Peaceful Protest – August 12, 2023

On Saturday, August 12th there was a PEACEFUL PROTEST FOR OUR ANIMALS at the old Miami-Dade Animal Shelter, 7401 NW 74th Street, Medley.

Rita’s Opening Statement:

Conditions are deplorable for animals in the shelter. Cats and dogs are suffering. We must let our Mayor and Commissioners know that we demand immediate action.

Dogs with NO WATER in feels-like 105° heat — why?
Tuesday, August 8, 2023 1:00 p.m.

Protesters either drove themselves to the protest or met at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of The Biltmore Hotel to ride together in a free, air-conditioned bus.

Protesters arriving by bus:

Protest covered by local media

Here are links to stories from local media about the protest:

A message about the protest from Pets’ Trust Co-Founders Rita Schwartz and Michael Rosenberg

On Saturday, August 12th at Noon there will be a Peaceful Protest at 7401 NW 74th Street in front of what is called “that old animal shelter in Medley” for the cats and dogs that are being warehoused there. The new shelter which was desperately needed opened in Doral in 2016. Seven years later, this awful place, with no air-conditioning, with no air flow system to stop the spread of disease, with no physical activities for these animals, is filling up again. This place is the definition of animal abuse and you would be arrested if you treated your animals at home like what is happening here.

When the new shelter opened a new name was proposed that included the words Protection Center. Those words are gone. Instead you see “critical capacity” and basically, please don’t bring us any animals. We’re full.

Overseeing this situation is Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. The repeated promises of Candidate Cava have not been the actions of the elected Mayor Cava, and the proof is inside the old Medley hellhole.

As co-founders of the Pets’ Trust, along with so many animal activists, we’ve made a mighty effort to ask Mayor Cava to support the ideas of the Pets’ Trust plan. Candidate Cava said yes…Mayor Cava has said….well……nothing. If you go to PetsTrustMiami.com you can see the plan that was overwhelmingly approved by voters.

Saturday’s protest is to let the community know that the buck stops at the top with the Mayor. There is no quick fix for this awful mess, so Mayor Cava, if you plan to continue using this horrible, squalid place to warehouse these animals, at least spend some money to clean it up and put in some air-conditioning.

We want to urge everyone to join our protest in support of our animals on Saturday.

Please note….FIVE COUNTY POLICE CARS that were there to protect the animals???

Did the County actually think we were going to attack the dogs and cats?!?!? It is kind of ironic that Animal Services is the one that should be protecting the animals. After all, they are called the “Protection Center”. So, when we use our voices to point out what is happening, all of a sudden the police are the animal protectors?????? Protecting them from us?!?!?!?!

Five police cars. Just in case??? This shelter is in Medley and the Medley police came by to check on us, but not to set up an armed perimeter!!! If it was intimidation. It failed. If it was foolishness. It succeeded!