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SOAR volunteers Laura and Spencer recently visited a dog we adopted out about 8 months ago. Many may remember a sweet dog we had in our foster care named Sugar. Many of us wanted to keep this dog for ourselves. After about 6 months in foster care Sugar finally got a great application from Petsmart. We knew from the beginning that this was going to be Sugar's new home. And by looking at the pictures you can see that she is more than happy where she is. She was so excited and clearly remembered the volunteers as they were the ones who fostered her. They went outside in the back yard so that Sugar could "spin" what her mom calls it when she spins circles around the back yard as fast as she can. There is a chair in the living room that is Sugar's chair where she sleeps during the day with one of her daddy's shirts. They say she is a stinker but they love her and couldnt imagine life without her. We are so happy for her. This is what keeps us all going.....seeing such a success.
SOAR Outing June 26, 2010
WHEW! Today was a hot, muggy day for an outing.Our travels today took us to Lawrenceburg, Bardstown, Nicholasville & back to Georgetown. We logged over 150 miles checking on chained dogs and we saw a lot of panting and no water for those simply left to swelter.... On our first stop in Lawrenceburg we met Rocky and Tonka. SOAR received an email about these two left out and the boxer thin. It was 11:30 and the neighbors informed us these folks were still in bed due to a late one last night.. All the more reason to keep ringing the doorbell. They did get up and come out. Rocky and Tonka do indeed live just like we saw them. Rocky chained to the deck, he was thin in my book, no bedding, no food, no water. He could only go under the deck to get out of the sun. Tonka, a thick coated Collie Mix, was chained to a tree, no dog house, no food, no water but these dogs are treated like children according to the owner. She was very irritated we were there but allowed us to visit with the dogs and give each a big bone. The dogs were very hungry and gobbled up the treats we gave. The husband refused to bring water out till we left b/c he was mad. After I made a stink he finally did come do it.We offered to build a fence for the dogs, Nope they'll be moving soon to a big farm where the dogs can run and live happily ever after. The woman said she was calling Animal Control to report ME for coming there. Can you believe that, I find that very amusing..sorry no pictures of these dogs as I was having camera difficulties.. hate when that happens.. Next up was a dog that was reported by a utilities worker in Bardstown. I love that he cared enough about this poor dog forgotten at the back of this property that I had to go all that way to try and help. He was right, this dog is hidden and only after we ask a neighbor about this dog did her small child confirm where the dog was. This Border Collie Mix lives in the woods practically, away from all life. We found this to be very heartbreaking. Think about it, your chained out so far from any form of life or activity, your just there to breathe and live a useless, lonely existence. Unfortunately no one was home here at this very well manicured home. So they never got the opportunity to tell me to get out. HahaThis dog will haunt me, seeing how it's living and there's not a darn thing any Animal Control will do about it. The dog had water, shade, a dog house.. Nothing more needed in Kentucky!
I provided them a list of all the dogs chained there and nothing is done b/c all they care about is that they get the rent. The dogs in this park are very neglected. This beautiful Cattle dog mix is one SOAR is trying to intake. He is chained to the porch and lives underneath. They throw him chicken fingers and any other slop they don't want. He didn't have any water and we had to tell them to bring water out. I had my Spanish speaking friend along today to talk to them. The boy at the house said his mom works two jobs and no one really cares for him. Hopefully, they will do the right thing and surrender the dog for a better life.
At one stop in the park, a smart aleck girl did tell us to leave. Her dog is chained out in the sun, no food, no water, but he's "fine." according to the gal. He's not inside b/c he chews, and --------- & ------------'s in the house.. Really? well we could have educated her about that but none was wanted. Outings are harder in the summer months b/c the dogs we see are miserable. They cannot get any relief from this heat and people cannot see the harm..In the winter we can at least provide straw for warmth. And for me personally, I hate the heat, and I tend to get a little testy with the ignorance we are seeing. Not one person I asked "if they'd like to be chained up right now" said yes. And in my perfect world, that's exactly what I'd do if I could.Wait, there's one more we just went out and did a check on. 8pm, A Lab chained to a dog house in the scorching heat, no shade, he had a five gallon bucket, EMPTY, and no food. I had to call the police to have ACO go out there as the owner's weren't home. I was able to zoom in and get the dog and the house his owner's live in.They have all the luxuries one could want, yet they make their dog live chained to a homemade dog house. They have also been setting off large fireworks right near this poor dog..what a shame and we'll be keeping an eye on this one.
BEAU IS OFF HER CHAIN!
We are glad to report that Beau a dog in previous listings has been rescued and adopted!! She is not living with new brothers and sisters..and living the life she deserves!
March 2nd, 2010
SOAR recently rescue a few dogs from Jessamine County. One was a pregnant momma that had to be humanely trapped. She has had her puppies and all are doing well. Here are a few pictures that were sent to us. They are 6 weeks old!
October 7, 2009
Look who has been adopted!
July 4, 2009
We had a great time marching in the parade! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported SOAR.
June 5, 2009
It's been a very busy week for SOAR so I'm just now able to update you on the outcome of the committee meeting on Tuesday.
First, to all of you who came out in support of SOAR and our proposed amendments, thanks so much. There were a lot of people in the house and 25 signed up to speak.
Unfortunately, shade was the only part of our proposal that council accepted. What does that mean? It means that dogs in Lexington will continue to suffer on the end of a chain their entire lives, but now, they have to have shade. This ordinance will now move onto the full council and will be voted on there. When that will take place we don't know yet.
What is SOAR going to do now? Keep Fighting!
It ain't over 'til it's over, right? Mary Ann and I are right back at it trying to get Councilmember Lawless to have chaining put back on their next work session, June 30th. If that happens, Services will address chaining as a separate ordinance, which is what SOAR asked for to begin with.
Nonetheless, chained dogs will remain chained in the heat all summer long while we continue to fight for a law to protect them from this inhumane, outdated practice.
What can you do? Continue to write and call council members, all of them. They are listening because they tell SOAR they are getting a lot of calls. A note of caution: Please be professional in your comments. Councilmembers also let us know when they get ugly emails and they don't like it.
You may also want to write or call the Lexington Humane Society (859-233-0044) and ask them to support a chaining ordinance as well, one that doesn't leave dogs on the end of a chain for a lifetime (like 15-year-old Lady, who lives in District 2, Tom Blues' District: he is a supporter of SOAR but you can still send him an email).
Stick with us and let's get this done.
Thanks,
Tracy
May 26, 2009
All hands on deck! The chained dogs of Lexington need YOU to come to the council meeting on June 2nd to support SOAR's additions to the animal ordinance that is up for consideration. Currently, the proposed ordinance would require shelter for dogs but would allow dogs to be chained for life. SOAR is asking the council to add chaining limits and a minimum outdoor enclosure rule (150 sq. feet per dog), so that dogs can no longer be kept permanently on chains or outside in tiny pens.
Please come to this meeting and show your support for a chaining and enclosure law. Council will not pass SOAR's additions unless the voters demand that they do. So far the council has been able to ignore us largely because we don't have many supporters showing up at council proceedings.
When: Tues. June 2nd, 1:00 pm
Where: Council Chambers, 2nd floor - Government Center
200 Main St. Lexington, KY.
Free (with stamp) parking in Annex garage
If you can't attend the meeting, please write or call your council member and ask them to support SOAR's additions to the animal ordinance.
May 6, 2009
Please come to this very important meeting to let city government know that Lexington needs a chaining ban:
May 6, Wednesday
1:00 pm
Phoenix Building
101 E. Vine (corner of Vine and Limestone)
Animal Care & Control Advisory Board Meeting
The council is looking to this board to tell them whether to pass a chaining ban. We need to pack the room with dog lovers and compassionate people to send the message that we don't want dogs living on chains in Lexington.
April 30, 2009
Check out Dr. Craig Blair's recent article about LFUCG and chaining in the May issue of the Southsider/Chevy Chaser:
LFUCG Leaves Chained Dogs Out in the Cold
by Craig Blair, DVM
Lexington, KY - In the February issue of this magazine I introduced readers to a local animal advocacy group, SOAR (www.speakoutandrescue.org), and its efforts to facilitate passage of an ordinance banning the unattended chaining or tethering of dogs in Fayette County. In addition to educating pet owners and improving the quality of life of many dogs in central Kentucky, SOAR volunteers have gathered over 700 signatures on their Chain-Free Lexington petition. Hundreds of concerned Lexingtonians have also voiced their opinions to LFUCG council members and the Lexington Humane Society.
Unfortunately, on April 7 our efforts fell on deaf ears as the Services Committee of the LFUCG voted down the proposed ordinance. Specifically, the 10-member committee voted against presenting the proposal for consideration before the full council. The committee cited several reasons for their decision including concerns about enforcement and fairness, as well as the fact that there are already animal cruelty laws on the books in Fayette County.
I attended the subcommittee meeting last fall that voted to send the ordinance before the full Services Committee and I attended the Services Committee meeting on February 12, 2009. I was, frankly, surprised at the lack of support from the Lexington Humane Society last fall. Since then LHS has at least adopted the formal position that they support a chaining ban, albeit with certain allowances. However, I have so far been underwhelmed by their actual support before council members. The full and sincere support of LHS would add a lot of political weight to the proposal.
Likewise, I was disappointed when one council member voiced his reluctance to support the ban because, as he put it, "Who's to say what is or isn't humane?" In his defense, it is a simple question. The answer is equally simple – we are. Unfortunately, our elected council members chose to ignore the outcry of many Lexingtonians calling for support of this ordinance.
I also understand that some council members have concerns about funding in our present financial climate. However, many communities around the country, including Louisville and Jefferson County, have already proven that such ordinances do, in fact, generate revenue while helping to ensure the safety of the citizenry and eventually decreasing the workload of animal control officers.
Communities in 30 states and the District of Columbia have realized that banning unattended chaining facilitates simplifies the handling of many other animal cruelty issues. Meanwhile, Kentucky has earned the title of No. 1 state in the nation for animal abusers to live because we have the weakest laws.
Eliminating unattended chaining would directly lead to a decrease in nuisance barking and vicious dog attacks, two ordinances that are already on the books in Fayette County but, by the admission of LFUCG officials and Animal Control Officers who were present at these meetings, go unenforced.
It is now obvious that our LFUCG council will not address this issue and pass an ordinance banning the unattended chaining of dogs unless we encourage them to do so. If you support this ban please let your council member know that you want it passed. Please call your council member at (859) 258-3200 or e-mail them at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
If your council member is Julian Beard or Diane Lawless, thank them for their efforts and ask for their ongoing support. If your council member is K.C Crosbie, Doug Martin, Peggy Henson, Ed Lane, Cheryl Feigel, Jay McChord or George Myers, ask them to support the ban and let them know how you feel about the issue of chained dogs. If your council member is not on the Services Committee, ask them to support the ban in full council and to let Service Committee members know how they feel. Also, all of us need to encourage at-large council members Jim Gray and Linda Gorton to follow Chuck Ellinger's lead in making our city safer for people and more humane for dogs.
I love Lexington and I see our community as a beacon for the rest of the state. I want us to be among the first to say, "This isn't right and we won't stand for it." It doesn't take a genius to see that tethering a dog to a steel drum with a logging chain in the middle of a dirt lot is wrong. It is inhumane to the dog and dangerous to people. You may think this only happens in rural Kentucky, but you would be wrong. It happens right here in Lexington, downtown off of South Broadway, on the north side off of Russell Cave Road and probably closer to you than you think.
April 12, 2009
Hi Friends, Whew, what a long day we had today. We started out at 11:00am and finished up at 6:30 pm. We still didn't get to all the dogs on our list because we spent over 2 hours on one street alone! We had one dog to check on there, then the neighbors started ratting each other out, so we ended up stopping at four different houses. What a mess district 2 is. Thank goodness Councilman Blues supports our chaining ordinance, because that's his district. One house was so bad, I called Animal Control to come to that address. This poor pitbull had no food, no water, and an airline crate for his house. To think he had to endure that hail yesterday infuriates me. ACC did not arrive while we were there, so we left food, water and straw. I then called them back to let them know and they assured me they were on their way. I'll follow up on that... Right next door was Lady, this poor old gal is guessed to be 15 yrs old!! She is almost feral, so afraid we had to grab her to touch her. Heartbreaking, this one is... and cruel. The owner said he found the dog two years ago, but the neighbor said it wasn't true, that she has been there a lot longer than that. Then we asked if he had another dog chained over at his house (Lady is chained to a tree in a vacant lot across the street from the owner's house) and he said no. When we left, we saw that he did. We offered to build a fence for Lady--nope, he didn't want help with that. Our final stop was another visit to Lucky's house. SOAR receives more emails on Lucky than any other dog. We have known about him for months, and the owner wants us to take him. Unfortunately, we have no foster home for him to go to, so he remains chained, in the mud, with a broken house. SOAR's policy is to NEVER take a dog from its chain and turn him over to a shelter. It is not our place to do that. We will not do someone else's dirty work. If we take a dog, we are committed to them. Lucky needs a home without male dogs or cats. He's great with small children and he's very smart. He is a Rottweiler, German Shepherd Mix and two years old. If someone would foster him, SOAR will pay for all vetting, food, etc. Let's get him off his chain and into a home where he can get the attention he needs to be a well-adjusted dog before it's too late. Lucky lives in District 12, Councilman Ed Lane's district. He voted NO on the chaining ordinance and needs to hear from YOU! His district is also littered with chained dogs as we showed on our powerpoint presentation in committee the other day. SOAR is doing all we can to get the proposed chaining ordinance back into committee. We believe we will, but not without YOUR help. We are meeting with the council members who voted no to ask why they did so. Some are avoiding us, like Ed Lane. He said there was no need for a meeting, even though a couple of his constituents wanted to talk with him, including a veterinarian. Jay McChord...well, that's like asking to meet with the President... still no response from him. We did meet with councilwoman Cheryl Feigel, district 5, who voted NO. She wants us to rewrite it, as not to inconvenience any well-intentioned pet owners who may tether their dogs from time to time, like she does, for at least an hour a day. Why can't those well-intentioned pet owners who do it for only an hour a day inconvenience themselves for the greater good? Walk your dog! Millions of people do it. If every council member would humble themselves and join us on one of our outings, I'll bet they might change their minds. However, it's easier to look the other way and vote no. Sorry so long, but please, we have to put pressure on council to get this through. |
April 8, 2009
It brings me great sadness to say that the proposed chaining ordinance FAILED TO PASS in the Services Committee on Tuesday. I believe lack of support in council chambers contributed to it failing.
This meeting was our most important one to date and only a handful of people showed up to support SOAR and the chained dogs of Lexington. Council pays attention to numbers and without them, they have no reason to care.
Durham, NC passed their no-chaining ordinance last month. 74 people signed up to speak. I watched the video--council kicked back in their chairs and had to hear from each constituent. Needless to say it passed at the end of the session.
Until SOAR has your support at these meetings and you contact your council person, it will continue to fail. Please don't assume someone else will call or show up. WE NEED EVERYONE to stop this abuse!
In the meantime, Kentucky will remain "The #1 state in the nation to live in for animal abusers. We have the weakest laws in the nation, when it comes to protecting animals."
SOAR will continue to fight, and only considers this a "setback." We are already back at it. We lost by one vote for it to move on to the full council.
Get involved, please! Don't expect others to do your part: Find out who your council person is and call them, email them, meet with them.
Here is the list of the Services Committee members and how they voted:
YES:
Julian Beard: District 4
Diane Lawless: District 3
Chuck Ellinger: Services Committee Chair : At Large
NO:
Cheryl Fiegel: District 5
Peggy Henson: District 11
Ed Lane: District 12
George Meyers: District 8
Jay McChord: District 9
Not in attendance were:
K.C. Crosbie: District 7
Doug Martin: District 10
Please email Crosbie and Martin and ask that they show up to the committees they are assigned to. Their vote could have made a difference in our favor.
Please let your council person hear from you. It's critical.
If Jay McChord happens to be your councilman, I have to say his behavior is beyond arrogant! He has refused to meet with SOAR from the beginning. He has even refused to meet with his own constituents on this matter. Tuesday, he was either texting, or playing a hand-held video game the entire length of the meeting, which was over an hour and a half. Then he voted no. This is unacceptable as a public servant.
What are you waiting for? SPEAK OUT NOW!
Let me know if you have done this, so I know I'm not talking to air.
SOAR will be hitting the streets this Saturday checking on a number of chained dogs and offering assistance since they will continue to live lonely and neglected lives.
April 6, 2009
Tomorrow, Tues, April 7th, SOAR presents at the Services Committee, which meets to discuss the proposed chaining ordinance.
We are getting closer to having a law in Lexington that addresses chaining, BUT we need your help. Unless council keeps hearing from their constituents, it could go south. We watched it happen in Georgetown, KY. Let's not let it happen again.
SOAR is working hard on Lexington's behalf, and, we need your participation to end this shameful practice.
When: Tues. April 7th. 1:00 pm
Where: Council Chambers, 2nd floor- Government Center
200 Main St. Lexington, KY.
Free (with stamp) parking in Annex garage
Let's make a difference for dogs like these in District 11. The first dog pictured is pregnant and living on a chain in a mud pit.
March 10, 2009
Meet Simba--he was a stop on our Sunday outing. We tried to make a difference and free him, but we hit a dead end with every suggestion we made.
Simba is 10 years old. Sadly, he has been chained the whole time and we did not get to pet him because he has bitten before. We could not help with a fence because he will jump it and the people rent. They will not bring him inside because they have two cats and he kills cats. The owner wants to keep him.
Cases like this are very hard. I told the owner he had to take this chain and padlock off and I was coming back to check on him. Why does he do this? He doesn't want anyone to steal him! I said, "Are you kidding me? He bites--who could steal him?"
When I see a dog padlocked, it puts a whole new twist on it for me. It's so degrading, you want to lose your cool. And I might have, except the guy was cooperative.
Folks, we have got to "SPEAK OUT!" It's the only way to stop this.
I have heard from so many of you since the Herald Leader article. I am only one person--please do your part and let your councilmember, senator, magistrate, and anyone else know you want Kentucky to get with it.
Won't Lexington and surrounding cities be a beautiful sight for all the visitors for the 2010 Equestrian Games? Chained dogs all along our highways and countryside. It's embarrassing!
You can make a difference. Please volunteer your time and/or talent to SOAR.
