Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 5, 2013

10

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 5, 2013 


PET OF THE WEEK

SMOOTHIE: Animal ID #A4632506

Looking for love? 
Look no further and 
go meet Smoothie 
(A4632506)! Smoothie 
is an outstanding one 
year old female brown 
brindle American 
Bulldog mix puppy 
who was found in 
Baldwin Park on 
September 16th and 
brought to the Baldwin 
Park Shelter. Weighing seventy very affectionate pounds, this 
brilliant puppy pulls slightly on leash, but is eager to please and 
is well socialized. Good with other dogs, we think Smoothie 
will absolutely adore children. Smoothie is a spectacular puppy 
with a cute personality to match her adorable face! She will 
make the ideal family pet for a family living in a private home. 
To watch a video of Smoothie please visit: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=02JaSatinMw

To meet Smoothie in person, please see her at the Baldwin Park 
Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 
626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is currently available now. 
For any inquiries about Smoothie, please reference her animal ID 
number: A4632506. The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 
pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. This 
is a high-intake shelter with a great need for adoptions. For more 
information about Smoothie or the adoption process, contact 
United Hope for Animals Volunteer Adoption Coordinator 
Samantha at Samantha@hope4animals.org. To learn more about 
United Hope for Animals’ partnership with the Baldwin Park 
Shelter through its Shelter Support Program, as well as the many 
dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes available for adoption in local 
shelters, visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/
shelter-support-program/. 

HOW IS THE SHUTDOWN AFFECTING THE 
ANIMALS?

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

 
As if it isn’t enough to know that this 
past week’s Congressional impasse and 
subsequent government shutdown will 
take a devastating toll on our country’s 
economy and the overall well-being of 
thousands of individuals who can‘t afford 
another hard hit, add to that the sad fact 
that it will also have a negative impact on 
federal programs designed to regulate the 
humane treatment of animals in a number 
of facilities throughout the US. You are 
probably thinking, “Where’s the happy side 
of this quagmire of a tale?” And to that 
question, I must answer, “There may not be 
one”.

 The Humane Society of the United 
States posted a list of animal-related 
departmental programs being impacted in 
an adverse way by the federal government’s 
furlough of thousands of employees, 
leaving enormous gaps in daily operations 
that will lead to devastating results for the 
animals involved. If you are not much of a 
pet or animal lover but you like to eat meat, 
then you’ll be happy to hear that this week’s 
federal fiasco will not interrupt quality 
control of the meat you may purchase 
in your local grocery store during the 
shutdown. However, those of you who do 
care about the animals being utilized for 
research or exploited for personal financial 
gains or for entertainment purposes, will 
not be as pleased to hear that those animals 
may suffer more due to the lack of man-
power typically on hand to regulate the laws 
meant to ensure their humane treatment.

 Under the Animal Welfare Act, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture is responsible 
for legal regulation, inspection and 
investigation of entity sites where animals 
are involved. There are currently about 
12,000 such regulated sites including 
research facilities, commercial dog 
breeders and dealers, and exhibitors of 
exotic animals. Now that the legislators 
on Capital Hill have chosen to hold out on 
funding and have furloughed man power 
for daily operations apparently deemed 
non-essential, inspectors will no longer 
be on site to regulate the laws that apply, 
leaving the animals vulnerable to potential 
abuse and neglect. In short, much of the 
legislation that has been put into place 
through animal advocates’ “blood, sweat 
and tears” to ensure that the animals are 

treated properly, will for now be ignored 
by our federal government. It makes one 
wonder how our representatives define 
the word, “essential“. I guess it is a relative 
term, subject to interpretation and personal 
prioritization.

 The Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service is another branch of the USDA that 
will be out of commission until further 
notice, due to the recent government 
shutdown. I guess in the minds of those 
making crucial decisions on “we the 
people’s” behalf, deem this as yet another 
non-essential program! This may not seem 
like such a big deal on a temporary basis if 
it didn’t mean taking away the government-
appointed employees assigned to watching 
out for criminal activities involving illegal 
misuse or removal of both plant and animal 
wildlife located on typically-protected 
properties. In case your concerns are not 
about animal or plant welfare, it might 
interest you to know that this also includes 
monitoring diseases and other predators 
that can impact the health of our plants and 
animals, which eventually trickles down 
(or up, as it were) to the top of the food 
chain, and I am sure most of you know that 
means it could affect the overall health of 
the human.

 The Horse Protection Act is a bit 
of legislation mandated to ensure that 
Tennessee Walking Horses are not 
subjected to the abusive act of soring - 
which is the intentional infliction of pain 
through chemicals or other substances 
in order to force an artificial exaggerated 
gait. In the absence of federal inspectors, 
the oversight of activities involving these 
beautiful beasts will also go unattended. 
God bless those gorgeous horses if/when 
the wrong kinds of owners or trainers take 
charge knowing there is no one there to 
monitor their activities.

 While the Department of Interior’s 
Bureau of Land Management reports 
that they will be allowed to maintain a 
minimum number of employees needed 
to care for the 50,000+ wild horses now 
being held in short and long-term holding 
facilities, unfortunately typically on-going 
horse or burro adoptions will be put on 
hold during the shutdown, adding to the 
already compounding problem of housing 
and caring for those animals at the tax-

payer’s expense. Now, that makes a lot of 
common Congressional sense, ya think?

 I guess if there can be a happy ending to this 
tale, it would be that certain departments of 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been 
chosen among the few “essential” animal-
related programs, per the powers that be. 
This means that in designated natural areas, 
government-assigned law enforcement 
staff will still be on hand to patrol and 
prevent the illegal killing of wildlife within 
those defined perimeters. And, on a more 
personal note, another happy aspect is the 
fact that the wild animals residing in our 
national parks will finally get to enjoy a 
reprieve from numerous humans trekking 
through their habitats on a daily basis, 
and they’ll enjoy fresher, cleaner air in the 
absence of emissions that would typically 
be caused by the vehicles those human 
voyeurs would use to gain access to their 
natural 
spaces.

 Ultimately, the bottom line is that there is 
no positive bottom line that can come from 
the government shutdown as it pertains 
to our society, including the animals and 
wildlife. Animals would never come up with 
a silly scheme that might render their own 
species vulnerable to a downfall. Animals 
inherently fight for their own rights, but 
only in an effort to survive. There is no ego 
contest among the species found in the 
wild kingdom, other than basic survival 
skills instilled in them by their maker. 
The chaos causing an uproar among we 
humans in the US today, is indeed unique 
to our species. I wish we could take more 
seriously the concept of learning from the 
other species with whom we share our 
planet. I encourage my fellow humans to let 
your inner instincts help guide you through 
the process of life. Stop listening to people 
who may wish to control your mind. Think 
critically and independently. Exercise the 
brain muscles you were given at birth and 
let your heart guide you in a more positive 
direction, just as the animals do. 
Love and let live!


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND??

So is Senator! He is approximately 3-4 
years old and weighs 10.7 pounds. He 
is a very cute, sweet, fun boy with an 
interesting coat. He is mostly black, but 
has brown legs and a white chest. Once 
he gets to know you he will usually climb 
into your lap and bless you with kisses. 
He loves his outings to the play yard and 
needs his exercise. He is curious about 
the world around him, and like ‘human’ 
senators he can be a bit talkative! He is 
neutered, up to date with all routine shots 
and ready to move in. Please stop in and 
consider making Senator part of your 
family!

He currently resides at the San Gabriel 
Valley Humane Society located at 851 E. 
Grand Avenue in San Gabriel with his 
roomie, MacDonald. We are located off 
San Gabriel Blvd., north of Mission and 
south of Las Tunas. 

To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Senator 
(aka….. MPK14249), please stop by any 
time from 10:00am to 4:30pm Tuesday 
thru Sunday. 

His adoption fee is $120 which includes his neuter surgery, a microchip, first vaccinations and a free 
wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. Feel free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for more 
information on Senator. 

See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for information and photos of all our available pets.