Two weeks ago, I wrote about a nationwide tour by Roger Haston of PetSmart Charities. Despite being called “The Future of Animal Welfare,” PetSmart Charities harkens back to the days when killing was central to sheltering, especially of dogs Haston says no one wants and calls “blocky-headed whatevers” (but which most people label “pit bulls”). The presentation was entirely consistent with PetSmart policy, which prohibits “pit bulls” from playgroups and other services because of the…
A Canadian biotech company has announced it successfully created a cat food made from “cultured meat.” It is made from a one time draw of stem cells. The stem cells are then replicated in a laboratory and grown in an animal-free medium to produce real meat from animals without killing. It is not just similar to meat; it is meat. It expects to bring the first of these products — a cat treat made from…
This is a photo of a puppy who was banned from PetSmart because of the way he looks. This is the “vision” for the future PetSmart and PetSmart Charities aspire to. Animal Farm Foundation, NJ Animal Observer, and others have been sounding the alarm about a PetSmart Charities presentation by Roger Haston called “The Future of Animal Welfare.” The concerns relating to this troubling, regressive, and anti-animal video are many. Despite being called “The Future…
Animal Rights Philosophy in the Age of Social Media Clickbait (by Nathan & Jennifer Winograd) Are avocados, apples, and almonds vegan? What about coconut-based, non-dairy cheeses or butters made with palm oil? To some, these may seem like odd questions with a self-evident answer: Yes. After all, almonds, apples, avocados, palm fruit, and coconuts all come from plants. But for those who embrace veganism for ethical reasons, like we do, the answer has to…
Californians are voting on several initiatives, one of which is Proposition 12. Prop. 12 “would ban the sale of meat in California from calves raised for veal or breeding pigs unless the farms that raise them — both in the state and in other states — meet minimum standards for pen size. It also would ban the sale of eggs from hens that are kept in cages that don’t meet minimum standards.” If you live…
A new study which looks at the number of field deaths of wild animals in plant agriculture is being used by meat-eating apologists to claim that a plant-based diet is not more ethical than eating animals. Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, philosophy professors Bob Fischer, of Texas State University, and Andy Lamey, of the University of California, San Diego, note that every year, 40 million cows, 120 million pigs, and 9…
In defense of their safety, the safety of animals, and my First Amendment rights, I will NOT be doing so. Please help me. For more than two decades, I have been working to expose the grisly truth about PETA: that far from being a voice for the rights of animals as is commonly believed, employees at PETA headquarters in Norfolk, VA commit daily violence against them, injecting thousands of healthy puppies, kittens, dogs, cats, rabbits,…
In response to PETA’s subpoena demanding I turn over all communication I have had with former PETA employees who have recounted in detail the ways and means by which PETA slaughters roughly 2,000 mostly healthy dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, and other animals every year, I want to make my position clear. In case there was any doubt at PETA that this or any other donor-funded strong-arm tactic designed to silence me and infringe on…
In 2017, PETA continued to act as the functional equivalent of a slaughterhouse, with more than a thousand defenseless animals dying at the hands of their employees. Just released records submitted to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) by PETA add 1,842 companion animals to the 32,744 documented killings we know have occurred so far at the hands of PETA employees. Tragically, for yet another year, officials at that agency who are…
Richard Gregory has died. During his life, he fought against segregation, disenfranchisement, racism, gender equality, and economic injustice. He also fought for animals: I had been a participant in all of the ‘major’ and most of the ‘minor’ civil rights demonstrations of the early sixties. Under the leadership of Dr. King, I became convinced that nonviolence meant opposition to killing in any form. I felt the commandment ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’ applied to human beings…