-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Gerrie
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2010 8:08 PM
To: Elizabeth Young
Subject: Re: Alternatives to the Ban Meeting
Very good notes!!
I talked with a friend of mine today. A kaique owner. She said the only real education about birds is that do not belong in cages. Period. Unless you have a full flight aviary and can dedicate every waking hour to your birds you should not have them. She feels bad every single day having to leave them alone for 12 hours while she works.
Philip
On Aug 7, 2010, at 11:40 AM, Elizabeth Young wrote:
my notes, part two of two.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Young
Date: Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: Alternatives to the Ban Meeting
To: Mickaboo media advisor team
I'm back and yes, I do need a bourbon. Make it a double.
My notes are incomplete because sometimes I was just too dumbstruck to keep writing. I'm going to share those bits that I did get down that I think bear follow up.
Vinny's reconnaissance on Central Pet is exactly the sort of outcome I hope will come from these notes as even typing them is perpetuating great feelings of ickiness.
Jonathan- I invite and encourage you to correct me where I misstate.
Yes- it is Central Pet and Rick works closely with them, says they're the biggest distributor in the country and yes, he did offer that he was sure they'd welcome us and yes, I think we should take him up on that offer.
Teresa's idea which you will likely hear more about from the Commission is called SPARC (Small Pet Adoption Rescue Coalition). She advocates for a "separation of church and state" meaning that to have pet sellers involved in the Coalition would be a conflict of interest. Thinks that rescues, shelters, ACCs and vets should be the determiners of the education and certification process and that pet sellers should agree to only sell to SPARC certified customers. Rick would be happy to sell to SPARC certified customers in addition to his regulars. (He's been working with birds since 1969 and I would say that his pride is very wounded that Mickaboo does not have more respect for his bird prowess.) Sally is very interested in this and really likes it because it is a compromise and neither side gets everything they want (rescues don't get the ban, sellers have to sell to the certified). It would be an improvement over current situation. The way this would help with breeding is that it would reduce supply (correction- demand).
I offered my hope that SF will pass the ban and become a Sanctuary City that rehomes unwanted pets rather than continues to breed and euthanize them.
We all agree that education is the key and I raised the issue that education is only as good as it is meaningful- handing out a flyer isn't enough and it is only working if you are seeing attrition- potential customers walking away saying, Oh, I didn't know that! I asked what percentage of customers pet sellers are willing to lose to weed out irresponsible pet buyers but it went unanswered.
Jonathan recounted his experience where a bird buyer unhappy with his previous purchase swapped for another bird and was sent home with no more education but hearty guarantees of future success and a quick forgetting of the cockatiel he had returned. Rick, who loves to edutain with anecdotes, rushed to dismiss it as an example that the world isn't perfect.
Rick thinks adoption fairs at his store would solve everything. (He considers them education while I consider them PR.) Marcy would place rescue rabbits in pet stores IF they weren't selling unaltered animals. Mickaboo never spoke to the adoption fair issue at all. I got the feeling that Teresa's "separation of church and state" (pet sellers and rescuers) and the conflict of interest inherent in pet selling made sense to a majority of the folks there.
Pet sellers feel very pleased with their practices and don't perceive themselves to be a part of the problem. I pointed out that there is a problem and Mickaboo and all the other rescues are the evidence of that problem. All us rescue folks, including SFACC, agreed that we would LOVE to be put out of business. I encouraged the pet sellers, who were bragging about the rehoming they do, to do more. I suggested Rick post a sign saying that he is willing to rehome unwanted birds. He didn't seem to like the idea.
IMPORTANT REALIZATION: SFACC separates birds out and so when, as today, Kat quoted that "20 parrots came into ACC in 2009" they are leaving out the "51 parakeets" and "2 budgerigars" and and and! She and I agreed that those categories need attention and that they need to get help from experts. I'd LOVE to connect a Mickaboo volunteer with Deputy Director Kat Brown to get help on that right away. I see birds mislabled there all the time and that's another issue- confirming species before labeling and then reporting numbers in ways that are understood by all.
Kat also really wants the numbers of animals sold from pet stores and they weren't comfortable with that at all. Rick said, What's next, you want to see my checkbook? And I said, Yes, in fact you offered to open your books for comparison with Mickaboo and it's in the 7/8 SF ACWC meeting minutes. So then I put out my hand until he shook it that we would open our books and share with each other. I realize that I am not authorized to do any such thing but, if you're interested, Rick shook in front of lots of witnesses. He is scandalized that Mickaboo has taken in "$131K in donations".
Peter, Dana Strome's husband, feels that the Florida sanctuary that he and Dana are working with that is reintroducing parrots into the wild as well as the Indonesian island that is being set aside for Moluccan's will be a big help for the bird crisis that doesn't exist (my words). I asked for the name of the project and the best he could offer was "Tony Silva near Miami" and he said he'd have Dana get the name to me.
Marcy took a stand of solidarity with Mickaboo saying that she wouldn't put her rabbits in Rick's store (which she says she'd love to do) unless Mickaboo was in support. She said, "I can't work with stores that are contemptuous of rescue."
Kat is going to email Rick the findings about PETCO that involve all the dead birds in the freezer and so that should be available to us to if we want it. Though it may be the same document which Maggie has shared with me and I'm attaching here.
At the 7/8 meeting, Rick said his vet was Alex Herman. His wife Ellen said Dr. Galvin. Today, at the meeting, Rick said that his file was the thickest one that his vet had in "his office" which I took to mean Dr. Galvin's (who has lost his license due to legal action).
Jaime (the guy that was in the Parrots of Telegraph Hill movie) and who used to have a bird store in SF offered to do wing and nail clips for us and I told him that we use avian vets and techs but are always looking for more help and volunteers. His number is 516-0798.
Rick has hired Singer Associates, Inc, Public Affairs & Corporate Communications and his Account Manager Christy Seto was there. She didn't sit close enough to kick him though so I'm not sure if he's getting his money's worth.
Who's coming to the 8/12 SF ACWC meeting?
On Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 4:26 PM, Elizabeth Y wrote:
I'm typing on my phone so will be brief-
-Teresa of Cavy rescue & Marcy of SaveABunny were both there and very constructive.
-Jonathan and I were there repping for Mickaboo and birds
-Rick from Animal Co & his hired PR Singer Assoc. and Claudia from Basic Bird in Berkeley and Jaime (used to own SF bird store) and Dana's (Wing Foundation) husband Peter were there as well as Philip, Pam & Sally from SF ACWC and Kat from SFACC.
Sellers want to host adoption fairs at their stores, don't feel themselves to be a part of the problem at all. Feel Kaytee would welcome us into their facilities (Pet Central headquartered in Walnut Creek).
Teresa suggests an education/certification program for pet buyers like getting a license before buying a pet and stores agreeing to only sell to certified buyers. Rick doesn't want constraint.
Marcy standing in solidarity with rescues, won't allow Rick to house her rescue rabbits unless Mickaboo is in agreement.
All agree education is key, no one agrees on what that means. Pet sellers are already doing education and see homeless animals as somebody else's problem (my words).
Nothing decided, feel like I need a shower.
If I had to call it, I'd say Philip & Pam are leaning ban and Sally looking for a compromise.
Elizabeth Y
www.RescueReport.org
--
Elizabeth
Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt.
www.RescueReport.org
www.MickaCoo.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0
--
Elizabeth
Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt.
www.RescueReport.org
www.MickaCoo.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0
