Our mission is to provide, food, health care and spay/neuter services to these homeless animals and their feral offspring in the hopes of preventing their existence in the Havre de Grace from being a nuisance or health hazard to residents of the communities in which they exist. We are not a “rescue”. We do not have a shelter in which to gather these unwanted animals. We are volunteers who provide
basic assistance to discarded companion animals and their offspring. Abandoned by irresponsible former “owners” these animals have been left to fend for themselves and to breed without end. Without organized support of daily feedings, spay/neuter, veterinary treatment to guard against rabies, distemper, etc…the presence of these abandoned animals would quickly become overwhelming to the neighborhoods in which they exist. Stray Streets TNR vets and neuters as many of these animals as resources permit and acts as a go-between with residents to prevent unwanted encounters between humans, their personal property and the stray animals. We are available to answer questions, resolve nuisance issues, inform and provide assistance to the community so that both human and animal might share an amiable existence. Currently the majority of the caregivers of these community strays live outside of Havre de Grace. As the organization solidifies and gains a more public presence we hope to grow local participation and leadership from residents within the community. We rely totally on the support (financial and hands-on) of our volunteers, private citizens and animal rescue organizations to help us. Our ability to care for these animals and thereby service the communities where they exist extends only as far as our resources. Please note that there is no validity to the assumption that dumping an unwanted pet in an area where current strays are maintained is any less inhumane than abandoning said animal in any other area. Animals who have been pets are emotionally attached to their people and homes and do not fare well when abandoned. Many come to a painful end within a few hours or days after their abandonment, having run into the street to be hit by cars, encountering an unfriendly animal protecting its environment or by trusting the wrong person. It is a felony (Criminal Code, Title 10, Subtitle 6, 10-601 et seq.) in the State of Maryland to abandon an animal, punishable by fine up to $1,000 and imprisonment up to 1 year. Stray Streets encourages residents to be watchful and record (via cell phone, photograph) the license numbers of anyone seen abandoning animals in their neighborhoods and to report said incidents, giving any available evidence, over to local law enforcement. If you need assistance in rehoming a pet, please plan ahead and begin doing so as soon as you become aware that rehoming will be necessary. Contact animal rescues, veterinarians, animal supply stores and your local ASAP for help in placing your unwanted pet with a reputable rescue, shelter, foster caregiver or new owner. You must understand that there will be a small fee to relinquish your animal to a shelter, as it will need to be fed, vetted and sheltered until a new home is found or until it is possibly deemed unadoptable and euthanized by the organization in whose care you have placed it. As “inconvenient” as this fee may be – it is considerably less than the legal fine that will be imposed if you are caught abandoning your pet. Any donation to Stray Streets TNR is tax deductible as we have organized under the umbrella of The Community Projects of Havre de Grace, a 501C3 organization. ALL monies raised (100%) will be used to feed, vet, and provide shelter the strays of Havre de Grace, MD, and fund insurance that allows us to exist as a non profit. We are an all-volunteer organization we have no paid staff. In addition Stray Streets TNR is always in need of the following items:
• Canned & dry cat & kitten food
• Canned dog food
• Humane live traps in good working order
• Styrofoam sheeting, Styrofoam ice chests (for creating basic shelters)
• Rubbermaid storage containers (5 gallons & larger) (for creating basic shelters)
• Clean straw (for creating basic shelters)
• Old, but clean, towels (for draping over traps to help calm cats during TNR)
• Old lawn furniture covers or boat tarp or covers (We cut down the material and use as rain & windbreaks at feeding stations.
• Disinfectant wipes
• Garbage bags
• Use of temperature controlled indoor room(s) for 2-4 days at a time. During TNR the animals are trapped the day before surgery and need to be watched closely for signs of infection for 24 -48 hours after surgery before they can be released. They are kept in their cages and feed & watered, kept clean, by our volunteers during that time, but need a safe place to recuperate before being released. In addition to available money slowing our ability to spay & neuter, obtaining this safe-place for the animal to recover is also an important issue in how quickly we can work. Should someone have an empty rental property that they would like to lend us for this purpose please contact us. All animal care will be done by our volunteers exclusively. All donations can be sent or brought to Stray Streets TNR, 224 North Washington Street, Havre de Grace, MD 21078. While we are not a rescue or a shelter, our volunteers do work closely with other rescue organizations and, whenever possible, will attempt to move animals who show promise at being socialized from the streets into foster care in order to eventually find their loving forever homes. Once an animal is removed from a colony into foster care it no longer is the responsibility of Stray Streets TNR, even though our volunteers keep careful track of its progress and sometimes volunteer as foster guardians themselves.
