Companion Animals
Animals in the Blogs: Killer Cosmetics, Vick's Dogs, Price of Poultry, and More
Published January 07, 2009 @ 10:10AM PT
It's been a while since I last supplied you with a roundup. Time to rectify that. Following are some great recent posts that I recommend you read. It's not a short list, but it's a very good list.
Activism as "Being," Not "Doing," from Steven at L.O.V.E.
The Price of Poultry, from the Eastern Shore Sanctuary Blog
New Year, New Hope, from the Reformed Fast Food Mascot
Topsy (remembering the elephant electrocuted by Thomas Edison), from the Grumpy Vegan
What Happened to Michael Vick's Dogs, from Animal Law
The Breeders' Paradox, from Alex at That Vegan Girl (and for clarification, no, Alex is not the "girl")
On Sentient Nonhumans and Language and On Sentience, from Animal Person
ARA PSAs: Attack of the Killer Cosmetics, from easyVegan.info
Resolve to Make 2009 the Year You Go Vegan, from the ALDF
Colossal and Consistent Failures Using Chimpanzees to Model Human AIDS from Animal Writings
Hunting in the News: Using Dogs for That Extra Thrill
Published January 05, 2009 @ 12:07PM PT
I have two hunting-in-the-news posts for you today. First up is an NPR story from January 3 titled "Hunting with Hounds Under Fire in Virginia."
The piece, which explores the controversy over a Virginia state law that allows hunters to trespass on private property to retrieve the dogs they've used as tools to chase wild animals, talks about property rights and a bit about animal welfare. But there's no talk of animal rights, not surprisingly; there's talk about the hunters' right to retrieve the dogs they've sent out on chase (some of whom "are worth a lot of money," of course), but no mention of the dogs' interests in not being exploited, used, and placed in danger in the first place or of the fleeing animals' interests in not being killed.
The most interesting--and disturbing--comments in the story come, as they often do, from those being interviewed. "It's just like having your favorite meal or anticipating Christmas," said one hunter about the pre-kill "excited sensation." And then there was this:
The plan is to stand in a huge circle around 200 acres and turn about 20 dogs loose — urging them toward the middle.
If the hounds catch the scent of a deer, they'll track and chase the animal, and eventually it will run to the perimeter, where the nearest hunter will take a shot.
This isn't the only way to hunt deer with hounds, but hunter Cecil Robbins says it's the most exciting.
"It's the thrill of that deer coming down through the woods," he says. "When you're sitting in a stand, the deer has no idea you're there. And he walks by and it's kind of like ambushing him."
Killing an unsuspecting animal from a tree stand--that's kind of exciting. But taking a shot at a desperate animal running for her life from a pack of dogs? Now that's thrilling fun. Here we have a happy admission that these hunters don't hunt because they want or need the animals' flesh for sustenance or because they're altruistically working to solve artificial overpopulation: they are hunting primarily for the thrill of killing a fleeing, terrified animal. Of course, this motivation for hunting is no big secret, despite what hunters' groups like to say in their defense, as they try to portray hunting as some sort of noble, selfless, or (spare me, please) respectful endeavor. But it just warms the heart when every once in a while someone admits why they're really doing it.
A Right to Breed? What Are You Smoking?
Published December 22, 2008 @ 01:08PM PT
If you thought I was cranky this past week during my little-sleep, lots-of-work marathon, brace yourself. Crankiness overload ahead.
Breeders and other vigorous, indignant defenders of humans' "right" to own and use animals have found this site and this blog. If you pay attention to the comment threads, you already know this. And if you've participated in or paid attention to the recent threads on the Biden-and-his-dog posts specifically, you know the conversation about breeding and about shelter dogs (who apparently are just unpredictable mongrels you'll likely have to return, so you might as well not adopt them in the first place) has been getting heated. And I could have said the following in one of those threads, but I feel this topic warrants a post of its own.
Could we please look at the absurdity of the argument that humans have the "right"--and a "right" that some think needs to be defended as vigorously as the right to free speech or the right to take in oxygen--to "breed" animals? Really, manipulating another living being's reproduction, so that you can benefit from her pregnancy, is a right? Inserting yourself into, controlling, and exploiting one of the most private, personal events that any animal--the human kind included--experiences is a right? (And yes, I could just as easily be talking about what happens in the dairy industry and other animal ag here too.)
Even the way we talk about it is ridiculous--we "breed" animals. Although we, as members of an entirely different species, have no business being any part of the process at all, and this is supposed to be an act that's naturally their own, it has instead become something we do to them, in order to get from them what we want. They are things, things that we control, things without interests of their own, things with which we can do whatever we want. Except they're not.
Breeders take a living being, and they objectify her. She doesn't get pregnant and give birth to puppies. She is bred, and she produces puppies. Breeders and other staunch supporters of animal exploitation, including those who have made this blog and the AR section of Ideas for Change their new hangout, are working themselves into a frenzy over the fact that AR advocates want to strip them of their right--their right, damn it!--to exploit animals in the most personal, invasive of ways and to treat them like resources, like commodities.
More and more these days, I'm hearing and seeing battle cries about our rights! our rights! when it comes to human exploitation of animals. We've reached the point where anything we want to do, we claim we have a right to do. But you know what? Just saying it doesn't make it true.
I'm sure lots of you have something to say now too. Let the games begin.
Puppy Biden, Take 2
Published December 21, 2008 @ 09:36AM PT
As many of you have probably heard by now, Joe Biden will be adopting a second dog--from a shelter. I don't harbor any delusions that the specific conversation here had any influence on that decision, but the general widespread public outcry from animal rights and welfare groups and individuals surely had an impact. Let's be clear that I'm thrilled Biden is planning to bring a second dog into his home and that he's going the wiser, kinder adoption route this time, and I give him credit for the decision.
That said, I still like what Doris Lin of About.com had to say about the interview with George Stephanopoulos in which Biden made the announcement:
What's missing from the interview is any hint of an apology or sign of regret over the puppy mill purchase. Stephanopoulos' comment gave Biden the perfect chance to respond to the public, but instead of addressing the issue directly, Biden ducks. You can watch the video at Stephanopoulos' blog.
While adopting a shelter dog is a good move, in no way does it makes up for purchasing the first puppy from a puppy mill. Biden says that they've always had two dogs, so he could have adopted two dogs from a shelter.
. . . it might have been too late to stop that sale, but it's never too late for an apology. Biden's animal-friendly positions have been lauded within the animal protection community, so his actions send a strong message to the public. I just wish he would admit his mistake.
Staying on the Streets to Stay with Companion Animals
Published December 20, 2008 @ 06:39AM PT
Shannon Moriarty, Change.org's End Homelessness blogger, just published a post titled "Choosing Pets Over Shelter."
How do you choose between shelter and a best friend? This is the impossible decision pet-lovers face when losing their homes. Since most shelters don't allow animals, homeless people with pets often elect to stay on the streets rather than part with their four-legged companion... a decision that can be dangerous when the elements become harsh.
Indeed, pets can be a key reason that homeless people choose living on the streets over shelters. The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that between five and ten percent of homeless people have an animal companion (although this has never been formally surveyed). Yet, only two (yes, just 2!) pet-friendly homeless shelters exist in the United States (in Florida and California).
Before Obama Had His Warren, Biden Had His Shepherd
Published December 19, 2008 @ 01:20AM PT
Is the White House doghouse big enough for both Obama and Biden? In just one short week, both have raised the ire of consituencies through important selections. Yes, I realized a couple days ago that I'm one of the few not yet on the record saying, "What the hell?!" in response to soon-to-be-VP Joe Biden's purchase of a puppy from a breeder as opposed to adoption from a shelter or rescue. Consider this my official "What the hell?! What was he thinking?" response. There are some people who buy dogs from backyard breeders, pet stores, puppy mills, and so-called responsible breeders (no such thing in this world, folks--no such thing) without realizing the problems associated with that choice. It's becoming increasingly more difficult not to be aware, but it's not impossible. So I try not to jump on people immediately if it seems clear or even possible that they really didn't know any better when originally making that decision. Many, once informed and given the chance to reflect on the matter, commit to never buying an animal from a store or breeder again.
But Biden? Not one of those didn't-know-better types. Not by a long shot. (Indeed, it's frustrating to recall that Biden was even referred to as a "stalwart friend of animal welfare advocates" during the presidential campaign.) Even if someone really needs a certain breed of dog if he or she is to have a dog (and honestly, those instances of needing a specific breed of dog are incredibly, incredibly rare), there are plenty of rescue organizations that take in and adopt out purebred dogs as well as plenty of purebred dogs in shelters all across the country. Someone with Joe Biden's resources and public persona would have had no trouble finding and adopting a German shepherd.
So a reader sent me a private message last weekend asking what we can do about this faux paw (oh, I amuse myself) by Biden.
For the Love of a Dog
Published November 26, 2008 @ 09:53AM PT
Because of a ruptured ligament, one of my dearest friends is having surgery today. Recovery will be relatively slow and difficult because of her old age, arthritis, and apparent past ligament tears and the general limitations required for recovery. Though I ultimately agreed with the veterinarians that this surgery was Chance’s best option, I am still afraid of what this long recovery will be like, of how depressed she might become and what mobility and strength she might lose because of the required lack of exercise—of how that might alter what time she has left. And though she could very well have three more happy, relatively healthy years to live, I fear the possibility that she does have only a little time left, and I’ve committed her to spending a large portion of it in restrictive recovery.
She is an irreplaceable friend who has sat beside me (literally) during my darkest moments, who has provided daily laughter and joy, whose life is in its final chapter, and whose decline and aging are a source of ache these days. I realized last night, as I watched her sleep, as I cursed how quickly morning would come and bring pain and restrictions that she won’t understand, that there was nothing else that I could possibly write about this morning.
I have watched this old dog do extraordinary things for others over the years. I have watched her serve as comfort and friend to souls who aren’t sure they can trust others. In a nursing home, Chance elicited smiles and laughter from my fading grandmother and from other residents we encountered whose faces looked solemn until this odd-looking but adorable dog came prancing through, sniffing their feet and licking their hands. When we lived in Champaign, I watched her act the role of something between mother and friend to two young beings, one a puppy down the street and the other a little boy who lived across the alley from us, in a house where baseless screaming and cursing (at the boy) were common sounds and sights but where affection seemed rare. When his mother was not around or paying attention, and he saw us outside, he liked to sneak over to visit Chance. Despite being an energetic and rambunctious kid, he was gentle with her, and she was gentle in return. She was happy (and quick) to roughhouse with both children and other dogs, but she seemed to know that play wasn’t what this particular boy wanted or needed. He needed quiet patience and gentle affection, and she provided it.
