Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets - Hardcover

Phillips, Allie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1442202149 ISBN 13: 9781442202146

Verlag: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011

Inhaltsangabe

Do you love cats, dogs and other pets? Do you want to do more to help protect and advocate for these pets, but don't know where to start? Defending the Defenseless is for anyone who wants to join a growing crusade to bring animal protection to its rightful place in a civilized society, to protect animals from harm inflicted by humans, and allow them to live happily in an environment that appreciates their unique qualities. Regardless of career or lifestyle, anyone can become an advocate for pets in a growing movement to defend the defenseless. This book guides readers through the variety of ways they can help companion animals and offers practical tips to get involved, from donating money to volunteering at animal shelters, from opposing animal experimentation to raising children to protect animals. Defending the Defenseless is perfect for anyone who loves animals and is seeking guidance on how to get involved.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Allie Phillips is an author, attorney and advocate for the protection of animals and vulnerable victims. She is a former prosecuting attorney who has worked for the National District Attorneys Association where she launched the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse. She was previously employed with American Humane Association as the Vice President of Public Policy and Vice President of Human-Animal Strategic Initiatives. Allie is a nationally-recognized expert on issues involving animal protection and advocacy. She is a volunteer with King Street Cats (Alexandria, VA) and Vice President of No Paws Left Behind. She co-founded Michiganders for Shelter Pets, is a council member of the Michigan State Bar Animal Law Section, on the steering committee of the National Link Coalition, and a Practitioner Member of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. To learn more, please visit www.alliephillips.com.

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Defending the Defenseless

A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for PetsBy Allie Phillips

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.

Copyright © 2011 Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4422-0214-6

Contents

Foreword.................................................................................................ixAcknowledgments..........................................................................................xiiiIntroduction.............................................................................................xv1 Animal Rights and Animal Welfare: Where Do You Stand?..................................................12 Becoming an Animal Advocate: Where to Start............................................................93 Staying Strong and Resilient: Overcoming Conflict and Compassion Fatigue...............................234 Humane Education: Kids Helping Animals.................................................................355 Advocating for Shelter Animals: Ending Outdated and Questionable Shelter Practices.....................516 Models for Thriving Animal Organizations: Saving More Lives through Innovation.........................797 Saving a Life: Transporting Shelter Animals............................................................1058 Preventing Cruelty and Neglect of Animals..............................................................1179 Protecting Feral Cats..................................................................................13710 Animal Emergency Preparedness: Disaster Response, Search and Rescue...................................15511 Attorneys Advocating for Animals......................................................................16712 Lobbying for Animals..................................................................................18513 Using Your Words to Benefit Animals...................................................................19714 Communicating with and Healing Animals................................................................20515 Keeping People and Pets Together: Everyone Can Help...................................................22516 Conclusion: Welcome to the Journey!...................................................................237Appendix A: Pound Seizure Fact Sheet.....................................................................243Appendix B: Humane Euthanasia Fact Sheet.................................................................249Notes....................................................................................................253Resources................................................................................................269Index....................................................................................................271About the Author.........................................................................................277

Chapter One

Animal Rights and Animal Welfare: Where Do You Stand?

People sacrifice their lives to save their cats and dogs, as we saw during hurricane Katrina; yet they may engage in the sports of hunting or fishing on the weekend. There is a movement to pass laws to include family pets in domestic violence protection orders, yet more cities and states are pushing to pass breed-specific legislation that would ban certain dog breeds. There is growing opposition to using animals in research laboratories, yet people still buy and use products that are tested on animals. Americans have growing concern regarding the housing and treatment of farm animals, yet many people eat meat or animal products without checking to see if the animal was raised humanely. I am not passing judgment on any of these practices. However, it is interesting to point out the ironies in the business, beliefs, and habitual human behaviors involving animals.

Issues involving the protection of animals are emotional and controversial. it is a complex field where gaining consensus from society on how to protect animals is difficult due to widely differing opinions. Animal welfare laws date back to the 1860s, when the first animal cruelty law was passed in Massachusetts. Laws have been passed because most people abhor cruelty in any form to any living creature and want to see animals humanely cared for or allowed to live free and naturally in the wild. Yet it is humans that inflict torture and pain on animals. These acts of torture and pain have resulted in a plethora of animal welfare laws.

Americans have come a long way when we look at animal protection. in 1993, only seven states had felony animal cruelty law, yet today all states but three have felony laws. When I entered law school in 1990, the concept of a student Animal Legal defense fund chapter was nonexistent, but today there are chapters at more than 125 law schools in the United States. No animal law courses were taught at law schools in the 1990s; however, today just over one hundred law schools educate on the complexities of animal law. The first state bar animal law section was created in 1995 within the state bar of Michigan (of which I am a council member), and now there are thirty animal law sections nationwide.

Protecting animals through the law and advocacy is gaining in popularity. We now have Animal Planet, an entire cable television network dedicated to animal issues, and we see animal stories played out in mainstream media every day. Why? Are we growing more compassionate and empathetic as a society? Are animals catching up with the laws that protect humans? Do we now desire to treat all living creatures better? What we are seeing in the united states is an overall change in perception regarding animal protection, and the influence of that perception is pushing animal welfare and the law into the light.

What is ironic is that animal protection laws preexisted child protection laws and domestic protection laws. in fact, in 1874, the American society for the Prevention of cruelty to Animals was the organization that helped to save Mary Ellen Wilson from an abusive foster home, the first case of child protection. in the late 1800s, a few states had animal protection laws, but laws protecting women and children from abuse did not exist. Today the laws have shifted, and prosecutions for child abuse and domestic violence are commonplace, whereas an animal cruelty prosecution is so rare that it frequently gets significant media attention due to community outcry.

So again we have these hypocrisies about protecting animals, and many question where to draw the line. Is it okay to pass laws that protect cats and dogs (primary companion animals in American homes) from being killed, tortured, or poisoned? Yet many states allow an animal shelter to gas (poison) a cat or dog to death in a chamber filled with carbon monoxide or dioxide as the pet howls and scratches to get out. Should we permit legal protection of an animal in one context but not another? A rabbit may have protection from cruelty (killing, torture, neglect) as a companion animal, yet if found in the wild the rabbit can be shot and killed, or if found in a research lab it is not given the same protections as rabbits in a home. And while companion animals are protected under the law from intentional and negligent acts of harm by humans, farm animals and wildlife are systematically excluded. Is one species more important or socially acceptable than another?

As a society, Americans are attempting, but struggling, to decide how we want...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Rowman & Littlefield
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2011
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1442202149
• ISBN 13: 9781442202146
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 312
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Rowman & Littlefield; https://rowman.com/; ; 4501 Forbes Blvd, Suite 200; Lanham; MD; 20706; USA
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar