Fireworks cause trauma to animals

News and headlines for July 1 - July 7, 2023

The Putnam County, WV, animal “shelter” killed a family’s dog even though the family was on their way to reclaim him. Shelter staff called it a “mistake,” but it wasn’t. “Accidental” killings of beloved pets happen every day in this country.  It’s not a “mistake” when it happens repeatedly. While nothing can bring the dog back, we must work to ensure that this kind of tragedy never happens again. And we do that by making killing healthy and treatable animals illegal.

These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:

The recent sweep of a homeless encampment in San Jose [CA] has left its residents distraught and concerned that several missing cats may have been trapped in tents during the bulldozing.

“My cat’s everything to me, man. I’m a homeless guy. I mean I’m homeless. I don’t have anybody.”

All the cats were “neutered, microchipped, and given necessary vaccinations” by the local Humane Society but are missing and may have been thrown away with tents and other belongings like so much trash. 

Caltrans, the state agency which conducted the sweep, was unapologetic and defiant. Those involved should be fired.

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Out of the shadows and into the sun. All dogs are welcome again in Lake Arthur, LA. The City Council unanimously voted to rescind its decades-old “pit bull” ban.

Banning dogs based on appearance is immoral. It is also ineffective. That’s not just opinion; it’s science:

• The breed of a dog tells how they look, not how they behave;

• 50% of dogs labeled as pit bulls lack DNA breed signatures of breeds commonly classified as pit bulls;

• Dogs targeted for breed discriminatory laws are not more likely to bite, do not bite harder, and such bans do not result in fewer dog bites or bite-related hospitalization rates; and,

• Enforcement is expensive, with no measurable impact on public safety.

Bans also negatively impact surrounding communities and rescue groups, which have to take on the burden of such regressive and selfish policies to save the lives of these dogs.

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Bowie, a shy three-month-old puppy, was killed by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control after staff claimed he was “dangerous.” But volunteers risk being fired if they share what happened to Bowie and others like him on their own social media pages.

As previously reported, Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control volunteers risk being fired after the agency released a new policy that prohibits them from criticizing the shelter or writing in a tone pound managers consider negative, even on their own personal social media pages. They are also not allowed to say that an animal was “killed,” rather than using euphemisms like “put to sleep” or “euthanized,” which sugarcoat the violence and make the task of killing easier.

In my letter to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, written on behalf of The No Kill Advocacy Center, I argued that the new policy violated the First Amendment rights of volunteers and was, therefore, illegal. This week, LACDACC announced that it was re-writing the social media policy. 

Stay tuned…

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