American Politics

American Politics  » Broken Trust

Broken Trust

Broken Trust

The large animal organizations and the public money.

By Randy N. Warner

It is said that in America, anything the imagination can conjure up

can be attained with persistence. In a society where we boast of

freedom and clearly recognize the importance of our leadership in the

world, one must be increasingly disillusioned by the simple things in

life that prevent us from moving ahead even further. We can

successfully put roving monitors on mars,, cure diseases in short

order, win wars in 100 days or less and have the marketing prowess to

alter human life around the globe.

The suffering of animals is a deep and quiet thing; and yet, millions

of people hear, and care and hope to answer this call. More than

3,000 non profits dedicated to the same have logged an estimated 40

Billion man hours in the past 20 years all while Americans are

donating billions of their dollars to animal welfare organizations

who promise that they are relieving animal suffering.

But are they? Or, is the trust being placed in them by their donors,

being betrayed?

The overpopulation of dogs and cats is the major source of the

suffering and death of 8 million animals a year in America. This is a

problem for which the cause is well known, the consequences of not

solving it are well known, and the tools for solving it are within

reach. And yet, little headway is being made. It is one of the

simplest problems to correct.

We hear a lot about increasing adoptions, and this is important; but

where is the effort to prevent the overpopulation in the first place?

The ASPCA, for example, doesn't even take in strays, so their

adoption program, while valuable, is not addressing the problem in a

significant way. They inaugurated their "no-kill" policy in order to

appeal to more donors. That doesn't mean that animals are not being

killed—they are just being killed someplace else. And until the

overpopulation problem is solved, this dirty work must be done.

Why is it that almost everyone knows about the ASPCA and HSUS, for

example, but, by and large, the public still doesn't know that it is

not OK to breed their pets or to allow an accidental breeding? Why

don't people know about puppy mills or where pet shop puppies come

from? The big organizations have utterly failed to get this message

across. Why?

They have the funds. In New York City, billboards, subway and bus ads

abound. "Think out of the box" is the title under a picture of a

puppy or kitten peeking out of an ASPCA carrier. Not one ad, or sign,

or billboard informs the public about the overpopulation epidemic and

its tragic consequences. Why? Again, the large organizations have

failed to convey this important message to the public, in schools and

to our elected officials.

Our society is continuing to devote a sizable portion of our

existence to finding out the problems that face us and realize that

we must re focus our efforts on the TRUE meanings of responsibility,

compassion and to understand that even though only one voice, each

human is part of a societal choir of sorts that has far reaching

consequences for everyone in that given society. I was once told that

we can never expect to win the game until all teammates play by the

same rules. It certainly holds true in this argument.

Nobody within the ranks of these seemingly noble efforts will

disagree with the facts that nobody wants to work together. They

defend their ideas as if it were a pharmaceutical corporation with a

cure for cancer. The compassion issue is everywhere in the animal

protection movement. 'Compassion This - Compassion That." But all the

large animal protection groups continue to bicker, argue, point

fingers and sling mud between themselves. The anger and jealousy and

vindictiveness among the smaller rescue organization efforts is

mammoth in scope. Unimaginably detrimental to all these efforts is

clearly the complete lack of true compassion - at least a real focus

on their actual goals. Of course, politics, egos and agendas play a

large part in covering up any real compassion that may be earned or

even really exists.

We are not advocating the end of the big organizations or even the

reduction of the six-figure salaries being awarded their chief

executives.Why shouldn't someone who saves an animal get paid as well

as someone who is willing to send them to slaughter or pave over

habitat? But, in any business and most other endeavors, a chief

executive who does not do the job is either demoted or fired. The big

animal organizations have not done the job. Should they continue to

get paid?

Too much of their funding is channeled back into their own

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development, feeding their own labyrinthine gullets. These

organizations have become creatures with bigger and bigger bellies

and weaker arms and legs and smaller hearts to get things done. If we

were truly compassion driven, we would not be so uninformed as to

assume the large national groups were truly out to help the animals

with their millions and millions of dollars laying around in bank

accounts while much needed and well deserved programs go unfunded and

lives continue to be lost. If we were truly compassion driven, we

would educate ourselves on the facts of these issues so as to clearly

understand our individual roles in prevention.

Sharing the blame and the shame is the American Kennel Club, which

issues registration papers indiscriminately to decent breeders and to

puppy mills alike. They sponsor the suffering of thousands upon

thousands of animals. No big organization wants to take them on. Why?

We must admit the problems are ours and ours to solve. Like our

fanatical minority and religious leaders, our large animal welfare

organizations need their victims. Absent crime and imaginary

situations against their people and teachings, these organizations

disappear -- this means jobs. Jobs = egos. As long as they can

convince those who don't know any better, they will survive.

The picture as of today, is one of an overworked underfunded and

failing animal control effort, schools failing to institute any form

of humane education programs into a curriculum at any level, the

media won't cover the real stories of HOW to prevent this and see a

productive future, their readers don't want the stories of puppies

and kittens dying as it's too upsetting to read. Finally, all those

who are sitting at their desk right now in any animal protection

organizations while reading this are going to be outwardly angered

that One would accost them in such a manner, but are not willing to

correct the situation as it stands, to ensure they receive a pay

check next week.

The major animal welfare organizations are not useless. The world is

a better place with them than without them, but they fall short. Too

short. To whom much is given, much is expected.

About the Author

Randy N. Warner is the worlds' foremost leader humane education materials. His efforts have been featured in People Magazine, NY Post, LA Times, along with appearances on Letterman, CBS Eve News and Hard Copy

See www.21stcenturycares.org/

See the books he's authored also www.21stcenturycares.org/products.htm