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A Happy Customer!
At a microchip clinic in a Northern New Jersey community, a certified veterinarian prepares to insert a microchip the size of a rice kernel in the nape of a dog’s neck. Assisted by a team of trained technicians, the chip is quickly and painlessly injected without anesthetics. Success! The safety of another pet has been secured.
But what makes this occasion unique is that this clinic is free, courtesy of NJ STRAYS, a non-profit organization with a goal to encourage microchipping as a means to reduce shelter intake.
NJ STRAYS was established by Adriana Bradley in 2012 in an attempt to support families struggling to care for their pets and were in search of low-cost resources.
According to the NJ STRAYS website, Adriana’s No-Kill approach is an inclusive solution to the unnecessary euthanization of Companion Animals in and outside shelters. Her vision is to create a long-lasting solution to this problem through educational and community support.
Nuestra Mision:
“NJ STRAYS se preocupa por la gente y sus mascotas. Nos centramos en reducir el número de mascotas que entran en perreras locales y en prevenir la eutanización innecesaria de las mismas. Somos parte del movimiento en contra de la matanza animal.”
Advocating for protective microchip measures, NJ Strays wishes to save lost pets from euthanasia when these animals find themselves in overcrowded shelters. According to the New Jersey Department of Health, more than 15,000 dogs and cats were euthanized in New Jersey shelters in 2016 alone.
Community outreach has truly been the key to success for meeting their goals. Many of the North Jersey regions served by NJ STRAYS are comprised of a large Spanish-speaking population. By offering services in English and Spanish the organization is able to have a greater impact on animal welfare. Fue un exito!
According to Rachel Moehl of the NJ STRAYS Marketing Team the frequency of these free microchipping events is dictated by need and the sponsorship support received from local Animal Control departments, dog groomers and local boarding facilities. “When we receive complete sponsorship, we’re able to offer free micro-chipping. Without complete sponsorship we are still able to offer our service for a cost of $15.00 per pet,” Moehl explains.This is a huge savings as this procedure can typically cost up to $85.00.
In 2018 NJ STRAYS microchipped 64 pets and had already surpassed that number as of June 2019 with a goal to microchip a total of 800 pets by end-of-year. When these free microchip clinics are held in conjunction with free rabies and spay and neuter events the turn-out is high with nearly 60 pets and their owners attending. Pre-registration is not required.
Chipped and Cheerful!
Animal-loving individuals may pay it forward by sponsoring a pet’s microchip for just $10.00 while having the opportunity to dedicate the microchip to a person (or pet) of their choice. The pet who receives this gift is informed of this special dedication.
Microchipping is a crucial lifesaving precaution throughout all regions of the nation. Dr. Patrick Mahaney, a Los Angeles-based veterinarian, shares, “When I worked emergency practice and would see random clients come in as a good Samaritans having found a lost dog or cat there were plenty of times when a microchip was scanned yet the owner had not registered their information which made it more challenging to get the pets back to their respective owner.”
Rescue Groups also attest to the value of micro-chipping. Joy Manley, founder of R &R Animal Sanctuary in Wisconsin recalls an incident when a woman insisted that a surrendered dog belonged to her. It was only after Joy requested an x-ray of the dog that a microchip was revealed and the situation rightfully resolved. Although uncommon, the chip had migrated.
These situations remind pet owners to register their pet’s microchip and to regularly check the chip’s functionality during visits to veterinarians.
Remember, even the most responsible dog owner may find themselves in situations where they are separated from their beloved pets – a gate left open by a workman or visitor, the startling burst of fireworks that cause a frightened pet to flee, a slip of a leash and collar – these unfortunate circumstances can cause great anxiety and uncertainty for both pet and human. Thanks to organizations like NJ STRAYS, the awareness of microchipping increases resulting in more lives saved and happy reunions.
To learn more about NJ STRAYS please visit https://www.njstrays.org/mission
“Paws” to Chip!
“The old era of the breeder-seller ‘washing his hands’ of a sale as soon as the puppy left his place, has passed.” Will Judy, Founder of National Dog Week, (written in 1961 after publishing Dog World Magazine for 36 years)
According to Tracy Green, the Page Administor of Make it Illegal to Sell Dogs/Puppies in Pet Stores, https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Make-it-Illegal-to-sell-DogsPuppies-in-Pet-Stores/196025447082684 there are at least 14 communities in the United States that have successfully banned these establishments: 1. Parkland Florida 2. Lake Worth Florida 3. Hallandale Beach FL 4. Irvine CA 5. Glendale CA 6. Albuquerque New Mexico (first to ban in US) 7. West Hollywood CA 8. South Lake Tahoe CA 9. Chula Vista CA 10. Laguna Beach CA 11. Dana Point CA 12. Hermosa Beach CA 13. Fountain Colorado 14. Austin Texas.
El Paso Texas has banned puppies under one year of age in pet stores and Los Angeles approved a motion to draft an ordinance to ban sales of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores. Although an official ordinance is not in place yet, Huntington Beach, CA, passed a first reading and they are in the process of putting a motion to draft an official ordinance. Richmond, BC, Canada has banned sales; Toronto became the second Canadian city to ban these sales. (please visit site for updates).
Recently, my township of Brick, NJ has been in the spotlight as potentially becoming the first city in the MidAtlantic to follow suit. Over the weekend, National Pets Examiner, Prenny Preston Eims, wrote on this development http://www.examiner.com/article/jersey-town-may-ban-retail-sale-of-cats-and-dogs . The ordinance has been tabled but you can help by contacting the township and voicing your support.
I thank the Fisher family and all those town officials, veterinarians and others who have worked so hard to bring this about and those who helped rescue 39 sick and neglected pups from another “Dog Store” in Brick Township. And a nod of appreciation to all those across the nation who are organizing activities to call attention to this problem.
A few years ago, when I began writing the short story, HUMAN DIRECTIONAL, I wanted to show, not tell, the story of a young man who chooses to work for a shop that sells dogs acquired through puppy mills. The story is purely ficitional, but captures the message on the callousness of this business, as well the economic angst many are experiencing (sometimes they go hand in hand, or hand in paw). Below, I present an excerpt from HUMAN DIRECTIONAL, one of the seven stories of SOMETHING’S LOST AND MUST BE FOUND. (Please see ABOUT for more book information). Thanks to all who have kept this book among the top sellers in “Dogs” on Amazon.
For the record, I am not anit-breeder. In my lifetime, I have welcomed many pets in a variety of ways. Ten years ago, I acquired (with love) my Portuguese water dog from a breeder who made me come to her home three times, fill out a questionnaire, be interviewed and after all that, she asked me if I still wanted one of her pups. I even got to hold my pup and meet her dog mom. This is not what goes on when people buy from a retail shop. If I am able to add another dog to my household, I will work with a shelter or a local rescue group. I happily await the day.
People say to me, why does the government have to get involved, why don’t people just stop buying at these shops? That’s a good question. A dog is not a car or a toy or an appliance. Encourage people to acquire dogs intelligently. It is a big commitment, think about it. Ask them to consider the welfare of all dogs like those abused and neglected on the grounds of Commercial Breeding facilities and their pups that are dumped in overcrowded shelters.
Excerpt from Human Directional
Enlightenment can be obtained in houses of worship, halls of education, on a magnificent mountain top, or sometimes in the confines of a sweaty dog suit working as a Human Directional.
You’ve seen them, how could you not? They seem to be everywhere, at the corner of busy intersections; living breathing human billboards, hoisting big signs shaped like arrows. Some dance and jump around in staged excitement, swirling, swinging, flipping, and twirling their signs. Others stand slumped, stuck in place, brought down by boredom, heat, exhaustion…life.
But the sign they cling to is a life raft, offering its carrier a way to earn wages on which he or she can just scrape by, all the while pointed toward the Grand Opening of some new store in a strip mall, or directing house hunters to a housing tract featuring mini-mansions listed at “Market Adjusted” prices.
Does anyone ever grow up wanting to be a Human Directional? Perhaps, but you’ll find that these hired walking signs have surrendered hope, at a point in their lives when any job will do because they lack skills, paper work, or opportunity. Many exist in quiet desperation looking for some personal direction, some kind of sign, while actually being one. Most won’t get the irony, but there are exceptions, like John, a twenty-five year old college graduate with a degree in business from a prestigious university.
This formerly goal-directed young man had been laid off a year earlier and just never could find something to replace that good run of employment he’d enjoyed for three years. For the past six months he’d done some light carpentry work, some house painting and worked as a busboy. He’d become discouraged about the prospects of ever finding meaningful work with a good paycheck, the kind of work he felt someone of his education and background deserved.
John recalled a time not so long ago when he held little regard for those who were not so smart, so lucky, so entitled; the legions who labored on the lawns of others, waited on tables at chain restaurants, flipped greasy burgers, cared for the elderly, children, or animals… but now here he stood at a busy intersection dressed in a human-sized dog suit, luring customers to a store called PETS-4-U!
He had found his new job after answering an ad on Craig’s List, under the heading of Advertising and Promotion. In desperate times the John’s of the world overlook a lot, including their inner compasses, when accepting a position like that of a Human Directional for a place like PETS-4-U!
PETS-4-U! had been in business at its new spot for just four months, having moved from one just a few miles down the road where it had been known as PUPS-2-GO! Now with the Thanksgiving and holiday season near, it was time to take advantage of this new highly trafficked business location and rev up the lucrative sale of adorable pups.
“I need someone with a big bark and lots of energy,” the owner of the shop had explained to John during his interview. “If you can be available weekends, you’re hired.” he’d continued. “I’ll start you out at $15.00 an hour and if business is good, I’ll give you a raise and a holiday bonus.”
As this was the best offer John had received in a while, he accepted, what did he have to lose he’d reasoned?
“Call me Ron,” the pet shop owner had said offering John his hand. “Too bad those good looks of yours will be wasted.” With this, he’d presented John with his new uniform, a Golden retriever suit which John would be wearing on his beat. “Get it? You’re a member of the Working Dog Group now, a retriever of customers,” Ron said, guffawing. “You can start tomorrow. Just keep that big arrow pointed in this direction and move around a lot, get creative, act like a dog, chase cars, offer your paw. Kids love it!”
John reported to his corner the next morning dressed in a dog suit the color of the amber-hued lagers he used to pound down at the upscale bars he’d frequented in days of yore. He would have to get used to the stifling sensation that came with wearing a big dog head with slits for eyes, grateful it allowed him to remain anonymous.
The first hour passed without incident, but then it started. (End of Excerpt).
I hope you were engaged enough to invest in a download (only .99 on Amazon). Please remember, a portion of all book sales is designated to some special causes for our Companion Animals, especially those involving Spay and Neuter initiatives.
I also hope that you do can do your part to replicate what those in the above-mentioned communities (and hopefully, soon, Brick Township) have been able to do. Please contact the town officials in Brick and let them know how you feel. Please feel free to quote any material obtained from my blog posts. council@twp.brick.nj.us
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