Author: David

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Animal Welfare vs. Animal Rights

I have a tremendous appreciation for animal welfare organizations and little appreciation for animal rights organizations. It recently dawned on me as to how I can distinguish between the two. I am quite surprised as to how it took me so long. Much of it has to do with the evolution of an organization.

Most of us start out wanting to help animals; it is a noble task. We become so effective at helping animals that we are motivated to want to change society to help animals. When we take on this task, we have to assure ourselves that the task is noble and the cause is righteous.

Today, we frequently see folks taking on causes that are not accepted as righteous. All of the bullying in the world will not make a cause righteous; if anything, it makes it worse.

We frequently see this in the animal welfare movement when other organizations or people want to force their ideology upon us. Oddly, if forced upon us long enough the cause actually might shift to righteousness. No-Kill was shoved down our throats long enough that we began to see the benefits of drinking that in. It still becomes problematic when the goal of becoming No-Kill is just a statistical issue and not a moral issue.

I can remember back when the board of a major humane society would call me at night telling me that I was doing a disservice to my community by not killing 90% of the animals that came into my care. Now, we are assaulted if we are forced to kill over 10% of our animals. The humane society lost its contract with the county due to its large euthanasia numbers and it felt that its cause was righteous because the board members were convinced that 90% of the animals were too dangerous to put on the streets of the community. Well, looking back at that, we see that they caved to stupidity.

But, is the 10% that we deal with today also an effort in stupidity? It’s just a number! It is just a statistic! Well, it is not. That number represents everything to animal rights organizations. It is the difference between calling shelter staff saviors or killers. It has become a number that keeps the bad guys bad and the good guys good.

How important is that number? Are we willing to adopt out dangerous animals just to meet our statistical goal, so that we can look like the good guys on paper? Are we willing to turn domestic cats out into a cold winter, so that we can call ourselves no-kill? What is it worth to us? Are we willing to be inhumane so as to meet a statistical number? If the answer is yes, then you might want to look again at your mission statement.

It is possible to reduce euthanasia to zero.  Is that helping or hurting your community?  What about the animals?

I recently watched one of my favorite organizations move from animal welfare to animal rights. I grieve for them and for the rest of us.

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Trap, Neuter, and Release (TNR) Programs

One of our local cities forfeited a million-dollar grant to reduce the city’s feral cat program through a program of trapping, neutering, and releasing (TNR) the sterile cats back into the community. There are two sides to this issue and from my perspective, I’ve never seen a positive long-term outcome with TNR programs. Unless feeling good is your desired outcome. Sure, a number of years ago, organizations touted success stories, but many of those proved unfounded over time.

Communities began seeing surplus cats in communities because many people saw cats as too independent to be considered pets; so they didn’t invest in spaying or neutering their cats that seem to come and go from their households. When things are going well for cats, they like to breed. Most species are the same way. The offspring of these “domestic” cats started becoming feral. A feral population is dependent on the carrying capacity of the community. As food became scarce, the cats would stop breeding.

“Little Old Ladies” upset the carrying capacity of the community by setting out food for the cats to eat. The cats would start to breed again until they exceeded the carrying capacity again. Like raccoon populations, disease would wipe out the population when the population is stressed with too many animals. Raccoons are usually on a seven-year cycle.

The problem with TNR programs is that in addition to spaying and neutering the cats, the cats are offered vaccinations, thus reducing the possibility of death through disease. Another problem with managing feral cat problems is that an excess removal of cats allows vermin to increase. I recall that in one neighborhood that was aggressively against cats discovered that rats grew in population corresponding to the removal of the cats. Anytime you are messing with animal populations, you are messing with Mother Nature.

Cats became a growing concern in animal shelters wanting to become no-kill. It seemed at the rate that cat’s breed, that having a 90% release rate was looking like a passing dream. Some shelters, to meet their no-kill goal, started taking the cats surrendered at the shelter and treating them as part of a TNR solution. They were taking the cats surrendered by their owners and sterilizing them and then releasing them back into the community. The trick was to release them into an area where the owners would not know what they had done. Some believed that throwing a domestic cat in the wild to starve to death was inhumane. No one reported on the impact of these starving cats. So they may or may not have survived. The point was that by doing this, the shelter could boast that they have reached no-kill. Many began to say that TNR stood for Trap, Neuter, and Re-abandon.

The notion, if people continued to feed feral cats, it was better to feed a sterile cat than a fertile cat. Or so we thought. It seems that over time, populations adjust. Even in a population of sterile cats, if the carry capacity increases, the population will adjust for that increase. Cats from other areas will move in. Thus the reason that TNR programs fail. They are good for a while, but if left unattended the fertile cats take over again and they do so quickly.

No-kill is a constant goal for animal shelters and even a short time win looks good for statistics and that is what no-kill is all about is finding other solutions for the animals in our shelters because killing an animal just doesn’t seem like a good solution. I have always advocated that the best solution to killing animals is to prevent their births. Not enough is being done to sterilize every pet. Shelters continue to adopt intact animals…. stupid….. very stupid. Pet owners cannot be trusted to take care of sterilizing their newly adopted pet. Trust me, I have years and years of experience in this area.  It is shocking the number of men who tie their testicles to that of their dog’s.

So? Is TNR worthwhile? It is a short-term solution to a bigger program. It makes us feel good by helping with our statistics and staff doesn’t have to perform euthanasia. It provides additional business for our local veterinarians. While you are doing it, it’ll feel good. A few years down the road, you’ll look back and wonder if you had made any impact at all.

Mother Nature maintains everything in a balance. The best way to upset that balance is to introduce humans into the equation (something that I picked up in college and later realized in life). For TNR to be successful over a long period of time, you’ll have to continue your efforts. As we have discovered that TNR usually has an immediate impact that you can feel good about; but, when you stop TNR, the feral population will rebound.

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Ribbons

Have you ever watched a movie in which a person in their dress military uniform comes into the room with a chest full of decorations? Your first reaction is that the person has witnessed a lot of action in the military. That may or may not be the case. The first ribbon you get in the military is the one that shows you survived boot camp. It’s probably the only ribbon that you feel that you have earned. My second ribbon was the Marksman Ribbon. The idea is to hit your LARGE target 90 times using 90 bullets. My target had 104 holes, so I earned the Marksman Ribbon. I later discovered that the shooter next to me was shooting into my target. Shooting at the wrong target doesn’t count towards your own Marksman Ribbon. It is nearly impossible to not pick up an Outstanding Unit Citation Ribbon. They are handed out like candy and I can no longer remember how I earned mine. Granted, I was only in the military for four years, but the most prodigious ribbon was the Philippines Presidential Ribbon. I know, you probably think that I saved the President’s life, but I am not sure that I did. While serving in the Philippines, I donated blood to the Red Cross and earned that ribbon. My father should have been the one to receive that ribbon because he took all of his kids down to donate blood on a regular basis. Donating in the Philippines just seemed like the natural thing to do. I probably earned other ribbons, but I didn’t keep track, I don’t think the military did either. You could just go down to the BX and buy whatever ribbons suited you.

This thought path that has taken me, and now you, reminded me of a guy that I went to college with. He got a job as a part-time law enforcement officer in a small town near the college. The town was nothing more than a speed trap along the highway. The guy’s boss went on vacation and for a short time, he became the Chief of Police. When I saw this guy wearing his uniform, I started laughing. I know, you should respect law enforcement authority but this guy was dressed exactly as a Latin American dictator: five stars, ceremonial ropes hanging from his shoulders, and, of course, dark sunglasses. He was proof positive that the uniform doesn’t make the man.

So, at this point, I try to turn this story into something that represents a message for animal welfare workers. The descriptions that we give the public are often undeserved depictions of the animals in our care. Many animal rescue groups lie about the animals, so that they can get them adopted. The pressure of becoming no-kill has caused many organizations to lose their integrity. It became so bad in Virginia that laws had to be created to make it illegal to provide a false narrative about an animal for adoption.

Many communities have pet lemon laws that make it imperative that we be honest when dealing with prospective pet owners.  There is nothing better than a Letter to the Editor in your local newspaper to put you in your place.

We have become a nation of false narratives and many animal shelters have jumped into lying as a matter of daily operations. It has become so ingrained in our society that we can no longer encourage people to adopt our animals because we have gained so much mistrust in the communities that we serve. No-kill is a good thing, but not at the loss of your organization’s integrity. The real harm comes when our staff so freely gives out false claims that they can no longer identify truth from fiction. Organizational leaders need to listen to what their staff and volunteers are telling people and take action when they are not being honest.

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Out of the Darkness

It breaks my heart to hear about how the political climate of Portland, Oregon, has dragged the city into darkness.  It is now much worse than when I worked there in the 1990s.  Portland is in the greatest need for a revival.  I join with my brothers and sisters of Athey Creek to support the PDX Crusade 2025 on August 2nd and 3rd at the Moda Center.  All is not lost for Portland because Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)  Join with me in prayer to bring Portland out of the darkness.

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Banning Children on Social Media

Florida has taken a great step in reducing societal stupidity. They have banned children from accessing social media. Let’s face it, social media attracts weak-minded people. Society has continued to become more stupid as social media platforms exist. You can proclaim anything on social media and find people willing to believe it. Until now, the only limiting factor was people staring into their cellphones and walking in front of a bus. Now, Florida can stop the damage to buses by restricting the age of those staring into their cellphones.  Good job, Florida.

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Integrity

“Integrity is a quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It refers to firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. People with integrity follow moral and ethical principles in life, including professional areas of work such as decision-making, interacting with colleagues and serving customers or clients.” If you still believe anything that the internet says.

Some says that, “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.” But, God is always watching. Integrity is a rare thing. We are all born with equal amounts of integrity, but as we grow older we begin losing our integrity. Some lose it faster than others. The problem with integrity is that once you lose it, you never get back; over time, losing more of it becomes easier and easier.

Mainstream media may never be trusted again, because they have lost their integrity. The easiest way to keep from losing your integrity is to fear God. If God is always watching, then maybe you don’t want Him looking down on you in disappointment. If you have not cut all of your ties with God, you might feel guilt when cheating in life. It is His way to drive you in the right direction.

If you can’t find your way to fearing God, then imagine wearing a polygraph in all of your dealings with the business of your life.

Trustworthy is the first law of being a Boy Scout. You are to, “Tell the truth and keep promises. People can depend on you.” The world needs more Boy Scouts.

What does this have to do with working in animal welfare?  EVERYTHING!

Bible passages:

Job 2:3
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
Ps 7:8
The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
Pr 11:3
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Pr 19:1
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
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Snake Handlers

I was recently watching a YouTube video in which a guy was stroking the chin of a cobra. As he stokes the snake, he says, “This is very dangerous, don’t try this at home.” Apparently, it wasn’t too dangerous to post the video. In all of the years that I’ve spent in animal welfare, snake handlers are by far the most stupid people that I’ve ever encountered. We usually don’t hear much about them until one of them gets bitten.

Then there is such a fuss that anti-venom has to be found that causes the depletion of anti-venom serum supplies. Police get involved and someone decides that the snakes must be rounded up and taken somewhere for safety. Guess where they go? Yep, I’ve been involved in incidents in which my shelter was caring for over 120 snakes at one time, many of them labeled as the most dangerous ones in the world.  I was in a room with a loose albino cobra; it took months for my testicles to decide to drop back down.  I think they still have PTSD.

The Milwaukee area seemed to be the epicenter of these stupid snake handlers. The good news is that during the winter months snakes are pretty easy to catch due to their cold-blood nature that doesn’t mix well with snow. If they ever escape, pray that it is winter.

I don’t fancy government regulation, but if someone wanted to regulate snake ownership, they would have my support. Without snakes, I wouldn’t have to check my toilet to make sure nothing was there to bite my butt. Sure, you don’t worry about such things. Apparently, you have not taken enough snake calls.

I didn’t watch the entire video because eventually, that guy is going to get bitten. Maybe not in that video, but eventually. That’s how Mother Nature works; she is patient. If you engage in enough activities that demonstrate that you have deleterious genes for stupidity, eventually, you’ll be permanently removed from the gene pool. I have to be honest. There is enough stupidity in our gene pool that these snake handlers won’t be missed.

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Why the Study on Wisdom?

Our recent Presidential election is evidence of the split between our brother Americans.  Both sides believed that their future rests with their candidate for President.  The reason that we have become so polarized is that we have become too distant from God.  You would rest better at night knowing that God is in charge and you can find peace within His arms.  No earthly wisdom can do that for you.

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Asking for Wisdom and the Nature of Wisdom

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 1:5–8.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 3:13–18.

Be not tempted by this world, but seek what God has prepared for us.