I sent my email. I do hope it helps.

This was great news to see first thing today.  I didn't have time to post then, but thanks VERY much for the update and for following this on your blog.  I think the emails must have helped.  I was doubly relieved to see that the dogs had been adopted. We were weighing adopting that senior dog with the weakened hind legs since he would be compatible with Poco.  It would have been a stretch for us, so we figured we'd see how the adoption day went first. 

One of the articles you have on your blog, Shibadiva, mentioned that there was just one neighbor that had a problem with the dogs barking, so now that is it quieter, that may take the heat off of the city code enforcers.  Hopefully a few of the cats found homes today.  They all look like they'd be wonderful companions.

I think the woman with the Tacoma shelter was thinking of personally trying to place a pet, rather than taking a pet into the shelter. 

I've heard of the Frances Farmer case.  That is something to never forget.  I didn't know it occurred near here.  Also didn't know it was due to the anti-Communist paranoia of those days.  That is terrifying!  They almost got Lucille Ball, too, if you can imagine that.  We should expand on those stories in the book thread, (haven't read Shadowlands), or politics on the American Gulag theme. 

At least this group of military pets have been saved from the pet Gulag.

 
Thanks, everybody, for helping us out of our predicament!!!

Klondike It certainly would encourage the city to bend the rules a little if there were fewer animals and mainly cats. It did seem that only one neighbour mentioned the dogs barking. I suppose a rezoning move would require consultation with all of her neighbours. Hopefully, no one would oppose it. Over time, I expect she might consider relocating. She has been in the rescue business for a very long time and is obviously passionate about it.

I had the book, Shadowland, a very long time ago. There is considerable debate over what actually happened to Frances Farmer, since that version of her story had some bits added to sensationalize her celebrity lifestyle. However, I can't help thinking that there weren't a whole lot more people out there during that era that were blacklisted and silenced. And was insulin shock therapy and a schizophrenia diagnosis a way of dealing with people whose actions were on the edge in terms of the prevailing social mores? (I may take this over to the "what are your favourite books" thread...)

I received exactly the same reply today.

I got the same letter today. It does sound like they are working with her. Sounds like her 1 neighbor will keep them from changing the zoning though.

I got the same response but I e:mailed back and said it didnt  matter whether the pets she was helping were service member pets or otherwise.  She was still doing a service by stepping in and filling a need that was vacated when Ft Lewis shut down their animal shelter.  I said she was a hero and rather than the City even thinking about fining her, that they ought to be PAYING her for providing the service that the City and others should be paying for.  I said its the perfect case of a resident stepping up to the plate to do the right thing that many others wouldnt even consider doing and this type of action ought to be rewarded rather than treated as a wrong-doing.   

Brewster may not have been in on the conversation where assistant city manager Dave Bugher said that Lakewood officials will review zoning regulations to determine if it can be allowed and under what conditions. Maybe he didn't read it in the paper either...

I heard from Mr. Brewster, too.  He confirmed that the dogs had been adopted and that they were commited to working with Ms. VanDusen as long as she keeps trying to adopt out the cats to the point where she has only 5 left.  He did say it might take awhile due to the fact that some of the cats are disabled.