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Originally Posted by Woogie Man  Hahaha...Cindy, you know I'm not picking on. I really didn't find much to disagree with and wasn't really looking to. I know this can be a charged subject, but we should all feel free to express ourselves.
I think it's great that you've donated to help the animals in Haiti and I wouldn't be against bringing some here for adoption due to the situation there. I am against seeking to import dogs for shelter adoptions in the normal course of things, however. I know first-hand how the animals suffer during a disaster as I live in the impact area of Hurricane Katrina. It really was staggering....animals just wandering the streets with a lost look in their eyes, and not just strays. I saw quite a few obviously well cared for pure breds wandering aimlessly. If it wasn't for outside groups, many more animals would have suffered and it was bad enough as it was. So, hats off to you for remembering the Haitian animals.
Gosh, I missed quite a few posts due to company coming over. After reading through them, I'll just comment that even though the HSUS and PETA are certainly the most well-funded groups, people shouldn't look to them for solutions. I don't think their missions are to get down to the nuts and bolts of solving this problem. My own opinion is that both these groups are squandering money for uses other than what was intended by many donors. Actually, the truth may be that many local shelters aren't doing all they can with THEIR resources and I think that deserves more attention. To focus on PETA and HSUS really sidetracks from what is a local issue multiplied many times over nationwide. Also, local in the sense that every region has unique circumstances and national in the sense that there are common problems with common solutions.
Back to the disaster scenario. I saw what can be done after Katrina when shelters co-operate and network. It's amazing what can be done when people put their minds to it. Maybe the solutions are already in front of our faces but we only put them to use when a disaster strikes. The rest of the time it seems like business as usual...which overall is a failure.
I REALLY need to get Winograd's books, but from what I've read from him so far leads me to think he's on the right track. His is a voice that needs to be heard. |
Do me a favor ... get on Best Friends website and start looking through many parts of it. I really like them the best and they were the first ones on site for Hurrican Katrina and the last ones to leave. I have purchased a couple of books they had published in regards to what happened down there...and laws were changed because people died staying with their pets. Now rescue has to take the cute little white dog (do you remember him) that had to be tossed aside or the national guard wouldn't let them on the bus...broke my heart and they never found the dog but the laws were changed. He had to be sacrafices for us to know what was really going on..I still am haunted by him.
Best friends also has a wonderful campus for all the animals and I think they do just a fabulous job of also trying to change some of the laws.
I think everyone should read his books along with the books from Best Friends (they had 2 published)...because I think for everyone to get their arms around many of the issues..first we have to know what they are (thanks to PETA they are great about this) and then to the organizations that save lives like Best Friends. ...Not one group has all the answers because it is just to big...then people need to get their arms around their local and state laws to see what is really going on and be willing to write letters and call the politicians. When people vote I believe they should know what lobbyists are in the pockets of these people because behind all of it is the US government and USDA...along with a whole bunch of other special interest groups...medical research...and $$$ coming into states and cities because of these animals.
I was just reading today on PETA's website that Utah will no longer require their shelters to sell the animals to research organizations...I wonder how many people in Utah knew their little pets were being shipped off to be used in a research lab.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The animal rights organization
I get Best Friends Magazine which really educates in a kind way how to be kinder to animals and the value they have in our lives.
http://www.bestfriends.org/