I received the following from Best Friends and I think Best Friends is trying to send a message that the $$$ that was given right after Katrina be used for the animals in the devasted area and not other parts of the US. All they are asking is that you sign a petition, so please take the time to read the article and help save a few more lives.
Dear Members & Friends,
Best Friends is asking all the national humane organizations who were involved in hurricane relief efforts to join with us in completing the rescue work that still needs to be done.
And we're asking you, our members and friends, to sign a petition about this
on our website at
www.bestfriends.org .
As you know, Best Friends is still bringing dozens of displaced pets out of
New Orleans every day. Although the official center at Gonzales has been
closed since early October, people are still rescuing dogs and cats all the
time, and we continue to bring as many as possible to the Best Friends relief
center - and from there to foster groups around the country.
Last week, a team of Best Friends staff members, led by our director of ops,
Paul Berry, toured the key counties and parishes in the region to do a formal
assessment of the situation. You can read Paul's report on the website.
There is clearly a lot of work yet to be done: thousands of animals yet to be
rescued and placed in foster/adoption homes, and much help needed in
rebuilding devastated shelters and local programs.
YOU GAVE THE ANIMALS YOUR MONEY. NOW GIVE THEM YOUR VOICE
We've launched a petition drive on the Best Friends website for the thousands of pets who are still displaced.
Tens of millions of dollars were donated toward the rescue effort, much of
which is still available to complete the work that still needs to be done.
Your voice will help bring the funds and the people back to New Orleans and
the Mississippi coast so that we can get pets out to foster homes and then
launch a national adoption campaign.
Between all of the national humane organizations, we can get this job done.
But time is running out. Starving, sick dogs and cats are still roaming the
streets.
On her blog on the Best Friends website, journalist Cathy Scott notes that
cats are sitting on the sidewalks, and dogs are hiding under houses.
"Hundreds and thousands throughout New Orleans are still out there and need to be rescued," she writes. "I spoke with two National Guard officers yesterday and they said the same thing: The animals need help, otherwise they will starve to death on the streets or get hit by cars as they migrate where the food and water sources are."
You can reach the petition from the Best Friends home page at
http://www.bestfriends.org . Please add your name to it, and encourage friends and family to do the same. You can also read our full report and the press release we sent out early this morning.
We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. And we can all give thanks that so much help, support, and love has gone into the work of rescuing homeless pets this year. Let's join together to complete the work on the Gulf Coast region.
Thank you, as always, for caring.
Michael Mountain
Best Friends