solicitation?

I recieved a solicitation in the mail from an ogranization called The North Shore Animal League America. I am not familiar with this organization. I would be glad to send them a donation if I am ure they are legitimate. Unfortunately, there are going to be the vultures picking the bones of this terrible tragedy and I do not want to line the pockets of these horrible people. I know there will be many pets left without their human companions and would like to know if anyone knows of any groups dealing with this. I am sure that those lost would want someone to help their furry families as well as their human ones. It is so hard to know where to begin to help!

North Shore has been around for a long time.
I have recieved many mailings from them in the past few years, along with postacrds, address labels, etc.
As far as I know, they are a good organization.

Thought everyone might find this interesting.Norwich Bulletin - 8/18/2001

Know Where Your Money Is Going

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Rescue organizations owe the general public and the animals they rescue one thing above all others: that the organization is responsible to ensure adopted animals never reproduce. We are bound morally, if not legally, to follow this rule. Placing animals into homes is not enough – the answer to the worldâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s pet overpopulation problem is spay and neuter.

Helping Paws is a small organization, and like other small organizations throughout the country, we struggle to pay our veterinary bills. Our policy is no male four months or older go to a home unaltered and females around five months.

While our veterinarians do not do early pediatric altering of kittens and puppies, we do have our adopters sign a contract and send in the spay/neuter certificate when the animal is old enough. While we have not had 100% success, we are in the 90 percentile range.

So, as we struggle in our cause, you can imagine our frustration when our adopters tell us how they support North Shore Animal League. This New York based group seems to go all over the country with puppies and kittens for “adoption.†They have proclaimed themselves the largest adoption agency in the world.

And, Friends of Animals recently did an expose on them – because there are more and more dogs roaming the streets of New York, thin, dirty, pregnant or in heat, wearing their North Shore animal tags.

There are also telephone calls coming in to many organizations (including Helping Paws) from people who adopted puppies and kittens from North Shore and no longer want them. When asked why they are not contacting the organization they adopted from (Helping Paws has a “once a Helping Paws rescue, always a Helping Paws rescue†policy), the people tell us North Shore does not accept returns.

While small organizations concentrate on adult dogs and cats as well as puppies and kittens, North Shore, who has assets approaching 54 million dollars, told the Associated Press in May of 2001, that “shelters that take in older dogs and cats that have less chance of being adopted are running with their hearts and not with their heads.†I would just like to know since when is rescue work not done with the heart?

Also, while these same small organizations are running courtesy of an all volunteer staff, the top five executives at North Shore collected salaries and fringe benefits in 1999, ranging from $95,000 to $340,000!

And, most important, while we small groups are spaying and neutering all that we can, North Shore, with fourteen veterinarians on staff, has not made pre-adoption sterilization a priority.

When Helping Paws opens its sanctuary doors, we hope to have veterinarians volunteering time. Even if that does not happen, we will spay and neuter every animal that is adopted from A Safe Place BEFORE it goes into its home. We may have to take less animals at first, but our main goal is to make sure we do not inadvertently add to the animal population crisis.

North Shore Animal League has been a part of many adoption days with certain Connecticut groups and pounds. Northshore actually goes to rural shelters across the United States “saving orphans†by offering cash grants for puppies.

They then proclaim they rescue nationwide in their direct-mail fundraising appeals. Northshore has been sued for misleading the general public into believing that their donations to Northshore would benefit local shelters. The trouble with that is most of the general public still believes they help animals and shelters everywhere.

Northshore could be a true leader in rescue, if it chose to be. They could and should alter every animal before it goes to a new home. Friends of Animals, another New York based group (with a faction in Connecticut), has been operating a low-cost breeding control program since 1957 (for more information, call, 1-800-321-PETS).

Northshore could help smaller organizations set up pre-adoption spay and neuter programs, and their top executives could make a little less money - $340,000 would alter an awful lot of animals. So before you write your next check to help animal rescue, please remember that bigger does not necessarily mean better.

Sandie - WOW - I never knew that!

omg Sandie, I didn't know! I have been sending money, albeit small amounts, to North Shore for several years, and I guess I never really looked into them.

They just always seemed like such a legit operation, I never did the research on them.

Not to excuse my ignorance, but at the time I started supporting them, I had no animals, and was much less educated than I am now...but thats no excuse..I should have done my homework.

Well, we can thank Rene for writing it. She does colums for one of her local papers. I was even in shock when I had read it.

I assume this is the same North Shore Animal League that is in Port Washington, NY?? I don't know if there is more than one, but this place has made a big name for itself. Everyone here on Long Island pretty much knows that it's not a great place to adopt animals from. In case this is the same one, I'll fill you in a little. First of all, it apparently has paid employees, not volunteers (I'm pretty certain), and they hire very young people who act like it's just any other job and don't seem to care much about the animals. I'm sure there are exceptions, but that has been my experience. My sister adopted a puppy there many years ago who did seem kind of sickly. It turned out the poor thing had a maggot in it's stomach and their "vet" couldn't figure this out! Our own vet found it inside a wound on the stomach, and then the dog was perfectly fine once it was removed (very gross!). I looked for kittens there once, and they won't let you adopt just one!!! Why on earth can't 8 week old kittens be separated????? That's how they find homes!! So these poor kittens just sit there until they find someone who will take them in pairs! Every time I found a kitten I liked, they tried to push two on me. The only "singles" they were offering had something wrong with them (like half a tail, etc.)!! And almost EVERY single animal was on medication for something. They were practically all sickly!! I know we feel bad for the animals, but I wouldn't give this place a penny!!

I hope this is the same place, since I went on and on.

The NY ASPCA has set up an animal disaster relief fund for animals that have been separated from their humans. That is the fund I sent money to. I posted the link in another thread and also the address of where donations could be sent. I have also heard about the Northshire Animal League. Thanks Sandie for posting it. I'm sure alot of people are unaware of their tactics.

Donna