As the fifth anniversary of Hur ricanes Katrina and Rita draws near, a recollection of pain, loss, and despair resurge from the dormant corners of our memory; the place we store the moments of our lives we wish to forget.
The images of destruction in the af termath of the storms graced the cov ers of every national paper and news screen. Aerial depictions of people on rooftops waving for help, houses gutted and dismantled; a natural calamity on par with the ravages of war. Strangely, there was one population of victims seldom represented by the media: the animals. Few of us watch ing the coverage from afar realized just how urgent the crisis was for the pets of our southern neighbors.
While many animal rescue organizations are now opening pet food pantries in response to the recession, the Santa Cruz, California, SPCA recognized the need in their community 15 years ago. “People were turning their pets into shelters because they couldn't afford to buy food for them,” explains staff member Nancy Eaton.
If ever there was a story of a little place that can do big things, this is it. The Santa Cruz SPCA is a private, non-profit rescue that operates out of a modest converted house. The exterior is in some disrepair, but I can tell by the picket fence adorned with pink wooden hearts, the shiny sign, and the laughter radiating from the open windows, that this place begs to be given a chance to show its true personality—much like the animals housed within.
As the owner of Rusty, a 5-year-old Australian Shepherd who's ridden surfboards and paddle boards since he was a puppy, I started thinking about holding a surf contest for dogs in Santa Cruz. People often say, "I want to do that with my dog," when they see Rusty in the lineup.
What better way for them to try it out than to participate in an event?
Marty is a sweet, kind and loving cat with quite an interesting story. This three-year-old white and tabby colored boy came to the Santa Cruz SPCA in excruciating pain. His gums were so infected and inflamed that he couldn't even close his mouth, let alone eat.
Six small dogs bid adieu to Live Oak on Tuesday afternoon, when they were driven to San Francisco for a direct flight to Paris.
"People hold onto their small dogs here, not dump them," said Carole Raphaelle Davis on Tuesday from her home in France. "So there's a great demand for them."
Riviera Rescue, CAPS, the Santa Cruz SPCA and Air France are conducting a historic rescue airlift of little death row dogs from Los Angeles animal shelters to Nice, France. This is the first such rescue ever to take place in France. The dogs were scheduled to be euthanized because of the American pet overpopulation crisis that is killing five million companion animals per year in our nation's shelter system.
Warm weather normally triggers the arrival of kittens, but the county's two shelters and the Santa Cruz SPCA are reporting that it's the dog kennels, not the cat cages, that are pushing capacity.
SPCA director Lisa Carter reports an increase in calls, five or six each day, from organizations as far as Southern California that want to bring dogs to the no-kill shelter in Live Oak.
Rodeo's making a comeback in Santa Cruz County after a quarter-century break.
The Santa Cruz County Fair board voted 4-2 Tuesday to rent the fairgrounds to Stars of Justice Inc., a nonprofit offshoot of the Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriffs Association, for a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned event Oct. 2-3.
The Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriff's Association wants to hold a rodeo at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in October to raise cash for local schools and youth athletic leagues.
But animal welfare advocates, arguing such events are inherently cruel, are urging fairgrounds leaders to say no. The fairgrounds board is expected to consider a contract in June.
Retail space in the four-story downtown Rittenhouse building remains vacant, but its ground-floor windows on Pacific Avenue and Church Street have had tenants since November.
"The windows were like blank canvases to me," said Anastasia Torres-Gil, who works for Roots and Wings, a nonprofit that provides support services to foster parents.
Ashley Martinez was just 18 when she died of Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in February.
The former Watsonville High School student, diagnosed in May 2005, spent the last four years of her life in and out of treatment. In that time, Ashley earned her high school GED and fostered her love of animals, adopting a puppy and a kitten. When she became aware that her illness was terminal last summer, Ashley made a request: that donations would be made to -- or animals would be adopted from --the Santa Cruz SPCA in her honor.
