Articles

The Death of P-47

A few weeks ago, National Park Service biologists in the Santa Monica Mountains tracked a mountain lion’s GPS collar after it sent out “a mortality signal.” They found the mountain lion, dubbed P-47, dead. P-47 weighed 150 pounds, the largest and most robust of any in the region. He was only three years old. What killed him? Or more accurately, who killed him? According to a local ranger, A necropsy revealed that he may have…

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Articles

Is it ethical to keep pets?

Is it ethical to keep pets? That is the question a sociologist at the University of Kent in England is asking. Her answer is “No.” Though Professor Wrenn admits that “we love them, care for them, celebrate their birthdays and mourn them when they pass,” she argues that, “The institution of pet-keeping is fundamentally unjust as it involves the manipulation of animals’ bodies, behaviours and emotional lives.” She notes that one of the problems is…

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Articles

The NY Times Becomes a Cheerleader for Animal Cruelty

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…

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Articles Corruption

Reality vs. Rhetoric For South Bend Dogs and Cats Under Mayor Pete Buttigieg

When it comes to his city’s most vulnerable dogs and cats, the reality doesn’t match Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s rhetoric about his rehabilitation of South Bend, IN. There’s simply no excuse for killing dogs and cats in 2019, especially after seven years at the helm as mayor. There’s an old Ghandi saw that is almost certainly apocryphal. A mother brings her young son to Ghandi and asks him to tell her kid to stop eating so…

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Articles PETA

Why “No Birth” Is Not a Substitute for “No Kill”

PETA recently argued in Long Beach, as they have elsewhere, against shelter reform and the pursuit of a No Kill city. They claimed that the only goal worth pursuing is a “no birth” nation. Here’s why that argument is simply not true and what is behind the deceptive claim. Spay/neuter and limiting breeding are important for all kinds of reasons, which is why sterilization is a core program of the No Kill Equation model of…

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Articles Best Friends Corruption

Cruelty and Indifference at the Hillsborough County Pound

Two dogs are dead this week because of the gross indifference and incompetence of the pound staff in Hillsborough County, Florida. Clyde died in what was described by a local veterinarian as a “very painful event.” Clyde ate a blanket, but for six days, pound staff did nothing while the blanket worked its way into the dog’s intestines. “It had tore his intestines apart.” Similarly, Lola dog bled to death because staff once again ignored…

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Articles ASPCA Corruption HSUS

Falling Up

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…

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Articles

Cruelty-Free Cat Food

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…

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Articles Corruption

PetSmart Charities: The Future of Sheltering is Killing

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…

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Articles

The Week (of Mar. 25, 2019) in Review

Ohio makes the “shelter pet” the official state animal; spending on animal companions tops $70 Billion with more people choosing adoption over buying; Petaluma, CA, places 99% of dogs; Henderson, NV, falsely claims to have achieved No Kill; New York City fudges its data to create the illusion of progress; and anti-No Kill zealots are trying to further harm animals in Pueblo, CO. Meanwhile, the Austin City Council unanimously embraces a 95% standard for its…

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