Coquitlam Now – November 24
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Think About it

By Mike Rogozinski

The upcoming holidays mean we’ll be getting more mail than usual, but my mailbox is already so overstuffed with requests for donations that I could probably justify hiring a part time mail clerk just to sort through them all. I must be on a list. This organization wants money for that, and that group wants money for this. They are all good causes, and I certainly believe people should give what they can, but there are so many groups and only so much money. To make the selection process easier and more in line with my personal belief of showing compassion to all life, I’ve decided not to donate to any charities that endorse experimenting on animals.

The first request I open is from a group that wants money to help fund burn treatments. Their flyer catches my attention and entices me to send them a cheque, but a quick search on the internet reveals their testing procedures include putting a blow torch to the side of a whimpering dog. They won’t get a dime from me until they update their medieval procedures, but I am tempted to give my two cents to whoever thinks that archaic process is even necessary, especially considering there are so many alternatives readily available.

The next letter informs me about the horrors of lung disease. The stories they present are so sad they make me want to send a truckload of money to help find a cure, but I don’t think their methods of research have any merit or are even remotely humane. What they do is perfectly legal, but strapping an animal down and forcing the poor thing to continually inhale massive amounts of smoke and other pollutants to test treatments doesn’t seem like science to me. It seems like cruelty masked behind a PhD. No money for them, either.

Shuffling through the regular mail, flyers and cheerful advertisements brings me to a request from a foundation trying to find a cure for paralysis and spinal injuries. That’s a good cause, but I discover the steps they apparently need to find a cure involves snapping the spines of healthy cats so they can be used as test subjects. There’s one more cheque I won’t be sending.

At this point, all the requests are looking like cookie-cutter copies of each other; they’re all printed on good quality paper and peppered with words designed to yank at my heart strings and persuade me to send money. I want to help, but all of them talk about compassion and kindness and then contradict those sentiments with their research. It’s too hypocritical for me.

Some people might argue that testing on animals is still necessary in spite of all the alternatives, but I think the only reason it still happens is because it’s a mega-bucks industry. It starts with the people breeding the animals, to the companies that manufacture restraint devices to stop them from squirming and writhing, to the staff who execute the procedures in the laboratory. Everyone involved makes money. It won’t make a big difference, but none of them will get any of mine.

Thankfully, I have also received requests from groups that are able to help sick children and ailing seniors live better lives without endorsing the suffering of animals. They have my support, as well as a share of what I can afford to give.

It’s a lofty goal to wish for peace on earth, which is something most of us hope and pray for at this time of year, but knowing there are charities that can make a difference without causing another life to needlessly suffer reassures me it’s one that will eventually come true.