January/February 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Tsunami affects all, even our four legged friends and angels. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Conditions  for dogs and cats are below par even in the best of times; now, with the disaster, they've been left behind."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relief efforts in Thailand continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donate to help the animal relief efforts from the Tsunami.

 

 

 

Meet Pad Thai, a newest rescue from the Tsunami disaster.

 

 

Helping the Animals of the Tsunami

To our Shelter Friends, it is with much sadness that I go to bed and rise every morning wishing that I could do more for the animals. Imagine laying in bed, night after night, wishing that you could help just one more homeless animal. So you could imagine how I felt after hearing about the tsunami―or any natural/man made disaster! Whenever I hear of such tragedy I think first of the animals and who is helping them?

I have friends who work with the dogs in Thailand and they are here in New England as well. They are known as Soi Dog Rescue, www.soidogrescue.org. They are fellow animal lovers who have been helping the homeless street animals in Thailand. They do a lot of work in Phuket. Sadly, the tsunami claimed some of these fellow rescuers. I thought our animals in the United States had a rough life―but the street dogs in Thailand―well they are known as Soi dogs, which means "street." These poor animals receive no support:

  • There are no government or charitable agencies to protect them from abuse.
  • Laws governing responsible animal ownership don’t exist.
  • There are no shelters.
  • KILLING by strychnine poisoning is a shocking reality. For those wretched dogs, muscular cramps and uncontrollable vomiting were the last memories of this cruel world. Sadly, although no longer officially sanctioned, this shocking practice still exists as it is a cheap and easy option to administer.
  • Religious beliefs prohibit euthanasia, even in desperate cases. Broken legs, mange, wounds are often allowed to rot and become infected with maggots hanging out of wounds and still they are NOT morally allowed to perform a humane euthanasia.
  • There are no Humane Law Enforcement Officers.

    ...and even worse...
  • Dogs are being taken from Bangkok’s streets to fill the growing demand for dog meat where the method of slaughter can be slow and inhumane.
Contrary to the positive news that has been reported about wild animals, domestic animals are faring badly in the wake of this tragedy. “Conditions for dogs and cats are below par even in the best of times; now, with the disaster, they’ve been left behind.” says Graham. “In many cases, the caretakers of the dogs and cats are dead or missing, so the animals are in urgent need of food, clean water, and veterinary care.” Among the rubble are also thousands of dead animals. The smell is overwhelming.

The main problem facing the homeless dogs is that the food stands and local restaurants that fed them a survival diet of scraps have been destroyed and the dogs are starving. Packs of hungry, displaced dogs can pose a significant health risk for humans. The Soi Dog Foundation is establishing feeding centers and providing rabies vaccines and other veterinary care for the homeless animal population.

As such, we request all of you to donate generously, dig deep into your hearts and pockets for the animals need our help as well, and they need a second chance to rebuild their lives as well.

Soi Dog Rescue is an organization that believes in giving these stray dogs a second chance at life, and it is no mean feat as their stray dog problem is about 10 times worse than ours. This terrible tragedy has compounded their already heavy burden and we want to help them as much as we can.

The Animal Shelter Inc. of Sterling is accepting contributions on behalf of the animal victims of the tsunami. Tax-deductible donations may be made by cash, personal check (payable to the Animal Shelter Inc. / Tsunami), or credit card at the Shelter, 17 Laurelwood Road, Sterling, MA 01564, by phone by phone 978-422-8585, or online at http://www.sterlingshelter.org/forms/newsletter.htm please indicate Tsunami donation.

One hundred percent of the funds received will be dedicated to relief efforts for domestic animals in Southeast Asia.

 


Dog Pound

  


John rescuing a dog who lost his tail

  
         
 


Jill Robinson (AAF) at Kao Lak

  


Anton Weik at Kao Lak

  
         
 


Liz Listriani (HSI) in Phuket

  


Sherry Grant (HSI) in Phuket

  
         
 


Patong

  


Yvonne at Patong

  
         
 


Monk and his dogs at Wat Kamala

      



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Otherwise donations can be made directly to:

Soi Dog Rescue, https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr
Soi Dog Foundation, http://www.soidogfoundation.org/donate.htm

So NOW, what can WE do here at the shelter to help the dogs of Thailand? Well, funny you should ask! Due to arrive next week from Phuket, Thailand ... insert drum roll ... is Pad Thai!!!! We are not at all sure of Pad Thai's mix, but she is a lovely puppy who enjoys playing with people and other dogs. She is very good with children. Pad Thai is currently in foster care in Bangkok, Thailand until her flight. She will be arriving in Boston and on her way to our shelter. If you are interested in adopting Pad Thai, please continue to watch our website daily. She will be due to arrive around Valentine's Day or the following week. You can also send us an email for more information.


If you are interested in saving a Tsunami Dog, please check out PetFinder. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meghan's Hope

Raising awareness about the importance of preventing furniture tip-overs and resultant injury and death to children
 
Sterling Tragedy Brings Community Together

Should you have children, or know someone who DOES have children, we beg you to pass this information along to them.

It is with much sadness that I relay this story of Meghan Beck, a beautiful three year old girl who died in the early morning hours the Saturday before Christmas. Meghan was reportedly climbing on her dresser when it tipped over and pinned her.

This year alone the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that 8–10,000 children will be injured, and even killed, by furniture that is not properly secured. From the Beck’s heartbreak comes the desire to help inform others of these preventable tragedies and keep Meghan’s spirit alive. Both are possible with the help of our Shelter and hopefully the local community.

Since Meghan had a profound love for cats, the Beck family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Animal Shelter Inc. in Sterling. “The shelter has been honored to be a 'memorial recipient' for little Meghan. The donations keep coming in with beautiful notes asking us to help the cats in Meghan’s memory. Meghan and her family were very loved and respected in the community and beyond. It is our goal to renovate our cat room in her memory,” states Leigh Grady, Executive Director of the Animal Shelter Inc. Though there have been several thousand dollars donated it is estimated to cost over $25,000 to completely renovate the cat room. The donations are substantial, however, it is not yet enough to complete the goal. That’s where the community comes in.

The Shelter hopes to raise the remaining funds by involving the community, participation of local institutions and schools, and community members in a “Penny’s for Pets” program. The “Pennies Program” is a program to collect spare change throughout the region. To help in the Pennies for Pets Program and renovating the cat room in Meghan’s memory, please contact the Sterling Animal Shelter at 978-422-8585 or email staff@sterlingshelter.org. For more information about the Shelter programs, please visit our website.

Read more about Meghan's Hope, a website dedicated to informing parents about child safety and securing all furniture in your homes.
 

Quotes from our adopters:

"We can't imagine life without her."

"She is a true family member and we all love her!"

"...he's become a loved member of our family."

"He completes & compliments us totally."

"Thanks again for all the great work that you do..."
Happy Endings

Hello, a year ago, we adopted Shelly from you [the Shelter]. She is an Aussie Shepard mix and was around a year old when we got her. No one could really tell for sure what she's mixed with, or her exact age. She kept the same name she had, as nobody could come up with a better one!

There was no history on Shelly, so we took a chance, and a few times thought about returning her, like when she peed on the brand new carpet and chewed up the toys. She has come a LONG way. We can't imagine life without her now. She is a true family member and we all love her! She's great with the kids, and LOVES to play. Thanks so much for bringing this great pet into our lives!



Dear Staff At Sterling Animal,
I just want to e-mail you & say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! On December 8th, we went there [Sterling Shelter] with our children to look for possibly getting ourselves a dog. That's when we met & fell in love with Rocky. Since bringing him home he's become a loved member of our family. He completes & compliments us totally. Thanks again for all the great work that you do & here's a photo that we took.

If you want to help the shelter but don't know how, please print our poster and hang it in your office, break room, lunch area, church, youth group, gym or wherever! You can download it from: http://www.sterlingshelter.org/images/stockimages/ShelterWeb.pdf.