The Legacy of Oreo

I am prompted today to write about a soulful little pit bull name Oreo, who was tragically killed last week at the hands of the ASPCA. I had received an email from the ASPCA last year triumphantly telling Oreo’s story and how they bravely rescued her from her abusive owner. After Oreo’s extremely sad demise, I am thinking about what “humane euthanasia” is, and what it means to different organizations. I touched on this subject two weeks ago when I wrote about the “no-kill revolution”, and I will bring you back to the notion that a “no-kill shelter” means different things to different people, as does “humane euthanasia”.
Oreo was “rescued” last year by the ASPCA after being thrown off from a 6-story building by her extremely abusive owner. She was around one year old, and suffered two broken legs and a fractured rib. Her story was paraded around by the ASPCA and she was deemed the “miracle dog”. It was a very touching story of a dog that had suffered so much, and her upcoming road to recovery.
Last week, after determining that Oreo, at the age of 2, was deemed “too dangerous and unpredictable around people” the ASPCA decided that she could not possibly live a safe and fulfilled life, and they killed her via “humane euthanasia”. While this has outraged many (including myself), it brings many questions to the table by many different parties: What was the evaluation process that determined that Oreo was “too dangerous” and could not be rehabilitated? How much pain was she still in after recovering from her injuries, and had she been given enough time to recuperate and re-learn how to trust humans again? Had she ever even had the opportunity or reasons to trust a human at her young age? From my research, I have not been able to find any reliable information from the ASPCA giving any details of her evaluation, which they describe as “guarded information”.
I know I talk a lot about Best Friends Animal Society, and I do so because I honestly feel that they set the most wonderful example that a real animal welfare organization should display. Being so close with many different aspects of this sanctuary, as well as the employees that work there, I feel that I can speak knowledgably about some of the incidents there. I have seen so many examples of unbelievably aggressive dogs, among other extreme behaviors, being rehabilitated, that I personally have a very hard time believing that there was nothing further that could be done for Oreo. I do not believe that every dog in the world can be rehabilitated from past experiences 100% and be placed in a home, but I do strongly feel that they can be rehabilitated back into a state where they are living a happier life than they would be in the ground, if given the chance and the right expertise. Don’t we, as a society, owe it to dogs like Oreo? Considering the fact that it was our humane race that put her in the situation she was placed in in the first place? I for one am not convinced that Oreo was given a fighting chance, and I don’t believe that many dogs are in the shelters, because it is simply too easy to just kill them, and call it “humane”. Sad of a fact as it is, no one is help accountable for the deaths that occur in some shelters, and many times, are overlooked or even commended.
Despite what your personal belief on humane euthanasia may be, (I don’t believe common ground will ever be reached on that one) sometimes, especially in animal welfare, we must agree to disagree. I believe that in animal welfare there are 3 types of people. One group, the group who makes the right decisions and is currently bringing us closer to a day where there will be no more homeless pets, another group who wants the same end result, but has been educated wrongly or misguided and makes decisions that bring us further away from this goal, and then one who is just in this business for the wrong reasons. Ed Sayers, the President of the ASPCA, earning a $500,000 salary, falls into the last category for me, not solely for that reason…
Pets Alive, a no-kill sanctuary in New York offered to take in Oreo, and rehabilitate her to a point where she was living a quality life, and not threatening those around her. Last week, once they learned of Mr. Sayre’s plans to kill Oreo, they called and emailed him, as well as every other person listed on the ASPCA website. The ASPCA flat out either denied their help, or did not return their calls, or simply hung up on them. How in the world do we ever plan to fix our problems if we cannot work together, or at the very least rationally listen to each other? Are we really all that self-righteous that we cannot even consider accepting the help from someone else? Did they even consider it? If they did, they have not made any notions that they did, and why they did not accept the help.
My point is, no matter which group you are from above, you have to, as a person, accept the fact that you may not always have all of the answers, and sometimes, you might have to seek out help from other sources, because at the end of the day, we are in the business to help the animals; not to protect our image, or earn revenue, and if you are, then you sadly fall into the third group, and should seriously consider a career change.
This was a wonderful sanctuary in New York who was ready and willing to take all of the baggage that came with Oreo, simply because they wanted to SAVE HER LIFE. We are not doing these animals a favor by pulling them out of abusive homes and killing them. We have to find a better solution than just killing them and thinking it’s ok. If you don’t know the solution, then ask someone else who might. Instead of researching ways that they can prevent this from happening again, the ASPCA is busy posting letters of support from PETA, and defending themselves, while blindly throwing jabs at nearly everyone credited for the no-kill revolution.On the other side of the fence, there are 2 people, New York Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner and State Senator Thomas K. Duane who are planning to introduce a law to ensure that this does not happen again. “Oreo’s Law” will prevent organizations from killing an animal when there is another shelter or rescue that is willing and able to take them in. It is modeled after a similar law, Hayden Law, which was voted into California State with overwhelming acceptance and success in 1998. I encourage you to research and support this law, and the thought of never thinking you are too big, or the politics are too messy to help out our animals. At the end of the day, you will be judged on whether or not you did the right thing, and this killing, to me, was not the right thing. Whether you agree with me or not, keep your mind open and keep your best interest in the right place.

What the Heck is Pack Life?!

Pack Life began overnight in May of 2009, as something that had been developing without our knowledge for a long time. Chris and I have always been dog lovers, mostly inspired by our own two, Sherwood & Ace, and somehow always knew that we would end up working with dogs in one way or another. We were somewhat aware of the problems surrounding millions of unwanted and mistreated dogs, but never really realized just how bad it was. Once we began to get an understanding of how huge of a problem the nation is facing, and how many dogs are being mistreated and killed, we realized that we could not possibly live with ourselves without doing everything we could to help stop these actions.

In December of 2008, Chris bought me the Vicktory Dog wine collection for Christmas. Through this purchase, he learned of Best Friends Animal Society, in Kanab, UT. They are the largest no-kill shelter in the country, as well as the home for the Vicktory pit bulls that were rescued from NFL star Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring. We really liked the concept of a shelter where there are no dogs too damaged to help, and we began to research them some more. The more we learned about them, the more we liked. It just seemed like everything they did, it was done the right way. They share our belief that if a dog has behavioral problem, regardless of how severe, they are because of human induced behavior, and it is our duty, as the human race, to fix them, and give them that chance to live. We subscribed to their wonderful magazine through a small donation, and continued to learn more about their organization.

One day, on his lunch break; Chris got a phone call from Gabriel De Payer, one of the co-founders of Best Friends Animal Society. Gabriel was calling Chris to thank him for our donation, albeit small, he was still grateful that we took our time and money to thank and support them. When Chris called me to tell me about the phone call, I was floored. Best Friends is a world-renowned animal sanctuary that houses up to 2,000 animals at any given time, and has literally changed and developed the “no-kill” revolution in the United States. Countless lives have been saved because of them, and to think that one of their co-founders would actually call 2 kids in Auburn Maine to thank them was unbelievable to us. This confirmed our notion that this was a special organization, and we decided to invest in a little trip out there to volunteer.

If you have ever taken a trip across the country, you know that there is a lot of work and money involved. To make things a little more interesting, we thought that we could maybe save a few bucks by camping out in the desert instead of renting a hotel. We didn’t really think about all of the camping gear that we would somehow have to fit in our luggage! Once we realized how much work it was going to be, we realized that we really needed to make this trip special, not knowing when we would get the opportunity to do it again. We also decided that we could not possibly go to this place, as representatives from Maine, empty-handed. We started soliciting donations from our friends and family. Everyone thought it was a really great idea, and agreed to donate. We soon realized that we needed a little more structure if we were going to do this right. We decided to set a goal of $2500, in honor of Best Friends 25th anniversary this year. It was an extremely lofty goal considering our average donation was around $25. We realized that if we were going to reach our goal, we would have to ask everyone we knew for a donation. If we were going to ask everyone for a donation, we would need to be more than just a couple of kids asking for money. So we decided to create Pack Life, a not for profit organization that would basically do what we could to help dogs. The goal of $2500 became our first mission. We solicited businesses for product donations, and held a large raffle for anyone who donated, and ended up giving away about 25 prizes. Right before we left for our trip we had raised about $2000. We knew that after all of our hard work, we couldn’t possibly fall short of our goal. We, as Pack Life, decided to donate the remaining $500. This money came straight out of our pockets, and we were overjoyed and relieved that we met our goal, and completed our first mission. We presented the $2500 to Gabriel upon our arrival at Best Friends, and stayed to volunteer for a week.
Since returning from our trip in July, we have developed our organization quite a bit. This summer we set up the Pack Life table at various events. At these events we have raised another $500 plus dollars, which we have donated to Best Friends, and other local animal shelters/rescues. We also spend a lot of our time talking to people through these events about issues like dog retention, spay/neuter information, dog enrichment, etc. All of these ideas that we talk about, we hope in turn will help to reduce the number of dogs ending up in shelters, and the number of dogs being killed in shelters every year.
In October, we traveled back out West to attend the Best Friends ‘No More Homeless Pets Conference’ in Las Vegas. We were looking for ideas and inspiration, which is exactly what we got! During this trip, with the help of many people and organizations, we donated over $2000 worth of dog toys, treats, harnesses, and other items that were on the Dogtown wish list. We just wanted to help the dogs at Dogtown feel happy and at home during their stay.

Chris and I both still work full time, and that is how we are able to purchase supplies for our events. Every dollar we raise is donated directly to another non-profit organization that will put it to good use. We are a very small organization of 2 people who are just using their spare time to do what we can to help save dog’s lives. This opportunity has also allowed us to spend a lot of time with our own two dogs, as they accompany us to mostly all of our events. Although I’m not sure if we’ve ever actually saved a life, I know that our time is well spent. One day, Chris and I just sat down and thought to ourselves “there has got to be something we can do”; this is us doing it. We couldn’t go to bed at night anymore thinking about all of these dogs being killed, and NOT do anything about it. It just didn’t sit with us.

All of our incoming donations are donated to other organizations, because we are currently not registered as 501(c) 3. We donate to the organizations that we feel will be able to use the money best, and support the programs that we personally believe in. We also work non-stop educating anyone we possibly can about fixing their dogs, licensing their dogs, talking to kids about dog fighting, humane treatment, dog enrichment, and more. When we are given the opportunity to talk, we talk! We volunteer at our local shelter, and do whatever we can to help when asked for help by anyone. We are not always organized, and we don’t have any fancy structure, we’re just doing what we can.

We are working on a few events for the holiday season, all of which will be up on our website, packlife.org once finalized. I encourage you, as I always do, not to necessarily start up a non-profit organization, but take a couple hours a week to volunteer at your shelter, or write a check to an organization that you believe in. Think of any skills or assets that you have that you might be able to share. Whatever it is, the animals could use them, and will gladly accept them. Everyone can do something.
For anyone who has supported us in the past, we thank you. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the Pack Life nation! If you have any further questions, please leave them in the comments sections below, or email me at Cassandra@packlife.org You can also visit our website at www.packlife.org If you would like to learn more about Best Friends, you can visit their website at www.bestfriends.org

A No Kill Revolution... Or is it?

According to wikipedia.org, a no-kill animal shelter is defined as an animal shelter where animals are only euthanized if they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be suitable for adoption. No-kill shelters reject euthanasia as a means of population control. Although this seems like a fairly straightforward definition, it is not. A no-kill shelter and a no-kill community can mean multiple different things to any given community, and different programs can be altered to sound much more effective than they really are.

The largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the country is Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, UT. They house anywhere from 1,500-2,000 animals on any given day, and ONLY euthanize if medically necessary. Contradictory to the definition above, they do not kill for behavioral reasons, including aggression, chronic shyness, etc. They only believe in humane euthanasia if it is strictly for medical reasons that can not humanly be fixed. Other shelters classify themselves as a no-kill shelter, and they follow the guidelines above. If an animal comes in with severe behavioral problems, defined above, they are able to kill that animal and still call themselves “no-kill”. They may be killing a large percentage of the animals that are coming in and still getting away with the label because they know how to classify the killings. There might be another shelter that doesn’t have any strict euthanasia guidelines in place, but tends to have a really great kill/no-kill ratio. They might not be called a “no-kill shelter” but they might have really great community programs and such, and have really effective shelter practices as well. The point that I am trying to make, is while it is extremely important for our country to move toward a no-kill nation, it is not the only characteristic that a shelter or community should be judged upon. It is also impossible to know whether a shelter is “good” or “bad” based on this one term. “No-kill” is a term that is used very loosely sometimes, but there is a lot more to it, and a lot of intricate pieces that go along with it that must be examined.

So we have determined that while no-kill as a theory is a really good thing, as a term it is very complex. As a theory, it is important for shelters and communities to understand that euthanasia, or killing, is not a solution for population control. It has become far too easy for people, certain shelters, etc. to forget about the problems with a cat or a dog by killing it. In some areas, it is a completely commonly accepted practice. These are the overrun shelters that are simply OVERWHELMED at the influx of animals coming in. As a friend pointed out, many of these shelters are city mandated and do not have the option of turning away animals when they are brought to the shelter. It may seem that they have no other choice than to kill when they have to make room for the animals that are continuously coming in.

Many shelters have taken this “no-kill movement” as a revolutionary fix-all for their shelters, and have overnight decided that they will no longer kill cats and dogs unless it is medically justified. These attempts have failed miserably, leaving thousands of cats and dogs in unfavorable situations because they were not able to get a seat at the shelter. The simple fact is, that if you do become a no-kill shelter, for one, you can not do it overnight, and for two, you simply will not be able to take in as many animals as you did before, because the kennels will not be opening up as fast when all of the animals are living. This is why it is so important to support the no-kill development with programs that will work on the other issues, such as home retention, spay/neuter, financial assistance, etc. These programs COMBINED, if done right, can make for a significantly more humane community. Does it take a lot of work? Hell yes; a lot of work, and a whole lot of people. It’s not something that can be fixed overnight, and we need everyone to be on board. We need people who can help financially, politically, and all around hard workers. Why is this important to you? I don’t have to tell you that a humane community is a safe community.

I would never suggest that you completely shut off your support to a shelter who is not no-kill. If we don’t support them, they will never improve their ways and tactics. I just urge you to take it one step further. Instead of just sending a check to them, call them up and ask them what their policies are. Know exactly where your money is going. Don’t judge them on what they do, because that will not solve any problems either. Share your thoughts with them, and ASK them how your help might be best utilized. Get involved as much as you personally can.

I also strongly encourage you to read Redemption by Nathan Winograd, the “pioneer of no-kill”. I am in the middle of the book right now, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the current crisis in US shelters. I also strongly suggest that you please go on his website, nathanwinograd.com and poke around a little. We had the ultimate pleasure of meeting Mr. Winograd at the ‘No More Homeless Pets’ conference last month in Las Vegas. He has a long list of impressive credentials, and has greatly impacted the nation as it pertains to the “no-kill movement”.

Volunteer at your shelters, support them as much as you can. Talk to people who are uneducated where you might be able to help; education is everything. With the risk of sounding all “Reading Rainbow”, knowledge is power, so share it. Don’t be embarrassed to sound like a know it all… Share with people what you know, you might just be saving one dog or cat, but that is one more dog or cat NOT in the shelter.

Thanks for reading!