This is terribly sad. Not only do we have a problem of abandoned pets due to home foreclosures, now there is an epidemic of horses being abandoned. Sadly, the rising cost of fuel and food has caused many to abandon their horses.
The global food and fuel crisis is resulting in more than just people going hungry. Rising grain and gas prices, as well as the closure of American slaughterhouses, have contributed to a virtual stampede of horses being abandoned — some starving — and turned loose into the deserts and plains of the West to die cruel and lonesome deaths.
Even our dog loves her Mac! Every day when she walks past this room she will look in to see if someone is on the computer. She goes crazy for the CD drawer opening, and believe it or not, she is going crazy with happiness… she could do this all day long!
I’m kind of surprised that our bird hasn’t learned how to say “whatever”, but this African Grey does a great job… I especially love when it says “fat cow”.
When Maida contacted me about this, I just had to post! As someone who lived in a condo before, it was always a surprise to me that even though it was private property, there were restrictions on what kinds of pets you could have. In our condo you couldn’t have dogs or cats, even if you had an enclosed backyard area. It’s great to see that someone out there is fighting for the rights of condo owners with pets! Here is the email:
We adopted Priya and Spike from the local pound in Royal Oak, Michigan. We lived in a condo and had no problems being able to have our kitties stay with us. But when we moved down to south Florida, we found it more difficult to find a place where we could have pets. Most of the 55+ condo developments down here do not allow pets.
After taking a Sowing Seeds workshop from the Institute for Humane Education, I decided to do something for the many people who want pets, but who are not “allowed” to have them – and also for all the poor, innocent homeless animals who get euthanized for no reason. First I created a petition on The Petition Site to allow pets in condos. Then I created a web page with a link to the site and collected some information on the health benefits of having animal companions. This effort has expanded to a huge web page with a lot of features, including samples of reasonable pet guidelines, answers to common pet nuisance issues, legal info, news, condo/HOA reform resources, an online store, stories, letters, and even a fun page. Our petition is approaching 19,000 signatures (combining online and on-paper signatures).
Citizens FOR Pets in Condos became incorporated, and is now a 501-c3 tax exempt private operating foundation.
Our organization is dedicated to increasing acceptance of companion animals in condos and other types of association-run housing. We educate the public about the health benefits of having animal companions and also advocate for responsible pet ownership/guardianship. Our motto: “creating a win-win situation for both people & pets.”
