This Week in Animal Rights (Apr. 19, 2021)

Dog caught in coyote trap, gnawed off leg to free herself. Coyote traps are not just terrible because they can harm non-target animals. They are terrible because they harm coyotes.

A dog who chewed her own leg off after being caught in a coyote trap for three days is recovering and up for adoption. The State of Washington has become the fourth state in the nation to pass legislation stopping the sale of commercially-bred puppies and kittens in pet stores. The Orange County, FL, Board of Commissioners will vote next month on whether to do the same. “New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has issued an executive order re-establishing a commission on the humane treatment of animals…” A proposed law in Colorado, introduced at the behest of some of the most regressive pounds in the state, legitimizes the killing of animals and calls upon other pounds to kill more of them. A professor seeking notoriety at the expense of dogs is claiming Americans love dogs because we are racists alienated by modern capitalism. Ethicists and zoologists ask how far we should and can go to give wild animals a happy life. And finally, the University of Florida is misleadingly claiming that statewide, shelters in 2020 placed “nearly nine out of every 10 animals they took in throughout the year.”

In case you missed it:

A dog who chewed her own leg off after being caught in a coyote trap for three days is recovering and up for adoption. Coyote traps are not just terrible because they can harm non-target animals. They are terrible because they harm coyotes.The State of Washington has become the fourth state in the nation to pass legislation stopping the sale of commercially-bred puppies and kittens in pet stores behind California (which extended the ban to rabbits), Maryland, and Maine. Like Maine, unfortunately, it prohibits new stores from doing so, but grandfathered in existing ones (as it relates to dogs).Meanwhile, the Orange County, FL, Board of Commissioners will vote next month on whether to ban the retail sale of commercially-bred puppies and kittens in pet stores.“New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has issued an executive order re-establishing a commission on the humane treatment of animals, which prepares a biennial report on animal cruelty cases and legislation…”A proposed law in Colorado, introduced at the behest of some of the most regressive pounds in the state, legitimizes the killing of animals if a “shelter” says it is out of room. It does not require foster care, community cat sterilization, offsite adoptions or any number of other programs that replace killing with alternatives, and defines treatable animals very narrowly. Worst of all, it calls upon animals to be killed based on an animal’s “mental and emotional” state.A professor seeking notoriety at the expense of logic, evidence, good sense, people, and dogs is claiming Americans love dogs because we are racists alienated by modern capitalism who work to protect dogs at the expense of people of color. It also takes something noble (rescuing dogs off the streets) and turns it into something unsavory (a tool for promoting white supremacy for wanting them to go into homes).Ethicists and zoologists are asking how far we should and can go to give wild animals a happy life: Habitat preservation? Medical care? What about protecting the prey from the predator without killing/harming the predator?

And finally, the University of Florida (UFL) is misleadingly reporting that statewide, shelters in 2020 placed “nearly nine out of every 10 animals they took in throughout the year.” While the higher placement rate and subsequent reduction in killing is to be celebrated, the data ignores that not all shelters reported, many Florida shelters closed theirdoors to animals in need during the pandemic, and the data double counts placements, excludes “owner requested euthanasia,” and uses a combined placement rate obscuring lower outcomes for cats. UFL also falsely blamed cost for high rates of killing in rural communities, despite the fact that placing animals is not just more cost-effective, it creates a financial windfall for the community. Celebrating progress is key to encouraging more of it. But we must also take a hard look at what is occurring so we can close gaps in the safety net and make sure we are not causing or allowing harm to go unchecked.

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