A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue # 01/26/03
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ ParkStRanger@aol.com
~
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ The Active Activist By Michelle Rivera
2 ~ Macy's Reply To My Little Experiment By Kimberly Locke
3 ~ Job Opportunity
4 ~ Hunters Target Spay/Neuter, Companion Animal Health Plan
5 ~ Animal Rights Law Summer Course
6 ~ ACT Radio - Animal Concerns of Texas
7 ~ Mohawk's Story
8 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
The Active Activist
Getting
involved in rescue on a local level
By Michelle Rivera - MichelleRivera1@aol.com
Do
dogs and cats deserve the same rights as do the whales, wolves and
elephants? Some in the animal rights community would have you believe
that they do not. But as one of the keynote speakers said during the
Animal Rights 2002 conference, let’s not forget about the dogs and cats in
shelters around town. They have rights too. And what better way to get active
than to help out with your local rescue groups?
First, just accept that there is going to be an enormous chasm between your
philosophy and that of the people at the shelter or rescue group. They are
probably outraged at the local news about an animal cruelty case and express it
with vehemence and passion over their Kentucky Fried Chicken lunch. Get
over it and try to concentrate on the things you have in common. (But be sure
to make faces at the people actually eating and hold your nose in disgust while
gingerly reaching across the table to give them the latest PeTA offering about
how the C in KFC stands for Cruelty! - I am not advocating you miss an
opportunity to EDUCATE!)
Think of it this way -- taking a shelter dog for a walk or to the local
PetsMart on a Saturday afternoon so that he can get adopted is a rewarding
experience for you and a life-altering experience for a lonely canine or feline
who is counting down the days until someone comes along and places a big black
X on their cage card. Helping out at your local shelter by walking dogs
is one way to get active. There are so many more.
Fundraisers - offer to organize a fundraiser for your local shelter or
rescue group. Don’t just call them with great ideas for fundraisers (we really
hate when people do that), but actually put one on for them. It’s fun and easy
and will bring you into contact with lots of other animal people so that you
can form alliances and build support groups. That way, when you have the
Great American Meat Out in your home town, you will already have a mailing
list! (More on the Great American Meat out in this column next month). A
fundraiser can be anything from throwing a party and charging a fee to
organizing a rummage sale, bake sale or car wash. The money raised could
be earmarked for spay/neuter efforts, humane education or a fund for animals
needing medical care. Press releases are a cinch to write and send out and get
the media involved. Go to www.peta.org or www.hsus.org and look at their press releases
to see how they are written.
Breed Rescue - Find the local breed rescue groups in your state and
offer to help with fostering, transport or adoption. Breed rescue groups are
usually comprised of dog breeders so you need to steel yourself for the
inevitable differences of opinion; but again, concentrate on the common
ground. We like breed rescue groups because it keeps people out of pet
stores and that helps cut down on the puppy mill profits. We like that idea a
lot! Some people want certain breeds and no matter how much we educate
people as to the value and wonder of mixed-breed dogs, only a purebred will do.
We don’t want to send them to breeders and we certainly don’t want to send them
to petstores and the purebred dogs in shelters (about 33% of all the shelter
dogs) usually have insurmountable problems because they came from a puppy mill
in the first place. Breed rescue is a viable alternative and one that we
can all live with. Do you have an affinity for Afghans? A passion for poodles
or can’t live another day without a Bichon Frise? There is someone nearby who
likes them too and wants to help them find homes. If you are the local
“animal lover” and people are always asking you where they can get a specific
breed, it would be helpful if you know ahead of time who in your community is
working with Breed Rescue. And there are national organizations that need
your help too. A year ago I started helping to transport Siamese cats
from shelters to foster homes or adoptive homes. Some Siamese cats needed to
make their way from Florida to Virginia or places west. Not wanting to
trust these little beauties to an airline (for good reason), a group called
Siamese Rescue out of Virginia started a little effort called the Meezer
Express (Siameeezers). They recruited foster homes all over the country
and now have a great little effort going on to help Siamese cats find new homes.
The older ones that are so much harder to place go to Meezer Geezer
homes. I also foster for Siamese Rescue and my first foster cat, Tristan,
found a loving home with one of my in-laws who is properly spoiling him! I have
made lots of wonderful friends through my efforts to help Siamese cats in
memory of my sweet, sweet Sable, a lovely Siamese that I adopted from a shelter
in Germany and who lived for over twenty years. (For information or to
volunteer to help Siamese Rescue go to www.SiameseRescue.org). If you
want to get involved with one of the canine breed rescue groups, just use the
keyword for your special breed to find one that does rescue.
Foster/Transport - Some rescue groups, especially the ones that have no
facility, are in need of volunteers to help get animals to the vet, the groomer
or from the shelter or pound to a foster home. There is a group in my
town called the Animal Rescue Force that raised money to buy themselves an
R.V. Now, they pick up the animals that are scheduled for euthanasia at
the county pound and they bring them to shopping centers around the county
where they try to adopt them out to good homes. There is an application and
references are checked and a donation is required. The animals not adopted
usually go home with a volunteer for a week for a second chance. If you
have an extra bedroom or can accommodate another critter for a short time,
consider offering your services as a foster parent.
Neonatal care - The jury is still out on whether it is a good
idea to attempt to raise puppies and kittens who become orphaned. Some
vets feel that because they lack their parents they cannot become well
socialized and suffer from immune disorders. My own cat was orphaned at two
days old when his mom was killed by a dog. But I raised him with KMR
(kitten milk replacement) and he survived. Now, at age five, he is THE CAT FROM
HELL and suffers from a variety of expensive and painful autoimmune disorders.
I probably won’t do THAT again. But if you believe in giving all living things
a second chance and that the vets are not always right, you may want to offer
your services as a neonatal caregiver. Call your local shelter and let
them know you are willing to take in a puppy or kitten and feed him or her for
about eight weeks until he or she is healthy enough to be put up for
adoption. If you are really adventurous, get connected with a local
wildlife rehabilitator and help out with injured or orphaned wild animals
too. There is not much controversy over their care because they are not
supposed to be socialized anyway.
Education - If you like to speak out for animals you may want to offer
your services as a public speaker, humane educator or newsletter writer for
your local rescue group. A lot of humane societies or rescue groups are
always looking for people to help with website services. If you have some
animal-related expertise -- share! This could be as simple as visiting
the PeTA website and ordering a free copy of the Share the World video and
asking teachers if you can show it during after-school programs or even during
study periods.
Wildlife Rehabilitation - The world is full of people who STILL believe
that if you touch a baby bird you will get human cooties on it and the mom
won’t raise it. Newsflash! Birds cannot smell! Not very well
at least. If you have a wildlife rehabber nearby and like to walk on the
wild side, go volunteer to educate the public about wildlife issues, stay on
top of pending wildlife legislation and help out in the clinic or driving the
van once in a while. Be sure that you are helping an actual sanctuary and
not a roadside zoo or entertainment enterprise (but if you do get involved with
one of those accidentally, PeTA will be happy to hook you up with a video
camera and be your new best friend!)
Get active! There’s so much work to be done and the rewards are endless. I get
e-mails and phone calls from people all the time who complain that they feel
lonely because all they do is send money to the big nationals but they never
get to actually DO anything. This column is dedicated to all of you lonely
people out there that want to help animals. You can do it. We can
help.
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~2~
Macy's Reply To My Little
Experiment
By Kimberly Locke - KMBWolf@aol.com
As
many of you remember, I recently wrote an article about an experimental project
I undertook in 2002. I've received many, many letters asking what Macy's
response was to this experiment.
After mailing and emailing the same article you read, I finally got an email
back. Here it is, unedited and uncut, for your reading pleasure.
*************
Dear Kimberly Locke,
Thank you for your recent e-mail. We appreciate you taking the time to contact
us.
We have received your recent communication regarding the sale of fur in our
stores, and want to thank you for taking time to share your views with us on
this very sensitive and emotional topic.
We respect your views, and those of the many others who decline to buy fur
products or to shop in stores that sell them. Clearly, such decisions
made by individual consumers function as an effective barometer for determining
what will and will not be offered for sale in a free and open marketplace.
As retailers, our role is that of a buying agent for the American
consumer. It is the consumer who ultimately will determine whether fur
will continue to be a viable product in the American retail marketplace.
If no one wants to buy, retailers will not sell it. Right now, this is
not the case.
Unfortunately, while many people share your opinions about fur, and buy only
faux furs, which we also sell, many others do not, and they too, are our
customers. It is our belief that censorship of legitimate market
offerings by the retailers would subvert a role that properly is the consumer's
in a free market process.
I hope you can appreciate our position on this subject, even though it may
differ from your own. Nonetheless, I appreciate having this opportunity
to respond, and thank you again for taking the time to write to us.
If you have any further questions, please e-mail us at macysmaildesk@fds.com or
call us at 1-800-289-6229. Our office hours are Monday through Saturday
9:00 AM to 12:00 AM EST and Sunday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM EST.
Best Regards,
Kelesia J Bomar
Internet Customer Service
http://www.macys.com
*************
Pretty much the same response as the letter that sparked this experiment.
Therefore, I am starting a new campaign. I am encouraging all of you to save
ALL your receipts from ALL your purchases from non-fur-selling stores that you
could have bought at Macy's--clothes, jewelry, etc. At the end of the year send
copies of the receipts to:
Macy's East
Mr. James Gray, President and CEO
151 W. 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
800-289-6229
JGray@fds.com
Let's show them how much money they are losing from those of us boycotting
Macy's for their determination to sell fur. Together, we can show Macy's that
our dollars are being spent elsewhere, only because they sell fur.
They could have had a grand from me in 2002. Show them how much they could have
had from you in 2003.
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~3~
Job Opportunity
PET TRADE SPECIALIST – People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PeTA) seeks a pet trade specialist with previous
casework-related mediation or intervention experience to coordinate all
departmental efforts to campaign against the pet trade industry. This
person will be responsible for keeping abreast of pertinent news and
developments in the pet trade industry, handle captive bird issues, and provide
intervention and assistance in a wide variety of animal abuse situations.
This person will also represent PeTA to the media. Candidate must have
proven proofreading, organizational, and research skills as well as strong
written and verbal communication skills. Candidate must also have the
ability to make independent decisions in crisis situations needing authority
intervention. A degree in a related field is preferred. Animal
Friendly. Competitive salary and benefits. Please send resume with
cover letter to PeTA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk,
VA 23510; or fax to 757-628-0789.
Kim DeWester
Human Resources Coordinator
The PeTA Foundation
Tel: 757-622-7382, ext. 1404
Fax: 757-628-0789
KimberlyD@fsap.org
PETA-online.org
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~4~
Hunters Target
Spay/Neuter, Companion Animal Health Program
From HUMANElines - humanelines@hsus.org
In
the past few decades, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) has spent millions
of dollars countering the efforts of animal protection organizations, defending
such unethical and cruel practices as canned hunting, bear baiting, and the
trophy hunting of threatened species. Now, taking its extremist attacks against
animals one step farther, the USSA has launched an assault against PETsMART for
its recent, generous grant to The HSUS’ Remote Area Veterinary Services (RAVS)
program. The RAVS program provides much-needed health care services – rabies
vaccinations, free spay/ neuter, and general medical attention – to dogs and
cats in rural, often desperately poor areas of the country, including Native
American reservations. The RAVS benefits not just the health of dogs and cats
in these communities, but also human health, which can be compromised by things
like rabies outbreaks and dog bites when companion animal health care is
neglected. Yet the USSA, in its blind hostility towards animal protection
groups, is asking its members to bombard PETsMART in protest of its support of
the RAVS program.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
For the sake of the dogs and cats who live in impoverished communities
throughout the country, we must generate traffic into PETsMART to counter the
vocal protests of USSA members. Go to http://www.hsus.org/ace/16105 for the
full story, and to download a “Thank You” card that you can take to your nearest
PETsMART store. Let PETsMART know that you care about animal protection and
appreciate its support of the RAVS program. If there isn’t a PETsMART store in
your area, you can write a letter of support and send it to:
PETsMART Charities
19601 North 27th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85027
(We’re asking you not to send an e-mail or call because we don’t want to
further burden PETsMART’s systems.)
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~5~
Animal Rights Law Summer Course
Course
description:
Animal Rights Law: Nonhuman animals have no legal rights. We will discuss some
current legal protections, standing, sources, and characteristics of
fundamental rights-why humans are entitled to them, why nonhumans are denied
them, whether they should be limited to humans and, if not, what nonhuman
animals should be entitled to under common law, and to which legal rights
should they be entitled.
Professor bio:
Steven M. Wise, President, Center for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights, Inc.
and practicing animal rights attorney for 25 years. Mr. Wise represents
organizations that seek institutional changes in the place of nonhuman animals
in our law and individuals whose companion animals have been injured or killed.
He has taught Animal Rights Law at Vermont Law School for 12 years. He has also
taught at Harvard Law School, John Marshall Law School, and Tufts University
School of Veterinary Medicine. He is the author of Drawing the Line: Science
and
the Case for Animal Rights and Rattling the Cage-Toward Legal Rights for
Animals.
Course dates: July 7-17, 2003/Monday-Thursday/1:00-4:00pm
Web link: http://www.vermontlaw.edu/community/elc/elcsucou01.cfm#arl
For more information or to register for this course contact the
Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School at (800) 227-1395 ext. 2201 or
elcinfo@vermontlaw.edu.
Tepin Johnson
Outreach Coordinator
Environmental Law Center
Vermont Law School
(800) 227-1395 ext. 2332
tejohnson@vermontlaw.edu
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~6~
ACT Radio - Animal Concerns of
Texas
Be sure to listen to ACT Radio's sixth episode
tonight at 9:30pm EST (7:30pm, mountain time) with co-hosts Mimi Macias and
Animal Rights Online journalists Greg Lawson and Steve Best.
KTEP can be heard over the web with Real Radio, which is a free download.
http://www.ktep.org/program_detail.ssd?id=103
El Paso NPR - KTEP 88.5 :
National Public Radio for the Southwest
Tonight is our second conversation with Howard Lyman, author of MadCowboy,
Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat, and codefendant in
the Oprah Winfrey vs. the Texas Cattlemen's Association trial. We will
discuss the new movie about Howard's life and free speech issues.
If you enjoy the show, please contact KTEP and tell them you support ACT Radio
and are pleased to hear this kind of programming.
General
Feedback: http://www.ktep.org/index.ssd
A note about
getting Real Radio if you don't already have it...
On the KTEP website you will see an icon on the left that says Listen to KTEP
Online, click it. The next page will say "In order to listen to KTEP
on-line you will need the Real Player, which is available for free on the Real
website. Click here to visit their download area." Go there.
That page will try to sell you the deluxe RealOne Player, but look in the top
right hand corner, there is a link that says "Free RealOne Player."
Go there.
Now on this page, on the bottom right, you will see a link that says
"Download the Free RealOne Player Only." This is what you want.
The download takes a little time, so be sure to do this early so you won't miss
today's installment of ACT Radio.
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~7~
Mohawk's Story
By C. Bryant
From lgubbe@sasktel.net
Today as I sit here all cozy and warm,
I look outside and watch the blustery winter storm.
It wasn't that long ago I was out in the cold,
And like many a stray cat, my story has never been told.
For life as a young kitten was really tough,
The children who had me were much too rough.
One day in self defence I scratched and I bit,
For I'd had enough of being battered and hit.
They became angry and I was thrown out the door,
When I begged to come in, I was told "you don't live here
anymore."
Oh, where to find food, oh, where to keep warm,
Oh, where to seek shelter from winter's harsh storm.
Every day I looked for food and tried to survive,
I ate from the garbage just to stay alive.
My coat had become matted right down to the skin,
And with no food to eat, I had become very thin.
One day a SCAT volunteer, such a kind soul,
Put out a trap with a smelly food bowl.
With hunger gnawing at my tummy, I entered to dine,
The door crashed shut and I started to yowl and to whine.
My body was shaking and trembling with fear,
She looked inside and softly said "Oh, what a dear!"
She drove me to the vet and said "another from the trailer
court."
At first their attention and love I did thwart.
It wasn't long before my mattes were shaved and I had a new look,
They called me "Mohawk" and entered me in their book.
I could never be sure when they took me from my cage,
Whether, if like the children, I was going to be the victim of their
rage.
"Oh, what to do with Mohawk" Linda said to her friend,
"With this biting there seems to be no end.
He is tame, so putting him back in a colony won't do,
And the only volunteer who won't be afraid of him has to be you."
Soon I was loaded into a kennel and on my way to a new house.
This place isn't so bad, there's lots of food, a soft bed & even a
toy mouse.
Now when I go to bite, my new Mom gently takes me by the scruff,
And says "No Mohawk", that's quite enough!
Life here is good, I can't believe my luck,
I have lots of food, love and I've become quite a suck!
Sitting in the window and watching the birds is such fun,
I can smell the fresh air and bask in the sun.
I love to help make popcorn and watch as it flies down the chute,
And dipping my paws in the melting butter is a real hoot!
"Oh Mohawk, out of the butter" I get threatened with a
squirt,
But water from a spritzer bottle surely won't hurt.
My fur has grown back, all silky and soft,
And I pretend I'm a lion lounging in my loft.
Life certainly is wonderful as I sit on the inside of the outside door,
And with a screened in deck to enjoy, I couldn't want for more.
I love to snuggle under the covers to sleep,
I even allow the dog her place on the bed to keep.
I've heard my foster Mom say,
"Mohawk, you've stolen my heart and here you will stay."
Oh God in heaven, please hear my prayer,
For the other cats on the street to have someone to care.
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~8~
Memorable Quote
"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology
has exceeded our humanity."
~ Albert
Einstein (03/14/1879-1955)
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal Rights Online=-
&
Advisory Board Member, Animal Rights Network Inc.,
not-for-profit publisher of The Animals' Agenda Magazine
http://www.animalsagenda.org/
The
Animals' Agenda Magazine: WebEdition
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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