please let your voice be heard for those without voices

(note: i am NOT a fan of everything peta does. i.e. throwing blood and/or paint on fur wearing humans. i believe in EDUCATION and conversation. i am also a believer in what goes around COMES AROUND - i don't wish the furwearers ill will. if they don't get the point in this life, they sure will in the next one. i am a fan of MOST of peta's work though)

September 9, 2005, 12 p.m.: Officials Shooting Dogs in Louisiana—Feds Must Hear from You Today!
In the latest and most graphic display of our government's abandonment of animal-handling guidelines in disasters that were created with PETA's help years ago, some law enforcement agencies are now shooting dogs left stranded in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
Revolting video footage posted on the Web site of the Dallas Morning News shows officers shooting dogs. At least one of their victims survived the gunshots and was apparently left to die a slow, agonizing death amid debris from the storm.
Of course, shooting is not an approved, reasonable, or reliable method of animal control. In fact, The 2000 Report of the AVMA [American Veterinary Medical Association] Panel on Euthanasia—the veterinary medical authority on euthanasia—states, "[G]unshot should not be used for routine euthanasia of animals in animal control situations." This dangerous method often fails to achieve instantaneous unconsciousness; animals can be injured by initial gunshots and suffer tremendously before dying, as seems to be happening in St. Bernard Parish. Gunshot is also categorized as an inhumane method of killing in The Humane Society of the United States' "General Statement Regarding Euthanasia Methods for Dogs and Cats."
This horror for animals, which is but the latest of many to be seen in Katrina's wake, underscores the urgent need for you to call on those in charge, today, to end immediately their callous policies toward animals suffering and to make the plight of animals affected by these disasters a part of planned investigations and hearings.

preparing BEFORE disaster strikes....

Easy Ways to Help Companion Animals
There are many ways to help companion animals. You can help them out of dangerous situations and assist others who are working to rescue them every day.
Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Most animal shelters welcome volunteers, who help walk dogs, clean cat cages, and dole out love and attention to the lost and homeless animals who wait to be reunited with their caretakers— or find new ones. Contact your local shelter for details on how to sign up.
Organize a fundraiser to support your local animal shelter or low-cost spay and neuter programs. Round up others to hold a car wash, bake sale, dog walk, or rummage sale. Donate profits to your local animal shelter or to support low-cost spay and neuter programs.
Get Strays off the Mean Streets
Don't drive past lost animals you encounter in the streets— you might be their only hope for safety. Here are some tips:
Many normally friendly dogs become fearful when they are lost. Position yourself between the dog and traffic. Turn off the car, close the door quietly, move slowly, speak softly, and avoid making eye contact. Carry dog treats or cans of cat food in your car to entice the animal. If the dog runs, stop and kneel down, or walk in the opposite direction. Be patient— it may take awhile for the animal to muster up the courage to come near. Try to herd the dog toward a residential area, ideally into a fenced yard, where you can close the gate and prevent escape.
If you are near a pay phone or have a cell phone, call the humane society, animal control, or police and ask for help. Be insistent.
If the animal is injured, stop the car, put on the flashers, and set out flares. Wrap gauze or a necktie around the animal— s muzzle to prevent biting (injured animals sometimes bite out of fear), or if the animal is small, wrap him or her in a towel. Pull even apparently dead animals out of the roadway— they may be alive but unconscious. (Gently touch the edge of the eye. If it flickers, the animal is alive.) Get injured animals to a veterinarian right away.
Carry This Rescue Kit in Your Car
LeashCat carrierPop-top canned cat foodDog treatsTowels and gauze or strips of clothPhone numbers of local animal shelters, emergency vets, and wildlife rehabilitators
Click here for more information about how to save strays.
Click here for information about how to help feral cats.
How to Help a Neighborhood Backyard Dog
Many dogs spend their entire lives in "solitary confinement," trapped at the end of a chain or in a small pen, suffering through frightening thunderstorms, suffocating heat, and bitter cold, often without vital medical care, aching for friendship.
You Can Help
Let neglectful neighbors know exactly what needs to be done in a noncritical way so as to try to avoid triggering their resistance. If you're not comfortable confronting them face to face, get some of PETA's "Chained Dog" brochures from our Literature Department, and leave one on their doorstep. The owner may surprise you by fixing the problems, but if she or he is not receptive, check your state's anti-cruelty statutes at www.animal-law.org/statutes. Codes for particular cities are available at http://www.municode.com/—and all should be available at your local library. The law usually allows people to keep dogs outdoors— chained, penned, or otherwise confined in all weather, as long as certain conditions are met, e.g., shelter from rain. Identify the violations and call in an investigator from your humane society, animal control, or sheriff's office to achieve compliance. See PETA's factsheet, "What to Do If You Spot Animal Abuse" for details. Be persistent. You may save a life!
You can improve the lives of dogs and cats suffering from cruelty and neglect. Click here to support PETA's work for companion animals.