I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!  We were beyond thrilled and fortunate to celebrate with Kano, and he LOVED trying oven-roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, and various other goodies.  As we prepare to make arrangements for Kano’s (hopefully temporary) return to his former residence, please keep him in your thoughts.    

This time of year is understandably hectic, but we hope you will find 5-10 minutes each day to share and post our petition.  We don’t want our cause getting lost in the frenzy of the upcoming holiday season. Our goal is to reach 200K by the New Year.  We’re currently nearing 160K signatures and new partnerships with animal shelters, etc. are developing each week!  We’ve recently been contacted by several animal rights organizations (thank you for your suggestions in the comments!), and we hope to have some very exciting news soon!   

I wanted to share something interesting I came across while doing some research on our furry companions' legal status.  I was surprised to discover a similar petition had been started here on Change.org 7 years ago by a Canadian organization, “Raise UR Paw.”  Unfortunately, their petition received less than 1,200 signatures and was closed.  Why am I sharing this?  I believe it shows the very promising change and growth in mindset society has made in just 7 years.  In fact, seventy-percent of American households include a companion animal (American Pet Products Association), and of these households, upwards of ninety-nine percent consider their companion animal a member of their family (NCJFCJ).  This growing position begs the question: If the majority of Americans regard their pets as family members, why do the laws so blatantly disregard, undermine, and contradict this American value and the moral significance (https://njspca.org/faqs/) it has to its people?  It’s time we ask this very question of President Biden, our Congressmen and Congresswomen, and our local government officials.  

I will post a printable letter in the next Update and on Kano’s website.  You will be able to handwrite the addressee before printing and mailing it to President Joe Biden, NJ Governor Phil Murphy, and your local government officials.  Together, WE will be their voice and we WILL be heard!