Copy of letter sent to the director of our municipal shelter regarding upcoming lay offs (Paw Plan Practices Activism!)

Note: All things pass. Glad to report that Laura is happily teaching middle school, and has been doing such since this layoff, back in 2019. :) The current Volunteer Coordinator, Kristin, is excellent too! Updated 01-30-24

Jessica L Pita

-------------------

Louisville, KY 40213

LMAS Volunteer

Ozzy Gibson, Director

Louisville Metro Animal Services

3705 Manslick Rd

Louisville KY 40215

Mr. Gibson,

I was saddened to know LMAS is affected by the city-wide budget cuts and forced to lay off a handful of employees. It has to be very difficult for you and all upper management to decide which positions to (temporarily) cut. LMAS is strong, and as a shelter community has been through a lot over the years. -And I'm certain the shelter will rebound from this hard hit.

That being said, I was particularly troubled to learn of Laura Crook's proposed lay off.

Community safety, for people and pets, is understandably priority #1 for LMAS.

And just below that comes animal well being while in your care.

Laura's role, as Public Education Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator, plays a crucial part of keeping pets, while in the shelter, content, calm and balanced.

Dogs and cats are in small enclosures on average 22.5 hours/day. They're let out to relieve themselves, physically and mentally, just a couple times daily (on good days)... by volunteers.

Laura's job is getting and keeping volunteers in the shelter to assure dogs (in particular) are sufficiently socialized, to avoid detriminal conditions such as 'kennel-crazy'.

She's very good at her job and has a great rapport with volunteers and the public; Laura is smart, humble and approachable.

Another important aspect of her job is educating the public on animal welfare and sheltering via off-site events. These events expose people to the shelter and our community's homeless pets.

I'm aware LMAS would divvy up Laura's job duties among other employees. -Laura does a lot of important work, especially for one person, and her presence adds immesurable value to the shelter as a whole. There's no way her absense wouldn't be sorely felt... by pets and people alike.

Hopefully her position can somehow be saved.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication.

The shelter has thrived under your calm, assertive leadership!

Sincerely,

Jessica Pita

Comments

How Did We Get Here? Rescues and Shelters Everywhere Overwhelmed, Beyond Capacity

Early on in the pandemic, circa summer 2019, an acquaintance reached out to me. "Hola Jessica. I'm wondering if you have any dog I can foster now. We're working from home due to the pandemic and I'm in my condo alone all the time." said pseudo-name-Sally . "Wow, that's incredible Sally that you want to foster now?! -After all these years of me trying to get you to foster here and there, now you're able and willing?! That's great... but believe it or not, we don't have any dog to foster at this very instant. With Covid, it's like everyone and everyone's brother needs a dog all of the sudden," I shared. -Lastly I added that I'd keep her in mind as a foster. Silly Julie, she's the cutest, right?! Within a couple of weeks of that phone call, I did find a dog for pseudo-name-Sally to foster, however, by then her boss had 'lent her' her own dog so she wouldn't be so lonely. ( The last time I saw &#

Give For Good Louisville Annual Fundraiser Recap (GFG Feels A Lot Like Playing the Lottery)

- And I don't play the lottery. While I don't judge others for gambling ( most everyone has his or her vices and/or diversions ), I for one don't gamble. OK, you'll catch me buying a scratch off maybe twice a year, when I've received birthday money for example. And naturally, it's rare that I win. And when I have won, it's never been for more than $20.00. That's all fine and well. It's no big deal, but for the fact that I don't like it. I'm a very passionate and engaged human being, so it's in my nature to 'go there' quickly and with an almost-pre-conceived notion that, 'I'm gonna win.' If I'm scratching off for a potential $20,000 grand prize, try as I may to reel myself in, I'm seeing myself winning that $20,000 prize as I scratch away ~not the $20 one. Then the let down is so... disappointing . It's so icky to feel like you've lost, when you've invested time,

What Does Having a Non Profit Business Really Mean? ~Read on to Find Out!

This is a big one; it's a big topic that I'll try to simplify and clarify for the reader as much as possible. The Wikipedia Legal Definition of a nonprofit is a good place to start: a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in contrary with an entity that operates as a business aiming to generate a profit for its owners. That seems pretty clear, right? -While the basic definition of a nonprofit isn't particularly confusing or convoluted, it somehow lends itself to so many misconceptions, misinterpretations and misunderstandings. That in and of itself is part of why I wanted to blog on this topic. So, according to the above definition a nonprofit must exist to serve some positive social purpose, right? -That is right, but let's not forget that the positive impact of a nonprofit can be highly focused and concentrated on a teeny-tiny fragment of the general population. Here's an example of that:

thepawandfeatherplan

Search This Blog