Well I would like to get something off my chest or my mind. Last night while watching TV a commercial ran about animal abuse. Now I am 55 years old and have been around the block and have witnessed some awful things in those 55 years, but the commercial actualy made me have nightmares. It pictured a sick horse being led to the kill station in a processing plant. Then it showed a crate full of dogs. I mean crammed in with one poor dog who had his head sticking out through the mesh wire.

That was totally uncalled for and I hope no children saw that. It came fast and without no warning. I became so upset I actually got sick to stomach! Later that night I saw it again in my dreams.

I know these things must be brought to the attention of all humanity. But there are limits on what is shown on the tube. But since I saw that I have became more aware and active. I am just afraid of the message a 5 or 6 year old would feel watching that.

Please sign my petition to Obama to end animal abuse and cruelty and save our environment. Thanks. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/help-animals-environment-sign-letter-to-obama

Hi Everyone,

I am new to Care2 and made a bee-line for this group since animal welfare and animal rights are important to me. I live in the North Texas area and wanted to share with all of you information about an organization that helps shelters and individuals with limited incomes defray the costs of emergency medical care for animals that have been abused or abandoned.

A spotlight story on an individual animal that has been saved following efforts to save his or her life is featured monthly or bi-monthly. Stories are submitted by people across the country who have been involved in an animal rescue or other situation in which emergency treatment was the only way to save an animal's life.  

This month there is a particularly difficult story about a dog named Lady, who was rescured from a yard where she was chained to a tree without room to walk and with an embedded collar in her neck.

Although the images are difficult, the story has a happy ending. Lady is recovering and has a new and caring home. Unfortunately, in order for shelters like the one that rescued Lady to continue their good work, they need assistance for emergency cases like this. Part of the mission of Animals Abused & Abandonedis to focus on fundraising to help shelters with this specific type of care when needed.

I hope you will check out Animals Abused & Abandoned and share with people you know.

Thanks,
Jane

Dear members,

Marilena Squillaro, the woman who cared for the dogs of "SOSCoky" urgently needs our help. The community of Santa Maria di Castellabate sent her a penalty and Marilena now badly needs money to employ a lawyer - money that Marilena of course can not get together. 

Please read and crosspost the following plead - in the name of justice!

I thank you all from my heart!

Marion
Neuburger Tierhilfe e.V.

http://www.neuburger-tierhilfe.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

SOSCoky emergency update

Dear animal lovers,

it would seem that despite all our, and your, best efforts to help the poor dogs of Santa Maria di Castellabate and to offer our moral and practical help to Marilena and the shelter, things are going wrong:

After out visit to the Mayor of Castellabate, when we assumed that finally appropriate action would be taken to house the dogs in humane, healthy conditions, the forces of law and order and the local dignitaries did indeed take fright, but instead of arranging for the completion of the new local refuge, they brought all their weight to bear on Marilena. She has been made the scapegoat for all their lack of care and failure to take any action to help these poor creatures, rather than giving her the respect she deserves for devoting nearly twenty years of unpaid work to what anyone else would have given up long ago as a lost cause.

Three weeks ago she received a legal notice from his Worship the Mayor, informing her that the police would be coming to seize the dogs and ship them off to various dogs’ homes all over Campania. At our last visit at the beginning of November things nevertheless seemed to come to a good end. A vet of the A.S.L managed the affairs and the dogs will come to good shelters. So far so good for the animals.

But things run different for Marilena: The community conveniently planted an article in the local press agonising over the conditions at this ‘illegal/unauthorised’ place, which of course they hadn’t bothered to do anything about for over 6 years, and Marilena was held up as a monster and the cause of the animals’ distress.

 To add insult to injury they have even had the nerve to inform her that she will be held liable for every last brass farthing that they, of course, decide this ‘errand of mercy’ has cost them. Marilena needs our help NOW. Time is very short to launch an appeal against this monstrous miscarriage of justice, but as we all know, lawyers don’t come cheap. Virtually every penny Marilena manages to earn goes on the dogs and there are just no funds to pay for legal action. So we are appealing to all of you, who really do care, to make a difference.

We need 2,500 Euro as a down payment for the lawyer to take on the appeal. Just 10 euro from only 250 of you would make it possible to call a halt to this appalling victimisation. The bank account details of the association are given below.

Please send your donations with the purpose "Marilena" to:

Neuburger Tierhilfe e.V.

Sparkasse Neuburg-Rain

BLZ 721 520 70

Konto 985 127

Please share!!  As many of you know, Sgt. Beberg's dog "Ratchet" is now home from Iraq and in Minnesota safe and sound.  More than 69,000 people signed the petition asking for clemency for the soldier's dogs, with orders of "shoot to kill" and certain death awaiting Ratchet.  The AP sent the story to every news agency around the world and it became headline news everywhere.  With the eyes of the world watching, the Army finally released  the soldier's dog and after a third attempt to transport Ratchet out of iraq, Operation Baghdad Pups finally rescued the dog.

 But, our efforts do not end with Ratchet. Many more soldiers are anxiously waiting for their pets to be granted safe passage home to the U.S. Operation Baghdad Pups receives 4-5 requests a week from soldiers in Iraq & Afghanistan, asking for safe passage home for their pets. 

Our letter and petition to the Department of Defense to appeal their policy against animals and soldiers is now online.

 Please take a moment to read the petition and sign it. A letter writing campaign to the DOD is our objective. The Army heard our voices about Ratchet and released him. Now, we must make sure the DOD hears our voices and listens. The policy must be changed. We know far too much about PTSD to ignore this problem.

 Please go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/change-military-policy-about-animals/

Please share this with friends, family and your online communities. Thank you for your time and continued support.

M.A.R.S.  Safe Haven
http://www.mars-safehaven.net/
Supports Rescue Programs and Animal Welfare
Sponsors of "Clemency for Ratchet" petition