This happened to us last winter. I can't believe I'm even saying this - but thank heavens for a gas leak!
I smelled gas in the kitchen one morning in mid-December and called the gas company to come and check, and here not only was there a serious leak in one of the line inside the house, but our furnace was spewing out CO as well!
We didn't have a CO detector and we never would have known about the leak until it was too late. Once we had the furnace replaced we realized that all the headaches and general ill feelings we had been blaming on a lingering flu was actually mild CO poisoning.
EVERYONE needs a detector in their homes! (Preferably at the start of winter, because going without a furnace and hot water tank for three days in 15 degree weather isn't fun.)
Not necessarily. As long as they start with good healthy stock and they don't allow the population to become too heavy for the enclosure to support the fish should stay healthy.
The closed system is just a smaller version of a septic system - water full of fish waste is run through gardens that remove all the excess solids and the water leaving the far side is once again safe for the fish to live in. The plants growing in the gardens will grow faster and healthier with a constant source of fertilizer. Win-win for both species.
I do wonder how they'll afford to heat it all though. Tilapia require water temperatures of 80 degrees - and we get some mighty cold winters here. Is this going to be a summer only thing? The fish can reach eating size in as little as little as three months, so I imagine that's one possibility.
I think do it's a marvelous idea, and I wish them the best!
catzrule, thank you! I'm just so sick of seeing all these places blaming each other. Yes, bad things have been done and worse things have been said by all parties - but make that the past already. Fighting about who was right and who was wrong isn't helping anything. There's serious overpopulation issues in y-town, and there is so much more that could be done to correct that!
I think the only way to get the three rescues (and any other groups who would be interesting in joining) would be to find one person to oversee talks and negotiations. That would be the hardest part since there is so much mistrust. It would have to be someone that every group truly believes is looking out for the best interest of their group and the animals. And it would have to be someone with enough of a presence to stand up against the heads of all the groups. (Cause lets face it, Kimm and Diane are both forces of nature when discussing what they're passionate about.) I don't know who that mediator could be, but it would have to be someone unassociated with all of the groups.
I'd love to see the dog groups get involved as well. The smaller rescues that have formed in the past ten years have made it so that almost no adoptable dog gets euthanized in Mahoning county. If all the groups worked together they could get the county to a complete no-kill county within another year or two. Home-based rescues are wonderful for working and rehabing dogs that the large shelters aren't equipped for or can't legally handle, but once it comes time to get those dogs adopted the small shelters just don't have the same ability to show the dogs off to potential adopters.
If the canine groups could talk and work together, dogs could get moved to where they would be best treated - those that need training and rehab to the smaller groups that already have the training and the network in place; those that are ready to go to homes to the shelters where it's easy for them to meet new families. In exchange, the smaller rescues could have medical care provided at-cost or at lower cost by Angels and Animal Charities. There would be more fundraising dollars to go around, and every dog could get a chance. Could you imagine a county where the dog population was under control to the point where we would have to start bringing in puppies and dogs from surrounding counties and helping the groups there? It would be amazing!
Another option that could help cut down on unwanted and abused cats and dogs and help every rescue group in the area would be programs that help keep the animal safe in it's own home. If there's no need to get rid of the pet in the first place, then there's no need to rehome it.
Many animals are being abandoned right now due to the economy and the cost of basic care. If people can't feed their family, then they can't feed their dog. A hardship program that provides pet food for families who want to keep their pet but can't afford food would keep many dogs out of the shelters. It could be limited to families that are already receiving government food benefits and whose animals are or would be fixed. Fundraising could be done separately and costs could be kept low by contacting pet food manufacturers for help. (Great PR for them.)
Another reason why many dogs and cats are abandoned is behavioral problems that can be easily corrected with the proper advice. Unfortunately, many owners are just at their wit's end when dealing with issues like urinating in the home, or biting. By providing free access to animal behavioral assistance, problems can be addressed and the animal can stay where it belongs in a loving home, and not sent to a shelter where there's no room. Anyone with good knowledge of cat or dog behavior can be trained to answer questions and help discover the root of the problem. Medical based issues can be referred to local veterinarians for treatment, while behavioral issues can be counseled over the phone. Owners can get the help and the reassurance they need, and the animals benefit from the service. It could be entirely volunteer based, and the call center could even be located in one of the local rescues, further reducing costs.
Here's an idea - how about they actually work together and put all these old fights behind them?
AFA likes cats that come in healthy and can be adopted immediately. Fast turnover is best for them. They have the facilities for major spay/neuter operations.
CLS likes to focus on special-needs cats that aren't perfect and are harder to find homes for. It's a niche market but they have had success with it. They have no on-site medical facilities and their animals need more care, but they have plenty of volunteers so their costs are lower.
AC doesn't have the facilities to hold many cats, so they aren't able to keep everything they bring in from animal cruelty calls. They have a medical team in place to offer services to the public and for animal cruelty seizures, but that means they aren't able to churn out spay/neuters at the rates needed to make a difference.
SO WORK TOGETHER PEOPLE!
AFA can handle the large volume spay/neuter that is needed. Set up shuttles that can run large numbers of privately owned cats to AFA from CLS/AC on at least a weekly basis. People from downtown can't always find a way to drive out to the middle of nowhere just to get a cat fixed. AFA can also take most of the immediately adoptable animals from both AC and CLS as they'll have better luck finding them homes. This will allow AC to be able to save more cats from their cruelty calls and also move cats out of their holding area as soon as they're healthy, allowing more to be treated.
CLS can take in the special-needs animals that both AFA and AC don't have the space for. The cost savings for AFA and AC in employee time alone would be extreme. In return, AC and AFA can offer medical services to CLS at-cost so all the cats get the treatment they need.
AC is the humane society of Mahoning county - so their focus needs to be on that. Being able to hand off spay/neuters and the extended care of cats would allow them to focus on treating more of the cruelty seizures that come through their doors. In return both AFA and CLS would help to support their financial needs.
Not every cat would be saved as there are just too many cats per available homes in this area. However, a plan like this should make the adoption numbers soar and bring down costs at the same time. Combining adoption databases would also allow potential adopters to view everyone's adoptable cats more easily at each location, allowing the adopters to find that perfect cat much easier.
Fundraising dollars could be pooled so everyone is more comfortable financially, and spay/neuter programs would be cheaper for the public. Volunteers could be used more effectively so there would be less of a reliance on paid help. There would be more services in more of the county so the public wouldn't have to go out of their way to adopt or spay/neuter, which is the biggest deterrent besides cost.
Family's scare points to need for CO detectors
This happened to us last winter. I can't believe I'm even saying this - but thank heavens for a gas leak!
I smelled gas in the kitchen one morning in mid-December and called the gas company to come and check, and here not only was there a serious leak in one of the line inside the house, but our furnace was spewing out CO as well!
We didn't have a CO detector and we never would have known about the leak until it was too late. Once we had the furnace replaced we realized that all the headaches and general ill feelings we had been blaming on a lingering flu was actually mild CO poisoning.
EVERYONE needs a detector in their homes! (Preferably at the start of winter, because going without a furnace and hot water tank for three days in 15 degree weather isn't fun.)
November 10, 2011 at 4:40 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Group plans to build South Side fish farm
Not necessarily. As long as they start with good healthy stock and they don't allow the population to become too heavy for the enclosure to support the fish should stay healthy.
The closed system is just a smaller version of a septic system - water full of fish waste is run through gardens that remove all the excess solids and the water leaving the far side is once again safe for the fish to live in. The plants growing in the gardens will grow faster and healthier with a constant source of fertilizer. Win-win for both species.
I do wonder how they'll afford to heat it all though. Tilapia require water temperatures of 80 degrees - and we get some mighty cold winters here. Is this going to be a summer only thing? The fish can reach eating size in as little as little as three months, so I imagine that's one possibility.
I think do it's a marvelous idea, and I wish them the best!
October 24, 2011 at 7:12 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Valley animal groups unite?
catzrule, thank you! I'm just so sick of seeing all these places blaming each other. Yes, bad things have been done and worse things have been said by all parties - but make that the past already. Fighting about who was right and who was wrong isn't helping anything. There's serious overpopulation issues in y-town, and there is so much more that could be done to correct that!
I think the only way to get the three rescues (and any other groups who would be interesting in joining) would be to find one person to oversee talks and negotiations. That would be the hardest part since there is so much mistrust. It would have to be someone that every group truly believes is looking out for the best interest of their group and the animals. And it would have to be someone with enough of a presence to stand up against the heads of all the groups. (Cause lets face it, Kimm and Diane are both forces of nature when discussing what they're passionate about.) I don't know who that mediator could be, but it would have to be someone unassociated with all of the groups.
I'd love to see the dog groups get involved as well. The smaller rescues that have formed in the past ten years have made it so that almost no adoptable dog gets euthanized in Mahoning county. If all the groups worked together they could get the county to a complete no-kill county within another year or two. Home-based rescues are wonderful for working and rehabing dogs that the large shelters aren't equipped for or can't legally handle, but once it comes time to get those dogs adopted the small shelters just don't have the same ability to show the dogs off to potential adopters.
If the canine groups could talk and work together, dogs could get moved to where they would be best treated - those that need training and rehab to the smaller groups that already have the training and the network in place; those that are ready to go to homes to the shelters where it's easy for them to meet new families. In exchange, the smaller rescues could have medical care provided at-cost or at lower cost by Angels and Animal Charities. There would be more fundraising dollars to go around, and every dog could get a chance. Could you imagine a county where the dog population was under control to the point where we would have to start bringing in puppies and dogs from surrounding counties and helping the groups there? It would be amazing!
February 2, 2011 at 3 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Valley animal groups unite?
Another option that could help cut down on unwanted and abused cats and dogs and help every rescue group in the area would be programs that help keep the animal safe in it's own home. If there's no need to get rid of the pet in the first place, then there's no need to rehome it.
Many animals are being abandoned right now due to the economy and the cost of basic care. If people can't feed their family, then they can't feed their dog. A hardship program that provides pet food for families who want to keep their pet but can't afford food would keep many dogs out of the shelters. It could be limited to families that are already receiving government food benefits and whose animals are or would be fixed. Fundraising could be done separately and costs could be kept low by contacting pet food manufacturers for help. (Great PR for them.)
Another reason why many dogs and cats are abandoned is behavioral problems that can be easily corrected with the proper advice. Unfortunately, many owners are just at their wit's end when dealing with issues like urinating in the home, or biting. By providing free access to animal behavioral assistance, problems can be addressed and the animal can stay where it belongs in a loving home, and not sent to a shelter where there's no room. Anyone with good knowledge of cat or dog behavior can be trained to answer questions and help discover the root of the problem. Medical based issues can be referred to local veterinarians for treatment, while behavioral issues can be counseled over the phone. Owners can get the help and the reassurance they need, and the animals benefit from the service. It could be entirely volunteer based, and the call center could even be located in one of the local rescues, further reducing costs.
February 2, 2011 at 4:27 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Valley animal groups unite?
Here's an idea - how about they actually work together and put all these old fights behind them?
AFA likes cats that come in healthy and can be adopted immediately. Fast turnover is best for them. They have the facilities for major spay/neuter operations.
CLS likes to focus on special-needs cats that aren't perfect and are harder to find homes for. It's a niche market but they have had success with it. They have no on-site medical facilities and their animals need more care, but they have plenty of volunteers so their costs are lower.
AC doesn't have the facilities to hold many cats, so they aren't able to keep everything they bring in from animal cruelty calls. They have a medical team in place to offer services to the public and for animal cruelty seizures, but that means they aren't able to churn out spay/neuters at the rates needed to make a difference.
SO WORK TOGETHER PEOPLE!
AFA can handle the large volume spay/neuter that is needed. Set up shuttles that can run large numbers of privately owned cats to AFA from CLS/AC on at least a weekly basis. People from downtown can't always find a way to drive out to the middle of nowhere just to get a cat fixed. AFA can also take most of the immediately adoptable animals from both AC and CLS as they'll have better luck finding them homes. This will allow AC to be able to save more cats from their cruelty calls and also move cats out of their holding area as soon as they're healthy, allowing more to be treated.
CLS can take in the special-needs animals that both AFA and AC don't have the space for. The cost savings for AFA and AC in employee time alone would be extreme. In return, AC and AFA can offer medical services to CLS at-cost so all the cats get the treatment they need.
AC is the humane society of Mahoning county - so their focus needs to be on that. Being able to hand off spay/neuters and the extended care of cats would allow them to focus on treating more of the cruelty seizures that come through their doors. In return both AFA and CLS would help to support their financial needs.
Not every cat would be saved as there are just too many cats per available homes in this area. However, a plan like this should make the adoption numbers soar and bring down costs at the same time. Combining adoption databases would also allow potential adopters to view everyone's adoptable cats more easily at each location, allowing the adopters to find that perfect cat much easier.
Fundraising dollars could be pooled so everyone is more comfortable financially, and spay/neuter programs would be cheaper for the public. Volunteers could be used more effectively so there would be less of a reliance on paid help. There would be more services in more of the county so the public wouldn't have to go out of their way to adopt or spay/neuter, which is the biggest deterrent besides cost.
February 2, 2011 at 3:29 a.m. permalink suggest removal