A horse injured while filming for a movie. AHA certified that “no animals were harmed” even when they have been killed. How do Americans feel about animals? In a national survey, 96% of Americans—almost every single person surveyed—said we have a moral duty to protect animals and should have strong laws to do so. Three out of four Americans believe it should be illegal for shelters to kill healthy and treatable animals. Specialization and advancements…
Every year, AHA hosts “Euthanasia by Injection” workshops where shelter employees from across the nation come together to learn how to kill animals.
The American Humane Association’s Vice-President says that every American needs to adopt 8 animals to end shelter killing.
Maddie’s Fund and several of its partner organizations are fearmongering about the pandemic by recommending separating pets from people and other animals if those animals come from a household where people tested positive for COVID-19. They also note that, “If the pet is brought to a shelter, they should be kept away from the general population for 14 days.” In a regressive pound, this amounts to a death sentence. In homes where isolating the pet…
There is no doubt that living with people is good for dogs. As Jennifer and I argue in Welcome Home, our book about living with dogs and cats, dogs “have successfully adapted to us and our ways, seizing the opportunity that our planetary dominance presents, greatly increasing their numbers, and extending their range beyond what was possible in the absence of people.” That’s a roundabout way of saying that we provide food, water, shelter, veterinary…
There will come a time when dogs are welcome wherever humans are. We already see progress toward integration, as stores, restaurants, and other public spaces are designing facilities and enacting policies with the needs of animals in mind. In restaurants, this usually means a patio. In stores, this means allowing them to shop with their humans. In bars, this means the bartender gives you a drink, a wink, and looks the other way. Despite these…
I’m sorry for this photo. I really am. But this is from The New York Times which is cheerleading an Australian slaughter of up to 2,000,000 cats by peddling it as a scientifically-based public policy worth pursuing, dismissing the concerns of ethical people all over the world as misguided and “emotional.” They got it backwards. The piece, replete with photos of cats being gutted, includes the following celebration of killing: “Long after midnight, as the…
Members of the City Council and County Commission: I am deeply troubled by the deaths of 14 dogs in the Pueblo Animal Shelter under a new contractor. But I am also mindful that Pueblo’s recent problems are not the outcome of the Pueblo Animal Protection Act (PAPA). The new law explicitly authorized the “euthanasia” of dogs who were suffering. As noted by Doug Rae of the Humane Society of Fremont County (HSFC), who spent over…
Reggie Watts, the cat (not the comedian). Last week, I posted an article on Facebook about a lawsuit over custody of Reggie, a cat. Rae Bees, a woman who adopted Reggie five years ago from a rescue group with an “indoor only” cat policy, is suing that group for refusing to give her her cat back. Reggie was found wandering by a Good Samaritan and traced to the rescue group through a microchip. After the…
I get a lot of questions about animals on a wide variety of topics and I try to answer each and every one. When they have wider appeal, I’ll post my response. (If you would like to ask me anything, you can do so in the comments of my Facebook page or through the No Kill Advocacy Center, my organization.) This week, I was asked about the limits of community cat sterilization, specifically about cats…