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White hats & black hats revisited,  25 years into the “no kill” era

July 18, 2019 By Merritt Clifton

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. […]

Filed Under: Animal control, Animal organizations, Animal rights & welfare, Cats, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Feature Home Bottom, Humane history, Population control, Population control, Religion & philosophy, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Carl Friedman, Marty Kurtz, Merritt Clifton, Richard Avanzino, Vicky Crosetti

“No-kill” debacle: will Pueblo bring “responsible sheltering” into vogue?

April 16, 2019 By Merritt Clifton

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,  […]

Filed Under: Animal control, Animal organizations, Animal rights & welfare, Cats, Cruelty & neglect, Cruelty & neglect, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Humane history, Laws & politics, Population control, Population control, Religion & philosophy, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Doug Rae, Elisabeth Lewyt, Jan McHugh-Smith, Jeff Young, Lynda Foro, Marvin Mackie, Nathan Winograd, Richard Avanzino

Diane Whipple died for the sins of dangerous dog advocacy

February 11, 2019 By Merritt Clifton

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 […]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Animal fighting, Animal organizations, Breeding, Culture & Animals, Dog attacks, Dogfighting, Dogfighting, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Entertainment, Feature Home Bottom, Shelters, Training, USA, Uses of dogs Tagged With: Dale Bretches, Diane Whipple, Jean Donaldson, Marjorie Knoller, Merritt Clifton, Nathan Winograd, Paul "Cornfed" Schneider, Richard Avanzino, Robert Noel, Sharon Smith

Bulldogs, bullying & bravado: the heart of pit bull advocacy

April 4, 2017 By Merritt Clifton

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 […]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Animal control, Animal organizations, Breeding, Cruelty & neglect, Culture & Animals, Dog attacks, Dogfighting, Dogfighting, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Editorials, Entertainment, Laws & politics, Opinions & Letters, Shelters, USA, Uses of dogs Tagged With: Beth Clifton, Ledy VanKavage, Merritt Clifton, Nathan Winograd, Richard Avanzino

“Rescue hoarding” cases horrify Iowa

March 7, 2017 By Merritt Clifton

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 […]

Filed Under: Activism, Advocacy, Animal control, Animal organizations, Animal rights & welfare, Breeding, Cats, Cruelty & neglect, Cruelty & neglect, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Laws & politics, Population control, Population control, Religion & philosophy, Sanctuaries, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Kim Norvell, Lindsey Morrow, Merritt Clifton, Natalie Finn, Nathan Winograd, Nicole Marie Finn, Richard Avanzino, Sarah Mervosh, Whitney Smither

How “Quality of Mercy” Swallowed the humane movement (part 2)

December 19, 2016 By Merritt Clifton

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. […]

Filed Under: Activism, Advocacy, Animal control, Animal organizations, Animal rights & welfare, Beliefs, Book & film reviews, Culture & Animals, Feature Home Bottom, Humane history, Religion & philosophy, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Bands of Mercy, Eric H. Hansen, George Thorndyke Angell, Henry Bergh, Merritt Clifton, Richard Avanzino, William Alan Swallow

No-kill pioneer Richard Avanzino to retire after dispensing $153 million in Maddie’s Fund grants

March 28, 2015 By Merritt Clifton

Founding president of Maddie’s Fund after long tenure as president of the San Francisco SPCA          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 […]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Animal control, Animal organizations, Cats, Dog attacks, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Feature Home Middle Right, Feral cats, Population control, Population control, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Brenda Barnette, David Duffield, Emma Clifford, Maddie's Fund, Merritt Clifton, Nathan Winograd, Richard Avanzino

Casualties of the “save rate”: 40,000 animals at failed no-kill shelters & rescues

February 26, 2015 By Merritt Clifton

25,000 dogs and 15,000 cats 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 […]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Animal control, Animal organizations, Cats, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Editorials, Feature Home Bottom, Feral cats, Opinions & Letters, Population control, Population control, Sanctuaries, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Merritt Clifton, Napier's Log Cabin, No-kill, Richard Avanzino, Spindletop

Maddie’s Fund scraps model shelter plan

April 27, 2014 By Merritt Clifton

Model shelter is no shelter at all 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 […]

Filed Under: Animal organizations, Cats, Dogs, Dogs & Cats, Population control, Population control, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Dave Duffield, Julie Levy, Kate Hurley, Maddie's Fund, Merritt Clifton, Richard Avanzino

Aftershocks ripple from SF/SPCA (December 2000)

December 27, 2000 By Merritt Clifton

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 […]

Filed Under: Animal control, Animal organizations, Laws & politics, Shelters, USA Tagged With: Brenda Barnette, Ed Sayres, Emma Clifford, Eric Hendricks, Mark Goldstein, Merritt Clifton, Nathan Winograd, Richard Avanzino, Tom Hayden, Vicky Crosetti

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