Do you want to help animal rescues desperately short of water in West VA? Here's how:

[spooky3]

(I edited an email I received) originally posted on a listserv Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:06 pm (PST).

Please share with all your friends and family. Thank You!

Some kind of liquid has gotten into the water system in some of the counties of West Virginia. Most of the shelters and rescues are without water. For how long, don't know.

1) FOR DUers in the DC metro area: If anyone can drop off water to Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue in Ellicott City, MD, they are transporting to the animal shelters in WV that desperately need it!

https://www.facebook.com/SmallMiraclesCatAndDogRescue/posts/667220859984048

UPDATE ON WV. Things are worse than expected. Boone County says they have almost no water. Our delivery this morning will help but they will need more. Please bring to Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue:

https://www.facebook.com/SmallMiraclesCatAndDogRescue

10236 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD, 21042

We have another van going Monday. We need to help these animals. The driver said the smell is AWFUL and the situation is BAD.

(from me: There are photos of the vans loaded with water and supplies on SmallMiracles' Facebook page).

2) For DUers outside the DC metro area or not able to deliver water: If you would like to donate $$$ to go specifically to West Virginia, you can PayPal money to:

[e-mail] via Paypal.
https://www.paypal.com/home

Note that this is money for West Virginia and we (rescue group) will buy the water. Thank you.

[spooky3]

1. please keep this kicked so interested people will see it and help!

[catbyte]

2. Thanks so much for this info, spooky.

[UtahLib]

3. K&R for a worthy cause. n/t

[ebbie15644]

4. done!

I just donated $20.00 not a lot but hope it helps anyway. Shared with Facebook and Twitter!

[spooky3]

6. Thank you so much!!

[Solly Mack]

5. K&R

[tblue]

7. Kick. Poor innocent animals!

Great idea! Thank you. I love animals with all my heart. They did nothing to deserve this. They sure didn't vote for useless politicians who create the environment where stuff like this can happen and no one pays but the taxpayers. Please tell me someone is going to prison.

[spooky3]

8. Thanks. The rescue's Facebook page shows vans loaded up with donated water -- you might like it.

They are doing a good job.

[Lasher]

9. I have a safe water supply here in the affected area of WV

I'm surprised to learn that this is a problem. Bottled water is being handed out at local fire departments and other locations.

Please share contact information for the Boone County animal shelters that are having this problem. I will call to offer this resource to them.

I just left voice mail at the Boone County Dog Pound at Fosterville, WV. Hopefully they will return my call.

[spooky3]

10. Fantastic! All of the info I have is on the OP, but you could contact SmallMiracles (linked in OP).

They have more info, surely.

[Lasher]

11. I found a number on your Facebook link for Desiree 410-303-6983

She says she is dealing with a lady named Sherry, who is coordinating the effort with the Boone County animal shelters. I believe she might be associated somehow with the Boone Animal Rescue Coalition (BARC).
https://www.facebook.com/BCDPWV

I called Sherry's number (wireless number in Garfield Heights, OH) and got voice mail. There was no answer and I didn't leave a message. I'm not going to post that number because as far as I know it has not been made public.

I believe the Fosterville facility is the only animal shelter in Boone County. I just spoke to the Whitesville VFD. Whitesville is not affected by this crisis because they are served by the Boone/Raliegh PSD, not by the WV American Water company. He said some lady had been coming by their fire department to take water to the animals at Fosterville. Whitesville is 12 miles away from the Boone County Dog Pound, a 20 minute drive.

The animals there don't need water hauled in from Maryland, so you shouldn't be promoting a funding drive for that purpose.

[spooky3]

14. thanks very much - I am not promoting anything...more details inside.

I am sharing information that was shared with me and provided links so that DUers can check them out. My post is in response to a specific call on DU yesterday from a DUer who wanted to know what could be done to help in WVA.

You seem to be assuming that the only part of WVA that Small Miracles is trying to help is in Boone County. If you go to the SM facebook page, there is a post about Boone Co. (which also was in the info shared with me) but that does not mean they are limiting their efforts to that county or to any particular shelter location there. You also didn't speak to Sherry, so it is impossible to know what information she has and specifically where the water is being delivered.

I on a listserv for a rescue organization in Virginia, for which I have done volunteer fostering for a long time. They provided the information re: Small Miracles. So I have no direct involvement in Small Miracles. If you believe that Small Miracles is engaging fraudulent fund-raising (i.e., they are telling people that they are carrying water to organizations when in fact they are not doing so) please take whatever steps you think are necessary to follow up.

Here is a link to their website, which describes what they do and that they have 501c3 status:

http://smallmiraclesrescue.org/about.shtml

I appreciate your providing the information so that DUers can make their own judgments.

[shireen]

16. thank you spooky3

I don't have much to spare but I sent a donation anyway. I have to trust that these rescues are doing what is necessary to help, and if they say they need water, I believe it. If it ends up being a false alarm, the money will still go towards other animals in need.

[spooky3]

21. thank you, shireen.

[Lasher]

17. You made clear this is not just about one of the counties.

I understand you are relaying information from others. But it is your OP, and it is therefore incumbent on you to reasonably ensure you are passing on reliable information - particularly when it's about a funding drive.

Your claim about the Boone County Dog Pound is clearly and verifiably an exaggeration, to be kind. Don't you agree that this justifies skepticism regarding the situation at shelters in the rest of these nine counties?

[spooky3]

18. Oh, for heaven's sake. I made no claims or exaggerations. No good deed goes unpunished.

The group, approved for 501c3 status, was initially seeking donations of water, as anyone can see from the linked information. The request for $ was provided by the organization because some people said on their Facebook page that they could not take water to Ellicott City but wanted to help.

If you don't want to contribute, DON'T. But don't make accusations, ambiguous or otherwise, without appropriate evidence.

Once again, if you believe that the rescue organization involved is engaging in fraud, take the steps you need to follow up, but I am not going to waste more time with this discussion nor am I going to do the audit work you want done given that a 501c3 organization is involved. People have the information they need to decide what they want to do.

[shireen]

26. dealing with emergencies

Animal rescue organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Most of us are aware of pounds, Humane Society affiliations, and SPCA affiliations. But there are a lot of much smaller groups that work at local grassroots levels.

We don't know for sure what's going on. In emergency situations, the lack of information and coordination is very frustrating. But we have to be careful about how we characterize rescue organizations during emergencies, especially when they rely on online donations. All it takes is a complaint (not by you, but others reading this) to Paypal alerting fraudent activity to cause delays in desperately-needed infusions of cash. Those of us who were around during Andy Stephenson's cancer treatment fundraising saw what happened when another group accused his fundraisers of fraud.

For now, we have to trust that this group knows what it's doing. They have contacts in the area, and access to the best information about what's needed by all the shelters. You can infer a lot about an organization from its online presence. Do a google search and you'll find that this organization, Small Miracles Rescue is legitimate.

[Lasher]

28. You're right about one thing, lack of information and the veracity of it are common during crises.

I've tried to help with that. As I said before, I live here. I have been to the Boone County Dog Pound. I know one thing for sure that's going on: The animals there do not need water hauled from the Washington, DC metropolitan area by Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue. I furnished specific, verifiable information to prove this is so.

Another thing that often accompanies a crisis is an abundance of scams. Somebody somewhere along the line is clearly lying about this. And anybody who says otherwise is repeating a lie. I think Small Miracles supports a good cause. I'm familiar with BARC and believe they have good intentions. Their main mission is to get animals out of the Boone County Dog Pound before they are euthanized. If you visit their Facebook page that I linked upthread you will see that this is so. And you will see that they need funds to continue that mission.

A good cause does not suspend moral or legal obligations. It's up to you if you think blind faith is justified in the face of evidence that justifies skepticism. I bear you no malice but I'm not going to buy into that.

Peace,

Lasher

[CFLDem]

12. K&R

[cinnabonbon]

13. Kicked and recced!

[LadyHawkAZ]

15. Kick, kick, kick and rec!

[shireen]

19. tv news is covering this donation

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/howard_county/local-animal-shelter-trucking-water-to-west-va-recues

[spooky3]

20. that's great - thank you so much!

[crazylikafox]

22. This is a wonderful animal rescue facility just up the street from me.

My neighbors volunteer there. This is a legitimate group. I think I'll run up to the store & get some water for them.
Thanks for posting.

[spooky3]

24. thank you, crazylikafox!

Some people don't seem to understand that volunteer organizations do the best they can and particularly in the case of emergencies, put their resources into dealing with pressing problems and not with auditing or proofreading details.

[mnhtnbb]

23. Just posted to my fb page.

[spooky3]

25. thank you, mnhtnbb!

[dgibby]

27. Not only is drinking water needed for shelter animals,

but water to clean their cages is also needed, and the water that is contaminated should not be used for this because it can be absorbed through their paws and get on their coats. I can't imagine that the massive amounts of water needed by these shelters would be diverted from humans for this purpose.

I think you've done a good thing, spooky3, and I'll be sending a donation. I'm also posting to FB and will contact Angels/Friends of Assisi to see what, if anything, they're doing to help. Thanks for caring and posting.

[crazylikafox]

29. k&r

[stuntcat]

30. K&R

TY for posting this, I'm sharing it at FB too!!!

My husband drives to MD sometimes for work, if he goes soon I'll have him get some big bottles to take, and if he's not going this week I'll give on Paypal.

[phylny]

31. K&R, n/t

[spooky3]

32. update inside:

This was posted on Small Miracles' Facebook page on the 12th--my guess is that the resolution did work out as hoped, or else they would have posted another update (as of today, the 15th):

"Just received a note indicating that the very rural counties of West Virginia may have resolution within the next 24 to 48 hours. While we will still be sending water Monday, we are not positive there will be a need to collect water after that. We will advise if there is still need. I believe we do still need a driver and vehicle to make a run there with a load of water. Again, thank you so much for the support. It has been incredible."