2007 November Newsletter
Winograd's presentation generates excitement! Here's how you can help
The Nathan Winograd presentation on October 8th was attended by approximately 125 people representing animal welfare organizations from across the state. Winograd, author of REDEMPTION and the national leader of animal sheltering in the United States, offered a 90 minute presentation on the history of animal sheltering and where it has gone wrong.
What did attendees have to say?
Move to ACT thanks everyone who attended! Your presence signals a heightened interest in the ultimate goal of putting an end to the systematic killing of healthy animals. As the concerned voice for the animals in your community, YOU are the most important agent for change.
"Whenever a shelter kills a homeless animal entrusted to its care, it has profoundly failed." - Nathan Winograd
We are sorry for the animals of the sheltering organizations whose employees and board members chose not to take advantage of this rare opportunity.
"Killing in the face of alternatives you simply refuse to implement, or about which you remain willfully ignorant, is nothing short of obscene." - Nathan Winograd.
Move to ACT was pleased that the largest animal shelter in Indianapolis accepted our invitation to attend the event. Representatives from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (I.A.C.C.) were on hand and left the presentation with enthusiasm, inspiration and renewed hope. The next day, Mr. Winograd provided an additional consultation to the kennel operations staff, where the true mastery of this leader was evident.
Move to ACT applauds the city for breaking rank with the historically oppositional posture of many shelters and animal control agencies by accepting the invitation to hear this leader's message. This is good news for the animals entering the doors of I.A.C.C. and signals both heightened sensitivity by city officials for the animals on their watch and good news for use of our tax dollars.
"Killing and disposal is both revenue negative and undermines popular support for local government." - Nathan Winograd
In Indianapolis the cost to process, kennel, feed/care/medicate an animal through the holding period and then kill them is approximately $88.00. MtA believes that neither tax revenue nor donor dollars should be used in any community to kill adoptable animals. Revenue should be used for the alternative life-saving initiatives on both the front and back end of animal sheltering.
" ...experience has shown that programs oriented toward preserving life are actually cost effective and cheaper than ones oriented toward killing... " - Nathan Winograd
Indianapolis Animal Care and Control is showing signs of wanting to succeed. They are the city's largest shelter handling the greatest number of animals in the community, and we will be watching the progress.
Does your local community shelter or animal control want to succeed?
Here's how we can help: Move to ACT is planning the return of Nathan Winograd for a workshop in March 2008. The presentation this past October was simply an introduction to Nathan, the history of animal sheltering and what are the possibilities for saving animals lives by changing the current sheltering practices. At the upcoming March workshop Nathan will share the creative expertise and flexibility necessary to enable communities to save over 90% of the animals who come through the doors of their shelters.
Right now, here's how you can Move to ACT:
- Network with every animal welfare organization, board member, volunteer, animal- friendly politician, friend, neighbor and relative and point them to www.movetoact.org.
- Have them sign up for our newsletter to stay current with local progress.
- If you came to the October 8th book- signing, tell others about it.
- Learn what percentage of animals are being killed at your local shelters and animal care and control. These are your dollars. Are they paying for the unnecessary killing of adoptable animals?
- Notify Move to ACT about progress in your community's animal welfare since your visit to the Winograd presentation.
- Purchase and read Winograd's book REDEMPTION. Give it as a gift to your friends.
- Stop in and visit with us at the Christmas Gift and Hobby Show November 8th - 11th at the Indiana Sate Fairgrounds. We will have a limited number of copies of REDEMPTION available and we'll be happy to visit with you.
- Make a donation to Move to ACT to help bring Winograd back March of 2008.
http://www.movetoact.org/donate.html
If you live in a community where adoptable animals are being killed in shelters, Move to ACT.
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein