Here are the animals in question- the dogs are in a lovely kennel in Staten Island, awaiting their dad's recuperation. please give if you can, or buy a totebag- Thanks.
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Here are the animals in question- the dogs are in a lovely kennel in Staten Island, awaiting their dad's recuperation. please give if you can, or buy a totebag- Thanks.
]]>i have been working with a program delivering pet food to people who, for any number of reasons, cannot afford to feed their pets, but of course, don't want to give them up.
one of my "clients" is a great guy who lives in the bronx- he has 3 pit bulls and 3 cats, all rescued, whom he adores and takes very good care of. he lives in section 8 housing, in a huge project: he was in the navy for years, and was injured, and gets a small amount of disability. right now he's unemployed (which is why i've been bringing him dog and cat food).
i should add that he's a mechanical engineer who used to repair the engines of fighter jets, a computer whiz (he's restored several "dead" computers for me), and has all kinds of fixing/designing skills- he's going to help me install a waste veggie system in my diesel van this summer.
BUT he's in trouble. he emailed me last week from the hospital: a group of gang members (really) who live in his housing project beat the crap out of him, and he's just had reconstructive surgery- the beating broke the bones around his eye sockets, cracked his jaw, moved his teeth around, etc.
he's in amazingly good spirits, all things considered. he been sneaking out of the hospital to feed and walk his animals.
but this is the second time he's been beaten up by these guys THIS MONTH. the first time they jumped him in an elevator- when the cops tried to get the security-camera tape they found that 10 of the 12 security cameras in the building's elevators were broken. there was no tape. the security at this housing complex is worse than useless. the beating yesterday took place at 2 in the afternoon, in front of the security office. no one did anything.
a social worker who lives in the complex has advised my friend to get a gun. seriously.
he needs to get OUT of this situation. but as you can imagine the prospect of an unemployed man being able to find section 8 housing that will let him keep his animals is daunting- add to that the fact that he has to do it ASAP and it becomes nigh impossible.
he's looking into a NY State Crime Victim's Board's Victim Assistance Program that might be able to help with some money for relocation.
in the meantime, we've found some low-coast boarding options for the animals, though they need to get caught up on their shots before they can go to boarding. if you can help with anything, i'm using "Chip In" to collect funds to help care for the animals, and him. thank you.
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welcome to thisbag saveslives.com. i've been making things with images of animals on them for years, and recently began selling bags, t-shirts, prints, cards, and silkscreened posters to benefit the various animal rescue groups i've been working with.
at least half of the purchase price of every item goes to NYC animal rescue groups, on an as-needed basis (i get stuff for groups when they tell me they need it. there's no complicated formula for distribution. I've also been working with individuals who need help, providing food, or helping pay for vet care.) the remainder of the money goes back into the project- to purchase paper, ink, bags, t-shirts, etc. it's like a perpetual-motion machine of fundraising (i hope).
for more information on the groups i work with, please check out the link "rescue groups" on the sidebar.
if you are a shelter in need of something, please feel free to email.
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