Defending animals since 1988
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Dear Paws Cause Member,
The Saints are Super Bowl champs, New Orleans has a renewed sense of community pride, and there's a great feeling in the air that anything is possible. We're keeping the Who Dat spirit alive as we take on big challenges to help animals in need this year. Together we'll get construction underway at our Dixieland Center, pass new laws to defend animals, and institute new policies and programs to save the lives of animals around Louisiana. Thanks for supporting our lifesaving work each month.
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Piper and Phoebe are heading
north together in our next
adoption transport.
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The Shelter Project -Helping Homeless Animals Across Louisiana HSL established The Shelter Project
to improve the lives of homeless animals in Louisiana and to expand
humane and life saving practices at our state's shelters and pounds.
Outside of our state's larger cities, cruelty laws are often not
enforced; lost and homeless animals wander the rural back roads with no
one to come to their aid. This year, we've already been working hard
with residents to institute needed reforms at the St. Martin Parish
shelter; Jeff Dorson will soon be speaking to officials in Livingston
parish about the urgent need to establish basic animal services and
will be working to accomplish that goal. We've filed an amicus brief
- or 'friend of the court' brief - against Lafayette parish animal control, over their refusal to release public records in the midst of
an ongoing storm of controversy over their practices. This year, we're
also seeking to revise a court order in Vermilion parish, to help
increase the chance of animals being adopted. In addition to calling
out the 'bad guys', our goal for this year is to start networking more
actively with small, rural shelter workers, who are trying hard to do
the right thing with scant resources. We're also part of NOLA No Kill Task Force
which is focusing on reducing euthanasia rates in the Greater New
Orleans area. We'll keep you updated on these and other efforts, as
well as our plans to start new HSL chapters in Caldwell and Beauregard
parishes and in the town of Bunkie, in Avoyelles parish.
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CHEW DAT! The Humane Society Catches Saints Fever
It was impossible not to get caught up in the excitement, when the
Saints marched all the way to the Super Bowl championship! When it was
clear that Indianapolis would be facing off against New Orleans in the
big game, HSL's Jeff Dorson, an Indianapolis native turned 'Who Dat',
created the 'Super Shelter Bowl' challenge in partnership with the
Humane Society of Indianapolis. Our charities faced off to see which
group could raise the most donations in honor of our respective teams.
The best part was this: homeless animals in both communities won big as
a result. The competition raised more than $6000 for homeless animals
here and in Indianapolis. (Not to rub it in to our friends in Indy, but
like our own victorious Saints, HSL came out on top with more than
$3900 - topping their $2500 take - when the home teams went head to
head!) After getting such a great response from our community's 'Who
Dat' animal lovers, we decided to create a fan club for locals who love
animals, New Orleans and the black and gold. Check out the Chew Dat Nation fan page at www.Facebook.com/ChewDatNation. Join us to share your favorite pics and videos of your 'Who Dat' animal companions in their black and gold. Members of the Chew Dat Nation
are encouraged to hold casual Saints themed fun-raisers for HSL - think
'game day' house parties and offseason backyard beer blasts. Not on
Facebook? No problem, we'll keep you informed about upcoming events and
activities, including our first official TAILgate party.
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Focus on Medical School
Animal Labs in New Orleans
For more than a decade before Katrina, HSL campaigned against dog labs at LSU Medical School alongside the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Many of you actively helped: writing letters, signing petitions,
distributing fliers and protesting the senseless dog killings at the
medical school. Our lawsuit against LSU enabled us to do an exhaustive
search of their records; we uncovered that they had purchased dogs from
notorious 'Class B' random source animal dealer, Jerry Vance, who was
found guilty of purchasing stolen dogs and selling them for research.
After years of false promises that the labs would be abandoned, the No Dog Labs Coalition web site was set up in 2005 to keep up the pressure on LSU before Katrina.
You
will be pleased to know that LSU has finally ended their dog labs,
joining the 90% of U.S. medical schools, which have ended live animal
labs in favor of humane alternatives. They are now using low cost
suturing simulators, high fidelity mannequin models and operating room
mentoring.
This
particular ending is bittersweet. According to PCRM, dogs at LSU, who
were scheduled to be used in the labs, were killed when their housing
facility was destroyed in Katrina. While LSU initially stated their
intention to resume the labs, the medical school later confirmed to
PCRM that the labs would not be reinstated. In memory of all the dogs
who needlessly died at LSU Medical School over the many years of this
program, we will continue our efforts to end live animal labs in our
community.
Now, the focus is on Tulane University School of Medicine. The medical school uses live pigs in its labs and is just one of a handful of schools using live animals for their Advanced Life Trauma training.
According to PCRM: "ATLS
courses teach procedures designed to respond to acute trauma injuries.
These procedures include cricothyroidotomy (an incision in the neck to
relieve an obstructed airway), pericardiocentesis (removing fluid from
the sac that surrounds the heart) and chest tube insertion (draining
blood, fluid or air to allow the lung to fully expand)."
As of Feb 5th 2010, only 9 of 199 schools surveyed by PCRM currently use live animals for ATLS labs. For a complete list go to: http://www.pcrm.org/resch/atls/survey.html
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Sample Letter
Please Personalize
Email: bsachs@tulane.edu
(Personal letters are more effective!)
Benjamin P. Sachs, MB, BS, DPH Senior Vice President and Dean Tulane University School of Medicine 1430 Tulane Ave., SL 77 New Orleans, LA 70112
Dear Dr. Sachs:
I
am writing to request that you eliminate the use of animals for trauma
training in the Tulane Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program.
Clearly,
it is not only possible but optimal to conduct these courses using
approved simulators. Almost all other ATLS programs in the U.S. are
using simulators as opposed to animals, and certainly their
participants are equally well-trained.
Tulane
University School of Medicine is on the leading edge in many areas,
and local residents are rightly proud of Tulane's medical school. This
misuse of animals, however, is a blemish on Tulane's fine reputation.
Please abandon the use of live animals in the ALTS program and validate
our pride in your institution.
Thank you for your consideration. A reply would be greatly appreciated.
Signed____________________ |
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Congratulations to HSL founder, Jeff Dorson, who was
named one of Bark Magazine's '100 Best and Brightest'.
The list in the February/March edition honored those who have
'reshaped the world of dogs' and Jeff certainly has!
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On behalf of all the animals in our care,
thank you for your continuing support! |
| Contact Us |
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P.O. Box 740321
New Orleans, Louisiana 70174
info@humanela.org
1-888-6-HUMANE
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