Here's a resource for folks who need help with emergency pet care costs.  There
is an article about this organization in the latest issue of Animal Wellness.  A
vet can refer a client to The Pet Fund, or the pet owner can apply directly for
assistance.  The most urgent cases are funded first, and other requests are put
on a waiting list.

Contact:
http://www.thepetfund.com/
e-mail info@...
Phone: (916) 443-6007









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Caring Activists Against Fur

THANK YOU SO MUCH for coming to Fur Free Friday!!!
We had a great turn out and want twice as many activists on
Saturday, December 18th (the Saturday before Christmas)


We will start at Macy's at 12:00 pm and march at 1:15 to Lord &
Taylor's.  Let's get those news channels back for the largest
shopping day of the year.

Caring Activists Against Fur would like to thank EVERY SINGLE person
who came because, only together, can we ensure the day when every
fur is off the rack and stays on the backs of the animals.  We are
an umbrella group - every person who is against fur is welcome.
PLEASE keep coming and speak out for the animals!!

MORE INFO
www.caafgroup.com

Christmas Safety Hazards


Alcoholic beverages:   NEVER give your dog alcohol.  Drunken dogs are very sick
dogs.  An ounce of a beverage that is 20 to 40 proof can cause alcohol poisoning
or coma in a small dog, such as a Yorkshire Terrier.  This goes for all other
animals as well.

Angel hair:   This is made from spun glass, it can irritate the skin, cause
cuts and damage the eyes.  If is eaten it can cause intestinal blockage which
can lead to death.

Artificial Snow, flocking:   These are possibly poisonous, can cause
digestive upset or be a respiratory irritant if inhaled.  Spray only the upper
corners of high windows.

Candles:   Flame or dripping wax can burn dogs and cats or singe their
whiskers or hair.  Also, they are a fire hazard if the pet knocks them
over.  Save candles for the dining room table, and don't burn them near an
unattended pet.

Electric cable:   Dogs and cats can be shocked, burned or electrocuted by
chewing on cable.  It is safer to run cables through PVC piping, cover with
rugs or secure to the floor by placing behind or beneath heavy furniture.

Decorations:   Glue, rubber bands, staples, string, tacks and tape can
cause mild pain, serious complications or death if swallowed.  Store them
in a secure place.  Discard used items when decorations are removed.

Fire/ fireplaces, including ashes, popping wood:   These can cause
bronchial irritation, burns skin irritation and digestive distress.  Keep a fire
screen in front of a fireplace while in use.

Food:   Bones can cause choking, internal punctures, possibly death.
Chocolate can cause theobromine poisoning which is an overstimulation
of the nervous system, and may be fatal.  Chocolate also causes vomiting,
diarrhea, tremors, hyperactivity and seizures.  Fatty spice or sweet foods
lead to gastric upset, dehydration and pancreatitis.  Burns and mouth or
throat ulcerations can result from hot food.  Do not share your holiday
goodies with your pets.  If you can't resist, give a healthy treat.  Keep your
dog out of the dinning area and feed it its regular dinner while you eat.  Do
not leave cooking food unattended or set hot dishes near edge of stove or
counter.  Do not leave sweets or other snacks where your dog can reach
them.

Guests:   They add to the noise, confusion and stress for your pet who will
be put out of its routine.  Pets can be stepped on, or unsupervised
children can injure them.  Pets can escape when visitors come and
go.  Guests are more likely to feed your pets and 'just a little bite' adds up
to quite a lot of food.  Always advise your guests not to feed your pets.  If
your guests are uncomfortable around your dogs and cats, or if extra
activity causes your pet anxiety, board it for the holidays.  Your cat and
dog should sleep in a regular spot, if it is where it will be distressed,
move the pet to a quiet place where it will be comfortable.

Decorative lights:   Cats and dogs can become tangled in the strands,
leading to burns and cuts.  They can creat the same hazards as electric
cables.

Costumes and dressing up:   Never dress up cats and dogs that can
cause choking and strangulation.

Plants, holly, ivy, mistletoe and poinsettia:   These plants range from
mildly upsetting to extremely toxic.  If eaten they can cause
gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, coma,
central nervous system or cardiac problems or even death.

Gift wrapping:   Ribbon, trim polystyrene foam packaging, wrapping foil and
paper are dangerous if eaten by your pet.  Always wrap packages in an
area away from your pet.  Collect and discard all the waste.  Any wrapping
paper and supplies you are not using, put away.  If you have any gifts for
your dog, use plain brown paper, wrap loosely and supervise unwrapping.

Live trees:   Place the tree in a room away from the cat or dog.  To stop the
tree from falling over, place a hook in the ceiling and use some nylon
yarn.  Tie the top of the tree with the nylon and then secure this to the
ceiling.  By using this system the tree cannot fall over.

Routine:   So often this is forgotten during the busy holidays, but keeping
to your dog walking schedule will help keep your pets world consistent.
Many of our pets will have a difficult time adjusting to the increased
activity and many will suffer stress.

Your vet:   Make certain you have the full details of how to contact your vet or
the acting emergency vet during the holidays.  A little foresight might help
your pet survive a holiday accident.

By David The Dogman










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What NOT to Get Your Dog for Christmas

1. A CD of cats meowing popular Christmas songs.

2. A chew toy with the head already gnawed off by his canine brother who chewed
his way into the gift box around the 15th of the month.

3. A chew toy shaped like a shoe which he is immediately going to confuse with
the right sneaker of your favorite pair.

4. Central A/C for his Dogloo when you're still using individual wall units that
are barely up to cooling a small close-size area in your house.

5. Anything Garfield.

6. A remote control for the refrigerator door.

7. A knitted pink sweater that makes your macho doberman look like a poodle.

8. A deluxe pre-packaged treat-filled Christmas stocking that's large enough for
you to use as a sleeping bag.

9. Doggie antlers when your near-sighted hunting relatives will be spending the
holidays with you.

10. A stuffed toy dog with an angel's halo as a hint as to what he has to do to
get more presents next year.

11. A doggie door between you and the suspicious butcher next door.

12. An audition for a diet dog food commercial where they feed him so much
during retakes that he actually gains weight.

13. A piece of jewelry featuring a ceramic dog of his breed for you to wear.

14. His own i-pets.com credit card.

15. A cat.




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A Beloved Dog’s Christmas



'Twas the day before Christmas when all through our house

  Every creature was stirring, including Pet Mouse

The stockings were hung by the chimney - my lair -

  Next to my Master's favorite stuffed chair.



  My family was singing and still decorating;

  Three dogs and three cats were anticipating

  A glorious Christmas of new gifts, great treats;

The cats wanted catnip, the dogs wished for meats.



  Excitement was building throughout the day

  Our people were happy; we all got to play;

Gift wrapping, baking, smells of turkey and ham

  I felt grateful to be "Home" as the loved dog I am.



  As night came and our warm beds awaited,

  The excitement had built to a pitch unabated;!

  But we all went to bed for a short night of rest,

  Knowing Christmas would bring us only the Best.



  I thought of my "brothers" and "sisters" outside -

  Some starving and freezing with no place to hide;

  No families to love them; no food; some in pain;

I knew that many would die in the cold and the rain.



  I said a dog prayer for each unwanted stray

And asked Santa Paws to give them one Special Day

  To let each of them know of real love and sharing,

  A kind human touch and sweet, gentle caring.



  A Light filled the sky and glowed everywhere;

  Someone from above had heard my prayer!

  An angelic Presence came into my view

  And said, "For one day, your wish will come true."



  When I awoke, I heard sounds of great glee

My folks were all laughing over a stocking for me;

  Kong toys and rawhides, squeak toys and more

  With presents for everyone spread over the floor.



  The ferret, the hamster, the bird and the fish

  Got new ! toys and food, a cage or a dish;

  We got lots of attention and every need met

  And gift certificates for our favorite vet.



  In fact, we had so much, we wanted to share;

So my folks called a Rescue to check with them there;

  They learned, to the shelter's surprise and delight,

  Every animal's lack had been made all right.



  New beds, bowls of food, and toys everywhere

Someone must have come and spent the night there;

  The infirm seemed younger; the sick were now well

  And, whatever had happened, no one could tell.



  Without making a sound, with no one in sight,

  A miracle had happened during the night!

  Oh, why can't it be like that every day

  With every pet wanted and no such thing as a stray?





  The Spirit of Christmas is alive in each heart

  Through Loving and Giving we can all impart

  The Christmas Spirit every day of the year

  And make Miracles happen, like the one told of here.









Crosspost at will




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: meriem [mailto:sb299871@...]
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 3:29 PM
To: ECOTERRA Intl.; Jen O'Connor ; Adela USA ; Aleksandra Yu; Animal_Net
Cc: Bite Back
Subject: we need help, please, how many dogs should die before any
organization responds to us - EGYPT

Sent by Linda Furness

----- Original Message -----
From:  <mailto:Linda.Taal@...> Linda Taal
To:  <mailto:%22Undisclosed-Recipient:;%22@...>
Undisclosed-Recipient:;@...
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 6:41 PM
Subject: spare egypt

Pls find attatched a mail i received from SPARE Egypt
Who is in the situation to help????
the e mail addresse of Mona of SPARE is
mona_khalil@...

Regards

Linda Taal
ActieZwerfhonden


www.ActieZwerfhonden.nl
upd.06-12-2004


by the way could you please put our SOS cry out again , an aggressive
campagin started 2 weeks ago and they are killing with no mercy thousands of
dogs . please find attached pics of my two special dogs who were killed for
no reason , they never attacked anyone but just a person does not want them
around  called the police which came immediately and shot them while they
were just standing thinking this person means them no harm or will play with
them, they did not even try to run , and on my way  home to the place where
they always wait for me daily i found them dead and they were already shot
dead , I am speechless and crying ever since that time feeling that i do
nothing and did nothing to save them, I cannot forget this incident
specially those dogs, they were  the friendliest and loveliest dogs you can
imagine,specially the way the greet you and holds on to you , I want to do
something for their souls to rest in peace . please help please , I do not
sl eep at night any more , I am going crazy and i feel my heart will stop
out of pain any time. we need help, please . how many dogs should die before
any organization responds to us, these days they do not kill  hundreds it is
thousands and the police is cooperating with the veterinary departments
which use poison and they; are putting out calls for people to call on a
certain number to report any dogs in the streets, can you imagine how many
die daily.

please please help

Mona



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

_____

From: meriem [mailto:sb299871@...]
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 3:35 PM
To: Bite Back; Herma ; ECOTERRA Intl.; Jen O'Connor ; Adela USA ; Aleksandra
Yu; Bite Back
Subject: EGYPT - MERCILESS KILLING OF DOGS

For help, please contact

mona_khalil@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Gift Of The Animals

In a rude stable cold,
The friendly beasts,
their stories told:

"I," said the donkey,
shaggy and brown,
"Carried his mother
up hill and down.
Carried her safely
to Bethlehem town."

"I," said the cow
all white and red,
Gave him my manger
for his bed,
Gave him my hay
to pillow his head."

"I," said the sheep,
with the curly horn,
"Gave him wool
for his blanket warm;
He wore my coat
on Christmas Morn."

"I," said the camel,
all yellow and black,
"Over desert, upon my back,
Brought him a gift
in the Wise Man's pack."

"I," said the dove,
"from my rafter high,
Cooed him to sleep,
that he should not cry,
We cooed him to sleep,
my mate and I."

And every beast,
by some good spell
In the stable darkness,
was able to tell
Of the gift he gave
to Emmanuel.

  Author ~ Robert Davis



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Please Join:   Caring Activists Against Fur  Fight the war on fur!
We need to get out in the streets and let the fur hags/ghouls know
we will not tolerate the wearing and buying of fur products. Lets
make this big please please for the animals make this protest. Thank
you



FUR FREE SATURDAY - ANTI FUR PROTEST

DECEMBER 18, 2004

(The Sat. before XMAS is the largest shopping day of the year)

  12:00 -1:15 pm  Macy's - 34th Street (btwn. Broadway & 7th Ave.)
Then we'll march from Macy's to Lord & Taylor (5th Ave. btwn. 38th &
39th Streets) where we will protest from 1:30-2:30 pm.


Signs Supplied - Bring Anti-Fur Literature if you have

www.caafgroup.com

From: Urun Bayindir <mailto:ueruenb@...>
> To: Info@...
> Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 1:28 PM
> Subject: Protest Croatia!

>
> According to a law in Croatia, any cat or dog found more than 300
> meters od towns is considered strayed and therefore can be killed.
> Cats and puppies are being killed and hung on branches of trees in
> Medijimurje area in Croatia. Also dogs and cats have been killed by
> hunters. See pictures at: http://www.apasfa.org/peti/croacia_pic.html
>
>
> - office@...
> (Mr. Nenad Matic, the spokesman for Ministry of Agriculture and
> Forestry Croatia)
> - eurobarometer@...
> (EU Public Opinion e-mail:)
> - trade-A3@...
> (EU Trade )
> - agri-library@...
> (EU Agriculture)
>
> Dear Sir /Madam,
>
> I am writing to request that you take immediate steps to introduce
> animal protection laws in Croatia. I am gravely concerned about the
> barbaric and cruel methods of stray animal control that are
> practised in Croatia. Such methods are simply unacceptable in modern
> society and must stop.
>
> Apart from the terrible cruelty involved, these methods do nothing
> to address the problem of stray animals on the streets. According to
> Croatian laws, any cat or dog more than 300 meters beyond town
> limit s is considered strayed and therefore is allowed to be killed.
> Cats and puppies are being killed and hung by the branches of the
> trees in Medjimurje area in Croatia. Throughout the last year, there
> were also numerous cases of puppies, dogs and cats being
> intentionally shot by hunters.
>
> There is no excuse for failing to introduce laws on stray animals.
> There are many practical, cruelty free methods that can be
> introduced to control the numbers of strays, which poses no harm to
> the animals, most notably a neutering program. These have proved to
> be very successful in other countries. Please do intercede. Stop the
> barbaric cruelty and ensure that a proper legal foundation for
> animal protection is created in Croatia.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>> name :
> E-mail :
> Country :

Other email addresses of Croatian authorities where letters of protest can
be sent.
Office of the Prseident -  <mailto:ured@...> ured@...
Parliament of Croatia -  <mailto:sabor@...> sabor@...
Office of the Prime Minister premijer@...
Croatian Ministry Of Tourism  ministarstvo-turizma@...

Croatian Embassies, Consulates and Missions - Worldwide
Croatian Embassy USA - amboffice@...; dcm@...;
political@...

Croatian Embassy U.K.    croemb.london@...

Croatian National Tourist Office, UK
info@...

Croatian Embassy Canada  croatia.emb@...; croatia@...

Croatian Embassy France redaction@... secretariat@...

Croatian Embassy Argentina embajadadecroacia@...
<mailto:embajadadecroacia@...%20>
consulado@...
<mailto:consulado@...%20>

Croatian Embassy Australia croemb@...; concro@...;
cro_con_sydney@...

Croatian Embassy Austria  croem.bec@...; crocons.bec@...

Croatian Embassy Belgium  crocons.bec@...; croemb.bruxelles@...

Croatian Embassy Brazil  embaixada.croacia@...; ojmuller@...


Croatian Embassy China  vrhpek@...

Croatian Embassy   Finland croatia@...

Croatian Embassy   Denmark  kopvel@...; consulate.croatia@...

Croatian Embassy   Germany  vrh.berlin@...; gkrhf@...;
gkrh.muenchen@...

Croatian Embassy   Israel croemb.israel@...

Croatian Embassy   India croemnd@...;

Croatian Embassy   Ireland croatianembassy@...;
gdanaher@...

Croatian Embassy   Italy croatian.embassy.roma@...
<mailto:croatian.embassy.roma@...%20> ; ambasciata.croatia.roma@...

Croatian Embassy    The Netherlands croemb.haag@...

Croatian Embassy New Zealand     cro-consulate@...

Croatian Embassy Poland croemb@...

Croatian Embassy Portugal  croemblis@...  <mailto:croemblis@...%20>

Croatian Embassy  Spain cromad@...; consulcroacia@...

Croatian Embassy Sweden   croemb.stockholm@...

Croatian Embassy Switzerland  croemb.bern@...; crocons.zurich@...

Croatian Embassy Turkey hrvelank@...

Croatian Embassy United Arab Emirates croem@...

Croatian Embassy South Africa vrhjar@...

For more information about animal abuse in Croatia, please see the following
link
  http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/indexen.html

Article written in the year 2000. As of today, nothing has changed in
Croatia!

This summer, I visited the island of Hvar in Croatia on the Adriatic coast.
I was sickened by the widespread abuse of dogs and cats. Although not
everyone abuses and kills animals, there seems to be a cultural practice of
treating cats the same way many cities in the West treat rats. I stayed in
the residential section of the city of Stari Grad. Every night I listened to
cats being tortured and killed. I saw kittens tied up in airtight plastic
bags and thrown in garbage cans. (I was told this was one of many methods of
controlling their cat population), I watched cats intentionally run over by
cars and I listened to two week old kittens cry all day and night after they
were dumped off on vacant land without their mother and left to die.

After listening to a kitten cry all night and afternoon, I found it behind a
museum near the house where I stayed. Mind you this was in the center of a
densely populated town. Not one person came to rescue or feed this kitten.
Many of the employees at the tourist bureaus and business owners or managers
who spoke English denied any knowledge of these practices. Others would say
they were from elsewhere in Croatia and animal treatment was better in the
rest of the country. However, if I spoke to them at length, they would
occasionally slip and let on that similar abuses also occurred in their
hometown. Others were more truthful and admitted that they had a terrible
problem with the cat population. Common methods of controlling the cat
population were taking cats, especially kittens, on ships and throwing them
into the sea. Another type of animal control is done in the winter, when the
tourists are gone. That is when the government places poison throughout the
town. I was told this form of animal control had been practiced for over
twenty years.

Over the past ten years, owning purebred dogs has become fashionable in
Croatian society. During my stay I learned that many people take these dogs
to the coast using them as a status symbol only to abandon them when their
holiday is over. When I asked the town's veterinarian if there were any laws
against cruelty to dogs and cats, I was informed that there wasn't. His
excuse was that Croatia is a poor country and doesn't have the means for
better animal treatment. But, establishing laws protecting cats and dogs
isn't expensive. Croatia, might be considered to be a developing country but
is much more developed than other countries in Europe, such as Byelorussia
or Ukraine. Homelessness is uncommon. If Croatia's society and government
refuse to change their treatment of animals, perhaps people can help
persuade them to do so. Since one of their biggest industries is tourism,
the threat of a boycott might get their attention.

To observe these practices, one has to live with the natives in their
neighborhoods (they keep the tourist areas clear of strays.) Speaking a
Slavic language was helpful so that I could understand what the people said.


Every small action will help.  Please take the time to let the Croatian
government know you do not approve of this behavior.  Also spread the word
to others who might be able to help. Posting this letter on a web site or
reprinting it in a newsletter will help spread the word. The situation on
the Adriatic coast of Croatia is horrible. Please spread this information,
inform everyone you know.  Help put pressure on the Croatian government to
implement and enforce humane animal welfare laws.
Thank you,    Alexandra Yurkiw






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Please help in educating the media -

Background:  This pet store has been reported numerous times to the Suffolk SPCA
for animal neglect, poor conditions, animals on display that should not be in
captivity, etc.  I personally saw a dead iguana in with other iguana's, a snake
that was so emaciated that his skin just fell to the ground, he looked like a
puddle of snake skin, and much more.  This pet store just recently burned down,
killing newly arrived puppies, kittens, bunnies, hamsters and mice, snakes,
fish, and I'm sure a lot more.

One local newspaper, Newsday, wrote an article about the pet store and made it
sound like it was a great place and such a loss to the community that this pet
store was not there anymore.  There is also a local news station that aired last
night that a little girl is trying to raise money to help them rebuild, and now
the local news station is helping as well.

The loss of all those innocent animals is a tradegy.  Reopening that pet store
will be a tragedy in itself.

Articles on the pet store:

http://www.news12.com/LI/topstories/article?id=126074

The email address News 12 is advertising to help raise money for them:
Animal Memorial story
E-mail: btjjunglehelp@...

The contact for Newsday, the local newspaper:
http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-aboutus-quickinfo.story - CLICK FOR ADDRESSES

The contact for News 12, the local news station:
news12li@...
News 12 Long Island
1 Media Crossways
Woodbury, NY 11797

__________________________________________________________________________
SAMPLE LETTER TO NEWSDAY:

Dear NEWSDAY:
In the December 19th issue of Newsday article "Blaze Destroys Pet Store" - you
made the fire that destroyed BTJ's Jungle Pets & Aquarium, an inhumane marketer
of puppy mill puppies, sound like a tragedy for the owners and the community -
while ignoring the true victims.

All the innocent puppies, whom these unscrupulous pet shop owners make a
ill-begotten profit off of, suffer and die hideous deaths everyday as they are
raised in deplorable conditions on "puppy mills" in the Midwest.  With no regard
to the health or welfare of either the parent dogs or the puppies, the mother
dogs are bred to death, then euthanized. The puppies, who often have genetic and
social problems from how they are raised, are torn away from the mother dog
before they can even safely survive the arduous trip to the pet store in
unheated, unventilated tractor trailers, without food or water.  Fifty percent
of these innocent puppies, die from this cruel journey in order to support the
unbridled greed of pet store owners.

People who truly love animals don't contribute to their exploitation and
suffering, which others do by giving their business to pet stores, thus
perpetuating the tragedy of puppy mills. A direct consequence of pet stores is
the heartbreaking euthanasia of 5-7 million healthy cats and dogs for lack of
good homes.

Your article focused the story on the tragedy and loss for the owner and the
community, when instead you should be addressing the truth - the unconscionable
cruelty to millions of animals so that pet store owners can reap a profit off
their suffering. If Newsday had a conscience, they would refuse ads from pet
stores, and instead promote adoption - perhaps by giving free ad space to
publicize all the great dogs and cats in need of loving homes at town shelters. 
A new article should also be written to explain the truth behind this pet store
and all pet stores.

Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________________________

SAMPLE LETTER TO NEWS 12:

Dear News 12:
While you may have had good intentions in trying to raise money for BTJ's Jungle
Pets & Aquarium in West Islip after the fire that destroyed their store, you are
doing a grave injustice to the innocent animals in pet stores who suffer
indescribable cruelty so greedy and
unscrupulous pet store owners can profit from their exploitation.

All puppies sold in pet stores come from "puppy mills", which are mass-breeding
facilities
that give no thought to the health or welfare of the dogs who suffer a living
hell there. The parent dogs are not screened for genetic health problems, as the
mother dog is bred to death, then
euthanized. The puppies are torn away from the mother while they are still too
young to be on their own, and sent on a hideous journey in an unheated,
unventilated tractor trailer, without food or water. Half of these innocent,
abused puppies succumb to this cruel and inhumane treatment, and arrive at the
pet store dead.

Many of these dogs are sick, have genetic problems, as well as socialization
issues from how they are raised. The sick puppies that are returned under a
store's "health guarantee" are either returned to the puppy mill under the same
inhumane condtions they were delivered, likely dying from the journey, or they
are euthanized. The "unsold" puppies that get too old are sold to laboratories
to undergo horrific experimentation.

By frequenting pet stores, consumers are unwittenly contributing to this
unconscionable cruelty as well as the needless euthanasia of 5-7 million healthy
dogs and cats annually. If News 12 was truly compassionate, they would do their
best to try to keep BTJ's closed instead of trying to help it raise funds so it
can re-open and continue its cruel and inhumane business that keeps puppy mills
in business, and perpetuates animal suffering.  Instead you should consider
doing a piece on all of the great dogs and cats in need of good homes at the
town shelters and private shelters.  You can help educate the public and save
animals' lives.

Sincerely,







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Hi to everybody here at animalrightsactivistresources, and thank you
mr/ms moderator for allowing me to visit your group. Environmental
and animal rights and buddhist causes are very closely aligned, and
I would like to see more links established between buddhists and
Environmentalists and animal rights groups. Animal Rights and
Environmental Causes are causes, that ALL responsible adults should
embrace, and are VERY dear to my heart. I'm a member of PETA and
Humane Society, and have done volunteer work for Sierra Club, and
Audubon, and donate to other environmental causes. My name is
Jonathan, and I'm also the moderator for a new group, which is for
those over 40, who have an interest in engaged Buddhism - i.e.
working hard to make a difference and to protect our animals and eco-
systems, and society's disenfranchised. I would like to invite you
and your members to visit - and if you like, to join us too. We have
a large list of links and photos, and have members from all over the
world - I'm happy to also link to your page if you wish. I noticed
that there seem to be no groups online, that specifically address
the needs and concerns of buddhists in my age range (those over 40).
So we have formed a group, that is inviting those from all over the
world, to meet, share fellowship in the dharma, and get to know each
other. If you are not over 40, but have a sincere desire to make a
difference in this world, and to learn a little about buddhism, then
you are still very welcome!


Please come and join us, for kind and respectful dharma fellowship,
and an engagement and committment, to make this world a better
place - by pasting the following link in your browser's window.




http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buddhistseniorsover45onlinesangha/




We have extensive links to many different traditions of buddhism,
and welcome you, for friendship, and fellowship in Dharma learning
and discussion! Some of our members are also those who have
different religious beliefs, but are interested in knowing more
about buddhism. As the Dalai Lama said, "buddhists respect all major
religions, and their practitioners" He also said that "my religion
is a religion of kindness"




Hope you will join us!



Wishing you all metta, and a blessed day,



Jonathan Carroll Pettigrew

"It's Their Destiny"

                   News items on Asian animal abuse

                         22nd December 2004
                               "Animal Abusers Face Crackdown"

                               Dear Friends

                               The following news item was reported in the Korea
Times, 20th December 2004.

                               <start quote>Animal Abusers Face Crackdown
                               Gambling on Dog Fighting to Be Prohibited Next
Year

                               By Na Jeong-ju
                               Staff Reporter

                               The government plans to introduce a revision of
the animal protection law next year to promote animal rights and toughen
punishments for those found abusing animals, the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry (MAF) said Monday.

                               The revision, which is scheduled to take effect in
2006, calls for limiting animal experimentation, preventing animal cruelty and
requires people to put a tag and leash on their pets when in public places.
Violators will face a maximum of six months in jail or 2 million won in fines,
the ministry said.

                               The measures are part of the government's efforts
to improve South Korea’s image overseas. The revision, however, failed to
include regulations on dog meat, which has brought South Korea much criticism
from animal rights activists.

                               The perception of the mistreatment of animals in
South Korea among Westerners has taken a toll in improving the national image,
with international animal rights groups often criticizing Seoul for not doing
enough to address the issue.

                               Under the revision, it would become illegal to
fight animals for profit. In addition, the public killing of animals would be
prohibited and painless methods of slaughter would be devised.

                               Limitations would be set on the number of
organizations licensed to carry out experiments on animals and the licensed
organizations would be asked to receive prior clearance from the government for
the tests.

                               The plan calls for introducing funeral services
for animals.

                               ``We have prepared this revision to strengthen the
protection of animals to the level prevailing in advanced nations,’’ MAF
spokesman Chung Myung-ho said.

                               ``The government has drawn up lists of
unacceptable behavior very specific to the effective handling of animal abuse
cases,’’ he said.

                               Using animals for sports, such as dog racing and
dog fighting, will be strictly banned, but traditional animal sports, such as
bullfights, will be allowed.

                               The Korea Animals Protection Society (KAPS) said
the government accommodated a variety of suggestions made for animal protection,
but the revision still needs improvement.

                               ``To some extent, the government maintains a
dubious attitude in solving this issue. They tend to view animal abuse and
animal sports from a different angle,’’ a KAPS official said. ``We want to
continue discussing the details of the revision. They fall short of the real
meaning of animal protection.’’

                               Under the revision, people will be required to
leash and tag their pets in public places as well as to dispose of animal waste.
Also, pet retailers will be required to report to the government before opening
business and pets must be vaccinated before being sold from stores. <end quote>



                               According to our understanding, as it stands this
revision will replace the 1991 Animal Protection Act that currently makes it
illegal to consume the meat of cats or dogs. It is not as yet clear how the
slaughter of these animals would be regarded under the new legislation, although
it is unlikely that the butchers would receive harsher prosecution or penalties
than they do at the moment (i.e. none). A more probable outcome is a
"sanitization" of the slaughtering, using government approved "humane" methods.
The introduction of "funeral services for pets" will fool no one.

                               Please visit our page at
http://itstheirdestiny.2kat.net/ProposedLaw.html for more information as it
becomes available.


--------------------------------------------------


                               On a brighter note, may we take this opportunity
to wish all our friends and supporters a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Please click the link below to see our E-card to all of you!

                              
http://veepers.bluemountain.com/service/RetrieveCard?id=Xlvmp2Tu2rg6DCT4fhVhba

                               Our continued thanks to all of you for caring.
                               From all the team at ITD

                               This Update service is supplied to our members and
supporters worldwide, for many of whom English is a second language, We have
therefore tried to symplify the wording as wuch as possible. If you still have
difficulty in understanding, please e-mail us and we may be able to get this
translated for you.  If not through another list, you will have received this
email because you either have helped with a campaign or requested to receive
these emails in the past. We have no wish to send "spam", so if you do not want
to receive similar news items from ITD or our sister organisation Sirius GAO in
the future, just send a blank email to itd@... with subject line
"Unsubscribe".
                               Our updates are sent in html - if you receive in
simple text through another list and would like to receive in the original
format, please email itd@... with subject line "Subscribe".




                     http://itstheirdestiny.2kat.net




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: Prijatelji zivotinja [mailto:prijatelji.zivotinja@...]
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2004 4:45 AM
To: Alexandra Yurkiw
Subject: Pre-holiday black chronicle


Croatia

Please Send Letter of Protest.

Appalled by the frequent and unpunished killings of animals, Animal Friends
Croatia appeals to Croatian media and public to get active in lobbying for
legislative changes and for strict penalties for perpetrators of crimes
against animals.

PRE-HOLIDAY BLACK CHRONICLE

29 September 2004, Graberje
Pregnant female dog was found in forest Graberje in Kustosija (Zagreb). Dog
was chained to a tree and left to die of cold, hunger and thirst. Luckily,
reporter of Croatian radio found the dog and is now looking for a new home
for the dog and her puppies that will be born very soon. This is only the
beginning of this pre-holiday black chronicle.

4 December 2004, Zagreb
Already well known notorious 'monster of Peąčenica' Ostoja Babić, takes his
place in the black chronicle. He savagely beat to death his one-year-old dog
because she didn't bark at passers-by but happily waged her tail. After he
beat her for an hour with an iron bar, a pitchfork and an axe, the policeman
who was called by the neighbors mercifully shot the poor animal.

Police pressed criminal charges against criminal Ostoja Babić, and Animal
Friends Croatia on Thursday, 9 December 2004, organized a home demo in front
of his house demanding maximum punishment according to Criminal Law and
Animal Welfare Act, and ban of owning any animal for the rest of his life.
We started off a petition on our info stands and at
<http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr> www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr, and in
only a week we have over 2000 signatures which we will hand out to the State
Attorney demanding in the name of people of Croatia maximum penalty for the
monstrous killer.

13 December 2004, Gospic
Covered in blood, frozen and without the right eye, a body of a cat was
found in front of Saint Marija Magdalena chapel. Cigarette was burning out
in the mouth of the poor animal which didn't seem to be a stray. It isn't
sure whether the animal was killed by a broken liquor bottle or was she
forced to drink liquor or the liquor helped in gathering the strength of
sick minds that tortured the animal.

17 December 2004, Rijeka
After a two weeks long search for six-month old white Labrador Frodo, his
owners found him brutally killed and covered with rocks nearby their home in
Gornja Drenava. The autopsy showed that somebody shot the dog with an
unknown weapon. Only white paws stood out of the pile of rocks, and
neighbors who found the dog thought he was slaughtered because he lied on
his back with his body torn open from neck down to his stomach. Exit wound
in his chest was a size of a handball. Police made a report and that's where
the investigation ended.

17 December 2004, island of Rab
On a deserted part of island Rab, in Punta Sorinjo, on Friday 10 griffon
vultures were found dead, lead shot was found in three of them. One vulture
is saved and fights for his life at Eco Center on island Cres. Supposedly
somebody placed poisoned bates and then shot at the birds.

It is suspected that this crime against highly endangered griffon vultures,
there is only 200 of them in Croatia, was committed by two hunters from
Lopar on island Rab, which allegedly publicly bragged with their act. In
August one vulture was found shot at the same place, and lately three more.
The most certain reason for murder of vultures is that Eco center Caput
Insulae asks for closing down of all hunting areas in all islands of
Kvarner. They have very strong reasons to support their case and Animal
Friends Croatia joins their efforts.

18 December 2004, Novi Vinodolski
Hunters shot down two dogs of their fellow hunter even though they knew dogs
weren't strays. With this act they confirmed the arrogance of Croatian
hunters and strong hunting lobby that rampages throughout Croatia without
any sanctions.

19 December 2004, Ivankovo
In place Ivankovo, near Vinkovci, in front of a dog owner who walked her own
and a dog of her neighbor, hunter wounded her dog and shot neighbor's
Dalmatian. After the shooting, when asked why he did it, hunter, who refused
to identify himself, answered that it is his right and if she has further
questions she can contact local hunting alliance. Although she called the
police, police did nothing but advised her to contact local hunting alliance
where hunters will probably call on notorious Article 54 of Hunting law. Our
organization for a long time warns about misuse of that article.

Question imposes: how long will Croatian public, headed by the Croatian
legal system, turn heads in front of common crimes against animals and
silently approve them? Our legal system which is inert and uninterested in
suffering of non-human animals and our Animal Welfare Act that practically
praises and mildly punishes perpetrators and URGENTLY needs changes, also
take part in the responsibility for those black deeds. Furthermore, without
changes in the Hunting Law and the fight against arrogance of hunters,
without public condemnation and strict penalties, laws and regulations will
stay a dead letter.

We celebrate the beginning of the negotiations with the EU, and at the same
time crimes against animals and environment, which commonly happen, are
ignored by our legislation. Changes in the way of thinking and behaving are
necessary. We must strive for ethical growth of society because without it
our future will be no brighter.

Please send letters to the following email adresses

- office@...
Mr. Nenad Matic, the spokesman for Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry Croatia)

eurobarometer@...
(EU Public Opinion e-mail:)
- trade-A3@...

agri-library@...
  (EU Agriculture)

Croatian Embassies, Consulates and Missions - Worldwide
Croatian Embassy USA - amboffice@...; dcm@...;
political@...

Croatian Embassy U.K.    croemb.london@...

Croatian National Tourist Office, UK
info@...

Croatian Embassy Canada  croatia.emb@...; croatia@...

Croatian Embassy France redaction@... secretariat@...

Croatian Embassy Argentina embajadadecroacia@...
<mailto:embajadadecroacia@...%20>
consulado@...
<mailto:consulado@...%20>

Croatian Embassy Australia croemb@...; concro@...;
cro_con_sydney@...

Croatian Embassy Austria  croem.bec@...; crocons.bec@...

Croatian Embassy Belgium  crocons.bec@...; croemb.bruxelles@...

Croatian Embassy Brazil  embaixada.croacia@...; ojmuller@...


Croatian Embassy China  vrhpek@...

Croatian Embassy   Finland croatia@...

Croatian Embassy   Denmark  kopvel@...; consulate.croatia@...

Croatian Embassy   Germany  vrh.berlin@...; gkrhf@...;
gkrh.muenchen@...

Croatian Embassy   Israel croemb.israel@...

Croatian Embassy   India croemnd@...;

Croatian Embassy   Ireland croatianembassy@...;
gdanaher@...

Croatian Embassy   Italy croatian.embassy.roma@...
<mailto:croatian.embassy.roma@...%20> ; ambasciata.croatia.roma@...

Croatian Embassy    The Netherlands croemb.haag@...

Croatian Embassy New Zealand     cro-consulate@...

Croatian Embassy Poland croemb@...

Croatian Embassy Portugal  croemblis@... <mailto:croemblis@...%20>

Croatian Embassy  Spain cromad@...; consulcroacia@...

Croatian Embassy Sweden   croemb.stockholm@...

Croatian Embassy Switzerland  croemb.bern@...; crocons.zurich@...

Croatian Embassy Turkey hrvelank@...

Croatian Embassy United Arab Emirates croem@...

Croatian Embassy South Africa vrhjar@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi everyone,

Our group is doing a fundraiser and I have just listed some books on
eBay. Here are the links if anyone is interested!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4515036001
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<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4515044531>
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<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4515058456>
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<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4515069726>
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4515074442
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4515074442>
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3949477266
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3949477266>

Action for Animals (Seattle)
http://www.afa-online.org

Jodi


--
Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things,
man will not himself find peace.


                  Albert Schweitzer


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------------------------------------------------------------------------


--
Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will
not himself find peace.


                  Albert Schweitzer




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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From Peta2 at: http://www.peta2.com/tc/t-wetseal.html
To write to Wet Seal go to http://www.peta2.com/ot/wetseal/index.asp or contact
the email addresses below in the article:

Wet Seal Butchers Bunnies
While we'd love to simply bask in the glory of our victory against Forever 21,
we know that animals need us to keep fighting for them. Forever 21 made the
compassionate choice to put an end to its sale of fur, thanks to the efforts of
PETA2 Street Teamers. This is a monumental change—Wet Seal must follow Forever
21's lead and take a stand against cruelty to animals.

Just as PETA was contacted by people who were upset about Forever 21's sale of
fur, we've received another flood of calls and e-mail messages about the selling
of rabbit fur at Wet Seal stores. PETA contacted Wet Seal to pass on the message
that consumers are infuriated to find products made of fur on the store's racks,
but the company refused to remove fur from its stores and its catalog. Wet Seal
does not seem to understand that the PETA2 Street Team doesn't take "no" for an
answer …

Tags reading "100% rabbit fur" are meant to be a symbol of quality, but those
who have seen the cruelty that animals raised for their fur endure are horrified
by such a label. Hundreds of millions of rabbits are slaughtered each year for
their fur and their flesh. Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives
confined to tiny metal cages with no shelter from weather extremes and no chance
to dig, jump, or play. To kill the rabbits, fur farmers snap the animals' necks
or smash their skulls before stringing them up by their legs and cutting off
their heads.

Top fashion retailers such as Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and most
recently, Forever 21 have paid attention to the consumer backlash against
companies that sell fur. Now is the time for Wet Seal to follow their lead and
cut out cruelty. It's up to us to make sure that this happens.

PETA2 wants you to distribute our new Wet Seal leaflets outside malls and Wet
Seal stores. If you didn't order a PETA2 Fur Action Pack during our Forever 21
campaign, please order one now. The pack contains a stack of leaflets, "Fur
Hurts" cards, and a variety of anti-fur stickers.



We'll hook you up with a whopping 3,000 Street Team points if you organize a
demonstration. E-mail PETA2@... ahead of time, and we'll help you get
everything you need for a successful demo—we'll send you extra Wet Seal leaflets
and some demo posters, we'll contact local activists to let them know about the
demonstration, and we'll even help you get media attention. There are lots of
other ways for you to help the animals who are suffering on fur farms for Wet
Seal. Click here for a list of actions that you can take to let everyone know
that torturing animals is not fashionable.

Please contact Wet Seal, explaining that you'll be boycotting the chain—and
telling all of your friends and family to do the same—until it stops supporting
cruelty to animals:

Joseph Deckop, Interim CEO
26972 Burbank
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
949-699-3918
949-206-4977 (fax)
Joseph.Deckop@...

Helen Rotherham, Vice President
26972 Burbank
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
949-699-4804
Helen.Rotherham@...

Customer Service
1-800-735-7325
949-699-4714 (fax)
CustomerService@...

Additionally, Vice President Helen Rotherham is temporarily working from Wet
Seal’s New Zealand office. During this time, if you are in New Zealand, please
contact Helen Rotherham at her home (phone 0-9-524 9385) or her office (phone
0-9-309 6663), and politely let her know that animal cruelty is not fashionable.
In the US, dial 011-64-9-524 9385 or 011-64-9-309 6663 to reach her.

If any New Zealand activists would like to stop by and politely voice their
disgust to Helen in person, she is staying at the following address:
19 Ngaiwi St.
Orakei, Auckland
New Zealand

She can also be found at her office at:
16 Kingston St., Level 15
Auckland City, New Zealand




---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

"It's Their Destiny"

                   News items on Asian animal abuse

                         3rd January 2005
                               Tsunami Animal Appeal

                               Dear Friends

                               By now you will all be aware of the tsunami that
caused such devastation recently. We won't waste your time by going into the
details of the terrible loss of life that this brought about  - you will have
heard of this already.

                               At this time over UKŁ1,000,000,000 has been
committed by the international community for the recovery of this region. We
must stress that this money is purely for human assistance - it has no allowance
for the thousands of domestic animals including cats and dogs displaced by this
disaster.

                               Of course the first concern of all people will be
the welfare of the survivors of this catastrophe.

                               The welfare of domestic animals has however not
been addressed by the international community funding, hence the reason for this
appeal.

                               Some animal organisations have apparently sent
people into this region to assess the situation, although due to the holiday
period have not been able to give us an update on the current situation as they
perceive it. Our sister organisation, Sirius GAO has however been approached by
shelters in India and Phuket for whom the situation is desperate. In some cases
they literally have no food or clean water for the dogs and cats in their care.
This situation will certainly get worse over the coming weeks.

                               At ITD we know that our supporters are
warm-hearted. Many of you will probably have already contributed to the
charities that are concerned with the effects on the human population in this
area. The animals however are in need of your help as well.

                               We have never asked you for money before, but we
do so now without reservation. A couple of pounds or dollars could mean the
difference between life and death for these animals who have nowhere else to
turn.

                               Please make donations on-line at
http://sirius.2kat.net/helppage.html#14 - whatever you can afford will be
greatly appreciated.

                               All donations received will be sent to animal
shelters in the tsunami hit region. Sirius GAO is a fully registered charity in
New Zealand.


                               Our continued thanks to all of you for caring.
                               From all the team at ITD

                               This Update service is supplied to our members and
supporters worldwide, for many of whom English is a second language, We have
therefore tried to symplify the wording as wuch as possible. If you still have
difficulty in understanding, please e-mail us and we may be able to get this
translated for you.  If not through another list, you will have received this
email because you either have helped with a campaign or requested to receive
these emails in the past. We have no wish to send "spam", so if you do not want
to receive similar news items from ITD or our sister organisation Sirius GAO in
the future, just send a blank email to itd@... with subject line
"Unsubscribe".
                               Our updates are sent in html - if you receive in
simple text through another list and would like to receive in the original
format, please email itd@... with subject line "Subscribe".




                     http://itstheirdestiny.2kat.net




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mary Alice Pollard <moonflower.uk@...> wrote:
Canada's cowardly face

Matthew Scully
(author of "Dominion", and recently a George W speechwriter!)



             National Post


       Wednesday, January 05, 2005


       When you are in the business of killing baby seals, it takes a strange
turn of mind to think of yourself as a victim. Yet this is how Canada's seal-pup
hunters have always wanted us to see them -- as the victims of "propaganda,"
meddlesome "outsiders," unfair trade restrictions and other forces arrayed
against the noble sealer. And now, as they prepare the boats, guns and clubs for
another intrepid assault on the nurseries of the North Atlantic, they ask once
again for our sympathy.

       The hunters wait until the pups are weaned, at about 12 days, and left
alone by their mothers on ice floes off the coasts of Newfoundland, Labrador and
Prince Edward Island. If you were there before the sealers arrived in early
spring, you would see great masses of pups huddled together, and hear their soft
cries filling the air. In one of nature's own stern measures, the baby seals are
calling for mothers who have left them forever.

       John Efford, a Newfoundland MP and Canada's Minister for Natural
Resources, objects to the very term "baby seals" as sentimental propaganda.
"It's absolutely wrong," he recently told The Globe and Mail. "It can't be any
more wrong to say we're killing baby seals when we're not." Mr. Efford means by
this that, instead of killing them in their first week on Earth, the sealers now
restrain themselves until the second week, when the pups' winsome white fur has
given way to a rougher, grayish coat. But of course, using "baby seal" in the
normal, objective sense of an utterly defenseless newborn creature of that
species, these are most assuredly baby seals.

       In six weeks' time they would learn to fend for themselves. Instead, the
men move in, welcoming the newborns into the world with clubs, hakapiks and
hooks. With all the manhood -- and less skill -- that it would take to execute
tens of thousands of frantic puppies or kittens, they go by boat and snowmobile
from nursery to nursery. British and Canadian veterinarians, observing the scene
in recent years, estimated that about 40% of victims are skinned alive.
Uncounted others are "struck and lost," meaning shot and drowned.

       Those who followed last year's hunt, which brought death to some 350,000
pups, will remember such typical scenes as one seal trying to escape as another
is clubbed nearby; the creature makes it to water's edge but, too young to even
swim, must wait there as the man with the club approaches. Other footage -- seen
across the world, however unfairly, as the face of Canada -- showed sealers
routinely dragging conscious pups across the ice with boat hooks, or shooting
the seals and leaving them to suffer.

       Yet standing there, ankle deep in gore and innocent blood, the sealers
just can't understand why anyone would object. And we're all supposed to feel
sorry for them, these fine, upstanding fellows so unappreciated by the modern
world. Mr. Efford, back when he led Newfoundland's fisheries department,
demonstrated the mindset when he proposed to ban all cameras from the scene of
the hunts -- as if the problem were public knowledge of the event, rather than
the event itself.

       All involved are understandably averse to cameras. Before the films
started airing in the 1970s, the rest of us knew little of seal nurseries or of
seal hunting except from the colorful accounts of sealers themselves -- much as
we once knew nothing of whales and whaling except from the adventurous and
self-serving accounts of whalers. The camera, in both cases, allowed all of
humanity to witness the scene for ourselves. And this evidence, requiring no
narrative or interpretation, has never squared with the proud and heroic
self-image of the hunters.

       What they have never faced up to is that the "propaganda" by which they
feel so victimized consists of straight photographic documentation of what they
do, and to whom they do it -- the complete helplessness of the creatures an
unanswerable rebuke to their slayers. What the sealers still dismiss as
"cultural intolerance" is actually the natural and objective reaction of an
overwhelming majority of people -- urban and rural, liberal and conservative, in
Canada and beyond -- who have not been desensitized to the cruelty and who have
no money to gain from the mayhem.

       Self-righteousness and self-pity are a fierce combination, however, and so
in recent years the sealers -- full-time fishermen who get about 5% of their
income from the hunt -- have found someone else who's been victimizing them: the
seal.

       The most obvious problem with the now-common claim that harp seals are
depleting the North Atlantic cod population is that the seals were there for
eons before our fishing fleets arrived, and cod remained plentiful. Marine
biologists uniformly tell us that commercially fished cod comprise no more than
3% of a harp seal's diet. The seals eat squid, skate and other predators of cod,
and so, in this and other ways, actually aid the fisherman if given a chance.

       How do such elementary facts of marine science get brushed off? In a
political version of the aquatic life chain, industrial fishing interests shift
responsibility for their own excesses -- the actual cause of cod depletion -- on
to provincial authorities. These authorities, in turn, have exerted pressure on
Ottawa, which now basically pays for the seal hunt as a sort of
supplementary-income program for the coastal communities harmed by industrial
overfishing. Canadian taxpayers today actually subsidize seal processing plants,
along with their government's efforts to peddle seal products abroad as trims,
trinkets or useless "aphrodisiacs" for the Asian market.

       In this way, the long-term interests of Atlantic Canada have been
sacrificed to easy, short-term economics, and a perverse and destructive
industry is artificially sustained. Meanwhile, U.S. restaurants, hotels and
seafood distributors are preparing to boycott Canadian fish products, which will
place many thousands of legitimate Canadian jobs at risk. A seafood and tourism
boycott will be aided by a resolution now before the United States Senate to
condemn the slaughter, should it be allowed to continue. It is a high cost to
pay for the conduct of a cruel and prideful few.

       Somehow, though, charges of "cruelty," "barbarism" and the like have never
quite resonated with the sealers. Such terms have a plaintive, weepy ring that
only plays into their image of "outsiders" as soft and over-refined, and of
themselves as rugged and daring men. So this time around let us put the point
more plainly, in terms they will understand: The problem with clubbing and
skinning these most defenceless of creatures is not merely that it is merciless.
The problem is that it is low, dishonourable and cowardly.

       These men are forever telling us to take a hard, unsentimental look at the
baby seals. They would do better to take a hard, unsentimental look at
themselves for once, for their country's sake and for their own.

       Matthew Scully served until recently as special assistant and deputy
director of speechwriting to U.S. President George W. Bush. He is the author of
Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy.;
www.matthewscully.com

       © National Post 2005




Mary Alice Pollard
Cornwall's Voice for Animals ( CVFA )
http://justnicephotos.homestead.com/CVFA.html



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Reminder - Anti-Fur Protest at Steven Corn Furs - 358 Route 17 North
Paramus, NJ
Sat. Jan. 8th from 12:00 - 2:00pm
***It will probably be raining, but as long as it is not a snow
storm, we should be out there.  We could all grab a cup of coffee
when we are done at the Starbucks next door if you'd like!
Call me on my cell if you have any questions the day of - 201-927-
3617
Julie :)

----- Original Message -----
   From: darwin<mailto:dkany821@...>
   To:
animalrightsactivistresources@yahoogroups.com<mailto:animalrightsactivistresourc\
es@yahoogroups.com>
   Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 4:05 PM
   Subject: [Animal Rights Activist Resources] CAAF ALERT: ANTI FUR PROTEST NJ



   Reminder - Anti-Fur Protest at Steven Corn Furs - 358 Route 17 North
   Paramus, NJ
   Sat. Jan. 8th from 12:00 - 2:00pm
   ***It will probably be raining, but as long as it is not a snow
   storm, we should be out there.  We could all grab a cup of coffee
   when we are done at the Starbucks next door if you'd like!
   Call me on my cell if you have any questions the day of - 201-927-
   3617
   Julie :)






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

CAAF ALERT:  HI everyone Caring Activists Against Fur.   I make fur
free, fur sucks and VEGAN bracelets. They are great conversation
starters!!!    You can see these bracelets on my new yahoo group
site go to photos.  check out the calendar for upcoming events.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caafgroup

check out the photos of the bracelets buttons and our protests.
contact Debbie if interested in items all procedes go towards CAAF.

Thanks for all you do for the animals

dkany821@...

From: Animal Friends Croatia [prijatelji.zivotinja@...]
http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/indexen.html
CROATIA ... A LAND OF CRUELTY?
an essay expressed by Croatians... for the world to read
"A small country for great holidays ... But a small country for great
cruelty!"
Our familiar tourism slogan could soon appear with those extra words you see
above.
Why? ... Because if we take some of the following facts into consideration,
my country Croatia shamefully stands out amongst others by it's appalling
treatment towards animals ... and the situation is getting worse.
Until recently, we were proud of our population of griffon vultures, about
one hundred of them. Now we have only fifty. Half the population were
poisoned in just one day during a bear hunt. No attempt was made to even
look for, let alone punish the culprit. Excuse the pun, but this incident
was barely reported or written about in Croatia, or anywhere else.
Just as a comparative example, Romania has a population of two griffon
vultures and spends millions of euros on them. In Croatia, 50 or so are
killed annually...
Likewise, we could have been proud of our bear population, which was one of
the largest in South Eastern Europe; but instead we decided to give up this
wonderful creature for the sake of hunting.
Ironically, a bear is actually featured on our five-kuna coin.
So, for a couple of thousand euros, foreign hunters can come to this
country, kill a bear, eat lunch and go home with its fur as a trophy.
With no proof to back up their claims, local hunters blamed our bears for
the mysterious deaths of sheep on the island of Krk. Just another excuse for
these misunderstood creatures to be hunted and shot. Local authorities
didn't even respond to solutions offered by respected foreign experts.
Instead they continued to insist on extermination.
The hunting lobby is strong in this country; therefore offers by foreign
environmental organizations are often ignored.
At a sitting of the hunting alliance, The President of the Croatian
Republic, Stjepan Mesic stated that various negative stories about bears and
other animals tend to circulate amongst those who do not know a lot about
hunting.
In fact, misinformation circulates amongst much of the Croatian public,
mostly uneducated about animal welfare. Completely unproven claims of
rampaging bears and other wild animals ripping whole herds of sheep to
pieces just give more credibility and support to the country's hunting
lobby. Because of this ignorance, bloody sports and killing for pleasure
seems to stand proud in our countries cultural curriculum.
The way things are going at the moment, the only place we are likely to see
a Croatian bear in the future is on our five-kuna coin.
Croatia is probably the only country in the world where a hunter can openly
say on national television that he has killed somebody's dog, cat, donkey
etc. - and that he will also kill others.
Hunting grounds start as close as three hundred metres from private land.
Hunters take full advantage of this and intentionally kill "everything that
moves". They know too well that the law allows them to do so, and they
stretch that law to extremes.
It is simply repulsive to watch these hunters - macho he-men in military
dress, armed with guns and lead by dogs. They set out on their heroic
crusades - the killing of "dangerous wild beasts" - such as rabbits,
pheasants and foxes ... It's pathetic.
However, hunters are not the only ones who use loopholes in our catastrophic
Animal Protection Act. Croatia's entertainment industry regularly uses
animals as stage props. The performers hurl them around the stage, batter
them or sacrifice them in the course of "artistic expression".
Up to a point, public activities like this might get condemned - and there
is talk of bringing charges, but the sentiments are short-lived and soon
forgotten. These occurrences are overshadowed by other, more inane news
incidents, which the media would rather make space for.
Although we are a small Central European country, we are the largest world
producer of chinchilla fur, with up to 50% of the total world production.
These small South American animals are kept throughout their life in cramped
cages. And when their time comes, their necks are broken - then they are
skinned. These poor creature's pelts proudly contribute to Croatia's export
economy. In just 6 months, Chinchilla Co. Ltd. produced 10.5 tonnes of
carcasses of these small rodents.
Even though more and more people in the world support synthetic fur, and are
against the production of natural (animal) fur, Croatia is not interested in
banning fur farming. Croatia is not interested in the fact that the anti-fur
movement is gaining strength all the time and that a large number of
civilized countries across the world condemn this kind of cruelty. But in
our country, a woman thinks she is not a 'real woman' without a fur coat.

"In Croatia, we ask ourselves, in which century and time are we living: the
stone-age or the third millennium?"

With regards to animal species from other continents, it is necessary to
mention ostriches, which are presently one of the growing problems in
Croatia. There are more and more breeders of these African birds, even
though there is no legislation in our country on the keeping and slaughter
of these animals. The bringing of such legislation is sought from
authorities. In the meantime, neighboring Austria has banned the slaughter
of ostriches.
This is the irony, because everything that is repulsive to the "West" - just
a border away - is allowed in our country; from the hunting of protected
species to the farming of fur and the slaughter of ostriches.
Unfortunately, the problem does not just lie in the farming and slaughter of
animals from other continents. In all countries around the world, animals
such as chickens, pigs, cows, horses and sheep are nothing but articles to
serve and fulfill meat eaters. That is the common state of world animal
farming for the masses. In some countries such as Great Britain there are
rules, which are supposed to be followed when slaughtering animals. This is
to reduce their pain of death to the minimum. But in Croatia they are
inconsiderately slaughtered without anesthetic. Their teeth, wings, tails
and testes are cut with no thought given to help reduce their pain.
Passing through any Croatian rural settlement, anyone can see for themselves
how such barbaric techniques are used to put animals to death. Veal calves,
for example, are hung alive, upside down and their throats cut to drain
their bodies of blood as the heart continues to pump.
Also located in Croatia are some of the largest chicken farms in Europe, as
well as some of the larger European farms for milk cows and pigs. Similarly,
we can 'boast' about our huge turkey, calve and beef cattle farms ... all
run using barbaric slaughtering methods.
Favourite specialties and popular meals are young pigs and lambs.
Particularly ugly sights are the numerous restaurants along busy Croatian
roads, with skewered baby animals turning over fires in front of the
restaurant entrances.
There is no celebration, wedding or holiday without a roast or an excess of
meat fare.
However, probably one of the greatest problems occurs in the Adriatic Sea,
which is almost totally depleted of fish. Fishing trawlers have ruined the
seabed, by dragging their nets, and have over fished the entire area. Apart
from our local fishermen, the Japanese are now assaulting the Adriatic Sea
using new, more intensive methods.
We take this opportunity to consider some of our folk traditions, such as
the beheading of bulls on the island Korcula. In fact this wasn't even a
tradition in the first place. It was introduced as a tourist attraction, but
instead gave rise to criticism and repugnance. Thankfully, it was given up
after just two seasons.
What else can we expect? What other horrific ideas lie in the heads of our
people or tourist associations? People who are more concerned about profit
rather than conserving their depleting natural resources and native animals.
The Croatian public must stand back and realize that they are ecologically
out of sync with global concerns about the environment, species extinction
and the ethical treatment of animals.
Is Croatia becoming the slaughterhouse of Europe?
Whilst some countries laws prohibit the abuse of animals, our country seems
to revel in it ... as a tourist attraction.
The number of vegetarians worldwide is steadily increasing and health
organizations around the world are supporting vegetarianism as healthy and
ethical choice. But in our country, authorities still have no understanding
for the introduction of vegetarian meals or food labeling into public
institutions.
In Croatia, nobody has yet been punished because of cruelty to animals.
Almost anything is tolerated. Pet owners can abuse their animal with no
worry about being charged with cruelty. Therefore, it's no surprise when
dogs and cats are abandoned and thrown out onto the street during the
holiday season. They finally end up in a pound where they are killed within
a shorter time limit than the law permits.
At the beginning of this article we parodied, "A small country for a great
holiday". This is the advertising slogan of the Croatian Tourist
Association. It's inspired by a seldom seen natural beauty of our land - its
large potential for eco-tourism and the production of ecological (organic)
growth and health food.
The purpose of this article is not to dispute that, but to seek an answer to
the questions:
"Why is Croatia turning to blood thirsty tourism of killing donkeys and
bears?
"Why is Croatia killing and selling of rare songbirds?
"Why is Croatia farming animal species endemic to other climes and the
opening of new hunting-grounds?"
At the same time, our rural tourism - illustrated by the beauty of ancient
castles - deteriorates further, as they become overgrown with nettles and
acacias. What was once among the cleanest rivers and springs in this part of
the world are now undrinkable, poisoned a result of bad planning of
industrial waste zones.
The resulting cruelty and negligence towards all the animal species that
share these expanses with us is overwhelming.
Even though we are a 'small' country, Croatia is unfortunately also a land
of great cruelty.
An article by the Croatian Animal Welfare Group, Animal
<http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.html>  Friends.
Edited and revised by LGGN

http://www.looking-glass.co.uk/news/library2002/2002-5-east-europe.htm#croat
ia



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello,

My name is Michelle and I live in Mercer County, West Virginia. I just recently
joined this group and hope to be able to learn a lot about protecting animals in
my community.

I have one very important question that I'd like to start out with, if anyone
could help. How do I get started in filing a complaint against my local
county-operated animal shelter for blatantly breaking both WV State and Federal
laws when it comes to the 5-day holding period before they're allowed to adopt
out or euthanize?

One of my puppies was taken to the animal shelter on December 29th at 2pm by a
neighbor who mistakenly thought someone had "dropped" her in his yard. They
euthanized her at 5:30pm the same day...just 3 and a half hours after she got
there. I found out where she was the next morning and was the first person in
the door when they opened, to pick up my puppy. They lied to me and told me
she'd been adopted out. After pressing them and threatening to go to the
magistrate if they didn't get my puppy back from whoever took her, they FAKED a
phone call right in front of me where they pretended to contact the "adoptive
parents". The employee then stated that the adoptive parents had said No, they
want to keep her. This went on for 3 days before finally the director of the
animal shelter called me after hours at home and said that she'd just found out
that my puppy had actually been euthanized. She admitted that they do this all
of the time, but that this was the first time they'd gotten caught. I've got all
of that on tape, per advice from my local State police station. The director
also admitted that they'll run into this same "issue" again this week, next
week, the next week...etc. So they have no intention of abiding by the law.

No attorney in my town will represent me because of two reasons they've all
supplied me with: 1) There won't be a big enough payoff to make it worth their
while OR 1) They're friends with the county commissioner and it would be a
conflict of interests. So my question is...if a county-operated facility, which
is funded by the government, does not have to abide by either state or federal
laws...why does anyone else have to? And has it gotten to the point where if the
crime you commit doesn't result in a huge financial payout, it's ok for you to
commit that crime because no one will complain/prosecute?

I am at my wit's end with this and don't know where to go next. I finally talked
the animal shelter into releasing the body of my puppy to me this past
monday...on the 5th day after she'd been taken there. They dug her out of their
deep freezer located outside behind their building and handed her to me in a
black trash bag. I had to let her thaw out for a day and a half before we could
re-shape her so that she would fit into the makeshift casket we'd gotten for
her. This whole ordeal has been a nightmare and has completely devasted my
family. We helped that little puppy into the world when her mama had trouble
giving birth, and we've been with her every single day of her life. She was only
3 months old. That little baby meant the world to my husband and me and we have
not been able to get past the hurt or the feeling of utter helplessness.

Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to at least prevent this from
continuing to happen, and to hold those accountable that make the decisions to
break these laws on a regular basis?

Thanks in advance,

Michelle Bailey

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dawn Marie <goodnessmercy@...> wrote:

Please consider going to the Oprah website (that Linda was kind enough to
research) to suggest a show on animal cruelty, rescue, treatment,
spay-neuter, vaccination, volunteering, and state cruelty laws. See
suggested text below. You’re welcome to copy and paste, and change into
your own words. However you want to do this. We need maximum attention on
this case because the county prosecutor is wimping out. He has dropped the
charges. Our felony law allows cruelty if there is “damage to property” --
the cat lived in a Wal-Mart storage trailer. Our misdemeanor law covers
only “beating” an animal – so shooting it is technically not covered and
therefore not illegal. I am disappointed in the correspondence with animal
activist leaders in our state who don’t want to offend the prosecutor by
calling attention to him. This has become political. “Forget the cat. Let
’s compromise for the next battle.” In my opinion, *this* *is* the battle.

Original Message-----
From: LJMoore [mailto:ljmoore@...]
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 12:28 AM

http://www.oprah.com/email/email_landing.jhtml


Oprah, you could do a real service educating the public against animal
cruelty. Right here in Indiana, several WalMart managers were fired for
shooting a stray cat with a pellet gun from the store, killing it slowly
over two days, then wrapping the body in shrink wrap, and bragging to other
employees and delivery people what they'd done, as though it were a feat to
be proud of. The big boss at the store ordered them to "get rid of" the cat
and this was their interpretation of the order. What's that say about our
working professionals?

You could make several valuable points to the American public:
1. Cruelty to animals is directly tied to the capacity for cruelty to
humans -- and is nearly 100% in the early history of imprisoned criminals.
2. There are rescue organizations in every city, and most humane societies
will loan Have-a-Heart live traps with coaching on how to use them. Urge
the public to call them and make a donation to support their good work
because resources are stretched to the maximum.
3. Follow on to the Howard Lymon theme that animals have feelings, and that
we must be kind to animals. Evoke the compassion of your good audience,
including children who may be watching at home.
4. Urge people to volunteer as foster homes for pets that need
resocializing, but warn your audience that they may become owners because
it's hard to let fosters go -- to someone who couldn't possibly love them as
much as you do. '-))
5. Urge your audience to adopt from shelters, humane societies, purebred
rescues, etc. *NOT* pet stores where the animals originate from puppy mills
and kitten mills. That's an expose it itself!
6. Urge people to spay/neuter and to vaccinate. There are many low cost
opportunities as well as vans that travel through cities to offer these
services at minimal cost. You could also drive the point home by showing
some of the surviving off-spring of kittens exposed in utero to disease.
Particularly disturbing is a palsy-like uncoordination that is so unlike
what we expect from graceful cats. The graphic image will stick with people
and get them to vaccinate!
7. Urge all Americans to campaign for felony animal cruelty laws for their
state. Give examples of good laws. This Indiana Wal-Mart case may go no
where because misdemeanors cover "beating" only, and felonies can be excused
if the perpetrator can justify "damage to property." The county prosecutor
is wimping out because he wants a record of wins for his office. So the
killers are getting off with no punishment. This is a very sad thing
because Indiana's law has no teeth.
8. Last, how about covering some veterinarians, who are highly educated,
but underpaid compared to their counterparts in human health care? There
are some heroes out there! Urge people to send a thank you card to their
vet(s)!
9. You could also touch on the alternative health care providers, a very
creative and hopeful area of healing that works with the Creator to copy
what nature does and enhance natural healing processes.

You live in Indiana and you love animals. Please do this series!

You could do a whole week on animals!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
List website (contains articles, FAQs, etc.): http://www.holisticat.com
Recent posts available at: http://www.escribe.com/pets/holisticat/
Any problems, contact Sandy: mailto:owner-holisticat@...
----------------------------------------------------------------------



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Susan Gordon <veganvirago@...> wrote:

Also...

Please send POLITE letters to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office,
letting them know how disappointed you are that they refused to prosecute
this heinous crime. Let them know that people all over the country were
following this case and are angered that these violent criminals will go
untried and unpunished.

CONTACT INFO:
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office
ATTN: Stanley M. Levco
Prosecuting Attorney 1st Judicial Circuit
Civic Center Complex
Administration Building - Room 108
Evansville, IN. 47708
Fax (812) 435 - 5810
Phone (812) 435 - 5150
You can e-mail comments from:
http://www.vanderburghgov.org/external/index.asp?site=http://www.vanderburghpros\
ecutor.org/&type=County




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Michelle, I am so sorry to hear about your situation. I can't
really offer the help you're looking for, but I wanted to express my
sincere sympathy to you and your family and let you know that I'm am
terribly sorry about your loss. My prayers and thoughts are with you
and your family. Take care.

--- In animalrightsactivistresources@yahoogroups.com, "Michelle
Bailey" <webwiz@c...> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> My name is Michelle and I live in Mercer County, West Virginia. I
just recently joined this group and hope to be able to learn a lot
about protecting animals in my community.
>
> I have one very important question that I'd like to start out
with, if anyone could help. How do I get started in filing a
complaint against my local county-operated animal shelter for
blatantly breaking both WV State and Federal laws when it comes to
the 5-day holding period before they're allowed to adopt out or
euthanize?
>
> One of my puppies was taken to the animal shelter on December 29th
at 2pm by a neighbor who mistakenly thought someone had "dropped"
her in his yard. They euthanized her at 5:30pm the same day...just 3
and a half hours after she got there. I found out where she was the
next morning and was the first person in the door when they opened,
to pick up my puppy. They lied to me and told me she'd been adopted
out. After pressing them and threatening to go to the magistrate if
they didn't get my puppy back from whoever took her, they FAKED a
phone call right in front of me where they pretended to contact
the "adoptive parents". The employee then stated that the adoptive
parents had said No, they want to keep her. This went on for 3 days
before finally the director of the animal shelter called me after
hours at home and said that she'd just found out that my puppy had
actually been euthanized. She admitted that they do this all of the
time, but that this was the first time they'd gotten caught. I've
got all of that on tape, per advice from my local State police
station. The director also admitted that they'll run into this
same "issue" again this week, next week, the next week...etc. So
they have no intention of abiding by the law.
>
> No attorney in my town will represent me because of two reasons
they've all supplied me with: 1) There won't be a big enough payoff
to make it worth their while OR 1) They're friends with the county
commissioner and it would be a conflict of interests. So my question
is...if a county-operated facility, which is funded by the
government, does not have to abide by either state or federal
laws...why does anyone else have to? And has it gotten to the point
where if the crime you commit doesn't result in a huge financial
payout, it's ok for you to commit that crime because no one will
complain/prosecute?
>
> I am at my wit's end with this and don't know where to go next. I
finally talked the animal shelter into releasing the body of my
puppy to me this past monday...on the 5th day after she'd been taken
there. They dug her out of their deep freezer located outside behind
their building and handed her to me in a black trash bag. I had to
let her thaw out for a day and a half before we could re-shape her
so that she would fit into the makeshift casket we'd gotten for her.
This whole ordeal has been a nightmare and has completely devasted
my family. We helped that little puppy into the world when her mama
had trouble giving birth, and we've been with her every single day
of her life. She was only 3 months old. That little baby meant the
world to my husband and me and we have not been able to get past the
hurt or the feeling of utter helplessness.
>
> Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to at least prevent
this from continuing to happen, and to hold those accountable that
make the decisions to break these laws on a regular basis?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Michelle Bailey
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RAIN COLD did not stop us from getting out there!!  Thanks to every
dedicated activist who came to the Steven Corn Fur protest Janurary
8th YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!Here is the Bergen Record article:

  Protesters hot under collar over furs

Sunday, January 9, 2005

By JOHN CHADWICK
STAFF WRITER



A group of about 20 anti-fur activists targeted Steven Corn Furs in
Paramus on Saturday, shouting at customers and holding signs showing
bloodied, skinless animals with the words: "Here's the rest of your
fur coat."

Members of the group, Caring Activists Against Fur, said they're
combating a new surge in demand for fur coats. Celebrity music and
film stars are fueling some of the sales through the development of
their own clothing lines, they said.

"We need to be out here connecting the dots between the fur coat and
the murder of the animals," said Julie Bolkin O'Connor of
Tenafly. "Our presence educates people."

But the manager of the upscale Route 17 shop said the protesters'
presence also brings in customers.

"If anything, we tend to have better business the days they are
here," John Paul said. "It's like an advertisement."

Paul said the sale of fur coats is increasing - about 30 percent
from last year - because of the last few cold winters.

He also said that the accusations of mistreatment of animals are
overblown.

Paul said minks, for example, live better on the breeding farms than
in the animal kingdom.

"For five to seven years they eat, sleep and make more little
minks," Paul said. "Out in the wild they live two to three
years. ... They die from starvation, disease or being eaten by
another animal."

An organizer of the protest begged to differ.

"Breeding minks can live up to five to seven years ... that's in a
prison," said Debbie Kowalski of Hackettstown. "The ones they
actually use for the coat, that they skinned, are 8 to 10 months
old, and they're killed."

Among those who braved the cold, rainy weather to join the protest
was an 82-year-old Westwood man.

"I like animals," quipped Bill Triglia. "They don't kill nearly as
much as humans."

E-mail: chadwick@...



check out past protest pics on CAAFs new yahoo group site  You have
to join to click photo section
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caafgroup/

Hello Fellow Caring Activists Against Fur!

CAAF will be at Wet Seal on Sat. Jan. 29th in NYC:
TIME:  1PM-230PM
PLACE: Wet Seal 100 West 33rd Street... CORNER OF 33RD STREET AND
BROADWAY

We are helping PETA fight against Wet Seal.... they are selling
rabbit fur items... there customers are mostly young adults. Please
mark your calendar for this protest.  Lets make a difference!!

Debbie and Julie
Caring Activists Against Fur

We will supply signs and liturature all we need is YOU!!
need more info Julie - 201-927-3617/Debbie - 908-887-0775

A similar situation kept happening in my town.  We sat in on city
council meetings, wrote letters to the newspaper, staged a march
through our town which ended on the courthouse steps.  Eventually,
they investigated and got rid of the shelter's director.  The new
director is a great animal-lover- the city council made sure of that
after all the bad press.  Find out who on your city council would
also support you.

--- In animalrightsactivistresources@yahoogroups.com, "Michelle
Bailey" <webwiz@c...> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> My name is Michelle and I live in Mercer County, West Virginia. I
just recently joined this group and hope to be able to learn a lot
about protecting animals in my community.
>
> I have one very important question that I'd like to start out
with, if anyone could help. How do I get started in filing a
complaint against my local county-operated animal shelter for
blatantly breaking both WV State and Federal laws when it comes to
the 5-day holding period before they're allowed to adopt out or
euthanize?
>
> One of my puppies was taken to the animal shelter on December 29th
at 2pm by a neighbor who mistakenly thought someone had "dropped"
her in his yard. They euthanized her at 5:30pm the same day...just 3
and a half hours after she got there. I found out where she was the
next morning and was the first person in the door when they opened,
to pick up my puppy. They lied to me and told me she'd been adopted
out. After pressing them and threatening to go to the magistrate if
they didn't get my puppy back from whoever took her, they FAKED a
phone call right in front of me where they pretended to contact
the "adoptive parents". The employee then stated that the adoptive
parents had said No, they want to keep her. This went on for 3 days
before finally the director of the animal shelter called me after
hours at home and said that she'd just found out that my puppy had
actually been euthanized. She admitted that they do this all of the
time, but that this was the first time they'd gotten caught. I've
got all of that on tape, per advice from my local State police
station. The director also admitted that they'll run into this
same "issue" again this week, next week, the next week...etc. So
they have no intention of abiding by the law.
>
> No attorney in my town will represent me because of two reasons
they've all supplied me with: 1) There won't be a big enough payoff
to make it worth their while OR 1) They're friends with the county
commissioner and it would be a conflict of interests. So my question
is...if a county-operated facility, which is funded by the
government, does not have to abide by either state or federal
laws...why does anyone else have to? And has it gotten to the point
where if the crime you commit doesn't result in a huge financial
payout, it's ok for you to commit that crime because no one will
complain/prosecute?
>
> I am at my wit's end with this and don't know where to go next. I
finally talked the animal shelter into releasing the body of my
puppy to me this past monday...on the 5th day after she'd been taken
there. They dug her out of their deep freezer located outside behind
their building and handed her to me in a black trash bag. I had to
let her thaw out for a day and a half before we could re-shape her
so that she would fit into the makeshift casket we'd gotten for her.
This whole ordeal has been a nightmare and has completely devasted
my family. We helped that little puppy into the world when her mama
had trouble giving birth, and we've been with her every single day
of her life. She was only 3 months old. That little baby meant the
world to my husband and me and we have not been able to get past the
hurt or the feeling of utter helplessness.
>
> Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to at least prevent
this from continuing to happen, and to hold those accountable that
make the decisions to break these laws on a regular basis?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Michelle Bailey
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]