A Letter from a Gas Chamber Man in an Animal Shelter


This where your pups will end up, I put dogs in the gas chamber Yes, I Gas Dogs and Cats for a Living.
I'm an Animal Control officer in a very small town in central North Carolina. I'm in my mid thirties, and have been working for the town in different positions since high school. There is not much work here, and working for the county provides good pay and benefits for a person like me without a higher education. I'm the person you all write about how horrible I am.

More... I'm the one that gasses the dogs and cats and makes them suffer. I'm the one that pulls their dead corpses out smelling of Carbon Monoxide and throws them into green plastic bags. But I'm also the one that hates my job and hates what I have to do.

First off, all you people out there that judge me, don't. God is judging me, and I know I'm going to Hell. Yes, I'm going to hell. I wont lie, it's despicable, cold, cruel and I feel like a serial killer. I'm not all to blame, if the law would mandate spay and neuter, lots of these dogs and cats wouldn't be here for me to gas. I'm the devil, I know it, but I want you people to see that there is another side to me the devil Gas Chamber man.

The shelter usually gasses on Friday morning.

Friday's are the day that most people look forward to, this is the day that I hate, and wish that time will stand still on Thursday night. Thursday night, late, after nobody's around, my friend and I go through a fast food line, and buy 50 dollars worth of cheeseburgers and fries, and chicken. I'm not allowed to feed the dogs on Thursday, for I'm told that they will make a mess in the gas chamber, and why waste the food.

So, Thursday night, with the lights still closed, I go into the saddest room that anyone can every imagine, and let all the doomed dogs out of their cages.

I have never been bit, and in all my years doing this, the dogs have never fought over the food. My buddy and I, open each wrapper of cheeseburger and chicken sandwich, and feed them to the skinny, starving dogs. They swallow the food so fast, that I don't believe they even taste it. There tails are wagging, and some don't even go for the food, they roll on their backs wanting a scratch on their bellies. They start running, jumping and kissing me and my buddy.

They go back to their food, and come back to us. All their eyes are on us with such trust and hope, and their tails wag so fast, that I have come out with black and blues on my thighs.. They devour the food, then it's time for them to devour some love and peace. My buddy and I sit down on the dirty, pee stained concrete floor, and we let the dogs jump on us. They lick us, they put their butts in the air to play, and they play with each other. Some lick each other, but most are glued on me and my buddy.

I look into the eyes of each dog. I give each dog a name. They will not die without a name. I give each dog 5 minutes of unconditional love and touch. I talk to them, and tell them that I'm so sorry that tomorrow they will die a gruesome, long, torturous death at the hands of me in the gas chamber. Some tilt their heads to try to understand. I tell them, that they will be in a better place, and I beg them not to hate me. I tell them that I know I'm going to hell, but they will all be playing with all the dogs and cats in heaven. After about 30 minutes, I take each dog individually, into their feces filled concrete jail cell, and pet them and scratch them under their chins. Some give me their paw, and I just want to die. I just want to die.

I close the jail cell on each dog, and ask them to forgive me. As my buddy and I are walking out, we watch as every dog is smiling at us and them don't even move their heads. They will sleep, with a full belly, and a false sense of security. As we walk out of the doomed dog room, my buddy and I go to the cat room. We take our box, and put the very friendly kittens and pregnant cats in our box. The shelter doesn't keep tabs on the cats, like they do the dogs. As I hand pick which cats are going to make it out, I feel like I'm playing God, deciding whose going to live and die.

We take the cats into my truck, and put them on blankets in the back. Usually, as soon as we start to drive away, there are purring cats sitting on our necks or rubbing against us. My buddy and I take our one way two hour trip to a county that is very wealthy and they use injection to kill animals. We go to exclusive neighborhoods, and let one or two cats out at a time. They don't want to run, they want to stay with us. We shoo them away, which makes me feel sad. I tell them that these rich people will adopt them, and if worse comes to worse and they do get put down, they will be put down with a painless needle being cradled by a loving veterinarian. After the last cat is free, we drive back to our town.

It's about 5 in the morning now, about two hours until I have to gas my best friends.

I go home, take a shower, take my 4 anti-anxiety pills and drive to work.. I don't eat, I can't eat. It's now time, to put these animals in the gas chamber. I put my ear plugs in, and when I go to the collect the dogs, the dogs are so excited to see me, that they jump up to kiss me and think they are going to play. I put them in the rolling cage and take them to the gas chamber. They know. They just know. They can smell the death.. They can smell the fear. They start whimpering the second I put them in the box. The boss tells me to squeeze in as many as I can to save on gas. He watches. He knows I hate him, he knows I hate my job. I do as I'm told. He watches until all the dogs, and cats (thrown in together) are fighting and screaming. The sounds is very muffled to me because of my ear plugs.

He walks out, I turn the gas on, and walk out.

I walk out as fast as I can. I walk into the bathroom, and I take a pin and draw blood from my hand. Why? The pain and blood takes my brain off of what I just did. In 40 minutes, I have to go back and unload the dead animals. I pray that none survived, which happens when I overstuff the chamber. I pull them out with thick gloves, and the smell of carbon monoxide makes me sick. So does the vomit and blood, and all the bowel movements. I pull them out, put them in plastic bags.

They are in heaven now, I tell myself. I then start cleaning up the mess, the mess, that YOU PEOPLE are creating by not spay or neutering your animals. The mess that YOU PEOPLE are creating by not demanding that a vet come in and do this humanely. You ARE THE TAXPAYERS, DEMAND that this practice STOP!

So, don't call me the monster, the devil, the gasser, call the politicians, the shelter directors, and the county people, the devil. Heck, call the governor, tell him to make it stop.

As usual, I will take sleeping pills tonight to drown out the screams I heard in the past, before I discovered the ear plugs. I will jump and twitch in my sleep, and I believe I'm starting to hallucinate.

This is my life. Don't judge me. Believe me, I judge myself enough.


please CROSS POST this, and don't be proud; SPAY AND NEUTER your pet, and keep it indoors, for the sake of our animals futures.

Reprinted below is a letter Theresa Strader, the founder of National Mill Dog Rescue, wrote to the breeder of her beloved Lily.  For those who don't know, Lily is the reason National Mill Dog Rescue exists today.





May 15, 2008


Dear Martha,

It's been fifteen months since you and I first met. More than likely, you remember very little about me. After all, we met in your world, on your property in fact. Since that day, elements of your world have become a very big part of mine. For that, myself and many like-minded people are very thankful to you.


In February 2007, I received an email - "50 Italian Greyhounds in need" and with that, a phone number. Having had a lifetime affinity for the breed, I called the number to find out what the story was and how I might be able to help. I'm certain you know where this letter is going now.


Yes, February 17, 2007, after 40+ years, your kennel would be going out of business. Time to retire and relax after four decades of mistreating dogs. Five hundred and sixty one dogs would head to the auction blocks that day, 49 were Italian Greyhounds. It was without question that I would help, though I must admit, I had no idea what I would come to learn through the process. Due to transportation issues, I realized that if I were to be of any use to these dogs, I would have to drive out to Lamar myself. So, on the 16th of February, my daughter and I headed to Missouri.


Understand, I've been involved in dog rescue essentially my entire life - fostering and placing homeless dogs, caring for sick or injured dogs, assisting overpopulated shelters, etc. I have always known about puppy mills and pet store puppies, but have never shared my home with anything other than rescued animals. For the record, I AM NOT AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. What I am is a person who believes in the right to humane treatment for all living things.


Martha, what I witnessed on your property was far from humane. Hundreds of terrified ailing faces, imprisoned in their wire confines, some staring at me, but most too fearful to look into my eyes, so unsure of how to interpret human contact. That experience has caused me countless sleepless nights and to this very day, the sadness and the fear in their eyes haunts my very being.


I am completely aware that you were operating well within USDA standards - what a despicable thought that is. I am also aware that in your circles, commercial breeding dogs are considered livestock. Dogs are not livestock, Martha. Thousands of years ago, man domesticated dogs to be our protectors, hunters, herders, guardians, but most of all, our companions.


I came home with thirteen of your dogs - nine Italian Greyhounds, two Dachshunds and two Papillons. Not a single dog that I had cared for in over 25 years of rescue work came anywhere close to the physical and emotional damage that your dogs had suffered. As it related to rescuing dogs, the next several months would become the education of a lifetime for me.


The entire purpose of this letter though, is about just one of those dogs, the one who would find her forever home here with my family..... #251 - AKC registered "Reedgate's Swift Motion". Oh, the irony of her name - Swift Motion - an Italian Greyhound who was never able to run. Caging her for her entire life stripped her of ever having enough strength in her legs to experience the joy of running. A cruel reality for a breed built to run.


In our home, we cut the chain from her neck, replaced it with a soft collar and named her Lily. At the age of seven years and one month Lily had been set free.


Lily was one of several of your dogs that was missing her lower jaw. I wonder how you might explain why so many of your dogs were suffering from this condition. I wonder if you were ever concerned about their pain or perhaps about how they were able to eat enough to stay alive. I wonder how many died in your care from the results of this condition. I wonder if you even noticed. I'm very certain you did notice one thing beyond the rotting faces though - their ability to produce puppies. That's what your business is all about - producing puppies, at any expense.


Lily became an absolute treasure in our home. Despite her many health issues and her extreme fear, in time, with lots of love and care, she found her courage and when she did, no one was immune to her love. Men, women and children brought to tears to hear her story and to have the untold pleasure of meeting her. Lily's life was no longer about what she could do for you but instead, how we could make it up to her in a warm and loving home.


It was agonizing for our family to watch her suffer through four surgeries to remove mammary tumors, to attempt to repair her decaying face and to spay her -- removing the papery black, pus filled organ that was once her uterus. How selfish of you never to see her pain, just the dollars.


Directly because of your gross neglect, every meal Lily ate was a struggle. We tried so many foods and so many different ways to make it easier for her to eat. But in the end, she had to do it her way, the way she learned at your place, the way she kept herself alive for you - picking kibbles out of her bowl, a few at a time with her feet, spreading them around the floor, then rubbing the "good" side of her face along the floor to catch a kibble on her tongue, then extending her neck upwards and swallowing it whole. Think about that, Martha. How would you like to eat just one meal that way?


Do you remember sitting in my car when the auction was over? The guys were gathering up the dogs that I had "won". You said to me, "I just love my Italian Greyhounds". Oh, the thoughts that went through my mind when those words came out of your mouth. You don't love any dogs, Martha. What you did was spend more than forty years of your God given life using dogs for your personal gain. No regard to their physical or mental well-being, just cashing in on their ability to reproduce. Think about the thousands of dogs that passed through your hands - you robbed every single one of them of the simple joys they so deserve. A good meal, a warm and comfortable place to sleep, medical attention, and most of all, a human companion to make their lives whole.


Lily learned so much in our home - about being a family member, being a dog, being worthy. I will always be bothered that she never learned how to run or really how to play. But she learned how to love and be loved and for that, there are no words. She changed our lives forever.



Lily died on May 13, 2008 at the age of eight - about half the life expectancy for an Italian Greyhound. Martha, she died as a direct result of the neglect she suffered for seven years in your care. How many others have suffered the same fate?

This industry has been hidden far too long. The word is out, the days are numbered. People like you will soon venture out into fields of honest work and leave the care of God's creatures to those of us who truly love them.


Theresa Strader

Why does the AKC support puppy mills?   MONEY.

   Kathy Mordini, animal advocate and writer for the Chicago Pets examiner, writes that the AKC is " . . . blocking laws around the country that would crack down on puppy mills, affecting the AKC’s membership. The AKC collects membership fees from thousands of dog breeders including owners of puppy mills – large scale commercial breeding operations that have substandard living condition that create health and behavioral problems in dogs."  The AKC opposed 80 state and local proposals to cut down on puppy mills.

   It's all about the money.  The fewer "breeders", the fewer membership dues.

   As stated in our website, we are NOT anti-breeder. We support legitimate breeders that take good care of their breeding "stock" (not our word - theirs).  The AKC tries to paint those of us who fight against the atrocities of puppy mills as crazy and misguided.  The fact of the matter is, the AKC chooses to turn a blind eye to those atrocities instead using their money and energy to try to turn those of us who want to end puppy mills into the "bad guys".  When greed overtakes an organization to the point that they will accept any breeder and not work to impose standards of care for the animals trapped in a puppy mill, that is WRONG.  The reason that the AKC has become so lax is due to other breeder organizations that have always been lax in their standards, such as the CKC, accepting any and all "breeders".  One can go to flea markets in southern Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and find cage after cage of "purebred puppies" registered as purebred by the CKC.  In a moment of weakness, I bought a puppy from one of these breeders in 2007.  It was a tiny chihuahua puppy that I was told was a "teacup".  It was the last one left, cold and alone in a big cage and whining and I just couldn't help myself.  It turns out that the 8 week old puppy was actually 4 weeks old and malnourished.  The "teacup" grew to be 12 pounds and had an organic brain disorder caused by inbreeding.  My "teacup" poodle, rescued from a puppy mill in Alabama in 1998 was so malnourished that his bones turned to rubber and his jaw dislocated so that he could no longer eat.

   But the CKC, The American Pet Registry and other breeder organizations were taking members and those precious membership fees from the AKC so they, in turn, relaxed their standards.  It is shameful.

 ********************************************
From Gretchen Bernardi of the Canine Chronicle:
"For those who have not followed the AKC's long involvement in the puppy mill business, here's a quick summary:

* While the American Kennel Club has always put itself out there as an "elite" organization of elite people and elite dogs, the facts are quite the opposite. A huge chunk of the money that finances the American Kennel Club, and an astounding number of dogs, come from commercial puppy mill breeders.

* The AKC puppy mill connection first came out in the press in the late 1980s thanks to a handful of defecting staff. Prior to that time the AKC simply ignored questions about puppy mill registrations, lied about it, or gave deflecting answers.

* With the rapid rise of genetic defects within some Kennel Club breeds, the issue of negative genetic loads and genetic bottle necks came to the forefront of discussion on internet list-servs and bulletin boards. Vocal breed club members began to demand that the AKC keep better track of paperwork, and that they stop winking at puppy mills that cranked out a hundreds dogs a year from a single sire.

* The AKC's implementation of a Frequently Used Sire program, along with some increased inspections of commercial breeding facilities, resulted in the Missouri Pet Breeders Association boycotting the AKC and switching most of their registries over to the no-questions-asked, American Pet Registry which originates in Arkansas.

* Over the space of six years – from 1999 through 2006 – AKC registrations dropped by 250,000 dogs as increasing numbers of puppy millers ditching the AKC.

* The loss of puppy mill income precipitated a cash crisis for the AKC. You see, the American Kennel Club depends on puppy mill money to finance their expensive building on Madison Avenue and their money-losing dog shows, as well as their staff travel, pre-and post-Westminster dog show parties and the like.

* What to do? The answer, of course, was to woo the puppy mill trade back, and so the "High Volume Breeders Committee" was created. This was the old puppy mill business with a new (and not too transparent) name.

* The first meeting of the High Volume Breeders Committee was held in September 2001.

Gretchen Bernardi notes that since 2001, the AKC has not increased the inspection and investigation staff of high volume breeders, and has simply ignored eight of the nine committee members who sought to get the puppy millers to "raise the bar" and change their way of doing business.

Instead of trying to get the puppy mill world to change, the AKC has joined them. The American Kennel Club is now a platinum member of the Missouri Pet Breeders, the very organization which launched the boycott against it back in 2000. In addition, notes Ms. Bernardi, the AKC has removed the “do not buy puppies from a pet shop” advice from its website.

Andrew Hunte, founder of the Hunte Corporation, the largest commercial puppy mill broker in the U.S. was invited to sit in the AKC box at Westminster. Then, in 2005, the AKC entered into a contractual arrangement with Petland, the largest outlet for Hunte puppy mill dogs in the U.S.

This deal was only abandoned after a massive protest by dog owners, but the AKC continues to register puppy mill puppies, continues to register pet shop dogs, and continues to give discounts to high volume breeders. And, of course, now there is a direct web link from the Hunte Corporation (supplier of pet store dogs) to the AKC's web site.

In August of 2007, the AKC unanimously passed a resolution “to direct management to aggressively pursue the registration of every AKC registerable dog and to actively welcome any breeder or owner who is willing to abide by all AKC rules, regulations, and policies.” In short, do whatever it takes to make nice with the puppy millers. The AKC needs the money!
**********************************

    Laura Allen of The Animal Law Coalition writes: "Puppy mills mean big revenues for the AKC. In 2006, the American Kennel Club (AKC) registered 870,000 individual dogs and 416,000 litters. At $20 per dog and $25 per litter (plus $2 per puppy), AKC brought in well over $30 million in revenues from registration of dogs born in puppy mills."

   "The AKC, though, does not check to find out if dogs even qualify for registration and does not travel to every breeder’s facility to inspect it. The AKC has announced it “cannot guarantee the quality or health of dogs in its registry.” But AKC is happy to take the money, which, incidentally, is the largest source of its revenue, and issue "papers" for the dogs anyway. Usually the "papers" simply list the purebred lineage listed on the application submitted by the breeder.

    An American Kennel Club (AKC) representative, Lisa Peterson, recently stated: “Dogs are property. And we like to leave the option to the owner of the property, of the dog, with the breeder. It's their decision as to how many intact females to own or how many litters to produce.”

   How about The American Pet Registry?  This is the statement on their website:

   "We condemn any and all activities and legislation that infringes upon the individual's right to choice concerning their pets. We condemn any activity, which results in the seizure of personal property without due process as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Furthermore, we reject efforts by the radical animal activist movement to circumvent existing animal husbandry practices and replace them with their animal rights agenda"  

   But of course they have to sound like they're playing by the rules, so they post this shallow statement first: "APRI condemns all substandard kennels, which by their actions or inactions reflect poorly on the credibility of all reputable, law-abiding, responsible breeders who maintain or exceed all current local, state and federal animal welfare laws and regulations."

   From the AKC website itself, referring to the "Puppy Protection Act" that was sponsored by Rick Santorum in 2003:   "The Animal Welfare Act currently does not regulate breeding practices of any species of animals. The PPA will, for the first time, thrust the federal government into a whole new arena of animal regulation. The federal government should not be in the business of specifying and regulating breeding practices of dog breeders. Furthermore, and very importantly, there is no scientific basis for the specific breeding restrictions included in the PPA."
   "As a practical matter, it will be impossible for the USDA, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act, to police breeding practices without imposing overwhelmingly intrusive burdens on persons who breed dogs. "
  
   THIS is the letter that the AKC encouraged their members to write to their representatives in 2010:


   "The term "puppy mill" is a derogatory word used by animal rights activists and supporters against anyone who breeds dogs, and is no more acceptable than using slur names for those of different ethnic backgrounds. It is as degrading and offensive to professional breeders to call them "puppy mills" as it is to call our fellow man slur names. It is not socially acceptable to call our fellow man names, nor is it acceptable to call breeders slur names.

We ask that you refrain from using the term "puppy mill", and that you correct others that use the term to describe dog breeders. Animal rights activists use the term to garner support for fundraising, and those funds are being used to eliminate all agriculture, use and enjoyment of animals. Please help us to stop the spread of animal rights issues. Let's all begin by eliminating the term "puppy mill" from our vocabulary."

    There is a huge difference between a legitimate breeder and a puppy mill.  It's a shame that the AKC cannot - or CHOOSES not - to see that.  And the fact that they will continue their practices, with full knowledge of the pain and suffering of dogs trapped in puppy mills, is beyond disgusting.

   To learn more about the AKC, puppy mills, organizations fighting puppy mills and more, please go to the links provided below.  Only by educating ourselves - and others - can we make a difference.



References

http://www.examiner.com/article/hsus-akc-not-helping-fight-against-puppy-mills

http://www.citizensagainstpuppymills.org/pmakc.php

https://www.aprpets.org/

http://caninechronicle.com/Features/Bernardi_08/bernardi_108.html

http://classic.akc.org/enewsletter/taking_command/2010/march/letters.cfm

   One of the things that we need to know are the existing laws in our area regarding animal abuse, neglect, etc.  I started doing my research on this subject today (while the website is being edited by some friends) and I was truly baffled. 

   I started at the beginning of the alphabet - "A" for Alabama.  Let me lay the groundwork for you here.  I am originally from Alabama, where animals are not always valued as much as in other areas of the country.  For instance, I had a former friend that used to order purebred German shepherds from Germany, then turn them loose on her property.  As puppies.  No fence.  The dogs would get hit in the road out in front of their house and they would simply order another one.  (Yes - they had money.)  The dogs slept outside, were not allowed inside the house. They were "THINGS".

   One day, her husband accidentally ran over the family cat on his way to work.  Instead of taking it to the vet, he tossed it in the back of his work truck, intending to dispose of it later.  Well, he forgot.  That evening he met his wife and their kids for dinner, and after dinner the kids ran out and jumped in the back of the truck.  And there was "Fluffy".  Still alive, bleeding and not in good shape.  The kids had a meltdown, crying and screaming about their poor "Fluffy" and the husband was forced to take the cat to the vet.  They left the cat at the vet's office and tried to console the kids.  I'm not sure what his story was as to how "Fluffy" ended up in the back of his truck in such horrible condition or what he told the vet to keep from getting charged with animal cruelty.  Anyway, much later that night, the vet called to inform him that "Fluffy" had not survived her massive injuries, loss of blood, exposure, etc.  The couple received a huge vet bill a few days later and I've always thought of it as GREAT KARMA!  My own father was brutal to animals - dumping unwanted puppies tied up in bags in the Alabama river, and even dumping my own dog out in the woods after she was hit by a car.

   Now that you know the general level of disrespect of animals in some parts of Alabama, let me tell you about the laws in Alabama regarding animal abuse - and compare them to possessing marijuana.  I'm not supporting the possession or use of pot and I know marijuana is illegal, but it's a very low-class drug, is not considered a narcotic, etc.  But in Alabama, if you have pot in your possession, you are guilty of a misdemeanor, can be fined up to $6,000 and spend one year in jail.  If you have any amount of pot for anything OTHER than personal use, it is a felony, you can be fined up to $15,000 and be sentenced from 1 to 10 years in jail.  Pretty tough huh?  I mean, for having one "joint", you can spend a YEAR in jail and have to sell your car to pay your fine and if you're taking some to a friend or whatever, you've just thrown your life away.

   But you can beat a dog or any other animal, to death, neglect it to death, and all you get is a Class B misdemeanor charge and: ". . . first conviction of a violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars ($3,000) or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both fine and imprisonment; on a second conviction of a violation of this section, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than three thousand dollars ($3,000) or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both fine and imprisonment; and on a third or subsequent conviction of a violation of this section, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than three thousand dollars ($3,000) or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both fine and imprisonment."

   So you can beat a dog to death, or starve it, and if you do it a second or third time, you get the same fine and the same sentence.  How many times can you actually beat or starve a dog to death in Alabama before the punishment goes up?  But have a joint in your pocket and you're in more trouble than if you beat a dog to death THREE TIMES.  

   That's not all - it goes on for pages and it is so confusing I still don't understand all of it.  But I do understand this:  It's not against the law to shoot an animal on your property with a BB gun if it's defecating or urinating on the property.  And if you kill, disable, disfigure, destroy, or injure an animal if it's trespassing on your property and it had been on your property within the past six months, you won't be prosecuted if you pay the owners or offer to pay the owners.  How do you pay for the value of a beloved pet?  And how do you prove the dog had been there within the last six months?  It's a "get out of jail free" clause.  Animals DO get out of their fences sometimes, and that shouldn't be a death sentence.  

   Beating and torturing a dog is a Class A misdemeanor.  If you skin the animal and sell it's fur, then it's a Class C felony.  This makes NO sense. You can beat and torture an animal to death and it's a misdemeanor, but take the skin off when you're through torturing it and it's a felony. 

   I hate to review the rest of the 49 states to see what low value they place upon animals - especially farm animals.  

   If you'd like to take a look for yourself, you can go to http://aldf.org/article.php?id=259 and find the laws for every state.  I'm hoping to find the same type of data base for cities to help LAW members educate themselves on the laws in their home town.

   We have a HUGE TASK ahead of us.  Not only to get tough, common sense laws passed but also to make sure that they are enforced - which is already a huge problem.  Especially in smaller, rural towns.

  

Welcome to LAW - Legislate for Animal Welfare.  There's so much going on in the fight against animal abuse, animal neglect, the changing laws, and the reported atrocities, we wanted to add a blog to our website so we, and other guest bloggers, can write to help keep you informed.  We will still be posting on our Facebook page -

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Legislate-for-Animal-Welfare-LAW/346462888794121?ref=ts&fref=ts

But this will give us more space to post in-depth issues that we need to be aware of, need to educate ourselves about, or need to act on.  We are very excited to get started on this journey - and we are glad you are here to fight this battle with us.  Thank you.