NEW STATE LAW ADDS ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS ON SELLING ANIMALS ON CURBSIDES.
Arizona House Bill 2485 went into effect in late September, adding another layer of protection to keep animals from being sold on street corners, public parking lots or other inappropriate venues. Local animal welfare, animal control and law enforcement agencies frequently get calls from the concerned public about animals being sold under conditions that are detrimental to their health and welfare. Click here for more.

SONIC COMMUNITY FIRST VALUE CARD BENEFITS ACT:
Sonic Restaurants are helping abused animals by offering a number of their Sonic Community card to the Animal Cruelty Taskforce. These cards include ten coupon for a $15 value at any Sonic anywhere in the United States. Offers in Buy-One-Get-One-Free offers on Sonic burgers, breakfast toaster sandwiches, sundaes and hotdogs. Other valuable offers include discounts on drinks and sides. The cards are available from ACT by contacting Marsh Myers or Jenison Silva at (520) 881-7401 or 881-7404 for only $5 each. Proceeds from card sales will be used to benefit the Second Chance Fund (see information above) to provide medical care to abused and neglected animals. You can used your Visa, Mastercard or AMEX to buy the cards. If you prefer to purchase them by mail, send $5 per card to Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Attention: ACT, 3450 N. Kelvin Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona 85716. Please do not send cash.

COLORS OF COMPASSION’S GREETING CARDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!

The much awaited greeting cards featuring the six winning compositions from the Colors of Compassion Animal Art Contest for Kids are available. The greeting cards are available through the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA) and the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center (SACAC) with a minimum donation of $20. HSSA and SACAC teamed up to raise awareness about animal and child abuse and give schoolchildren in our communities a positive way of expressing their support for a less violent, more compassionate world for everyone. After receiving hundreds of submissions, a panel of distinguished judges selected six winners that best illustrated this year’s theme: “The Unbreakable Bond Between Kids and Animals.” Children in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades living in Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Graham, Greenlee and Santa Cruz counties were invited to enter their artwork in the contest. The six compositions selected have been transformed into greeting cards.

A packet of six individual cards, featuring the six winning artworks, will be available with a donation of $20 to benefit the HSSA Community Outreach Department or Children’s Advocacy Center (or in increments of $20 – for example a $40 donation will get you two packets of cards). At the Humane Society, the cards are available during regular business hours at the Gift Shop located in HSSA’s Companions for Life Center at 3465 E. Kleindale Rd; by mail or phone by contacting Pennie Liebig at (520) 881-7406 or Inge Koopman-Leyva at (520) 881-7405; or visit the HSSA website at http://www.hssaz.org. For the Children’s Advocacy Center, please call (520) 243-6420 or visit their website at http://www.soazadvocacy.org for more information. All donations are tax deductible.

PET OWNER FOUND GUILTY IN DENYING HER CHIHUAHUA MEDICAL CARE
On November 6, 2008, Maria Lopez was found guilty of a Class One Misdemeanor for animal cruelty in Tucson City Courts. Ms. Lopez was accused of denying appropriate and timely medical care to her pregnant Chihuahua, "Flor," in August 2007. "Flor" had severe complications during the birthing process which resulted in a serious medical condition called dystocia. One puppy had been still-born and another was blocking the birth canal. Ms. Lopez removed her animal from veterinary care and refused to sign it over to a local shelter where "Flor" would have received emergency surgery to save her life. Tucson Police Department officers seized "Flor" after the animal's condition was reported to 911 and Ms. Lopez was subsequently cited for failing to provide the animal with the necessary medical care. "Flor" underwent emergency surgery and survived. Ms. Lopez received a five-day suspended jail sentence, was ordered to pay $1200 in fines and restitution, conduct community service and was placed on a year's unsupervised probation. Ms. Lopez's ownership of "Flor" was also severed by the courts and the dog has been adopted into a new home.

All pet owners are required to provide appropriate and timely medical care to their animals. If they are unwilling or unable to provide this care, their legal options are to surrender the animal to a responsible third party who will provide care, surrender to a humane shelter or provide euthanasia if necessary to avoid suffering.

NOVEMBER 18, 2008 | AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE FOR VETERINARIANS:
The Arizona Department of Agriculture, Animal Services Division, is actively engaged in surveillance for Avian Influenza and Exotic Newcastle Disease in poultry. For more information about testing procedures, click here.