March
2008March
2008Welcome to the online edition of the NEFHS newsletter. In order to direct more of our resources toward our Annual Conference, and to be more responsive and timely in sharing news and information, we are using this format to replace our print newsletter. Please help us spread the word about this new resource by forwarding it to other animal welfare advocates you think may be interested in signing up. We hope you enjoy it!
If you're not already subscribed and would like to receive future NEFHS e-newsletters, click this link (or go to the NEFHS website) to subscribe. If you'd like to be removed from our mailing list, click the link at the bottom of this newsletter.
In this Issue:
Dear Friends,
Although there is still snow on the ground in much of New England, we’re already beginning to gear up for kitten season. What of all those things we were going to accomplish “when things slow down” over the winter?
We always hope the off-season will help us catch up on everything from paperwork to protocols. Despite the weather, it is the best time to think about new programs and reconnect with colleagues old and new.
Here are two terrific ways to jump start yourself and your organization before the kitten flood arrives:
Come and share your opinions at the New England Federation of Humane Societies Town Meeting on “The No Kill Debate 20 Years Later: Where are We Now?” on Friday, March 21, at the Tufts Vet School.
A month later, I hope to see you at the NEFHS Annual Training Conference in Burlington, Vermont from April 28th-30th. This year’s conference offers an unparalleled learning experience for people in all facets of animal welfare.
These events are an opportunity for us to think outside our own communities, learn what works in other places, and simply breathe the same air as people who “get” us, who won’t question the pet fur on our pants or the fact that all of our own companion animals are “quirky.”
So if you’re like me and you want to re-invigorate yourself and your co-workers before the summer’s work begins, take advantage of these incredible learning and networking opportunities. For more information visit www.newenglandfed.org.
And if you see me at the workshop, or the town meeting, or the conference, don’t be shy—introduce yourself. I look forward to meeting you!
For the animals,
Leslie Harris
President
New England Federation of Humane Societies
Date/Time: March 21, 2008, 1:00 to 4:30 PM
Location: Franklin M. Loew Veterinary Medicine Education Center, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Grafton, MA
Topic: Kill vs. No-Kill: 15 Years Later, What have we Learned, What has Changed
A panel discussion and open conversation of how the No-Kill movement has changed animal sheltering and adoptions.
Panelists to include:
Barbara Hays, Executive Director,
Thomas J O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, Springfield, MA
Susan Linker, Executive Director,
Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary, Bloomfield, CT
Gary Patronek, Director of Animal Welfare and
Protection,
Animal Rescue League of Boston, MA
Bert Troughton, Senior Director,
Imagine Humane, ASPCA
To register or for more information, go to our website at www.newenglandfed.org or contact Stephanie Frommer at stephanief@humanecommunity.org or call 603-352-9011 x 123 with any questions.
Date: April 28-30,2008
Location: Burlington, VT
Register online at https://nefhs.atlastravel.com/ or check our website (www.newenglandfed.org) for more details about topics, speakers, and registering.
Our online store has a lots of great ideas for you and your pets.
Profits from the sale of these items help support our Fed events.
You can visit our online store at http://www.cafepress.com/nefhs.
Steve Putnam has been appointed as the Executive Director of the National Federation of Humane Societies (NFHS).
NFHS is a trade association with a mission to develop and utilize a unified voice of advocacy for the animal care and control community. If you'd like to learn more about the Federation, please visit www.humanefederation.org
Seventeen-year-old lifelong animal lover Alyssa Kane of Dedham, Massachusetts was selected as the 2008 Humane Teen of the Year by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The Humane Teen of the Year Award recognizes a student in grades 7 through 12 who has made a significant contribution to animal protection. “Through her passion for helping homeless animals and gift of relating to the younger people she works with, Alyssa is a role model to her peers,” says Heidi O’Brien, director of outreach for Humane Society Youth, The HSUS’s youth education division.
Alyssa started volunteering at the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) as soon as she turned 13, which is the minimum volunteer age. She is also employed at Dr. Wolf’s Animal Medical Center. Alyssa’s work for animals includes:
Teaching children proper pet care and socialization through the ARL’s Mutts & More program
Caring for shelter animals including rehabilitation and training
“Alyssa is the first person to jump into any situation in which there is an animal requiring help,” said Ruth Spengler, former supervisor at the ARL.
For other teens who want to help animals, Alyssa advises, “Volunteer. Shelter animals need toys and bedding—you can hold fundraisers for these items. Young people can also start or join an animal protection club through their high school or animal shelter.”
Alyssa’s future plans include joining SMART (State of Massachusetts Animal Response Team), attending college in Boston, and eventually working for the ARL in its Animal Behavior or Law Enforcement departments.
To read more about Alyssa and other young people at work for animals, visit humanesociety.org/teens.
Along with the
American Humane Association and the
Kenneth A. Scott
Charitable Trust,
The
Linkage Project
will host a national interactive conference
specifically designed to advance public policy and community coalition building. At this first-ever national conference, you’ll hear directly from renowned
speakers in policy, research and community practice, network with leaders in the
field and share successes and challenges in addressing the link. This national
town meeting will be on June 8-9, 2008 at the Holiday Inn by
the Bay in Portland, Maine. For more information, go to
http://www.linkageproject.org
March 29-30, 2008, Worcester, MA
Emergency Animal Sheltering
CMDART, Inc. will host a two-day, 15-hour Emergency Animal Sheltering course in Worcester featuring national trainers from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS.org). This introductory course (15 hours) will familiarize participants with common disaster situations and teach them how to be effective emergency animal relief responders. Click here to register online: http://www.humanesocietyu.org/workshops_and_classes/emergency_animal_sheltering_6.html
April 5-6, 2008, Bedford, NH
Emergency Animal Sheltering
The Emergency Animal Sheltering training will also be coming to New Hampshire on April 5-6, 2008. Sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States and the New Hampshire Disaster Animal Response Team, this training will be held at the Animal Rescue League in Bedford, NH. Click here for more information and to register: http://www.humanesocietyu.org/workshops_and_classes/emergency_animal_sheltering_5.html
April 7-11, 2008, Hartford, Connecticut
National Animal Control Association Level 1 Training Academy
This program is designed for Animal Control Officers, Police Officers, and anyone else who is responsible for Animal Control and its many facets. For registration information, call NACA at 913-768-1319, extension 6, or visit www.nacanet.org and download a registration form.
April 9-11, 2008, Orlando, Florida
International Veterinary Forensics Conference
NACA is proud to join the University of Florida and the ASPCA as a sponsor for the 2008 International Veterinary Forensics Conference. Billed as the first-ever CSI event for veterinarians, the conference has already attracted attendees from all over the world. The course material is geared toward veterinarians; however, every animal control officer would benefit greatly from learning about how to identify, collect, and prepare this type of evidence for a case. Deadline for registration is March 21, 2008, with the conference limited to 150 attendees. Additional information is available at www.conferences.dce.ufl.edu/vetforensics.
May 2-4, 2008, Augusta, ME
DART Training
Join The Humane Society of The United States and the Maine Animal Welfare Program for DART training. The course will be held at The Senator Inn in Augusta, Maine. For more information, including registration, go to http://www.humanesocietyu.org/workshops_and_classes/disaster_animal_response_team_1.html
May 14-17, 2008 Walt Disney World® Resort, Florida
Animal Care Expo
Each year, the HSUS hosts Animal Care Expo, the premier international educational conference and trade show for animal sheltering professionals. The goal of the annual event is to help people working in the fields of animal sheltering, care, control and rescue do their jobs better and more efficiently.
Animal Care Expo offers dozens of specialized workshops and day-long courses on a wide range of topics. Sessions are prepared and presented by experts in various facets of animal care and control, from humane education to volunteer management to disaster planning and response. In addition, the trade show allows animal shelter professionals to learn about the latest and best products and services in the field.
More information about Expo, including the registration guide, schedule of events and workshop descriptions, can be found online at www.AnimalSheltering.org/expo.
Resources: Books from New England Authors
44 Days out of Kandahar by Christine Sullivan
No doubt about it: Americans love their pets. But rescuing a puppy gone missing halfway around the world takes a truly global effort. That’s one message of Cambridge resident Christine Sullivan’s self-published book 44 Days Out of Kandahar. The 214-page, professionally designed volume tells the true story of how Sullivan’s brother Mark Feffer, a Navy Reservist, befriended a skinny, reddish pup while serving on an Afghan army base in Kandahar. The soldiers who fed and played with the dog called her “Be-atch,” but Feffer renamed her Cinnamon.
Dog to Dog Communication by Jamie Shaw
Some dogs are friendly with other dogs, and some dogs are consistently aggressive or fearful, no matter the breed. In this fully illustrated guide, dog expert Jamie Shaw explains to readers the natural and learned instincts that form a dog’s temperament and then teaches us how to apply the right kind of behavioral training methods to ensure a dog-friendly dog that you'll no longer have to be embarrassed by. Complete with instructional photos and chock-full of helpful step-by-step information, Shaw also shares case histories of specific dogs that transformed their dog-aggressive manners even when their owners thought all hope was lost. This is an easy-to-use handbook for those of us who want to keep our four-legged friends safe and happy in any social situation.
Jamie Shaw founded The Dog School in 1987 when she saw a need for a new kind of dog training. The school uses the theory of animal learning to train and teach dogs to be very user-friendly for their owners. Shaw teaches dog to dog communication, agility, and obedience classes and also offers behavioral consultations in Huntington, VT.
CONNECTICUT The Connecticut Animal Fighting Task Force, which includes municipal and state animal control officers from throughout the state, is soliciting submissions for logos from area art schools. The group is also in the process of developing a website to better inform the public about how to recognize and report animal fighting.
The CT
Illegal Animal Fighting Task force has their next meeting scheduled for
Wednesday April 16, 2008, at the Stratford Police Department,900 Longbrook Ave.,
Stratford, CT, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. The meetings rotate statewide in hopes
of more participation. To find out more information or how to get involved,
contact ACO Christine Sparks, Bloomfield Animal Control at 860-242-5501 ext 450
or her email at:
animalcontrol@bloomfieldpolice
MAINE
The Maine Legislature is in full swing and public hearings have been held for LD 2010 and LD 2171, a pair of bills that deal with puppy mills and breeder regulations. Strong support from Maine's activist community and to a lesser degree from the hobby breeders, has given these bills the impetus to move forward and the Committee on Agriculture will be hashing out language at the upcoming work sessions. In light of the 4 large recent seizures Maine has had, these bills are more important than ever! Budget consolidation and cuts have led to money being squeezed out of the State Animal Welfare Program, on top of an already huge cost for the seizures. The State Help Fix ME program continues to need funding and Mainers are encouraged to donate to the Companion Animal Sterilization Fund on their tax return.
MASSACHUSETTS
Protecting Animals through Public Policy Workshops
Dates and Location:
March 18 MSPCA/Angell Boston Headquarters
March 20 Springfield Animal Care and Adoption Center
March 25 Brockton Animal Care and Adoption Center
March 27 Methuen Animal Care and Adoption Center
Time: All Workshops begin at 6:30 pm
Have you ever wondered what you can do to help pass laws to better protect animals? The MSPCA is holding several workshops across the state to explain the legislative process and how you can make a difference for animals. Please RSVP to advocacy@mspca.org. For directions or more information please visit www.mspca.org/governmentaffairs.
Lobby Day for
Animals:
April 8, 2008 10am-2pm,
Massachusetts State House, Nurses Hall
Please join the MSPCA at the State House in Boston at our annual Lobby Day for Animals. The event presents an exciting opportunity to meet one on one with your state Senators and Representatives to let them know what animal-related legislation is important to you. The day will begin with a presentation on animal protection bills filed for the 2007-2008 legislative session. After learning about these bills, you will be able to meet with legislators from your district.
Read bill summaries on current animal protection legislation. Please RSVP by emailing advocacy@mspca.org. For directions or to learn more about the event www.mspca.org/governmentaffairs.
NEW
HAMPSHIRE The New Hampshire Disaster Animal Response Team recently sponsored a training drill at the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire. This was an opportunity for local DART team leaders to test intake procedures for emergency animal shelters. Representatives from the state vet’s office and the USDA were also on hand, along with attendees representing every New England state. The DART team will be sponsoring several more trainings, and a schedule can be found on their website at www.nhdart.org.
The New Hampshire Attorney General recently held a press conference, along with members of the NH Governor’s Commission on the Humane Treatment of Animals and the NH Animal Fighting Task Force, to announce the new HSUS rewards program for animal fighting tips. The HSUS has increased their standard $2,500 reward for animal cruelty tips to $5,000 for tips that lead to the arrest and prosecution of animal fighters. A bill to improve New Hampshire’s animal fighting law is also making its way through the legislature, and passed the Senate in early February.
VERMONT
Animal welfare advocates from around the state attended a Humane Lobby Day sponsored by the HSUS in Montpelier recently. This national event happened concurrently in 23 states around the country. Concerned citizens and representatives of the shelter and rescue community met with their legislators regarding pending bills banning puppy mills, coyote contest competitions, and allowing dissection choice. Governor Jim Douglas also took some time to meet with the group and give some encouraging words.