Would you like to be the
Director of Animal Welfare (DAW) or a DAW Volunteer for your Community?
Your City or Local Council Needs Your Help! And the Animals Need Your Help Even
More! DAW Mission statement: Recognizing animals are members of the Los Angeles community. Providing political representation for these nonhuman members. Assisting stakeholders, local government and the community with animal-related issues and needs. The Los Angeles DAW Platform is as follows: The Directors of Animal Welfare (DAWs) advocate that Los Angeles stop killing all shelter animals with a better than poor prognosis with respect to behavior and health with the long-range goal of helping even those with a poor prognosis. Directors of Animal Welfare (DAWs) act as a resource on animal-related issues for stakeholders, the community, local councils and city government. The Directors of Animal Welfare (DAWs) offer education to the community, including school children, on humane animal treatment, animal care, spaying and neutering, animal welfare, resources and animal-related law. ____________________________ DAW positions are volunteer and unpaid. You will be helping to end the killing of dogs and cats, etc. that are killed routinely in California animal shelters each year. You will also be helping to reduce the cost that taxpayers must bear. The killing is unnecessary. San Francisco and Ithica, New York have made great strides. Berkeley; New York City and the state of Utah are in the process of becoming "no kill." Make this happen in your city. What You and Your Council Can Do If you are appointed to be a Director of Animal Welfare (DAW) or a DAW Assistant for your area, you will evaluate the animal situation in your community and take measures to rectify the situation. Every area has different needs, so the idea is to solve problems at a grassroots level for your particular community. As a DAW or DAW Assistant, you may want to explore the following: a) Outreach. Identify animal-related issues/needs. Communicate with the people of the area and see what the animal-related needs are. b) Make presentations at local council, group and association meetings about progress and/or projects. c) Convey information via the your Council representative's mailings or through other groups or media outlets. d) Come together with the DAWs from other districts to create joint projects. e) Put on "Animal Care Fairs," one day events in which there are dog training, humane education, free or low cost spay/neuter services, and adoption referrals. These have been successful in the Bay Area in past years. f) Place referral information on your Councilmember's website. (i.e. contact information for vets, animal hospitals, low cost spay/neuter clinics, animal services, rescue groups, etc.) or on the websites of other local groups or associations. g) Come to monthly DAW meetings and city-wide animal events.
h) Come up with
creative solutions. Tell other DAWs and the city what they can do to
help. i) Encourage the city to become "no kill." The DAW project is gaining steam in Los Angeles. It can work in Oakland, too. The
Los Angeles DAW participation website can be found at
www.DAWprogram.org
You
could be appointed to be the DAW in an area adjacent to
where you live or work if the DAW position is taken in your area. Please contact Charlotte Laws with any questions at (818) 346-5280. What can the DAW program offer that a centralized plan cannot offer? 1.
DAWs can communicate with the stakeholders better than the city can
through local meetings and events.
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