ANIMAL CONTROL & RESCUE

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Montgomery County, Virginia, on November

10 became the first East Coast community to enact a

comprehensive anti-pet breeding ordinance. Similar to

ordinances recently passed in San Mateo County,

California, and King County, Washington, the ordinance

cleared the county council by a 6-0 vote after language

requiring private breeders to license each animal individual-

ly was removed. Anyone who allows pets to reproduce now

must buy a breeder’s permit, the permit number must be

listed in ads offering to sell or give away the offspring, and

the newborn animals must receive vaccinations. The licens-

ing fee for unaltered dogs and cats will be increased by an

unspecified but substantial amount, while the licensing fee

for animals who have been altered will remain $6.00. Each

license is good for three years. The ordinance also enables

the county to sterilize any dog or cat found roaming at large

at least three times in a calendar year. Whether the ordi-

nance can be enforced is still a matter of debate. A compli-

cating factor is that Montgomery County veterinarians

reportedly charge some of the highest prices for spay/neuter

found anywhere in the U.S.––$200 and up––and even dis-

count coupons available through the county humane society

cost as much as $70. Free coupons are available to low-

income pet keepers.

Animal Damage Control thrown out of New Mexico: WOULDN’T CHECK TRAPS

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

ALBUQUERQUE – –Living up to an old

promise, State Land Commissioner James Baca on

November 16 evicted the federal Animal Damage

Control program from New Mexico because the adminis-

trators wouldn’t agree to make ADC coyote trappers

check their traps at least once every 48 hours.

The eviction order covers six to eight million

acres of state-owned land, much of which is leased to

sheep and cattle ranchers. As environmental and animal

protection groups applauded, ranching groups called for

Baca’s ouster.

Helping pets keep homes

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

ALBANY, N.Y.––The Whiskers Animal

Benevolent League spays, neuters, and finds homes for

cats––and also helps both cats and dogs to stay in their

homes by helping pet keepers locate housing .

“One of our volunteers works exclusively on hous-

ing,” co-president Sue Mahar told ANIMAL PEOPLE.

Whiskers sees this as a priority because inability to find

housing that will accommodate pets is one of the leading

reasons why people surrender their pets to animal shelters.

“People call us with needs, and we research listings,”

Mahar continued. “We call every ad that doesn’t specifically

say ‘no pets.’ We also have an ad running continually in the

local real estate paper, and make contacts with rental agen-

cies. We’ve found that in a lot of apartment and condomini-

um complexes, they will accept pets if you can provide

some references, some places you’ve lived with the pets

where the landlords haven ‘t had problems.”

Andrew aftermath: The hurricane is over, but the storm goes on

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

MIAMI, FLORIDA–– First came Hurricane

Andrew, devastating south Florida and tearing a path of

destruction along the northern edge of the Gulf of Mexico

all the way to Louisiana. In the wake of the August 24

storm, animal rescuers impressed the world with prompt,

professional response. Observers including New York Times

correspondents, military personnel, and coordinators of

relief for human disaster victims praised––and sometimes

envied––what they saw.

“Noah was there!”, ANIMAL PEOPLE declared.

Then came exhaustion and frustration. In some

instances the need for help dragged on months longer than

public attention remained focused on the plight of the vic-

tims, both human and animal. Donations were fewer, as

were accolades. Combat fatigue soon followed. In other

cases, individuals who gained a sense of meaning and self-

worth from helping out insisted on continuing to “help” long

after their efforts ceased to be useful––and felt hurt when

told to go home.

Diet & Health

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Trained on a vegetarian diet by former come-

dian Dick Gregory, challenger Riddick Bowe cut his

weight from 272 pounds to 235, then beat Evander

Holyfield out of the world heavyweight boxing champi-

onship November 13––but celebrated with a meal of fried

chicken. Holyfield’s training diet was heavy on turkey

sandwiches. Fight commentators included defending

world cruiserweight champion Bobby Czyz, who revived

a struggling career after becoming a vegetarian several

years ago. (Other boxers of interest to animal people

include former three-time world heavyweight champion

Muhammed Ali, an outspoken critic of sport hunting,

and former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who

harbors numerous once abused animals adopted from

shelters and sanctuaries, where he makes a point of ask-

ing for, “The ugliest, the ones nobody else will want.”

Guest Column: Wildlife Ballot Initiatives And Why They Fail by Dena Jones Jolma

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

The initiative process is the most difficult and expensive approach to reforming

wildlife management at the state level. Opponents of wildlife management reform,

including the powerful National Rifle Association and Wildlife Legislative Fund of

America, are willing and able to spend in excess of one million dollars to defeat individ-

ual state initiatives. These groups have been successful in turning around public opinion

on issues such as banning steel-jawed leghold traps by financing intense media cam-

paigns.

Not since 1930 in Massachusetts have voters approved a trapping ban in a

statewide election. On this past Election Day, the voters of Arizona turned down a ban

on use of steel-jawed traps on public lands by a three-to-two margin. With that vote,

Arizona joined Oregon (1980) and Ohio (1977) as states where trapping bans have failed

in recent years.

Letters [Dec. 1992]

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Who Pays for FoA Spay/Neuter?

In your October and November

issues, you mentioned that Friends of

Animals has underwritten lowcost spaying

and neutering. As one of the veterinarians

whose practice participates in the FoA pro-

gram, I can tell you that the people who

“underwrite” this program are the veterinar-

ians who accept the imposed rate for the

surgery. FoA collects the money, issues

the certificates, and keeps $9 of the total

fee for this service. For example, they col-

lect $39 for a cat spay, then pay us $30.

Our regular rate is $51, so we underwrite

the discount by accepting $21 less for the

surgery. At one time FoA endeavored to

force participating veterinarians to include

DHL, parvo, and psuedoleukemia vaccina-

tions at no additional charge, but backed

off this demand when, I suspect, partici-

pating veterinarians fled the program.

––Joanne V. Baldwin, DVM,

Richmond, Virginia

Letters

Editorial: Veterinarians are animal people too

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Veterinarians, as a profession, have a morale problem. It’s not that they don’t love

their work; most do. Dropouts from veterinary work are few, while competition to get into

veterinary schools is intense as ever. The morale problem comes, rather, from feeling

unappreciated. And it isn’t just a matter of not getting enough pats and tail-wags from happy

patients. Increasing numbers of veterinarians are having trouble meeting the sometimes con-

flicting demands of maintaining ethical standards and making a living.

Today’s veterinarians are acutely conscious of ethical issues involving animals.

Witness the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ recent stand against docking dogs’ tails

(see page 14); the 1991 survey of University of Missouri veterinary graduates that found

nearly half believe animals have rights and four-fifths believe leghold traps are cruel; the

widespread participation of veterinarians in the Friends of Animals and Spay U.S.A. dis-

count spay/neuter programs; and the emergence of two vet-based animal protection soci-

eties, the American Association of Veterinarians for Animal Welfare and the Association of

Veterinarians for Animal Rights. Volunteers from both were among the first rescuers on the

scene in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.

Editorials: Thanksgiving with ANIMAL PEOPLE

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

The process of writing this editorial was interrupted when a gunshot cracked

through our woods at dusk. Rushing out to intercept a suspected poacher, I met Buddy, the

“pit bull terrier” who lives up the hill, limping up the road at great speed from the direction

the shot came. Actually an apparent Rottweiler/terrier cross, Buddy is about the color of a

deer, and it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened. But whoever fired the shot got away.

Sidling past me, uninterested in any more encounters with anyone but his family, Buddy

trotted on home. I watched him go, hoping the limp was from stumbling over something in

his haste to escape, rather than from a bullet.

As I checked the mailbox on my way back inside, five minutes later, our neighbor

came running down the hill, shouting for help. Expecting to hear of a wounded dog, I

heard instead of a mauled baby. Buddy apparently ran into the house and curled up with

something to chew, by way of settling his nerves. The five-month-old baby reached for it.

Buddy bit, just once, but hard.

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