BlackListed! Magazine

You walk in. “Ahhh”, the scent of hope. They become ecstatic. Their eyes follow you around. They jump, wiggle, and bark; they’ll do anything just to get your attention. Blue has been attacked by its owner. Nina abandoned, then hit by a car. Koala was on his way to being euthanized. Many have returned, such as Dixie and Tootsie, unwanted by new owners for different reasons.

They all have a different reason for their placement at the Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue. But they all share the same past, that of abuse.

“It’s time people wake up and realize that pets are sensitive, caring, feeling animals,” said David Flagler, director of the Alachua County Animal Services, “and they deserve a lot more than what we have been giving.”    

Animal shelters in the United States handle approximately six to eight million animals. Although some are later claimed or adopted, nearly four million dogs and cats are left without a home, according to the Web site, www.helpinganimals.com, referred to by Ryan Huling, an associate of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. On average, 250 animals are abused a year in Alachua County, Flagler said.

There is an increasing need for animal adoption. Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue works in conjunction with the Haile Plantation Animal Clinic and fluctuates between 30 - 40 animals at a time. Cats and dogs have stayed here as long as a year and as short as a day, said Peg Fraser, adoption coordinator at Haile Plantation. It all depends on the particular needs of the interested adopters. Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue have, in the past, put cages all around their facility in order to ensure a home for all of the animals that came in, according to Sarah Houston, kennel technician at Hail Plantation. It has instilled the no-kill policy, meaning they do not euthanize their animals. The animals are kept there until someone adopts them or they die from natural causes.

“It’s about finding a home, not about euthanizing the animals because there’s no room,” said Joey Bloomfield, grant assistant at Maddie’s Fund. “Every organization has to realize it for itself.”

Maddie’s Fund, of Alameda, Calif., is a foundation dedicated to discouraging animal shelters from euthanizing their animals.
Another organization dedicated to the protection of animals is the Alachua County Animal Services. It has a duty to protect people and pets.

“We make sure that animals are not abused by their owners,” Flagler said, “and that people are not eaten by animals.”
The Alachua County Animal Services enforces the law by sending people to jail if found guilty of animal abuse. Their educational program for adults and children is expanding. According to Flagler, Jim Jarrell, an employee of the Alachua County Animal Services, attends schools, summer camps and youth programs where he encourages children to think like their pets. This activity helps them to understand what is necessary to be a responsible owner.

Hilary Hynes, another employee of the Alachua County Animal Services, educates church groups, meter readers, delivery personnel and adults with occupations that exposes them to animals on how to recognize and reduce animal abuse.

If you cannot responsibly take care of your pet, then you should “limit your ownership to stuffed animals, that way you cannot hurt them,” Flagler said. “Society doesn’t tolerate it anymore.”

Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue perform background checks to ensure that the cats and dogs go to good owners. It also makes certain that the potential owners are responsible, financially able, and can provide a recreational environment, said Fraser, adoption coordinator.
Ambry Cherock, an employee of Haile Plantation, lists ways to tell if an animal has been abused; sore wounds, broken bones, and/or behavioral changes. As part of their package, Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue spays and neuters the animal. They place a microchip in them, so that they can be recovered and brought back if lost. They vaccinate and provide a month’s supply of flee protection and food supplies. And they also provide health insurance, Fraser said.

Houston, kennel technician, adopted Miley, 2, a mix between a pit bull and a greyhound. Now Miley is the happiest dog in the world, Houston said. If she had the space, she would adopt ten more dogs. Tootsie wanders back and forth within his cage after being returned by its owners. He was returned because he snipped at the owner’s son after her son stepped on his foot.

“It breaks my heart to see him like this,” Houston said.

She plans on adopting Tootsie, a small poodle.

“We have great wonderful dogs. Save a life by adopting instead of buying."