Get Your Shelter's Attention! Take Back The Power!

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PLEASE FORWARD AND CROSSPOST - READ AND TAKE ACTION!! CougyDate: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 19:21:28 EST Dear Rescue Community, For too long shelters have been getting away with murder. They kill what they want, when they want, all in the "best interest" of the animals and the local community. As rescuers

we know first-hand that this mass killing is not in the best interest of the animals or the community. It is in the best interest of the shelters -- the very same shelters we fund with our money, that we intrust to do the right thing. We can take back the power! It is being proven right now, in cases across the USA, that it can be done. Right now, Roicy, a high kill gas shelter in Lafayette, Louisiana, is in the midst of a court case initiated by Garo Alexanian, a front-runner in national animal advocacy. In Los Angeles County, Cathy Nguyen, a volunteer animal rescuer, and Rebecca Arvizu, a Los Angeles County taxpayer, initiated a lawsuit against six LA county shelters regarding the disregard for the health and welfare of animals in their care. (Lawsuit summary below). In the southeast, the North Carolina Animal Advocates

shut down more than 19 gas chambers in that state and continue to fight the system and win! You don't have to file a full-fledged lawsuit -- you already have rights under the Freedom of Information act. According to this law -- anyone, anywhere, for any reason, can request information from the government under the Freedom of Information Act. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal law, enacted in 1966, that makes government information accessible to the people. The law is based on the presumption that individuals have a right to know what their government is up to and that government agencies have a duty to provide full disclosure of all records that are not specifically and reasonably exempt. This law covers city and county run shelters! You have the right to their records. Starting with a simple letter you can begin the crackdown on shelters in your state. A simple letter

that will stir them up for sure, and perhaps start changes immediately when the shelter realizes taxpayers are using their legal rights to demand the shelter's very secret killing documents. If you have any questions, or will be going forward with a Freedom of Information Act request, please contact me directly at Cougy. (cougyataoldotcom). Advocacy front runner Garo Alexanian has previously stated he would help with his input on any request filings around the USA. So let's take back the power. The following is a sample letter and information from the First Amendment Center: www.firstamendmentcenter.org How to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestThe procedure for filing a request for information is straightforward, and involves simply writing a letter to the appropriate agency including the most precise detail possible about the information you are seeking. The Department of Transportation, for example, offers this basic guide: "Your request must be in writing and include the following information:

Provide your name, address and telephone number. Also, if you have an email address, please provide it, so that we can contact you if we have questions about your request. Specify you are making an FOIA request. Provide as much detail as possible about the records you seek. Indicate whether you are requesting the information in a form or format other than paper. State your willingness to pay any fees, and how much you are willing to pay as advance authorization. (BTW, fees are for photocopies, etc., however, as an individual, you can ask to have fees waived. No fee is charged for non-commercial requests that are relatively simple — requiring less than two hours' search time and fewer than 100 copied pages.) The Committee on Government Reform's "Citizen's Guide on Using the Freedom of Information Act includes this sample

letter: Agency Head [or Freedom of Information Act Officer]Name of AgencyAddress of AgencyCity, State, Zip CodeRe: Freedom of Information Act Request Dear ------ :This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I request that a copy of the following documents [or documents containing the following information] be provided to me: [identify the documents or information as specifically as possible]. In order to help to determine my status for purposes of determining the applicability of any fees, you should know that I am [insert a suitable description of the requester an individual with no commercial interest and the purpose of the request. Sample requester descriptions: a representative of the news media affiliated with the ------ newspaper (magazine, television

station, etc.), and this request is made as part of news gathering and not for a commercial use. affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use. an individual seeking information for personal use and not for a commercial use. affiliated with a private corporation and am seeking information for use in the company's business.] [Optional] I am willing to pay fees for this request up to a maximum of $----. If you estimate that the fees will exceed this limit, please inform me first. [Optional] I request a waiver of all fees for this request. Disclosure of the requested information to me is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in my commercial interest. [include specific details, including how the requested

information will be disseminated by the requester for public benefit.] [Optional] I request that the information I seek be provided in electronic format, and I would like to receive it on a personal computer disk [or a CD-ROM]. [Optional] I ask that my request receive expedited processing because ------. [include specific details concerning your ''compelling need,'' such as being someone ''primarily engaged in disseminating information'' and specifics concerning your ''urgency to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity.''] [Optional] I also include a telephone number at which I can be contacted during the hours of -----, if necessary, to discuss any aspect of my request. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, NameAddressCity, State, Zip CodeTelephone number [Optional] The Reporters Committee for Freedom of

the Press has a user-friendly letter generator on its Web site. It prompts you for all relevant information about your request and drafts the letter for you, then allows you to edit it before saving or printing. You must e-mail or mail it yourself. Other guides to assist you: "A Citizen's Guide on Using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request Government Records." Detailed, user-friendly guide prepared by the Committee on Government Reform and published by the Government Printing Office (Report 108-172). "How to Use the Federal FOI Act." Excellent guide prepared by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Geared specifically toward journalists. Below are some details of the recently filed Los Angeles Lawsuit: SUMMARY OF THE LAWSUIT FILED IN LA COUNTY: Among the allegations in the 29-page complaint filed today in Superior Court, the County Department of Animal Care and Control routinely: Kills healthy and treatable animals before their state mandated holding period expires; Misclassifies animals as "ill" or "injured" in order to kill them before their holding period expires even though the animals are not irremediably

suffering as required by state law; Kills lost animals without making reasonable attempts to find the animals' owners; Fails to provide adequate veterinary care to impounded animals, resulting in animal deaths; Fails to provide adequate nutrition, water, shelter and exercise to impounded animals and to treat the animals humanely and kindly; Refuses to release animals to rescue groups that are willing to care for the animals until adoptive homes can be found and, instead, kills the animals. In addition, the lawsuit states that the County Department of Animal Care and Control unlawfully retaliates against animal rescuers and volunteers who publicize its

unlawful treatment of animals. Thank you, Karen O'Toole 602-549-1115karenotoole.orgkarensrescuelist . Patricia Breen www.petstorecruelty.org

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