Date: September 10, 2010
To: English 1311 Instructor
From: Megan Bracken
RE: Animal Rescue League of El Paso
In today’s society there are problems which are at times not properly addressed. Sometimes these problems are simply ignored due to the fact that they don’t seem like a major issue. An example would be that of neglected and abandoned animals. People may feel concern for these animals but often they don’t go any further than just feeling concern. There are few organizations that are able to help these animals in some ways. One such organization is the Animal Rescue League of El Paso.
This agency was founded in 1995. According to their website they rehabilitate, rescue, and place over 1,400 dogs, cats, kittens and puppies per year. Some of the animals are in bad conditions. One story found on their websites talks about a dog that was thrown out of a car window. Luckily they were able to rescue this dog. This agency provides medical care, shelter, and assistance in finding new homes for neglected and abandoned animals. It is a volunteer organization which gets all its money from personal donations. It is a charitable thing these people are doing for these animals. They are rescuing animals and providing them with a second chance at life. There should be more organizations out there to help these animals.
Several types of mediums are used in order to communicate with the public. The main form of communication is through their website, http://www.arlep.org/. This site provides information on their history, programs, and animals up for adoption, volunteer work and donations. The site is updated daily so that people can view animals currently up for adoption. A great thing about this is the fact that you can view pictures of the animals up for adoption. Without volunteers and donations this organization would not be able to function due to the fact that they have no government funding. That is why this site is important because it allows volunteers to sign up and donations to be made. Another way this agency has communicated with the public is through a show featured on National Geographic called Dog Town. This show allows you to see what the Animal Rescue League of El Paso does. So many animals are in need of rescue each year and the ARLEP can’t rescue all the animals. The show tends to have an emotional appeal to it so this helps their organization in a way. People who watch it may want to adopt pets or even make a contribution to the ARLEP in the future. Flyers and brochures are other forms of communication used by this agency. There was even a radio talk show about Dog town.
This agency is definitely a valuable one. It helps create awareness about the growing problem of neglected and abandoned animals. The ARLEP helps thousands of animals per year. Animals that have been neglected and hurt get the medical care they need. This agency also saves many animals that would soon be put to death. This agency is great because animals that had a rough life have the opportunity to find a new home. Families also have the chance to gain a new family member and lifelong friend. In order to inform the public about this problem and what they can do to help they use all the forms of communication previously mentioned. It is important that they continue to communicate with the public because they are key components in the rescue of animals. Animals deserve to be treated with kindness and love. That is what the rescue league wants people to understand. They promote “responsible pet ownership through education”.
Our society has a growing problem of abandoned animals. More animals are being picked up by animal control each year. It is an issue that should not be ignored. There are agencies such as the Animal Rescue League of El Paso that are doing things to help but more can always be done.
