This is a combination of both my favourite posts, and some of the animal rescue news items for 2010. I hope you enjoy!
First,
If I were to start a charity to help homeless people, take donations from the public and my organisation was called, The Foundation for the Charismatic, Good Looking, Healthy Homeless, I think I’d have some explaining to do. And yet for many in the animal welfare world, their charity model is based on this exact idea; The Foundation for the Easily Rehomed, Well Behaved, Healthy Homeless Pet.
How humans project morality onto dogs in the event of dog attacks. Does our anthropomorphism mean we’re acting out of revenge, rather than dealing directly with the causes of dog attacks?
The truth isn’t “cats get euthanised because people don’t want to come forward and collect them”, the truth is cats get ‘euthanised’ because pounds don’t work on finding solutions OTHER than killing them.
Even when we can demonstrate clever adoption strategies, outreach and community supporting programs can save all healthy, treatable pets, a burning resentment of the public means these ideas are rejected in favour of ‘blame’. The misanthrope is alive and well in animal welfare.
Why banning pet shop sales, isn’t going to drive people to animal adoption. When you consider the hurdles to adoption, the out of the way locales of most pounds, the inconvenient opening hours and the difficulties in getting pounds to work with their communities, rather than against them – it’s a wonder that any pets get adopted at all.
Animal welfare isn’t big on data – we prefer instead a simple theory; ‘people are irresponsible, and we kill pets because homes can’t be found for them all’.
We can either treat our public like an enemy, or a resource – it’s our choice.
If a national dolphin advocacy group neither furthered the view that wild dolphins deserved protection, nor promoted the science showing why they deserved compassion – in fact they were the biggest killer of dolphins – we would be outraged. However, cat ‘welfare’ groups straddle this ethical divide unashamedly.
‘Resistance’ is how a traditional, high kill pound or shelter defends the status quo when it realises that its community has turned against it.
You don’t build a No Kill shelter by ‘not killing pets’ (although the belief that a shelter’s obligation is to save lives, is definitely at the core), you build it by first reaching out to the community to establish what resources they have that can help you – developing the relationships both inside and outside the industry you need to succeed – and finally calling on the public to take ownership of the mission your organisation has set yourself.
Now, a month by month list of some of the most interesting stories of the year;
Blacktown’s god awful bidding process was in the spotlight, with advocates chasing a seemingly common sense group of procedures and policies that could take them to No Kill overnight.
The Lost Dogs Home gave not killing pets a try, only to find the community rallied to save pets. Unfortunately, this new life saving focus was not to last.
Animal welfare groups use ‘a little bit of necessary legislation’ to turn personal beliefs into law, and drive us into a future where owned cats are indoors and outdoors cats are fair game.
The McKinlay Shire Council of north-west Queensland canceled its cat bounty after sightings of rats.
The RSPCA confirm that maverick ‘feral animal’ trappers use inherently cruel techniques to kill the animals they deem unworthy of life.
With mandatory desexing failing to produce lowered kill rates as promised, advocates start making up new theoretical benefits.
Perth cat welfare groups claim certain suburbs need cat laws to make them more ‘responsible’, ignoring evidence that these are also some of the poorest suburbs in the state.
Australian report shows targeted desexing programs as the key to reducing strays and ferals.
United States study shows shelters got dog breed identification right just 4 in 16 times.
Invasive Animals chief Professor Tony Peacock says that blowing up rabbits isn’t as inhuman as people might think. Silly people.
Research has shown that 40% of cat owners are secretly feeding a cat they don’t own – rather than tell these people they suck, why not ask them to help us?
‘A pet is for life, not just for Christmas’ slogan came out in 1978 – do we think we could move on, yet?
Melinda and Les Paxton applied to have their puppy farm licence renewed. They had been using the internet to ship puppies nationally, keeping 59 sick, starving and diseased animals in five kennels. They are later raided by the RSPCA.
Pets Paradise seek sponsorship for sick pets, from sick kids.
Unclaimed pets aren’t only dying in pounds, they’re being killed after their owners have come forward to claim them.
2010’s Australian cat management report for the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, suggests eradication is unrealistic and that cats probably are just one factor amongst lots of really serious factors in native fauna extinction.
Senior dog Royce is seized from his home and elderly owner by Blacktown council for being a ‘pit bull’ (Royce had lived without incident as a staffy cross, until the police took him). After a month of impoundment and a professional assessment, council returned him.
In just three years, the ‘Who’s for Cats’ program drives Victoria into record cat impoundments.
Casino (NSW) choose to kill and blame their community for killing, rather than implement programs to stop it.
Michael Linke leads the RSPCA ACT to lifesaving success; “We home a greater percentage of animals than any other open admission Australian shelter and we are influencing dozens of shelters and pounds across Australia and internationally to improve the number of animals homed.”
How the language of animal welfare groups actually confirm the public’s suspicions that rescue dogs are ‘faulty’.
How a few stock photos can change ‘high production kennel’ to wuvvy-dubby dog sanctuary.
Mitcham Council’s cat bylaw passes. The bylaw “aims to reduce feral cat numbers” by targeting owned cats. Perfectly illogical.
The Cat Protection Society of Victoria’s ‘Cat Crisis Coalition’ pushes common and discredited myths in an effort to drive mandatory desexing legislation.
While Calgary find unequivocal success in partnering with the community, Australian groups still favour chasing the laws that have failed everywhere.
By vilifying the victims and painting cats as vermin, Australia sees a boom in anti-cat sentiment and violence.
No Kill advocates find their voice; a video from Nathan Winograd and a post on why people aren’t so stupid as to find the concept of No Kill too complex.
The Victorian RSPCA tries to attract people to save homeless pets by telling people how broken and abused they are.
Graeme Smith of the Lost Dogs Home uses an attack by a group of staffies as a chance to condemn the pit bull.
The SPCA New Zealand share their ‘Saving Lives’ program – a No Kill blueprint to saving every healthy, treatable pet in the country.
Pets Haven show how you can use social media to save a pet in 2hrs
PEDIGREE announce they’re spending $4 million on promoting homeless dog adoption.
Fraser Coast Council ask their community to help them save pets. The community respond and 79 pets are rehomed in a week.
Bendigo: a case study in cat management
9 out of 10 cats are entering the Logan shelter are unidentified and undesexed (unowned). Despite killing 600 of these unowned cats in three months, the council still blames ‘irresponsible owners’.
The Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science ‘Factors Relevant to Adoption of Cats in an Animal Shelter‘ researched the effects of toys, cage location, and cat characteristics on adoptions.
Mitcham Council (SA, not VIC) is encouraging residents dob in neighbours who own more than two cats or who fail to microchip and register them, as part of the enforcement model for their new cat bylaws. Can we say community friction?
Why WA’s new cats laws will mean death for millions of animals.
Why we can’t just ‘get rid of’ free-roaming cats
Why research, when you can hate? Cats – an easy target for lazy environmentalists
Free is saving lives. The astounding power of free pet adoption events.
The Victorian Government look to give councils the power to kill impounded dogs, without allowing them the community agreed holding time. This law would later become the basis for their ‘shoot to kill’ dog control powers passed in June.
The City of Swan – a case study in cat management (or $243 per cat).
After animal weldaer groups strengthening their cat laws to target ‘unowned’ cats, empowered Queensland cat trappers targeting pets.
Huge success in the ACT thanks to innovative shelter policy, and rather than demand it in other states, animal welfare groups again go after breeders.
Rescue groups tell people that outdoor cats need to be caught and impounded for their own good, then tell the public ‘it’s not our job’ when asked to impound cats.
No Kill conference video blog – day 1 in Washington DC.
No Kill conference video blog – day 2 in Washington DC.
‘Shelter’ means pound in the US – why this affects our No Kill message.
The Lost Dogs Home again, this time denying that they’re ‘killing’, but are in fact ‘euthanasing’ their animals.
The Cooma-Monaro Shire Council (NSW) has shaken off the excuses and have save 97% of the dogs they impounded.
Solutions, not killing; cat management in New Zealand
Offering innovative behavioural rehabilitation for pets is a vital step to modern sheltering. The ‘Pups in Prison’ program gives both inmates and dogs a second chance.
Whyalla Council Pound in SA was under fire for using a gas chamber to kill stray pets with a near 100% kill rate for unclaimed animals. They would later pledge to stop using the gas chamber.
Blacktown Pounds (NSW) starts using ‘Pet of the Week’ adverts and finds the featured dog is adopted immediately after going to print, while cat adoptions increase.
Don’t pretend WA’s cat laws are about saving cats
Next time you hear some extraordinarily rich animal welfare group bleating on about how ‘it has to kill pets’ because the government won’t introduce compulsory desexing/ban puppy farms/licence owners… know that there are other organisations that are reducing pet killing by simply helping their community.
‘People who can’t afford desexing have no business getting a cat’ – yes, but now what?
‘Adoption days’ are a huge hit with the public. How to save 6 dogs in three hours.
The big, fun guide to saving cats this summer
The RSPCA Million Paws Walk has been crowned the winner of the Best Charity or Cause Related Event at the Australian Event Awards 2010. Do we really still believe Australia’s don’t care about pets?
Councils continue to be given the blessing of animal welfare groups to trap and kill cats without owners.
The Cat Protection Society of Victoria shows us all how to fail at animal sheltering, with 12,491 intakes and a 91% kill rate. They would later sack the board members who dared question their policies.
Remember the $24 million dollar Macquarie Island cat cull? Turns out indiscriminate poisoning is bad for the environment.
Say it with me; if you want people to adopt your pets, you have to offer more than euthanasia statistics
They’re all adorable and they all need a home.
An Australian report asks, are ‘unscientific’ temperament tests costing dogs their lives?
The RSPCA Victoria uses a ‘free’ cat promotion to save 110 cats in three days.
Can you ‘dump’ an animal at an animal shelter?
We often hear that the community doesn’t know how to care for pets, that the community has no business in animal welfare and that pets are better of dead than in the hands of the public. These beliefs kill healthy animals.
How does the circle of blame cost cats their lives?
3,101 adopted, 13,594 killed – The Lost Dogs Home stats for the year are in.
Victorian foster care networks save lives in a state where more pets are killed, than rehomed. New codes of practice should be used to cement the rights of these groups to save the lives of pets, pounds are set to kill.
How to make sure your annual animal welfare donation goes to saving lives.
The San Francisco SPCA feature adoptable dogs and cats at Macy’s in San Francisco’s Union Square. Awesome.
Understanding who your supporters are needs to be at the core of every piece of information you put out to your public. Do you know who you are talking to?
The Sydney Dogs and Cats Home makes a declaration to life saving and it goes bananas with community support.
Condemning people still getting pets as xmas gifts because of a link to pet abandonment, would be fine… if there were one. But there isn’t. And we know this because people have done actual studies on the factors surrounding pet relinquishment.
Shelters won’t stop the killing, without making provisions for untame cats. There’s no ‘No Kill’ without TNR
The City of Casey’s council pound tender has gone from the RSPCA to the Lost Dogs home. Given the Lost Dogs Home already high kill rate, do shelters need to show a commitment to animals?
In the minds of advocates, cat laws are considered ‘free’, while services to help cat owners obviously cost money. But are cat laws really free?
Cats in the community – my presentation from the Cat Welfare Symposium, and an article in the media advocating that community cats are worthy of compassion, alongside their owned counterparts
Thanks very much for being an advocate for animals and for stopping by Saving Pets. Happy new year!
