"Frankly, my dear... I don't give a damn...."

One only needs to hear that infamous line and you can immediately visualize Rhett Butler walking through that door, leaving Scarlet behind, right?... And then Miss Scarlet frets a bit, then says she'll think about it tomorrow....

I have often thought that this movie scene is so parallel to how the general public dumps their dogs in shelters for numerous reasons, then strolls out the door... Leaving behind the dog that has loved them unconditionally through good days and bad... Not understanding what happened - one minute they are laying asleep on the couch and 30 minutes later they are in a kennel run with strange dogs and strange shelter shelter staff.... As they stand and watch their best friend stroll out the door, leaving them behind...

But the worst part of all of this?... It is the vast majority of the general public's attitude toward No-Kill... Very similar to Scarlett's next words... "I can't think about this now.. I'll go crazy if I do... I'll think about it tomorrow...."

And tomorrow comes... The next day... The day after that... More dogs and cats flood into our shelters and exceed the number of those pets being adopted... Dogs and cats get pregnant by intact males - males that should have been neutered and lived longer, healthier lives, less likely to stray and less likely to bite... Puppies and kittens arrive, some get adopted, but others don't...

The shelters fill up to capacity and no matter how much that dog or cat stands and looks out the bars with hopes of seeing his best friend come back for him, they end up on a kill list and die...

You, as a member of the general public, have the ability to change the future for these animals...  You can re-write the script... Won't cost you a dime... All it will require is for you to show up and show your support for the final reading of the mandatory spay and neuter ordinance going up in front of our County's Board of Supervisors next Tuesday (December 10th) at 2PM... 

We at TLC are asking that you come to the meeting and either wear a red shirt or a red arm band (steal a ribbon from your Christmas wreath if need be!) so that when the County Supervisors look out into the audience, they see a sea of red.... Passionate people who care about the animals in our homes, our communities and in our county and support the ordinance that will help this county go No-Kill in this generation....

Be there... Don't be a Scarlet and believe you don't need to think about this today... Tuesday is the day we ask you stand up and be accounted for!  Speak for the animals who cannot, for the dogs and cats that will arrive in the shelters in the future and have to die because irresponsible owners are not spaying or neutering their animals!

Address: Hall of Administration, 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura
Date: Tuesday, December 10th
Time: 2PM SHARP