A heartfelt thank you to Tricia for a generous $1,000 donation in honor of her dog Phoenix! We’ve used these funds to create a “Phoenix Fund” and will work with Tricia to ensure we make the most out of her gift.
Phoenix
Playful Phoenix
2019 Indiana Legislative Update
Here are two bills in the Indiana legislature right now that could use your support. Call your representative and make your voice heard!
SB474: Probation and parole for animal abusers. Authored by Senator Alting, this bill establishes as a mandatory condition of probation and parole that a person convicted of an animal abuse offense may not own, harbor, or train companion animals. Fortunately, this bill passed through the Senate unanimously and is now in the House. Please take a moment to contact your state Senator and thank him/her for voting yes on this bill and call your state Representative and ask him/her to support this bill.
HB1615: Death or injury to an animal. Authored by Representative Hatfield, and co-authored by Representatives McNamara, VanNatter, and Mahan, this bill amends some of the definitions in the animal cruelty statues to give law enforcement more tools to address beating and torturing of animals. Additionally, it increases penalties for intentional acts of extreme cruelty. Fortunately, this bill passed the House by a vote of 81-13. You can see how your Representative voted here. Please contact your Representative and say thank you if she/he voted YES on the bill, or inquire as to why your representative voted NO and let him/her know that you are disappointed.
Find out who represents you here http://action.humanesociety.org/site/PageServer…
Photo featuring Alumnus Lenny (RIP - 2016)
Break the Breed Label
Tune in next week to learn why it is so important for us to break the breed habit! As humans we love it identify stuff, label it and put it in a box. Unfortunately for dogs these labels (like pit bull mix or German Shepherd mix) come with behavioral expectations (like pit bulls are mean or German Shepherds are smart) that may be completely inaccurate or not applicable to the dog in front of you.
Tune in next week to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/597305304081477/
2019 Casa del Toro Update
Running a rescue is hard and sometimes we need to take a step back to recharge not only ourselves but our organization as well. We are hoping that these changes will bring new life to CDT and allow us to pursue our mission with more strength and passion than ever before. We are truly grateful for all the support.
BSL
I think it is easy to overlook that we are fortunate here in Indianapolis to not have breed specific legislation (BSL). If you don't know what BSL is or want to learn more about it's impact in your community check these resources made available by our friends at Animal Farm Foundation in NY.
Even though we don't have BSL in our community, when CDT adopters try to move out of the state they are confronted with hard decisions that no one wants to make. In 2017 we had two dogs returned to the rescue because when their families moved out of state they could not afford to keep them.
Bodhi, white dog in front
Bodhi, Class of 2016, was returned when her owners moved to California for work. Bodhi's owner had to decide between a house where they could keep their dog, but fear for their child's safety when going to Elementary school OR surrender their dog back to CDT and pick a house in a neighborhood where pit bulls are banned, but there is a in a good school district for their child.
No one should have to make this decision not to mention compounding the move across the country with separating a child from their dog.
The good news is that there was a family friend that were looking for a dog and and Bodhi was the perfect fit. So Bodhi wasn't in the rescue long and her current owners are still in contact with her original owner.
Gidget aka Gidgy-goo-goo
Then on Christmas day Gidget, Class of 2015, came back to the rescue. Gidget's adopter took a job promotion which relocated the family to the company headquarters in Memphis, TN where BSL exists. So they bough a house in a BSL-free county in Mississippi. Throughout the closing process Gidget's adopters were struggling with obtaining home owners insurance that would cover a pit bull. Finally, they found a company that would underwrite their insurance policy at an 80% mark-up! Instead of paying $40/month on top of their mortgage payment they would have to pay $200/month because they own a pit bull. Gidget's adopters could do that, they had the funds and were ready to move forward.
Then 7 days before Gidget's adopters are scheduled to move their family (which includes an 18 mo old baby) 450 miles they get a call telling them the mortgage lender will not underwrite their loan to include the cost of pit bull friendly insurance. For example, if their rent was estimated at $1,500/mo the lender would underwrite a mortgage for $1,540/mo (which includes basic insurance), but refused to underwrite a loan for $1,700/mo (the monthly cost of rent plus the cost of pit bull friendly insurance). So after everything they've tried to do, Gidget's adopters had to choose to keep Gidget and have no place to live in a week or surrender their dog back to CDT.
No one should have to make the decision of giving up their dog just because of it's looks. Bodhi and Gidget are both good dogs. They deserve good homes. Gidget's settling into her foster home and has spent the last week getting completely spoiled! She's currently looking for a forever home where she can be the only diva and soak up all the love.
BSL doesn't work. It's expensive (estimated to cost over $1.1M if launched in Indianapolis, IN) and doesn't improve public safety. Learn more: