These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:
This is my annual plea for your spider roommates:
If you have a spider in your house, obviously don’t kill them. But a spider advocate says you shouldn’t put them outside, either. Either leave them be or relocate them to another part of the house. Why?
People think they are doing the right thing by putting spiders outside so they “can presumably return to [their] natural lifestyle.”
This is a noble sentiment (and often requires quick reflexes), but... it may not achieve the desired result if the arachnid is a true house spider.
You can’t put something ‘back’ outside that was never outside in the first place... Although some house spider species can survive outdoors, most don’t do well there, and some... will perish rather quickly when removed from the protective indoor habitat. You’re not doing them a favor...
[O]nly about 5 percent of the spiders you see inside have ever set foot outdoors.
At our house, we either put up signs (as in the photo) or relocate them to safer rooms, especially given that Ziggy and Adam, our cats, do not subscribe to a coexist philosophy.
Bowie, a shy 15-week-old puppy, was killed by Los Angeles County animal control, despite a rescue group willing to accept him. Bowie’s Law would make sure this doesn’t happen again. It would require shelters to notify rescuers and adopters before killing an animal.
The legislation is now in the California Senate as AB 491. But AB 491 is stuck in the Senate Rules Committee, and only an overwhelming response of emails can get it out.
Click here to cut and paste an email to all senators, including those on the Rules Committee.
The governor signed into law SB 38, which makes the rescue dog the “official state dog” of Delaware. Supporters hope the designation will boost adoptions.
Arizona’s governor “signed a pet telemedicine bill into law, letting pet owners get care virtually instead of going to the vet’s office.”
Telemedicine for pets has wide-ranging benefits, including:
Expanding access to care;
Expanding access to care for pets living with people of limited financial means by reducing costs for such care;
Allowing shelters to reduce the number of animals who are surrendered because of medical concerns by helping people resolve those concerns cost-effectively; and,
Improving the care of animals already in shelters by expanding access for small to medium shelters that do not have onsite veterinarians.
It also reduces stress for animals who are shy, fearful and do not travel well.
Although there is no good argument for prohibiting it, veterinary medical associations tend to oppose it to protect industry profits at the expense of animals. Not only is doing so unethical, it is almost certainly illegal. The Dean of the University of California at Berkeley Law School says that such a prohibition is “a restriction on speech” because it deprives “veterinarians of the opportunity to speak with clients using modern telemedicine communication methods, like Zoom, that are available to doctors who care for human beings, and which have become increasingly valuable and essential tools to the delivery of safe and comprehensive healthcare.”
People can use telemedicine for themselves and their children, so why not for their pets?
Do you have what it takes to save lives?
The following communities are looking for someone to run their animal shelters: