BAARS

My name is Dianne Flagg and I am the Adoptions Coordinator for the Bay Area Amphibian and Reptile Society. I accepted this position in January 2004 when my husband convinced me that we could do the job as a team, just six weeks after we became BAARS members! At the time we kept mostly turtles and tortoises - the ones our son had given to us when he went into the Marines 2 years earlier. We also had a large, male green iguana, Edwardo, that I adopted from a lab tech at our vet's office, and a bearded dragon, Argent, that we adopted from a couple in Santa Cruz who could no longer keep him. Thus, our experience with reptile keeping was rather limited. And though I was not afraid of snakes or other reptiles, I never had had an interest in them growing up. I really do not know what triggered my interest in reptiles, but it has definitely become a passion for me.

As Adoptions Coordinator, I handle phone calls and e-mails from people who need to re-home their animals, for various reasons. In some cases I am able to give these people information and suggestions to their husbandry that can help them keep their pets. Things like correct feeding practices and better filtration can reduce the maintenance aspects of keeping turtles so the owners can enjoy them more. Or helping an owner better understand their iguana's behavior and suggest techniques to deal with difficult behavior (after medical causes have been ruled out) have helped some owners decide to keep their pet after all. But if an animal really does need a new home, then I first make BAARS members aware of the need (especially if it is an animal we do not normally deal with). Often BAARS members or their friends take the animals. If I cannot place an animal this way, they get posted to the website. Sometimes, when the matter is urgent, we will accept animals and foster them in our home until a new owner can be found. We also pick up reptiles and amphibians from the San Jose Animal Care & Control and the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. These, obviously, get fostered at our place.

The vast majority of this work is paid for out of our pocket - food, heat, special lighting purchases, veterinary costs etc. My husband is disabled and cannot work so we rely on my income to continue what we believe to be a necessary and valuable service. We have successfully re-homed about 400 animals over the last four years. Over the last 2 years I have worked with the MAD Foundation and with Lisa Chaipero of the National Reptile Foundation, who has helped re-home about 86 animals and extend the reach of BAARS.

If you have an interest in these fascinating creatures and would like to get involved with fund raising through MAD or would like to become a volunteer you can contact me at dlcf_herps@yahoo.com