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Important Information
About Donating to Humane
Societies |
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Do you get those letters showing sad, sickly puppies in a cage that
ask for donations to a humane organization? Please research any such group
carefully before sending them your hard-earned money. Be sure that the money
you send will actually go towards helping animals. Be sure that the
organization’s goals are the same as yours. There are some groups out there
that are a poor investment. You can learn more about where your money goes at
The Better
Business Bureau . You can also use internet search
engines to learn more about some groups, both pro and con.
When donating, please consider local organizations where more of your
money really goes to the animals, like Pets and People of Yukon, Volunteers
for Animal Welfare, Friends of the OKC Animal Shelter, Free to Live in
Edmond, Second Chance of Norman, or your local animal shelter. More of your
money will go directly to the animals and less to fund- raising and overhead.
And remember that donations of food, supplies, equipment, and your time are
as welcome as cash. One well-known group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, advocates not animal welfare but animal rights. Animal welfare concerns proper care, feeding, shelter, and medical care of animals, whereas animal rights opposes the use of animals for pets, human food, leather, fur, showing, rodeos, medical research, etc. Comments made by leaders of PETA reveal the group’s stand on animal issues. PETA co-founder and president Ingrid Newkirk recently said about foot and mouth disease, "I openly hope that it comes here [to the USA]. It will bring economic harm only for those who profit from giving people heart attacks and giving animals a concentration camp-like existence. It would be good for animals, good for human health and good for the environment." Other famous quotes of hers include, "There really is no rational reason for saying a human being has special rights. ... A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy," and "The bottom line is that people don't have the right to manipulate or to breed dogs and cats ... If people want toys, they should |
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One well-known group,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, advocates not animal welfare but animal rights. Animal
welfare concerns proper care, feeding, shelter, and medical care of animals,
whereas animal rights opposes the use of animals for pets, human food,
leather, fur, showing, rodeos, medical research, etc. Comments made by
leaders of PETA reveal the group’s stand on animal issues. PETA co-founder
and president Ingrid Newkirk recently said about foot and mouth disease,
"I openly hope that it comes here [to the USA]. It will bring economic harm only for those
who profit from giving people heart attacks and giving animals a
concentration camp-like existence. It
would be good for animals, good for human health and good for the
environment." Other famous quotes
of hers include, "There really is no rational reason for saying a human
being has special rights. ... A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy," and
"The bottom line is that people don't have the right to manipulate or to
breed dogs and cats ... If people want toys, they should buy inanimate
objects. If they want companionship, they should seek it with their own
kind." When a boy in Florida was
attacked by a shark, and his uncle killed the animal to get the boy’s arm
back, PETA spokesperson Neil List said, "A coma's too good for [the
boy]. The price for his life is that an innocent shark is now
dead." PETA even made the
following quote: "Alas, we failed in our recent effort to deny Timothy
McVeigh a last meal that included meat. And that's a shame: Now he's killed a
cow, and her blood cries up from the ground to us like a silent moo. Also, I
understand that maybe he hurt some people in Oklahoma."
Another group to be careful of is the Humane Society of the United
States, or HSUS. They too advocate animal rights, but in a much more subtle
fashion. They have told their members not to use terms like animal rights and
anti-vivisection so as not to scare off donors. While they do some valuable
education about disaster planning and shelter design, they are against dog
racing, circuses, and rattlesnake
hunts, and promote laws which ban specific breeds of dogs. Also, they have a
large paid staff including a CEO who makes almost $300,000 per year. For
every dollar they take in, 28 cents is spent soliciting more funds, and only
54 cents goes toward their programs. Here is an
in-depth review of HSUS.
There are no doubt many worthwhile animal-related charities out there.
Just remember to research any group before donating, and please think locally
first. |