Tue
02 Mar
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Staging a Circus Protest: Best Practices

Published under General. Tags: , , , , , , , .

Summary:   Because circus season is coming, here are a few important "Do"s and "Don't"s

Because circus season is coming, here are a few important “Do”s and “Don’t”s:

1)      Do keep it peaceful – if parents are already there with their kids, then they are usually committed to going to the circus. People who yell at them, become hostile, confront them, or make them feel bad for attending will be met with parents who become defensive and in turn do not want to hear what you have to say.

2)      Do know your audience – the worst thing for a kid is to be told they get to go see circus animals and then they don’t. Now – I’m not saying we should allow that for the kids, but consider it from the parents perspective – they have got their child excited about this event. They don’t want to then tell their kids “Sorry, we are not going in after all.” Again, as in number 1, don’t focus so much on saying things like “You shouldn’t go in there, that’s bad” etc. Say things along the lines of “Would you consider something else next time?” and have a pamphlet in hand to give them with a collection of local activities and attractions they can attend with their children that doesn’t involve the use of animals.

3)      Don’t be offensive – be careful with the pictures that you use on signs. Yes – a profound picture can make an impact, but anything graphic will upset the children, which in turn will upset the parents who are most likely to chalk you off to being extremists. And again, they will focus more on the fact that you are showing those pictures to their children than the actual contents of those pictures or their meaning. Also, we are protecting the best interest of the animals – beings that cannot speak up for themselves while being victimized. We shouldn’t, in a sense, emotionally/mentally victimize children by forcing them to view photos that they will find confusing and scary.

Generally, we leaflet rather than protest. What that means is that we will be there at the circus with pamphlets about the treatment of the animals in hand and will ask the parents and circus-goers if they would like some information about the animals and hand them  the pamphlet. This way it is non-confrontational, and they can read it by themselves without worrying that their kids are being subjected to offensive material. Their first instinct will always be to protect their child, and if their defenses are up because they feel that their children are being accosted or upset, they will not be focusing on the message. Remember, you catch more flies with honey. Having the parents take your flyer to read later is the victory, not having them turn around and change their mind right then and there. That is just the cherry on top.

Tue
02 Feb
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My right to bear Pit Bulls

Published under General. Tags: , , , , , , .

Summary:   How did Pit Bulls help me come to my opinion on my right to keep a gun? Well, read the rest of the post and feel free to interchange the word "Gun" with "Pit Bull" at anytime.

I have been called many things in my 12-year career in animal advocacy: tree hugger, hippie, granola chewer, veggie chewin’ liberal - you name it, I’ve been called it. While I don’t quite agree with all of them (not a big granola fan), I do wear those badges proudly. I know that I am being lumped into a league of people that care about the earth and those that live within it. But I bet that the same people who hurl those names at me as if they were insults would be surprised to know this; I support, nay, fiercely defend my right to have a gun. And I came to this through my work with Pit Bull advocacy.

Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t belong to (or particularly care for) the NRA/NHRA, or Hail the Almighty Heston. I won’t be out at any gun rallies, or picking up my 2010 copy of the “Babes of the Militia” calendar. In fact, I’ve never thought one way or another about guns previously. I was raised with a Dad who is an avid hunter, in a part of the country where hunting is a way of life. I remember my Dad teaching me to shoot his hunting rifle in our backyard and chuckling when the kickback nearly sent me flying backwards (to be fair, he did warn me). As I grew up and became a firm non-hunter (sorry Dad) I really never gave guns a second thought. Until I lived alone. I have lived alone for many years over my life, and even now have a boyfriend who is gone for long stretches of time. And I absolutely believe that I should have the right to protect myself when I am home alone should the unthinkable ever happen.

So how did Pit Bulls help me come to this decision? Well, read the rest of the post and feel free to interchange the word “Gun” with “Pit Bull” at anytime.

There are a lot of people out there who do not think that I, or anyone, should be allowed to keep a Pit Bull at our houses. They have tried several times, in several cities, to ban them outright because “they are too dangerous”. Where they couldn’t ban them, they have tried to seriously restrict them and place a lot of extra fees and rules on those that have a Pit Bull. Extra licensing fees, heavier dog restrictions in public, etc.

The thing is, this only penalizes the responsible owners, because these are the only people who will actually adhere to these rules. The people who are irresponsible and own the types of Pit Bulls that you hear about in the news killing some poor, unsuspecting, toddler, will not be the same people adhering to the law. And the criminal element who keeps their status Pit Bulls, would still keep them even if they were completely outlawed. They don’t care about the law in the first place. We are not deterring the bad people; we are punishing the good people.

And what happens if Pit Bulls are outlawed? The people who abuse their capabilities will assuredly just find another means to get their point across; another way to prove that they are mean and tough. The Pit Bull is merely the outlet, or the symbolic representative, of the image that they are trying to portray. The problem is not the Pit Bull; it is the owner.

So here I am, the responsible, harmless ,5′4, little redhead from the suburbs who wants to retain my right (and yes my privilege) to keep a Pit Bull. Because Pit Bulls don’t kill people; irresponsible owners do.

Mon
25 Jan
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Gone Baby Gone

Published under General.

Summary:   What do you do when an animal is in a situation where they are being mistreated enough to be inhumane, but not enough to be illegal? Do you do all that you can in accordance of the law and hope for the best, or do you take matters into your own hands?

An interesting conundrum was presented to me today; what do you do when you know of an animal that is being poorly treated, but not badly enough that Animal Control can, or will, get involved?

In many municipalities, access to food/water/shelter are just about all you need to be in legal compliance of the law. Obviously they will step in when there are extreme and obvious signs of abuse or neglect, but what do you do when it’s bad enough to be objectionable, but not bad enough to be illegal?

Today I was contacted by a woman, “Natalie”, whose neighbor’s dog, a sweet, female, pit bull, had gotten into her yard. When the neighbors realized the dog had gotten out, and Natalie let them know that their dog was in her yard, he came over, yelling at the dog to “come here” at the top of his lungs. Upon hearing his voice, the dog allegedly cowered under a chair and started shaking. Not necessarily indicative of anything, right? She could just be a fearful dog. But then he proceeded to grab the dog by her scruff and mention that he was going to beat her when he got home. So here are the two issues: 1) Animal Control will not keep Natalie’s name anonymous (she knows this from having previously called on these neighbors, and then suffered retaliation from the neighbors as a result). 2) Many times, Animal Control will not investigate based on something that a complainant simply overheard. So what, Natalie asked, can she do?

There are a few avenues she can take, none of which, most likely, will result in any sort of action as long as the dogs basic needs of food/water/shelter are being met, especially if Animal Control does not actually witness any sort of abuse. Even in times when a witness will tell Animal Control that they saw someone hitting their dog, Animal Control is often bound in terms of any sort of action they can take. Remember, in many states, animals are property - not living creatures who feel pain or fear. And while particularly heinous crimes against animals will be acted upon, it can take a lot to be considered “heinous”, and many times, the owner just gets a slap on the wrist.

My very first pit bull rescue, “Pele”, was a dog that had been rescued from the owners backyard because a concerned neighbor called, and the situation was dire. She was chained in the backyard, and was actually choking because she had managed to get the chain entangled around her neck. Her face was cut up by a knife, and the owners had poured acid on her back, maiming her. Her water dish was bone-dry, and there were a few leftover chicken bones on the ground around her. This was considered egregious enough to confiscate her from her owners. She was taken straight to the emergency clinic where, by the time she got there, she was in shock and nearly died. The owners punishment for what they had done to her? A $500 fine.

In Ben Affleck’s 2007 movie, Gone Baby Gone, two detectives investigate the disappearance of a little girl. The little girls’ Mother was a serious drug-addict, who paid little, if any, attention to this little girl. The little girl’s Mother was involved with some very dangerous people and dealings, and had even gone as far as to steal a lot of money from one of them; putting both herself and her little girl in danger. When her little girl disappeared, she showed little care or concern. Finally the girl was presumed dead, and the detectives gave up. SPOILER ALERT: in the end, the two detectives found out that the chief of police had taken the little girl, and she was being raised by him and his wife where they gave her all she could imagine and had nothing but love and attention to give her. Now came the dilemma for the detectives: do they abide by the law, and return the little girl to her deadbeat, drug-addicted, Mother? Or do they simply walk away and pretend they saw nothing…knowing that little girl would have a completely different, and presumably much better, life with the police chief and his wife?

This is not an uncommon dilemma faced by those in the animal care field, and those who simply love and look out for animals. What do you do when an animal is in a situation where they are being mistreated enough to be inhumane, but not enough to be illegal? Do you do all that you can in accordance of the law and hope for the best, or do you take matters into your own hands?

Well…what would you do?

Thu
12 Nov
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Why won’t my canary eat my diarrhea?

Published under General.

Summary:   In my line of work, I have indeed come across some bizarre questions about animals. But I had to laugh out loud when I heard that "Why won't my canary eat my diarrhea" was a top search on Google. Surely, there cannot be ...

In my line of work, I have indeed come across some bizarre questions about animals. But I had to laugh out loud when I heard that “Why won’t my canary eat my diarrhea” was a top search on Google. Surely, there cannot be that many people wondering this question.

Indeed not, after a little research, it appears that this is more of a Google-fluke. And for those who really want to know, canaries don’t eat diarrhea because, well, its diarrhea!

Mon
26 Oct
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Check out K9 Chronicles Interview with Me!

Published under General.

Summary:   I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Stephanie of K9 Cuisine, for their K9 Chronicles feature. Check us out here!  

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Stephanie of K9 Cuisine, for their K9 Chronicles feature. Check us out here!

 

Wed
30 Sep
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Open Letter to the Discovery Channel re: “My Monkey Baby” TV Show

Published under General.

Summary:   This is an open letter to the Discovery Channel regarding the new program on their affiliate network, TLC, called "My Monkey Baby". In it, a couple who own a monkey as a pet are depicted. The monkey is dressed like a little girl, fed sweets and sugary snacks, and even has makeup applied to it. This is my response.

Dear Discovery Channel,

 

I am greatly disappointed upon hearing about your new show, “My Monkey Baby”. This show is exploiting wild animals by depicting a woman who dresses-up her pet monkey, puts makeup on it, feeds it a poor diet full of fatty and sugary foods, and treats it like a human.

 

Given the incident that occurred with Travis the Chimpanzee this year, where he nearly killed his caretaker who had him for years, and treated him much the same way, we have learned now, more than ever, of the tragedy that occurs when people keep primates as pets. All that this show can serve to do is glamorize it and drive the want of others to buy monkey’s. Then sadly, inevitably, the animal will get older and mature sexually, and become aggressive, and then what will become of that monkey once its caretaker is no longer able to safely take care of it?

 

Why is it your problem what others do with what they learn on your shows? Because given that you own Animal Planet, Petfinder.com, and show educational material on Discovery Channel, you have made it your problem. You have proclaimed, in the community, that you are a station that is on the front lines of animal care and animal news. Through your educational programming on the Discovery Channel, you have carved out the opinion that your company is one that is educated, well-versed in diverse subject-matters, and is an expert on what you promote. Therefore, the masses look to you as knowledgeable experts in what you do. Through Petfinder.com alone, you have aligned yourself with the mission of caring for animals and helping them into safe situations. With Animal Planet, you feature shows such as “Animal Cops”, whose very premise is helping animals that are being mistreated. Shows such as “My Monkey Baby” on your affiliate network TLC, is a flagrant conflict of interest in the other channels, and programming, that you host.

 

Sure, one could argue that the monkeys that you are featuring on your show are not being mistreated because they are being “spoiled” by the fancy wardrobe, treats, and attention that they are receiving. But that is because the concept of them being “spoiled” is from an stance of anthropomorphizing that animal. They are being spoiled by human standards, and you are perpetuating the projection that humanizing them is spoiling them.

 

Featuring this show is careless and irresponsible, and I highly urge that you maintain within the integrity of your programming, and pull this show.

 

Sincerely,

Jessica Stout

Tue
29 Sep
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The 12 Most Annoying Types of Facebookers

Published under General.

Summary:   For any organization that uses Facebook to promote their cause, this is an excellent article to keep in mind when doing so! By Brandon Griggs CNN (CNN) -- Facebook, for better or worse, is like being at a big party with all your friends, family, acquaintances ...

For any organization that uses Facebook to promote their cause, this is an excellent article to keep in mind when doing so!

By Brandon Griggs
CNN

(CNN) — Facebook, for better or worse, is like being at a big party with all your friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers.

There are lots of fun, interesting people you’re happy to talk to when they stroll up. Then there are the other people, the ones who make you cringe when you see them coming. This article is about those people.

Sure, Facebook can be a great tool for keeping up with folks who are important to you. Take the status update, the 160-character message that users post in response to the question, “What’s on your mind?” An artful, witty or newsy status update is a pleasure — a real-time, tiny window into a friend’s life.

But far more posts read like navel-gazing diary entries, or worse, spam. A recent study categorized 40 percent of Twitter tweets as “pointless babble,” and it wouldn’t be surprising if updates on Facebook, still a fast-growing social network, break down in a similar way.

Combine dull status updates with shameless self-promoters, “friend-padders” and that friend of a friend who sends you quizzes every day, and Facebook becomes a daily reminder of why some people can get on your nerves.

Here are 12 of the most annoying types of Facebook users:

The Let-Me-Tell-You-Every-Detail-of-My-Day Bore. “I’m waking up.” “I had Wheaties for breakfast.” “I’m bored at work.” “I’m stuck in traffic.” You’re kidding! How fascinating! No moment is too mundane for some people to broadcast unsolicited to the world. Just because you have 432 Facebook friends doesn’t mean we all want to know when you’re waiting for the bus.

The Self-Promoter. OK, so we’ve probably all posted at least once about some achievement. And sure, maybe your friends really do want to read the fascinating article you wrote about beet farming. But when almost EVERY update is a link to your blog, your poetry reading, your 10k results or your art show, you sound like a bragger or a self-centered careerist.

The Friend-Padder. The average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site. Schmoozers and social butterflies — you know, the ones who make lifelong pals on the subway — might reasonably have 300 or 400. But 1,000 “friends?” Unless you’re George Clooney or just won the lottery, no one has that many. That’s just showing off.

The Town Crier. “Michael Jackson is dead!!!” You heard it from me first! Me, and the 213,000 other people who all saw it on TMZ. These Matt Drudge wannabes are the reason many of us learn of breaking news not from TV or news sites but from online social networks. In their rush to trumpet the news, these people also spread rumors, half-truths and innuendo. No, Jeff Goldblum did not plunge to his death from a New Zealand cliff.

The TMIer. “Brad is heading to Walgreens to buy something for these pesky hemorrhoids.” Boundaries of privacy and decorum don’t seem to exist for these too-much-information updaters, who unabashedly offer up details about their sex lives, marital troubles and bodily functions. Thanks for sharing.

The Bad Grammarian. “So sad about Fara Fauset but Im so gladd its friday yippe”. Yes, I know the punctuation rules are different in the digital world. And, no, no one likes a spelling-Nazi schoolmarm. But you sound like a moron.

The Sympathy-Baiter. “Barbara is feeling sad today.” “Man, am I glad that’s over.” “Jim could really use some good news about now.” Like anglers hunting for fish, these sad sacks cast out their hooks — baited with vague tales of woe — in the hopes of landing concerned responses. Genuine bad news is one thing, but these manipulative posts are just pleas for attention.

The Lurker. The Peeping Toms of Facebook, these voyeurs are too cautious, or maybe too lazy, to update their status or write on your wall. But once in a while, you’ll be talking to them and they’ll mention something you posted, so you know they’re on your page, hiding in the shadows. It’s just a little creepy.

The Crank. These curmudgeons, like the trolls who spew hate in blog comments, never met something they couldn’t complain about. “Carl isn’t really that impressed with idiots who don’t realize how idiotic they are.” [Actual status update.] Keep spreading the love.

The Paparazzo. Ever visit your Facebook page and discover that someone’s posted a photo of you from last weekend’s party — a photo you didn’t authorize and haven’t even seen? You’d really rather not have to explain to your mom why you were leering like a drunken hyena and French-kissing a bottle of Jagermeister.

The Obscurist. “If not now then when?” “You’ll see…” “Grist for the mill.” “John is, small world.” “Dave thought he was immune, but no. No, he is not.” [Actual status updates, all.] Sorry, but you’re not being mysterious — just nonsensical.

The Chronic Inviter. “Support my cause. Sign my petition. Play Mafia Wars with me. Which ‘Star Trek’ character are you? Here are the ‘Top 5 cars I have personally owned.’ Here are ‘25 Things About Me.’ Here’s a drink. What drink are you? We’re related! I took the ‘What President Are You?’ quiz and found out I’m Millard Fillmore! What president are you?”

You probably mean well, but stop. Just stop. I don’t care what president I am — can’t we simply be friends? Now excuse me while I go post the link to this story on my Facebook page.

Wed
23 Sep
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Pits and Fash: Fashion and Trunk Show for Pit Bulls

Published under General.

Summary:   This is a fashion and trunk show benefitting the documentary "Beyond the Myth"; a documentary that chronicles the plight of pit bulls that are forced to fight, as well as a spotlight on breed specific legislation. We will also be showing pit bulls ...

This is a fashion and trunk show benefitting the documentary “Beyond the Myth”; a documentary that chronicles the plight of pit bulls that are forced to fight, as well as a spotlight on breed specific legislation. We will also be showing pit bulls that are available for adoption! This will be held during the Second Saturday Artwalk in October! Designers: Healing Heart Designs Puppy Bird La Voice Couture Clothing Nu Nu (More to come soon) Where:The Retro Lodge, 1111 H Street, next to Naked Lounge When: October 10th, Second Saturday Time: Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm Cost: $7 for advanced tickets, $10 at door. For advanced ticket purchase, email animaladvocating[at] gmail.com

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