A Message From the President of CSA
By Dr. Robert R. Blease, CVM
September 2021 Update
Good News!
After Covid, we are stronger than ever and determined to break ground on our new shelter as soon as possible. Following two years of Covid delays, we have our site plans (Engineering), and variances approved by Franklin Township. Our architect is working on design details.
I am donating two commercial lots adjacent to our current animal shelter so CSA can own its property outright. CSA will have complete control of its own destiny without any legal interference from others. We will also be able to easily double or triple our adoptions per year and better organize our educational and service programs.
CSA is in a position to guarantee its future with its own property, modern building, and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, nothing comes for free.
We have been educating and saving lives for 31 years. We offer hope and life to thousands of unwanted animals through hour local and national networking. Our Southern Adoption Program is very successful and can easily be expanded. Last month I heard of a shelter in Georgia that euthanized a countless number of puppies and kittens and another dog in process of delivering puppies. I only wish we could have been there. We know it is possible.
We can’t save all the “unwanted” animals but collectively we can make a difference. Look at the faces of thousands of happy and playful puppies and kittens we have found homes for. Every day I hear “best dog, cat I ever owned”. This encourages us to continue what we are doing and affirms our believe we can do more.
Please join us and help guarantee a forever organization and home for the unwanted. Your thoughtfulness will make a difference long into the future.
Sincerely,
Robert R Blease, DVM
CSA Founder and President
CSA was founded on November 1, 1990, 30 years ago. We are all proud of our accomplishments and we are looking forward to our next 30 years of promoting true Animal Welfare. As you know CSA’s home is in a modified dairy barn, the same barn and property in which I took care of cows in 1967, when I started my veterinary practice.
Much has changed in Warren County; there are only a few dairy farms left and a dramatic increase in population and loss of habitat. I purchased 12 acres of this dairy farm in 1980 and moved to the Stone House. Then I moved my Veterinary Practice to was once the stable for the original owners’ horses
and carriages. My point is that Common Sense for Animals has taken up residence in the dairy barn and transferred it into a functional and beautiful shelter which is housing 25 dogs and 100 cats. Unfortunately, the shelter cannot be separated from the rest of the property and given its own deed. We tried.
The long term solution is to build a new shelter on my 4 acre commercial lot which is located immediately adjacent to the lot that currently houses CSA. This is our dream, for CSA to own its own property and manage a new facility by our Board of Trustees. As good luck would have it, part of my
property (3 acres) has its own deed and this year I purchase the lot (.75 acres) between them, making an almost 4 acre commercial lot upon which we can build this new shelter with its own deed.
I will donate the property to CSA; the engineers and architects have already been retained and are making this a reality.
Currently we have 25% of the funds needed to complete the building due to some generous benefactors and from inheritances. Common Sense for Animals belongs to the community and is operated by its own Board of Trustees. CSA gets no Local, State, or Federal Funds. As a non-profit it is entirely dependent upon donations, gifts, and inheritances. For the last few years we have helped and adopted out over 1300 dogs and cats every year. We can easily double that number in our planned facility. To do this we need animal lovers, local businesses, and people who recognize all the value of CSA to join us in our effort to make CSA self-sufficient, with its own deed, building and destiny. Please help with our capital campaign.
Dr. Robert R. Blease, DVM