I would not be true to myself if I didn’t share that animal causes are very important to me. Since I can remember, I have always loved animals. Big, small, furry, feathered, wet, dry, it didn’t matter. I always do my best to help animals in need. I have rescued and fostered many many stray dogs. I have opened my home up to fostering kittens. (I’m allergic). When I was in St John with the Park Services I spent 1 of my days off per week working at the Humane Society sheleter there. I even brought one very needy dog home from there. That plane fare was not cheap but the HSUS gave me a kennel to help.
When Hurrican Katrina hit I was watching TV and they showed a flyover shot of house after flooded house. The newscaster was talking about the animals left behind. At the time I was an EMT and had boat skills so I called the Humane Society to ask if they needed volunteers. I didn’t hear back. I followed up again a day or so later. Still nothing. I guess they were quite busy at the time. I followed up again and was a bit more resourceful and ended up speaking with people in charge. They sponsored me for two weeks in the lower 9th ward. My job was to visit addresses of people who reported leaving pets behind. We had to break in and rescue dogs, cats, birds, fish, you name it. I even rescued a spider collection. That whole thiing was a life changing event.
Since then I have volunteered for the US Fish and Wildlife Service Condor Recovery program. My role was to spend the entire day peering through binoculars to document activity by the parents and chicks. I did that over the course of a year. One bit of satisfaction I got was that I noted the chick was not eating. A nest entry was made the following day and the chick was pulled. They found it’s stomach was filled with trash. They removed the trash and returned the chick to the nest. It successfully fledged sometime later that summer.
I am a donor to many good anmal welfare organizations. I advocate that to others as well.
I will continue to be an animal advocate on the City Council. One goal is the create an animal shelter here, in the city of Ventura. Did you know that if your pet is lost and picked up in this city it will not be taken to a facility in town. It will likely end up and the County Animal Shelter in Camarillo. I’d like to change that. Please help.
Please have your pet spayed or nuetered and visit the County Animal Shelter to adopt a pet.
http://vchca.org/animal-services/camarillo-animal-shelter