WHO WILL LET THE DOGS OUT? WINONA MAYOR LOCKED IN POUND NEEDS $3,000 “ADOPTION” FEE

In Defense of Animals starts fund with $1,000

Contact: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

Images: http://bit.ly/PoundLockIn

Winona, MS (November 22, 2016) – In Defense of Animals, the international animal protection organization that operates Hope Animal Sanctuary in Grenada, Mississippi, and founder of Winona, Mississippi based Justice for Animals campaign has joined forces with the Winona Animal Advocacy Group to aid the city’s stray and surrendered animals. At 9:00 am today, Winona Mayor Jerry Flowers, Winona Animal Control Officer Tim Pearson, and In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals campaign Director Doll Stanley were impounded with the dogs at the Winona Animal Shelter, and will not be released until $3,000 is raised for their “adoptions.” In Defense of Animals has pledged $1,000 and is encouraging Winona residents to donate the remainder to support Winona’s abandoned dogs.

Caged Mayor Jerry Flowers said, “I’ve been impounded to draw attention to Winona’s desperate need for tools and facilities to safely and humanely catch frightened and feral local animals, and aid with the medical needs of the puppies and dogs who find shelter here. We need the people of Mississippi to dig deep today to help our poor, abandoned animals.”

“We have no idea how long we will be here before we are adopted – just like the dogs who come through Winona Animal Shelter”, said In Defense of Animals’ Doll Stanley.

Flowers, Stanley and ACO Tim Pearson have pledged to stay with their canine cage-mates until the $3,000 target is met.

The proceeds from the “Who Will Let the Dogs Out?” fundraiser will go directly to the Winona Animal Advocacy Group to equip Animal Control Officer Tim Pearson with badly needed tools to help the animals of Winona.

In Defense of Animals and the Winona Animal Advocacy Group have a rich history of aiding one another with the care and adoption of dogs who have found shelter at the Winona Animal Shelter. In Defense of Animals has aided thousands of dogs with adoption, many from the Winona Shelter, largely through transport programs to communities where spay and neuter is widely accepted, and welcome animals from Winona and other regions for adoption.

The City of Winona was the first Mississippi community to work with In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals campaign to pass firmer sentences for animal abusers, in December 2015. The city ordinance was amended so that crimes of aggravated animal cruelty and neglect are now charged with state statutes.

“I’m proud of the progress the City of Winona has made in the last few years in understanding and addressing the perils animal companions face when they are abandoned, surrendered to a shelter, or are cruelly treated”, said  Doll Stanley. “I’m also pleased to say that Tim Pearson is likely the finest humane officer the City could have chosen”, added Stanley.

In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals campaign is actively working with officials in communities, building a groundswell of support for establishing and amending city and county ordinances as part of its campaign to show state lawmakers that Mississippians will not tolerate animal cruelty.

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In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 30-year history of protecting animals’ rights, welfare and habitats through education, campaigns and hands on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org

IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS • 3010 KERNER BLVD. • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 • 415-448-0048