I wish you joy
to light your way
a chance to run
a chance to play
I wish you peace
to lay your head
a soft pillow
a comfy bed
I wish you love
to warm your heart
a safe haven
a brand new start
I wish you joy
to dance with glee
on your way home
on your way free
__________________________
Comic By: MuttsComics.com – Patrick McDonnell
Poem By: Dori Francesca
Phoenix
Her picture tore at my heart. A 5 month old puppy tethered to the wall cowering in fear. Visible wounds on her face and body. Don’t worry baby we will save you, I told her. Her picture had been emailed with a plea to help her. She was at Lied Animal Shelter (aka The Animal Foundation) the city kill shelter. But if a foster could be found for her a rescue would then pull her to safety. So several rescuers started sending out the plea for help to our networks. In a few hours offers to foster, adopt, and donate medical funds started pouring in. She would be safe.
Then I received an email from one of our volunteers. He had called Lied offering to adopt her and take care of her. He was told she had mange and she was not up for adoption. And they told him she would be euthanized by the end of the week. I sent out an urgent email – WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT NOW! A rescue has already tagged her, I was told. What’s going on? So much confusion. Don’t worry little one, I told her picture, so many people want to help you. You will be okay.
Then even worse news arrived. They were not letting any rescues have her either. They were just going to kill her. WHY???
It baffles the mind. And if you are not in the world of animal rescue it is probably inconceivable to you. A 5 month old puppy that has several people wanting to adopt her, others wanting to foster her, and rescues willing to pay to pull her, not to mention people wanting to donate money for her medical funds, and yet the shelter is still going to kill her. I am in the animal rescue world and it is still inconceivable to me… every time it happens.
I guess this time it was the last straw. I sent out an email to everyone asking them to please contact Lied and ask them why they were killing this 5 month old puppy when there were people who wanted to help her. I also asked them to send it to any media contacts they had. I then forwarded that email to every Lied administrator. I received a reply from Jason, Director of Operations at Lied. I guess he didn’t like the idea that people were questioning his decisions because he asked me, in the future, to contact him first before sending out “mass” emails or contacting the media. Of course. He wants to control the story.
Jason said she had mange and also didn’t pass their initial aggression screening so she was a danger to the public (??) I guess Jason had never heard of all the other dogs around the country with mange even worse than hers who were successfully treated and are now living happy lives. And imagine that – a scared and probably in pain puppy didn’t pass an initial behavioral screening? Why that’s unheard of. A scared animal exhibiting expected behavior for a scared animal. Let’s kill her!
All this time different people were calling Lied, emailing them, or even going down there hoping to adopt this puppy. And everyone was getting a different story. She was dead. No she wasn’t. She was going to be killed at the end of the week. Or tonight. Who knew? Jason, who kept telling everyone to come to him with questions, wasn’t answering them. He wouldn’t confirm if she was alive or dead. He wouldn’t respond to my request to have an independent trainer evaluate her. And he wouldn’t answer the most asked question: Why? I don’t mean his repeated talking points that she had mange and was now, according to him, a most dangerous dog. But WHY kill her when there were people who wanted her despite her condition? Why not give her a chance at life when it wasn’t going to cost him anything? Ah, but maybe it WAS going to cost him something. His pride perhaps? Or a loss, however briefly, of power and control? Would that really matter more than the life of a 5 month old puppy?
And people continued to email and call, begging for this puppy’s life. A Facebook page was started: Why is Lied/Animal Foundation Killing a 5 Month Old Puppy? The puppy was given a name: Phoenix. Because as someone said, ” from her sadness and possible death, reform will rise”
On her Facebook page some people asked what we wanted. And they said don’t blame the shelter – it’s not their fault people are irresponsible. What we wanted, of course, was first to save this puppy’s life. Second, we wanted Lied to stop with all the misinformation, lies, and obfuscation. We wanted them to be more transparent and stop trying to hide from the public what was going on there.
It seems as if Lied management is more concerned about their public image than they are for the animals entrusted into their care. The Lied Rescue & Foster Coordinator and the Assistant Director of Operations spend time monitoring rescue networks to see who is making what they deem “negative public comments” about them. You would think they had better things to do with their time. Like save animals.
So what is Lied calling “negative public comments”? Saying an animal will be killed if not rescued/adopted soon is a negative public comment (even when true) according to them. Saying a pit bull doesn’t have much of a chance there is a negative public comment (while they kill approximately 400 pit bull type dogs there EVERY month). Even saying an animal is urgent is considered a negative public comment. Obviously the transparency at Lied is as transparent as the Dead Sea.
Yes, people can be irresponsible. Yes, everyone needs to spay and neuter their pets. At the same time we do blame THIS shelter. Because it doesn’t have to be that way. Shelters all across the country are going No Kill . They are doing it by joining up with the community rather than just blaming them. Right in our own backyard up in Reno is the crown jewel example of shelter reform, Nevada Humane. They save 94% of all dogs and 95% of all cats entering the shelter. At Lied only about 61% of dogs and 27% of cats there make it out alive. Of course those Lied statistics are from a couple years ago. Getting statistics from Lied is as easy as, well, fishing in the Dead Sea. Where can you get Nevada Humane’s statistics? Right on the front page of their website. Now that’s transparency!
So how did Nevada Humane do it? You can read about it here . One of the most important things was getting the right people working at the shelter. They ALL have to buy into the No Kill philosophy. That is not happening at Lied.
Just two days after we started our mission to save Phoenix we finally got our answer from Jason. He had her killed. He killed a 5 month old puppy just because he could. There was no legitimate reason to kill her. She had people who wanted her. She had people willing to do whatever needed to be done to treat her medical issues and any other issues she had. She had people who wanted to give her the life and love she deserved. Jason deemed her not worthy of life or love. He criticized us for wanting to help her rather than other dogs he said deserved our help more. As if most of us don’t already help other animals every day of our lives. Jason said in an email that he was looking for rescues to take “happy and healthy animals.” I guess the sad and sick at Lied can just go right into the body bags. As rescuers we CHOOSE to help the sick ones, the old ones, the pit bulls, the not so pretty and the not so well-behaved because they need us the most. How dare the Jasons of the world tell us who we should direct our compassion to and which animal should touch our hearts?
Phoenix may have been just one dog but she deserved a chance at life as much as any other. And she also represents all the animals like her that go into this shelter system and don’t get a chance. The ones they deem too young, too old, too scared, too hyper. The sick ones even if they’re treatable. The blind ones. The starving ones who growl when they take their food away. Or any animal the one deciding just doesn’t like.
Phoenix, I’m so sorry I was wrong. We couldn’t save you. But we will save others in your honor. We will bring shelter reform to Las Vegas in your honor. We will bring a law to Nevada that will prevent any shelter from killing any animal a rescue is willing to take. We will bring the Companion Animal Protection Act ( CAPA) to Nevada.
Jason seems to think there are too many irresponsible people here in Las Vegas. He doesn’t seem to think there are very many people here who care. Sign the petition to bring shelter reform here. Prove him wrong. And let Phoenix rise again.
Rescue Five-O (CAPA)
Sammy
Sammy, my pit-mix, has something to say to those of you supporting the NFL:
“Just say no! Just say no to supporting a morally bankrupt organization for whom $$$ means more than the lives of my kin. I mean I like a good game of catch as much as the next guy but seriously? They’re paying that, that… HUMAN millions of $$$ just because he can throw a ball? I can do that! And catch one too! Don’t you realize that while there are human animals, canine animals, feline animals, etc., we’re all part of the animal family? And you just don’t do what he did to family… even felines 🙂
By supporting the NFL you’re supporting their decision to put that, that… HUMAN on national TV and make some sort of hero out of him. He, and humans like him, helped give dogs like me a bad rap and because of that millions of us are killed every year just because of our breed or even if we just look like a pitbull. And truthfully, we are the nicest sweetest dogs. We are so eager to please our humans that we will do anything you ask of us. Unfortunately, that’s the problem when you ask us to do something bad. It isn’t our fault but we’re the ones who die for it. And now some of you who say you love us are supporting the people who gave that, that… HUMAN millions of $$$ and put him on national TV to be cheered. I don’t get it. I thought I was your best friend?”
Help Dogs Like Me:
Sugar Bear was only nine months old when he was killed. His Crime? He was homeless. And he had only been in the Lied shelter for six weeks. But six weeks wasn’t long enough for him to find a home. Clark County city shelters took in 52,375 cats and dogs last year. 56.5% of them didn’t make it out alive. Over 30,000 cats and dogs, like Sugar Bear, were killed and I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say they were “euthanized”. The definition of euthanasia is “the act or practice of killing somebody who has an incurable illness or injury, or of assisting that person to die”. These dogs and cats are not being put out of their misery. Does Sugar Bear look like he is in misery? No, he looks like he is loving life and he should have had a long life filled with love. These 30,000 dogs and cats are being killed simply because, for the vast majority of them, they are homeless.
Stray animals, either picked up by Animal Control or brought to Lied by the public, are the biggest contributor to shelter overpopulation. Those cats (unless feral) and dogs belonged to someone at some point. What happened? Maybe they were just turned loose or maybe they were lost. But only 10% of the animals in the city shelters are returned to owners. So it seems a lot of people aren’t looking for their lost pets.
The number one reason pets are turned into the shelter by their owners? Because the owners are moving. I cannot fathom how cold and compassionless you must be in order to leave your cat or dog behind. But obviously a large segment of our society regards cats and dogs as disposable.
The other top reasons pets are turned into the shelter by their owners? Allergies (usually self diagnosed), home foreclosures/economic reasons, sick or injured pet that the owner can’t or won’t take care of, owner died or went into a nursing home (make arrangements for your pets, please!), owners had a baby so “beloved” pet is out the door, the pet’s behavior (whose fault is that?), new spouse/partner doesn’t like the pet (how pathetic is that!), and owner ignorance on the care of the pet. As you can see the majority of the reasons a pet is dumped into a shelter are due to human ignorance, selfishness, and irresponsibility. I am ashamed on behalf of my species. Everyone should be ashamed about this.
Too often people will hear the statistics, over 30,000 cats and dogs killed annually in Clark County, and say “That’s so sad.” “That’s too bad.” But that’s as far as it goes. Too many people don’t do anything about it. Too many people don’t want to even hear about it. Too many people don’t want to see the faces of these dogs and cats who are being killed, like Sugar Bear. But putting your head in the sand isn’t going to help all the Sugar Bears out there. If you’re ignoring the problem you may as well be sticking the needle in them yourselves.
Now I know people are busy. I’m busy too. But compassion doesn’t take a lot of time or money. It doesn’t take a lot of time to learn about the issues and then educate your family and friends about them. It doesn’t take any more time to adopt your pet from a shelter instead of buying one at a pet store. It doesn’t take a lot of time to write a check to support your local shelter (just forgo a couple of Starbucks each week). It doesn’t take a lot of time to forward on those e-mails about dogs or cats in need. It doesn’t take a lot of time to print out the flyers about the dogs and cats who need homes and post them on your bulletin board at work. It does not take a lot of time to call /write your legislators to advocate for more animal friendly laws. It does not take a lot of time to write a letter to the editor informing the public about the plight of these homeless animals. It does not take a lot of time to confront (and educate) friends and family who did not adopt their pet from a shelter and/or whose pets are not spayed or neutered.
I’m also pretty sure most people could scrape up a couple of hours a month to go walk a homeless dog at the shelter or spend some time brushing a homeless cat or just holding a scared puppy. Socializing the cats and dogs in shelters increases their chances of being adopted. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Every little bit helps. How many hours a week do you spend watching TV anyway?
It is incumbent on all of us who claim to be animal lovers, or who claim to love our own cat or dog, or who just claim to be a decent human being to do whatever we can to help put an end to the killing of tens of thousands of cats and dogs in our community.
So do you speak out for these cats and dogs who can’t speak out for themselves? Or do you just say “So sad, too bad”? Sugar Bear deserved more than that.
“All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good people do nothing.”
Albert Einstein
What You Can Do:
Write to your legislators.
Find them here:
Put this, or something like it, as your e-mail signature:
Save a life, adopt a pet!
http://www.liedanimalshelter.org/
Get involved with a local rescue group.
There’s plenty to choose from, some are in the links on the right side of this page.
Write a Letter to the Editor:
Here, I’ll even get you started:
To the Editor:
56.5 % of all animals going into Lied, our city shelter, do not make it out alive. When will Las Vegans start getting outraged by this and start doing something about it? I do not want my tax dollars being used to kill over 30,000 dogs and cats every year. I want my money to be spent instead on finding these dogs and cats homes and by funding low cost spay/neuter clinics and humane educational programs. Please Las Vegans, adopt your pets from a shelter and get them spayed or neutered!
Feel free to edit or copy as is and send in. Maybe if enough of us do it, they’ll finally print something about it.
Sweet Jasmine and her adoptive Mom
Sweet Jasmine was one of the most traumatized dogs rescued from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels.
From Sports Illustrated: “We were surprised at how little aggression there was,” says [Donna] Reynolds [executive director and co-founder of Bad Rap]. Many of the dogs had all but shut down. They cowered in the corners of their kennels or stood hunched with their heads lowered, their tails between their legs and their feet shifting nervously. Some didn’t want to come out. As far as they knew bad things happened when people came. Bad things happened when they were led out of their cages. One dog was so scared that even the confines of her kennel offered her no comfort. Shelter workers used a blanket to construct a little tent inside her cage that she could duck under. Remembering that dog, [Dr. Frank] McMillan [the director of well-being studies at Best Friends Animal Society] says, “Jasmine broke my heart.” Read more.
Jasmine was not a fighter, she was probably used for breeding, so her whole life (four years) at Bad Newz Kennels she lived chained to a car axle in the woods. Except for when she as being forcibly bred. And she saw, heard, and smelled the death of dogs all around her.
After being rescued Sweet Jasmine, like the other dogs, lived alone in a kennel at an animal control facility in Virginia for four months. Once the Vick sentencing was over and the dogs were no longer “evidence” a judge decided to spare them death and have them evaluated for rehabilitation instead. Jasmine was initially set to go to Best Friends (who was awarded the most traumatized and abused dogs) but when a volunteer from Recycled Love, a Baltimore rescue group, saw Jasmine and crawled into her kennel to comfort her, Jasmine responded and it was decided she would go to Recycled Love along with another dog, Sweet Pea. That volunteer, Catalina Stirling, is the one who got to take Sweet Jasmine home.
It took several months in Stirling’s home before Jasmine would voluntarily leave her cage. Striling would have to pick her up and carry her outside to go to the bathroom. When Jasmine was done she would lie in a little hole in the backyard until she was carried back in.
“Play dates” with Sweet Pea helped bring Jasmine out of her shell. The two dogs had a genuine affection for each other and their adoptive families believe Sweet Pea may be Jasmine’s mother.
Jasmine lived with Stirling and her family surrounded by love for almost two years. She had come far in putting her past abuses aside and would no doubt have come further. But sadly last week Jasmine was hit by a car and killed. Her family is grief-stricken. Perhaps her family can take some comfort in knowing that they had the honor of loving a dog who needed it the most. And that Sweet Jasmine’s story of how an abused dog can learn to trust and love will be an inspiration to many and hopefully save the lives of other abused dogs.
From Sports Illustrated: “Vick showed the worst of us, our bloodlust, but this rescue showed the best,” Reynolds says. “I don’t think any of us thought it was possible to save these dogs — the government, the rescuers, the regular people — but we surprised ourselves.”
Jasmine doesn’t know about any of that as she sits on the back deck of Stirling’s house. Stirling kneels next to her, gently stroking the dog’s back. “I used to think any dog could be rehabbed if you gave it food, exercise and love,” she says, “but I know now it’s not totally true. Jasmine’s happy, but she’ll never be like other dogs.”
It’s quiet for a moment, and the breeze blows a shower of brown and red leaves off the trees. Then Jasmine turns, looks up, and licks Catalina’s face. It is the sweetest of kisses.
Rest in Peace Sweet Jasmine
Sweet Jasmine
Sweet Jasmine
Update: As I was finishing up this blog post I found out that Sweet Jasmine, the most timid of all the rescued dogs who then turned into a Sports Illustrated cover girl, was hit by a car and killed two days ago. Although terribly sad, being in her adoptive home for a year and ½ at least she got to know love and compassion in her life, something the dogs Vick killed never got. Think about that as you watch him play (or preferably don’t watch him in Sweet Jasmine’s honor).
Hopefully this will be the last time I type the name Michael Vick. Even though he won’t yet be fading into oblivion where he belongs, I don’t want to focus on him and his vile acts anymore. And while I’m avoiding any mention of him I will also be avoiding anything to do with the Eagles and the NFL, as well as any of the Eagles corporate sponsors (that means you Pepsi, Budweiser, Miller Lite, 7-11, AAA, Best Buy, Chrysler, Dunkin Donuts, Heineken, Taco Bell, Papa Johns, Pepcid, Snapple, Rite Aid, and Verizon). Because unlike these corporate sponsors, the Eagles, the
Whatever happened to the concept of athletes being revered for the good they do on AND off the field? Whatever happened to the responsibility of being a good role model? Being exposed as a merciless dog killer should be a career ender for any high-profile position. And why is Pete Rose banned from baseball (he didn’t kill anybody) while he-who-will-no-longer-be-named is back playing football (along with various other felons)? Of course these are all rhetorical questions. I already know the answers. Because as our society has become more and more consumed by consumerism, enamored by celebrities and lifestyles of the rich and famous, and obsessed by winning at all costs, we have lost our freaking minds.
Georgia
I mean really, in what world is it acceptable to allow our children to look up to a man like he-who-will-no-longer-be-named? I think before every Eagles game the indictment of how he slaughtered those dogs should be read. And pictures of the dogs who were rescued should flash up on the big screen. Close-ups of their scarred faces and battered and beaten bodies. And a big picture of Georgia who had all her teeth removed so she couldn’t bite as she was forcibly bred on the rape stands. Followed by the words, “THIS IS THE MAN YOU WILL BE CHEERING FOR TODAY.”
Okay, I’m done. As far as this saga is concerned, going forward I will solely be focusing on the only ones who really deserve second chances: the dogs. And the only ones who truly deserve accolades: the people and groups who are rehabilitating, loving, and opening up their homes and hearts to the rescued dogs. I hope you’ll join me.
Instead of watching an Eagles game, how about spending some time at your local shelter walking some rescued pit bulls? Instead of spending any money on the NFL or any of the Eagles sponsors (Pepsi, Budweiser, Miller Lite, 7-11, AAA, Best Buy, Chrysler, Dunkin Donuts, Heineken, Taco Bell, Papa Johns, Pepcid, Snapple, Rite Aid, and Verizon), how about making a contribution to one of the groups below who took in some of the 47 rescued dogs?
Every Sunday throughout the NFL season, I will be posting follow-ups on the rescued dogs and where they are now, along with profiles of some great rescue groups, as a reminder that unlike the NFL, the Eagles, their sponsors (Pepsi, Budweiser, Miller Lite, 7-11, AAA, Best Buy, Chrysler, Dunkin Donuts, Heineken, Taco Bell, Papa Johns, Pepcid, Snapple, Rite Aid, and Verizon), Michael Vick (last time, I swear) and his “fans”, who only care about winning games and making money, there are still some people in this country who have their heads screwed on straight and their hearts in the right place.
And now, here are the ones who should be cheered and who should have been given 1.5 million dollars with a second year option of 5 million:
Bad Rap (10 dogs)
Richmond Animal League (4 dogs)
The Monterey County SPCA (3 dogs )
Recycled Love (2 dogs including Sweet Jasmine)
Animal Rescue of Tidewater (1 dog)
Not an Eagles Fan
Dear Kids:
A famous person once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated.” We here in the Eagles franchise absolutely believe that you should be kind to animals. As a matter of fact our owner, Jeffrey Lurie, considers himself a dog lover. He even claims to have rescued dogs from abuse. So of course, kids, he and all of us at the Eagles believe you should never ever hurt an animal. However…
Winning football games is important too. Actually more important. We make lots and lots of money doing that. Can you say “many millions,” kids? So even though Michael Vick hurt dogs (and by “hurt” we mean suffocate, electrocute, drown, torture, and kill) we think he can win us some games so we signed him up! Yes, he did a very bad thing over and over again for many years and didn’t stop until he was caught and thrown in jail but I tell you he’s a sociopath changed man. He won’t get caught doing that again (wink, wink). And he truly is sorry. I mean the amount of money he lost could make a grown man cry. Oh and he’s going to partner with the Humane Society to tell young kids like you not to ever do what he did. That’ll make such a nice photo-op.
We here at the Eagles really do believe in second chances (we mean for Vick, not the dogs), just like we believe in our chances to win football games. That’s why we’re paying him over a million dollars for just one year. And, if he is really reformed wins games there’ll be another 5 million coming his way. That’s a lot of dog chow (oops bad metaphor). So even though he did some very bad illegal things, if he can throw a football he deserves all the fame and fortune that will be thrown at him, right? I mean let’s get our priorities straight shall we? Man’s best friend football is an American treasure.
Yes, if the greatness of a nation football team and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its players treat animals, then we here at the Eagles are morally bankrupt. But we’ll have money in the bank! And what’s more important kids, really?
Besides if Vick goes back to abusing animals like the one pictured below, our owner, Mr. Lurie, can rescue them (he’s a dog lover you know). Why, it’s a match made in hell heaven.
So when you see Michael Vick throwing touchdown passes remember – it’s okay to cheer for him. It’s okay to idolize him. It’s okay to want to be like him. Because kids, for us Eagles the ends really do justify the means. Okay, now all together, “Give me a V…”
Dog fighting Victim
Rescued Vick dog
I guess, for the NFL, money and greed win the day over social responsibility. They must believe it’s more important to let Michael Vick take the field than for them to take a stand against animal cruelty. For the NFL this has nothing to do with redemption or giving a guy a second chance. It’s all about dollar signs. Some ignorant owner somewhere is going to think he can win some games with Vick. That’s all that matters to them.
“Oh, he made a mistake.” “He has a right to get on with his life.” “He’s sorry for what he did.” “He deserves a second chance.” This is what you will be hearing ad nauseum from Vick apologists. I beg to differ.
1) He didn’t make an oopsy, oh my bad, mistake. He didn’t accidentally hurt a dog. He demonstrated a repeated behavior, over many years, of torturing and slaughtering dogs. There is something fundamentally psychologically wrong with someone who does that.
2) No one is saying he can’t earn a living. But he does not have a right to fame and fortune. As a convicted felon he doesn’t even have the right to vote anymore.
3) I don’t think he is sorry at all. He’s certainly shown no remorse. He lied about what he did as long as he could until he had no choice but to admit the truth. That doesn’t sound like a remorseful man.
4) He doesn’t deserve ANYTHING. Period.
He made his bed and now he should have to lie in it. He should have to get a real job and actually work hard for a living. He forfeited his right to a cushy celebrity lifestyle when he strangled and drowned those dogs.
Letting him play football is like saying, “Okay you committed these horrible egregious acts, but hey, you spent a little time in jail so all is forgiven. Just stay away from the dogs, man.”
We sure have some screwed up morals in this country. Winning a football game is more important than making the point that some acts are so bad that they shouldn’t be rewarded with a football contract, millions of dollars, a spotlight on national TV, and the cheers of fans.
And somewhere, at sometime, some kids will be watching their dads cheer this man on and they’ll think, “Wow, he’s really cool. I want to grow up to be just like him.” And, God help us, some of them might.
the lucky ones
Help Pitbulls:
![Dori's_Pictures[1]](https://writes4animals.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/doris_pictures1.jpg?w=300&h=196 "Dori's_Pictures[1]")
They’re reportedly killing St Bernard dogs in China. To eat. They are raised in dog farms. In horrendous conditions. And their deaths are unbelievably cruel. To make the meat taste better.
I’m sure, for most people, reading those words leaves them feeling horrified. It was hard for me to write. And I left out the worse parts. But now I’m going to ask you to read it again. Only this time, instead of St. Bernard dogs, substitute the word cow. Or pig. Or chicken. Or lamb.
Because right here in this country, animals, who feel pain and suffering just like those dogs, are being raised in factory farms. In horrendous conditions. And subjected to cruel deaths. Quite often their throats are slit while they are still conscious. Quite often they’re too sick or injured to even walk on their own to the slaughter house. So they’re dragged. With hooks.
And while people are horrified about what they’re doing to dogs in China (and rightly so), they’re happy eating their Big Macs here. Most people do not want to know how their dinner was treated. It might make them too uncomfortable.
But if you knew there were millions of dogs being tortured and killed right here in America and you could do something to help those poor dogs, wouldn’t you? I bet most people would say, yes.
Then how about this: if you knew there were millions of animals being tortured and killed right here in America and you could do something to help those poor animals, wouldn’t you?
Well, I’m happy to report there is something each one of you can do to stop the torture and deaths of over 80 animals every year. Become a vegetarian. It will be healthier for you, the animals, and the environment.
At the very least, by cutting out meat just two days a week you will save 24 animals a year. And by supporting organic meat, cage free eggs, and local farmers you will be ensuring that at least the animals will live and die in a more humane manner.
The next time you’re petting your beloved cat or dog; imagine them living their life confined to a crate like a sow or a veal calf, or living crammed into pens with so many other animals that they can barely move around or breathe like chickens or pigs, or being driven to self-mutilation, cannibalism, and madness due to their stressful living conditions like millions of animals in factory farms. Can you imagine your dog or cat living and dying like that? And then ask yourself, “Why is it okay that some we pet and some we eat?”
You can sign the petition to stop the inhumane killing of the St. Bernard dogs in China here.
Unfortunately there are no petitions to stop the inhumane killing of farm animals.
Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio) is no friend to animals. Last week he argued against a bill, H.R. 1018, that would protect our wild horses and burros from slaughter. Previously he has been against bills to protect animals against dog fighting, cock fighting, the exotic pet trade, and the trophy hunting of polar bears. Clearly Mr. Boehner has no compassion for animals. This time he used the tired old propaganda of animals versus people. He claims at a time when people are suffering because of the economy we shouldn’t try to protect animals as well. As if we can’t take care of both. This bill doesn’t just protect the wild horses and burros from the mismanagement of the BLM. It will also save taxpayers money in the long run by controlling the wild horse populations through fertility control and not expensive and inhumane roundups and penning.
Besides, Mr. Boehner doesn’t really care about the suffering of people. No, his only concern is for big campaign donations from the cattle industry. And you can bet that’s probably the only concern that the 138 Republicans and the 47 Democrats who voted against this bill had too. There are more cattle grazing on public land than there are wild horses. It is the cattle industry that is destroying the grasslands and it is the cattle industry who would like nothing better than for the wild horses to be “managed” into extinction. There are currently as many, or more, wild horses in captivity than there are running free. And yet, the BLM keeps rounding up more horses than it can possibly adopt out. Their solution? Kill the horses. And then keep rounding up more.
Unfortunately whenever it comes to animals versus big business, big business invariably wins out. Animals don’t make campaign contributions. The reason puppy mills still exist is because of the powerful voice and money of breeders and the AKC. Farm animals are kept in horrendous inhumane conditions because of the powerful voice and money of the farm industry. And the cattle industry will fight tooth and nail to keep wild horses off of what was the land that was originally put aside for the wild horses.
Since 2001 the BLM has removed over 75,000 wild horses from public lands while allowing over 4 million cattle to graze there instead.
H.R. 1018 passed the House with a good majority but may face trouble in the Senate because of Republican opposition. Contact your Senators now and ask them to support this bill. Ask them to protect our wild horses and burros. Tell them it’s time they started listening to us and not big business. Tell them this land does not belong to the cattle industry. Tell them this land belongs to us. And tell them that the majority of Americans want the wild horses to remain on their land.
Want to help? Check out these groups:
National Wild Horse Association
