THE LONG BEACH RECREATION DOG PARK ASSN.
Summary of FALL QUARTERLY MEETING: Oct. 27, 2001
| Place: Bruins Den, East 7th St., Long Beach | Time: 1:45 - ? p.m. |
| Board members and officers present: Gerry Facon, Jim Knutson, Buzz Minnich, Fred Nicas, Carolyn Reed, Jim Walters | |
| Board members and officers absent: Pablo Drobny, Shirlee Hitchcock | Others attending: 12 members/park users plus four guests |
| Last meeting's minutes: Minutes to the summer quarterly members meeting--also known as the July annual meeting--which had previously been approved, were handed out | |
| Treasurer's report: Report presented at the October regular Board of Directors meeting was handed out. It previously was approved. | |
Remarks
Jim Knutson accepted an award from the Police Department's K-9 Officers Unit on behalf of the association, which had
donated $250 toward new police dogs.
Program
1. Officer Andy Vanholt spoke about the Police Department's K-9 Officers Unit. With him was Perro, a 5-year-old shepherd
mix that has recently joined the unit. Vanholt said that it costs about $6,000 for each new police dog, with the officer picking
up half that tab and the K-9 unit funding the rest; the city currently has eight but should have about 12. Three of the city's dogs
have recently died.
2. Coral Allenby of the Volunteers of America's Companion Pet Program accepted a $500 check from the association to support in-house care of the pets of homebound seniors who have pets. She said fund are needed for cat litter, pet food and transportation to and from veterinarians' offices. The organization's hot-meals program discovered six years ago that in some households there wasn't enough food for both the owner and the pet. This program was established, she said, to avoid nutritional problems for people and animals. Pets in the program must be spayed or neutered. The program covers 14 cities and has about 150 clients in Long Beach, she said.
3. Wendy Aragon of the Pet Assistance Foundation accepted a $500 check from the association to support its low-cost spay-and-neuter program. She said that an overpopulation of pets is the cause of most animal suffering. Her organization assists with low-cost clinics, financial assistance, and general counselors for humane problems.
4. Bob Fisher of the Golden State Humane Society was not present to accept a $500 check from the association to support his organization which rescues, cares for and helps adopt out sick and abandoned animals in the city.
5. Shirley Vaughan, president of the Friends of the Long Beach Animal Shelter, spoke about the city's new facility which has
only been open a few weeks. The SPCA owns the shelter in El Dorado Park, she said, and the city's Animal Control division
rents its area in the facility; the city is out of the adoption business, she said, as the SPCA has taken it over. While adoptions at
the old city-run shelter were about 17%, she said, adoptions at the new shelter are better after getting off to a slow start.
Vaughan said that in the Friends' last fiscal year, which ended in July, a total of $39,000 was spent on neutering 1,146 cats,
784 dogs, 7 rabbits and 1 guinea pig. The Friends have recently begun a humane-education program in the local schools,
which will be taught by Deborah Turner.
At this point, the secretary left the meeting and note-taking was turned over to Buzz Minnich, the vice president..
5. Next regular board meeting: Thursday, Nov. 3, at Jim Walters' home.
6. Next quarterly members meeting: Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Bruins den.
--JIM WALTERS, Secretary, Oct. 30, 2001
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