Looking forward to 2014...

We have LONG fought hard and diligently to go No-Kill in Ventura County.  We are convinced that until EVERYONE is headed in the same direction - shelters, rescues, county, cities and the general public - No-Kill for Ventura County will continue to be a struggle we may (or may not) achieve in my lifetime.  And at 55, I long ago thought I would have been retired from rescue and we'd have stopped killing healthy, adoptable pets.

For months, TLC has been 'percolating' over an idea - well, many...  Thanks to the generosity of the Simi Valley Town Center, TLC does not pay rent - just everything else (i.e. our average electric bill is $1,200+ monthly, etc.).  We have long ago outgrown our space of 1300 sq. ft. and to realize our dream, we would need triple the amount of space we currently have.

And what is that dream?  It is a rescue center - a facility that operates 7 days a week like TLC currently does, but with enough additional space to do:

• Community outreach and education

• Hold weekly workshops and training sessions, designed to teach folks how to retain their pets instead of surrendering them to shelters

• Have space to do low-cost microchipping and shots clinics

• Provide space for other rescues (dog, cat, bunny, etc.) to come to and showcase the pets they have saved and are looking to adopt to a good home (the only prerequisite is that the animals come from our county, are up to date on their shots and are spayed/neutered).  Other rescues retain their identities and are not merged into TLC - they operate independently - we just provide the space at no cost to them.

• Provide the space and mechanism for owners (who are forced to give up their pets) to find a good home - stopping the overflow into our county shelter system

• Provide space and grow legs to the therapy for senior citizens programs, the 'read to me' programs and other worthwhile endeavors currently limited by not having a centralized location and/or space around our communities

• Store cat cages and Xpens for other rescues throughout the week in order for their mobile adoptions to be easier to do

• Have cat traps available 7 days a week for those who wish to volunteer and be a part of the feral cat TNR program (trap, neuter and release)

• An intake area large enough to stage transports north and to the East where these little dogs are so desperately wanted and can't be found

• A nursery area that is equipped to house, care for and provide a temporary holding area until a foster family can be found instead of delivering at the shelter and/or dying because of infrastructure and lack of space

• An overflow area and/or pick-up area providing temporary housing for emergency purposes as it relates to the unwanted overpopulation of pets in our county that stays empty unless needed

Sounds pretty overwhelming, huh?  TLC has a proven track record and a solid base of volunteers, plus the experience and know-how to make this dream a reality.

What is stopping us?  First of all, Simi Valley Town Center is in the middle of remodeling and we at TLC do not know if we will even have a space once the remodeling is done, or if we might have to relocate within the mall.  If we have to relocate, we believe we need to now take that quantum leap and cause this rescue center dream to become a reality.

Naturally, we would like to stay at the Simi Valley Town Center - many people now refer to us as 'the rescue shop at the mall' and it is the first place they come to when looking to add a pet to their lifestyle and home.  A few months ago we were allowed to use a vacant store for a fundraiser and as we walked the area, were were able to visually see just how much space the Rescue Center would need to function well... just about 5,000 sq ft, in fact.

We took the floor plan of that particular store and drew out the Rescue Center with minimal build-out and costs to fulfill every point of our dream:

Should the Simi Valley Town Center find it worthwhile to donate that size of space to us, the additional electric per month and relocation expenses would be approximately $20K for the first year.  We submitted the following idea to Simi Valley Town Center, but as of yet, nothing has been decided.

In the meantime, we continue to move forward, applying for grants and looking at commercial space in Simi Valley that might fit our needs with as little relocation and build-out cost as possible.  For us, it is all about the animals and the less we have to spend to make the Rescue Center a reality, the more we have to save animals from dying in Ventura County.

It is our hope with the efforts to form a rescue coalition within Ventura County, working closely with the Ventura County Animal Services, combined with the mandatory spay/neuter in the unincorporated areas of the county, we as a county will achieve No-Kill by the end of 2014.  We know we can do this, and now we need the community and general public to step into the No-Kill boat and start rowing as hard as we are at TLC.

We are open to ideas, thoughts and suggestions - feel free to email me directly with them at tinylovingcanine@aol.com  I would love to be as proud of our humane community's efforts as we Simi Valley folks are proud of our town, the Regan Museum and all the things that make our community so great!

~~~ Sincerely,
Linda Nelson, Director, TLC

Anything is possible if only you believe!