(If you got this directly from MAC, you are already on the list)
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A Life Well Lived
Remembering Jim Knight by Anne Lindsay
James Q. Knig
ht, DVM passed away in February. He was a member of the MAC board from 2003 to 2007 and served on the MAC Advisory Council for 12 more years. A true friend of animals, Dr. Knight was principled, honest, and self-effacing. He also had a dry, quirk
y sense of humor that kept people laughing and provided comic relief in difficult situations.
Dr. Knight served in the
U.S. Army, and later graduated with his veterinary degree fro
m Michigan State
U
niversi
ty in 1973. He was a U.S.D.A. veterinary medical officer for Connecticut and Western Massachusetts and also worked in private small ani
mal practices and at the Animal Rescue League of Boston and
Thomas J O'Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center.
In 2002
Dr. Knight
became director of the animal studies programs at Becker College. He
was especially interested in shelter medicine and animal welfare. Throughout his career he gave his time and passion to professional organizations. He was past president of the Massachus
etts Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) and past chair of the Animal Welfare Committee and the Veterinary Technicians Committee. He was the 2005 recipient of the MVMA Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Knight was the founder of Link-Up Education Network (now called Safe People Safe Pets), a nonprofit organization of professionals trying to break the link between animal abuse and violence to people.
Dr. Knight
was also a board member of the Afghan Stray Animal League.
Between 2005 and 2007
Dr. Knight
went to the Middle East many times to serve as a consultant to the Kabul University Veterinary School. There he was integral in restoring the functionality of the veterinary clinic, which had been out of commission for eight years. The clinic had an existing large animal veterinary practice and benefited from Dr. Knight's small animal expertise as he taught surgical techniques and practice to students and faculty there.
Jim Knight was a good man with a big heart and a never-ending desire to help animals in need. He leaves a legacy that many would only hope to achieve. Rest in peace, James Q. Knight. You have earned it.
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Important Changes to the License Plate Grant Program
by Anne Lindsay
I
n case you missed our announcement, the MAC License Plate Program Oversight Committee
has
been exploring how to have the greatest impact while helping animals and their people who are in need.
While the 2019 grant cycle for MAC's "I'm Animal Friendly" License Plate Program is proceeding as usual, in 2020 the committee will take a hiatus from making grants for one year while we review the Program.
The plan is to focus on reevaluating all parts of the Program, which has granted out over $2.2 million since 2005. We remain committed to funding spay and neuter surgeries around the state, and we look forward to serving animals and the people who help them in this 2019 grant cycle - and then again in 2021.
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MAC Welcomes Edward Schettino, DVM, PhD to our Board
The MAC Board is proud to have Edward Schettino helping MAC's mission work. Edward comes with impressive credentials and background experience in the key areas where MAC operates. Among his many skills and positions, he is the current VP of Animal Welfare & Veterinary Services at the Animal Rescue League of Boston and an Adjunct Faculty and Advisory Board member at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. He is also on the Advisory Board at North Shore Community College. Edward is already active with MAC Board and committee work. We are grateful to him for his service and commitment to our coalition work.
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FYI: MAC's All About Dogs Meeting will be coming up next Fall!
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Whole Cat Workshop Wrap Up
by Julia Pesek
Harmony achieved!
This year's Whole Cat Workshop focused on exploring the deep divide between wildlife and bird lovers and community cat advocates. After all, both groups love animals, right?
Our headline presenters were Bob Salinger, Director of Conservation at the Audubon Society of Portland and Karen Kraus, President of the Feral Cat Coalition. The two shared the etiology of their decade long partnership and how they were able to find common ground instead of adversity - and common goals instead of competing agendas.
Cats Safe at Home is the product of their collaboration and is based on a central goal of humanely reducing the number of cats outdoors by finding ways to happily keep owned cats inside, modifying kitty's access to the outdoors through Catios, reducing the amount of time a cat free-roams or even simply changing a cat's outdoor access in response to sensitive seasons for wildlife.
We rounded out the day with an engaging panel discussion including wildlife and community cat experts - and ended the afternoon with a group discussion, agreeing on the statement that "For the health and welfare of cats and wildlife, cats should be kept indoors when possible".
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Massachusetts Proposed Bills Concerning Companion Animals Filed in 2019
by Sarah Luick
Here are some proposed bills to watch. For instance, the Beagle Freedom Bill has been refiled (
H. 758, H. 764, S. 534: An Act protecting research
animals). There are so many bills filed annually, MAC encourages us all to stay informed and get involved.
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Massachusetts Honored as a Top Tier State for our Animal Protection Laws
by Sarah Luick
Each year, the
Animal Legal Defense Fund
ranks the 50 US states on the quality of their animal protection laws. Due to the passage of PAWS I and now PAWS II ALDF concluded that Massachusetts has earned a #5 rank as a Top Tier state. Massachusetts was found to be among the most improved states, and our legislators who helped to gain passage of PAWS II are honored as one of the national top ten animal defenders for 2019. They are: Rep. Louis Kafka, Sen. Bruce Tarr, and Sen. Mark Montigny.
Certainly, there are many people and organizations behind the efforts of PAWS I and II that share this important achievement for Massachusetts that we can all be proud of. Thank you from MAC to all of you.
To view the top ten defenders go to:
Page 18 of the report shows the Mass. laws analyzed by ALDF to support a #5 state ranking.
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Give the Gift of the License Plate!
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Have you been working with a hoarding situation?
Don't forget, MAC had a meeting about hoarding and we have some information for you
here.
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Spay/Neuter Resources
on MAC's Website
Are you aware of how much MAC has to offer beyond educational meetings, programs and task forces? Have you ever checked out our Resources pages? We offer information about Lost Pets, Rabies, Adoption, Wildlife, and so much more!
If you are looking for spay/neuter services in your area check out "
Find a Spay/Neuter Clinic" on
the dropdown menu on MAC's homepage and you will be brought to our SpayMass page. There
is a map with pins showing locations of clinics all over the state, you can enter your zip code to
locate a clinic close to you, and you will find addresses and contact information for a clinic you
choose.
MAC is here for you! Be sure to take advantage of all that we have to offer!
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Fo
r $10 A Year You Can Be A MAC Member!
Joining MAC is a great way to become more involved in animal welfare, meet others who are doing similar work, make friends and connections, and hear from experts in the field. For more info visit our
membership
page.
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Do you have a great story about using your grant from MAC's License Plate Fund? Send it to us at
[email protected]
and it could be featured in an upcoming E-News!
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