Petition to shut down “Angel’s Gate”

I was pretty dismayed when this story showed up in the news today, Petition signed to shut down Angel’s Gate.  “Angel’s Gate” is a pet hospice in New York state, one which I wrote about last November when I reviewed the book, Getting Lucky.  I found the book very inspirational, and realized that the Angel’s Gate concept was exactly the type of animal rescue I’d like to run—one where sick and/or elderly animals can live out their lives in comfort.  According to the news story, the neighbours around the Angel’s Gate facility (which is run out of a private home) want the place shut down, because it generates too much trash and too much traffic.  One neighbour also complains “I open the back door and they bark”, which probably means she needs to live in a neighbourhood which allows no pets at all.  While I sympathize a bit with the people who are bothered by the busy household, I also think they’re being a bit NIMBY-ish about the whole thing.  The story doesn’t say the Angel’s Gate house is dirty or lowering property values, it just says they put out a lot of trash cans, and that they have a lot of visitors and deliveries.  So what?  Flippy and I work from home and barely ever leave the house—we have practically everything delivered, even groceries, and I’d be pretty irritated if our neighbours complained that UPS came by every day.  Besides, Angel’s Gate has been in existence for 14 years… why wait so long to complain about it?

I’m obviously biased as I’m an animal lover, but nothing in that news story indicates any problem other than sour grapes.  Susan Marino doesn’t seem to be violating any laws regarding how many pets she owns, she violates no animal welfare laws, and she’s not running a business out of her home.  None of the neighbours have complained about bad smells or weeds or the house being in disrepair—they just don’t like the number of visitors, deliveries, and trash cans.  If there are large numbers of dogs barking at night I could see that being a problem, but only one neighbour mentions noise as a factor at all (and only then when she opens her back door).  If Angel’s Gate is forced to move or relocate, I wish for nothing more than for this family to move into the house.  Good luck to the neighbours when they complain to city council that the family is “buying too much milk”, “the babies cry too loudly”, or “there are 18 people living under one roof”.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/06 at 01:58 PM

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  1. The man’s name is Jim Bob. I’m sorry, I can’t stop laughing. If there was ever a poster for birth contol (and population control), this would be it.

    And I agree about Angel’s Gate. It’s bothersome that the neighbors don’t have enough to worry about that they have to keep tabs on the deliver trucks.

    Posted by Nio  on  04/07  at  05:32 AM

  2. His original domain name was JimBob.info, so he even likes his name :ohh:

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  04/07  at  04:16 PM

  3. My heart goes out to these very kind people and the wonderful work they do.  Perhaps this will lead to some sort of public or private backing and support for their cause.

    Posted by Simply Coll  on  04/08  at  05:55 PM

  4. The truth is the hospice only grew to 230 animals (in a residential home , mind you) in the last few years. Animals with communicable diseases and the President ....

    Susan Marino stated in the Smithtown Board Meeting on 4/4/2006 that she is a Licensed Vet Tech.. the truth, she never took the test and therefore she is NOT allowed by the State of New York to use this title.

    This type of behavior is unacceptable and unfair to all the Licensed Vet Techs that volunteer at Angels Gate as well as all Licensed Vet techs around the state.

    This is unacceptable to all of the people who have given and continue to give to this worthwhile cause.

    Is this behavior acceptable? You answer the question.

    Posted by the truth  on  05/21  at  01:35 PM

  5. Is it acceptable that she says she’s “licensed” when she isn’t?  I don’t think that’s any big issue to be concerned about, especially when she has the knowledge she needs to do her job, and that she’s only using her skills on her own pets.  Are you a vet tech who feels “disrespected”, or just looking for something to nitpick?

    As for “communicable diseases”, do you mean diseases which can be transmitted to humans?  Exactly which diseases might those be?!?  I know quite a few diseases which can be transmitted to humans under rare circumstances, but what diseases are you concerned about which Marino has had present at her shelter?  Please don’t say “Avian Flu” or we’ll have to send you away without any parting gifts.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  05/21  at  01:44 PM

  6. Licensing is a big issue ..  this is fraud.

    Communicable disease like fiv and lukemia.. communicable to other animal, neighbor’s animals. Is this fair ? This type of operation is always in commercial areas to protect neighbors from noise, traffic and disease.

    Posted by the truth  on  05/21  at  01:49 PM

  7. Operative word “shelter”. Shelters are not allowed in residential neighborhoods in most if not all towns. Trying to come up with a new word(S)“animal hospice” to confuse the issue.
    This organization is taking in to the tune of 300k per year under a president that is claiming to have a license. Can you say fraud?

    Posted by the truth  on  05/21  at  03:13 PM

  8. Please choose your issue, because you make a new complaint in every entry.  I’d prefer you thought up your argument in advance and wrote one entry, than to post multiple times.

    I assume Angel’s Gate does not allow cats to wander the neighbourhood, as I’ve never read that complaint.  Given that, there’s zero chance of any neighbourhood cats contracting FIV or FeLV.  They are not airborne viruses, they’re contracted through shared litterboxes, blood transfer while fighting, etc..  Veterinarians believe it’s rare for a healthy adult cat to even catch FeLV, and many FIV-positive cats live normal lives and never get sick.  If you’re letting your cat wander the neighbourhood, stop doing that—you’re the one putting your cat in danger, and it’s much more likely to be hit by a car than to contract FIV or FeLV.  Also, if you allow your cats outside they should be vaccinated against FIV and FeLV anyway.

    Btw, FIV and FeLV can’t be transmitted to “animals”, they can only be transmitted to cats.  Dogs, birds, and wildlife aren’t in danger.

    And regarding “fraud”, no, I can’t say Angel’s Gate is fraudulent, because I’m not aware of any complaints about how Angel’s Gate is managed.  You said they care for 230 animals, and I know that includes horses.  $300K is nothing in that type of situation—I’m surprised they’re able to function as well as they do on such little money.

    You must obviously live in the neighbourhood if you’re so upset about this.  Tell you what—I’ll trade houses with you.  2400 sq. ft. house, beautiful mountain views, a quarter acre, a lagoon-style pool with waterfall and multiple palm trees, and close to shopping, schools, casinos, and hospitals.  I will happily put up with the “nuisance” of Angel’s Gate for the comfort of knowing that someone is caring for animals in need and not just tossing them to the curb.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  05/21  at  03:57 PM

  9. Your home sounds lovely.. like mine and the other 9 surrounding neighbors homes were before the growth spurt.I will not and should not have to move because ofthis organization. And her cats do wander the neighborhood.Are they carriers? Maybe?

    And as she is not certified to deal with these diseases, like organizations such as the Marley Fund which has credentials. We are worried and concerned.

    You are now aware of a claim of a Vet Tech License. You can check stories, unfortuately not her website as she removed it when questioned by a news reporter. Agencies are looking at her, investigating her, and she will get what she deserves due to her lies. She cannot hide behind her organization.

    Posted by the truth  on  05/21  at  04:15 PM

  10. In all the news stories I’ve read, I’ve never heard any complaints of cats wandering the neighbourhood.  If that’s true it’s not the best idea, but it may be that she’s caring for feral or barn cats which can’t be kept in the house.  They shouldn’t be any danger to any other cats, though, because any responsible owner who allows their cat outside would have it vaccinated against these diseases.

    I don’t know what you mean when you say that she’s “not certified” to deal with these diseases.  There’s actually no law against providing veterinary care for your own pets, unless a cruelty law came into play.  Owners may vaccinate their own animals and they don’t require any formal training or licensing.  I’ve even done surgery on my larger fish, as have many fish owners, under guidance of a veterinarian on the other side of the country who specializes in fish diseases.  Owners can castrate their own farm animals, do their own tail docking, etc.  There just isn’t a law preventing a person from practising veterinary medicine on their own animals.  I’d imagine Susan Marino probably has more experience than many vet technicians who do have licenses, and I’m sure she works with a number of veterinarians for special cases.  Keep in mind that in some small vet practices around the country, many people working as “vet techs” have no license at all and are even doing surgeries after just on-the-job training.

    I honestly believe it’s your right to speak out if you don’t want this organization in your neighbourhood.  Just say it’s loud, or it’s too busy, or whatever is really bugging you.  All the nitpicky arguments about whether or not she’s licensed, though, seem moot.  I don’t believe that you truly care about the welfare of the animals she’s looking after, or whether or not your neighbours’ cats might get sick—these seem like grabbing at straws.  Susan Marino seems to do a great job caring for animals, and she’s never had a complaint against her regarding animal care.  You should just try and argue that she’s violating zoning laws, if that’s what you believe, because your other arguments are flimsy when read by someone who spends a lot of time with pets and caring for special-needs pets like I do.  Remember that when you argue for the importance of “licensing”, that puppy mills all over the country are “licensed” by the USDA and that doesn’t ensure any standard of care.

    Out of curiousity, why did you and your neighbours wait so long to complain?  Why didn’t you say something many years ago?

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  05/21  at  04:50 PM

  11. Thanks for your honesty and open mindedness. We have all complained directly to the organization as well as the town for the last few years due to noise - barking and clucking of dogs,geese,ducks,etc.,and traffic - volunteers,school buses,etc. We have been told by AG that these issues will be addressed , but as you would think due to what is transpiring here, promises are short-lived. We are just at the end of our ropes.This is after all a residential street and this organizaton has clearly outgrown the current location and is in violation of zoning laws.

    As the charity is paying 100% of the utilities,mortgage and taxes on the primary residence, and the curators don’t have other jobs, this violation would displace them from their home. I do understand this,do feel for them, but they let it get to this point.

    As far as the other issues are concerned, I truely believe it is morally and ethically wrong for the President of this organization misrepresenting herself as this is a public charity.I can honestly say I came across this information out of frustration with dealing with town politics.

    AG needs to see the light and move to a place where they can grow and prosper, where they can concentrate on their goals and we can live in peace.

    As far as the 13 years of operation are concerned, it was a family operated hospice, with a small number of animals until Susan and Victor decided to quit their jobs a few years ago and dedicate their life to the cause.

    Posted by the truth  on  05/21  at  05:23 PM

  12. The IRS says a charity is allowed to have employees who draw a “reasonable” salary, so Susan and Victor could pay themselves a salary and then use that money to pay their bills.  I don’t know the specifics of what they’re doing financially, but if the charity actually owned their residence, it could be exempt from paying any property taxes.  That’s what I’ve read in books about forming non-profit corporations, anyway.  The fact that there are property taxes on the house seems to indicate that the house is still owned by an individual(s) and not by the charity itself.  I’m sure this is easily checked at the assessor’s office.

    I know nothing about your zoning laws, but really, it’s a tough case on paper.  If the information on the Angel’s Gate website is accurate, and there’s no law on how many pets a person can own, I’m not sure exactly what it is you can argue.  I wouldn’t be happy if a family with 15 kids moved in next door to me, especially if they were home schooled and around constantly, but I don’t think I’d have any grounds to complain.  Even if the kids spent all day training on a trampoline for a screeching competition, my hands would pretty much be tied. 

    Other than actually changing laws currently on the books in your community, I don’t really see how you and your neighbours can win this.  I obviously sympathize with the people at Angel’s Gate, because they have a home they love, and they’ve built a lifestyle they love as well.  Perhaps the best you can hope for is to change zoning laws to be more strict about how many pets a person can own (although I’m sure there would be a grandfather clause for this), and to make some agreement where Angel’s Gate gradually moves its operations to another facility.  Perhaps as animals die they could not be replaced, meaning that in a decade or so there’d be a huge reduction in numbers.  I don’t know what the answer is, but I honestly would welcome Angel’s Gate next door to me.  I already live about half a mile from a bird sanctuary and can hear the peacocks screeching the middle of the night, and the noise just makes me happy.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  05/21  at  06:01 PM

  13. I’ve been told by council that any change to zoning where they were not asked to comply would “spot zoning”,allowing one person to do what others cannot , and this is not allowed(this is basically the same as grandfathering).

    I’ll hope for the best.. them to move to a suitable location and the neighbors to get their peace back.

    Thanks for your input and feedback.
    Regards.

    Posted by the truth  on  05/21  at  06:21 PM
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