October 30, 2008 North Carolina- "Dear Friends of Humane Euthanasia, We have already held almost two dozen meetings with...."

CORRECTION: Instead of Watauga it is Catawba County we need residents for the meetings.

Dear Friends of Humane Euthanasia,

We have already held almost two dozen meetings with state legislators. That is over 10% of the entire NC General Assembly. Last week three more meetings were held. THe meetings on Oct 15, Oct. 21, and Oct 22 went VERY well. If you recall our previous Update Notice informed you that we had found a Senate primary sponsor. It appears that we have now found a Representative who has agreed to be the primary sponsor of our legislation. This legislation appears to be on a "roll" however I do not want to give a false or premature sense of security. Legislation is such that one minute it appears a sure bet and the other minute it becomes "dead in the water." The fact that our effort has gathered so much momentum in a few short months means little at this early stage of the ballgame. I can advise you from my lobbying experience that we have not yet garnered as much of a swelling of public demand as we need to yet. Not from the humane community, not from the media, not from the legislators themselves. If you want to see this elusive goal become a reality you will need to get involved in our effort.

We have a meeting coming up on Nov. 3rd, and half a dozen other meeting dates in November are also expected.
We also have two meetings with Reps and Senators from Iredell and Watauga counties coming up. One is on Nov. 12 at 2 PM. The other will be annnounced very soon. If you live in either of these two counties and would attend please contact me so you can be the voice of the animals.

We have been busy preparing 200 copies of a DVD for distribution in February when we visit the General Assembly on Humane Euthanasia for Family Pets" lobby day. It will be distributed to every single Representative and Senator, along with a packet of documents.

All we ask of you is to please call your state Rep and State Senator now and ask for a meeting. Thank you.

Garo Alexanian
Companion Animal NetworkTV

Companion Animal Network (“C.A.N.”) has advised, among other municipalities, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York State Senator Frank Padavan, and numerous other public officials on animal control policies and has been acknowledged by the New York City Council with Resolution #985 for educating its members on the animal control problems of New York City. C.A.N. was the architect of the reforms in animal control which came about as a result in New York City, which consequently brought $15 million in grants to its animal control services.C.A.N. has been honored in New Orleans for its continuing post-Katrina support programs for Louisiana municipal animal pounds