The Forgotten Dogs

It started with a dog I would name Shawn; a dog that needed a chance but no one would give her one.

She was a feral dog, part of a large pack at one time but most had either died or moved on.

It was her time, she needed out before she started having puppies and adding to the already overwhelming population of feral dogs in Detroit.

I had sat back just watching a handful of rescue try and figure out what to do about her. It was frustrating; no one understood what she needed. There just aren’t any rehabilitation places for
feral dogs around Detroit.

It was out of that frustration I decided to switch my focus in rescue from mostly black dogs in kill shelters to feral dogs.

I knew feral dogs were very misunderstood, I also knew that they deserved a chance. If no one else was willing to give them one, I would.

Catching Shawn wasn’t easy but we did it. I will never forget that day.  It’s the day that changed everything for me.

Four years later Shawn is a permanent member of my family and she’s doing great.

That day I committed to feral dogs, to education and to opening up a farm where we could rehabilitate them in a safe, non-threatening way.

The most common asked question is “aren’t they vicious?”. That answer is simple. No. A feral dog is too fearful of people to ever willingly get close enough to bite.

That’s just one of the many misconceptions about feral.

The word “feral” does not mean aggressive or mean, it simply means “wild”.  A feral dog is a dog that has not had human interaction.  Think of them the same way you a deer, it’s a wild animal.

We tend to humanize our pets. We think every dog wants to be curled up on the couch next to us.  That’s just not true. Feral dogs see nothing wrong with the life they live. They don’t know anything different. Coming into our world is terrifying and confusing.  We speak a language they don’t understand, we move our bodies in motions they have never seen. Our pet dogs do use dog body language but it’s often very subtle.  They understand us so they don’t have to rely on body language for all their communication.  Feral dogs do not understand us and rely solely on body language. Their body language is very exaggerated but it’s also very clear. There is no need for words.

We use their language to start the rehabilitation process along with some help from really good food.

Because they are so fearful, we want every interaction with people to be very positive.

We start with food; all good things come from us. We keep it simple in the beginning, not asking much of them.

Rehabilitating a feral dog is a process; it’s a rollercoaster ride at times. We take steps forward and backwards on a daily basis. It’s a very long process that can’t be rushed.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of earning the trust of a feral; the first tail wag is magical.

Feral dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Most often feral dogs come from once owned dogs that were left abandoned.  They will have a litter of puppies and without an owner; they will not get to know people. That starts the cycle.

Watching feral dogs can educate and help us with our domestic dogs. They teach us their language.

Our mission was to create a place where we could give these forgotten dogs a chance at a life inside a home with people. To learn to trust and to be loved, to have a chance to be healthy and to most importantly stop the cycle of creating more feral dogs.

We accomplished that mission and have had the joy of watching these feral dogs transition into family dogs. They are no longer forgotten.

– Melissa Borden
   The Devoted Barn
   Owner/Founder

I am a 42 year old single mother of five. I am the founder/owner of The Devoted Barn, I have been in rescue for over 20 years.  My mission was to open a farm where we could give not only feral dogs a chance but also animals from extreme cruelty and neglect.  We bring in at risk kids and adult special needs to help us with the animals to teach compassion and empathy.

Please visit The Devoted Barn on Facebook! and Twitter!

I belong to many Dog Lover facebook groups.  I own a purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a West Highland White Terrier.  When I retired on disability due to MS, I fostered dogs and ended up adopting two of them.  My disability has progressed so that I use a wheel chair and I spend most of my time on the computer while my husband is at work.

In the few weeks leading up to to November 22, 2014 various rescue volunteers were desperately raising money to buy over 150 Cavaliers of high quality who were to be available at an Auction.   Many of us followed the campaign which raised over $500,000 in about 11 days.  The fear that puppy mill breeders, or worse would be purchasing these animals heightened our sense of urgency!  The dreaded day came, we were getting hour by hour on line reports of number of dogs bought and the price.  The price kept rising, the profession bidder was  paying over $6000 per dog toward the end of the day.  All in all the dogs averaged about $3000 for each dog – unheard of!  The rescue group refused to leave any dog behind, and the other puppy mill breeders knew that!  So after our first sigh of relief, and taking a big breath – many of us asked ourselves – oh my gosh what have we done!

Ron Sturgeon, a well known dog lover and successful millionaire wrote an article to all of our Facebook groups – “Have we won the battle but lost the war?” – the response was tremendous.  Ron article suggests we should go after the root cause of the problem, most likely legislation, rather than succumb to the emotional and financial extortion that occurred with this auction.   A conversation of many wonderful people ensued.  As a result Ron founded the group now called National Alliance for Dog Breeder Reform.

I started donating my time immediately, documenting the conversation, and now I assist with the social media campaign.  I’m involved.  I even took another foster dog.  I didn’t think I could do that from a wheel chair but I can!

We are just getting started, come learn about us and volunteer to help us.  To fully understand our mission I recommend you read the leadership posts, starting with the oldest one first.  To see who all had volunteered across the country to be on the board, you can read about us.

Sign up and volunteer on the website – we could use help!

Meet Willow, a mill survivor:

 Willow is one of our recent foster dogs.  She had some care as she didn’t have worms, no skin problems and she is the correct weight.  However she was in intense pain and could barely move.  Once we removed her teeth she started walking.  She is debarked.  She strains to breathe sometimes – we think this is a result of no dental care, being confined to a small cage, and the debarking left scar tissue affecting her breathing.  Aside from that who knows what else she suffered.  She runs when she sees a broom, she ducks her head down when I reach to pet her, and she is very timid.  She is easily startled, and she is terrified of thunder.  She won’t walk through a door if a person is standing there.  Despite her challenges, Willow will have a happy life now and we foresee adoption soon.

I knew, as a handicapped person that it would be a good thing to volunteer, I just didn’t know how good.

Please visit National Alliance for Dog Breeder Reform on Facebook!

– Susan Schrade, volunteer at National Alliance for Dog Breeder Reform

This is a speech that Mitch Rand will be delivering to a group of online activists:

And that is that sometimes it sucks to be an animal activist. It feels like everyone and everything is against you. From the moment you decide that you want to help animals, people begin to throw out insults, saying things like, “you’re weird,” or “you must be one of those tree hugging hippies I heard about!” Other times they take a more “scientific” approach and begin to degrade everything you believe in with a thousand illogical, unsupported “facts” and opinions that they found somewhere on Google, or, better yet, Facebook. It’s amazing how people can be so blind to the real world… It makes you just want to sock them in the face.

Er, forget I said that. As a matter of fact forget I said anything at all about… their intelligence level… And… and don’t sock them in the face… That’s… not a good idea.

I know… It’s hard to keep from lashing out at the opposition with equal anger and hatred, but I’m here tonight to explain that it’s simply the only logical, (and ethical) thing to do.

There will always be people who try to defend the oppression of animals, and they will use any means they can to try and bend you to their whims. From hacking your social media account to harassing and bullying you and others who are trying to make a change,nothing is below the opposition. Nothing, and no one. That should include you.

But many times we try to argue, and get revenge. We see someone causing trouble and want to be the morally upright “police” coming to the rescue. We even have our own judicial system set up in our minds…

We think “Oh this person hurt this animal. Hurt him in the same way and see how he likes it!”

Or, “Anyone who ever dares to harm or injure an animal activist should be arrested, or even killed, on the spot!”

Yeah. We say things like that. And we think they’ll make things better, but in reality, they’re making the situation a whole lot worse.

By stooping down to the level of our moral opponents, we’re only making it more difficult to achieve our goals. By returning fire, that is, throwing back insults, arguments, and threats, we’re  giving our opponents a treasure trove of examples that could easily be used to degrade our character, beliefs, and motives. And it doesn’t just reflect upon us as a single person. It affects all animal activists.

“One rotten apple can spoil the bunch,” and one wrong move can push a goal further out of reach, even to the point of impossibility.

All because of a trivial battle fought for the sake of our egos.

And in the end, animals, the very souls we are trying to save, suffer because of us.

Arguing takes the focus off of the more important issues at hand, and in turn wastes valuable time, money, opportunities, and, worst of all, lives.

Yes. Lives.

While we are busy having a verbal duel with someone on the Internet, or at a local gathering, we could instead be doing something constructive, like campaigning for a change, signing a petition, or, better yet, going out and helping an animal ourselves. Just because you don’t act doesn’t mean someone else will, or can. The very definition of activism, according to dictionary.com is “the practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, sometimes by demonstrations, protests, and so on.” In other words, activism is something you participate in by working for a positive change. Insulting and threatening those who do not comply surely doesn’t fit into that description.

The fact is that by verbally fighting others over the correctness of our viewpoints, we expose their flaws by showing hatred and closed-mindedness- which are the very things that we as animal activists claim to be fighting against! We fall into the trap of contradicting ourselves, and in the process we are helping no one but the very people we are trying to prove wrong- and even they don’t get much out of it!

In fact, the only thing anyone every gained from a angry argument is a bad attitude and a cynical outlook on the world, and everyone in it.

I’ll readily agree that the ignorance of the human race can be extremely frustrating, but just because you are surrounded by shadows doesn’t mean that you can’t shine on your own. Stand for your beliefs, but don’t stand above them. The true meaning of activism is in the idea of promoting your cause before you promote yourself, and compassion, understanding, and a willingness to turn the other cheek. The touchstone of any successful animal activist is the simple ability to be the bigger person.

I am not, however, saying that we shouldn’t fight for what we believe in. If there is no action behind our words and ideas, then there is no meaning to them, either. All I am saying is that we should work for change constructively rather than destructively.

Constructive actions, such as lobbying for a new animal protection law, or donating to your favorite animal charity, are excellent ways to help the animal activism movement and prove your merits as one who works as a voice for the voiceless.

Destructive actions, such as engaging in a comment battle, calling someone ignorant, calling for capital punishment, and so on, only hurt the animal activism movement as a whole, and cast your own personal merits in a negative light.

I am here tonight to ask you to try and always work constructively, and to do all you can to help the cause, rather than hurt it. If you have trouble, as we all do, I want to close with a phrase to help you remember to be the bigger person.

It may be difficult sometimes, but no matter what, Don’t argue! Just act!

– Mitch Rand

Please visit and connect with us on Facebook! Twitter! Google+!

Stray Animals. Creatures who instead of being in lovable homes are generally seen to be in a perpetual struggle for survival in the streets of, what must be to them, nightmarish and unnatural concrete jungles. Some of them have been abandoned, many have been born on the streets and know no other life.

In India, stray animals generally consist of dogs and cats, and in some cases cows and buffaloes which can be seen roaming the streets. I first became truly aware of their plight when I started volunteering at an animal shelter. I’m not quite sure what prompted me to do that, perhaps it was the fact that I had a pet dog, or maybe it was the endless stream of videos, pictures and articles that talked about the abuse of animals going on in India and around the world. Whatever it was, I became far more aware of animal rights than I had ever been; and I jumped in to do my bit.

I was not quite prepared for what I experienced at the animal shelter. It was intense. You could go from hoping against all odds to feeling completely and utterly hopeless in a second. Many abandoned pedigreed dogs came in, labradors, German Shepherds, pomeranians, etc. A lot of them were abandoned police dogs, which left me appalled. They had served their communities, and were nothing less than heroes, and here they were left to die alone in their old age. Many of the other pedigreed dogs were there either because their owners wouldn’t or couldn’t meet their expenses. Sometimes the reasons were more frivolous, some were abandoned because they had outgrown their cuteness, sometimes their caretakers had no idea what keeping a pet meant, sometimes they had to move and the pet was just an inconvenience to be rid of.

Even so, pedigreed dogs had a better chance than Indies (also called Pariah dogs, dogs which are native to India) at adoption. The great colonial hangover has ensured that pedigreed dogs are a status symbol in India, prized possessions which indicate social status and wealth. They had a decent chance at adoption, especially if they were young. But due to this colonial hangover, our own Indies have long been seen as second class. The vast majority of the population is extremely reluctant to adopt them. This is despite the fact that they are extremely well acclimated to the Indian climate, they do not fall ill easily, they are hardy and live long and almost never suffer from any genetic problems, which is sometimes seen in purebred dogs due to inbreeding.

In India, there are approximately 30 million stray dogs and cats. There is a big increase in the number of man-animal conflicts due to 1) the increase in stray animal population and 2) Increasing urbanization which leads to an extremely high density of human population in cities. Animal birth control has been haphazard and uneven, with municipal bodies  incapable and/or unwilling to take on large scale programmes to reduce population of animals. The shelter I worked at was compensated for every sterilization they successfully undertook, which at least ensured that the animals that came in were sterilized. Some cities have seen relative improvement. Chennai and Jaipur were the first cities to start sustained ABC-AR programmes.

But one of the major pain points is the lack of enthusiasm among people when it comes to adopting Indies as pets. This was the reason why I started Merrywag.com. I had seen the success of petfinder in USA, and I felt that something like that was sorely needed in India to give pet adoptions, and especially adoption of Indies, an impetus; a place where people could come and see them for the truly amazing and loyal companions that they are.

Currently we are working with 16 Animal shelters who list pets up for adoption/fostering on the site, and they can make requests for donations too. Individuals and volunteers are also allowed to make submissions to the site. We also list all the happy endings, where pets have found forever homes.

Check us out at www.merrywag.com

You can mail us at admin@merrywag.com

Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/merrywag

Follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/merrywag

 

Wolf Haven International, a sanctuary for displaced wolves, is located in Tenino, WA (south of the state capitol of Olympia). The sanctuary was founded in 1982 by Steve & Linda Kuntz, then a young couple with a small child, a “pet” wolf, and a dream to establish a place for otherwise homeless, captive-born wolves.

Like many before them (and unfortunately, to this day), Steve & Linda quickly realized that a cute, young wolf pup does not translate into a tractable, well-behaved domestic animal. In all too many sad cases (estimated at 70%), captive bred, born and sold wolves (and wolfdogs) are euthanized by their second or third birthday, when they reach the age of sexual maturity. Fortunately for the 180+ animals who have been rescued  and given a lifetime home at Wolf Haven since 1982, the Kuntz’s opted not to go that route. Instead they took on the vastly more challenging vision of establishing a lifelong home for these animals who were never suited to be someone’s pet.

The art of deception

Over 12,000 visitors come to Wolf Haven annually to see, hear and learn about wolves. One of the most frequently asked questions is “Where do these wolves come from?” The surprising answer is that most of them are rescued from private ownership (yes, it’s legal in some places in the U.S.; illegal in others). Who can deny that almost any animal is cute when it is a baby (including opossums)? That little bundle of wolf pup looks like & acts so much like a puppy, right? The catch is that it took thousands of years for mankind to successfully domesticate dogs so that they would have characteristics that we humans like in our pets: tractability, friendliness, loyalty, affection.

Wolves, on the other hand, tend to possess characteristics that we are not fond of in our domestic animals: independence, indifference to human approval, shyness. Add amazing escape artist abilities (wolves can jump, dig, climb, run), jaw strength of 1500 pounds per square inch (twice that of a German Shepherd), and natural instincts to cover territory and chase prey, and it’s easy to understand why wolves purchased as cute young pups typically end up euthanized or chained for life. Even those with the absolutely best intentions are usually  unable to cope with the physical, emotional and psychological demands of maintaining a wild animal in captivity.

What about a nice compromise?

Nope, sorry, but a wolfdog (a cross between a wolf and a domestic dog) is not the answer. Hundreds and hundreds of breeds exist, so there isn’t any need to create something that really is neither fish nor fowl. Dogs have been domesticated so that they yearn for human contact and approval. Wolves avoid human contact and have no need to please people. What happens when you mix these opposing traits together – unpredictability. Genetics is a messy business, and regardless of what you might hear, it is not scientifically possible to predict behavior with any reliability. The wolfdog may be tractable and may not be. The wolfdog may stay in the backyard and not roam, but may not. The wolfdog may not instinctively chase prey (anything running, including a child) but on the other hand, just might follow this instinct.

At our sanctuary

Wolf Haven currently has a handful of wolfdogs. We could easily fill our sanctuary with them, if that was our intention and space was available. That is not our mission, however; we need to keep our focus on wolves and their welfare, both those born in captivity and those born in the wild. In an ideal world, there would be no need for a sanctuary for displaced, captive-born wolves. As long as people succumb to the desire to force a human relationship on wild animals, though, Wolf Haven and other sanctuaries will exist to take them when the animals outlive their usefulness. Here, the animal is placed in an enclosure with a companion animal of the opposite sex. They are given excellent medical attention, quality food, enrichment items to keep them stimulated and left alone to be what they want to be – themselves.

There are currently 51 animals living at Wolf Haven and the majority of them are not seen by the public nor even by non-animal care staff. Wolves prefer it this way, and we make all decisions based on what is in their best welfare. Sanctuary tours are available, however, for small groups of people, who follow guidelines and behave as guests in the wolves’ home. During a 50 minute tour, a visitor can usually see a gray wolf, wolfdog, coyote and two types of endangered wolf species, the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf. I say “usually” because the animals are free to place themselves wherever they want inside their enclosure, whether that is the back part or up close near the fence-line. The best times to come for a tour are in the morning, during winter, and in cool or inclement weather. The iffiest time to see a wolf is on a hot summer afternoon. Just like other mammals, on a hot day, a wolf is more likely to kick back and relax under a shady tree in the back.

Contact us & get involved

On June 1, 2015, Wolf Haven will begin offering our guests the ability to schedule a sanctuary visit through a reservation system. Guests will either log onto our website or make a simple phone call to reserve the date and time of their visit. This preregistration system will allow our guests, staff and volunteers to better plan and manage sanctuary visits. Not only will this ultimately be better for the wolves (who prefer predictability and routine), it will be more convenient for our guests as well.

We love talking about wolves, whether it is on a tour of our sanctuary, in our education center or at an outreach event. In addition to western Washington, Wolf Haven has outreach educators at various times of the year located in Arizona, Portland, Oregon and Southern California. If you’d like to get more information about Wolf Haven, please visit our website at wolfhaven.org, or call us at 360.264.HOWL [4695].

Our education department can be reached at http://www.wolfhaven.org/educational-programs or 360.264.4695 x219.

And of course, we can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ and Tumblr.

Regardless of whether you are able to visit Wolf Haven physically or have someone from Wolf Haven visit you, please get involved and stay involved in wolf issues.  Sign up for our wolf alerts, newsletters and other wolf news at http://bit.ly/1JVqBI1.

You just might make a difference in a wolf’s life.

– Kim Young
   Director of Communications
   Wolf Haven International

All sentient beings deserved kindness and compassion.   Today, and always, keep in mind the four-legged Moms that are not given the opportunity to have their young by their side, lose their life before their young are grown, have their freedom, receive compassion, and/or be provided the basic care and consideration that ALL living beings are entitled to.
Do what you can, when you can – it matters.

Before I was a Mom –
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth every day.

Before I was a Mom –
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom –
I had never been puked on – Pooped on – Spit on – Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom –
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests…or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom –
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life
so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom –
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom –
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

– author unknown

Happy Mother’s Day to those incredible women who went from before they were a Mom, to well, being a Mom.
We wouldn’t be here without you. xo

Our species clings to the concept of ‘Human’ because it provides an easy, relaxing and affordable sensation of superiority over other sentient beings. But the schism between human and animal (we share 98% genetic similarity with chimpanzees) is not only artificial but dysfunctional. Calling a pig that has been kidnapped, tortured, slaughtered, packaged and consumed after being grilled over burning coals a “hot dog,” for instance, stems from the same ego driven attitude that produces racism, bigotry, classism, elitism and warfare. In order to treat a pig so miserably, it must be viewed as an inferior creature. Likewise, when soldiers torture, they often resort to pulling hoods over their victims’ heads, stripping their clothes off and stealing their nametags. All the assassin knows for sure about their victim is that they are expendable. The less they know about their true personhood the better.

Relating this ugly sociological fact to the incomprehensible plight of non-human animals, it is known that each and every day millions of cows, chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, and fish are murdered in dark, cold, sound-proofed death chambers in the name of political and cultural duty. Even the weapons used in so-called “factory” farming are eerily similar to the ones used in military combat. It seems at times the tactics and strategies employed in the slaughterhouses can be much more gruesome than the ones experienced on the battlefield. In both cases, the assassin does not want to know anything meaningful about their victim. They do not want to know their hopes and enjoyments. And they certainly do not want to know if they were loved. They need to not want anything of value from them at all. This is one of the hallmark signs of power: the ability to not care if or how someone dies. How many hunters and butchers stop to think about a pig’s family, consider its’ memories, or contemplate its’ favorite spot in the sty? How many employees in slaughterhouses think about the preferences of cows or try to ponder the intrinsic joy of being a sheep? Before the ax falls, the arrow flies, the needle plunges, and the stun gun fires its deadly shock, who stops to ask themselves if they would want this heinous act done to their mother, husband, best friend, or child? Perhaps Nietzsche was right when he said, “Man is the cruelest animal.”

And how do millions of consumers turn their moral attention away from the nameless creatures in those genocides that never make the evening news? As soldiers dehumanize their enemy by using derogatory names such as Jap, Kraut, Commie, Infidel, and Terrorist, consumers invent euphemisms such as ‘Big Mac’ and ‘ Sirloin,’ objectifications like “wings,” “thighs,” and ‘breasts,’ and even slurs like “Bessie,”  “hog,” ‘dumb ass,’ and “Billy Goat.” For without these linguistic acts of self-deception, it would be literally impossible to stomach the tragedy.

George Payne is the founder and director of Gandhi Earth Keepers International in Rochester, NY.

Visit www.gandhiearthkeepers.org

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Preface:  just-do-something.org was introduced to Orla Mannion via LinkedIn, when someone else mentioned this particular Blog, below.  It touched me, as so many writings do, and I reached out to Orla asking if we could post her blog on our website.  

When I first created this blog, I had plenty of ideas in mind as to what I wanted to write about. Politics, current affairs, travelling, recipes, the environment, animals, magic – and these are all things I still want to write about. But what has really pushed me into finally writing something today, to reach out in some medium or form, is a picture I just saw on a social media site.

It’s a picture of two cows, comforting one another, before being put to slaughter.

It has moved me, shaken me, and sickened me to my core all at once. It has reminded me why I have given up eating meat, while in the recent past having considered myself to be something of a hefty carnivore.

While still what I’d call a fledgling vegetarian, and still relapsing occasionally by eating chicken or fish (although these occasions become evermore infrequent), I have not eaten beef or pork for at least the past five months.*(Quick edit: I am now a fully fledged vegetarian, working my way towards becoming a vegan, having almost totally cut down on dairy intake. Next step, eggs! And the whole thing is surprisingly easy!) And every time I want to revert, every time I begin to feel lazy with it, or begin to allow myself to normalise the idea of eating meat again, I am exposed to something that awakens inside me this horror, this absolute bone deep despair, this anger; something that brings it all home again. And this time, it was the picture of two cows looking deep into each others eyes, offering comfort to each other over something that we will never understand and will always be excluded to, showing in them a depth of emotion that we repeatedly fail to acknowledge.

Why are we so cruel? So shamelessly callous and purposefully oblivious to our obvious shortfalls, as human beings, where we allow ourselves to be surrounded and tainted by suffering. As human beings, we owe a duty of care to the animals we consume. Contrary to popular belief, the meat you buy in a supermarket does not arrive there straight from a factory, all cellophane wrapped and ready for easy consumption. That meat you’re eating was a someone, not a something. It had emotions, feelings, relationships with other animals, possibly people, given the opportunity. Cows are known to be highly sensitive and loving, with pigs being highly intelligent and clean and affectionate. I even learnt the other day that it’s possible to litter train pigs, just like cats.

We have this attitude concerning meat, this highly addicted and brainwashed attitude, that seems to create a guilt free pass to blissfully consume meat the way we do, to treat animals the way we do, that allows for them to arrive on our plate in a manner that doesn’t stimulate our thoughts to generate anything beyond what is right in front of us. Animals are given such little respect, treated so horribly, regarded as a product, rather than the living, sentient beings that they are.

People don’t like to look at the reality. But if you’re brave enough to open your eyes to understand fully the meat on your plate, and you decide to open your heart and begin to care, even a little, you’re more than likely going to end up having it broken. But the alternative is far worse, where you decide to be blind yourself and ignore the atrocities that are so commonplace around us, where the reality is that it continues and we all play a role in it. If everyone turns their back, or pretends not to see for the sake of protecting their sensibilities, nothing will ever change. I believe, that maybe in a 100 years time, people will look back and shake their heads in disbelief at how foolish, wasteful and cruel our generation has been. At least, I hope it does.

I have written this with tears of frustration. When I see photos like that, I feel like jumping up and down, like standing on some podium and shouting to the world to educate itself and change it’s ways, that we cannot sustain what we have abused for so long. And then I feel claustrophobic with horror, by the simple fact that so few people seem to care. I get this constant surge of emotion, where I want everyone to see and understand what is so relevant to all of us, what is so REAL. Just because they don’t have a voice, does not mean that we shouldn’t listen, or that we have the right to be complacent. Somewhere in the world, right now, there are new born baby calf’s being torn away from their mothers. Mothers taken immediately to give their baby’s milk to a machine. Bulls slaughtered. There are calf’ being locked in small dark spaces where they can’t move so their muscles are lean and soft (veal), there are pigs lying on dirty concrete floors giving birth to the next stock of meat, there are animals brought to slaughter houses, after leading horrendous lives; scared, afraid, distraught, lonely, and confused.

Maybe the worst thing about that photo for me was that the cows weren’t confused. They knew exactly what was going to happen, and had already quietly accepted that and were now awaiting their sentence, gently offering each other comfort in their final moments, as friends.

I just WISH the world would wake up. Realise what we are doing, and what we continue to fail in stopping. I just wish the world was a better place. Filled with people who cared more, who felt more, who saw more. People who would THINK more, and were just generally better human beings.

I just wish that more people we’re trying make a difference.

If anyone decides to read this and wants to see the photo, here it is:

– My name is Órla, I’m a nineteen year old student studying Economics, Politics and Law in DCU, a University in Dublin. I live in the countryside and have four rescue cats, a rescue dog and rescue chickens! 

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Dog fighting is one of the most brutal and sadistic of all ‘sporting’ activities – the term ‘blood sport’ is more suitable; it reflects the darkest side of human nature, and those who indulge in such practices are frequently abusers of other humans, too. Yet the sentences handed down are not commensurate with the crime.

The maximum penalty for dog fighting in the UK is 6 months imprisonment and/or a £5000 fine, and the court can order the owner be deprived of the ownership of the dog and banned from owning or keeping another dog. [Section8, Animal Welfare Act 2006].

A couple of recent cases illustrate the types of sentences actually given:

In a 2009 case four people were jailed for their part in one of the EU’s largest dog fighting syndicates. A mother from Lincolnshire, who held dog fights at her home, was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, ordered to pay £2000 costs and banned for keeping animals for 10 years. Three co-defendants were jailed for between 23 and the maximum 26 weeks for animal cruelty offences.

In another case (2011), a father and son, arrested after an undercover RSPCA operation, were sentenced to 20 weeks and banned from keeping dogs for life, and 12 weeks with a 15 year ban, respectively.

These seemed very light sentences for acts of wanton cruelty.

Recently, a Member of Parliament (Adrian Sanders MP, 15/10/2013) urged a doubling of sentences and/or a fine greater than £20,000 [Section 32(1) Animal Welfare Act 2006] be imposed for ‘egregious’ acts of animal cruelty.

Only about 10% of those found guilty are jailed, and of those most served only 8 weeks; nobody has received the maximum sentence. This government prefers to leave it up to magistrates to determine the length of sentence within the sentencing guidelines, and most seem disinclined to make use of the maximum penalties.

In contrast, if an owner fails to stop their dog harming other people, it could lead to at least 6 months and possibly up to 18 months in jail [Dangerous Dogs Act, 1991, and Sentencing Council for England and Wales]. Furthermore, it has been proposed that owners of dangerous dogs that allow them to attack other persons (weapon dogs) should receive significantly more jail time than the current maximum of 2 years – maybe up to 5 years if another is injured, and 14 years if the attack is fatal. Here, 91% of the public favoured increasing maximum sanctions.

Given the desire to augment sentencing for the use of ‘weapon dogs’, urgent consideration should be given to increasing sentences for dog fighting too.

Dog fighting is a booming criminal industry, but does not stand alone – there is much evidence to suggest that it serves as a hub for other serious illegal activities, such as money laundering, drugs, arms and people trafficking or prostitution. Thus, even if authorities are lukewarm about prosecuting dog fighters, these other anti-social activities ought to be persuasive.

There is also the question of cruelty spilling over into the domestic situation with the abuse of spouses and children. Such lack of empathy can become trans-generational.

For example, quite often the torturing and killing of animals precedes a continual pattern of violence against humans and animals. In dysfunctional families where domestic violence was present, 57% women reported that their husbands had beaten the pets too, and, of those, 32% had children who had abused pets. Children exposed to domestic violence are significantly more likely to have been cruel to animals then children not so exposed.

Neither can it be ignored that several serial killers including Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Edmund Kemper and David Berkowitz all had early histories of animal abuse.

Significantly, and not unrelated, one of the distinguishing features of conduct disorder (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual IV), affecting 6% of all children and often seen as a precursor to antisocial personality disorder (aka psychopathy), is cruelty to animals.

Thus non-human animal abuse can be a precursor to, and concomitant of, human abuse. The offenders’ overall behaviour patterns need to be taken into account when penalties and treatment are considered.

The barbaric practice of dog fighting does not incur custodial sentences proportional to the level of cruelty. Offenders are frequently involved in other serious crimes, and may suffer from psychiatric problems.

Those still advocating dog fighting as some sort of purist, blue-blooded activity, are either deliberately dissembling or sadly deluded. Some even blame animal welfare organisations for the degrading of the noble art of dog fighting! Presumably in former times, before the appearance of upstart animal welfare societies, this elite sport was a model of animal welfare and probity.

– Penny Morgan
pennymorganauthor.co.uk

After graduating in Zoology from King’s College, London University, I went to Bristol University’s Psychology Dept. to complete a PhD in Animal Behaviour. Later, in Southampton University, I did Post-Doctoral Fellow research into both sleep and bird behaviour. Later (after my children were of a school age), I started the new Psychology Advanced Level course at Peter Symonds’ 6th Form College, now one of the largest in the UK. I have published scientific papers and contributed chapters to a book (‘Social Behaviour in Birds and Mammals’, Academic Press). During the course of researching various aspects of my first book, Prime Witness (about apes gaining ‘personhood’ rights), I became absorbed by the legal issues, so I enrolled in a LLB course (London University) and obtained an LLB in 2003. I have since written two more books – Blood Wood (about illegal logging) and Devil’s Dogs (dog fighting) – and am in the process of completing a fourth (Trophy, about poaching rhino horns). I have contributed articles to the Journal of Animal Law Welfare (the journal of the Association of Lawyers for Animal Welfare), and Protect (the magazine of the League Against Cruel Sports. I’m currently Vice President of the League Against Cruel Sports.

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In zoos, circuses, trekking safaris, logging camps and even in temples, captive elephants are ailing, many are fighting for survival. Around the globe, hundreds of campaigns exist to send elephants to sanctuaries where undeniable and often profoundly positive changes have been observed. But sanctuary is still captivity, it still requires the elephants to be managed, many require life long veterinary care, there are still fences, sometimes heated barns for cold winter nights. So, what’s the difference, what is the critical factor that allows these transformations, these – seemingly rebirths of a new being.

For decades it has been believed by those that work with captive elephants that what we see in their very limited environments is who they are. This is not the case. The negative impact of captivity has reduced elephants to only a small fraction of their potential and true state of being. One of the countless, but most pivotal lessons that came in the early years of managing an expansive natural habitat sanctuary is also one of the most basic elements of social psychology: we become what our environment allows us to.

I have personally witnessed elephants’ lives completely transformed by sanctuary. Elephant after elephant, sometimes with their first steps into their new home, emerge seemingly as a new being. We observed elephants unfairly labeled as killers become vulnerable and sympathetic, antisocial elephants become herd mentors, aggressive elephants turn passive and elephants on death’s doorstep live and thrive for more than a decade. But providing elephants with a healthier environment is just the first step toward healing and recovery.

If recovery were as simple as just providing a new environment, life would be easy. But we’re talking about an inherently complex species, whose captive lives are compounded by the complexities of trauma. Each elephant is as unique and as different as each individual human. They all have vastly varying needs and comforts. While some seemingly recover overnight, others evolve slowly, cautiously pealing away the layers of self-protective barriers they have built up through decades in order to survive. We’ve observed the gamut of pathways to recovery, and for a time we thought it was due to simply allowing them to return to the nature of being an elephant: letting them be with others of their own kind, grazing, exploring, playing, napping in the sun or under a shade tree. Undoubtedly these elements play a fundamental role, but over time the elephants showed us there was so much more to it than that.

We tried to encourage what we thought what was best for the elephants, but some chose a path that was essentially the opposite of what we assumed they needed. Flora was one of those elephants; an amazing being that taught us that the biggest growth comes when they are given the ability and control to figure themselves out. Flora didn’t want hundreds of acres to wander, and her apparent discomfort was conveyed in very demonstrative ways. After observing her for some time, we realized that it was not the space that was daunting, it was her inability to control herself – she lacked self-accountability. It appeared that she blamed others, the elephants, people and even the large space for her negative actions. Providing her a smaller safe space allowed her to confront the real issue. As time went on, and she was allowed to chose her own way forward, she eventually realized it was not the external stimuli, it was the anger she had inside, her own inner demons that were driving her actions.

To put this in perspective, most captive elephants have been captured from the wild at infancy. They are forced to submit through extreme dominance, put in a wooden crate and shipped overseas. Flora, was a result of a culling, where families were gunned down for population control, the infants were spared this fate. Instead they were sentenced of a life of confinement in a zoo or performing in circus. If this were a human, they would require psychological support for years, possibly even for life. These inner demons and deep-rooted anger are completely understandable. With Flora, we did the only thing that seemed right, to honor her desire and self-determined needs, even if they didn’t make sense. Because of this, we watched a remarkable transformation as she developed a greater understanding of herself. She learned to control her emotions by adjusting what and whom she exposed herself to. It was through these unexpected pathways to recovery that we realized that the principle factor for recovery is providing the opportunity for elephants to be autonomous. The most profound internal growth occurred when we trusted their voice and encouraged them to take control over the choices that made a substantially impact on their day, their comfort and their life.

Autonomy is not a requirement for life, but it is imperative for intelligent, social, emotional and intentional beings to truly live and thrive. This isn’t profound wisdom. It is fundamental animal nature. It is what we as humans desire, to be in control of our own lives. Out of all of the wondrous experiences I’ve had with elephants, reunions of old friend, unusual friendships, physical and emotional recoveries and transformations that make the elephants unrecognizable to former keepers, none are as incredible as seeing the moment when they find their inner-self, their true identity. When an elephant, taken from the wild as an infant, kept in essential solitude, judged and falsely labeled, realizes that they, for the first time in decades, finally have control over their own life. This is the true definition of Sanctuary and why we say that Sanctuary is so much more than expansive space, it’s a way of being that honors life, who elephants are and who they will become.

The future for captive elephant health is clear. It’s time to take everything elephants have taught us and share it to help provide captive elephants around the globe with a new life. We owe it to these incredible beings, the lives that human desire have suppressed, to finally give them the space, security and autonomy to be who they really are as elephants and individual. It is a solution; a healing remedy and a new dawn for a new life – it is Sanctuary!

– Scott Blais CEO and founder of Global Sanctuary for Elephants

Scott has more than 20 years of experience managing African and Asian elephants in zoos, circuses and at a natural habitat sanctuary. In 1995 Scott Blais co- founded the first extensive habitat sanctuary for elephants, due to a desire to provide captive elephants with more. He continued to develop progressive facilities and provide daily care for elephants there for 17 years. Scott is now taking the lessons taught by the elephants to provide a life of true sanctuary for elephants around the globe.

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