrated the depraved indifference characteristic of hard-core criminals. This is no exaggeration. Scientific studies provide irrefutable proof that children capable of harming animals can and sometimes do grow up to become serial killers.

Leo’s Story

The other story is one that hits closer to home. In fact, it’s about one of the dogs at the animal shelter where I have volunteered for almost three years.

Take me home! A dog up for adoption and an Adopt-a-Dog volunteer. Photo by A. Bogdanovic — An Adopt-a-Dog volunteer with a dog up for adoption at the annual Puttin’ on the Dog show in Greenwich last September. Photo by A. Bogdanovic

At this point, Leo, another pit bull-mix, has been at the shelter almost as long as I have. He came to Adopt-A-Dog in Armonk, N.Y., after a Good Samaritan spotted him by the side of a busy highway and rescued him in the spring of 2014.

He’s such an awesome dog that everyone at the shelter thought a family would adopt him pretty quickly. But a couple of things seemed to work against him from the beginning. For one thing, he will do best in a home with older teenagers. Secondly, he will be happiest in a household without any other pets.

The good news is that he’s thrived in the shelter’s enrichment and training program. He loves agility and he loves to swim, so he’d be a perfect companion for someone who needs a training partner!

You can learn more about Leo by clicking on the “What’s up at Adopt-A-Dog?” link in the sidebar here at inbrieflegalwriting.com tomorrow. You can also visit his profile page on the shelter’s website.

Finally, if you live in the New York metropolitan area and are interested in learning more about Adopt-A-Dog, you can also visit the shelter during our open house and adoption event on Saturday, April 23. The event, at 23 Cox Avenue in Armonk, N.Y., will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!

Advancing animal advocacy

Posted on March 14, 2016March 13, 2016 by alexb2448

A new rule currently pending review by the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Judiciary Committee calls for additional advocacy for neglected and abused animals.

Speaking up for those who can’t

As proposed, Connecticut House Bill 5344 would allow “a separate advocate” to be appointed “to represent the interests of the animal” or “the interests of justice” in certain cases.

The person selected from a list of qualified volunteers kept by the Commissioner of Agriculture would:

Monitor the case
Obtain information that would assist the judge or fact finder through consultations with relevant individuals
Review relevant records
Attend hearings
Issue relevant recommendations

Passion and professionalism

The selection of an advocate selected in a case specified under the new rule could be made by the court itself or at the behest of a lawyer or party involved in the case. The advocates would either be attorneys “with knowledge of animal issues and the legal system” or law students from schools that “have students or anticipate having students with an interest in animal issues and the legal system.”

Participating students would be bound by specific guidelines pertaining to legal interns set forth in the Connecticut Practice Book. The “book” includes the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules for the Superior Court and Code of Judicial Conduct for Connecticut lawyers.

Personal perspective

Well, here’s another “no-brainer.”

As evidenced by numerous articles on the subject, animal law is a growing discipline requiring a specific skill set. Allowing a separate advocate with the necessary knowledge and/or passion for and interest in the work to do the “heavy lifting” in cases involving “the welfare or custody of an animal” benefits everyone involved. For one thing, it takes the burden off lawyers who aren’t as well-versed in this particular area. More importantly, it ensures that the person making the final decision has all of the information he or she needs in order to do so.

But most importantly of all, it ensures that there is a “voice” for those who can’t speak for themselves.

Crooks sink to new low as ‘dognapping’ cases increase

Posted on February 22, 2016February 12, 2016 by alexb2448

What would you do if someone stole your dog? Or your cat, for that matter?

It’s probably something that has never crossed your mind. But it is something that you should probably start thinking about. Now.

According to a commonly cited statistic, roughly two million companion animals are stolen in the United States each year. Some disappear from back yards, and some vanish from “public places.” Some are snatched from cars. Most are never seen again.

Each Valentine’s Day (February 14), Last Chance for Animals (LCA), a Los Angeles-based animal rights and advocacy group, joins similar organizations throughout the country to celebrate Pet Theft Awareness Day. Its goal is to promote public awareness of the issue.

But to be honest, I had no idea that pet theft is so pervasive until I came across an article on an Ohio television station’s website. The account includes information about a couple that is suing an “estranged family member” who allegedly stole their dog. Shelby Patton, a plaintiff in the case, has reportedly started a petition in an effort to “change Ohio laws” so litigation is no longer necessary.

Fortunately, LCA says there are things pet owners can do to help prevent thefts. You can read those tips here.