NY City Pet Bleg: Keith Olbermann Puts Up the Doggie Symbol for Helios!

by 10:59 pm. It has 50 Comments.

I’m sure we don’t have the reach of Keith Olbermann’s twitter feed, no offense to Cole, but I figured putting this on the front page probably couldn’t hurt.

Here’s the details from the shelter’s page:

Helios

Hello, my name is Helios. My animal id is #62815. I am a desexed male white dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center. The shelter thinks I am about 3 years 1 weeks old.

I came into the shelter as a agency on 14-May-2019.

Helios is at risk for medical reasons. Helios was diagnosed with canine infectious respiratory disease complex which is contagious to other animals and will require in home care. Behaviorally, Helios has exhibited poor impulse control and would benefit from some behavior modification.

Let’s get to know each other a bit more…

A volunteer writes: Helios is a radiantly happy guy who’s tiny in size but mighty in spirit and it seems only fitting that he’s named for a sun god as he lights up any room he enters and spreads sunshine wherever he roams. Full of good-natured energy, bouncy hugs and sweet snuggles, he’s always thrilled to get out of his den and go for a walk and extremely friendly with dogs and people alike. While he does pull slightly on leash, he’s a smart cookie who responds nicely to direction, seems house trained and already knows how to come, sit and stay on command and he’ll play enthusiastically yet softly with both toys and people. Helios is a natural athlete but his NBA-level jumping skills make him better suited to a home with older kids who are taller than he can bounce and his perfect match would be an active family who can provide ample play and snuggle time. Bonus points for those willing to teach him some new tricks! Helios is waiting at our Manhattan Care Center and he’s ready to be your sun, your moon, your stars, your everything. Will you be his?

“Helios has exhibited poor impulse control and would benefit from some behavior modification.” Helios is definitely jackal material!

Look at that face!

Anyhow, if you might be considering adopting a rescue dog, or you know someone who is, and you’re in the greater NY City area (I’ll let everyone decide that for themselves), give a thought to Helios.

Open thread!





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Finnish Laphund Bleg

by 1:01 pm. It has 48 Comments.

From Aleta:

Do you happen to know personally anyone in the northeast who would be a good, very stable home for two female Finnish Laphunds (6 and 8-9 yo) who just lost their person, my friend. They are not aggressive herders, gentle but very alert to change. Bark a short time, then quiet. The current hope is to find someone w/ no other dogs right now. They been living w two cats. If needed, can be separated. Thick overcoats that shed. I’ve known them for years.

Aleta, if you’ve got photos, send them to me and I’ll update this post with them.

 





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Bleg: Team Bella Q

by 6:28 pm. It has 64 Comments.

Bella Q emailed and asked if I’d post this bleg for her. So here goes:

1 in 5. That’s the current estimate of how many people in the US will experience what’s known as a “mental illness.” Which is a misleading term because these are physical illnesses that can be fatal. Many of the conditions are manageable with medication and other therapies, and some even without medication. But far too many people don’t even seek treatment because of the social stigma attached to “mental illness.” I use the quotation marks intentionally, because the conditions are medical, and as physical as allergies or fractures or cancer.

Society doesn’t blame people with allergies or cancer, and we don’t expect people to conquer them with willpower. Not with “mental illness,” however – people with those conditions are often expected to just get over it, to buck up, or think happy thoughts. If only that worked. I guarantee you that you know someone who lives with one of these conditions; you may or may not know that you do.

The reason you may not know is that it is not a rewarding social move to reveal “mental illness.” Research published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior (Vol. 41, No. 2) found that 68 percent of Americans did not want someone with a mental illness marrying into their family and 58 percent did not want people with mental illness in their workplace. So people are understandably wary about sharing that kind of information, since it can have significant social or professional consequences.

Those consequences can include incarceration. Americans with severe mental illnesses are three times more likely to be in jail or prison than in a psychiatric hospital. In any given year, the largest psychiatric hospital in the US is either the Los Angeles County Jail or the Cook County Jail. Granted those numbers are for severe mental illnesses, but like many other conditions, deterioration can occur without appropriate medical treatment, so what may not start out severe can end up that way.

There are potential professional consequences also. In a 2014 report by Yale Law School, 30% of Yale Law students who said they had considered, but did not seek treatment for mental health problems, cited “fear of disclosure risk for the bar exam” as a reason why. The level of intrusiveness of mental health questions varies by state. Some states choose to ask only about actual conduct or behavior that can be explained by a mental health challenge while some ask about current mental health challenges only. On the more invasive end of the spectrum states ask about past diagnosis and treatment history. With no national regulation of these questions, the range of questions is wide. (Source)

NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.  NAMI’s mission is to raise awareness of mental illness and to help individuals living with mental illness and their families. All NAMI programs are provided to participants free of charge. Fundraising is crucial to continuing programming, which helps more people each day as awareness of the programs increases.

NAMI provides support, education, and advocacy to hundreds of thousands of families, individuals, educators, mental health service providers, and law enforcement professionals each year. Among the important things NAMI does is support of programs to train law enforcement to manage situations involving people with mental illnesses. I presented sections in several of those trainings and saw the improved results as more officers were trained.

In 2019 Team Bella Q is raising funds for NAMI SW Ohio. Harry has his own page, and he’s again on pace to raise more than the rest of the roster. Any donations will be appreciated. All can be made as anonymously as you like. Visiting jackals who donate will get a coffee, cocktail, or other confection of their choice from me during their visit to SW Ohio (or with me if you live here).

Thanks for reading.

You all know what to do.

Open thread!





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There Are Other Congregations Whose Churches Have Burned in Need

by 12:36 am. It has 40 Comments.

Right now everyone is paying attention to the Cathedral of Notre Dame as it smolders. And to a certain extent that makes perfect sense. It is a historic marvel and a major tourist attraction both because of its historic and its religious significance. President Macron has unequivocally stated that the cathedral will be rebuilt. And the organizations that were set up to raise funds for its renovations will now quickly switch over to fundraise for the rebuilding effort. But even as those funds are raised, there are other churches, specifically some African American churches here in the US that were deliberately burned down in acts of domestic terrorism whose congregations need some help to rebuild their houses of worship.

From the GoFundMe link:

Three historically black churches have burned in less than two weeks in one south Louisiana parish, where officials said they had found “suspicious elements” in each case. The officials have not ruled out the possibility of arson, or the possibility that the fires are related.

“There is clearly something happening in this community,” State Fire Marshal H. Browning said in a statement on Thursday.

The host of this campaign is the Seventh District Baptist Association, a 149 year old non-profit religious organization.  We are working with the Governor of Louisiana, local leaders, elected officials, the impacted churches and their pastors, other faith organizations and the community to ensure 100% of all funds raised will be evenly distributed to the three churches affected.

Please donate here and look for upcoming opportunities to help these churches and communities begin to heal.

The Seventh District Baptist Association lead by President Freddie Jack,  is comprised of approximately 60 Baptist churches from seven parishes in Southwest Louisiana, which includes the three churches affected by the recent fires.  The District meets on a quarterly and annual basis emphasizing Christian Education, Evangelism, Discipleship and fellowship in the Body of Christ.

The District’s annual session is held the first week in June  where we celebrate our legacy and plan continual ministry events to reach the lost and edify the Saints.  The District will be holding its 149th Annual Session in Lake Charles, Louisiana the week of June 2nd.

President Jack requested that a Go Fund Me campaign be initiated to show our support for our church families and the communities affected.  We are unequivocally committed to aiding our Sister Churches.  The donations received are earmarked specifically for the Seventh District’s member churches – St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.  All of your generous donations will be disbursed equally among all three churches for not only rebuilding their sanctuaries, but for the purchase of all necessities lost in the fires, including pews, sound system, musical instruments, etc.

Seventh District and the Pastors and congregations of the St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church thank you and solicit your continual prayers and support as we will overcome this tragedy together because we are ONE BODY IN CHRIST!

Ruth V. Jack, Finance Secretary
Seventh District Baptist Association

I know we hit you all up for money all the time here, especially Doug who has now raised enough money to put his baby through grad school with these ActBlue fundraisers he tells you are going to political candidates…  with the ActBlue drives for political candidates and the pet blegs, but if you’ve got some spare change this month, these good folks could use a little TLC.

Open thread.





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From A Commentor: Medicare-Related Bleg

by 8:47 pm. It has 16 Comments.

Commentor Aliasofwestgate:

I’m an irregular commentor here since about 2009ish, but I’ve always loved the place.

My Mom has been in and out of the hospital since November. At the moment she’s in a rehab facility nearby for physical and occupational therapy. I’m in Michigan, which has some pretty crazy Medicaid laws. But mostly the fact that I’ve been denied help with bills that should have been taken care of but was unable to due to things being pending in applying and stuff I know they outright won’t cover, and rehab facility fees for her being even a temporary resident.

There’s also the fact that Mom’s an immigrant. She may be a Permanent Resident and has been for nigh on 40 years, but I’ve been denied from pretty much any place I’ve applied to for help.

I mostly need some extra money to fund a possible hospital bed copayment (lowball estimate $500), and wheelchair bus rides to and from the facility, which is definitely not covered right now with her supplemental or Medicare. I’m planning on getting her a Rollator style walker for home, and have some equipment already in the house to be installed soon. But the walker is the one thing I’m planning on, along with the bed for sure. My very lowball estimate of $1500 should take care of the worst of it.

I’m a freelance transcriptionist myself, but the money is not that good. Especially since i’m not a professionally trained one.

I have a ko-fi at http://ko-fi.com/A5533LVN , which works something like Patreon, but not as structured.

My paypal address is aliasofwestgate@yahoo.com.

Oh, we also have a tubby, goofball minpin/JRT mix called Lady who misses Mom a lot. We know she’s coming home, but it’s gonna be a while yet.





This post is in , and has 16 Comments.