Best Friends Beirut Airlift to USA - please pass on

[Catty1]

Dear Members & Friends,

COUNTDOWN TO LIFT-OFF: We’re now entering the FINAL STAGES of preparation for the airlift of dogs and cats from their temporary sanctuary outside of Beirut.

FLIGHT DETAILS: All being well, about 300 animals will board a cargo flight one night early next week. The flight will stop to refuel at Manchester in the U.K. and then at JFK to clear customs and refuel, continuing on to Las Vegas for an evening arrival, when temperatures are cool. The dogs and cats will then board Best Friends trucks for the final leg of the journey to the sanctuary.

Traveling with the dogs and cats will be members of the Best Friends rapid response team, the vet team, and volunteers from Lebanon’s only humane society, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA).

BACKGROUND: You’ll recall that the BETA folks LOST THEIR SHELTERS DURING THE RECENT WAR, and have been caring for these homeless pets at a temporary refuge. These amazing volunteers have been coping with unparalleled challenges, including death threats to the dogs, a nationwide lack of cat food, and the near impossibility of finding any new adoptive homes locally.

Best Friends staff and volunteers have been on the ground for some time now, helping to care for the animals and prepare for the airlift. This whole operation will give BETA some breathing space to rebuild their shelters and get back to their urgent rescue work.

ADOPTIONS IN THE U.S.: We’ve had many applications for adoption in this country. Many thanks to all who have offered to open their hearts and homes. There are still dogs and cats (of all shapes, types, ages, and sizes) available for adoption. Please check out the Adoption tab at http://middleeast.bestfriends.org.

FUNDS: We’re lifting off on faith, since we still have not raised all the funds needed. Still looking for an additional $200 for many of the dogs and cats. YOUR DONATION, LARGE OR SMALL, IS STILL CRITICAL TO THIS WORK. Please use the donation button at http://middleeast.bestfriends.org.

Please keep in mind that BETA is the ONLY humane society in the entire country of Lebanon. So this rescue program is designed to help them re-establish their work and their shelters. For these 300 animals, it means new lives and new homes, but for ALL THE OTHER ANIMALS in that country, it also means new hope and new beginnings.

NEWS UPDATES are on the website every day at http://middleeast.bestfriends.org. Recent stories on the site include:

* How we’re building the temporary accommodations here at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

* The animals at the BETA refuge in the hills above Beirut

* Heartwarming stories of rescue and reunion in Israel

* And the front page story in last Sunday’s Salt Lake Tribune

And as soon as we have more precise timing next week, we’ll let you know, and we’ll be setting up a SPECIAL BLOG to keep you up to the minute as the airlift gets under way.

As always, thank you for caring,

Michael Mountain

Best Friends

[Cinder & Smoke]

Dateline: Best Friends, Monday, September 25, 2006

Today, 150 dogs and 145 cats took off from Beirut International Airport at noon local time (5 a.m. EST), bound for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

First stop was Manchester, U.K., at 7:30 a.m. EST. They took off again at 11:30 a.m., bound for New York’s JFK Airport, where staff and animals will go through customs.

Then, it’s on to Las Vegas. Expected arrival time there is approximately 2 a.m. EST. The dogs and cats will be transferred to trucks for the four-hour ride to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

On the ground in Manchester, U.K., Best Friends staff and crew reported that all was well.

The dogs and cats will have been in crates for more than 24 hours when they arrive at Best Friends. (Yes, we have lots of equipment to keep them clean and comfortable throughout the journey!)

On board with the animals are seven Best Friends staff and volunteers, and three members of BETA, who will be staying at Best Friends for a week or so for special training before returning to rebuild their humane society in Lebanon.

Thank you for making this historic event possible! Your donations to complete this mission are critical.

There are regular updates on the Best Friends website throughout the day at www.bestfriends.org.

/s/ Michael Mountain

Best Friends Animal Society

www.bestfriends.org

[Grace]

From the Best Friends site -

Orphaned cats and dogs arrive at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
September 26, 2006 : 12:00 AM
Trucks filled with carriers unloaded at approximately 7:00 a.m. GMT. By about 8:30 a.m. the animals were all in there new temporary residences at the Best Friends Rescue Center located at the Sanctuary.

In the wee hours of the morning Best Friends and BETA volunteers and staff drove from Las Vegas Airport to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Southern Utah.

Once at the Sanctuary, everyone worked quickly to get all the dogs and cats acclimated to their new environment.

Both animals and people were in good spirits. Although weary-eyed and tired there were definitely wagging tails, purring and happy hello howls.

The work is far from over. Each dog and cat will continue the evaluation process that began in Lebanon.

The goal, of course, is to get these war-torn creatures to their new forever homes.

If you're interested in adopting, be sure to click on the "Adoption" tab at MiddleEast.BestFriends.org.

[LilacDragon]

Sorry, but with the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of dogs and cats that are euthanized each year in the United States - Best Friends is IMPORTING more homeless animals!?!

It occurs to me that the money spent on this operation might have been better spent rebuilding their own shelter.

For goodness sake - a year after Hurricane Katrina, there are still animals homeless from that!

[Catty1]

Best Friends does a TON of work in the USA.

It must be hard deciding who to save - but I think this story, because it is international, will get attention on the news. That will help Best Friends at home.

And - there are probably people who would only donate to something like this.

I hope Best Friends says to the country: "Now that we have your attention..."

Good is bound to come out of it.

[Corinna]

Sorry but I agree with lilicdragon. I think my donations to Best freinds just changed to another rescue. I give enough for orphan children around the world, and try to help lots of animals in the USA.

[Catty1]

So...what could/should have happened to the animals from Beirut?

[Grace]

I don't mind helping animals - no matter the country of the world. We donate, exclusively, to organizations helping animals. We are animal lovers, and don't care where they live.

What I'm hearing here reminds me of those that say people should only adopt children in the USA. Hogwash!! Children are children, no matter where they are. Animals are animals, no matter where they are. They should all be loved and treated with respect regardless of nationality.

[columbine]

I agree with Catty1 - people might be willing to adopt pets from Lebanon for the same reason they fly all the way to China to adopt a baby. People get overwhelmed thinking about how bad things are right on their doorstep, and turn away; but if it's a "foreign problem" it's not so scary and they might be moved to do something.

I agree with Grace too - children are children, animals are animals, and whatever gets those barriers down and opens people's hearts is a good idea. People just move around too quickly these days for it to be practical to isolate oneself on the basis of national borders.

Love, Columbine

[LilacDragon]

First off, let us understand that dogs are NOT human. They don't have human emotions, don't think like people and are not furkids. Comparing the adoption of animals to children is well, not right.

More then a MILLION animals are PUT TO DEATH in the U.S. every year. I am sorry, but I find it very difficult to understand bringing more homeless animals into the country while the number of homeless animals and the number of animals euthanized every year is so very high.

[Catty1]

Slightly OT - but not all people have human children, for one reason or another.

Some can't. Some can't afford to.

My cats cost me a bit....but hey, they;re not going to college, wanting new clothes, or iPods!

LilacDragon - are you involved with any rescues or shelters where you are?

[LilacDragon]

LOL!

One would assume that I don't much like dogs, huh?

I do what I can for a local rottweiler rescue group including but not limited to helping to organize the annual fundraiser. Most of the dogs that I have had in the last 30 years have been rescues - most pulled directly from shelters. I also have been known to pull a dog from the local kill shelter, vet and foster until I can find it a forever home.

You are right - some people can't have children and they treat their animals as if they were children. Is there something wrong with the 109,025 dogs that are listed on Petfinder today? Or maybe the 105,245 cats are missing some mysterious quality that can only be found in a cat imported from Beirut?

Here is an idea - Beirut is a third world country and building things there is much cheaper then building in the U.S. What if, and this is just an idea, they had taken the money raised for airfare, transportation, vetting, and building a temperary structure here in the States they had used that money to build a facility in Beirut?

Just because I don't agree with what they have done doesn't mean that I don't like dogs or that I think less of rescues.

If it makes you feel any better - I think that our government should do more about the homeless people here in the U.S. before they start handing out billions of dollars to other countries.

[Catty1]

I agree, Lilacdragon. We have a local group here that is planning to adopt a village in Africa...the facilitators do a lot of hands-on work with Aboriginal groups in Canada and in other countries.

The same group was also concerned about helping locally...in my own small town, one of the facilitators has said there are people using sex to pay the rent.
We're a booming oil province with terribly inadequate affordable housing!

Charity begins at home, I agree. And as this project of ours moves forward, i look forward to being part of the solution on both fronts.

I like your idea of having funds to build a shelter overseas - but after we have more room here, when all shelters are no-kill(except in cases of fatal injuries or illness, and then gas should be banned).

But I have a rescued wild cat and one friendly but dumped cat. Guess which one is the suckiest?!

It helps to be a part of the solution.

I am sure BF has received emails and calls wondering why they weren't doing this at home. I guess they do so much, they wanted to go international. I guess only BF has the answer to that one.

hugs!

[Love That Collie]

LOL!

One would assume that I don't much like dogs, huh?

I do what I can for a local rottweiler rescue group including but not limited to helping to organize the annual fundraiser. Most of the dogs that I have had in the last 30 years have been rescues - most pulled directly from shelters. I also have been known to pull a dog from the local kill shelter, vet and foster until I can find it a forever home.

You are right - some people can't have children and they treat their animals as if they were children. Is there something wrong with the 109,025 dogs that are listed on Petfinder today? Or maybe the 105,245 cats are missing some mysterious quality that can only be found in a cat imported from Beirut?

Here is an idea - Beirut is a third world country and building things there is much cheaper then building in the U.S. What if, and this is just an idea, they had taken the money raised for airfare, transportation, vetting, and building a temperary structure here in the States they had used that money to build a facility in Beirut?

Just because I don't agree with what they have done doesn't mean that I don't like dogs or that I think less of rescues.

If it makes you feel any better - I think that our government should do more about the homeless people here in the U.S. before they start handing out billions of dollars to other countries.

First off.....DITTO, DITTO, DITTO LilacDragon
I just saw a post concerning this topic addressed on another forum, only the poster was one of the adopters of a dog from Lebanon and has some big aggression problems with the adopted dog. And on another forum another adopter is having bigger aggression problems with her dog. It seems through her contacts with other adopters of some of these dogs they all are having the aggression problems which I know should be expected in some cases. My question is, does this organization not do any type of behavioral tests on these dogs? And why would they adopt out a dog that clearly showed aggressive tendencies?

[cassiesmom]

[QUOTE=LilacDragon]
Here is an idea - Beirut is a third world country ...[QUOTE]

Beirut is not a country, LilacDragon. It is the capital city of Lebanon. The infrastructure of much of Lebanon was lost to Israeli bombs and artillery fire during the military conflict this past July and August. Maybe this is why the decision was made to move animals out of the country to places where they could receive appropriate shelter and care.

Best Friends Network is also involved in post-hurricane animal rescue.