AR-News: (UT - US) Help urgently needed for "Friends in Need"

Tue Apr 13 11:10:44 EDT 2004

Your help is urgently needed. Please write letters to the Eagle Mountain City Council to help Friends in Need http://www.friends-in-need.org/ help the throw away animals in Utah. We are hoping that each of you will write a letter and ask your animal advocates to also blitz the council in favor of this project as soon as is possible.

Unfortunately, the petition campaign only yielding 535 signatures so please help Karen O'Donnell and her wonderful organization by sending your letters today. 

Background info:
Friends in Need became a 501(c3) on 10/24/03, and have rescued to date 63 animals.

The organization works with shelters, and other rescue organizations to save, abused, abandoned and neglected animals. They offer foster care, assistance on low cost spay/neuters and assistance with behavioral problems, such as transition from neglect to trust for people adopting these rescued animals.

Friends-In-Need has taken all legal steps necessary to secure a building that will serve as a rescue center in an agricultural area. The building construction will cost $245,000  They have a kennel permit and applied for a Conditional Use Permit. The Conditional Use Permit was granted by the city's planning commission, under stringent restrictions. 
Friends-In-Need is appealing some terms set forth in the conditional use permit that requires all animals to be inside by 6:00pm and that only groups of four can be (outside in their sectioned exercise areas) at a time.  They have also been limited to having only fifteen 15 animals at the center. 

This is the Planning Commission’s attempt to control the details of the Center, not having any understanding of the needs of the animals or how a center is designed to operate.  I am unaware of any center that operate under such restrictions. 

During the Planning meeting the Commission made no attempt to hear any comments from F.I.N. on how the Center planned to operate or how other successful centers operated. 

Friends-In-Need is located on over 5.5 acres, which is plenty of room for many animals and their needs of outside activity.  The obstacle right now is that the City Council may nix the plan if they don't hear from us on how much this facility is needed.  The next meeting is May 4th but please bombard the council with your letters today and please don't wait until the May 1st.  The impact will have even greater significance if we can get many Utah residents to also contribute to the letter writing campaign.

The address is 
Eagle Mountain City Council
1680 E. Heritage Drive
Eagle Mountain, UT  84043
Email:  contactus at emcity.org

Email is nice but we think the impact will be greater with a snail mail blitz, so if at all possible mail your letters this week and well before May 1st.  Also please email a copy of your letter to Karen O'Donnell at F.I.N. at FriendsInNeed at email.com.  Please cross post this request to everyone you know in the animal advocacy world and to all your friends and relatives living in Utah.

Roni McCall
Founder & Executive Director
Through Their Eyes
The National Animal Abuse Registry
website:  http://www.inhumane.org
email:  noabuse at inhumane.org