First things first. I love the Shelter Pet Project, a joint effort of the Ad Council, Maddie’s Fund, and the Humane Society of the United States to end the euthanasia of healthy animals. I wrote a three-part series about it a couple of years ago. In Part 1, I covered the first phase of the…
The Shelter Pet Project, Pt. 3: The Future
“Our goal is to end the euthanasia of dogs and cats in America that are healthy and treatable. To do that we have to place 2.7 million more dogs and cats this year than we did in the previous year: that means 4 more adoptions per week per animal organization in the United States. We…
Shelter Pet Project, Pt. 2: A Pet Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
“A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet. Be that person. Adopt.” — slogan, the Shelter Pet Project In a three-part series, I’m exploring the Shelter Pet Project, a campaign dedicated to ending the killing of healthy, adoptable pets. These posts are based on my interview with Rich Avanzino, President of…
The Shelter Pet Project, Pt. 1: Changing Perceptions
“Our movement is dedicated to changing the status quo. We have 17 million people out there who are going to get an animal next year and they haven’t yet decided from where. If we can get 2.7 million of them to decide to get a pet from a rescue or a shelter, we can end…
News You Can’t Use: Toe-Eating Terriers & Tortured Kittens
The Toe-Eating Terrier Sometimes my email inbox seems booby-trapped. A couple of weeks ago, I got a press release with this subject line: Cautionary Tale for People with Diabetes: Dog Consumed Part of a Sleeping Patient’s Toe, Leading to Amputation Among the details that followed: In a case study that illustrates the need for people…
Pet Charities Lose: Where There’s a Will But No Way
Photo by David Rentas/NY Post The late hotel heiress Leona Helmsley may have been known as the “Queen of Mean,” but she had many fans in the animal welfare community, including such influential pet charities as the ASPCA, The Humane Society of the United States, and Maddie’s Fund. Sadly, the combined clout of those groups…
Dogs shouldn’t suffer for Leona’s sins
Leona Helmsley is a public relations nightmare. Notoriously high-handed, she was dubbed the “Queen of Mean” by employees at the hotel empire her husband, Harry, built. She famously remarked, “Only the little people pay taxes” — before she went to jail for tax evasion. In her will, she left bupkis to two of her grandchildren.…