Defending the Defenseless: A guide to protecting and advocating for pets

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2011:

Defending the Defenseless:
A guide to protecting
and advocating for pets
by Allie Phillips
Rowan & Littlefield
(4501 Forbes Blvd.,   Suite 200, Lanham MD 20706),  2011.
272 pages,  paperback.  $34.95.

Defending the Defenseless:  A guide to protecting and advocating for pets is well researched,  albeit a bit verbose,  but offers nothing new for those who work in the animal field. What progressive shelter manager doesn’t know the benefits of foster care and promoting adoptions?  Thousands of shelters now transport animals to save lives,  especially after disasters. This technique came into vogue after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  Just about everyone involved in animal rescue knows the misery of puppy mills,  a frequent topic of media exposés and fundraising appeals for more than 50 years.
Social media revolutionized animal rescue largely through Petfinder.com.  But interstate networking to rehome shelter animals is much less difficult than mobilizing to change public policy,  especially where spending tax money is required.  Winning federal legislation to end gassing animals and pound seizure seems unlikely, since there is no federal jurisdiction over how shelter animals may be killed,  and there are only nine Class B dealers,  nationwide,  who still sell random source animals to laboratories. Ending gassing and pound seizure will have to be done at the state and local level,  by persuading local constituencies.

Defending the Defenseless author Allie Phillips,  a practicing attorney,  highlights several shelters and rescue organizations,  but these do not appear to be doing anything unusual. At the back of the book Phillips lists people she believes to be sheltering experts,  but has omits many professionals with equally impressive credentials and much more hands-on experience. –Debra J. White