Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
August 17, 2017 – 11:05 a.m.
Pat Glassbrenner, Executive Director of Cats Angels, accepted a proclamation from Mayor Lentz at the August 15, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Fernandina Beach City Commission declaring August 19, 2017, as “International Homeless Animals’ Day” and the month of August as “Homeless Animals’ Month”.
The proclamation stated that since 1992 the International Society for Animal Rights has been hosting International Homeless Animals’ Day on the third Saturday of August every year. What began as a candlelight vigil twenty-four years ago to observe the suffering of homeless companion animals and to raise pet overpopulation awareness has grown to be one of the nation’s largest coordinated animal adoption day efforts.
The overpopulation of our nation’s most popular animals, dogs and cats results in the killing of millions of dogs, cats, kittens and puppies each year. This overpopulation crisis can be resolved in a variety of ways; adopting a dog or cat from the local animal shelter, having dogs and cats spayed and neutered, volunteering at the animal shelter, donating much needed supplies, or by sponsoring a spay or neuter surgery.
In accepting the proclamation, Glassbrenner thanked the Mayor and the city. The annual walk will take place starting in Central Park at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, August 19. She invited the public to participate and to also take time this month to visit a shelter to see the efforts of local citizens to help homeless animals. “Walk a dog, pet a cat,” she said. “It won’t change the world, but it might make a difference to an animal.”