Betraying the Trust
In the past year, shelters in the Nebraska/western Iowa area took
in 25,432 animals. Of that number 11,232 were euthanized (executed)
for lack of space, facilities, and loving homes. The shelters that
killed these animals serve a valuable purpose: they provide interim
homes for lost animals who are reclaimed by their human companions;
they place animals in loving adoptive homes; they provide humane
care for the animals in their charge. But all these services are
short-term, stop-gap measures, and when an animal goes unclaimed
and un-adopted for a specified period of time, it is killed to make
space for an animal with a better chance for adoption. For all their
humane treatment, in the final analysis, conventional shelters are,
for thousands of animals, waiting rooms for the executioner.
The vast majority of animals in shelters are domestic
animals, the name we give the non-human companions who play with
our children, guard our homes, fill our loneliness, and love us
without reservation or question. Each of these pets once relied
on an affectionate and caring human who, in bringing the animal
into a home, established an implicit agreement with the pet to see
to its needs, treasure its company, and return its affection. When
these non-human friends, who have known only our care and provisioning
from puppy- or kitten-hood, become too large, too inconvenient,
or just less cute, many humans reject them like outgrown toys or
stale pastimes. Some are driven far from home and abandoned to assume
feral lives in the wild, an environment for which they have been
systematically conditioned by domestication to fail. Some are killed
by their trusted and beloved owners. And some are surrendered to
animal shelters to enter the adoption lottery, of which the winners
are granted survival and the losers are exterminated.
The animals released by owners are the source of an additional problem-feral
natives: the offspring of feral pets, born and grown to adulthood
without the care of humans, but often living wild lives in human
environments. Packs of these native feral animals roam our inner
cities or the edges of our towns, exacting bitter survival by preying
on other denizens of the filthy alleys and littered streets or foraying
into suburban fringes to hunt their more fortunate, cared for cousins,
our pets. Disease and accident riddle their bodies with pain, and
harsh competition abrades away the loving natures for which they
were bred. Unfit for adoption, feral animals who are captured are
summarily killed.
The No-Kill Shelter: A Loving Alternative
In the past few years, animal lovers have devised and implemented
a new system for caring for some of the unwanted domestic animals
who are rejected by their human companions: the no-kill animal shelter.
The premise is a simple one: in a no-kill shelter animals are not
euthanized unless they are terminally ill and suffering. The pets
no one wants find a loving, safe, and healthy home where they are
shown the affection and care they have come to expect from their
early human contacts. Sick animals are given expert veterinary care
and close supervision until they are well. Healthy animals are given
the diet, exercise, cleanliness, and love needed to keep them healthy
and happy.
The Loving Solution
The Nebraska/western Iowa region currently lacks a no-kill shelter
of the type we propose. The pets in such a shelter would require
spacious grounds for kennels and runs, clean and well kept buildings,
wholesome food, and safe, effective medicine. The animals would
need an on-site veterinary clinic headed by a dedicated and accomplished
DVM. The rescued pets would need stimulating and enjoyable recreational
opportunities. They would also need a warm, caring, and deeply loving
staff.
At Merlin's Refuge, pets from all over the Nebraska/western
Iowa range will find long-term shelter in a loving, safe, and professionally
managed environment until they can be placed with new human companions
or until they finish out their naturally allotted days in peace
and safety. The no-kill policy guarantees that the trusting innocence
of these animal friends will not be violated that no animal will
be euthanized unless so gravely ill or so seriously injured that
life preserving measures are deemed by our staff veterinarian to
be a useless and inhumane continuation of suffering.
Our goal at Merlin's Refuge is to shelter, eventually,
a constant complement of approximately 1,500 dogs and cats. We offer
the unique advantages of working with the Federal Emergency Management
Association (FEMA), area homeless shelters, and seniors' homes to
secure safe and loving environments for our charges. All animals
will be spayed or neutered to control the pet population. Adoptive
human companions will be required to complete a pet adoption application
and, if approved, must sign an adoption agreement which
protects the interests of the animal. Animals which are not adopted
will become life-long residents of Merlin's Refuge. Feral or improperly
socialized animals which are considered unadoptable by conventional
shelters will be rehabilitated and adopted out or permanently sheltered
in private enclosures. All buildings, enclosures, runs, and common
areas will meet state and local animal welfare
specifications. On-site, 24 hour care will be provided by board
members, volunteer staff, and part-time employees.
Extension and Education Services
Merlin's Refuge will work closely with local schools
to provide young people the opportunity to learn about animal overpopulation
and how to care properly for pets and other animals. We will publish
and distribute flyers, brochures, and pamphlets to raise community
awareness about pet overpopulation and the hardships pet animals
face when abandoned by humans. Merlin's Refuge will work within
the community to allow persons with an interest in animal welfare
to gain firsthand experience by volunteering in the shelter. The
therapeutic effect of animal companionship on the elderly and disabled
is well documented. We will establish animal companionship programs
with local nursing homes and hospitals with non-custodial visits
with residents and patients. We will provide long-term care and
adoption services for community members who must give up a pet due
to disability, terminal illness, or permanent entry into nursing/hospice
care facilities. Merlin's Refuge will coordinate efforts with local
shelters, animal rescue services, FEMA, and local homeless shelters
to provide long-term care and adoption services for pets of victims
of natural disasters and the homeless.
The Need
Merlin's Refuge will require a minimum of 20 acres
for facilities
to include:
A main structure for feline residents of a minimum of 5,000 square
feet-steel frame construction, insulated, heated, and air conditioned.
This structure will also house the medical facilities, main offices,
an animal food preparation area, and rest room. A main structure
for canine residents of a minimum of 2,500 square feet-steel frame
construction, insulated, heated and air conditioned. Outdoor runs
and kennels, appropriately fenced.
The Bottom Line
Merlin's Refuge is a tax-exempt (IRS Code 501 (c)(3)),
non-profit corporation. Your tax deductible cash or in-kind gift
to Merlin's Refuge will help provide a loving and effective alternative
to euthanasia for hundreds of pets in the Nebraska/western Iowa
regional alternative of affection, professional care, and healthy
life for the pet's natural life span. Requests for information should
be addressed to: MerlinFrye@aol.com
