(In attempting to assist Krista Hansen and "A Shelter Friend" in Bladen County, NC, I was sifting through past posts to this list and stumbled across this one. Krista is fighting for the lives of literally hundreds of dogs (many of them GSDS...this is where Boone, Bear, Cole, Bach, Damsel and now Larissa have come from) as the governing body in her town is attempting to stop her group known as, "A Shelter Friend" from not only taking photos to be displayed on Petfinder, but also making the salvation of any of these hapless souls nearly impossible by implementing stringent rules with regard to who can "pull" from their shelter. The Health Director is concerned about the unsavory publicity that is being brought down upon them due to the posts on the internet addressing the gassing of dogs at this facility. Yet they do nothing to change their euthanization technique. The ACO at this facility has worked tirelessly with Krista, Silvia and the local Vet Dr. Midyette to save as many as possible. All of the owner turn ins this week were summarily destroyed with no hope of rescue in sight. Through an unbelievable effort, "A Shelter Friend" has reduced the euthanization rate in this facility from 90% to 10%! All of this will be a memory if we are not able to rally behind her and protest these new regulations. In order to be able to "pull" from this facility now, you MUST be 501c3 certified (which as anyone in rescue knows...is horrifically expensive and takes forever to get approved), as well as registered in the State of NC as a non profit. Make no mistake, these road blocks will cost GSD's their lives. "A Shelter Friend" is a bridge organization, much like LHSH. They take photos, network, transport and otherwise break their backs to save as many as possible. I am sure that many of you were aware of the explosion in the NC gas chamber recently; it was full of dogs at the time. If you live in NC, please contact your Congressman, State Senator, Mayor or other Government official. Ask them WHY the gas chamber has not been dismantled! Who BUILDS these chambers of horror?? Is someone profiting from their use? It is 2008....I do believe that humanity owes these dogs a peaceful passing. Anyway...PLEASE read the following post. It was published awhile ago...hope it jogs your memory. A HUGE thank you to the Administrators of this list for humoring your faithful (albeit VERY sick with the flu) rescue person today.) The Members of Last Hope, Safe Haven Inc. " After ushering my husband off to work, feeding and doing toilets for the dogs, I took my coffee to sit in front of the computer and update my emails from last evening. There were the usual brags and questions as well as some concerns for transport for dogs; both for LHSH and the other twenty something rescue sites I subscribe to. All in all, around a thousandsomething emails to sift thru. A few hit me right off the bat; such as the one that I previously posted regarding Lancaster California and the horrendous situations there. Scrolling down, I came across one entitled "Stop the brutal asphyxiation of animals at Yadkin, NC shelter". As many of you know, LHSH is very involved in animal shelter reform. It is by making these basic changes to the care and custody of the dogs in the kill shelters that we can decrease the terror that so many endure in their last moments and offer them at least comforting arms and a peaceful ending. With this in mind, I clicked and opened the email....I wish I hadnt. The photo that accosted me was one of such tragedy that I do not believe I have words to encompass it. MULTIPLE large dogs, in a gas box; one being held by a catch pole all looking up at their murderer wondering what was next. It was a video, but truthfully....I could not bring myself to watch it. Very unusual for me; as I feel that to bear witness is to validate the existence of their lives and to honor them and give me the strength to continue this fight. All that kept going through my mind was, "what had they done to end up this way"...and then the memories of the little GSD pup in Anadarko Oklahoma, the poor boy in Roicy duHon Louisiana, and the countless other GSD's whose Petfinder site lists as "Oops..this pet is no longer listed" (a euphemism for dead) came flooding back. Joe Maringo, one of our board members was able to do a search on Petfinder. There are more than SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED dogs LISTED as GSD's, another EIGHT THOUSAND listed as Shepherds and TWO HUNDRED TWENTY WGSDs in the shelters. Keeping in mind that not all shelters HAVE petfinder sites, and that many facilities do not know what a sable GSD IS, I am sure the count may vary either way 10 to 15%. Even given this leeway...the amount of dogs is staggering. While many counties are eliminating the dreaded gas box, they are opting for either IP injections or IC injections...neither of which affords a peaceful demise. Walker County shelter in Georgia will hopefully be closed down soon...allegedly in violation for using a diluted solution to euthanize. Floyd County allows injured animals to languish overnight in agony and cages aggressive animals together causing injuries and worse. Trumbull county in Ohio has no protocol in place for injured animals either, as Pat Lukos will attest when she tried to save the life of a GSD pup who had been hit by a car only to find that after DAYS of sitting in a cage, she had been gassed to death on the day that Pat was due to pick her up. I know....this is not pleasant information to read. I know it is upsetting and that you carry it with you; as do I. However, for us to hide our heads in the sand and not realize that it is OUR GSDS that are suffering, is to allow these killing fields to continue. Please, take a moment to find out how shelter animals are treated in your area. If they do NOT use IV sedation followed by sodium phenobarbital, PLEASE ASK WHY. Question budgets for animal care and control in your area. Write letters to the Mayor, Senator, Governor...make your voice heard. In this time when there are SO many bills attempting to be passed limiting our rights to have companion animals and to breed quality GSDs, it is imperative that the public SEES that WE...the members of the GSDCA...CARE and are doing something to halt the slaughter of innocent animals. We desperately need to differentiate ourselves from the BYB's, millers and those who "just want their children to experience birth"....We cannot be painted with the same brush. We need to make the term "breeder" synonymous with "caretaker of the breed". LHSH has now been instrumental in the salvation of over 100 dogs...puppies and seniors slated for the gas box. It is because of all of you...CARETAKERS AND GUARDIANS OF THIS BREED...that this has come to fruition. It is a herculean task, to be sure. But we MUST NOT FALTER...We cannot save them all; lets see to it that not one more of our precious breed spends his last moments in abject terror. We truly are ...THEIR last hope. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and to the administrators of this list for their continued support of those who wait for better days...lets hope we are not too late" Dawn Restuccia, Pres. Dawn Restuccia, Pres. Last Hope, Safe Haven Donations may be made to: Paypal via windwych@xxxxxxxxx ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================