Best Friends Beirut Airlift to USA - please pass on

**Grace** · 09-26-2006, 11:38 PM

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** · 09-27-2006, 10:52 AM

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** · 09-27-2006, 11:17 AM

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** · 09-27-2006, 11:53 AM

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** · 09-27-2006, 12:14 PM

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** · 09-27-2006, 12:45 PM

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** · 12-23-2006, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · 12-27-2006, 06:04 PM

[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.

**ratchet22** · 12-28-2006, 03:46 PM

WOW! After reading all this all I can say is WOW. I understand both sides here, and wanting to help innocent animals. Though I to volunteer at a shelter and Our own aniamls are being PTS daily by mass tons. Why wont our own fellow people stand up and save them, NOOOO, they are the problem.

But then who can resist a sad story of a pet from another country.....

So all is understood here on both sides. My end thought to all of this is more animals to tend to and to rescue out of our shelters, we all play some roll in everyway to help ALL animals that need us, here and there, we just must all continue to do what we do to make this a better world for them, all I can hope is that ALL the animals that come here are Tested, and Fixed. That not one leave unaltered, and all homes be screened to be properly placed, so our shelters do not become more impossible than they already are.

Thanks to ALL of you that are doing your part in this world, whereever that is, Its the kindness of you rescuers that keep us all going, we are all trying to get to the same end! No more killing of the animals, no more torture, cruelty, or abuse, neglect, etc......thank you all who plays a part in this role to stop the horror we see everyday.