Indy-Animal Welfare

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Comment by Katie Vaas on August 18, 2009 at 8:00pm

Is anyone coming to the Indiana Fever's Adopt-A-Pet Night? It is a special night devoted to pets and pet lovers AND some animals will get adopted on the spot that night!

Comment by Shannon Gross on March 18, 2009 at 10:43pm

Fantastic news!

New York Times: Russia to Ban Hunting of Baby Seals

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/world/europe/19seal.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Comment by Shannon Gross on March 9, 2009 at 11:19am

Rabbits in need of help - illegal Rabbit Raffle at South Bend Chocolate Factory

Hi folks,

I received the following message from a friend. If we each take just a few minutes out of our day to call South Bend Chocolate Factory we can make a huge difference for these rabbits!

To: Indiana House Rabbit Society
Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:50:45 -0400

I wanted to bring to the attention of the House Rabbit Society a situation regarding a rabbit raffle at a chain of Chocolate Cafes owned by the South Bend Chocolate Company. The rabbits are being housed in inhumane conditions awaiting a raffle at Easter. I am asking that as many people as possible call the corporate office (800-301-4961) to let them know this was a terrible error in judgment and should be stopped immediately. We can suggest that they choose to raffle one of their huge chocolate rabbits or a gift basket instead of a live rabbit. Please let me know if there is any way to get this information disseminated to House Rabbit Society activists via your website, action alerts or other forums. I have also contacted Peta, the Humane Society and local animal welfare organizations and individuals. I think we will need a lot more voices, however, and am hoping the House Rabbit Society can help. Thank you VERY much for any help or ideas you can give me!

Here are the facts:

• The South Bend Chocolate Company corporate headquarters has decided to raffle off rabbits in their stores for an Easter promotion. There is no cost to enter the raffle. I do not know how many stores are participating, but according to their “About Us” page on their website they have 20 stores across the Midwest in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. I spoke with the very young manager at the downtown Indianapolis store and he said that this promotion was initiated by their corporate office.

• I became aware of the rabbit at the downtown Indianapolis store on 3/7/09. I do not know how long he had been there already, but he will be there until Easter or just before (4/12/09). He is in a cage with a wire bottom and therefore living on wire mesh 24/7. He does not even have a litter box to lie in to get a break from the wire flooring. I did not see any evidence on the cage bottom below the mesh that he had been given any hay - a necessity for rabbit digestive health. There would have been some hay remnants if he had eaten any. I did not see any evidence that any fresh food had been given to him. He did have water, but the food bowl was empty. At 1:22 a.m. I returned to take photos and check his conditions. The food bowl was still empty. The store closed at midnight, so it is possible that he ate something if the bowl had been filled before the employees left shortly after midnight, but even if it had been filled there was no more food for this rabbit except a seed stick
until the store opened again Sunday at 9am. I fear he is at risk of having gastrointestinal stasis, the painful disorder called “The Silent Killer” caused by such factors as insufficient exercise, insufficient dietary crude fiber, and stress.

• From speaking to the kids who worked in the store, I do not believe this rabbit is being given any time outside of the small cage. If he was, that would probably be a health code violation. He is clearly stressed with constant noise and people during the day and a lot of noise and light at night. The store is located downtown at the Circle. It is loud and bright late into the night and
very busy during the day.

• It is possible that there are some laws against having animals in food service locations. This store not only sells chocolates but also serves ice cream, deserts and coffee drinks. It is attached to a cafe that sells salads and sandwiches.

• I assume the other South Bend Chocolate Factory Chocolate Cafes are housing rabbits in similarly poor circumstances. Once given to the raffle winners, the conditions will likely remain the same for the rest of their lives if the people taking them home are not educated about rabbit care and housing needs.

• Unfortunately, having a rabbit in the window was attracting a lot of high school kids into the store so the company is unlikely to be willing to stop the raffle unless a large number of protesters contact them at their corporate office.

• I will be happy to find placements for the rabbits with the help of authorized local rabbit foster organizations and drive to the stores to rescue them if we are successful.

• Please see attached photos. I also have a video if needed.

Here is the information about the South Bend Chocolate Company:

Corporate Office, Chocolate Cafe and Outlet Store 3300 West Sample Street South Bend, IN 46619
800-301-4961
574-233-2577

Mark Tarner - Owner - President
Bob Radde - Director of Retail Operations

Unfortunately, I don’t see any email address on the website.

The store where I took these photos:
Chocolate Cafe - Indianapolis
"On the Circle"
20 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN
317-951-4816

A list of their other store locations can be found here:
http://www.sbchocolate.com/locations.html

Sincerely,
Victoria Mara Rutt
vmr@PerspectiveNYC.com

Comment by Shannon Gross on February 18, 2009 at 12:21pm

Yes, it's me again! Can you tell I love critters?

In case you didn't receive the newest email from Indy Pit Crew...

BSL Rears It's Ugly Head in Indianapolis!

***Now is the time to contact your City-County Council Representatives. Please contact the Councilor that represents your district and ALL At-Large Councilors.***

FIND YOUR COUNCILOR: http://imaps.indygov.org/GovntProfile/

FIND ALL COUNCILORS, INCLUDING THOSE AT LARGE: http://www.indy.gov/eGov/Council/Councillors/Biography/Pages/home.aspx

We have been working behind the scenes to get as much information as possible. What we have found is that there is some interest in a Breed Specific Ordinance of some type. This could affect every responsible "pit bull" owner in this county, and if passed, would set a precedence for BSL in surrounding counties, as well.

It's not time to panic, it's time to be level headed and voice your stance where it counts..........with your City-County Councilor (CCC). The City-County Council is the body who makes our ordinances, not the news, not the Mayor, not the people on the message boards.

We were told by one CCC that he considers 3-4 calls on a single subject to be a lot.

YOUR CALL MATTERS!!!!

PLEASE DON'T WAIT. CALL TODAY!

Please do not be intimidated in doing this. The CCC's are very approachable. Just let them know that you do not support any type of Breed Specific Ordinance, Breed Specific Regulation, or Breed Specific Legislation (say all 3). Even if our dogs are only restricted and not banned, Breed Specific Regulations ARE UNACCEPTABLE!!!!Make the point that this is a people problem and not a dog problem and that you do not want your rights taken away because of the mistakes of irresponsible owners. Find out what your CCC's stance is and let us know! Send an email to info@indypitcrew.org Be respectful and remember that level heads will prevail!

BSL IS INEFFECTIVE-What to Say

- BSL FAILS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY AND IS NOT EFFECTIVE IN DECREASING DOG BITES.
- BSL DOES INJUSTICE TO DOG-BITE VICTIMS BECAUSE BANNING OR RESTRICTING CERTAIN BREEDS DOES NOT PREVENT NON-RESTRICTED BREEDS FROM BITING, THUS CREATING A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY IN THE COMMUNITY.
- BSL IS COSTLY TO IMPLEMENT AND COSTLY TO ENFORCE.
- BREED IDENTIFICATION IS NOT AS EASY OR AS OBJECTIVE AS ONE MIGHT THINK.
- BSL MAKES TARGETED DOGS ATTRACTIVE TO DANGEROUS OWNERS AND REPULSIVE TO RESPONSIBLE OWNERS, WHO JUST WANT A "NORMAL" DOG.
- BSL DOESN'T ADDRESS OWNER ACTIONS THAT CREATE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, WHICH CAN OCCUR REGARDLESS OF THE BREED OF DOG.
- BSL PLACES UNREASONABLE BURDENS ON RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERS.
- CITIES WITH BANS KILL INNOCENT, STABLE, FAMILY PETS.
- BSL IS NOT SUPPORTED BY ANY PROFESSIONAL DOG ORGANIZATIONS.
- TARGETED BREED OWNERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO.
- BSL IS EQUIVALENT TO RACIAL PROFILING.

BSL IS INEFFECTIVE-What NOT Say

- DON'T SAY THAT THE ENTIRE BREED IS PERFECT. THERE ARE DANGEROUS DOGS OF EVERY BREED TYPE, EVEN PIT BULLS. FOCUS ON ALL DANGEROUS DOGS, REGARDLESS OF BREED.
- DON'T EQUATE BSL WITH THE HOLOCAUST.
- DON'T COMPARE REGULATING PIT BULLS TO REGULATING GUNS. THIS IS NOT A GOOD TALKING POINT!

information cited from www.stopbsl.com

Comment by Shannon Gross on February 17, 2009 at 8:41pm

Interesting idea: Tax Breaks to Encourage Pet Adoptions

Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, from Santa Clarita, CA, has introduced legislation to provide a tax deduction, allowing individuals to deduct the adoption fees of animals from local government and non-profit animal shelters.

http://www.scvtv.com/npnews/smyth021309.html

Comment by Shannon Gross on February 10, 2009 at 8:33pm

Good news for puppy mill dogs!

A bill has been introduced in the Indiana legislature, H.B. 1468, which would drastically improve the lives of dogs in Indiana's puppy mills. The bill would place a cap on the number of dogs kept at these facilities, and require that dogs used for breeding be provided with exercise, lighting, ventilation and other bare essentials.

It's easy to take action at https://community.hsus.org/campaign/IN_2009_puppy_mills

Comment by Medley Byers on December 17, 2008 at 2:55pm

Many animal welfare supporters are outraged that VP-elect Joe Biden bought a puppy from a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility after the election. There is now a site dedicated to encouraging him to return the puppy (which the sellers are keeping for a while to train for him) and adopt one instead.

This action was especially ironic in the face of President-elect Obama's pledge to help end puppy mills and participation in Jana Kohl's book, A Rare Breed of Love.

Please visit www.bidendog.com.

Comment by Tristan Schmid on December 3, 2008 at 4:10pm

Wow, I had no idea there was actually activity on this group since I started it! Let's ramp it up :)

Comment by Troy Hanna on September 25, 2008 at 11:43am

Comment by Hazel "The Queen" Walker on September 23, 2008 at 4:56pm

The Indiana Horse Rescue is looking for Donations to buy hay for the over 30 horses they have rescued.