Classical Music Goes to the Dogs

Brooklyn concert on Saturday, June 21 dedicated to the animals of Puerto Rico.

By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Staff

Jane Velez-Mitchell, journalist, commentator, and author, is on a mission to help the animals of Puerto Rico. This is not surprising, based on her upbringing. Anita Velez-Mitchell, her mother and fellow animal rights activist, chose a vegetarian lifestyle at eight years of age, after she had befriended some pigs who were later utilized for food. Continuing that message on to the next generation, she raised her family with a love and respect for animals. Now the mother/daughter team are working together to help.

After hearing about 80 pets being confiscated from public housing only to be thrown from a bridge in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico last year, Jane knew they had to act. “Unfortunately this is painting Puerto Ricans as extremely unsympathetic to animals and it’s not the case. I can’t tell you the number of Puerto Ricans who are heartbroken and horrified that this happened.” In an attempt to help, the mother and daughter collected hundreds of signatures from New York Latinos urging government action and the creation of spay/neuter clinics. They had intended to send it to Governor Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá. However, when they discovered that he had been indicted for corruption, and knowing it would go nowhere, they instead decided to take action locally.

“There are so many people that have relatives in Puerto Rico,” Jane said of the citizens of New York. “Let’s get both sides; the island and New York, which has the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans outside of Puerto Rico, both together for an awareness and consciousness raising and use this as a jumping off point.”

It is their hope that an upcoming concert will be a first step in their campaign to focusing on the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals. 50 classical musicians from the Pan American Symphony Orchestra and Bushwick Institute of the Performing Arts are presenting a free concert, scheduled to include favorites from Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, and more. Best of all, Jane noted that “The people who are performing are dedicating their performance to the dogs and cats of Puerto Rico.”

“There’s a lot of Puerto Ricans that love animals and unfortunately there’s just not the programs in place there for spay/neuter,” Jane commented. “So basically the message is that Puerto Ricans who love animals are banding together to do something.” They are utilizing this as an opportunity to promote the much needed services provided by PARE Este, a 501(c)(3) non-profit all volunteer organization based in Puerto Rico that is dedicated to sterilizing the island’s animals. While the concert is free, Jane is hoping that people will chose to help by donating to PARA Este. For every $1,000 generated, another 20 cats and dogs can be fixed.

“It’s so much easier to spay or neuter one dog than it is to hire a bunch of people to catch them, drive them to a shelter, feed them, and then kill them,” noted Jane of the more humane and cost effective method of pet population control. “The evidence that spay/neuter is the answer is overwhelming and we’ve just got to get everybody on board.”

The concert is just their first step. Their ongoing goal is threefold; generating funds to pay for much needed sterilization surgeries, educating the public, and convincing the government to sponsor spay/neuter programs. They also plan to distribute a Spanish language video, provided by Best Friends Animal Society, to television stations in Puerto Rico and Spanish speaking stations in New York. Jane noted that educating the public is key, “The bottom line is that people just don’t think about it, but once they’re confronted with evidence of what happens when you don’t spay or neuter your pet, that’s when we can change behaviors.”

“The good people of New York, Puerto Rico, and around the country, are outraged and they want something to be done,” Jane observed. “They know it’s a black mark on their island they’re upset and angry that the government isn’t doing anything. They’re really horrified by the massacre and they’re worried about the situation in Old San Juan with the cats. So we’re just banding together and we’re going to do everything we can.”

Perfomance dedicated to the animals of Puerto Rico
Date: Saturday, June 21
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: St. Michael’s Church
225 Jerome Street
Brooklyn, New York
Cost: Free, although online donations to PARE Este greatly appreciated

THREE WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

1. Donate
Attend the concert to show your support for the animals of Puerto Rico. While the event itself is not a fundraiser, the public is asked to donate to PARE Este help support them in their mission of spaying and neutering. Even those who are unable to attend the event can still make a difference.

2. Sponsor
There are already three sponsors for the concert; however, more support is needed. If you or your company would like to be associated with this event, please contact Jane Velez-Mitchell via e-mail JaneVelezMitchell@yahoo.com or phone 310-210-6696. These funds will also be utilized for fixing the island’s dogs and cats.

3. Spay/Neuter
New York residents should also have their companion animals fixed. The ASPCA, one of the concert’s sponsors, offers free sterilization surgeries to low income residents of New York City via their mobile clinic. See their website for dates and locations. For those outside of the area, please see other low-cost spay/neuter services in your region.

For more information:

PARE Este, Inc.
PO Box 928
Fajardo, Puerto Rico 00738
Phone: 787-801-6387

• New York Daily News: An 'amores perros' concert for embattled P.R. stray dogs
• Puerto Rico community on the Best Friends Network

Photo credit: taken by Jennifer Hayes.