Is PETA's shelter just a regular shelter, though? Because these statistics could very well be quite legitimate if they are only taking the pets who are severely and grossly injured and neglected that nobody else will take.
The reason I wonder about that is because I know that a school's numbers can be grossly misinterpreted if you don't take into account the population they serve.
I'm not for or against PETA, I just wonder if there is more to the story than statistics can tell us. I especially wonder this since I've seen this story on more than one website that was full of anti-vegan stories as well, which suggests that at least some folks publicizing this have a previous "beef" with PETA.
The majority of the animals that came into the shelter were owner-surrenders. Here is a link to the demographics for the city of Norfolk, VA - where the PETA 'shelter' - and the people giving up their pets - is located :
Roughly 37,000 people live below the poverty level. 12,000 of those are children under the age of 18. That leaves roughly 25,000 ADULTS - less than 10% of the population
Almost half of the owner-occupied housing units go for $200,000 and up
The median family income was almost $51,000
I find it hard to believe that it was only the people that surrendered their pets at the PETA shelter were those that had pets in such bad shape that no-one else would take them.
Just for comparison - in 2008 the Chicago Animal Care and Control was able to adopt out 57% of the animals they took in. Roughly 60% of the dogs and cats that went through the shelter that year were strays while only 30% were owner surrender.
The more to the story is that PETA really doesn't like animals to be subject to people and that includes pets. The ONLY way a pet can be adopted from a PETA shelter is if a walk-in passes their screening and finds an animal he likes. That's it. No petfinder. No adoptathons. No featuring a dog a week in the newspaper or local news.
They will literally euthanize a dog while the owner is in the parking lot. One owner changed her mind and came back in and the dog was already euthanized.
It is scandalous. I hate those people, and I don't use that word lightly.
A veterinarian had a few PETA people come in looking for donations. He agreed to donate. As an afterthought, he had had a stray cat come in who was pregnant and he let her have the kittens and raised them, and vetted them and tested them for feline leukemia, and found homes for all but two. He asked the PETA people if they would take the kittens to their shelter. They said ok.
Later that day, someone found two kittens dead in a garbage dumpster a block away. They took them to the vet, and the vet recognized them as the kittens he gave the PETA people.
PETA shelters have been known for this for years, unfortunately. My SIL worked in a PETA shelter many years ago for a few weeks, after which she had to quit. She said there was sometimes a line of animals waiting to be PTS...and they were perfectly healthy adoptable dogs. I talked to her today about this and she told me stories that made my skin crawl. The only safe one I can relay was she did an owner surrender of a kitten, only 20 wks old. Vet check came back perfectly fine. She wanted to save this kitten badly, so she filled out the paperwork, paid the fee, and called my now-husband to come pick the kitten up. When he arrived about an hour later, the kitten had already been PTS. That's the day she quit.
I think PETA people are the scum of the Earth. They are willing to hurt/maim/kill animals just to make their cause look better. They could all take a flying leap off a bridge and I wouldn't care in the least.
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting. These people make me sick. Just cause they have different views, they think they can force it on others or try and get their pets to kill them?
When you save something when did it become about the money? Then there are some when money might save you (for their cause), kill the rest, sad but true. You would only know what I was talking about if you did it. I know we all can not!!!
"We are not in the home finding business, although it is certainly true that we do find homes from time to time for the kind of animals people are looking for. Our service is to provide a peaceful and painless death to animals who no one wants." -- Ingrid Newkirk, PeTA President, The Virginian-Pilot, July 20, 2005
Here is a blog by Nathan Winograd---who is obviously anti-PETA, and a Huffington Post contributor, but it does seem to me to contain well researched background information, and quite a few pictures.
As a contrast to the PETA numbers, I was rehab/retraining officer for several years for Heartland Weimaraner Rescue. We did about 300-400 rescues per year covering 8 states, about one a day overall. Of all the dogs that we handled, (and some we took in were in very bad shape)---I can not remember having to euthanize more than I can count on one hand.
Keep in mind that I saw only the worst cases needing rehab/retraining----most of the ones that were fostered at other locations and did not have medical or behavioral problems, I never saw.
I remember reading a story as a young kid about PETA showing some very graphic images and a story about the way they handled animals. Everything I've read since does nothing but reinforce the feelings I have for them... I truly feel sorry for the animals that have the misfortune of being treated by them.
So essentially Peta has FAR, FAR worse adoption rates than the most deplorable Animal Shelters in the country, I find PETA disgusting and the epitome of hypocrites, they are nothing but a self-serving terrorist cult and anyone who donates a penny to these thugs is either stupid, or clueless, there is no way on Earth you can donate or work for them and say you love animals, an animal is better off roaming the streets, they would have a far better chance of finding a home. I wish people would use the tactics PETA uses on us, on them, they need to be shut down.
PETA's euthanasia statistics are so high because PETA seeks to liberate animals from being owned, tamed, or domesticated by people, and rehoming animals goes directly against what they stand for.
PETA believes that no animals should be tamed, domesticated, or in the care of humans whatsoever. They believe this sort of relationship is completely damaging and detrimental to the animal, and they believe that any animal domesticated or tamed by a human is tainted and the best way to 'release' the animal from the torture of being tame or domesticated is by killing it. They want all animals that are pets, livestock, etc, destroyed. PETA is not the pet owners friend. Until all animals are only found in the wild, PETA will never stop killing animals.
PETA's euthanasia statistics are so high because PETA seeks to liberate animals from being owned, tamed, or domesticated by people, and rehoming animals goes directly against what they stand for.
PETA believes that no animals should be tamed, domesticated, or in the care of humans whatsoever. They believe this sort of relationship is completely damaging and detrimental to the animal, and they believe that any animal domesticated or tamed by a human is tainted and the best way to 'release' the animal from the torture of being tame or domesticated is by killing it. They want all animals that are pets, livestock, etc, destroyed. PETA is not the pet owners friend. Until all animals are only found in the wild, PETA will never stop killing animals.
Yes, this ^^^ I read an article that stated the President of PETA's philosophy. They believe that being a pet is akin to being captive and this causes the animal to suffer. When they say they end suffering for animals that is the type of suffering they are relieving the animal of, being a pet. A real nut job............
Getting the word out to people who may donate to them is a good start.......
We also have the "pleasure" of dealing with the Virginia state report on an annual basis - our numbers in comparison are:
293 dogs on hand and taken in during the year
216 adoptions
8 euthanized
And I do believe that almost all, (if not all) of the dogs that were euthanized was because of advanced age/health issues. We are one of the rescues that will take in senior dogs, or dogs with known medical issues.
Rescues in VA are also lucky enough to have to pay a fee to the state - that just irks my very soul. We are saving the local governments money by taking these dogs from the shelters, or preventing them from entering the shelters, and we have to pay the state for this privilege.
If a rescue does not file this report most of the shelters in the state will not release dogs to you.
Ever since I have received the WSJ, I have had the pleasure of seeing this ad, which is either a half page or a full page ad, taken out for as long as I can remember.
Such a widely distributed paper, and PETA I have always felt is such a sham, how bogus, phony, false, spurious... typical corporation.
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