Town Has One Week to Place 59 Dog and 32 Cats Before Their Lives End

Posted By Dawn Kairns, Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

Can You Help?

I was forwarded this email by a friend in South Padre Island, Texas. It is from Ed Mesa, Padre Island's City Manager. The City inherited a really difficult situation at the Laguna Madre Humane Society, which had been no-kill for many years. It is a small shelter with a minimal amount of staff; the surrounding city of Port Isabel is not economically affluent at all; shelter adoption rates were low; so the number of animals continued to increase. The resultant overcrowding conditions compromised the animals there terribly. The City took the shelter over during the past year or so.

In essence, at this point, this town has one week to place 59 dogs and 32 cats before their lives end.  If ANY of you can help by fostering, adopting, transporting, finding rescues to help, or calling rescues please contact: 
Jacky Woody-Conrad in South Padre Island, TX at JackyatJaM@aol.com, I walked dogs at this shelter (the Laguna Madre Humane Society) when visiting there -- the animals there have needed help for a long time. Please help if you can and pass this information along to anyonee who might be in a position to help. Thank you ...

From: citymanager@copitx.com
Sent: 7/7/2011 2:56:38 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: probation period for the Shelter

Greetings,

First of all, I thank both support groups – the Friends of the Isabel Y. Garcia Animal Shelter and the Laguna Madre Humane Society for their generous help and guidance since the beginning when the City took over the operations of the Animal Shelter.  I made it very clear that the groups were volunteer groups helping with  the education of the public, fostering, adopting, rescuing, and sanctuary placement.  We have appreciated the advise and recommendations that each of the groups have shared with the City.  But the City is in charge of operating the animal shelter. The City chose to give both organizations  specific time to work in getting these animals rescued, adopted, etc. 

Currently, we are in a very complex situation just having taken over the shelter and now being on probation for what the previous management had done.  It is   very hard, emotional, and frustrating for all of us involved.  Shame on those who put the city and the animals in this situation!  We need the support of everyone to get to the point where our shelter can operate in the most humane way for all people involved and especially the animals who are the victims.  We have placed July 15 as the deadline for both organizations to work  on placing the animals for rescue, adoption, foster, etc.   

As of today, we have 112 dogs and 80 cats.  We need to decrease to 53 dogs and 42 cats more or less. So 59 dogs and 38 cats have to be rescued, adopted, foster,  or euthanized.  We are working on a list of those that are aggressive, sick, and it is going to be difficult in choosing which others are to go.  We are going to have the veterinarians guide us to get this list together and it is up to the Friends of the Isabel Y. Garcia Animal Shelter and Laguna Madre Humane Society to work in finding homes or rescues if possible  in this limited time schedule.  We don’t want to wait for the last week of the probation to do a mass euthanization.  It would not be fair for the veterinarians, staff  or the animals. 

We need all your support and help especially during this transition. 

Thanks,

Ed

Edward P. Meza, City Manager
City of Port Isabel
305 E. Maxan St.
Port Isabel, Texas 78578
o.  (956) 943-2682      
f. (956) 943-2029 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (956) 943-2029      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

citymanager@copitx.com
www.portisabel-texas.com