News
The Sad Story of Oreo Becomes a Beacon of Hope, Nov 2009
Oreo, a female dog, was thrown from a 6 story building and survived only to be killed by the ASPCA because she was deemed to be untreatably aggressive. A nearby rescue group that specialized in rehabilitating and care of abused animals was willing to take Oreo in, but their request was refused.
SF SPCA President Jan McHugh-Smith STEPS DOWN! Nov 2009
The SF SPCA board has announced that President, Jan McHugh-Smith has decided to leave the SPCA at the end of her current contract in March, 2010. FixSanFrancisco.org has long maintained that McHugh-Smith has been one of the major roadblocks to achieving No Kill in San Francisco. While this is very good news, there is much work yet to be done.
Local NBC news covers SF/SPCA's failings and woes (October 2009)
What FixSanFrancisco has been saying for over a year is now news in the local media. NBC aired a revealing segment on the evening news. While the piece refers to the recent layoffs, it also includes statistics on the SF/SPCA's shamefully low intake of San Francisco animals. And SPCA Director Jan McHugh-Smith finally admits that the huge new hospital is a financial disaster.
SF/SPCA lays off animal behavior staff (October 2009)
In an apparent cost-saving move, the SF/SPCA lays off 20+ staff members and ends their internationally known Dog Training Academy. Also laid off were trainers who worked with shelter dogs, helping them to be model citizens. We are distressed to know that the training/behavior staff were the first to go as this further indicates a lack of commitment on the SPCA's part to The City's more challenging but still deserving homeless dogs and cats.
Best Friends magazine on SF's no kill efforts (Sept. 2009)
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary reports in their magazine's latest issue that "San Francisco is close to becoming "the first large no-kill city in the United States." FixSanFrancisco.org is featured.
Northside Magazine (San Francisco) exposes the SF/SPCA for "Letting Us Down." (September 2009)
A highly critical article in the September issue of Northside Magazine exposes several failings of the SF/SPCA. Indeed, many of the issues focused on in the article are the very issues FixSF has identified and has been working to correct.
Nathan Winograd comments on "Scathing" Northside Magazine article
Nathan writes about the SF/SPCA-critical article published in Northside Magazine. He can also be heard on internet radio discussing the article at Animal Wise Radio (click on "archives" and look for "Animal Wise Radio from September 6, 2009"
San Francisco Appeal Reports on Animal Commission Meeting (August 2009)
San Francisco Appeal, an on-line newspaper, published a report on the August 2009 Commission on Animal Control and Welfare meeting. Although one FixSF member was misquoted (500 is the number of cats and dogs that do NOT make it out of the shelter each year). The report includes public comments on the issue of No Kill in San Francisco.
Nathan Winograd's opinion on the Animal Control and Welfare Commission (August 2009)
Nathan Winograd comments on FixSanFrancisco's efforts at the Commission on Animal Control and Welfare. The Commission's proposed "Road Map" will not take us all the way to becoming a No Kill City. San Francisco's local shelters are not taking the leadership role in this issue. We need legislation!
Commission on Animal Control and Welfare Debates No Kill Legislation in San Francisco: Please Join Us!
On Thursday, August 13, 2009, at 5:30pm the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare will be finalizing their discussion about how to make San Francisco a “No Kill” city through legislation or a city-wide coalition. A No Kill policy would ensure that no savable animal (including those that are sick, injured, unweaned, traumatized, or feral) is euthanized in San Francisco shelters. In 2008, over 1300 cats and dogs were killed in San Francisco shelters, and the save rate was 87%.
