Stewie To The Rescue!

An Open Letter To Speaker Sheldon Silver

2012-02-19T08:46:00.000-05:00

Speaker Silver,

I'm sure that by now you've not only heard from hundreds (thousands?) of people regarding bill No. A05449A, that was sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin.

I'm not going to bother explaining to you why it's a poor bill, especially when there is a much better bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Micah Kellner, that has been circulating for months, because I'm sure that you've already heard the pros and cons of both bills (and by much smarter people than I!)

Actually, I merely have questions - Questions that I have asked the ASPCA but they have not answered. I am hoping that you can get an answer -

1 - Why did the ASPCA decide to suddenly write a bill when there was a bill designed to save more animals, and help make better shelters already written? It's almost like they are begging for us to compare them and I'm sure that you will.

2 - If they didn't like aspects Assemblyman Kellner's bill, why didn't they work with Assemblyman Kellner to re-work his? I don't know Mr. Kellner, but I'm guessing he knows that most (all?) bills are passed after differing sides compromise.

3 - Why did the ASPCA craft its bill (and let's face it, it's THEIR bill) on its own, without discussing its contents with any of the other leading rescue groups. Already, several large groups (including the highly respected national organization Best Friends Animal Society) have come out diametrically opposed to it, while supporting CAARA (Assemblyman Kellner's bill)

4 - The ASPCA has already said they are in the process of changing the wording of their bill, and that they can understand why people are "freaking out" (this is what their representative told me on their Facebook page). The obvious question is why didn't they realize that it was so poorly written before? Why were they in such a rush to get this passed (before Assemblyman Kellner's bill) that not one person who read it in their organization realized what their bill would mean? I mean, why didn't it freak any of them out?

Furthermore, they have not said that they are changing the wording of the part of their bill that gives shelters the right to not work with certain rescue groups. They claim it is due to hoarding concerns but in reality, here in NYC, that would result in the already notoriously difficult-to-work-with regime more difficult to work with as they (Julie Bank, the executive director, specifically) have already threatened the access of rescue groups, solely for speaking out about conditions that they've witnessed within the shelters.

Are they going to amend that part too?

5 - And finally, why are the vast majority of the animal rescue community/advocates for CAARA and against the ASPCA bill, while the only groups that I hear supporting the ASPCA bill are shelters that have high kill rates?

I think you for taking the time to read this, and hope that with your position that you can get the answers that I couldn't.

Respectfully Yours,

Harris Bloom

Upper East Side Working Mom Lets The AC&C Board Have It!

2012-02-06T22:42:00.002-05:00

I wasn't the only one giving it to the NYC Animal Care and Control Board at their meeting last week -

Here's self-described Upper East Side Working Mom Felicia Greenfield giving it to 'em...

Great job Felicia!!!

Rock On,

Harris Bloom
President/Founder
www.stewietotherescue.org

How Being Involved In Animal Rescue Affects Reading To My Baby

2012-02-06T11:07:00.002-05:00

My wife and I have a ~~one year old~~ thirteen month old daughter named Zadie at home and we've started to read to her. Gotta tell you, it's tough not to get into "Animal Rescue Mode" with some of these books....

"'Who's behind the comfy blankets?!?' (Turns page) 'Playful Puppies!! Woof woof!!' I assume these pups aren't at a puppy mill in Lancaster or there's no way the business owners would allow them out of their feces strewn cages! In fact, they'd be bred until no longer serviceable at which point they would be killed!"

"'A baby horse is called a foal!' I'm not sure where this takes place but I hope this foal doesn't end up as a carriage horse in NYC, where she will be expected to work for long hours in extreme temperatures and then have to make it back to the stable on Manhattan's West Side, navigating past rush hour traffic to do so!"

"'The cow goes 'Moooooo!' But not for long as there's a good chance it will end up on a dinner plate! Do you know what you aren't seeing in this picture? Animals killed for food are neglected, kept in filthy conditions, and often slaughtered in painful ways, such as having their throats cut while fully conscious."

What? You want mommy to read from now on?

Harris Bloom

Oooops, I Did It Again!

2012-02-04T14:36:00.001-05:00

Here's the vid of me at the latest NYC Animal Care and Control Board of Directors meeting (They may not let me in anymore, between this and the last time)...

My Review of the NYC Animal Care and (Mostly) Control Board Meeting - January 31, 2012

2012-02-01T11:28:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I attended my second NYC Animal Care and Mostly Control (AC&C) BOD meeting. I made a bit of a splash at the last one, making over 700 new Facebook friends (97% women...my wife loves it!).

How did this one go? Read on...

First of all, the Powers That Be at the AC&C gave us about a week's notice. Of course they knew when they were to meet before that, but they wanted to ensure as weak a turnout as possible. And even then, it was posted in a section of their website that a forensic scientist couldn't find. Well played AC&C!

I got there at 8:30 AM for the 10:00 AM meeting for two reasons -

1. The last meeting was a bit of a clusterfcuk as many who did not get there early were unable to get in. Now, while I knew this meeting was in a larger room, I was still worried that the animal rescue community would should up in droves in spite of the AC&C's best efforts, and

2. Since they were allowing public comments on a first come-first served basis, and the amount of time allocated to public comments was shorter than usual, I wanted to make sure that I had my say...

To my shock, I was the first person there. Friend and Shelter Reform Action Committee Executive Esther Koslow soon joined me. It soon became obvious to me that for whatever reason, turnout amongst the animal rescue community would be down from the previous year. Some blamed the time, but as I recall, last years' was also in the middle of a workday, no?

The unfortunate thing is that some people on Facebook spend a lot of time wondering how to create a buzz about our mission, and here we were, with media in the room (I saw someone from The Daily News), a perfect opportunity to be heard, and few showed up. Then again, I can't blame people who need to work to survive (I took a half of a vacation day from my job - some vacation day!)

The BOD agreed to amend it's by-laws, as required by new law, to admit two new Board members. They didn't announce who these people will be but I'm sure these two two members will be completely independent animal lovers and vote according to their heart. Ahem...

Then we were treated to Julie Bank telling us about the state of the shelter. One fascinating aspect was how she explained that intakes were dramatically down over the past year or two, and euthanasia was down (btw - her speech will be on YouTube soon). She neglected to mention that in the middle of 2010, the AC&C stopped rescuing cats and cut its field operations in general. I'm no genius, but I'm guessing this would result in fewer intakes, and therefore, fewer animals to be euthanized. I wouldn't expect her to mention that, nor would I expect the Board to question her about. I wasn't disappointed.

Then again, the BOD had zero questions for ANYONE who spoke, including Julie, their internal accountant and external auditor. I'd like to think it's because they are always questioning Julie and her cohorts, but I know better.

One bright spot of the poor community support was the amount of respect given to the various speakers. Last time, there were a lot of interruptions, and quite frankly, even though I understand our frustrations, it was a little embarrassing and unproductive.

Another bright spot was the quality of speakers when we reached the public comment part. My speech (rant?) will be on YouTube shortly, but there were several extremely eloquent and heartfelt speakers, including a woman from (I think) Second Chance Rescue (who brought the ashes of a dog she rescued from the AC&C that was healthy when going in, but had parvo upon exiting), a mom and dog owner from the Upper East Side (that's how she described herself), and someone who simply wanted to adopt a dog from the AC&C, and got such a runaround, you'd think the staff there gets paid according to how many people they can anger.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that although the BOD sat in stone-faced silence the entire meeting, no matter who was speaking, that Patrick Nolan and Bruce Doniger came into the audience after the meeting was over, and actually seemed to listen to people who wanted a minute of their time. It's kind of bizarre that I would feel the need to mention that (It's kinda like when we're shocked when a professional athlete or famous actor does something "nice"), but I guess it's something.

Rock On,

Harris Bloom
President/Founder
www.stewietotherescue.org

A Plea To New York's Animal Rescue Community

2012-01-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

As we all know (or should by now), this upcoming Tuesday is the Board meeting of the New York City Animal Care And Control's Board of Directors.

Yes, they waited until the last second to post this.
Yes, they have cut down the amount of time allocated for speakers.
Yes, they have cut the time for each individual speaker.

My response?

There is nothing we can do about it so I am not going to get up into a lather over it.

I will say this - Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy. I don't think we did ourselves any favors by talking over the speakers, or heckling them. If you don't want to listen to me, fine, I'm no one.

But, I know a lot of you follow Nathan Winograd and his (I think it's his) "No Kill Equation." I'd like to point out Step Three (page 8). What's the first item listed under "Fight Smart?"

Be Professional.

"One of the most important aspects of No Kill advocacy is to be professional at all times, including in your appearance, preparation, presentations, and communications."

Think about it. What good do you hope to accomplish by shouting down Farley or Bank? Any press that is there will refer to us unruly fringe-type activists, cause that's what's going to sell newspapers. Not only that, but it will give Farley ammunition to further limit our rights at these meetings.

You wanna scream about Bank claiming euthanasia is down, do it on Facebook. You wanna heckle Farley when he commends Bank on a job well done, write down your frustration, write an op-ed about it, and send it to a newspaper. You wanna laugh when Bank talks about how great their tea is selling, well, okay, laugh, cause that would be pretty funny.

I know it's hard, but for the animals sake, try to be respectful...even if you don't think they deserve it.

See you there...

Harris Bloom
President/Founder/Wet Blanket
www.stewietotherescue.org

The ASPCA Does It Again...

2012-01-24T22:16:00.001-05:00

There is a current uproar about a cat named Gloria. If your not familiar with the story, advocate John Sibley wrote about the situation here and updated it here.

Thanks to the power of the Internet, everyone has become aware of it. Who knows what kinda crap they pulled before there was a Facebook? I will say that everyone I have ever spoken to who has worked there, has told me that while they obviously do some good, they do a lot of bad, and overall, their experience was disillusioning. This is besides how they cherry pick the animals that they choose to take from the AC&C.

None of this should be a shocker to me, not after I found out the reason why they left the NYC shelter system in shambles was due to public relations.

Read this article from the NY Times in 1993.

It seems to me that they did exactly the opposite of what you'd expect (hope?) that they'd do - There was a situation in crisis, and rather than help, they choose to leave.

Seriously, think about what they did for a second... (I'll wait)...

Rather than work to create a better shelter system, they told NYC to drop dead, much as they have recently. Why? It was costing them donations.

Take a gander at this quote from them the ASPCA's then President -

"Philosophically, it's a nightmare to kill 30,000 to 40,000 animals a year," Mr. Caras said. "That's not our mission."

Exactly whose mission is it to kill 30,000 to 40,000 animals a year (besides McDonald's)? They ran the shelter (and others) since 1894 and in all those years, they couldn't come up with ANY workable ideas?!? They kept the status quo and once they saw how much it was hurting their coffers, they left. And then, right after is this lovely quote...

In addition, he said, being perceived as an animal killer has crippled the society's fund-raising...

My guess is that the "in addition" is the EXACT reason why they cut bait and ran.

With all of this history, how can anyone take these clowns seriously? Why would anyone want to donate money to an animal rights organization that won't fight for the animals when the going gets tough? How long will it take for the public to see through their commercials?

Harris Bloom
President/Founder
www.stewietotherescue.org

You Have 60 Seconds...Go!

2012-01-23T20:33:00.000-05:00

I was taking a look at the No-Kill guide to reforming shelters on your area and I saw something that interested me..

"Focus your message so succinctly that you could tell a complete stranger everything they need to know in 60 seconds."

I agree, as I have at times come across people interested in whats going on with our shelter thanks to my Facebook/You Tube posts, but can't tell the story without, well, telling a story.

How would YOU tell a stranger our problem with the NYC AC&C in 60 seconds?

Go!

Harris Bloom
Founder/President/Bon Vivant
www.stewietotherescue.org

You Are Julie Bank! (A New Series!)

2012-01-22T21:36:00.004-05:00

Okay, so Julie Bank's contract is up in a couple of months and there's a good chance she's gonna get a new one. That would mean another two years of Julie.

What does that mean for us?

Well, my guess is two more years of adversarial relationships between Animal Care and Control (AC&C) management and the rescue community (if you're new here, just read some older blogs with "Julie Bank" tags). Actually, that's a pretty educated guess.

We know nothing's going to change in a big way until NYC divests itself of the ACC (can anyone tell me why they are so headstrong on keeping it?), but let's put that aside for now. I think that will happen but not in the foreseeable future (meaning two years). So, we're stuck with the DOH and Julie. With that in mind, let's look at the here and now, as animals are needlessly dying due to actions that the AC&C has taken (or not taken) that just seem like no-brainers (pun intended).

This series of blogs is intended to come up with solutions to some of the issues that we have with the AC&C in a way that would help the animals and also help Julie save face (and like I said in my previous blog, I really don't care if she takes credit for implementing others' ideas - All I care about is the animals).

So, let's start....

As I mentioned on Facebook recently, I have no idea why, not only doesn't the AC&C market its animals on Facebook, but actually impedes Urgent Part 2, who does! (By the way, my monthly animal rescue fundraiser will be mostly to assist Urgent on February 15th at Gotham Comedy Club). I think it's pretty indisputable that the social networks have played a major part in animal rescue and there's no reason why the AC&C shouldn't be on there.

Well, there is one reason.

Having a FB page that allowed people to comment (and they would have to allow people to comment on the various animals' posts) would open the floodgates to hundreds (thousands?) of nasty posts a day by people not willing to give the AC&C the benefit of the doubt.

The solution?

How about if, instead of fighting Urgent, they actually helped them by feeding them info willingly? News of that change would certainly get out, and while it wouldn't change most peoples' opinions about Julie or the AC&C, it would be an olive branch that some may accept as good faith for the sake of the animals. Best of all as far as the DOH is concerned, it wouldnt cost a cent!

What do you think?

Harris Bloom

Grand Poobah

www.stewietotherescue.org

This is OUR Freakin' Shelter!

2012-01-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

Let me make one thing clear before I get into this blog entry -

No, I do not think we should give up reforming New York Animal Care and Control, our city shelter. We should continue to fight tooth and nail (okay, maybe not "nail") to get it out from under NYC's DOH's thumb, we should continue to fight for them to hire better management (maybe hiring an animal lover to the BOD and Executive Director position would be a decent start), and we should keep fighting for greater transparency about what the heck is going on in there (as there's no way that the stories that we all hear can't come with another side...here's the latest unbelievable story making the Internet rounds - please tell me there's another side).

We all know that any progress made in that area is due, not to the ACC's management or BOD, but due to the rescue groups, those who work with the rescue groups, and the volunteers and some of the staff at the ACC. I say "some" because, well, as with any organization, some staff will just work there for the paycheck, which isn't tragic when you're an accountant (ahem) but it is when you are in charge of animals.

BOTTOM LINE - As long as the DOH runs the show, the city's homeless animals will NEVER be a priority, and there's no reason to believe that the DOH will be relinquishing control anytime soon. So, for any more progress to be made in lowering the euthanasia rate, it's up to US.

I's time we all took the bull by the horns (ok, maybe not the "horns") and redoubled our efforts to do what, at the end of the day, is all we really care about, and that's getting as many animals out of there alive as possible.

Every single one of us should think "What more can I do?" and do it. Here are just a few ideas ...

1 - Apply to work or volunteer at the shelter (I know, they make it extremely difficult to volunteer there, but just think of how the animals appreciate it, and by perhaps giving the animals an extra walk a day, you will relieve their stress, making them less energetic, and therefore easier to adopt out)

2 - Not only share the animals close to being euthanized on Urgent Part 2's Facebook page (I will link later if you don't know them) but really try to get your animal-friendly friends involved (if you just share animals every day, most of your friends will just start ignoring it), or

3 - Volunteer at one of the dozens of animal rescues around the city (My rescue can use someone to help with fundraising - speaking of, anyone wanna buy a t-shirt? We're having a sale! Only $15 each or two for $25!)

I will write more in subsequent blogs about other ways to help...

What am I doing to help?

I am allocating a percentage of Stewie to the Rescue's financial resources to pledge for rescues to pull animals about to be killed at the shelter.

While I ain't gonna stop bitchin', I do think it's time we ALL stepped up our action.

This shelter "system" is a black eye for all New Yorkers. And being a city owned shelter in a city that we live in, this is our freakin' shelter in more ways than one!

If history has taught us anything, it's that we can't depend on anyone but us to make it better.

One last thing - Quite frankly, I don't care if Julie Bank or Bloomberg or Farley or anyone who has done nothing to help, takes credit (as Bank did at the last ACC BOD meeting, not only ignoring Urgent Part 2's obvious role, but actually condemning it). All I give a crap about is that the killing stop.

Enough is enough...

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

Animal Rights : Obama vs. Romney

2012-01-11T08:00:00.012-05:00

The NRA is known as a single issue organization - all they care about are gun rights - Which politician is for a strict reading of the 2nd amendment, and which opposes it, and therefore opposes them.

Their members tend to vote accordingly.

Animal rights/rescuers are similar. Next year's NYC Mayoral race will pit current City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is notoriously anti-animal, against a host of other candidates, at least one who appears to be very pro-animal, Scott Stringer.

I can guarantee that most animal rights people will be voting Stringer (or, at the very least, anybody but Quinn)!

The upcoming Presidential election is a little more difficult when based solely on animal rights issues.

Let's say it comes down to Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

They have each been the subject of one headline, as far as I know, that relate to animals rights...

Obama Calls Eagles Owner To Congratulate Him For Signing Michael Vick (Obama has yet to call to check up on the dogs that were saved) - Let's also not forget that Obama didn't initially congratulate them - He waited for a year until it was obvious that Vick was (largely) accepted by fans and was having a good year.

(Obama also just signed into law a bill that repealed a ban on horse meat plant inspections, allowing horses to be killed for food, though this is a more prickly call about whether it is just or not)...

and

Romney Strapped Dog To Car Roof (this was for a family car rise from Boston to Ontario - Romney later claimed that the dog "enjoyed" it and has shown zero remorse)

So, tough choice, huh? I guess that, as we seem to always have to do when voting, choose the lessor of the two evils.

Which one is it?

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

Dog Tip #172

2012-01-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

Never allow your dog to sit on your lap after giving her yogurt.**

** Especially if you are wearing your suit pants for work.

Harris

Stewie to the Rescue: A Look Back

2011-12-29T19:50:00.002-05:00

Hey all,

I know most people write blogs/emails/letters etc talking about the previous year and their hopes/desires/wishes for the new year. But I'm not going to do that.

2011 was a decent year for Stewie to the Rescue when taking into account all the stuff I had going on (like, having a baby), but at the end of the day, I don't feel like I'm doing enough.

The only sense that I had that we're making a difference was getting the Humanitarian of the Year Award from The Companion Animal Network's Pet Mobile, whose owner, Garo Alexanian, said that we helped them stay afloat, making it possible for them to, if not thrive, at least continue to operate when times were tough. If you want to see how we get involved with them, read this and this.

They have now helped save over 7,000 animals due to their low cost vet prices.

Come to think of it, I guess we had a damn good year.

I will post my "Look Ahead to 2012" tomorrow (eh, who am I kidding, probably Saturday)

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
www.stewietotherescue.org

Burnout in Animal Rescue

2011-12-20T13:27:00.001-05:00

I don't have to tell anyone who already works in animal rescue that it's an exhausting, and often times, thankless job. For every happy story, there seems to be ten that end sadly, which can wear on even the strongest of people.

Perhaps that why the burnout rate in animal rescue is remarkably high (per one of my wife's social worker books, which, by the way, is another industry with a high burnout rate - we're made for each other, huh?).

What can you do to help prevent it getting the best of you? Here are a few tips...

1 - Get Your Own Life In Order - It's amazing to me how many people involved in animal rescue have such precarious personal situations (e.g. unemployed, broke, sick, etc). The stress of your personal life is not only affecting your life now, but will continue to add up, resulting in additional health problems later on, causing you to either curtail your work with the animals or even be forced to quit. How exactly will this help the animals?

2 - Spend Some Time With People Not Associated With Animal Rescue - Any time I hang out with someone involved in animal rescue, the conversation ALWAYS ends up being about the ACC or the "business" in general. And rarely is it to discuss all the happy stories. My suggestion is to hang out more with people not involved in rescue OR at least make a promise when hanging with rescue peeps to NOT discuss anything rescue related once on a while. If you're stuck, here are a few things to talk about....

a - Does the "God Particle" exist?
b - Why are there so many $%@#$ stink bugs??
c - Sex

3 - Make More Time For Your Hobbies (or Get One!) - Make a list of stuff you like to do (besides rescue!) - Do something from that list every day. It'll help your attitude and give you a break from rescue (and other) stress. Here are a few possible hobbies to try...

a - Handcuff collecting
b - Collect typewriters from the 1940's.
c - Suing people

4 - Keep Track Of Rescue Successes - As I mentioned before, there are so many sad endings in rescue that it can feel overwhelming at times. Keeping a list of your successes in rescue will help remind you of the difference that you are making.

5 - Set A Finite Rescue Goal and Then Take A Break - It seems like though we all take vacations from our day jobs, no one takes breaks from rescue work. This is insane as we all need time to charge (recharge?) our batteries, not to mention, to get away from it all. So, set some goal (e.g. find a home for three cats) and then take a week off - No Facebook, no emails, and no blogs (except this one - just kiddin')

6 - Forget All of Your Troubles/Worries - GO TO A COMEDY SHOW!

Rock On,

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

A Dog Named L.L. Bean

2011-12-19T13:50:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I am gonna really try to blog every day or two - I know, I may've said this before but this time I mean it!

So...

I love this story about a shelter dog, that they named L.L Bean, which was subsequently adopted by an employee of, yup, L.L. Bean! Not only that, but employees of L.L. Bean chipped in to pay the $800 of transportation expenses to get the pup to it's new owner!

One of the smaller criticisms of the ACC shelter here in NY is how lazy they are in naming the animals. At the very least, they can use corporate names that are well-liked and that people feel a connection to. Here are some good ones...

Apple
Lexus
Dr. Pepper
Hershey
Cheesecake Factory (what!?!)

Harris Bloom
President/Founder
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

The "Having A Dog" Diet*

2011-11-04T13:56:00.001-04:00

There are plenty of dieting options out there, some quite bizarre and dangerous ("The Tapeworm Diet," anyone?).

I've got a new one (at least I think it's new)...

The "Having A Dog Diet." (copyright pending)

Here's how it works - Get a dog and.... that's it! Easy, no?

Here's why it works...

Before I had a dog (or dogs), on evenings that I was home, I would pretty much eat all night. Seriously, I have trouble sitting still for 15 minutes without checking the kitchen for "What else do I have?"

Then, I got Stewie, and subsequently, Kilo (tangent - Holy crap, I cant believe how skinny Kilo was when we got him...making me rethink this blog post!) and River.

Of course every time I went to the kitchen to get something, they'd follow me in to get their fair share of the booty (I know, I'm a sucker). The good thing is that by sharing whatever I got, I was only eating 50 to 75% of the snack! Helloooo weight loss!!!

Not only that, but given that dogs can't eat chocolate, I am less likely to bring chocolate into the house as I hate seeing their sad faces when can't oblige them (see sucker comment above).

So, there ya have it!

Get a dog and lose weight!*

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

* Only works if you're a sucker

Notes From The Underground

2011-11-03T16:06:00.001-04:00

As anyone who knows me knows, the ACC is a freaking nightmare.

This is no secret to anyone even remotely involved (even if various public officials and heads of "important" animal-related non-profits suggest otherwise).

What we don't know is what goes on inside, and that's because any staff member or volunteer will be fired if they speak out against the ACC (in fact, rescues wont go on record either as they will be kicked out of the Mayor's Alliance, thereby losing funding, if they speak out).

So, how can we find out what the volunteers think?

We can go HERE - A link to the Shelter Reform Action Committee's Notes From the Underground, which will publish any stories they get from staff/volunteers, with the promise of anonymity.

The first one is already up here.

It will no doubt be an infuriating, but important series.

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

Mayor Mike Bloomberg is a Piece of Shit

2011-11-02T10:11:00.001-04:00

I really don't want to write these things.

I swear, I have so much effin' things to do - day gig, a wife, ten month old baby at home, two dogs, animal rescue, comedy "career" - I really don't have the time.

But I'm compelled to...

Cause our Mayor, Bloomberg, is a sack of shit.

He's always been arrogant and dismissive, that's his MO when dealing with any criticism. Usually, I don't make a big deal about it, because I figure, eh, what's the use.

But now I figure if I can change one person's point of view about him, I have to do it (okay, I have to change more than one...at least like seven...yeah, seven).

As many of you know, a carriage horse died in the street several days ago in NYC. Bloomberg, as usual, not only didn't seem the least bit sorry about it, he didn't offer the usual platitudes of any investigation forthcoming, no, he seemed, well, arrogant and dismissive. Here are his money (irony intended) quotes from the article....

Days after a carriage horse collapsed and died in Midtown, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Wednesday dismissed calls for a ban on the carriage industry, saying he could not imagine why “anybody wants to destroy something that is part of New York’s heritage and that tourists love.”

“I have no idea what goes through their minds,” the mayor said of opponents of horse-drawn carriages.

“The horses here are supervised by the health department, the A.S.P.C.A.,” he said. “They’re well taken care of. And most of them wouldn’t be alive if they didn’t have a job.”

First of all, he's mentioned the tourist aspect several times - There isn't a tourist in the freaking world who comes here simply to ride the horse drawn carriages...sure, maybe some have it on their "to do" list while here, but not a single one isn't going to come to NY because they can't ride a horse.

Secondly, he has no idea what's on the minds of opponents? If that statement is true, then he's even more of an asshole than I thought. I mean, I can understand how he can object to us thinking the way we do, but to be so devoid of empathy is quite frankly scary.

The next sentence I pasted here is worthy of a reprint (even though I just pasted it a few lines up)...

"The horses here are supervised by the health department, the A.S.P.C.A.,” he said. “They’re well taken care of. And most of them wouldn’t be alive if they didn’t have a job.”

Why is that sentence worthy of a reprint? This came out yesterday.

They are "well taken care of?" Oh, really?

Apparently, this horse, Charlie as he was named, was just checked out by Dept of Health vets (I assume they have vets) in June. Meanwhile, as per the ASPCA's necropsy report, indications are that "Charlie was not a healthy horse and was likely suffering from pain due to pronounced chronic ulceration of the stomach and a fractured tooth."

When Bloomberg was asked about Charlie's death again, he responded, "Like everyone, eventually they die...some die on the streets."

I hope someone eulogizes him the same way.

RIP Charlie

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

Eff The New York Post (and Bad Pittie Owners)

2011-10-14T09:14:00.000-04:00

The New York Post today has a story with this headline -

Pit-bull horror on Upper E. Side

The article is about a guy who was murdered yesterday, found with bite marks of his roommate's pit bull, Bones.

The second paragraph says, "Authorities believe the dog, named Bones, may have mauled the victim’s body after he was killed, allegedly by suspect Shaun Dyer, a source said."

First of all, I love the sensationalistic "mauled" adjective to describe the bites.

Secondly, it seems the focus should be how this guy killed his roommate and set up his dog as the killer, no? (Which would be funny to me if I wasn't worried about the public perception of pitties) - The headline used makes it sound as if the pit bull killed him.

Let's look at a few other sentences, further down in the article....

The dog should have been off the street years ago,” railed neighbor Bruce Miller, 65, claiming that Bones bit him on June 17.

"I walked out my door and the dog attacked me. [The owner] was watching him chew on my arm, and he was laughing.”

Others, who asked not to be identified, said the owner abused his animal -- turning a once-tame pet into a snarling beast.

“I knew him when he was a good-natured and good dog,” said one man. “I took him for a walk once. The dog takes on the personality of the owner.

“If the dog is mistreated, he’s going to mistreat others.”

The man said he hoped Bones’ life would be spared -- and that the blame would not be laid at the pooch’s paws.

Postal worker Rafael Reveron, 42, said he didn’t think the animal would have been capable of such horrific violence.

“I’ve worked in the area for five years,” Reveron said. “I’ve seen the dog three to four times a week.

“The dog does not seem aggressive -- it doesn’t even bark.”

This appears to be a classic case of the wrong owner owning the wrong dog, and who's gonna pay for it?

The pit bull breeds.

Sorry guys, we are failing you.

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

Yeah, Right!

2011-10-13T13:15:00.001-04:00

Kilo has really bad breath sometimes. I asked my vet about ti and he suggested some breath mint for dogs.

I responded, "Yeah, I can't get him to sit for two seconds, I'm gonna get him to suck on a mint?"

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

The One Second Rule

2011-10-11T14:40:00.001-04:00

Just like a lot of homes, we live by the five-second rule when food drops to the floor.

Unlike others, our five second rule means that if we don't pick it up within five seconds, one of the dogs will.

Who am I kiddin', it's more like a one second rule.

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

NYC's Animal Care and Control Manages To Lose Money Doing Fundraisers

2011-10-10T12:03:00.001-04:00

Here's what I don't get...

The "Humane" Society of the U.S. (I put that in quotes because I think they're a horrible organization - start HERE if you wanna see why) did a benefit in NYC and raised a freakin' million dollars...

Just to show that's not out of the ordinary, the ASPCA also had an event here, and yes, they too raised over a freakin' million dollars!

(BTW - The ASPCA sucks too.)

So, you may wonder, how much does NYC's Animal Care and Control make off of their fundraisers?

It must be easy as pie to raise funds as the HSUS and ASPCA show - I mean, this is NYC, mecca of money, celebrity...not to mention people who are insane about their animals. And, I'm sure they were able to use the fact that they are the self-described "largest pet organization in the northeast" (per their website) to get the money flowing...

They must do a ton of them, right?

I mean, they complain about being underfunded (which they are), and what better way to make up for the lack of funds than pushing up your sleeves and going to work.

I believe Richard Gentles, making six figures, as the Director of Development (fancy!) is the person on their management team in charge of getting the money flowin'!

And, he shlould have plenty of help, in the form of their impressive roster that is their Board of Directors (After all, this is what BOD of a non-profits is supposed to do - Look at number 4 here)

Speaking of their BOD, they are lucky enough to have not one, but two Wall Street titans on there, Mssrs, John M.B. O'Connor (former partner at Morgan Stanley, now CEO of J.H. Whitney Investment Management) and Bruce Doniger (hedge fund trader). In addition, they have Patrick Nolan on the Board - He is the Director of Marketing at Penguin Books - Surely, he can share his marketing prowess to help, instead of just keeping a seat warm.

Given all of this, I am excited to see how money they have raised due to their collective fundraising efforts...

So, I took a look at their latest Form 990, which are a non-profit's financials, and guess how much they made in their last fiscal year from fundraisers?

$26,943.

Huh?

Actually, it's even worse than that (believe it or not).

If one takes into account expenses associated with these fundraising "efforts," they raised a total of, are you ready...

($388)

That's right, they lost money.

I guess I have to retract my earlier comments - NYC's Animal Care and Control should immediately stop doing fundraisers!

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

Oh, Kilo

2011-10-07T13:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday (and today), I spent my day at work thinking about our dog, Kilo... not cause I missed him, but because thanks to give going after another dog on our morning walk, my right hand is swollen and in pain (not broken).

Thanks Kilo!

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

NYC Comptroller (Sorta) Audits Animal Care and Control

2011-10-04T22:35:00.000-04:00

So, here is the full report, and here it is in brief.

First of all, this isn't a true audit, it was merely a follow-up to an audit they did over five years ago (great that it took them five years to follow up to see if what they deemed important was implemented, huh?).

In other words, they weren't looking for anything new, or even to see if what the AC&C was doing satisfactorily previously was now in disarray; no, they just wanted to see if Farley/Bank et al fixed what the Comptrollers office thought was broken in 2006.

Naturally, they didn't...

How much is still broken is tough to say, say the auditors, because...are you ready?

The AC&C and DOH (Dept of Health) wouldn't cooperate with the auditors' requests for information and the ability to speak to staff and volunteers (Hmmm... I wonder why)

The AC&C claims it was concerned that their volunteers' privacy would be compromised, even though, not only does the Comptroller's Office have the authority per the City Charter (The DOH isn't big on following the law, are they?) and is required by law to keep them confidential, so, in reality, the AC&C didn't really have to worry about that, and was just stonewalling.

Even funnier is that in the report it states that initially, the AC&C claimed it was "legally entitled" to withhold information. When challenged, AC&C couldn't provide the legal basis for its claims.

I'm picturing Thomas Farley swearing he read it somewhere, while leafing through his copy of the City Charter, knowing he didn't read it anywhere, while several auditors are surrounding him. I can't blame him for trying.

Okay, some points about what the Comptroller's office was able to look into and did find...and my thoughts on it....

1 - Underfunding "plagues" the agency - True, and that's why the DOH has no business being in the animal budiness. They've run it (into the ground) since 1994 with no sign whatsoever that funding will ever be adequate (even with Bill 0655, funding is less than half what is needed per HSUS, and that assumes all the backloaded funding makes its way to the AC&C in 2014 - yeah, right)

2 - Auditors found cleaning procedures to be implemented - Huh? I guess the NYC Comptroller's Dept doesn't know how to google, or they'd find this story, among many others. My guess is that either they announced when they were doing an inspection, OR somehow the AC&C was tipped off.

3 - Sick Animals are Sometimes Separated From Healthy Animals - The AC&C actually disagreed with this, claiming they are always separated - How can they disagree? Either the auditors found it to be true and showed them, or they didn't, in which case, they wouldn't have included it on the report.

4 - Dogs are now being exercised - Huh? Again, looking back at this article, check this section out (Gentiles is Richard Gentiles, Director of Development and Communication)...

We obtained dog-walking schedules that show dogs not getting out for as long as 3 days.
WALLACE: So wait. It's not unusual to have a dog not being walked for three days?INSIDER: Not unusual.
"We want all of the dogs to be walked every day," Gentles said, admitting that it does not happen. "It's not acceptable. That's why we want volunteers to come into the volunteer program."

Again, maybe if they insisted to be able to speak to volunteers and/or staff without threat of termination, the auditors would've reported back differently.

Heck, they didn't even have to worry about speaking to current employees. A quick google search woulda given them someone to speak to who would be more than happy to point them in the right direction. I'm guessing they didn't get a chance to speak to former employees/volunteers like Emily Tanen or Jeff Latzer about that.

5 - Missing animals aren't always being investigated - I'm only bringing this up due to this excerpt -

"Forty four percent of missing animals were cases where foster care adopters did not return the animal to the shelter. AC&C's policy does not discuss procedures for investigating or acting on missing animals not returned by foster caretakers."

Good Lord...

Later, in their response to this point, the AC&C said, "The AC&C ... will update its Foster Care program guidelines to include investigation of missing foster care animals."

I hope this is already implemented as it shouldn't take more than a week, especially with all the new volunteers they claim to have thanks to their "revamped" program.

6 - They had a problem in 2006 with the "Level of Adoption Efforts," recommending that adoption services should be provided at the Queens and The Bronx receiving centers - In this audit, this finding was considered "no longer applicable" because the leases in The Bronx and Queens don't allow for adoptions there.

This is exactly why the DOH shouldn't be running the AC&C (Well, the fact they have sucked at getting funding for their non-profit is really why, but this is a secondary reason)...

God forbid they try other means of getting animals adopted - They refuse to think outside the box - What about offsite adoption events? Why don't they have long-term partnerships as other rescues do (Why did they let the Petsmart partnership dissolve?). Why not have special events at the shelter (like a pitbull awareness class led by a pro bono trainer) to get people accustomed to the walking in the building. AC&C has to know that there is an element of emotional trauma to walking in a "kill" shelter for most animal loving adopters.

7 -

That was from 2006, when they had five licensed vets and 25 vet techs.

In 2011, they have two licensed vets and 13 vet techs, and yet, the AC&C argued that this finding was unwarranted, I assume because they now have 14 unlicensed vet staff members, whereas they didn't have any in 2006.

To summarize, they have about the same number of total vet employees - they are just far less qualified than five years ago, when the staff was deemed insufficient. Mmmmkaaaay!!!!

8 - The auditors recommended that the in-house computer system (Chameleon) be changed so that it can distinguish between animals missing and/or lost in the agency's care or in the care of outside sources.

The AC&C's response? We agree that it's needed, but, hey, its not our system, we just lease it - If they wanna upgrade it, it's up to the lessor.

I dunno about you, but judging by their responses, I get the feeling Farley, Bank, et al really aren't into this whole animal saving thing.

I think you guys get the gist -

To summarize, this audit wasn't a real audit, merely a follow-up to an audit done five years ago, and yet, of the 13 recommendations made at that time, only seven were fully implemented (and I'm not sure that I agree that they were - the cages are clean?!? the volunteer program is robust?!?)

Thing is, does it really matter? Any and all deficiencies will continue to get swept under the rug as long as the DOH is in control of the AC&C.

Harris Bloom
Founder/President
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/

btw - If you wanna read more about this joke of an audit, click here.

Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn Doing Excellent Jobs... At Screwing NYC Homeless Animals

2011-09-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

Holy Crap...

That's all I can say...

I am writing this after everything went down so there's nothing left to do but recount the timeline of how it was politics as usual in NYC, and who lost out? Those who can't vote (or speak).

1994 - The ASPCA gives up ownership of the NYC shelter system because they didn't want to be so closely associated with the killing machine that was the NYC shelter system.

You don't believe me? Read this. (That deserves it's own blog - How the ASPCA basically abandoned NYC's animals when they needed them most because it was a PR nightmare and was costing them donors)

1995 - Animal Care & Control (ACC) is created by Mayor Giuliani and the Department of Health to take over the contract for animal control services. ACC is supposed to be an independent charity, but it was to be controlled and funded by the DOH.

April 2000 - The NYC Council passes a law, mandating new shelters be built for the two shelter-less boroughs - Queens and The Bronx. The law was passed following a scathing audit by the City Council’s Contracts Committee showing the inhumane conditions in the ACC’s overcrowded shelters.

2000 – The DOH budgets $7.8MM for running ACC. 2002 - Mayor Bloomberg gets an extension on building the new shelters.

2002 - The DOH allocates $8.5MM for the ACC.

2005 - The DOH allocates $8.1MM for AC&C.

2006 - Bloomie's extension passes...No one on the City Council says a word.

2009 - Animal rescue group Stray from the Heart says, "Eff this...You don't wanna obey the law, let's see what the courts have to say about it." They file a lawsuit, against the DOH and NYC, in hopes of forcing the city to obey it's law (I couldn't make this up if I tried).

Stray From The Heart won! A Superior Court Judge judge says the city must come up with plan to obey their own law!

NYC appeals (becaaaause...they don't want to follow their own law?)

April 2011 - NYC wins - For some reason, an appeals panel ruled that Stray from the Heart didn't have the "standing" to sue (if they don't, who does?)

SUMMER 2011 - Bloomie, Speaker Quinn, Councilmember Lappin, the ASPCA, and the Mayor's Alliance meet in a dark, smokey, backroom (I'm assuming) somewhere and upon emerging, announce Intro Bill 0655.

I'm not going to get into why this is a horrible bill, just read this statement from Stray from the Heart here.

The worst part of it is because it reverses the law that the City Council passed in 2000, mandating shelters for Queens and The Bronx, two boroughs so large that population-wise, if they were cities, they'd be in the top 15 in the U.S.

A few other things stood out about this bill...

1 - The vast majority of the "new" funding is backloaded to fiscal 2014 - If anyone believes that the AC&C will see that money, I've got new shelters in Queens and The Bronx to sell ya, if ya get my drift.

2 - I put "new" in quotes because, not only does some of this "new" funding only gives back funds previously cut, if you take inflation into account, even if all the funding does come in, it barely makes it back to 2002 levels, when the shelter was killing about 70% of the animals that came in.

3 - Many don't think mandatory spay/neuter works.

4 - The fact that they are suddenly willing to give all this money to the ACC, given the dire economic straits that the city and the people in this city are in (I don't think links are needed here) tells me that things are even worse at the shelter than we previously imagined. I mean, we've read and saw stories about the filthy cages, animals being killed who weren't supposed to, a volunteer program without volunteers, dogs not being walked, and an executive director so enamored with power, that she's managed to alienate pretty much everyone, from her staff to rescue groups. Is there even more!??!

5 - This op-ed, by Ed Sayres (he runs the ASPCA), telling us why this bill is awesome, kills me. Especially these sentences...

Nevertheless, a few detractors are upset because the city did not agree to build animal shelters in Queens and in the Bronx. Let me be clear -- of course, I want the city to build animal shelters in the boroughs that currently do not have them. But the reality is that the city does not have to do this based on a recent appellate court's ruling (in re Stray from the Heart, Inc. v. Dep't of Health and Mental Hygiene of the City of New York, April 19, 2011) that a rescue group did not have standing to challenge the City's failure to open animal shelters in Queens and in the Bronx.

Given the appellate court's decision, I believe the agreement we brokered with the city has the animals' best interests at heart for the immediate future

This is funny to me because...

SEPTEMBER 2011 - Stray from the Heart convinces the NY Court of Appeals to hear their appeal from the mid-level decision. All of a sudden, it appears that our State’s highest court is verrrrrrrry interested in deciding whether a rescue group does have standing to sue a City for violating its own law. If Stray From the Heart wins the appeal, it means not only that it had standing, but that the City must build those shelters!!

So, now that the "reality" has changed, I assume Sayres will go back to his buddies (Bloomie, Quinn, Lappin et al) and tell them that he stands by his belief that the city needs the two new shelters and that they should amend the bill to remove the deletion of the law requiring NYC to build them. Right?

Wrong.... Instead...

SEPTEMBER 2011 - We get this Daily News headline

City Council fast-tracking bill to let city wriggle out of obligation to build animal shelters

(slaps my head)

which leads to this...

This.

Excuse me while I vomit.

Harris Bloom
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/