Decade of adoption focus fails to reduce shelter killing

July 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
A decade that began with giddy hope that the U.S. might soon
become a no-kill nation is ending with the numbers of dogs and cats
killed in animal shelters still stubbornly hovering at 4.2 million,
right where it was in 2002, with the average for the decade at 4.5
million, where it was in 1999.
The numbers repudiate the emphasis of campaigns that seek to
reduce shelter killing chiefly by increasing adoptions, instead of
preventing the births of the cats and dogs who are most likely to
enter shelters and be killed.
In fact, dog acquisition “market share” has barely changed
in almost 30 years, when shelter adoptions are combined with
adoptions of found strays.

The effect of breed-specific bylaws on city pit bull terrier killing rates

July 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:

This table shows pit bull killing as a share of shelter killing in 11 major U.S. cities–only one of which kills more pit bulls than the national average rate per 1,000 humans.
Cities with legislation either prohibiting pit bulls or requiring pit bulls to be sterilized are shown in boldface.
The first data column shows how many pit bulls were killed either in one recent year or as an average of recent years, depending on what information was available.
The second column shows the numbers of pit bulls killed per 1,000 human residents of each city per year.
The third column shows the contribution that killing pit bulls made to the total city rate of shelter killing of dogs and cats per 1,000 people.
The bottom line states national totals projected from the sum of data gathered for our 2009 shelter killing survey.

Helmsley estate case

July 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
NEW YORK CITY–The Humane Society of the U.S., Maddie’s
Fund, and the American SPCA on August 11, 2009 asked the Manhattan
Surrogate Court to overturn a February 2009 ruling by Judge Troy K.
Webber that allowed the trustees of the late hotelier Leona
Helmsley’s estate to allocate about $5 billion to human service
charities, instead of for the benefit of dogs, as Helmsley asked in
her will. The trustees in April 2009 distributed $136 million to
human service charities, $900,000 to charities that train guide
dogs, and $100,000 to the ASPCA, the only animal charity named.

Ontario pit ban upheld

July 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
OTTAWA–A three-judge panel of the Supreme Court of Canada on
June 11, 2009 refused to hear Ontario dog keeper Catherine
Cochrane’s last appeal in an attempt to overturn the 2005 Dog Owners’
Liability Act. The act bans from Ontario any dog who “has an
appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially
similar” to those of pit bull terriers, Stafford-shire bull
terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and American pit bull
terriers.
Pit bulls already in Ontario when the law passed may be kept
if they are licensed, sterilized, and kept muzzled and leashed when
in public.
“The total ban on pit bulls is not ‘arbitrary’ or ‘grossly
disproportionate’ in light of the evidence that pit bulls have a
tendency to be unpredictable and that even apparently docile pit
bulls may attack without warning or provocation,” the Ontario Court
of Appeal ruled in October 2008.
Cochrane was represented by renowned civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby.

How often has Sylvester killed Tweety?

July 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
How often has Sylvester killed Tweety?
by Judith Webster
The summer 2009 edition of B.C. Nature included an article
entitled, “Cat licensing: A conservation strategy that can work.”
As a cat and bird lover, I was inspired to investigate author
Sherril Guthrie’s claim that cat licensing and confinement bylaws
would “protect and restore our bird and small mammal populations, as
well as return cats to their rightful place as valued pets and
companions.”
Guthrie relies on American Bird Conservancy “Cats Indoors!”
campaign literature, which includes too many disputable studies,
extrapolations, and anecdotal reports to delve into deeply here.
However, in her strong opening paragraph, Guthrie discusses a new
bird count analysis by the National Audubon Society revealing that 20
of North America’s most common birds have lost over half their
population since 1967.

Dog bite prevention weak

June 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2009:

ALBANY, CHICAGO, DENVER,
INDIANAPOLIS, NEW YORK CITY, WASHINGTON
D.C.–Dog Bite Prevention Week 2009 opened with
opponents of breed-specific legislation claiming
victories in Indianapolis and Highland Park, a
Chicago suburb, but closed with a 13-page
verdict against pit bull terrier advocates in
Loudoun County, Virginia.
The Indianapolis city/county council on
May 12, 2009 voted to table an At Risk Dogs bill
introduced by councillor Mike Speedy. The bill
will not be discussed again until after a new
community budget is approved, probably not
before October, Speedy told ANIMAL PEOPLE. But
Speedy vowed that the At Risk Dogs proposal will
be brought back at the first opportunity.
The At Risk Dogs proposal would have
required that pit bull terriers be sterilized,
in a community where more than 30% of the dogs
arriving at shelters are pit bulls. It
paralleled legislation in effect in San Francisco
since January 2006, credited with achieving a
23% reduction in shelter intakes of pit bulls,
and a 33% reduction in the number of pit bulls
killed by animal control in only two years,
after more than a decade of non-mandatory
programs made little difference. Similar
ordinances are in effect in smaller cities in at
least 10 states. Yet another took effect on
April 16, 2009 in Moses Lake, Washington.
The Highland Park city council on May 14,
2009 deferred until after a June 22 public
workshop any further action on a pit bull ban
proposed by mayor Michael Belsky after a newly
acquired pit bull belonging to a 17-year-old boy
inflicted severe facial bites on a 14-year-old
girl.

BOOKS: Tails of Recovery

June 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2009:

Tails of Recovery: Addicts & the Pets That Love Them
by Nancy A. Schenck
HarperCollins Publishers (10 East 53rd Street., New York, NY
10022), 2009. 175 pages, hardcover. $29.99.

Tails of Recovery offers a glimpse into the tangled lives of
substance abusers, whose behavior does not always elicit sympathy.
While high, their behavior is often not only illegal but disdainful
and dismissive toward the norms and values of civilized society.
In recovery, most ask for forgiveness. Some do not. The
people profiled in Tales of Recovery may be loved by their pets, but
they have not all shown responsible behavior, even though all of
them are years into recovery, following twelve-step programs and
typically holding jobs.
A few treated their dogs and cats badly while under the
influence. Others were indifferent to their pets’ needs. One moved
from criminal behavior to a legal activity which may contribute at
least as much to animal suffering.

Living next door to a pit bull

May 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2009:
INDIANAPOLIS–An online poll conducted by WTHR-TV found 69%
community support for Indianapolis council member Mike Speedy’s
proposed At Risk Dogs ordinance, against 26% opposition and 5%
undecided.
The ordinance would require sterilizing pit bull terriers.
“1,988 people participated. With all of the critical
comments on the stories from pit bull fans, I’m surprised so many
voted in favor. Keep in mind our poll is not scientific, meaning it
would be easy to skew with coordinated effort,” said Sara Galer of
WTHR.

BOOKS: Saved: Rescued Animals & the Lives They Transformed

May 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2009:

Saved: Rescued Animals & the Lives They Transformed by Karin
Winegar. Photos by Judy Olausen.
Da Capo Press (11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142), 2008.
240 pages, hardcover. $25.95.

“I’m only one person working for animals,” says Stray Rescue
of St. Louis founder Randy Grim. “I’m no hero; this is not a job;
it’s what I am.”
Grim, the Maricopa County Sher-iff’s Department in Phoenix,
Arizona, and Randi Golub from Oregon are among the many dedicated,
brave and caring people featured in Saved: Rescued Animals & the
Lives They Transformed.

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