Bouquets And Brickbats

2001

Thank you AAS (and a criticism)

On this page:


From Vancouver City Councillor Tim Louis

You are providing a desperately needed service. Your tireless efforts are finally starting to bring about change. Keep up the great work. I look forward to receiving your reports.

Tim Louis


From Tina Harrison, the founder of CETFA
Canadians for Ethical Treatment of Food Animals
www.cetfa.com

Tina is the Canadian woman that we at AAS admire the most. For good reason she was featured in the award-winning articles on factory-farming by Daphne Brahman in the Vancouver Sun. Tina's reputation for accuracy, investigation, and incorruptible honestly was hard won and well deserved. Tina is the person we respect most in animal welfare. Her investigation and reporting is so thorough that it is quoted by U.S. farm animal groups. An amazing lady! So we particularly treasure her kind words about AAS:

December 15, 2001

After more than twenty years of observing animal welfare work across the Lower Mainland and beyond, I have no hesitation in declaring the one organization that I know without a doubt, will always put the animals first is Animal Advocates Society. When AAS sets out to do a job, nothing stands in its way. Not the politics of self-preservation. Not the winning of popularity contests. Not the financial success of the next fundraiser! Not the bland acceptance of routine abuses against helpless animals simply because they are part of doing business in a money-grubbing economy. For the Animal Advocates Society of B.C. there is no rest until peace and security have been restored to fractured lives that endure daily fear and cruel neglect in an uncaring world.

AAS successes on behalf of animals are legion because their people are fearless. Whether they are challenging municipal bylaws, or citing the SPCA for ignoring their clear mandate to "speak for those who cannot speak for themselves". Or indeed, to provide comforting hands and kind voices on site, they can be counted on to ACT where others merely sit and wait.

Thank you AAS, for always leading the way.

Tina Harrison

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From Ingrid Newkirk, the founder and president of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world's biggest animal rights organization) about AAS's Report "No More Yard Dogs":

Dear AAS,

Your campaign to ban chaining, shed dogs, etc., is magnificent. Thank you.

Peta has 750,000 members and supporters in North America, and offices in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the UK and India.

PETA strongly supports and urges the passage of the legislation proposed by Animal Advocates to alleviate some of the suffering of dogs. The plight of dogs, who are pack animals, "designed" to enjoy social interaction of some kind, left on chains and tethers with neither human nor animal family to enjoy, troubles canine behaviourists and all kind people with commonsense. Dogs on chains and tethers often channel their boredom and frustration into aggression with negative repercussions for people; illnesses, even serious illness, often goes unnoticed; and their needs and dilemmas are easy to overlook when they are out of sight, braving storms, trying to stay warm in the snow or sleet or enduring a broiling summer heatwave. If misery were a stench it would rise from behind the houses and sheds where these dogs are spending their life sentences and ruin everyone's peace of mind. We urge the consideration and passage of this humane legislation.

Ingrid Newkirk,
President and Founder,
PETA

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From a letter from long-serving District of North Vancouver Councillor Ernie Crist, on receiving AAS's thanks for his understanding and support of our request to the District of North Vancouver to stop contracting out animal control services to the SPCA and to operate their own, open, accountable, and humane pound: (AAS and animals won the vote!

January 15, 2001

"I thank you for your compliment but believe me, it is you and people like you who are the heros. The truth is you inspired sufficient confidence, not just in me and the other members of council, but also in Staff, that this job, whatever it entails, will be performed at a superior level than it was before....thanks to you we now have public control and this bodes well. Once again allow me to congratulate you on your success. The animals have a true friend in you."

Ernie Crist

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And the brickbat...

From: Sandy
To: info@animaladvocates.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 11:20 PM

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TELL YOU PEOPLE JUST HOW SCREWED UP THAT YOU ARE. THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND MONEY YOU SPEND ON BLIND DOGS THAT ARE GOING TO DIE ANYWAY CAN BE BETTER SPENT ON SUFFERING HUMANS OR HABITAT IMPROVEMENT FOR OUR NATIVE ANIMAL SPECIES. BUT, AS USUAL YOU ANIMAL RIGHTS ADVOCATES WOULD RATHER SPEND YOUR MONEY WHERE IT IS LEAST VALUABLE TO SOCIETY AS A WHOLE AND ONLY SERVES YOUR OWN SELF CREATED GOALS. YOUR OPINION AND APPROACH DOES NOT IMPROVE THE DISPOSITION OF ANIMALS IT DEGRADES THE DIGNITY OF MANKIND.

Our answer...

Dear Sandy,

I can understand your feelings about spending time and money on old dogs that will not live long anyway, instead of putting that same energy into helping sick or hungry children, or lonely old people, or battered women... the list goes on. I have another slant, however, on what caring for animals does for the dignity of mankind.

I have been a teacher for 43 years, and have worked very closely with distressed children and unhappy adults, as well as people who are constructive and satisfied in their lives. I have noticed a few patterns. Children who are concerned for the welfare of animals are almost always considerate, kind, and giving people. Children who think that animals are a lesser species, and can be treated with indifference or even cruelty, are often hurtful to their peers and inconsiderate to others. A rough rule of thumb is that a child's emotional health can be fairly accurately judged by their consideration of those who cannot advocate for themselves.

There is, as you have pointed out, a great deal to be done in world in the way of helping others. We all have different ways that we can help. I work with children and families. Others work on the political end, trying to eradicate poverty and suffering. Still others work in medicine, social work, and even art, which has many ways of upholding the dignity of mankind. In my mind, any effort that goes toward goodness, is good for us all. I could not do the work that Animal Advocates does, because I am so sickened by the abuse that some people subject their animals to. Instead, I support them financially. Sitting back and letting helpless animals live and die in physical and emotional agony brought on by human beings is what demeans the dignity of mankind.

Some poor animal who has had no life but one of misery, is given a few years of love and relative comfort by the Animal Advocates Group. Seeing ourselves as loving and thoughtful stewards of the world does far more for our sense of dignity than seeing ourselves as special and not responsible for the suffering and destruction we create.

I wish that we would all put our positive efforts into the areas that we are most drawn to, and that we would all appreciate and support each other.

Sincerely,
H. Hughes
Director, Animal Advocates Society

(Helen is being sued by the BC SPCA)

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