linda040899
06-04-2006, 07:35 AM
Courtesy of Bird_Breeder-Hobbyist Mailing List:
TX-RPOA E-News
From Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.
May 16, 2006
Only donate to local animal shelters who do hands-on work with
animals. Local humane societies have no affiliation with Humane
Society of the United States. Ask questions! A major tip-off to
Animal Rights leanings is use of "overpopulation," pet "guardian"
instead of pet owner, "non-human animals" instead of just animals,
and support for Mandatory Spay/Neuter and Breeder Permits types of
ordinances. Please read the following message closely and cross
post freely. Thanks to Wayne Cavanaugh for writing it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A brief guide to America's shelters, who is taking credit for what,
and where your donations go.
[by] Wayne Cavanaugh (President of the United Kennel Club)
Did you ever get mail from the "humane society"? Donation
solicitations, Christmas cards, free address labels? Was it from the
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Humane
Association (AHA), or the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)? Did you ever wonder who they are and
what they do? What about during disaster relief efforts, did you
ever wonder where to send your donations?
Don't know the answers to these questions? You are not alone. Even
among the most dedicated dog lovers there is huge misunderstanding
and confusion when it comes to our nation's shelters and the SAS -
that is, the Shelter Alphabet Soup, that comes with them.
In the late 1990's, a group called the California Coalition of
Animal Advocates convened to try to find answers to issues dog-
related population issues. Their work included a study to find out
who and where the animal shelters were in America. It sounded easy
enough until they discovered that a national list of shelters did
not exist, and, contrary to popular opinion, there wasn't a "humane
society" or any other type of organization that oversaw all of
America's shelters!
So who, what, and where are the nation's shelters? Who are these big
fund-raising groups, and how are they related to shelters? Where do
they get their money, and who is running them? To start, the
coalition funded a study to create shelter list of every shelter in
America. They knew it would always be changing and would never be
complete, but they also knew it would be a lot better than what
existed, which was nothing. They hired university graduate students
to do the only thing that would work - the students called every
town, municipality, city, village, township, hamlet and county in
America and asked if they had a shelter, what they called it and who
ran it. The answers were interesting and the list was compiled.
Today, there is still no national organization overseeing or
coordinating America's shelters.
Here are some facts that most people do not realize.
The Humane Society of the Untied States (HSUS) does not operate a
single animal shelter in America or anywhere else. That's right, not
one. Makes you wonder how many people send them money thinking they
were the local animal shelter.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) does operate a shelter and an animal hospital - they are
both in New York City. That's it, a New York City shelter only. It
is a highly regarded shelter, but New York clearly isn't the
nationwide shelter list some people think of when they think of the
ASPCA. To be fair, the ASPCA does humane work all over the nation,
but as far as operating shelters, well, no.
The American Humane Association (AHA) operates no shelters, but does
have about 300 shelters that are affiliated and agree to maintain
AHA standards of care at their shelters.
What about the SPCA? Is there a national organization called the
SPCA (society for the prevention of cruelty to animals)? Nope.
Sorry. "SPCA" is simply a term, or abbreviation, used for most any
animal shelter but it is NOT a nationwide organization. It's a
generic for what we say instead of "dog pound", "animal shelter",
or "humane society".
Now you can see the confusion! When national groups use words like
humane society, or letters such as SPCA in their name, people think
they are giving to their local shelter. But they, of course, are
not.
So who runs the local shelter in your town? It could be anyone from
volunteers, to your local government, to a private party. Many rural
areas simply have a person, with a few extra kennel runs, who the
town pays to house the strays. In more populated areas where actual
dedicated buildings exists, the shelters are funded by any
combination of tax dollars, donations, adoptions fees and dog
license fees. (It is interesting to note that the shelters house
dogs and cats, but since hardly anyone licenses cats, the dog
license fees pay the bills for both dogs and cats.)
These shelters are named anything from the "SPCA of Whatever County"
to the "Humane Society of Whatever Township", but are not affiliated
with either national group, the ASPCA or HSUS. Within a county or
state, the shelters may meet for educational purposes or to share
information but not as a member of a national fund raising group
that operates and fund shelters.
So what does the ASPCA, HSUS, and AHA do with all of their money if
it is not going to your local shelter? Each has their own agenda.
They all advertise, use money to raise money, and draft and lobby
for legislation. Some may agree with none, all, or some of what they
support. The AHA has the contract to oversee and ensure the safety
all animals used while filming a movie. They have done so for years
and have done an admirable job. However, they are also opposed to
hunting. So are the ASPCA and, obviously, HSUS. Do they help protect
animals? Yes, they do. But does their agenda agree with your
individual ideas and philosophy? Hang on, you better check. Check a
lot. Go to their websites. Call them. Dig deeper into their agendas.
See what legislation and advertising campaigns they are spending
donated money on.
HSUS for example, in addition to the troubled PAWS legislation, is
also spending donations on a new campaign to prevent America's youth
from hunting before they are 18 years old. (For those familiar with
the PAWS bill, this is typical HSUS - set limits first then adjust
them to extinction!) These campaigns and laws are often being funded
by well intended people who think they are giving to their local
shelter! But you now know that is not true.
With Hurricane Katrina, watch the big PR money being spent by some
of these groups, and other dog organizations, as they exploit the
hurricane victims by trying to raise money that goes who knows
where. Is that money all going to relief? Let's hope so. We have
heard that good money is starting to get spent in the hurricane
ravaged areas. Or is some going to fund anti-hunting and anti-
breeding legislation? It almost seems as though where some see
despair and horror, others see a PR opportunity, so who knows?
The bottom line is that there are thousands of shelters in America,
all of which are individually operated and funded locally. They
always need resources and support. Then, there are large groups who
raise money by using the goodwill of words like "humane"
and "cruelty" in their national name. To add another layer of
concern, while your local independent shelter is not run by HSUS,
AHA, or the ASPCA (unless you are in New York City), you really have
no idea what the mission of your local shelter is. Your job is to
ask.
There are many, many excellent and worthy local shelters that need
your donations and will use them directly to help dogs. But before
you open your wallet, ask what will be done with your money.
Consider donating food and supplies which can't be as easily used to
pay government lobbyists. Ask what they believe in. Then ask
yourself what you believe in and where you draw the line. We should
and we must help those less fortunate. We must not forget the people
and the dogs who need help from the hurricane. We must do so from
our hearts, though, and not to take credit or exploit the situation.
And we must make sure our efforts are in line with our private
individual beliefs.
************************************************** *******************
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
Website: www. responsiblepetowners. org
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
send an e-mail message to rpoa @ texas.net.
TX-RPOA E-News
From Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.
May 16, 2006
Only donate to local animal shelters who do hands-on work with
animals. Local humane societies have no affiliation with Humane
Society of the United States. Ask questions! A major tip-off to
Animal Rights leanings is use of "overpopulation," pet "guardian"
instead of pet owner, "non-human animals" instead of just animals,
and support for Mandatory Spay/Neuter and Breeder Permits types of
ordinances. Please read the following message closely and cross
post freely. Thanks to Wayne Cavanaugh for writing it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A brief guide to America's shelters, who is taking credit for what,
and where your donations go.
[by] Wayne Cavanaugh (President of the United Kennel Club)
Did you ever get mail from the "humane society"? Donation
solicitations, Christmas cards, free address labels? Was it from the
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Humane
Association (AHA), or the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)? Did you ever wonder who they are and
what they do? What about during disaster relief efforts, did you
ever wonder where to send your donations?
Don't know the answers to these questions? You are not alone. Even
among the most dedicated dog lovers there is huge misunderstanding
and confusion when it comes to our nation's shelters and the SAS -
that is, the Shelter Alphabet Soup, that comes with them.
In the late 1990's, a group called the California Coalition of
Animal Advocates convened to try to find answers to issues dog-
related population issues. Their work included a study to find out
who and where the animal shelters were in America. It sounded easy
enough until they discovered that a national list of shelters did
not exist, and, contrary to popular opinion, there wasn't a "humane
society" or any other type of organization that oversaw all of
America's shelters!
So who, what, and where are the nation's shelters? Who are these big
fund-raising groups, and how are they related to shelters? Where do
they get their money, and who is running them? To start, the
coalition funded a study to create shelter list of every shelter in
America. They knew it would always be changing and would never be
complete, but they also knew it would be a lot better than what
existed, which was nothing. They hired university graduate students
to do the only thing that would work - the students called every
town, municipality, city, village, township, hamlet and county in
America and asked if they had a shelter, what they called it and who
ran it. The answers were interesting and the list was compiled.
Today, there is still no national organization overseeing or
coordinating America's shelters.
Here are some facts that most people do not realize.
The Humane Society of the Untied States (HSUS) does not operate a
single animal shelter in America or anywhere else. That's right, not
one. Makes you wonder how many people send them money thinking they
were the local animal shelter.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) does operate a shelter and an animal hospital - they are
both in New York City. That's it, a New York City shelter only. It
is a highly regarded shelter, but New York clearly isn't the
nationwide shelter list some people think of when they think of the
ASPCA. To be fair, the ASPCA does humane work all over the nation,
but as far as operating shelters, well, no.
The American Humane Association (AHA) operates no shelters, but does
have about 300 shelters that are affiliated and agree to maintain
AHA standards of care at their shelters.
What about the SPCA? Is there a national organization called the
SPCA (society for the prevention of cruelty to animals)? Nope.
Sorry. "SPCA" is simply a term, or abbreviation, used for most any
animal shelter but it is NOT a nationwide organization. It's a
generic for what we say instead of "dog pound", "animal shelter",
or "humane society".
Now you can see the confusion! When national groups use words like
humane society, or letters such as SPCA in their name, people think
they are giving to their local shelter. But they, of course, are
not.
So who runs the local shelter in your town? It could be anyone from
volunteers, to your local government, to a private party. Many rural
areas simply have a person, with a few extra kennel runs, who the
town pays to house the strays. In more populated areas where actual
dedicated buildings exists, the shelters are funded by any
combination of tax dollars, donations, adoptions fees and dog
license fees. (It is interesting to note that the shelters house
dogs and cats, but since hardly anyone licenses cats, the dog
license fees pay the bills for both dogs and cats.)
These shelters are named anything from the "SPCA of Whatever County"
to the "Humane Society of Whatever Township", but are not affiliated
with either national group, the ASPCA or HSUS. Within a county or
state, the shelters may meet for educational purposes or to share
information but not as a member of a national fund raising group
that operates and fund shelters.
So what does the ASPCA, HSUS, and AHA do with all of their money if
it is not going to your local shelter? Each has their own agenda.
They all advertise, use money to raise money, and draft and lobby
for legislation. Some may agree with none, all, or some of what they
support. The AHA has the contract to oversee and ensure the safety
all animals used while filming a movie. They have done so for years
and have done an admirable job. However, they are also opposed to
hunting. So are the ASPCA and, obviously, HSUS. Do they help protect
animals? Yes, they do. But does their agenda agree with your
individual ideas and philosophy? Hang on, you better check. Check a
lot. Go to their websites. Call them. Dig deeper into their agendas.
See what legislation and advertising campaigns they are spending
donated money on.
HSUS for example, in addition to the troubled PAWS legislation, is
also spending donations on a new campaign to prevent America's youth
from hunting before they are 18 years old. (For those familiar with
the PAWS bill, this is typical HSUS - set limits first then adjust
them to extinction!) These campaigns and laws are often being funded
by well intended people who think they are giving to their local
shelter! But you now know that is not true.
With Hurricane Katrina, watch the big PR money being spent by some
of these groups, and other dog organizations, as they exploit the
hurricane victims by trying to raise money that goes who knows
where. Is that money all going to relief? Let's hope so. We have
heard that good money is starting to get spent in the hurricane
ravaged areas. Or is some going to fund anti-hunting and anti-
breeding legislation? It almost seems as though where some see
despair and horror, others see a PR opportunity, so who knows?
The bottom line is that there are thousands of shelters in America,
all of which are individually operated and funded locally. They
always need resources and support. Then, there are large groups who
raise money by using the goodwill of words like "humane"
and "cruelty" in their national name. To add another layer of
concern, while your local independent shelter is not run by HSUS,
AHA, or the ASPCA (unless you are in New York City), you really have
no idea what the mission of your local shelter is. Your job is to
ask.
There are many, many excellent and worthy local shelters that need
your donations and will use them directly to help dogs. But before
you open your wallet, ask what will be done with your money.
Consider donating food and supplies which can't be as easily used to
pay government lobbyists. Ask what they believe in. Then ask
yourself what you believe in and where you draw the line. We should
and we must help those less fortunate. We must not forget the people
and the dogs who need help from the hurricane. We must do so from
our hearts, though, and not to take credit or exploit the situation.
And we must make sure our efforts are in line with our private
individual beliefs.
************************************************** *******************
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
Website: www. responsiblepetowners. org
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
send an e-mail message to rpoa @ texas.net.