You have taken a lot of time to place some very valuable and insightful information on this blog. On behalf of all of us who care, thank you very much for not only this information, but your volunteering as well.

Wishing you the very best,

Stewart, Zoe, Peanut & Sully

Last night I met, for about two hours, with Sgt. Kent Choate, head of
Animal Control for the city of Cedar Rapids. During this time, I was
able to present to him all the many questions and rumors that have been
pouring into me. Sgt. Choate pulled back the covers on the entire
operation and answered every question I had. He also guided me around
the entire facility, and introduced me to the many organizations which
have been instrumental in the shelters successful operation.

Here’s some answers and info. These are not quotes from Sgt Choate, but
rather my summation of his answers, and my own answers that I have found:
Question — I got an email saying that Animal Control was killing dogs
and cats in order to make room for more, is this true?
Answer — Nope. 100% UNTRUE. Everyone at the shelter is doing all they
can to make sure the animals are well taken care of, loved, petted, and
made as comfortable as possible. Once again, no animals have been
euthanized to make room for others, and there is no plan to ever even
consider doing so. Think of that original “Kill Email” on the same level
as the emails promising you Bill Gates will give you $1 for every person
you forward it to. It isn’t going to happen.

Question — What kind of volunteers are they looking for? How can I help?
Answer — Volunteers have been coming in from all over the country. The
general public is welcome to volunteer, and would most likely help
escort families around the facility to identify lost animals. If you
wish to volunteer, you may proceed to the Krkwood Community College Vet
Tech Building between the hours of 10am-7pm. Just like with any
coordinated operation, there are certain skill sets that are crucial to
its success. The most needed skill sets include: experienced animal
handlers, vet techs, and vets.

Question — I’m a vet or vet tech, how can I help?
Answer — Contact me, and I will put you in touch with the coordinator
at the shelter.

Question — Will foster homes and rescue groups be utilized?
Answer — In the coming weeks, as the number of animals needing help is
better understood, rescue organizations around the country will be
contacted. Rescue organizations wishing to help, should ensure that they
have all the proper federal and state documentation. At this point,
foster homes are not being looked at as an option due to several reasons
including the logistics of keeping track of individual homes across the
country, and certification requirements needed to ensure the best
interest of the animals. In many states, “Foster Homes” are only
recognized as being so after numerous inspections, and continual
monitoring by the state.

Question — I would like to specifically donate money to the Cedar
Rapids Animal Relief effort, how can I do that?
Answer — Visit http://www.kirkwood. edu , then follow the link at the bottom
of the page to the Kirkwood Fund, and then the Donate Now section. There
will be a “drop down box”, and you should select the option for “Friends
of the Animal Shelter Fund”. Due to high volume, the site may be up and
down at times…please keep trying.

Question — What other supplies does the shelter need?
Answers — Towels, sheets, bedding, and laundry detergent. (I know how
often I do dog laundry for my 2 Whippets…now imagine the dirty laundry
for hundreds of animals.)

Question — How are animals organized at the shelter?
Answer — Animals at the shelter are grouped into one of the following
categories. Shelter animals pre-flood, strays/rescued animals post flood
with no known information, animals with known owners, animals with known
address/areas of rescue. Presently, there are between 650-700 total
animals at the facilities in Cedar Rapids.

Question — How are the animals housed?
Answer — Cats are housed in large crates with litter pans, food, water,
blankets, and toys in each. (The crates are probably big enough for a
Golden Retriever to fit in.) Dogs are kept in either large crates, or
for the most part, enclosures measuring probably 6ft by 6ft with food,
water, and bedding in each. There are many dogs in horse stalls that
measure 8ft by 8ft. Dogs which were brought in together, are housed
together to help them cope with the situation better. Birds are in large
cages, turtles are in aquariums, and horses are in horse stalls. Each
enclosure is numbered and catalogued for tracking purposes. The Kirkwood
facility is amazing! I was most surprised by the smell, or lack there
of! As I walked the facility, I found the animals, clean and resting
comfortably. Rest assured that the Kirkwood facility is a state of the
art equine center and vet tech school. Even the most experience animal
person would envy the facilities
available out there. I imagine that when the Cedar Rapids shelter is
able to rebuild their facility, it will be modeled after this.

Question — How are the animals kept track of?
Answer — A tracking spreadsheet is constantly updated electronically,
and distributed throughout the shelter. This sheet contains the type of
animal, location the animal was rescued from or owners address, the sex
of the animal, who brought the animal in, description of the animal, and
stall/enclosure # where the animal is being kept. Basically, everything
about this animal is catalogued. Additionally, each animal is
photographed, and those pictures put into a flip book for owners to look
through in order to identify any lost animals.

Question — What happens when an animal is brought in?
Answer — The information described in the tracking sheet above is
gathered. Each animal is then decontaminated, if needed. Next a vet
provides an exam to identify any health conditions that will be treated.
Depending on the classification of the animal, they are then moved to
the appropriate facility and their enclosure # is catalogued along with
their photo.

Question — Who has been providing the donations and supplies out there?
(Disclaimer: Kent rattled of a bunch of organizations, and I tried my
best to document them all. If I missed your group, please accept my
deepest apologies and heartfelt gratitude.)
Answer — The public has been tremendous in their support, and a
constant stream of donations was apparent. On a corporate level,
Petsmart Charities has sent their Waggin Wagon several times filled with
supplies, the AKC CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund and their friends
at Dog.com and Jewett-Cameron have shipped hundreds of new crates and
supplies, The Humane Society of the United States has not only provided
on-site logistical expertise but supplies and food as well, Hills
Science Diet has shipped truck loads of food to the site, additionally,
Pfizer provided tremendous support and supplies, and Ft Dodge Labs has
donated vaccines. A special thanks MUST be extended to Kirkwood
Community College for offering up their entire vet facility and Equine
Center. Who knows what would have happened without these facilities!

Question — Who is on-site now helping?
Answer — The shelter was brimming with volunteers and organizations.
Each one of these groups was offering a unique and much needed area of
expertise. The Humane Society of the United States, the Iowa Department
of Agriculture, the United Animal Nation, the Cedar Rapids Kennel
Association, 4RK9s…just to name a few. (All working
side-by-side…picture the Coke Commercials from the 70’s and
80’s..without the singing.)

Question — I think my pet may be out there, what do I do?
Answer — Possible owners can work with staff between 10am-7pm on
Wednesday, June 18th and Thursday June 19th at the Equine Center Office.
At that time, the possible owners will fill out a Rescue Request to help
staff identify the exact animal being looked for, and will then work
with the volunteers to cross reference the tracking sheet on name of the
owner and/or address of the animal(where the animal was found or owners
address). If there is no match to name or address, those possible owners
will be asked to return on Friday in order to have the time needed to
page through the photo books of animals on-site. This will allow other
possible owners to identify their animals on Wednesday and Thursday, and
give those folks needing to come back on Friday the time they deserve to
go through the photos.

Question — I want to adopt an animal? What can I do?
Answer — There are shelter animals, pre-flood available at Kirkwood for
adoption. However, at this time, every effort is being made to identify
owners of unknown animals, and reunite owners of animals that have
identified owners/addresses. Presently, flood animals are not available.

Question — Is this going to be another Katrina?
Answer — In my humble opinion, no. Plain and simply…no. I’ve spoken
to dozens of Katrina veterans over the past couple days, and can happily
say that the advice they are giving me was already in place at the
shelter. Katrina was a horrible tragedy, but provided some much needed
lessons to be learned, and best practices to be shared. Every animal
organization involved with Katrina recognizes what worked, and what
didn’t. Changes have been made. During a time like this, our efforts are
best served by continuing to work together, continuing to put aside our
preconceived notions of who’s a “good guy” and who’s a “bad guy.” This
is NOT a purebred dog effort, This is NOT an animal control effort, This
is NOT an HSUS effort, its NOT a dog effort, its NOT a cat effort….it
IS an “animal world” effort. When you’re out there, it IS a TEAM effort.
The effort has been amazing! Every person at that shelter has one
thought on their
mind….”how can I help these animals?” It’s impossible not to be moved
to tears when walking through the shelter and seeing how amazing it is.

Please continue to send me questions that you may have, or rumors you
may hear.

Take care, and thank you to everyone who has helped in anyway or simply
sent us good thoughts and prayers.

Scot Northern
President — Cedar Rapids Kennel Association

Thank you, Dogster

Sully
Zoe
Peanut
Stewart

With appreciation,
Sully
Zoe
Peanut
Stewart Weekley