Published letter in THE JOURNAL NEWS
Journal News, The (Westchester County, NY)
The Journal News
May 1, 2002
Shelter should adopt no-kill policy
Showing Animals Respect and Kindness supports the
efforts of the Friends of the Yonkers Animal Shelter in its efforts to
upgrade this shelter. SHARK was present during the first talks with Deputy
Parks Commissioner August Cambria concerning this shelter, and we were happy
to note that there is a nonprofit volunteer group able to give attention to
the needs of this shelter, currently little more than a dismal dumping
ground where healthy animals go to die.
The standard shelter credo is "every life is precious."
We want the Yonkers shelter to ascribe to the credo, with an eye toward it
becoming a non-kill shelter. This is possible and doable, as long as there
is a commitment by shelter management to stop the killing, period. One New
York shelter recently reduced the death rate by 78 percent by implementing a
specific plan of outreach.
Management contacted churches and businesses, saying
"Anytime you have an event, I'd like to be there and bring some pets who
need homes." They contacted the media constantly, believing that staying in
the public eye increases awareness and availability of homes.
They made shelter hours more accessible to the public
and created a volunteer program that increased the number of volunteers from
four to 130. And they made sure that no animals left the shelter without
being spayed/neutered.
Please help us make the Yonkers shelter fit the true
definition of the word shelter: "A refuge, an area of protection."
To reach "friends," please visit
www.Friendsofyonkersshelter.com .
Kiley Blackman
Yonkers
The writer is Northeast representative,
SHARK/Westchester
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