Editor's Note: The TakePart offices are around the corner from The Amanda Foundation, a non profit organization that resuces dogs and cats and finds homes for thousands of homeless animals in Los Angeles. I asked Teri Austin, the President of the Amanda Foundation to tell us a little more about the work they do and how we can help support them in these difficult economic times.
Q: The Amanda Foundation opened its doors more than 30 years ago. Can you tell us how you first met this organization and what inspired you to get involved?
A: The name Amanda means "Worthy of Love" in Latin, so our charity is named for our philosophy towards our Dog and Cat companions. I have always had an affinity for animals as long as I can remember. My background is entertainment and I first came to Los Angeles to work on a television show. I moved here from Toronto where I had been active with our local animal shelter and I brought with me from my ancient Yorkie, Thea. The Vet that I started using in L.A. had a poster in his office for The Amanda Foundation so I started donating and gradually got more involved.
One of the things that has inspired me to dedicate my life to working with Amanda is that as Los Angeles is the 2nd largest city in the United States and we have had the opportunity to create ground breaking programs, such as our free Spaymobile, to improve the of treatment of animals in our society and lead the nation towards a more humane attitude towards our furry pals.
Q: What are some basic information / statistics about rescue cats and dogs that you feel many people don’t know? Are there myths that you feel need debunking?
A: Oh boy, there is so much to tell. We have the paradox of people spending millions and millions of dollars on their pets for special food, doggy daycare, fancy beds and clothes, and yet we are taught nothing in our schools about these creatures who we welcome as family members. I visit a lot of schools from Watts to Beverly Hills and I get the exact same questions. People do not understand the basic biology or behavior of dogs and cats. So the problems that cause people to end up dumping their pets at the pound are unfortunately often their own fault.
They don't neuter their pets and then are disappointed that "Spot" wants to "mark" his territory or mount your leg. I always say "People have Email and dogs have "Peemail" its how they communicate with other dogs. So when a male dog is unaltered and it smells a female dog in heat blocks away (and they CAN smell another dog blocks away) Spot has the biological response to leave a message for that dog...on your drapes. Spot isn't all that technically savvy so he doesn't know that the dog in question won't be walking by your drapes anytime soon. But Spot's owner feels Spot is a "bad" dog. Its not fair to keep a dog unaltered and then expect him to ignore natures call. An unaltered dog is also more likely to wander (to look for the dog that didn't respond to his message on your drapes), fight with other dogs, and bite both people and other dogs.
About 80% percent of the dogs in shelters are under 2 years of age. They are there because someone gets a puppy, enjoys the cuddly fur ball for a few months and then when the novelty wears off, and they haven't put anytime into training, they decide that they don't have time or are just disenchanted and pawn the dog off on someone else. Most pound dogs go through at least two homes before being dumped at the pound, and once out of the "cute" stage an adult dog has a much less chance of leaving the pound alive.
If our society promoted that bringing a baby animal (puppy or kitten) into your homeis the beginning of a 15 year plus relationship, perhaps people would put more thought into bringing a dog into their lives that becomes "inconvenient " when they move or have kids or change jobs. We need to teach their kids that you don't throw away pets like used toys. We need to change our attitude about pets being “disposable”, because that mythical “farm” where unwanted dogs and cats can go and run free and happy, does not exist. And if it did, according to national statistics, approximately 5 million surplus dogs and cats would have to be sent there each year, but they aren’t, that’s about how many are destroyed each and every year across the United States in shelters alone.
Every large city in this country is spending millions of dollars to collect dogs and cats, either off the streets or from the public, only to house them a few days, kill, and dispose of them. Los Angeles alone spends 22 million a year to run 6 animal shelters. I mean really, even if you don't care about the critters, what a waste of money! We have a business model of dealing with excess animals that is right out of the last century, no, make that out of the last century before that! It’s ridiculous. This is a problem we can solve, and through our Spay/neuter programs we are showing that we can turn the tide.
And as far as debunking myths? You CAN teach an old dog new tricks so you don't need to start with a puppy. Spayed/neuter animals don't get fat and loose their personalities. Spayed/neutered animals have a better chance of leading a healthier, longer life. Dogs don't miss having sex. Think about this for a minute, the only time a dog wants to mate is when another dog is in heat, but he wants to chase his toy EVERYDAY, so, the mating is a biological urge that is turned off by neutering...but NOTHING will make him stop lov'in that tennis ball, because the tennis ball is something he really does enjoy.
Purebred dogs are not a "better quality" dog. Actually there are so few ethical breeders in this country that many breeds now have so many congenital problems that you are almost guaranteed expensive health issues. If your readers haven't already, they will be amazed if they search the internet for the word "Puppymill" to find out the scam that is perpetrated on the public by pet stores and people trying to make a fast buck breeding dogs.
Most Police Departments in this country get all their Police Dogs from Germany or other countries where there are very strict rules about how dogs are bred. I find this shocking that the breeding of dogs has such poor oversight. Government agencies wouldn't dream of using a domestically bred dog for service...that's pitiful. Recently there are some individuals who have started to train rescued dogs for other services such as bomb/drug sniffing or search and rescue but most Police Departments still import their dogs.
The attitude towards breeding is starting to change, some states are beginning to pass "lemon laws" pertaining to pets sold through pet stores. Right now in Pennsylvania there is legislation that will stop the horrendous puppymills run by the Amish, who dominate production of dogs in that state. They keep the dogs in small cages like factory raised chickens for their entire lives and bred constantly. It's so sad but fighting for just basic humane treatment sometimes means changing age old accepted practices.
Q: Are there one or two adoption stories you can share which stand out in your mind as ones that are particularly wonderful?
A: At Amanda we say that every dog or cat we place will enrich at least one human's life with the love and loyalty they offer each day. Think about it! Your dog never has a "bad day" he is always happy to see you, you could leave for 15 minutes and when you return he will treat you like you're one of the Beatles! There are so very many stories I could tell you of a lonely only child who now has a furry sibling to share their love, an elderly person who without their dog to walk has no other reason to get out bed, a family who's hearts are healed with the arrival of an adopted dog when their last companion has gone on to heaven.
There is Lucy, a large Shep/Lab cross dumped at the pound because "she got too big." After adopting Lucy from The Amanda Foundation her new family enrolled her in a service program and now she visits patients at UCLA's cardiac ward. Lucy has her own staff badge with her photo on it and has been trained to carefully navigate the many wires and tubes that are connected to a patient so that she can put her paws and head on the bedside. The doctors and nurses say there is no better medicine for dog and cat lovers than to be able to stroke Lucy's head and look in to the love shining from her eyes.
Pluto a big Terrier mix, learned over 30 American Sign Language "signs" and was a welcomed addition to a class for autistic children who are taught ASL because their language skills are delayed. The kids were amazed and delighted that they could communicate with this big furry friend, he was like a Sesame Street character come to life for them.
And Chica a small Chihuahua Terrier mix who went to live with an elderly couple. The wife, Claire, is confined to a wheelchair and has limited movement. Chica is the perfect companion for her because she jumps up on to Claire's lap everyday and is content to view the world from her "Throne". Claire has constant companionship and Chica has Claire.
I could tell you so many wonderful stories, every single dog loves unconditionally, where else in your life do you get that kind of guarantee?
Q: How did the Spaymobile get started? And how successful has it been?
A: The Spaymobile in Los Angeles is the result of our realization that no matter how hard we worked we would never find enough homes for the surplus of dogs and cats at the pounds. If every household in the USA were to take in 8 cats and 8 dogs tomorrow…there STILL wouldn’t be enough homes for all the pets waiting in shelters today. When you do the math it is clear that without an aggressive spay/neuter program we would never be able to actually reduce the vast numbers of dogs and cats coming into the shelters and in turn accomplish our mission of decreasing the euthanasia of impounded pets.
Back in 1998, I gathered together a group of the most active and credible humane organizations in Los Angeles and we formed CEPO, or the Coalition to End Pet Overpopulation. For the next 2 years we worked to create a program that could take the solution to the areas with the worst overpopulation problem. The majority of dogs and cats that end up in the shelters come from the lowest income areas of our city and these same areas have little or no opportunity for pet owners to sterilize their pets. We lobbied our Mayor at the time, Mayor Riordan, and our City Council. We were able to prove to them that it was cheaper for the city to pay for a free spaymobile program to prevent as many unwanted pets as possible than to have to care for these pets through the shelter system. Through CEPO’s efforts we were also able to convince City Council that in addition to the free service we needed a strong ordinance to encourage people to get their pets altered. The result was a Spay/neuter law that mandates that all dogs and cats over the age of 4 months must be spayed or neutered in the City of Los Angeles.
Our spaymobile program is the most successful in the country. I hope your readers will visit our website and read about the events we hold in order to help educate our various communities about the need for controlling our pet population. Our “Pimp your Pit” and “100 Dog Days” are unique compared to anything else across the country. We don’t ever turn away a pet because he/she is too large or fractious, if the pet is unfit for surgery because of health reasons we will follow up and schedule he or she at a later date.
The most important thing is that we can prove success. In 2001, the first year of the Spaymobile program, the city of Los Angeles took in approximately 75,000 cats & dogs in 2008 that number was reduced to 56,000. Still far too many but also a significant reduction. During this time adoptions have only increased 2% so the decrease in intake of dogs and cats is definitely attributable to our spay/neuter programs.
Last year we did over 8,000 spay/neuter surgeries. If you calculate that if even half those animals had even one litter in there lifetime (a very conservative estimate) that means that over 30,000 puppies and kittens were NOT born last year the majority of which would end up in the streets or shelters…. That’s impressive, still too many unwanted, but a definite step in the right direction. It is also very important to note where we are offering the surgeries by targeting the lowest income areas we are having the largest impact.
Q: How has the economy affected the Amanda Foundation?
A: It has been devastating. Our donations are down over 50% which has meant us having to cut back our programs going into 2010. It is such a crying shame since we are making so much progress. It is tragic to know that we are really making a difference in the actual number of euthanasias and to face the fact that if we can’t continue the amount of service then the number of pets coming in the pound will start to rise again. Donating to our Spaymobile is the best way to reduce the number of pets in the pound, no doubt about it.
Q: How can people support and get involved with the Amanda Foundation? (both those living in and around LA and our readers around the country)
Funding/Giving/Donating however you want to put it, because of the poor economy we are desperate for money to continue operating. We need our programs to continue to be successful not only so that we can further decrease the euthanasia rate in Los Angeles but also so that other organizations can use us as an example of why spay/neuter programs should be part of their communities as well. If all of the larger cities in the US were to adopt our Spaymobile model we could half the number of animal death in shelters in 5 years or less. I know from experience that when you are trying to convince a board of directors or a city council to put funds towards spay/neuter you really need proof that such a program will work, we provide that.
If people can’t donate (and no donation is too small, believe me when I say those $5 and $10 dollar donations add up and are very welcome!) they can volunteer. We are open 365 days a year and we need people to come and “love on” our orphans every day! The dogs need to be walked, the cats brushed, the puppies and kittens need kisses and hugs. We need foster homes for some of the ill, injured, or nursing moms. We need help in the kennel, there are always repairs to do for anyone handy with a hammer or plunger. We also always need outgoing personalities for our events. We do large scale educational events in low income communities as well as high profile fund raising parties and everything we do depends on having the valuable donation of time from our compassionate volunteers.
And adoptions! If you are considering adding to your family please come by and meet our orphans, check them out on our website and you will see we have a wide variety of charming critters that want only to love you. If you aren’t looking to adopt, please tell your friend and co-workers about us, email them our web address so they can see for themselves what furry fun we have to offer.
If would like to donate, we have paypal on our website www.amandafoundation.org and if you would like to volunteer please either email us or call 310-278-2935.
Q: Please include any more information that you want our readers to know about the Amanda Foundation.
A: If you live in Los Angeles we invite you to come visit us, our orphans, the Spaymobile, our hospital, we want you to see what you can be a part of and the difference you can make. If you don’t live in Los Angeles we need your donations which allow us to continue to be a voice for our beloved Dog and Cat companions who are indeed worthy of our love.
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