October 31, 2010Comments are closed.attitude, No Kill, resistance
From Ryan Clinton; ‘While We Argued, Queenie Died’
Surprisingly for most outside the movement, and unsurprisingly for all inside the movement, we are fought. We are fought more than we ever could have imagined. We are fought by powerful aides of politicians who prefer the comfort of a known death to the prospect of a life saved. We are fought by press members who have swallowed everything they’ve ever been told by shelter management— that reformers are obstacles, animals unwanted, and killing inevitable.
We are also fought, tooth and nail, by the most powerful animal-welfare organizations in the country, who cannot fathom the thought that local animal advocates— lawyers, doctors, teachers, nurses, and persons from virtually all other professions— might actually have something to add to the animal-welfare policy arena. And we are fought so devastatingly hard by the shelters themselves, who take the idea of life-saving reforms personally, and the idea that alternatives exist with incredible disdain.
The great tragedy is, of course, that while they fight us, dogs and cats continue to unnecessarily die. Good dogs, not just the vicious and hopelessly suffering, although they too deserve our love. Adorable and friendly kittens, not just feral cats, although they too deserve our love.
…. sometimes, it takes a wake-up call to remind us of what is at stake. And for me, this short film about Austin, its No Kill movement, and Austin Pets Alive did the trick.
Shelter from Kelly Sloan on Vimeo.
