Animals R Us

I don't mind when people have uninformed opinions about animal welfare. I'm used to it (I work at a vet clinic, after all). It's when they use their misinformation and gut feelings to try to hurt animals that I love.

The USDA has proposed a rule that will require large-scale commercial breeders that sell pets over the Internet or by mail or phone, sight-unseen, to be licensed and inspected under the federal Animal Welfare Act.

And the good news gets better: the count is a minimum population size, as for every animal seen, others present (and others present in unsurveyed areas) are missed. This is particularly important because fewer than 2500 ...

Painchaud explained that under the yet-to-be-proposed bylaw, once an animal infringes on the security of a person or another animal, it will be deemed dangerous. The sentence for an animal deemed to be dangerous is euthanasia, she continued. "Our responsibility is to protect citizens from public nuisances," she said.

More than 90% of the puppies in traditional pet stores come from commercial mass breeding facilities, commonly known as “puppy mills”. Thanks to public education campaigns such as Best Friends Animal Society’s “Puppies Aren’t Products”, pet lovers are becoming ever more aware of the atrocities inherent in puppy mills. Abundant in the mid-western states, the breeding dogs at these operations suffer unimaginable cruelty, languishing in deplorable squalid conditions, deprived of adequate shelter, basic veterinary care, and human contact. Crammed into filthy wire cages, they can barely even turn around, much less ever feel the joy of running on grass or a gentle hand stroking their fur.

NIAGARA FALLS, ONT. Larry lies behind bars in a pen, his eyes red and swollen. The harbour seal with “an amazing little personality” who arrived at Marineland about eight years ago is now a shadow of his former self. After repeated exposure to unhealthy water, he has gone blind. Larry isn’t the only sea mammal living in distress at Marineland, the sprawling attraction in Niagara Falls. In extensive interviews with the Toronto Star, eight former Marineland staffers describe a pattern of neglect that has repeatedly resulted in animal suffering. What the public doesn’t see is the deterioration of marine mammals that become sick, suffer fur loss, skin damage and even blindness because of recurring water problems, they say. They also point to chronic staffing shortages that leave trainers unable to provide a minimum standard of care for animals to do well in captivity.

Just today I learned that hunters in Minnesota are upset when dogs are harmed and killed by traps. The stories they tell about the pain, suffering, and death of their own and other beloved companion animals are horrific and bring me to tears. But there’s something going on here that nags me a lot. While the pain, suffering, and death of their companion dogs move them they still want to be able to hunt other sentient beings who also are capable of enduring pain and suffering, not only when they’re shot and killed but when they’re stalked and otherwise chased.

Lady Gaga is the new poster girl for anti-fur activists. Move over Kim Kardashian. The 26-year-old singer, who professes to be a humanitarian, apparently draws the line at skinning animals alive.