The 1994 San Francisco “Adoption Pact” recast the roles of animal control & humane societies––but not as intended Again, in hundreds of cities and towns across the U.S., and indeed around the world, factions are polarized in furious conflict over what their local animal control agencies, humane societies and shelterless, volunteer-run “rescues” should be doing. […]
“No-kill” debacle: will Pueblo bring “responsible sheltering” into vogue?
90% “live release” mandate failed catastrophically in less than 90 days PUEBLO, Colorado––“You can’t manage an animal shelter to a number,” Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region president Jan McHugh-Smith told Pueblo Chieftan reporter Anthony A. Mestas, hours after her organization returned to running the Pueblo Animal Services shelter on April 9, 2019, […]
Diane Whipple died for the sins of dangerous dog advocacy
Murder-by-dog convict Marjorie Knoller is denied parole SACRAMENTO––The California Board of Parole Hearings on February 7, 2019 denied parole to Marjorie Knoller, 64, convicted of murder-by-dog for the January 26, 2001 death of St. Mary’s College lacrosse coach Diane Whipple, 33, at the door to her San Francisco apartment. Knoller will be allowed to seek parole […]
Bulldogs, bullying & bravado: the heart of pit bull advocacy
by Beth Clifton What do pit bulls have in common with other dogs? Not much actually, besides the obvious four legs, fur, two ears, and a tail––unless the ears have been cropped to make the pit bull look more dangerous. To deny that pit bull genetics predisposes them to kill other living beings, and that […]
“Rescue hoarding” cases horrify Iowa
Iowa cases exemplify national trend DES MOINES, Iowa––Arrested on February 13, 2017, Bully Breed Miracle Networking & Rescue founder Lindsey Morrow, 41, is awaiting trial in Warren County, Iowa, on five counts of animal torture, five counts of animal neglect, second-degree theft, second-degree fraudulent practice and ongoing criminal conduct. Alerted to conditions of severe […]
How “Quality of Mercy” Swallowed the humane movement (part 2)
1963 history sidestepped controversies that revitalized the cause (See also Quality of Mercy Part 1.) By the end of the era in humane work that William Alan Swallow most thoroughly chronicles in Quality of Mercy (1963), an era coinciding with the 40-year career of Swallow’s longtime close associate Eric H. Hansen (1903-1965), most mainstream U.S. […]
No-kill pioneer Richard Avanzino to retire after dispensing $153 million in Maddie’s Fund grants
by Merritt Clifton PLEASANTON, California––Maddie’s Fund on March 25, 2015 announced that founding president Richard Avanzino is to retire in June, at the end of the current fiscal year. Said David Duffield, who cofounded Maddie’s Fund with his wife Cheryl, in honor of their deceased schnauzer Maddie, 1987-1997, “We truly appreciate […]
Casualties of the “save rate”: 40,000 animals at failed no-kill shelters & rescues
by Merritt Clifton At least 25,000 dogs and 15,000 cats found at failed no-kill shelters and rescues from 2005 through 2014 might be politely described as casualties of the “save rate,” also known as the “live release rate.” The numbers of dogs and cats impounded by law enforcement from failed shelters and rescues dropped sharply in […]
Maddie’s Fund scraps model shelter plan
PLEASANTON, California––The long-awaited state-of-the-art Maddie’s Fund teaching and training shelter turns out to be no shelter at all. Whether this reflects a change in the Maddie’s Fund thinking about how best to transition the U.S. to no-kill animal control is unclear, but the decision to scrap the notion of building a teaching-and-training shelter comes […]
Aftershocks ripple from SF/SPCA (December 2000)
And are still rippling, 20 years later SAN FRANCISCO, PHILADELPHIA, KNOXVILLE––The San Francisco SPCA and San Francisco Animal Care & Control in calendar year 2000 together killed fewer than 2,000 cats and dogs. That was under 2.6 cats and dogs per 1,000 human residents, 15.6% of the national average, 1,001 fewer than the 1999 previous […]