Letter to the Editor: Elephant Awareness Day

 Elephant Awareness Day

Why Colorado Springs should join the ranks of Los Angeles, CA; Dane County, WI; Hollywood, FL; and other localities with bans on elephant acts.

On Saturday, June 10, 2012 a whistle blower alerted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of an elephant chained by two legs being struck six times by a trainer using a bullhook with full force.

While Ringling Brothers Circus shows exploit elephants, horses, and large cats and rakes in annual profits of $500 million to $1 billion USD; the care for these animals are dismal at best. From the lack of clean water, being locked in small cages and the severe beatings, we as a community would never stand for this if they were children or our companion animals. So why elephants?

Last year Ringling Brothers were fined $270,000USD for a similar case while performing in Colorado Springs at The World Arena. When we continue to give our money to establishments like this, we condone abuse as entertainment, and our city will continue to be tainted by the realities of the ugly underbelly that is behind the curtain.

Los Angeles will be celebrating Elephant Awareness Day on August 3, 2012 and National Elephant Appreciation Day is September 22, 2012. We should make one of these two days our goal to ban the Saddest Show on Earth.

Your Reader,

JMFortune

Best Friends Animal Society

Underdog senior chihuahua hit the jackpot ♥♥ Best Friends Animal Society: Our mission is to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets.

By Denise LeBeau

On a scorching Phoenix day, a delivery truck driver glimpses some movement on the side of the road. The driver stops to investigate. The distraction turns out to be a senior Chihuahua. The poor guy’s ears are ravaged by flies, and he has bad teeth, bad knees, and appears to have an old eye injury. The driver knows someone who can possibly help, so she makes a call to Jill Lenz.

Before Jill can fully comprehend the situation, the truck driver takes the dog to the municipal shelter. Jill can’t bear the thought of the dog waiting on death row. As the dog’s hold period at the shelter starts counting down, Jill contacts her local pet transporter who picks up the dog from the shelter and brings him to her immediately.

Jill and her colleague Sandi Howlett have been doing animal rescue in the Phoenix area for years. Though they aren’t organized as a formal group, they have helped hundreds of dogs find safety. Jill’s breed of choice is the pit bull terrier, but any dog in need is a dog worth saving.

Yikes, it’s lice

The Chihuahua is in desperate need of care. The vet determines he’ll need knee surgery and a dental, and diagnoses the strange, small black dots on his skin as lice. He has been neglected for a very long time. As Jill's and Sandi’s skin begins to crawl, they are assured it’s a type of lice that will not infest people.
This little dog’s road to recovery has begun.

They’re all stars in their eyes

Jill reached out to Best Friends for assistance. When Lezlie Sage, No More Homeless Pets specialist for the Southwest, got the news from Jill about the dog in need of costly medical care and a forever home, her instincts kicked in. Lezlie has been with Best Friends for a dozen years, doing adoptions for nine of them, so when her gut tells her something about placing a companion animal, she’s usually right.
"As soon as I heard his story, I knew our Best Friends’ clientele would fall in love with him," shares Lezlie. "Our members are so focused on helping the underdog, and this dog certainly fit the criteria."

From SOS to Oh, Yes

Lezlie sent out a Best Friends Members Message – an email that goes out to folks to alert them of pressing issues – that the little Chihuahua was looking for a forever home. The message included his photo and a straightforward description of his condition.

Micro C. livin' the good life!

Within an hour, calls started coming in from folks wanting to adopt the little dog. When Janet and Jerry Bushey’s inquiry arrived, Jill immediately knew the little dog had hit the jackpot.

Janet and Jerry are the quintessential animal lovers and have been Best Friends members for many years. While they currently live in Sun City, Arizona, they are moving to Austin, Texas. During a previous trip to the famously dog-friendly town, their friends turned them on to the idea of having a small dog – say a Chihuahua. So when the Members Message arrived, they knew they needed to meet this dog.

"As soon as Sandi brought him over, I melted," says Janet. "His plight and his situation moved us. We adopt the ones that need us. When I look at a dog like Micro, I know I want to help him — their life has been so crummy and I want to make it up to them. Give them what they didn’t have before."

Micro C. (the "C" stands for Chip) Bushey now has spa days, a trip planned to the orthopedist, and an abundance of all the good things in life.

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Photos courtesy of Lezlie Sage