Open Letter to "Oprah"

AN OPEN LETTER TO "OPRAH"

Dear Ms. Winfrey,

Your April 4, 2008 show exposed some horribly cruel dog breeders. These people are breaking existing federal animal welfare laws, as well as animal cruelty laws in place in the state of Pennsylvania. Contrary to what was stated on your show, these breeders are operating illegally. Have you reported them to the state humane officers? I certainly hope so. They should be shut down immediately.

Unfortunately, your reference sources consisted of a singular rescue organization and Wayne Pacelle, the radical animal rights activist president of HSUS. This man came originally from the PETA organization. Here are some of his more famous quotes.

“We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding.”

“I don’t have a hands-on fondness for animals…To this day I don’t feel bonded to any non-human animal. I like them and I pet them and I’m kind to them, but there’s no special bond between me and other animals.” Wayne Pacelle, of the Humane Society of the United States, quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt by Ted Kerasote,

(When asked if he envisioned a future without pets): "If I had my personal view, perhaps that might take hold. In fact, I don't want to see another dog or cat born." Wayne Pacelle quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt by Ted Kerasote.

Wayne Pacelle is a man who has devoted his entire life to efforts to abolish animal domestication, and to sever the human-animal bond.

Mr. Pacelle states that 99% of all pet shop dogs come from illegal breeders such as the ones shown on your report. This is not true. Commercial breeders fall under the guidelines and rules of the FDA. They are licensed and inspected. There are very strict guidelines for sanitation, housing and care of the dogs. If all pet shop dogs came from such deplorable conditions as you pictured, there would be no dogs to sell, because they would be none who were not crippled, ill and poorly socialized.

Your show segued into the peripheral issues of purported animal overpopulation and early neutering of pets. In your report, you erroneously stated that every day, in every city in America, adoptable pets are needlessly euthanized.You relied entirely on the biased, unsupported statements of Pacelle.

The truth is that there are no reliable statistics on animal euthanasia in this country. There is no central reporting agency, no standardized reporting methods. Also, those stats are skewed by the numbers of feral cats, who overall comprise the majority of shelter intakes and euthanasias The truth is that young puppies are almost never found in shelters. The statistics rarely differentiate between healthy, adoptable dogs, and dogs relinquished due to age, illness, aggression, or injury. Dogs, cats, wildlife (rabbits, birds, possums, raccoons) injured and stray animals are all lumped together. These rates also include non-adoptable animals who are owner turn-ins due to illness, injury, viciousness, and a large proportion are feral. Many citizens bring their pets to the shelters specifically for old-age euthanasia.

Are you aware that in many regions of the country, there are no adoptable dogs being euthanized, and they do not have any dogs available for adoption? When I visited Norwood, Massachusetts, in 2003, I noticed that the local shelter is only open one day per week...they rarely have any dogs available for adoption! These are large areas such as most of the New England region, parts of Florida, and large sections of California such as San Diego county and the San Francisco bay area.These areas import dogs from other states and even other countries.

Are you aware that over 300,000 dogs are imported into the US every year from other countries to provide adoptable animals for the homes here waiting for them? Check out this ABC report by Sam Donaldson:

http://petpac.net/news/headlines/importedpuppies

The Helen Woodward Humane Society in San Diego imports dogs from as far away as Romania, as does Best Friends. The "Save a Sato" organization imports animals from Puerto Rico to the New England area. “Save a Mexican Mutt” imports many dogs from Mexico to the West coast. Unfortunately, these dogs can bring with them problems such as parasites, infectious hepatitis and rabies! “Save a Sato” has imported two dogs with rabies, one in 2003.

A true expert in shelter management is Nathan Winograd. Mr. Winograd has converted several formerly high-kill shelters into no-kill shelters. His recent book, “Redemption: the Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No-Kill Revolution in America” is an excellent expose of the reasons that shelters kill animals. He would be an informative guest for your show, and could present a realistic picture of the pet relinquishment situation in this country. He is actually someone who loves animals, unlike Wayne Pacelle. He is well versed in practical solutions to solving abandonment and re-homing issues. According to Winograd, a leading shelter expert, pet overpopulation is a myth.

There are many things that can be done to reduce the numbers of dogs euthanized in certain areas….but shelters in those areas have to change their methods of operations. Lifting limit laws, promoting foster care, extending operation hours, and placing dogs through cooperation with local pet stores and local newspaper ads, relocation to areas of need....these are some proactive ways to place the adoptable dogs.

Contrary to the assertions of Mr. Pacelle, purebred dogs are NOT a significant proportion of intakes. Most shelter workers are not qualified to identify various breeds, and they have no way to ascertain that any specific dog is purebred, particularly if the animal is a stray. Also, purebred dog clubs have regional rescues available to intake and re-home dogs of their breed or even mixed breeds. Contrary to your report, there are NOT available dogs of all breeds and any age at shelters and rescues. There are generally only a few various popular large breed dogs available, with puppies rarely found, particularly small-breed puppies.

Next you delved into the supposed reason for the purported “overpopulation”. Once again you regard Pacelle’s unsubstantiated facts as gospel. He claims that not enough pets are sterilized, which results in “overpopulation” and by further extrapolation, that this causes euthanasia in shelters.

Yet according to the current edition of the APPMA's National Pet Survey, (the bible of the pet supply industry) 75 percent of all owned dogs and 87 percent of all owned cats in the US are sterilized.

The veterinarian on your show claims that sterilizing a dog at a young age is perfectly harmless, and even desirable. Anytime an animal (of any age) undergoes general anesthesia, there is a risk of death. Indeed, a dog just died this week as a result of being neutered...without owner consent:

http://kob.com/article/stories/S411543.shtml?cat=516

This is not an isolated incident, unfortunately. I also have a friend whose young chihuahua died while being neutered. Bitches with unknown histories will be opened up for spays, only for the vet to discover....she has already been spayed! Unnecessary risk for absolutely NO benefit.These situations happen every day.

Notwithstanding the immediate risk involved with sterilization surgery, recent veterinary studies prove many detrimental long-term health effects from pediatric neutering. Most problematic is a delayed closure of the bony growth plates, resulting in abnormal "weedy" skeletal development, which renders working dogs unsuitable for their tasks, and renders them more susceptible to hip dysplasia and patellar luxation.
Pediatric neutering dramatically increases the risk of bone cancer (very painful and invariably fatal), urinary incontinence, hypothyroidism, cognitive dysfunction in older dogs, and behavior problems such as noise phobias, fearfulness and aggression. Dogs neutered at an early age have an increased susceptibility to infectious disease, and also a higher risk for adverse reactions to vaccines. All these effects, and many more, are well-documented in recently published veterinary literature. Check the “Save Our Dogs” website for a list of references on this subject.

Here is recent MSNBC report detailing the hazards of pediatric sterilization:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24597888

Please familiarize yourself with the following informational websites:

http://www.nathanwinograd.com

http://www.naiaonline.com

http://www.saveourdogs.net

http://www.petpac.net

Sensationalism may provide ratings but as a journalist you have a responsibility to provide a truthful picture in regard to these important issues. The future of dogs in America hangs in the balance.

Sincerely yours,

Geneva Coats

Mainline Animal Rescue....unable to follow their own advice?

From their website:

Report Animal Cruelty

"The most effective way to fight animal cruelty is to simply keep your eyes and ears open. And if you suspect an animal is being abused, neglected or mistreated call your local police department or the humane officers affiliated with your local SPCA and report your concerns. This can be done anonymously. When you call, be sure to include the address of where the animal can be found and a description of the animal. If you do not receive a call back, call again. The key to reporting animal cruelty is to be persistent. Most agencies assigned to protect animals in the Commonwealth are complaint-driven. So write letters documenting your concerns, keep a log of how often you called and when, and follow-up with your local Animal Control and SPCA Humane Officers or the police to make sure that something was done. If you are not satisfied with their response call their supervisors.

Common abuses include: failure to provide a dog or cat with water, food, medical care or shelter (all required by the laws of this state), embedded collars (collars should be adjusted as puppies grow), dogs left in hot cars (call the police immediately), severely matted hair (restricting movement and the animal's ability to see or defecate), burned feet from being tethered on driveways on hot asphalt, and animals running at large (pets must be on a leash once they leave your property). "Outside" or chained dogs are often victims of neglect, vulnerable to weather extremes, insects (severe flea infestation can lead to death from anemia) and injuries to the throat or neck. If you know of an animal left alone outside for long periods of time, while their owners are away, or if they appear to be malnourished or injured, call the authorities immediately."

So, why didn't they?