The Herald spreads lies

The Miami Herald’s September 3, 2023 editorial (you can read it and our rebuttal below) really missed the mark by spreading a dangerous lie that started in 2013 to destroy the Pets’ Trust Plan. If the Herald’s Editorial Board had only watched their own movie Political Animals, they would know that the Pets’ Trust Plan does NOT give money to the Pets’ Trust organization. Implying that it does is a political ploy to kill the project. Mayor Cava was asked about “handing over such a large sum” by the Editorial Board, she gave a solid No, and the Board agreed. Shame on both Mayor Cava and the Editorial Board for deliberately misleading the public, and the County Commissioners. They both know better. The Plan has always required that the County Commissioners themselves select and appoint unpaid, volunteer members to an Advisory Board (the Pets’ Trust Board of Directors) who would recommend how funds would be spent, and leave it up to the County Commissioners to authorize and oversee all disbursements!

From Page 4 of the Pets’ Trust Plan

From Page 5 of the Pets’ Trust Plan

Additionally, the Herald’s editorial used the suggestive phrase, “massive spaying and neutering centers”. There has never been any intention to build or create anything large or elaborate. Leasing cost-effective warehouse space has always been the plan. The only thing large about the Pets’ Trust Plan is the impact that high-volume sterilization surgeries will have on curtailing rampant animal reproduction.

The Herald Editorial Board should watch their own movie and read the Plan, then write a correcting editorial. And they should do that today because the Pets’ Trust Plan will be discussed at the September 7, 2023 BCC Budget Meeting.

We see two additional problems with the editorial. First, the focus seems to be misdirected toward there being too many dogs in the shelter. That’s only a small part of the problem; the larger issue is many animals, both cats and dogs, are struggling to survive outside the shelter. The County’s own estimate is that there are 300,000 to 400,000 free-roaming cats in the community. There are also uncounted homeless dogs. Filmmaker Cristian Ruben is a great storyteller; he has made many heartbreaking videos showcasing stray dogs and animal rescue groups in Miami-Dade. Watch his work on his YouTube channel, i Film Heroes – The Rescue Cat & Dog FilmMaker.

Second, Mayor Cava’s plan to spay/neuter 25,000 animals per year is doing nothing new. This is about the same number that the Animal Services Department says they’ve been doing year-after-year for more than a decade! Click here to see their Budget and Results for the last 15 years. Notice that the only significant changes each year have been the amount of money spent and the number of employees—the important results have been flat! (Flat results contradict Mayor Cava’s claim of post-pandemic pet dumping.) Don’t forget, if the shelter often closes its doors, refusing to accept animals, then statistics about the size of the problem are corrupted. What good is the intake count when the intake function is closed? Finally, consider the systemic flaw that requires citizens (not Animal Services employees) to capture and transport stray animals to the shelter. Try calling 311 and asking to have a stray dog or cat picked up; you’ll be told, sorry, we don’t do that.

For more details see our History, Recent Lies and Programs page.

Finally, we applaud the Herald for writing about the animal problem. We agree that it’s time to fix the problem. The plight of homeless and abandoned cats and dogs in Miami-Dade must be frequently exposed until the animal overpopulation problem is solved. Please keep publishing stories and editorials.