Feel Good Friday - San Francisco Animal Care & Control

Well, hello. I skipped last week’s post (accidentally) because I got very involved in Zoom Thanksgiving AND adopting kittens! Today’s Feel Good Friday is dedicated to the agency that put us together, San Francisco Animal Care & Control.

Established in 1989, after taking over the contract from the SFSPCA, San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SFACC) is “San Francisco’s only open-door animal shelter that accepts any animal – in any condition – of any temperament. SFACC is responsible for the City’s stray, injured, abandoned, neglected and mistreated animals – of all species – and wildlife.”

When SFACC says any animal, they mean it. Cats and dogs, of course, but also farm animals, exotic pets and less traditional domesticated animals like rats, hamsters, rabbits, chickens, chinchillas, reptiles, and pigeons. Many of these animals are available for adoption. If you’re looking for a pet, you can see your options using this link. Because of COVID, you aren’t allowed in the shelter and will meet your potential new housemates via Zoom. I was dubious but it works well, and it is very 2020. You can also turn to the SFACC website to check the lost and found for animals, learn about behavior training or find out what to do if you encounter a coyote.

Once you own a pet (not a coyote), SFACC can help you with licenses and permits, microchips and vaccines, spay/neuter services and, if needed, lost and found and humane euthanasia. On that note, while animals that are too injured or sick to survive are euthanized, SFACC saves a very high percentage of the animals that come through its doors: ~85% (compared with a 35% national average). 

Animal rescue services are provided by animal control officers who also investigate cruelty, neglect, and aggressive animals in SF communities. If you have access to the Discovery Channel, you can see them in action on a show called “Animal Cops San Francisco”!

Love what you read about SFACC and want to know how to help? If you live in the Bay Area, you can sign up to foster animals, adopt animals, or volunteer. No matter where you live, you make a donation, and amplify their work by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @SFACC.

Perhaps it was the fact I picked them up during the Thanksgiving weekend, but I’m very grateful to SFACC for bringing these two kittens into my life. Feel Good Every Day!

Feel Good Friday - Lions Tigers & Bears

Hello friends. My last two Feel Good Friday posts have been related to the COVID-19 pandemic and while this will understandably be a huge focus for people around the world for months to come, I want to use my time here to talk about something else that's on everyone's mind. Tigers.

The Netflix documentary, Tiger King is keeping many people occupied while they shelter in place. Facilities like those featured in the show exploit the animals. Today's organization Lions Tigers and Bears does the opposite.

Established in 2002 by Founder and Director, Bobbi Brink, Lions Tigers and Bears is a "no kill, no breed, no contact animal rescue, sanctuary and educational facility" located on a 93 acre ranch outside of San Diego, California. The mission statement explains they are "dedicated to providing a safe haven to abused and abandoned exotic animals and to inspiring an educational forum to end the exotic animal trade." Watch this 5-min video to hear Bobbi talk about the organization's history and see the ranch and the animals.

You may be surprised to learn that wild animal trafficking ranks fourth in the world after drugs, weapons and humans and there are more tigers in the world kept as backyard pets than there are tigers in the wild. The Lions Tigers and Bears ranch provides a refuge for rescued animals to run, play, swim and live out the rest of their lives with dignity. Over 400 animals have been rescued since the group's inception and there are over 60 animals living in the sanctuary today. In addition to lions, tigers and bears there are mountain lions, leopards, bobcats and servals. You can meet the animals and get to know more about them at this link.

If Tiger King, or this post, has inspired you to take action in support of exotic animals you have several options. First, Lions Tigers and Bears released a statement about Tiger King with several recommendations including:

• Pledge to never take a selfie with, or handle, a wild animal of any age.
• Visit only those sanctuaries accredited or verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, the American Sanctuary Association, and/or members of the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance.
• Call your legislators and urge them to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would end the private ownership of big cats and this cycle of abuse.

What else can you do to support the tigers? It costs between $10,000 - $15,000 each year just to feed them so a donation is always welcome. You can also volunteer, shop for merch and, once we can freely travel again, you can pay a visit to the sanctuary. While we're on lockdown keep up with the latest news by liking the Lions Tigers and Bears Facebook page and following them on Twitter @LnsTgersandBrs.

Feel Good Friday - Humane Society of the United States

It's Feel Good Friday and you know what makes people feel good? Animals. So today we're highlighting the work of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

To sum up their work in once sentence from their website, "The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest and most effective animal protection organization."

Their mission is "celebrating animals, confronting cruelty" and they accomplish it by working in the following areas: animal rescue and care, animal advocacy, and finally, pets and shelters. You can click on this interactive map to get details on the work done in your state.

Examples include the animal rescue team which works with local law enforcement to rescue animals from natural disasters, puppy mills, and animal fighting organizations. Wildlife protection focuses on stopping the fur trade, exotic animal trade and the slaughter of seals and horses. Advocacy work includes policies at both state and federal levels and then there's a host of pet care services - adoption initiatives, training for shelter staff and pet care tips.

How many animals are they helping, you ask? Along with their affiliates, HSUS provides "hands-on care and services to more than 100,000 animals each year." This short video of Adam and Billy (a dog rescued from a puppy mill) is just one example. An adorable example.

You can get involved by subscribing to one of their magazines, making a donation or volunteering. You can also show your support by buying and wearing HSUS gear, liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @HumaneSociety.