TESTIMONIALS

Rescue & Adoptions:

January 21, 2012

Due to the economy and our having to downsize to an apartment that does not allow pets, Tony, our 8 year old rescued cat needed a new home and continued love.  After close to a year, four counties, 20 phone calls to shelters, exhausting all our neighborhood, friends, and family contacts, Santa Monica Animal Shelter led us to Voice For the Animals Foundation.

I phoned and left a message for guidance and help.  That same evening my call was returned by Deb.  Not only was Deb confident, but she calmed me and gave me hope.   After identifying herself, her next words were “no shelters!”  I had been told for a year Tony was considered a senior cat and would be put down within 72 hours if not adopted.  Due to the economy so many folks had had to give up their pets and the shelters were overcrowded and overwhelmed.

Voice For the Animals handled Tony’s transport and transition with dignity, respect, and compassion. Our hearts ache.  Tony was our buddy, comfort, and companion for 7 years.  However, we know he is safe, loved, and well taken care of through all the work and commitment of Voice For the Animals.  Not only did Deb and Gabriela find him a loving and safe home to live his full life, but they saved us from losing our apartment as well.  We will be forever grateful and continue to support Voice For the Animals.

-Harry & Sherry

Santa Monica, CA

 

March 8, 2012

The VFTA helped me tremendously this year. My cat, Juliette, had been with me since college, she had moved cities and states with me and we were attached at the hip. When I had an opportunity to further my education in Southern California, I moved in with my Grandparents. Little did we know that my Grandfather was allergic to her.  We tried allergy medication, isolating them to different places of the house, but it was no use. He began to develop a dangerous respiratory infection and I needed to get her out of the house ASAP. I didn’t want to take her to an animal shelter because I knew that they would put her to sleep within a few weeks if she wasn’t adopted. Even a “no-kill” would lock her behind bars for the rest of her life, which is even more miserable. I was absolutely stuck, not knowing what to do. When I found VFTA it was the answer to my prayers, it prevented my cat from being locked away and possibly killed in an animal shelter, and I didn’t have to worry about her roaming the streets cold and starving.  The VFTA took her in with open arms and found a foster home for her. There wasn’t a moment she was behind bars and alone. She was adopted a few weeks later and now she is happy in a new family who loves her as much as I do. I couldn’t be happier with my experience with VFTA!

-Erin

March 11, 2009

Two weeks ago I contacted you in a panic because my two cats
(sisters) had to be quickly placed in a foster home. I had contacted dozens of pet agencies and organizations, and you were the first one to respond. I have been living in emergency shelters for the past half year. The first shelter I went to had a small kennel, where my cats lived for almost three months.  When we left there, a friend offered to care for my girls until I got back on my feet with a job and a small place to call home.  After three months, she told me she couldn’t adequately care for them due to a major set-back in her own health.  I didn’t know who to contact, hence the dozens of calls I made.

Voice For The Animals came through with flying colors, despite several roadblocks that I could not avoid, and you found my girls a good temporary foster home!  Both you and Monica also told me you would keep searching for a longer-term foster family on my behalf.

Since my cats comprise my family, I am forever grateful for your wonderful and kind assistance! *THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!!  THANK YOU!!!* I hope you will all accept me as a volunteer after I am once again working and settled.  You do great work and you are terrific people!

-Suzanne

 

How Voice For The Animals Assists The City

January 13, 2012 (.pdf)

Dear Friends:

Just a small note to thank you for the 2012 LAPD animal calendar you sent me. It will definitely come in handy. Your thoughtful gesture is greatly appreciated. If I can ever be of assistance to you or your office in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my staff.

Sincerely,

Dennis P. Zine

Councilman, Third District

 

January 2, 2012

As a private citizen and a prosecutor I have been witness to an astonishing change that has taken place over recent years in heightened awareness of animal cruelty (which include intentional cruelty, neglect, and illegal animal fighting) and the way instances of animal cruelty are handled by law enforcement.  A good deal of this change can be attributed to the efforts of Melya Kaplan and the organization she founded and directs, Voice For The Animals.

Over the course of the last 10 years I have watched Ms. Kaplan tirelessly – and successfully – pursue the idea of instituting a special task force within the Los Angeles Police Department that would specifically address animal cruelty.  In 2005 this task force became a reality.  Made up of Animal Control Officers from the city’s Department of Animal Services and police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, the task force has served as a model for police agencies around the country.  Since its inception the task force has been responsible for investigating thousands of instances of animal cruelty that, heretofore, might have been given short shrift.  Ms. Kaplan also helped serve as an impetus for the creation of a specialized animal cruelty prosecution program within the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, a program that has been hugely successful in prosecuting a myriad of cases involving the mistreatment of animals.

Ms. Kaplan can always be relied on to lend her considerable support and expertise to these programs and to any other projects where the mission is to promote the humane treatment of animals.  It is fair to say that Ms. Kaplan is an integral part of – and reason for – the profound changes in actions and attitudes that have occurred in Los Angeles regarding instances of animal abuse.  It is a true pleasure to work with Ms. Kaplan and I look forward to working with her and her organization, both privately and professionally, for many years to come.

-Deborah Knaan

Animal Cruelty Prosecutor

 

July 28, 2004

Dear Ms. Kaplan:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your involvement, your dedication, and most importantly, your generosity in providing the Foothill Area Station with our feral cats.

I knew from my previous experience as the commanding officer at Wilshire Area, that the problems associated with “pest control” are voluminous. However, with the introduction of these natural predators, we enjoyed a resounding success in minimizing and controlling the infestation of the rodent problem. Now, here at Foothill Station, the feral cats have once again proved their worth and succeeded in clearing our station of rodents in a controlled and non-invasive manner.

Your assistance with the introduction and acclimation of our feral cats has been  invaluable to our organization. As part of a large city-based entity, it would be difficult for our personnel to apply the knowledge, and time-consuming efforts, necessary to achieve the desired results. We have greatly benefited from your organization’s assistance and involvement in establishing our feral cat program. We couldn’t have done it without your help. Once again, thank you for your considerate volunteer effort.

Very truly yours,

WILLIAM J. BRATTON

Chief of Police

 

January, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

I write this letter of recommendation as an animal advocate, as a private citizen, and as one who founded and presides over a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt corporation in Florida (The Sherry L. Shlueter Foundation, Inc.). But my acquaintance and involvement with the remarkable Melya Kaplan stems from my professional life as a sworn certified law enforcement officer (Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida).

Some years ago Ms. Kaplan learned of my unique work in law enforcement, which focused upon the investigation of crimes of abuse, neglect, abandonment and killing of animal victims. Ms. Kaplan made a “cold call” to me, telephonically introduced herself, then enthusiastically inquired whether I would consider initiating a pilot training program geared to instruct the Los Angeles Police Department officers about how to recognize animal cruelty and to conduct thorough, successful investigations into such complaints.

She was already working tenaciously “within the system” —-the city of Los Angeles, though essentially an outsider herself, traversing the many different obstacles of the kind only a government bureaucracy can dream up, trying to convince those in power of the need and importance of such training.

I marveled at her tenacity, her diplomacy, and her indefatigable spirit. And I assure you it took all of that and more to make the program happen —but happen it did, with great, exciting fanfare. She had somehow miraculously convinced the city commission, the mayor’s office, the L.A.P.D., and city and county animal services organizations, among others, to embrace not only the concept, but me! I received a grand proclamation from the city, arrived to a horde of interested media, and was featured in a L.A. Times newspaper article on the day of my arrival. I’m sure you can appreciate the significance of all of that, when aware that several of the factions Ms. Kaplan brought together to support the programs were actually very nearly at war with one another over other issues of a political nature. Who but Melya Kaplan could have accomplished that?

The pilot training program proved to be, as I understand it, a smashing success. But due to some of the many internal troubles with which the L.A.P.D. struggled, Ms. Kaplan’s dream of seeing every officer on the force so trained, was shelved for a couple of years. Never giving up, she resurrected the plan at every opportunity, and succeeded in orchestrating yet another, somewhat expanded, pilot training program intended to teach officers about animal cruelty investigations, the cycle of violence, and animal handling procedures. The latter was intended to teach the skills the officers needed to help them avoid being bitten by dogs they would encounter (officer safety issue), while offering alternatives to shooting dogs, a response which raised the ire of the community and endangered the public whenever it (unfortunately, frequently) happened (public safety issue).

-Sherry L. Shlueter Foundation, Inc.

 

January, 2012

Once Again, Ms. Kaplan brought diverse and reluctant entities together. We created a 16-hour training program, which ultimately reduced the previously alarmingly high number of dog shootings by officers down to nearly zero immediately following the training.

But what is equally astounding about all of this is that these two pilot training programs for the L.A.P.D., which included evening community meetings to alert and educate the public to the issues and to their responsibilities as witnesses and reporters of these crimes, was not underwritten by any government entity. (The police officers, of course, attended on company time.) The costs of bringing me to Los Angeles from South Florida twice, and the associated costs of providing the training (though done at a reduced rate in the spirit of helping) were all covered through private donations and “complimentary” services or reduced rate accommodations acquired mainly by Melya Kaplan herself.

As alluded to earlier, this second pilot program proved also to be a genuine success. The police officers were most appreciative of the immediately applicable training they received; the city and the involved agencies garnered praise and support from the community; and the very real violence against animals — both from the intentional abuse perpetrated by criminal offenders, and that initiated by scared cops shooting at loose dogs because they didn’t know what else to do, was significantly reduced.

The one-woman dynamo who conceived of all of this and brought it to fruition twice, at no cost to those people who most benefited, is the incomparable Melya Kaplan, Executive Director of Venice Animal Allies.

She has many more grand ideas. She is a dreamer, a planner, an initiator, an educator, and a diplomat. She has the heart of a warrior, and the soul of a saint. And she deserves to be funded, supported, and treasured for all that she has done, and all that she will continue to do. Exactly what that shall be likely depends upon you and the resources you may provide her. Please be generous.

Sincerely,

Sherry L. Shlueter

 

November 21, 2011

I have closely worked with Melya Kaplan and Voice For The Animals for myriad  years. During that time, I have personally witnessed huge changes and improvements in animal welfare that are directly attributable to the work and advocacy done by Melya and Voice for the Animals.  Although I’ve worked with dozens of animal rescue organizations and advocacy groups for the past thirty years, what distinguishes Voice from the Animals from other groups is Melya’s unique and truly remarkable ability to work cooperatively with government agencies in developing policies and procedures that improve the welfare of animals. Whether it’s the investigation and enforcement of animal cruelty law, the treatment of dogs and cats in our local shelters or the policies relating to feral cats…Melya’s advocacy work and her talent for bringing all the necessary parties to the same table has resulted in dramatic improvements in the way Los Angeles government deals with animal issues.  The existence of the LA Animal Cruelty Task Force and the City’s new focus on dog and cockfighting is a direct result of Melya’s advocacy, concensus building and willingness to focus resources where they can do the most good for animals. Moreover, Melya’s ongoing work with the Mayor’s Office, the City Council and LAPD has brought about huge and significant improvements in the way animal cruelty and neglect are dealt with. It is not an understatement to say that but for Melya Kaplan, the City of Los Angeles would still be in the “dark ages” regarding the welfare of dogs, cats, rabbits and wildlife.

-Robert A. Ferber

Senior Trial Attorney; Policy, Legislation, Outreach

L.A. City Attorney Animal Cruelty Prosecution Team

 

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