One Step Forward, 1,031 Steps Back

By the end of April, MADACC had managed to kill 1,031 animals. The worst part? This is about 30 more lives saved this year compared to this time last year. SICK. Just sick. This is a perfect example of why shelters need to go NO KILL. They cannot simple say we will work to do better. This is what happens when the goal is "doing better" 30 more lives save, 1,031 killed, MURDERED. Trust me when I tell YOU, that saving one life is better than saving none. I believe that I can help. I can save one life at a time and that does make a difference to me and the one life I saved. But one life saved and 1,031 killed is not good enough for a shelter system; a shelter run on the backs of animal loving citizens. I think even folks who don't really care too much about animals as a whole would still agree this is outrageous! At the very least, this is a poor use of tax payer money and is a down right inefficient way to run a government entity.

So what do we do? We continue to push for no kill reform, we continue to support any and all better practices that MADACC comes up with, BUT we continue to hold them accountable. We continue to tell MADACC that we will work with you, we want you to succeed but killing 1,031 animals in four months is not good enough, it is not acceptable and we are watching...

Adopt. Foster. Volunteer. Donate. WE can do this. WE can change the system.

New Foster Program Will Save More Lives

The most recent meeting at MADACC was the most promising yet. Unfortunately, I arrived a few minutes late to the new location ((more on that in a minute)) and I missed the public comment portion. But what followed was a hope-filled executive director's report. MADACC has re-vamped its foster program to include short-term fosters. They are teaming up with the Wisconsin Humane Society in order to get animals out of MADACC, into a transition home where they can recover from colds and such ((like Sinatra needed)), and then instead of being locked into a foster home until they can get adopted, the animals will go to the Humane Society where they will be safe until a forever home comes along. I love this idea for two reasons.

1. The ultimate goal of this is to get cats and dogs out of MADACC in eight days. This is important because right now it's clear the shelter is not properly set up to deal with sick animals. And when one gets sick, it quickly spreads. Taking the animals out sooner will help with this. It also gets animals out before they can be put on the kill list. Right now MADACC has to keep an animal for eight days then they are allowed to kill it. I'm glad this new ED realizes this is the case and is doing everything she can to prevent that, although she is unwilling to take on the board right now and just put her foot down and say we will not kill here any longer.

2. It takes a village. No really, read my Master's thesis. The one area where Nathan Winograd and I disagree is on this point. I think it takes an entire community, an entire animal welfare system, everyone, in order to save every animal who ends up in Milwaukee County. I have always been a big advocate of community support and collaboration  Teaming up with the Wisconsin Humane Society and individual fosters is a HUGE step forward toward No Kill Milwaukee.

The best part about the meeting, we were talking about SAVING lives, not just killing less, but SAVING! There is a difference. Another part I also appreciated, more and more people from the community continue to show up to these meetings. So much so that they had to move the location to a bigger room at the West Allis city hall building. I am so glad no one is letting this new executive director off the hook, and I'm even more glad she doesn't seem to want us to either. Ch-ch-changes are a coming.

Oh Yeah, You Two are Dogs

Now that it's back to being just the three of us ((Sinatra was adopted, see post below)) I thought I'd share a true Miss-Adventure. Recently, on one of our walks the grossest thing in the history of all of our walks happened. Somehow, someway Missy managed to pee on Mister. Now, I'm not surprised one of them peed on the other, but I was 100% certain when that went down, it would have gone down the other way. I can't tell you how many times Missy narrowly missed getting Mister all over her. Mister is a true boy who will just pull up and lift without any regard for where he is or what he's near. Missy isn't much better, except for one huge difference: she's a girl dog! She doesn't lift to pee!

So how exactly did this happen? Missy does not know she is a girl dog. She insists she can do anything her brother can do. Often times she climbs up on bushes and mounds to pee, and everyone once in a while even lifts one of her legs very awkwardly off to the side. And one time Mister's curiosity got him into a BIG mess. He just always has to sniff her biz, and one time that biz got right on top of his head. I tried to clean him off with an empty plastic baggy I had handy until I could wash his head when we got home. The whole thing didn't even seem to faze either one of them. In case there was any doubt before, yeah they are a couple of dogs after all.

A special shout out to anyone who made it to the end of this post. I don't think I've written the word PEE that many times before. So, thanks.

Sinatra Saved!

I cannot believe we went the entire month of April without posting! I think that is some sort of record for us, and one we aren't proud of! Not that the dogs and I haven't had our fair share of adventures in the past month. It's amazing what not having the Internet in your home will do for your blog. Anywho, we he have the BEST news. On April 11th, Sinatra went HOME. He now has his very own forever family. They have re-named him Myles (which I don't really like better than Sinatra, but whatev) and he now has a dog brother, a cat brother, and two loving parents! It was hard to say goodbye to my little bud, but I couldn't be happier for him.

I would love to foster another animal in need just like Sinatra. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him, other than he had a cold and was out of time. That is no reason to die. And thank goodness he didn't. We hope Milwaukee Pets Alive will continue to let up open up our hearts and our home to another fantastic cat. Sinatra saved. Who's next?

Saving Sinatra Still

Sinatra and I have reached the two month mark. He is still hanging out with the dogs and me and I am still very happy to have him. However, as hard as it will be, I’m also very ready to let him go. Sinatra needs a home where he can get much more attention. Missy does not like him being here and refuses to let him be. She’s hoping she can bark him right out of the apartment. It works for now, but it is not a life. A Sinatra deserves a life, the best life. Ever. So far he’s been to four adoption events, three at the Petsmart in Greenfield and another at the Petsmart in Brookfield. There have been a few folks that have shown some interest but no takers yet.

Sinatra is the best cat. The greatest part about our two months together has been getting to see his personality come out. He loves people. He likes to watch TV with me, hang out on my chest while I read, or play on the ground. He gets a bit mischievous, but I think that has a lot to do with his boredom. He also seems to be pretty happy just exploring the apartment. He wants to be where ever I am. I wish he could do that more, but because of Missy he can’t. So we continue to show his picture by blogging, posting, and tweeting about him. I also bust butt to make sure he gets to his adoption events. If you know someone who is lonely or in need of a lap cat please consider telling him or her about Sinatra. You can help be a part of our life saving journey. All it takes is one to save Sinatra.

Finally, A Real Response

As you know, I started an email campaign shortly after I moved to Milwaukee. It started with my alderman, who never responded, and ended with the mayor. In between, I also emailed several other city leaders in several other cities on a variety of animal rights issues and will continue to do so on a need to basis. However, I say that the email campaign ended with the mayor's office because I finally received a REAL response, if not a satisfactory one. About this time last month I received A response but this time I received this:

Dear Ms. Baumann:

Thank you for contacting my office with your concerns regarding the Milwaukee Area Animal Control Commission (MADACC).  I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I am grateful for your support and commitment to our community, and I will take your suggestions into consideration.

I am dedicated to ensuring that the animals in the City of Milwaukee are safe, healthy and cared for and I commend MADACC for providing effective and cost efficient animal control services. As you know, MADACC represents 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County and their work assures temporary shelter is available, veterinary and humane care for animals in need is prioritized and a central location for owners to find and recover their lost pets is accessible to the public.

I have heard from a number of constituents who share your concerns over the future of MADACC. I want you to know that I have shared your message with the other participatory municipalities and MADACC staff. I am confident that the recently appointed Executive Director, Karen Sparapani, will demonstrate capable leadership during this transition and I urge you to welcome her perspective and continue participating in this discussion in a productive manner.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Your concern for this issue is admirable.   Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any other issues you feel merit my attention.

Sincerely,

Tom Barrett

Mayor

As far as the mayor is concerned this issue has been settled. Not so fast mayor, you forgot to mention NO KILL anywhere in your email to me. That is the issue in which I emailed you about. I am, however, extremely grateful for the email and I'm impressed I got such a long one. I've never thought the mayor was a bad guy and I still don't, just misguided and over simplistic when it comes to the issue of No Kill. And until that day of No Kill Milwaukee comes to pass emails to someone will continue. I will move from here to MADACC directly.And of course, I will keep you updated along the way. Thanks for taking this journey with me.

Marching On

The Fight for No Kill marches on in Milwaukee. The new executive director of Milwaukee Area Domestic Care and Control has taken over the reign. The media has drawn attention to the killing at the shelter and to the plight of Milwaukee's court case dogs. Unfortunately not all is well in the animal world. I was unable to attend the most recent MADACC operations meeting because of a last minute change to the monthly meeting (I suspect foul play) but MADACC has for the first time posted the time and date to this month's meeting on their Facebook page (a good sign). The new director promises change in a year, I promise to hold her to that. Even if there are significant changes in a year's time, the true test will be to change the law and culture of killing. The only thing worse than continuing the killing now would be have it stop under one director, just for it to be re-implemented under a new one in a few years time. I only have a couple of years here in Milwaukee and it's my mission to the city to go No Kill once and for all. So until Milwaukee is considered a No Kill community we must march on. What a good month to get started. Let's not only show the citizens of this city it can be done, let's convince them it must be done.