DawnWatch has been covering companion animal issues more than usual of late. That reflects not a change in my focus or a reduction of concern for other animals; it reflects what is going on in the news. Dogs and cats are a gateway for many of us to increased sensitivity to the suffering of all animals, so I am heartened to see the serious attention that their suffering is starting to be given in the mainstream media. Their plight concerns all of us who love the dogs and cats of this world, and will hopefully also be a gateway in the media to coverage of wider animal issues that affect billions of animals.

The impact of the housing crisis on animal homelessness has received good media attention in the last few weeks, being featured on various news shows. Today it makes the front page of the Washington Post, thereby taking dog and cat issues well out of the cutesie category. And the attention on the cruelty of dog fighting, brought to light by Michael Vick, has not disappeared. Today, Los Angeles's NPR station, KPCC, did a terrific story on legislative efforts aimed to curb it.

The front page Washington Post story, by Steve Hendrix, is headed, "Losing a Best Friend Along With the House."

The article discusses "a spike in the number of animals being turned in or abandoned as families are forced from their homes," and "a lot of children in tears."

We read of the Montgomery County Humane Society:

"For owners who think better times may be ahead, the society has expanded its 'Safe Harbor' project. The program, designed to aid domestic abuse victims, military families and others who may have to leave their homes on short notice, provides boarding and care for pets on a short-term basis."

But we read about many "owners who abandoned their animals in foreclosed homes" and also that "Some people will just open the door and let them out, hoping for the best."

We read other sad stories, then the closing comment from a real estate agent, "You feel for the owners of these places, but the animals are suffering, too."

You'll find the full article on line at http://tinyurl.com/5u9bds
You can post a comment at the bottom of that page, or please, keep animal issues alive in the paper by sending a letter to the editor appreciative of the coverage, and discussing any aspect of human society's treatment of other species.
The Washington Post takes letters at letters@washpost.com
Always include your full name, address, and phone number.

(I thank Valerie Schulte for making sure we saw that article.)

KPCC is a huge NPR station in Southern California. Today, KPCC reporter Julie Small covered pit-bull fighting. Though it is a felony in California, the story explains that officers need back-up to interfere with a dog fight and "By the time backup arrives, the people running the dogfight have fled." Then "the police find the dead bodies of the dogs that were the losers in those fights." So State Senator Ron Calderon of Montebello has introduced a bill that would help curb dogfighting by allowing law enforcement to go after people who allow fighting on their property."

(Perhaps we all recall that before Vick admitted fighting and killing dogs, he was arrested for having allowed the fighting on his property.)

The story is pit-bull friendly: We meet a former fighting dog named peaches, who "had crushing fractures. She had a torn nostril. She had a torn ear. She had probably 200 puncture wounds." But we learn that "Peaches became a tranquil and happy dog, and spent nine years as a therapy dog soothing hospital patients." Robert Ferber, with the L.A. City Attorney's Office, gives similar testimony about dogs he has taken in.

You can listen to the story, or read most of the transcript, on line at
http://tinyurl.com/6d5dl6

Most importantly, please thank KPCC!
The more positive feedback, the more encouraged stations are to do animal friendly stories. And stations are always happy to find out that people are visiting their websites and sending their stories around the country.
KPCC takes comments at http://tinyurl.com/yjudwp

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read advance reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals" and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.