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Humane Society rallying supporters to protest Meredith budget move
I received this email today about Meredith cutting the budget for the Humane Society, which could put animals at risk. The Laconia Daily Sun also has an article on the front page. Please help support our furry friends!
ISSUE: The Town of Meredith is suddenly without a contract for Animal Welfare for pets, strays, surrenders and cruelty cases. The fate of hundreds of Meredith's dogs, cats and other pets are in jeopardy! BACKGROUND: After 30 years of contracting with the New Hampshire Humane Society (NHHS), Meredith has failed to renew its contract leaving the protection and welfare of hundreds of dogs, cats and other animals at risk. Previously, NHHS has provided the following services for the people of the Town of Meredith: Ability for all Meredith residents and Police to surrender animals that are strays, abandoned or relinquished due to personal or financial constraints. Humane handling of all animals, including immediate treatment for illness and diseases. Every animal received all necessary vaccinations and were spayed or neutered. All animals lived in comfortable conditions and were cared for 7 days a week, 365 days a year until they found their forever homes. The start of a TNR Program (trap, neuter,release) where feral cats were captured and spayed or neutered treated to receive all vaccinations and were released. Kittens are treated and put up for adoption. WHO IS PROVIDING THESE SERVICES NOW? Since January, NHHS has provided services to Meredith for 21 dogs and cats including a two day rescue of 13 cats & 2 dogs from a Meredith home where the resident had died in a house filled with garbage and debris. This has been done without a contract and without compensation. WHAT IS THE TOWN OF MEREDITH DOING? Meredith town officials have eliminated all of the animal welfare services effective January 1st, 2010. Meredith town officials have advertised for bids to only provide for "kennels for police strays for dogs only" (this covers only dogs that are captured by the Meredith police). Meredith town officials bid request can allow for these services to be provided by a "kill facility" rather than requiring a "no kill shelter" such as NHHS. Meredith town officials have eliminated services resulting in animals being at risk: No services are provided for any dogs that are not captured by the police department. No services are provided for any cats, dogs, or other pets that have been found in Meredith by its residents. No services for any cats, dogs, or other pets that are surrendered by Meredith owners due to death, illness, foreclosure, etc. No medical treatment for these animals. No adoption program for these animals to help find their forever homes. No spay/neuter program for Meredith resident's pets. No spay capture/release program for Meredith animals. No rescue missions or other support in animal neglect and cruelty matters. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Call Philip Warren, Town Manager at Meredith Town Hall @ 603-279-4538 Contact the following people from the Board of Selectman: Bob Flanders robertflanders@verizon.net Colette Worsman FAX: 603-528-2224 Chuck Palm hhcamp@hhcamp.com Miller C. Lovett meredith@svmcl.us Peter F. Brothers twobros@worldpath.net PLEASE ATTEND! The Meredith Town Meeting - MONDAY evening, February 8 at 5:30 pm. at the Meredith Community Center (Route 3), 1 Circle Drive, Room B. Help us fill the room and show the Meredith Board of Selectmen how many people are concerned about the welfare of Meredith's precious pets and animals! The animals are counting on you to speak for them! |
Whose brilliant idea was this?
I read the article in the Laconia Daily Sun and was completely stunned. The amount of money Meredith is trying to save is literally a pittance! I was further astounded to read that LRHS was told they would be notified directly when the "Request for Bid" was issued, but instead they learned of it by reading the Daily Sun last Thursday.
For the life of me I cannot fathom why someone thought it would be a good idea to eliminate the services of the Humane Society from their budget. Particularly when these services have been performed by LRHS for the past 30 years at very little cost to the Town! Have the Selectmen actually studied the issue before coming up with this cost-cutting measure? I doubt it. :( I urge anyone on this forum who lives in the town of Meredith to attend tonights meeting and voice their concern for the welfare of these unfortunate animals who cannot speak for themselves! |
Enough already...These money woes are getting sickening!! Cut this, cut that, all while taxes go up. Every idiot in office needs to be voted out and we need to start from scratch.
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I just sent an email to them. I know a couple of the selectmen, and I know they personally hate animals. Not speaking for all of them, but it would be nice if they cut their non stop building rampage for a couple helpless animals.
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I hate to bring it up but....new fire truck without a fire dog? Very sad!
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Going to the Dogs
Laconia Daily Sun
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See complete article HERE |
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I agree
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"I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other ... And it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals ..."~Barack Obama President Elect USA and for you Righties that would never agree with anything Obama said... ;) "Animals cannot speak, but can you and I not speak for them and represent them? Let us all feel their silent cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the world." ~Rukmini Devi Arundale "Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human life". ~ Albert Schweitzer "I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society. I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal. And I was angry. "God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?" God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly. I have done something," He replied. "I created you." ~The Animals' Savior Copyright Jim Willis 1999 "The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals." ~Mohandas Gandhi |
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Or......
We could just start dropping off stray animals at the committee members houses... |
It certainly seems like this 'tempest in a teapot' was just a procedural issue because the new town manager, Phil Warren, was going by the rule of requesting bids for any one town vender service/supply costing more tha 5-thousand dollars.
It's definately NOT about the money. Meredith is a town of 5800 residents & miles & miles of super-duper non-resident waterfront that has a proposed 12.4-mil dollar annual budget for 2010-2011, a brand new 2009 $850,000 aerial tower fire truck, and a proposed 3% school budget increase. The police dept belongs to one organized labor union, the rest of the 80 town workers, DPW & admininistrative belong to a different organized labor union, and the school has contractual agreements that are cast in hi-strength concrete, so the Meredith 'Money-Machine' will definately not forget the doggies and kitty-cats and the NH Humane Society in nearby Laconia that gets about $8500./year from Meredith. $8500 is the property tax from ONE individual "Wal-Mart" style, Winnipesaukee waterfront home.......just one.....and there's like plenty out there! Barney the Basset Hound says AAAARRRRRROOOOOOOOO's to to the Town of Meredith .......arrrrrrrrrroooooooooooo.....arf....arf...ar f.....plus he always appreciates a Meredith doggie biscuit!:banana::banana::banana: |
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Millions for a Taj Mahal community center,police station big enough to service a city of 100,000 people, fire station addition and a bragging rights fire truck........and they won't cough up a measly 10K for helpless animals.......sick.
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