COURT CALENDAR

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Humane Enforcement

The U.S. Supreme Court is be-

lieved likely to overturn the city of Hialeah,

Florida’s five-year-old ban on animal sacri-

fice. The Supreme Court heard arguments

in the case of Church of Lukuki Babalu Aye

vs. Hialeah on November 3. The church

practices the Santeria religon, popular

among Caribbean immigrants, in which ani-

mal sacrifice is central to many rituals. The

Santerians’ argument that the ban violates

their freedom of religion is backed by the

Presbyterian Church, the American Jewish

Committee, the Catholic League for

Religious and Civil Rights, and other groups

representing Mormons, Mennonites, and

Seventh Day Adventists. The latter church

includes vegetarianism and kindness to ani-

mals as central tenets, but like the others

fears legal precedents that could open the

way for other laws proscribing worship. If

the Hialeah ban is overturned, similar bans

in San Francisco and Los Angeles will also

fall.

CHILDREN & ANIMALS

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Serbian soldier Borislav Herak, 21, who may

become the first person executed for war crimes since 1945,

told New York Times reporter John Burns in November that

senior personnel taught him to kill by having him assist in

cutting pigs’ throats. Herak is charged with murdering 29

Moslem civilians between July and late October, and has

confessed to participating in more than 220 murders––most

of the victims women and children, many of them killed in

connection with rape. Herak, captured in mid-November

by Bosnian troops, goes to trial this month.

The first known controlled clinical trial of thera-

py and education involving animals, conducted by the

University of Pennsylvania, has confirmed what pet therapy

and classroom pet advocates have insisted all along: that

children learn more readily in the presence of other species.

Animal Health

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on

November 10 announced that it would ask the British

Parliament to ban routine docking of dogs’ tails as, “an

unjustified mutilation and unethical,” over the objections

of Buckingham Palace. Under the RCVS proposal, vet-

erinarians who perform medically unjustified tail-dock-

ing could lose their licenses. Princess Anne vehemently

defended tail-docking at a recent meeting of the British

Veterinary Medical Association. Of the 7.5 million dogs

in Britain, about 1.3 million have been tail-docked,

mostly by breeders. Among the 185 breeds registered by

the Royal Kennel Club, about 50 are traditionally tail-

docked, including corgis (a royal favorite), boxers,

Dobermans, old English sheep dogs, poodles, and

Rottweilers.

They’ve spayed/neutered 5,000 animals––this year!

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

DENVER, Colorado––If people won’t take

their animals to a veterinary clinic for spaying or neuter-

ing, Jeff Young takes the Planned Pethood Plus clinic to

the animals. Working out of a bus, in cooperation with

local humane societies and activist groups, veterinarians

Young and business partner Mark Chamberlain set out

to alter 6,000 animals during 1992; surpassing 5,000 in

mid-November, they were right on pace, Young said.

The humane organizations publicize Young’s arrival in

each community and get the paperwork done in

advance. This enables him to go right to work, per-

forming as many as 32 surgeries per day, at average

fees of $15/tomcat, $20/queen, $25/male dog, and

$35/female dog.

Dogs And Cats

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

President elect Bill Clinton’s first clash with the

White House press corps came November 18, before he

even got to the White House, when he ordered photogra-

phers to stop harassing his daughter’s altered tomcat,

Socks, outside the Arkansas governor’s mansion.

New York restauranteur Laura Maioglio

imported $2,500 worth of white truffles from Italy and

buried them in her restaurants’ garden November 23, to

allow Princess Diana of Britain to show off the skills of her

pet truffle-hunting terrier. The dog found the truffles, all

right––and ate them before a handler could get them away.

The County Prosecutor in Middlesex, New

Jersey, has barred use of police dogs in crowd control

situations. The city faces legal action in connection with a

biting incident in such a situation, and the trained dogs are

considered too valuable to risk exposing to injury.

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.

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.

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.

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