PETA WATCH

PETA has called for the Livingstone County, MI, Animal Shelter to retain it's policy of euthanasing all Pit Bull type dogs.

"As someone whose work involves rescuing pit bulls from abuse, I urge Livingston County Animal Control to continue protecting pit bulls by retaining the agency's current policy against adopting them out ("Livingston animal shelter extends adoption time, may drop 'bully breed' ban," March 15). We all wish for happy endings, but pit bull adoptions often end in tragedy.

Every day, PETA staffers meet sad and lonely pit bulls who have been trapped for years at the ends of heavy chains with nothing but bare patches of dirt and plastic barrels for shelter (if they're lucky), trembling in fear, full of heartworms, ribs protruding, and scarred all over from fights. In winter, they shiver from the cold and in summer, they are eaten alive by flies, fleas and ticks. They are often physically abused and starved, sometimes to death, for losing in illegal dogfights, or for being "bad guards," or "not mean enough."

Nice families rarely visit shelters in search of pit bulls, and pit bulls from unknown backgrounds don't always make good family additions. No one wants to end the euthanasia of animals at shelters more than those holding the syringe, but supplying pit bulls to dogfighters and those seeking "macho" status symbols and cheap security systems aren't solutions. Spaying and neutering to prevent more pit bulls from coming into the world is.

Teresa Lynn Chagrin,Animal Care & Control Specialist, PETA, Norfolk, Va."

Blogger Brindle Stick responds angrily.

Michael Vick's dogs discuss life after rescue

(Pictured is Ernie in his new life, rescued from Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennels)

The Commonwealth of Virginia requires reports from all “shelters”. Of particular interest to animal welfare groups is the one in Norfolk, VIRGINIA: PETA Headquarters.

The 2009 report is now out and showed that of 2,366 animals taken in by PETA only 39 survived. 8 were adopted out, the remainder transferred.

Since July 1998, the group has killed 23,640 pets.

Dana Chivvis for AOL News writes: "The numbers are remarkable in contrast to nearby shelters. In the same town, the Norfolk City Pound euthanized 54.7 percent of its dogs and cats in 2009. In 2008, the most recent year on record, the Norfolk SPCA found homes for 86 percent of its dogs and cats and euthanized only 5.3 percent".

David Martosko, director of research at the Center for Consumer Freedom, said of PETA: "It's whoring itself out for media coverage. They'll do the ridiculous stuff, but they won't put an ad in the Norfolk press saying, 'We have puppies and kittens, come adopt one.'

Defending PETA's kill rates Daphna Nachminovitch, vice president of cruelty investigations at PETA said "Our euthanasia program has never been a secret. This is one of many, many things that we do to alleviate the suffering of animals." She says that they don't have puppies and kittens available for adoption because they are not an adoptive agency.

Gina Spadafori, Pet Connection, journalist for 30 years and recipient of threats of legal action for criticising PETA writes: "PETA tells its donors that the animals they killed were unadoptable … suffering, in many cases. When someone challenges that, they don’t provide veterinary records or behaviorist reports — they send out their lawyer to rattle a saber".

Nathan Winograd, who also received a letter from PETA’s attorney threatening litigation for defamation, writes on his blog The Butcher of Norfolk: "In the last ten years, they have killed 21,537 animals: that’s roughly 2,000 animals a year every year for the last decade; or over five animals killed by PETA every single day....rescue groups and individuals have come forward stating that the animals they gave PETA were healthy and adoptable. ".

Brent Toellner writes on his KC Dog Blog: "...no one is upset when shelters "euthanize" animals -- but that is by the real definition of euthanasia. There is no question that sometimes animals are too sick, too injured or too aggressive -- and as such, euthanasia IS the most caring solution. But killing 97% of all the animals you touch? That's not "euthanasia", that's killing. And people ARE upset when shelters kill animals -- it's neither caring, nor noble. It's slaughter. And it's slaughter by people who are supposed to be CARING for animals".

Brent goes on to say: "PETA is not a Humane organization. They are animal killers - and the sooner that everyone realizes that and quits giving them money, the better off we'll all be."

The UK Kennel Club has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about a PETA advertisement it has deemed offensive.

The ad in question features a Maltese Terrier with a black comb held across it's upper lip and the caption "Master Race? Wrong for People. Wrong for Dogs. Boycott Breeders. Adopt!”

Blogger Houndbound agrees with the Kennel Club: "I really think PETA should stop stigmatizing anyone who disagrees with them as fascists".

Vet Pete Wedderburn writes on his blog: "Their Hitler dog poster campaign would have passed well beneath the radar if the Kennel Club had not chosen to complain about it to the Advertising Standards Authority...ensuring publicity that would have been well beyond the reach of PETA’s budget".

The Telegraph reports that PETA spokeswoman Poorva Joshipura defended their ad saying ''It is not our ad that is offensive but the false and dangerous belief that some breeds or races are superior to others. We are asking people to take a bite out of cruelty by boycotting breeders and saving the life of a dog or a cat from a rescue shelter instead.''

The Advertising Standards Authority found in PETA's favour with a spokesperson stating in the Telegraph: ''We acknowledged that the image and text were emotive but did not consider the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offense or to mislead. Consumers were likely to understand that the advertisers were expressing their opinion."

'Octomom' Nadya Suleman -the American woman who gave birth to octuplets in January 2009 - has accepted cash from the exploitative vegan lobby People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in return for her coopertaion in a bizarre stunt.

After hearing that the mother of fourteen was facing foreclosure on her home the lobby paid money to the women to erect an undignified PETA sign directly in her front yard.

The sign lectures pet owners not to allow their dogs or cats to have as many offspring as she did.

"Don't let your dog or cat become an "octomom" reads the degrading slogan.

(Via BS, who emails '...this doesn't seem quite ethical somehow'.)

UPDATE: Click here to see some of PETA's other past sign disgraces.

We'll be back before you know it. Stay tuned.

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TIGER WOODS has threatened legal action against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) if it pursues a plan to erect a billboard mocking his recent sex scandal.

The vegan lobby was planning to erect a billboard close to the golfer's Florida home that linked the golfers infidelity with its militant 'Spay or Neuter' campaign.

But after the golfing great threatened to sue the lobby it quickly backed down.

A PETA spokesperson confessed: 'In light of conversations we have had with Mr. Woods' attorneys, plans to run our billboard are on hold at this time.'

Pity you cannot sue for bad taste.

(via Lucy)