Start Your Own Humane Education Organization

don't seem to aspire to any. The CEO of a for profit business that failedto meet his bottom line would not survive, nor would the business. In thenon-profit world, however, very few CEOs feel they need to beaccountable to the public for their mission.They could merely decry the sad state of affairs and continue to ask formoney without ever being required to get results. Look, they are fondof saying, how many children we visited this year under our humaneeducation program, despite an ever increasing body count as theanimals continue to be killed.To be successful, a localized humane education program must set twogoals and meet them in a specified amount of time.1 - reduce the number of unnecessary and random deaths of dogs andcats per year, and;2 - increase the number of dogs and cats being adopted at county andcity run dog pounds. Both of these are only accomplished by educatingour future generations of decision makers with just a few limited facts.Programs such as this need to be focusing on the 'hows' and 'whens' i.e.selecting a given middle school and getting to every 7th grader in thatbuilding before moving on to the 8th graders. This is not difficult ifappropriate plans are made in advance. You can either spend one day atthat school and visit each 7th grade class for an hour or gather them allin an assembly type situation and speak to all of them simultaneously.But going to just one class per visit is not using your time wisely.According to the research I've read, this program could be successful ifwe could also have a 'refresher' course before the students graduatedfrom high school. In other words, they need to hear this one hourpresentation 2 times between 5th grade and graduation for the info tostick with them.Going into K - 4th grades, humane education are nice programs, but Ibelieve they are people programs. In other words, I am not convincedthey help animals, either directly by saving lives or making people keep 51

or neuter their pets with any degree of measurability, or indirectly, byproviding needed revenue streams. This is primarily due to the fact thatthis age student is unable to digest the facts given through a substantialprogram.Unless they are revenue generating (directly by payment for servicesoffsetting costs, or bringing in donations), frankly the benefits are toointangible to have any meaning for an organization struggling withresource allocation issues for saving lives.In communities nationwide, shelter employees, often with dogs and catsin tow, enter classroom after classroom across the nation whereoverworked teachers needing a break met them with relief, and wide-eyed school children petted animals while grinning from ear to ear.Meanwhile, generations of shelter directors boasted to theirconstituents about the number of school children they were reachingwith their humane message and promising that the light at the end ofthe tunnel, the mythical place where animals were loved and hadlifetime homes, was as close as the emancipation of these kids. It was,and remains, a lovely thought. However, totally unfounded as well. Inregards to Humane Education possibly having little or no results to thechildren and other students in it's audience,I would be inclined to agree with all the nay sayers. Absolutely not asingle study available showing any results in humane education by any ofthe larger national groups who send magazines and publications intothousands of classrooms across the nation for a period of 10 years. Mostdon't even send the magazines now, due to costs and simply place theinfo online.HOW MANY YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN ARE GOING TO THE HSUSWEBSITE TO LEARN ABOUT HUMANE EDUCATION? They are forced toinvolve themselves in this to satisfy those who donate. I know a lot ofprofessional humane educators at the large national groups and NOTONE OF THEM GOES INTO THE SCHOOLS, nor do they have employees52

who do. They have never really done a study nor asked a teacher howmuch of the info has been provided to any given set of students nor triedto follow up with the students themselves.Additionally, the programs the larger national groups tend to give are sosugar coated, in order not to offend anyone (they gotta keep thosesupporters happy so they give more money you know) it does indeedpaint a picture of 'no emergency, but someday a fairytale pictureOn the other side of the picture, for those of us who are individual orsmaller grass roots programs and efforts who actually see what kids canlearn and the changes they make right in front of our very eyes with ahard-hitting program that lays out all the facts clearly at the onset of theprogram and then keep their attention with stories of how they canmake a difference, we know differently.WE KNOW THAT A SUBSTANTIAL, fact based and blunt program with nosugar coating CAN AND DOES have an effect on the students that couldliterally change the world within a 20 year time period. THEY KNOWNOTHING. Even the staff and teachers step up and tell us that they wereunaware of most of our facts and info provided.The question and answer period (usually an after school addition to theoriginal presentation) brings a flurry of well thought out questions bykids 5th - 12th grade who would normally much rather be out playing,but have decided to come back for more info.I have been in 12 western states recently speaking to over 5,000students and helping them form humane education clubs to olderstudents and I have been in direct contact with these students. Ofcourse I cannot afford to do a professional study or survey .My program is active in 11 states and 5 foreign countries. I have, in factbased my presentation and contents on a well read and publishedresearch project on the efficacies and methodology of humaneeducation by Dr. Richard Avinzino from the Utah State University and canbe found here; http://21stcenturycares.org/research.htm Warner 53

said, \"I would be absolutely thrilled for you to come and watch one of myprograms so you could see for yourself that a good strong program givenby someone who still has faith in the human species can, and reallydoes make an enormous difference that very minute.After all, rescue is only working on yesterday's problems. WORTHWHILE,YES. But, if we forget about our future, we will only assure our childrenand grandchildren that they too will be forced to face the same problemsbecause we were too egotistical, full of agendas and ignorant to see thewhole picture.Why would we trust the large groups anyway? It does NOT take moneyto change the future. It only takes knowledge.New ideas brings new results.Remember just like our religious fanatics and minority leaders, absentcrimes and imaginary situations against their people and teachings, theseorganizations disappear -- this means jobs.If the HSUS really solved one of these problems, they would have to layoff a large portion of their employees. Is the American public is toodamn stupid to recognize that?FACT: Since 1983, Americans have spent $1 billion annually oncommunity animal control efforts.FACT: Since 1983 Americans have also donated approximately $1 billionannually to their favorite animal protection organizations.FACT: With more than 3,000 non profit organizations in the United Statesdedicated to this cause and the countless millions of man hours put intothis effort in addition to the incredible figures of $40 billion since 1983have not lead to one single solution. We still see dog pounds in everycommunity across the nation scrambling to make room for the increasingnumbers of dogs and cats.\"This is not rocket science - we just need folks to recognize change is54

necessary. We put a man on the moon; we can cure a new disease inrecord time; we even win wars in 100 days or less.Americans have the sophisticated technology and successful marketingprowess to make miraculous changes in the human race, on a globalscale, yet, we can t seem to successfully convey the reality of ourbehavior and the subsequent consequences when it comes to how weview and care for our companion animalsPeople could work smart instead of hard. That would be the singlegreatest step this movement could take to see improvements.Improvements that have been brought to the public's eye by the nationalgroups, but in diluted form.Kids today are savvy and mature and can see if you are s silly bleedingheart sweetsy - sweetsy type person. If you are, you're dead in the waterbefore you start. And trying to teach students under 5th grade will havelittle or no impact to the larger picture. They just don't get it.Again, I will end this with the fact that our world is much better off withthese organizations and their efforts, than it would be without them.However, it is now time for them to strive for a much better report cardin the future. After all, 'TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH ISEXPECTED.\"A TRUE STORY ONE THAT IS PLAYED OUT 100's OF TIMES A DAY IN THISCOUNTRY.MAKE SURE YOU NEVER PLACE A PET INTO A SITUATION LIKE THISSHARETHIS STORY!!! MAKE SURE THAT YOU AND THOSE AROUND YOU DO NOTCONTRIBUTE TO THE FURTHERANCE OF THIS TRAGEDY.Personally, I think it would be a good idea if every animal shelter keptcopies of this story at the front desk and asked everyone relinquishing ananimal to spend a few minutes with their pet while they read it. I realizesome shelters use my own story \"How Could You?\" for that purpose. Thedifference between my fictional story and the below is that in my story, 55

the dog behaves well in the shelter environment. The below is the otherside of the coin - the animals who can't take the separation from theirguardian, the noise, the confinement, the stress, and who behave badly.There is also a lesson to be learned for those who think a shelter is theproper environment for evaluating an animal's temperament andbehavior. Animals, being resilient, usually adapt and learn to trustanother human, but first we have to get them out of the shelter, or stopthem from ending up there in the first place.\"My Animals Need A Loving Home! - A True StoryThe man walked into the lobby of the animal shelter. Behind him, twodogs followed faithfully, without leashes. Both dogs were calm, obedientand apparently well-trained Chow mixes. Their guardian was distraught.The man waited nervously on a line of other people surrendering animalsto the pound.His eyes were desperate as the two dogs stood quietly beside him. Hefrantically looked around the lobby. He spotted me with two cats incarriers as I was taking papers from a shelter worker and preparing toleave.He quickly sensed a rescue situation and begged me if I could also takehis dogs. \"My dogs are wonderful,\" he told me. \"They are well trained,gentle, affectionate, good with kids. They are only two years old. I ammoving and cannot take them with me. My animals need a lovinghome!\"I could see his dogs were nice dogs. One of them licked my hand when Ipetted him. But, I could not take them. I explained to the desparage manthat while I could not immediately take his dogs, I would get their intakenumbers and let him know what was happening with the animals. Ipromised, if possible, I would try to find a placement situation for them.He gave me his pager number as he did not yet have a phone. He thenreluctantly signed his dogs over to the shelter. When a shelter worker56

came to take the animals away, both dogs tried desperately pulling backtowards their former owner. The former guardian fought back tears andthen forced himself to look the other way -- and exit the shelter doors.That evening I called the shelter to check on the status of the dogs. Onehad already been \"put to sleep.\" I was told that both dogs behaved\"aggressively\" in the shelter. One had been euthanized because he hadattempted to bite a shelter worker. The other was being held for anotherday or two for a \"reevaluation.\"I asked if I could see the surviving dog and was told I could. I raced to theshelter to see the dog who still was alive. From the back of the cage, thisformerly friendly and loving dog was now snarling and assumed adefensive/aggressive posture. The same dog who earlier licked my hand,now threatened to lunge at me. I dared not attempt to pet him.He was terrified.Upon arriving home, I immediately called the former owner's pagernumber.Less than five minutes later he called me back. I told him what happenedand about his surviving dog. \"If you want this dog to live, you need to getto the shelter and reclaim him immediately! He is not going intoadoptions.\"The man started screaming hysterically on the phone. \"THEY KILLED MYDOG??!!\" I tried to explain that his sweet, loving dogs had becomefearful and stressed in the shelter. There was no way the shelter couldhave placed them, but the man was no longer listening to me.The next day the Director of the Shelter called to scream at me for givingthe man the information. \"The man caused a scene in the shelter! Wehad to return the dog to him. We cannot have this kind of chaos!\" I toldhim he should be happy that his shelter had one less dog to kill. But, allhe was interested in was keeping the actions of the shelter workerssecretive so that others would not find out how little chance most of 57

these animals truly ever get.This happened to me several years ago. Since then I have witnessedhundreds of formerly loved and loving pets suddenly undergo drasticpersonality changes when subjected to the stresses, depression andfears associated with abandonment and being thrust into unfamiliar andfrightening surroundings.Sadly, as the 'owners' leave with the promise that the shelter staff woulddo what they could for the pets, most of them die.Many of them way too soon. The lesson to be learned is that theacquisition of animals is a responsibility. When one's bond to a pet isbroken for whatever reason, too often, there is no one else to \"pick upthe pieces\" of that broken commitment.Shelters and rescue groups are not the \"solution.\" We are merely astopgap for SOME animals. But, quite literally millions fall through thecracks. The real solution is in human responsibility: Education can alsobe very helpful as most everyone who brings their pet to the shelter,seems to believe that they have no other options, but they do.They think that we can spend the time to get to know this pet, andtherefore have an easier time in placing him/her.We can't. It's not bad enough that so many adults are simply beingirresponsible and sentencing their poor and usually innocent pets to acertain death. Then we have so many other adults unable to understandWE HAVE TOO MANY DOGS AND CATS RIGHT NOW!We need them to understand how important it is to have their pets fixedso we don't bring more into the world right now.It is a false belief that your local dog pound is working to find homes forthese animals. They are required to accept every animal brought tothem each day regardless of what kind it is, be it dog, llama, alligator,giraffe, etc. They must find a cage for it, feed it and so on. They feel58

lucky when one gets adopted. That is a rare occasion.YOU ARE YOUR ANIMALS' BEST \"LOVING HOME.\"Nobody else, but YOU!!LIP SERVICE IS WHAT WE GET'LOVE IS PITY' Almost every week, somewhere in America, an animalcollector/hoarder situation is raided, often requiring the rescue ofhundreds of animals at a time. Often the media, the authorities, and therescue community condemns and accuses. We are so accustomed tobeing betrayed by our society and government that we have littletolerance for being betrayed by one of our \"own.\"We tend to pity those who 'love' and/or rescue animals. They must nothave any friends or they can t deal with life like normal people . Well,no they can t! They refuse to sit by and watch the rest of us abuse andneglect and give LIP SERVICE to how much we actually care for theanimals. They are the ones doing the dirty work to clean up the messthat most of us caused out of our total lack of involvement, compassionor proper information.Why is it that our society thinks less of them if they are truly saving theanimals we claim to love? If we honestly loved them so much, therewouldn t be the need for all these rescuers. They should be revered.The biggest reason for being turned into the pound in America is becausepeople didn t do what was necessary to get the dog to be appropriatelybehaved. The second reason is that the humans were moving or found itinconvenient to live with the dog in their lives. This ultimately guaranteesthese dogs will die. With the number of unwanted animals our nation sfacilities are forced to accept, there is no alternative, but to kill up to80% of all incoming animals. Many within hours of their arrival. Yet wecontinue to have litters and be unrealistic in our desires of how weexpect our animals to behave with no professional training or even theappropriate care. Is that a society who honestly loves dogs? 59

In Europe, with it's no-kill shelters, euthanasia is only administered byveterinarians and only by lethal injection. Their strict licensing, animalcontrol and welfare laws, and national databases of convicted animalabusers and neglecters put American's laws and actions (or lack thereof) to shame. There is no lip service there, but a genuine love andresponsibility taught and expected from every citizen.They don t have collectors or hoarders. There is no need for an overloadof rescue organizations. They truly understand their place and theanimals place.We cannot say that about North Americans. We ve created a prevailingsystem of apathy and ignorance, where shelters and volunteer rescueefforts cannot possibly stem the tide, where government has mostlyturned its back on animal welfare and control efforts, where anything\"animal\" is usually paid lip service (always said softly, bottom lipprotruding in that tone of voice that denotes sympathy or pity) and then,given the lowest priority, where animals often die horrible deaths, wherelocal animal rescue organizations can barely fund the resources theyprovide to \"crisis\" situations, and where a lot of people, as well as themajor humane organizations are making MILLIONS AND MILLIONS fromanimals.Americans believe they can buy their way out of any situation. I ll dowhat ever I please, then when it catches up to me, I ll just buy my wayout . That is exactly why the national organizations are rolling in thedough. We send funds out of guilt and out of pity. Then refuse to dothe right thing the rest of the year by speaking out, altering pets andhelping the local situations that we can more closely monitor. I get a lotof mail each week and often from rescuers who are out of hope and outof funds.They sometimes describe personal situations to me that worry me, andthey ask me if I have any suggestions of help for them. Then everything Isuggest is something they just couldn t imagine trying. I've even angeredsome Rescue efforts with criticisms (largely borne of frustration),60

because their efforts and websites and fundraisers and other eventsinclude NO advocacy and education components. That means we willalways be forced to deal with the status quo, rescuing animal by animal,with no end in sight (and where I'm often \"wrong\" is that's still betterthan nothing!). The next generation will be doomed to spending timeand money rescuing to a similar degree.We will NEVER save all the animals who need help. There will be thatgiven percentage which cannot be reached in time. If each rescuer wereto take 20% of their time and resources and went to the local schools,we could ALL see a reduction of the need to follow in their footsteps inour lifetimes! So, for every rescuer who is spending all their time andresources on rescuing animals and not addressing the cause of theseproblems to their local masses , I ask you to view this more from thestandpoint of a business. For every \"accomplishment\" we cheer about,some other situation or decision by government seems to take us twosteps backwards. One more reason I added 'PROJECT VOTE SMART\" tothis site. You need to know where your representatives stand on thelocal and area animal issues, let them know you are voting accordinglyand let your voice be heard.For evil to prevail, good people need to do nothing. Of course nobodywants to see the animals suffer. No one adopts a pet for the fun oftaking it to the pound to watch it die. Yet, we watch and still do nothingand we take nearly a thousand pets to the pound every day in thiscountry - few for any justifiable reason. ( moving , don t have time ,not right for the kids ) etc.With that said, education does make the most sense. It changes people'sperceptions of what is happening, what they can and can't do in order toprevent further pain and anguish and death among our animal friends.I've seen it change teen lives right in front of me.If we could get America and Canada to \"no kill\" as soon as possible, if wecould outlaw every method of \"euthanasia\" except by lethal injection, ifwe could get every animal lover in the country to write a letter to an 61

editor on an animal issue, and demand that our media report on thoseissues, and hold government at all levels accountable for, at the least,animal control and welfare issues - we could see such improvements,stop creating \"collectors\" and maybe we could negate the need to rescuehundreds/thousands of poorly cared for animals at a time, who furtherdeplete rescue resources.BACKYARD BREEDERSUNWANTED LITTERS OF PUPPIES AND KITTENS IS AMERICA'S GREATESTCHALLENGETHEY COME FROM WHAT'S KNOWN AS 'BACKYARDBREEDERS'AMERICANS WILL KILL UPWARDS OF 8 MILLION HEALTHY, ADOPTABLEPETS THIS YEAR.WHY? TOO MANY PETS – NOT ENOUGH HOMES!THE BACKYARD BREEDERI author humane education materials for schools. For over 22 years, I'vefostered, rehabilitated and placed rescued dogs of many breeds.Dalmatians are one of my specialty breeds but I also rescue, train andfoster many others as well. Because of this, I WANT to speak out todayon the issue of breeding for fun and profit. Some of you will be upset bythis written piece and that is good, maybe you'll help us do somethingabout the problem. For, each person who throws their arms in the air,or rolls their eyes in disgust for something I ve said in this piece, you arethe likely intended target. For verification on anything I say on this page,ask ANY person associated with an animal welfare group or facility –ANYWHERE.If you take personal offense to it then you need to examine youractivities very carefully as you are likely my target or reason for writingthis. If you wish to respond negatively to this, you will find you won't getmuch support from myself or those who are knowledgeable. I amspeaking OUT today, not only for myself, but also for all rescuers across62

the nation, the very limited numbers of the respectable breedersaround the country and all of the responsible pet guardians. Therefore, Iwill not say, \"In my humble opinion\", as this opinion is shared by therespected breeders and pet guardians, as well as the ASPCA, HumaneSociety of the United States and all of the Shelters and otherHumane/Animal Welfare organizations in this country.BACKYARD BREEDERS ARE - **Anyone who advertises in a localnewspaper, junk flyers like Craigslist etc. Reputable breeders onlyadvertise in specialty publications**Will only have one of the parents inthe home for you to see** Will always have a shady contract. Make sureyou read it thoroughly and ask many questions.**People who just haveoccasional litters and can only show the mom in their home**Respectable breeders never advertise in local papers or weekly flyers.They reserve their ads for the specialty magazines and publicationsbecause they have quality puppies and want quality homes forthem.**Respectable breeders will have walls adorned with trophies andcertificates which represent the numerous championships they veacquired over the years.** Respectable breeders will not allow you totake the puppy on your first visit. They will first require an in home visitto see your residence. There will also be a clause in the contract thatyou cannot breed your dog without permission and approval of the otherdog you plan to breed with prior to any effort. Their contract will alsoallow you to return the puppy for a full year for a full refund if notsatisfied and will cover medical expenses for that sameyear.**Respectable breeders always require references from at least twopeople AND a veterinarian on how you have cared for your pets in thepast. It is then the discretion of the breeder as to whether you will getone of their puppies or not.Up to 8 million healthy animals are killed in U.S. pounds and sheltersevery year. The majority of killing could easily be prevented by spayingOR neutering. Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs inthe U.S. Each year 27 million DOGS are born. 8 or more million weclassify as \"surplus\" ARE killed. That's about ¾ million per month. These 63

numbers do not include the millions of dead dogs whose bodies wescrape off the streets, the growing number that are put to sleep at vetsoffices or the hundreds of thousands THAT ARE abandoned. LET'S NOT FORGET THE severely neglected or abused ones whonever make it to our shelters to be counted and OR EUTHANIZED. Theten million figure represents those we \"MUST\" kill because they areunwanted!!! Most of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it isestimated that a majority are less than one year of age. The problem issimple: we have too many dogs...Too many for the too few homesavailable TO THEM. The solution we have opted for is to kill the extras.This solution has been considered acceptable by default, as though therewere no other way to control the crisis. And we spend over $11 billionevery year destroying \"man's best friend.\"A common sense look that you cannot deny or argue with: If you werepart of a company who made pets and every year for the past 20 years,you had been overstocked to the point of having to dispose of theoverstocked inventory, what would you suggest they do this year toimprove? So, if you KNOW we are killing this vast number of innocent,loving animals each year, why in the world would you think that having alitter of puppies or kittens is OK? Why is this happening in the United States today? The number onebiggest contributor to the problem is the \"backyard breeder\" not thepuppy mills. This is a name that has become unpopular and no one wantsto admit they are a \"backyard breeder\".(Anyone having a litter in theirhome with just the family pet as one of the breeding parents, andadvertise in the local papers) Many people do not even realize they arepart of the problem. This is what I need to address in this post. The onlyway to stop the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breedingof them.Every breed of dog recognized by the AKC has a written standard, ablueprint of what the dog should look like and act like. These standardswere written so that all would know what a quality example of the breedis and strive to produce dogs that meet or exceed the standard in health,64

temperament and appearance. To be sure you are breeding dogs thatmeet these standards, your dogs must be judged by people who have alifetime of experience among the breed. If your personal dog has not yetbeen in front of a judge, then you do NOT have an AKC standard dog, youhave one that is pet quality and that is fine. AKC papers DO NOT signify adog with Breeding quality standards!!!!!A pet is to be loved, cherished, trained, cared for, spoiled and braggedabout, but it is NEVER to be bred. No matter how cute or sweet the dogmay be, if it is not up to the standard, you have no business breeding it.Even if you have a purebred dog this does not give you the right to breedit. Most purebred dogs are not breeding quality. If you breed your petquality dog, you are a \"backyard breeder\", whether you breed the dog inyour backyard, garage, living room or an expensive hotel room, the termis still backyard breeder. If your pet quality dog has AKC papers, that'snice but it doesn't change anything. You still don't have the right tobreed it. If your pet quality dog cost you $500 be glad you had themoney to afford it. You still have no right to breed it. Do you think you can RECOUP your $500 INVESTMENT if you breedyour pet dog? OR DO YOU THINK YOUR pet dog is a color or size that isn'tin the standard but you just know everyone will want buy a pup if youbreed her? Shame on you! Now you are a \"backyard breeder\" with thepurpose of breeding pups for fun and profit. That is despicable!!!If the price for a tail dock or an ear crop seems high to you, what are yougoing to do when your beloved pet needs an emergency C-section? Willyou even be there to know if she is in trouble? Would you recognizetrouble before its too late AND BE MONETARILY ABLE TO SEEKVETERINARY HELP? If you still want to breed your pet but need to ask, \"Who's suppose tocut off the tails and ears\"? Ask yourself, \"What the Hell am I thinking?\"Do you think genetic testing is something they used in the OJ trial but hasnothing to do with your dog-breeding career you are a \"backyardbreeder\". 65

\"Backyard breeders\" sell pups that aren't up to the standard of thebreed. They do this for many reasons. None are good enough reasons tocontribute to the killing of dogs. Period. \"Backyard breeders\" will swear all of their pups went to a goodhome. They believe this, but it's not NECESSARILY true. Some may havebeen lucky enough to go to a good home at the time of adoption, butmore than half of them will end up dead, in a shelter alone, on a coldtable with a needle sticking out of their leg. Why? Because the BackyardBreeder didn t follow through or even know enough about adoptions toask the right questions up front. Some of those good homes will get tiredof the dog and they will just give it away to anyone who is willing to takeit. Some of your beloved dog's children will end up living alone in abackyard, barking all night, cold and neglected until the guardian getscomplaints and then that pups will be dead. Some will be starved andbeaten. Some will be bred until they die from THE MANY BIRTHS.Some will end up in rescue and I will have to find space for it in my home.I will GIVE IT LOVE TO SHOW that not all humans are bad. I will train it,and feed it the proper food so it can heal, MENTALLY AS WELL ASPHYSICALLY. I will take the fleas off and I will get rid of the worms. I willgive it the shots it should have had but no one remember to DO it. I willdo these things because the \"backyard breeder\" didn't. I will spay orneuter that pup before I find it a new home so that I will never have torescue one of it's pups. THAT WAY I CAN BE ASSURED it will never end upin the hands of another \"backyard breeder\" looking to make profit frompuppies. \"Backyard breeders\" are not responsible pet guardians. They claimthat they love the dogs but it's not true because they don't really want tobe bothered with doing all that it takes to breed ethically. They lovefeeling important when they say, \"I breed mini schnauzers\". But breedingpet dogs isn't something to be proud of. IT'S a shame on our society. It'sthe reason for the killing that goes on in shelters. Why do you want to be66

part of that? Do you want to be respected? Spay or neuter you pet dog.There's really no other way. The kind of homes you want for your petpups don't want to buy from you. They are looking for responsible,respected breeders who are doing something for the breed as a whole.Most of those WHO WILL BUY your pups are the kind of people Iwouldn't give a dog I didn't like to. They are the ones who will turn yourpuppy into a shelter when the novelty wears off. That's a PROVEN fact.Want to stop the problem of killing 1 Million dogs a month all overAmerica? Spay or neuter your pet dog now and tell everyone you knowto do the same. Leave the breeding to the people who are doingsomething to better the breed. DO you want to have a litter of puppies to show your children themiracle of life? Then to be fair and honest, volunteer yourself and yourchildren to work at the county dog pound for no less than thirty days toshow them the miracle of death.AS A \"BACKYARD BREEDER\" THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE CONTRIBUTING TO.YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MASSIVE PROBLEM NATIONWIDE. 67

.FIRST THINGSCONSIDER THESE THOUGHTS TO START1 - Find just 3 people who have the belief in this effort that you do.Actually sit down and interview them one by one to make sure they havethe dedication, verbal skills and are presentable for approaching schooladministrators and executive directors at the non profits you'll attemptto contact. I suggest you actually sit and interview them as if hiring themfor a job to make sure you work well together and have similar goals.2 - Once you have 3 that you are totally comfortable with, decide on aname for the group. If you would like to use ''21st Century CARES - (yourcity here)'' you can do that and I'll obviously have all your info already onthe website as to what this org does for easy reference and access. No68

charge. I'll even design a page listing any interested group by locationand name with contact info. In other words, you'd have a website, yourown page and all the web info, costs, etc are mine. Of course, you canalso come up with your own name for the group. In my opinion, there isno need to become a non profit all on your own, but that will be thedecision of your 3 front line founders.Bringing a dog or two is ALWAYS fun for the students. I usually took allfive of mine. I'd always begin by asking the teacher if anyone is afraid ofdogs or had any allergies to them. If so, they were ok'd to sit away fromthe dogs and near a trusted adult. We cannot have screams & shrieks orkids getting sick.I was clear to the kids that I'd let them off leash during my talk if onlythey would pet them QUIETLY!! If it became a distraction, I'd call thedogs back and put them on leash and continue. YOU MUST MAKECERTAIN THAT THESE DOGS ARE WELL BEHAVED. The best means ofpreventing them from jumping is on leash. But once students are seatedon the floor in a semi circle or in established seating area, the dogssimply move around competing for attention.3 - Contact me for a listing of materials that you need to focus on as wellas other issues you may need to address throughout and I'll email youthe links to what I have on the site or provide recommendations.4 - Make sure all three of you read this material enough times that youcan have an intelligent conversation with any other person to show yourknowledge and determination. No need to memorize, but at least tohave answers to questions or to begin a good conversation.REMEMBER, THIS IS TO BE A 'ONE TIME' PRESENTATION LASTING ONEHOUR. So, it must be strong, focused, bold, substantive and factual.5 - Determine which person will actually speak, who will make calls inperson and on the phone to set up presentations and the third will be afill in when 1 and 2 are busy. Of course as you grow, more people areoptional, but to start this, 3 is fine. 69

6 - If planning to start a larger effort that involves a more expansive areaand multiple groups, call an initial meeting and determine level ofinterest, dedication to the project and again, do your interviews as ifhiring for a job. This is really an excellent opportunity to reach out andshare info and build a trusted effort that is recognized. However, all youneed is one bad apple within this and it's easy to loose everything you'veever done.7 - Begin making your first calls. Charter schools are easiest access dueto lack of red tape and continuing effort to justify their existence. Scouttroupes, both boy and girl are good. They even offer badges for this.Boys and Girls clubs usually care for lower income and need positiveinfluence such as this. According to the National Education Assoc. andthe Dept of Education, students k-4 will not be able to absorb the biggerpicture or implement the necessary 'reasoning' skills to totallyunderstand. Begin with 5th grade and move up.Try to make time for a at least an hour with the students. This gives you45 min and then they still have time for Q and A. I've always beensurprised at just how much the young men and women want to know sothey can help. At first there is no need for you to absorb many printingcosts. Send the teacher or administrator an email with the links from mywebsite regarding the topics you plan to touch on. Consider a set ofFREE online business cards. Simple and effective when meeting potential'keepers of the keys' as they say.When scheduling presentations, it's ok for the first few, to attend a singleclass with just 30-40 students. But once more comfortable makearrangements to speak to all the 5th graders at that given school, or allthe 6th graders at once. You can also plan to stay at the school for theduration of the school day so you can reach more students. A successfuleffort will reach every student (5th grade and older) in a given school in 3visits or less.Bolder and more confident speakers can move to the 7th, 8th grades andeven high schools. Sometimes this age group can be inattentive or even70

disrespectful and you must be prepared. I have a very quick wit and canput them in place quickly without starting a shouting match or needingto involve the teachers.A GREAT means of cold calling is \"Hello, my name is XXX and I was in yourparking lot yesterday with a friend picking up her son/daughter and wemet such a nice teacher - she was a real animal lover. I've forgotten hername, can you help me find who this is?\" Every school has a womanteacher who loves animals. They'll put you right through and you beginto talk to her about coming in to speak to her kids.8 - Take the info I've offered and put it into your very own presentation,print it off in extra large text and bring it with you so you can quicklyrefer to it on those occasions when you go blank or forget a detail.This site has articles on how landlords can learn to accept larger dogs toavoid them ending up at pounds, how to know your insurance coveragefor having dogs, how children learn from programs like this, how dogshelp prisoners exit the system better after interacting with them, howyoung kids grow up with fewer allergies when living with an inside dog orcat, and so much more.YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL:Everyone who completes your course should be able to proudly speakout when someone is not giving their pet the proper care and necessarymedical treatment. You cannot allow family, friends or co workers toabuse or neglect their pets. If you can't tell them directly, then contactauthorities and let them determine their fate. If the problem persists, itmay be the law standing in the way.Go to your local government off and find out what efforts it would taketo get this on the next ballot for a vote.With the overwhelming problem of overpopulation, our next generationmust be able and willing to speak up and speak out when they see familyor friends having a litter of puppies or kittens. Yes, they are adorable, but 71

every time you see a little puppy or kitten, just think how likely it is forthem to be neglected, abused, possibly beaten, tied to a post outside fortheir entire life, end up in the dog pound and end up being killed way tooearly simply due to this overpopulation problem.Their future does not look bright and this should give the studentsammunition and courage to speak out when they see them. These backyard litters are the single largest contributor to our overpopulationproblem.Remind everyone to get their pets micro chipped!Forming Humane Education ClubsWelcome, and thanks to all who visit this page. By learning theproblems we face, how they came to be, their causes and society sshortcomings, we can better appreciate the ways in which we all canhelp correct them. By forming a humane education club, you will learnmuch of this through your efforts and experiences. We are very proud oftoday s youth who wish to learn, in order to help educate others.Increasing the participation of students in community service has longbeen a goal in the United States. It was specifically included in the thirdNational Education Goal for 2000, which states that all students will beinvolved in activities that promote and demonstrate good citizenship,good health, community service, and personal responsibility. Torecognize those individuals who engage in community service and toencourage more young people to serve, the Presidential Student ServiceChallenge was established in 1999. This program honors studentvolunteers with awards and scholarships. For more information aboutthis program, visit http://www.student-service-awards.org/ or write toPresident's Student Service Awards, P.O. Box 189, Wilmington, DE19899-0189 or President's Student Service Scholarships, 1505 RiverviewRoad, P.O. Box 68, St. Peter, MN 56082. Many of your students willexpress a high affinity for animals and a desire to act to help them. Thereare a number of ways you can assist your students in their efforts to help72

animals. Your local animal shelter may have a junior volunteer corpsthrough which students can volunteer their time.Many animal shelters also have wish lists. These are lists of items thatthe shelter needs, such as food, towels, newspaper, etc. If your localshelter has a wish list, your students could hold a drive for these items atschool. If the shelter does not have such a list, your students could hold atowel drive (shelters always need towels), or have a bake sale, cat toyand dog treat sale, or other type of fundraiser to benefit the shelter.Penny harvests are a great idea and it is amazing how much money canbe collected in this manner.Students can also make safe toys for the cats and treats for the dogs inthe shelter. Throughout this site you are provided with ideas andsuggestions of projects, programs and ideas of how to help thecommunity, your school and club get involved, learn and improve therelations humans have with each other and our companion animals. Youcan: organize and support a humane education club in your school -much like Future Teachers Club or FFA, etc.This page is primarily to help your club:*Raise Money*Obtain local and area media attention*Involve the community in your efforts*Each meeting can invite a new speaker from the local dog pound,various rescue groups, some area police officers, fish and game,, etc.*Join forces with other humane ed groups over the internet*Visitsurrounding schools to promote starting their own also. ( extra creditcould be offered.)*Ideas for events to inform, be seen & pass out flyers*A complete list of ideas for community service projects at the bottom ofthe page. 73

We also want to help you garner additional memberships from variousgroups of students. We want the group to become an enjoyable socialcircle of all sorts of students. By having a set membership of only animallovers, your group will not have the basis it needs to share theinformation it gains, with those who really need to hear it.- Educate thecommunity and how to accomplish this (must EDUCATE your membersfirst!) This truly helps you organize the important issues as well as theneed to be accurate in presenting them to others. -Help with community projects this helps bring notoriety to yourorganization for when you need to ask the community for its assistanceor for donations.- Show the importance of voting.This shows how apathy allows your representatives to vote on issues thattruly affect you and your lives in many ways. Every ''problem'' we have inthis country is basically attributed to apathy of one form or another.-Creative means of reducing the number of dogs and cats dying in yourlocal facility, through adoptions in the paper, giving info on how to keepyour pets.This brings the problems to the forefront of your members' thinkingprocess. You've always 'heard' about the problems of overpopulation.SEEING with your own eyes will amaze you at the number of good,lovable pets who will die due to human egos and ignorance. -74

- Provide presentations to surrounding schools of any age students, Thisnot only helps with communication skills, but with planning andespecially public speaking- Help other high schools form humaneeducation clubs - can be done primarily over the internet or withoccasional group meetings.This helps with organizational skills, professional persuasive skills whicheach student will need in order to get ahead in life. Most importantly byhelping to form another humane education club, we all win by havingadditional people who are knowledgeable.-- Have an active, informative Website, This not only allows you tocommunicate your message and goals to others, but can help bring in astudent from the computer class that wouldn't normal consider joining.Show your goals, your event dates and locations, your success stories,your needs, the problems of the community and how each resident canhelp in the solutions. (focus on what people can do without givingmoney)- Everyone can learn a little about website design. Make sure they followthrough with adding your site to some major search engines, animalrelated chat rooms, posting boards such and of course Facebook andother popular social media.- Do off property adoptions, This is where you negotiate with the localdog pound to take some of their good adoptable animals who almostcertainly face death, to a community location such as a park and givethem one last chance for the residents to see what wonderful lives areavailable and otherwise would be lost to ignorance. This takes someconsiderable planning and effort, but brings unbelievable results as wellas media attention to your club. Call 21st Century Cares for moredetails.- Take three or four members to the home football game - each one ofthem caring for a dog that needs a home. (Alternate weeks with cats)providing you present this in a proper and professional manner, the 75

school will likely grant permission. MAKE SURE YOU PROMISE TO ANDTHEN FOLLOW THROUGH WITH CLEAN UP DOG\"S MESSES. Make surethe pets are very social and adoptable, before hand. Think ahead. Thismeans that you will have to keep the pet inside your house for the nightand return it to the pound the next day - hopefully to be adopted bysomeone who saw it at the game.- Each community has it's own parades. Devise a creative theme to takedogs in the parade that need to be adopted. (green water based polkadots on the dogs for the St Patrick s Day Parade, or dress like the dogs,etc.) Have 2 students without dogs to have cans for donations and walkon either side of the street for coins and bills from the public.What is difficult to see in these photos are the green polka dots wepainted on the dogs with water colors. Not only did we win FIRST PLACEtrophy, we also placed 18 into good homes afterwards.- Have a booth at your county fair. This takes a lot of organization toman the booth for all the hours of the event. People will learn aboutyou, they'll learn how to help their pet, they may wish to join, they maydonate, and they may adopt a pet you have there. Make sure to bringplenty of Jim Willis written pieces along as hand-outs. You ll need themwhen you hear how many people had a pet until something tragic76

happened. (the tragedy is likely going to prove their own ignorance) -Saturday succor games, children's events, home and garden shows,pancake days, marathons and take a dog (who is a running/active type)to a health club to show the benefit and safety factor that is offered to afemale jogger when accompanied by a good dog. Possibly get anadoption.- Work to get members to be more community active, This will help thecommunity to understand some of the many problems facing them, butwill also see that there is much that should be done and that it is up tothem and then only.- VOTE. The single most likely reason we see so much distain andmistrust for elected officials is a lack of involvement on the part of thevoters. An average of 33% of eligible voters actually vote. If you wish tomake a difference in how your community, state of federal governmenthandles issues such as animal overpopulation, taxes and all issues thataffect your lives, you MUST VOTE!- Work with legislation issues, Keep abreast of the issues and thecandidates who are running for office. Get an interview with a localrepresentative and ask some pointed questions about how they plan tohelp change come about in the animal issues. Then track them on theirpromises. Go to www.congress.org/- Don t be afraid to write letters. Find a cause or situation that needsattention from the public or your elected officials. Get a letter-writingcampaign from students in your school and let your voices be heard. Itdoes make a difference. Send copies to your local animal control,television stations and ALL newspapers.- Help senior citizens and low-income families with their pets, Manysenior citizens and low-income families have to relinquish a pet simplydue to their inability to drive and obtain dog food or vet appointments.Once a month, you could pick up donated food from local pet stores anddeliver it or make trips to vet with their pets. (This is not ONLY a 77

charitable opportunity for your organization, but also an opportunity tohelp them improve the care of their pets.) We wouldn't make a trip forthe food or to the vet if the family were not willing to make some minor,but necessary changes that would make their pet safer.- Have fundraisers for local animal agencies or rescues. DO YOURHOMEWORK. Do NOT raise money for any animal group or agency that isunfriendly, working for an agenda not related to the animals or who isn tclean or have a good adoption rate. Again, this helps in planning, moneymanagement, organizational skills and public relations- Have periodic guest speakers from animal control and police dept todiscuss problems they face in everyday life, Local police, animal control,humane organizations and many others would be happy to come speakat one of your meetings. This is suggested especially during your first 3-4meetings, to help the newly formed group to assemble a better idea ofwhat the community's needs are.Write this up formally to become your platform and mission statement.Research bi-laws and platforms on the Internet.- Have an art student design a logo that will work for letterhead andwebsite and to shirts. Again, this helps to gain a member that may nothave considered joining the group.The cheerleaders could do a bake sale periodically and share the profitswith your organization. They could take a dog or cat onto the fieldbefore the game to try and find a home for it.The shop class could build some dog houses to be donated to the next 10families who give a homeless pet a permanent, loving home.The track team could take one day of practice and jog with dogs from thelocal pound who need homes.MEDIA LOVES THIS STUFF. Dogs and track team both get good exerciseand you may find some more homes. (possibly a new member or twofrom the team.)Have some creative writers write the opening statement,78

which will make others want to navigate through the site. You may alsowish to have a form for new members, asking what they are good at andwhat they may wish to help with.Have a math major design a tentative budget for the first year andpossible means of raising those funds. As well as doing your best toinclude this math student in all future events in an attempt to have themjoin.- Have a business major write proposals for business to sponsor a freepizza night in exchange for a nice mention in the newspaper article,which will surely follow.- After you've just held your first big community event, you should havehad the local paper and TV station there and that is fairly easy to do ifyou know what you are doing. This will help in obtaining a 'pizza night' orother donations you may need, when the local businesses realize that byhelping your group, they are likely to be recognized in the article thatcovers each event. That is free advertising to them.Ask marketing people to come up with some good ideas to spread theword to other animal welfare clubs This could be students or localprofessional marketing people. This will help in gaining insight on how toget important messages across.- Be creative and try to gain membership from those who would notnormally join a group such as this. They are really the ones who willbenefit the most. This is where your social events and parties will comein handy after big events. Only members and their dates will receiveinvitations.- Call newspapers and local radio stations for stories on your new group.You ll likely need to be doing something they can actually report on. Youmay even be able to get a TV station to come out if you are enthusiasticand motivated. Tell them you are trying to get other schools to do thesame and you would like to challenge them. 79

This will be one of the most important of all your duties. If you can'teven share your learned information with those in your own school, thenyou would essentially be accomplishing little. Make certain you get nofewer than two nice front page articles in your school newspaper perschool year, too.These articles should be hard hitting essays to tell the other studentswhat you ve done, why you ve done it and what the entire student bodyshould know in order to improve, but to at least be aware of thesepoints. The written pieces I ve provided to you by Jim Willis arewonderful stories with a much-needed message as well. Begin with anyof the articles found on this site by Jim Willis or myself. Permission isgiven.Get the students to 'think' about what is happening. Mr. Willis is a goodfriend of mine and is the author of \"PIECES OF MY HEART\" which iswonderful reading for all in this club as well as great handouts at yourbooths and events. Also give to younger students you speak to.Ask that they read them after you leave and write an essay on how theythink we can change these problems (teacher will possibly offer extracredit to them)For fundraising, you could have the students with pets to bring their dogsto the local pet food or supply store during Christmas and have thepublic pay $3 per photo with their kids and the Santa dog or the reindeerdog. Have a quality digital camera and sell the pictures for $5. Manyfolks will just give you money and walk away.If you had these cuties out front of your local market on an OctoberSaturday, you would have every kid in the city wanting to get a picturetaken with them.Do this with the pumpkin dog at Halloween, with the Easter bunny dog atEaster (with bunny ears and a 'cotton tail\") thanksgiving dog with apilgrim hat and turkey feathers on his rear, and even the Oscar dogduring the Academy Awards in Hollywood. Give the dog a lot of pearls,80

ear rings a lacy hat and a trophy sitting at their side.Have a 50 s party or dance and use the dogs as your invitation. This wasat the Anaheim Hilton in 1995 for a 50 s party and the girls here were thegood luck dogs for the gambling tables. What is difficult to see in thisphoto is that Maddy, on the left is wearing a PEOPLE SKIRT instead of aPOODLE skirt.You could set up a doggy walk a thon for the local community. Proceedsto benefit the local animal org and your club.To publicize this, the track team could run dogs for the week prior withsigns on the dogs to advertise. You could even bring a few dogs thatneed homes, in hopes they would get adopted. Get the track teammembers to consider joining. You do this by getting others involved andmaking your events and follow-up parties FUN.Make sure that you tell your members that learning the correct care foranimals is only part of the goals, that they need to speak out when theysee something questionable or wrong. Otherwise your knowledge is onlyhelpful when the pet is YOURS. That is just to limiting for those pooranimals that are suffering at the hands of ignorant humans.Sometimes, there are events at your own school, which would generateincome from a food booth, or the likes. Keep your eyes and ears open forany and all events in and around your general area – especially theschool and it s activities. 81

See what it would take to form a local doggy park in your community.That will be a long project and will take some follow-up, long after thestudents are on to college or other things. IT would become an ongoingproject for the club. (To help maintain the park and clean it once amonth)Be as active in the community as your membership will allow.Make sure that all banks and veterinary offices have information aboutyour club and it s goals and objectives.- Also, take a couple dogs to the local senior citizen centers for theirenjoyment. It's just really fun for everyone. Leave brochures and tellthem what you are doing. That is a wonderful way to get practice forpublic speaking. They love anything the youth do for and with them.Make sure that events and projects are covered in the media with PublicService Announcements, These are 15-30 second commercials they allrun free to help community organizations to publicize their upcomingevents.- Don t forget a newsletter. You may even include it with the localnewspaper once a month or so. You can sell ad space to local businessesto cover the costs of printing and distribution. Check for prices on 10,000for example and price out several 1\" X 1\" ads from dry cleaners, banks,other stores. Make sure the newsletter is professionally done and hasYOUR information inside, not copied information from other animalnewsletters. The locals want to know what you want to do. Let themknow what you need and how they can help without giving cold cash. Alot of folks will give furniture, old computers, dog supplies, provide itemsor services for your events at no charge, etc.For those who go to the schools:www.21stcenturycares.org/spayn.htmwww.21stcenturycares.org/importance.htmwww.21stcenturycares.org/edpresentation.htm82

www.21stcenturycares.org/lessonplan.htmHOPEFULLY YOUR BIGGEST GOAL IS TO GET OTHERS STARTED AS WELL.IT DOES NO GOOD IF WE ONLY EDUCATE 20 KIDS FROM THAT TOWNAND 22 FROM THIS TOWN. WE NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT TOEVERYONE AS BEST WE CAN. OF COURSE THE FOCUS IS ON 18YR ANDUNDER, AS THOSE WHO ARE ABOVE THAT AGE HAVE ALREADY MADECHOICES AND DECISIONS AND ARE DIFFICULT TO RE ADDRESS THESEISSUES.Ideas for Teachers and Students to do as a Classroom or Club ORGANIZE AFUNDRAISER:Choose a humane society, animal shelter or rescue group to which todonate the proceeds of a bake sale, car wash, book sale or carnival.Contact the organization and ask them for general information todistribute to students and the public.FORM A CLUB: Organize an animal club that meets weekly. Discussanimal-related topics, go on field trips and develop community serviceprojects.ORGANIZE AN ANIMAL AWARENESS WEEK: a school or community- wideanimal awareness week will help get the message of kindness to animalsheard.GET THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED: Ask local businesses and the media tospread the word about caring about animals. Organize a dog walk orwash in your community and ask for donations or sponsorship.VOLUNTEER: Volunteer your time at a local animal organization. Theysure can use your help!SPONSOR A SPEAKER: Invite an animal expert to speak at your school.Host the event in the evening, sell tickets and donate the proceeds to alocal humane organization.GIVE OUT INFORMATION: Man a table at school or in front of the local 83

supermarket. Ask the community to sign a pact to be responsible petowners. Display all the signatures at the local community center.EDUCATE: Give out correct information about animals to help peoplebecome more informed and responsible.BE CREATIVE: Perform a play, design a poster, create an animal bulletinboard, make a quilt, write a newsletter or write a song about animals.KEEP UP TO DATE: Read lots of books about animals. It will keep youknowledgeable and accurate.BE RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERS: Show others how to be a responsible petowner by example--be one yourself.WRITE LETTERS: Write letters to lawmakers and the media expressingyour concerns about animals and the environment.ORGANIZE A DRIVE: Organize a toy, towel or animal food drive in yourcommunity. Put a marked container in a high traffic area for people tosee. Give the collected items to an animal organization.FUNDING IDEAS TO RAISE MONEY\"Not My Job!\"Our PTSA had a fundraiser that went something like this:$50 not to chair a committee$50 not to make phone calls$25 not to bake items for the bake sale$10 not to participate on a committee It went over well! With Creativity,you can do this in many areas and for many activities.84

Something to Treasure.I have served on a Bible Camp board, and one of our successful fund-raisers was a quilt auction. We consistently raised $10,000 a year withlittle expenses beyond advertising.The women's groups donate the quilts. These groups have a long historyof making mission quilts. Some of the quilts are simple missions quilts,and others are magnificent works of art.It's possible to make fund-raising a great tradition.Learn and EarnMy son entered kindergarten this year, and the PTO was also looking forfun money raising activities. After much debate (because we all knowthat six-year olds aren't the ones out there selling, its usually Mom andDad), we settled on a Math-A-Thon. Each child would be given an ageappropriate test (Kindergarten kids had to pick out shapes, colors, etc,and older children did \"real math\" problems). The children asked for apledge for every answer they got correct. The tests all had 100 points (ofcourse, the younger children's questions were worth more, 10 questions,10 points each). Most asked for a penny or a dime for a point. With aschool of 750 children, we raised almost $13,000 (yes thousand) dollars.The children now have a brand new playground that they earned. Noselling cookies or useless items that no one wants, and it was a learningexperience..FundraisersHumane Educators should encourage the community to organize schoolfundraisers, which are a great way to empower students, teach them thevalue of volunteering, and help them make a positive difference in thecommunity. However, we urge schools to carefully investigate theorganizations for which they are raising funds to ensure that they do notengage in practices that harm animals. 85

Some schools participate in the March of Dimes Walk Americafundraiser without realizing that the March of Dimes has funneledmillions of donated dollars into painful and unnecessary experiments oncats, dogs, primates, rabbits, pigs, and other animals. Sadly, this moneycould have been better spent on the treatment and prevention ofdisease and on clinical and epidemiological studies that would providerelevant information about human birth defects.Make sure that your school only donates funds to humane charities, likethe Easter Seals, which works to prevent birth defects by using clinicalresearch and preventive programming—not by experimenting onanimals.While teaching students the value of helping others, it s important thatthey don t forget the value of animals lives. Some fundraisers, likedonkey basketball, put both students and animals at risk. Kiss the pigcontests demean animals, forcing them to be unwilling participants in anactivity that objectifies them and finds humor in our negative andinaccurate view of pigs.Animal auctions, like the one at Coral Reef Senior High School in Miami,Florida, are upsetting and unhealthy for the students involved, who areencouraged to develop a strong relationship with an animal as theynurture and care for him or her for months—only to be told to ignoretheir empathy and compassion and the needs of their animal friend sothat he or she can be slaughtered for money. This psychologicallydamaging message teaches disrespect and insensitivity.When raising money for your school or community charity, please try thefollowing animal-free fundraising events:Cruelty-Free FundraisersAlternative Fundraising Ideas-Things You Can Sell86

• Au tio s• Bike-a-thons• Bo li g ights• Ca i als• Ca ashes• Cele it asket all ga es• Da es• Fa il /gla ou po t aits• Festi als• Gift appi g• Golf tou a ent• Jog-a-thons• Ju p ope-athons• Magi sho s• Raffles• Read-a-thons• Re li g• Re li g a s/pape /i k a t idges• Si gi g teleg a s• Skati g ights• Spelli g ees 87

• Tale t sho s• Te is/ho seshoe o petitio s• T easu e hu ts• Walk-a-thons• Wo kshops/ lasses• A ti it a ds• Balloo ou uets• Bath a esso ies• Batte ies• Books a d ale da s• B i k/sto e/tile e o ials• Butto s, pi s, a d sti ke s• Ca dles• Cook ooks• Coupo ooks• E e ge kits fo a s• Fi st-aid kits• Flea arket items• Flo e s a d ul s• Foot all ga e shout-outs• Foot all seats• F uit a d egeta le askets88

• F uit s oothies a d slushies• Gift askets• Gift ite s• Gift ap, o es, a d ags• G eeti g a ds• Hats• Health s a k ite s• Holida o a e ts• House de o atio s• Je el• Li e se-plate frames with school logos• Magazi e su s iptio s• Megapho es• Mugs• Ne spape spa e/ads• Pe so alized statio e• Pla ts• Po ket ale da s• Raffle do atio s• S a es• S hool a t d a i gs 89

• S hool Frisbees• S hool spi it gea a d a esso ies• S at h-off cards• Spi it/seaso al flags• Stadiu pillo s• Stuffed a i als• Te po a /he a tattoos• T-shirts and sweatshirts• Tuppe a e• Vale ti e s Day flowers• Yea ook o e s• Yea ook spa e/ o ogramsTopics for discussion:Begin your program here - remembering to hit on some very importantpoints. Dogs and cats can help lower your blood pressure, sniff you forepileptic seizures before they happen, guide the blind, alert theirhumans who are hearing impaired that someone is at the door or thephone is ringing, locate survivors after tragedies, improve the learningcurves of those with autism and will be the BEST friend you'll ever havein your life. They will love you unconditionally, protect you from harm,calm anxiety of pregnant women, help to build stronger immune systemsin young children when kept inside the home at night and help build amore responsible young personality in your children.Yet we ignore their needs and wants from our own ignorance. When90

they act out to get our attention, we loose patience and dump them atthe pound in the most callous of ways when they become a burden andthen, they die.An easy way to get your dog to do right doesn't always include training,but ALWAYS includes giving the dog all of what it needs instead of justwhat you want it to have or do. The gap between the two ismonumental. Learn to distinguish the difference and you'll always havegood dogs at your side and a good woman beside you for life.* Importance of spaying and neutering before the age of 6 months. Noleg lifting, less likely to run away, to bite, fight and contract testicular orvaginal cancer. Plus they won't have unwanted litters.* The importance of proper ID on all pets i.e. July 4, Halloween, naturaldisaster, etc.* The links between animal abuse at a young age and future criminalbehavior and committing much greater crimes.*Spend time discussing the benefits of community service involvement.''DO NOT STAND IDLY BY AND ALLOW YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS ORNEIGHBORS TO ABUSE, NEGLECT OR HAVE LITTERS OF PUPPIES ANDKITTENS. Then discuss with them what they feel is abuse and neglect andmake sure you fill in the blanks from what they have failed to mention.Tying up on a short chain, not having proper vet care for ailments andinjuries, striking the young pet in an attempt to train them.* The absolute EVIL and irresponsibility of having even one litter ofpuppies or kittens. Put it into a business prospective. If your companymade widgets and every year for the past 50 yrs you've had an end ofyear surplus of 8 million or more, a business who plans to be successfuland stay in business will stop making widgets next year, Then they willreview a viable plan to prevent this overage from ever happening again. 91

*The 'do's and don't' of having to part with a pet. First of all, you NEVERget a pet unless you are the owner of the property at which you reside.Landlords are notorious for deciding that they no longer want pets in thehome you rent. Boyfriends will decide they don't like your little cat andtry to force you to get rid of it. Be settled and stable before getting one.If you must part with your pet, do NOT take it to the dog pound. If youmust part with your pet, find a rescue group that will take it. They arerun by volunteers, they are VERY busy and usually full so you will likelybe placed on a waiting list. If you take it to your local dog pound, theywill kill it the same day. see http://21stcenturycares.org/truestory.htmDo NOT put an ad on Craigslist for free dog or free cat. Find a rescue orgthat will take it until it finds another forever and loving home. That storyis coming up soon.The benefits of having your dog sleep inside the home at night. ( read upon this. There is NO reason to leave a dog outside at night and EVERYreason to bring it inside. Ignorance is the only difference from one hometo the other. \"If I'm a bad guy and want inside your home, I can slowlybecome friendly with it to gain it's trust, coax it out the gate and close itbehind me - leaving it out and unable to help your family or poison thebarking dog .If the same home and occupants has a dog INSIDE the home, there isn't arobber or criminal in the world that's gonna try to come through thatback door to do harm or take things not belonging to him. Plus insidedogs are happier, healthier, cost less in vet bills, less likely to bite a visitoror fight with another dog while on a walk, help young kids learn to read,calm nerves of a pregnant woman, build self esteem in young people.The 'outside' dog isn't the alarm you are told it is, it annoys the neighborsand if tied up on a chain for life, is literally being abused.Benefits of starting with an adult dog from the pound and then getting apuppy at a later date since the BEST homes will have two dogs. The adultdogs already house broken, leash trained or past their digging and92

chewing stages. Then if you wish for a second dog, it can be a puppy thatwill quickly learn from the adult and keep each other company.YOUR DOG WILL BE THE BEST FRIEND YOU'LL EVER HAVE IN YOUR LIFE.DON'T GIVE UP ON THEM BECAUSE THEY WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU.'FREE TO GOOD HOMES' ADSOne of the most important stories in the entire book. Make copies andpass them around.MAKE COPIES OF THIS AND PASS THEM AROUNDFREE TO GOOD HOME?Animal Aid has frequently been criticized for charging an adoption fee. \"Ifyou're so anxious to find homes for these pets,\" we're told, \"you shouldjust give them away.\"This attitude makes us shudder. In the first place, these small fees in noway begin to cover the cost incurred for medical treatment and upkeepof the pets we adopt out. Yes, we're anxious to find homes for ouranimals--GOOD homes. And some people who take free pets do providewonderful homes. However, frequently--much too frequently!--AnimalAid is called in to rescue former \"free to good home\" animals.Did you know: 1) People value what they pay for. Pets obtained forfree are less likely to be spayed or neutered by their new owners (whybother with vet bills?), and more likely to be abused and/or discarded,because \"there are plenty more where that came from!\"A recent study at one animal shelter yielded the startling statistic that51% of all owner-surrendered dogs had been purchased for less than$100; 41% of all owner-surrendered dogs had been obtained \"Free togood home.\" 93

This handsome, well-fed-looking fellow is Brutus, and he is an Animal Aidrescue. Brutus was the pampered friend of \"Mark.\" Brutus and Markplayed ball together and walked on the beach together, and, in general,enjoyed each other's company. Then, Mark's company transferred himto a different state. Mark didn't know how to take Brutus with him, orconsidered it unfair to submit his friend to the trauma of moving, or justplain didn't know that most states DO allow big, good-natured dogs tomove in with their masters.Whatever the reason, Mark placed an ad in his local newspaper: \"Free togood home, friendly, lovable black lab.\" Someone saw the ad, calledMark, and said, \"That's just the dog I've been looking for. Can I comeover and see him?\" The new person was very nice to Brutus, talked tohim, rubbed his ears just the way Brutus liked to have his ears rubbed,and convinced Mark that he and Brutus were just made for each other.This is Brutus's new owner's idea of a good home--at the end of a two-foot chain tied to a rope collar, in a garbage-filled backyard, no waterdish or food bowl anywhere in sight.94

This sweet, loving dog was now 20 pounds underweight, suffering fromdehydration, malnutrition, fleas, intestinal worms, mange, fly-chewedears, heartworm, and, worst of all, neglect. Luckily for him, neighborscalled an Animal Aid volunteer, who arrived accompanied by apoliceman. The new owner was arrested, charged, and convicted withcruelty to animals. He paid a fine which probably equalled less thanBrutus's medical bills.Brutus went to the vet for all kinds of medicine, then home with thevolunteer for lunch. Several years later, he's been adopted by thevolunteer, and still eating! He's well and happy and a bit overweight;greets everyone with a tail wag and a wet kiss. But he still wants you toremember this story and this photo every time you see an ad that says,\"Free to good home.\"2) So-called \"Bunchers\" gather free pets until they have enough for a tripto a Class B Dealer who is licensed by the USDA to sell to sell animalsfrom \"random sources\" for research. The Buncher may only get $25 ahead for former pets, while a dealer can between $100 - $450 per pet.The Class B dealer probably already has a contract with certain facilities,and will transport them to other areas within a state, even out of state.While, unfortunately, there are legitimate medical reasons to use someanimals in experimentation, the majority of reputable medical labs useanimals bred for the specific purpose. However, there are many, many 95

different types of animal \"research,\" and many types of facilities that usedogs. Almost every cosmetic, household, and chemical product is testedon animals, including former pets obtained from shelters and Class BDealers. Veterinary schools and medical schools, and even someengineering schools use dogs and cats in classrooms and \"research.\"Textile manufacturers who make products for medical use test anddemonstrate on dogs, frequently retired racing greyhounds.Research facilities that use live animals in testing are supposed to beregistered with the USDA (though not all are); the USDA list of suchfacilities on their website cites 34 in the state of Michigan, mostlycolleges and universities, as well as Borgess Medical Center, DowChemical, Dow Corning, Pharmacia & Upjohn, etc. (Please note that notall of these use dogs or cats.)3) Free animals are taken to \"blood\" pit-bulls--to train fighting dogs howto kill, and to enjoy it. This can be dogs and cats, of any size--in fact,rescuers suspect that a recently rescued cat was used in this manner.Often, a larger dog's muzzle will be duct-taped shut so that he can't biteback, and the fighting dog will gain confidence in killing a dog larger thanhe is.4) One \"adoptor\" in this area took free kittens to his \"good home\"--asdinner for a pet snake.5) Unspayed or unneutered pure-bred dogs may end up as \"breedingstock\" in a puppy mill. One woman was certain that if she didn't giveaway her Dalmatians' AKC registration papers along with the dogs, shecould keep them safe from millers. Wrong. Unscrupulous breeders, whouse puppies as cash crops like other farmers raise cattle, pigs, orchickens, aren't above forging registration papers, or using those fromdeceased dogs. Rescuers have learned the hard to way to make sure thatall pets they place have been spayed or neutered before going to newhomes.6) So-called \"collectors\" watch the newspapers for Free to Good Home96

animals. These collectors truly believe they are \"rescuing\" the animals.Animal Aid had dealings with one such collector, right here inSouthwestern Michigan.THIS SPACE RESERVED FOR PHOENIX AND ZORRO, WHO ARE STILL TOOSHY TO PHOTOGRAPH! When the two Animal Aid volunteers and thepoliceman walked up the steps of an ordinary-looking house in Galien,MI, they had no idea they were walking into a living hell. Neighborshad complained about foul smells coming from the house; the owner,they said, kept dozens of cats in there, but they hadn't seen her in acouple of weeks.The place smelled, all right; a strong odor assaulted their noses theminute they got out of the car. Still, nothing in their experiences couldhave prepared them for what stunned their senses as they opened thatfront door: the unimaginable sights and silence and stomach-churningstench of mass death. Light was dim, and they saw trash all around--trash, and bodies.The owner of the house had simply locked the doors and windows andleft dozens of cats behind with no food or water, to die. The only thingthat kept the volunteers from collapsing in despair were faint rustles,scratches, mews, coming from just out of sight around the corner. Therewere still live cats in this house of horrors.Estimates range from 40 - 60 as the number of cats this lady hadabandoned; it was impossible to tell for sure. Over the next few days,volunteers from Animal Aid and the Humane Society trapped andremoved all of the live animals they could find. There were 18, in a widerange of ages, and of these, two later died.All of them were starving, dehydrated, and totally unsociable. They hadsurvived the only way they could, by preying on the small, the weak, thesick, and the dead. Rescued kittens lived in fear of adult cats; adult catslived in fear of each other--and of human contact.Phoenix and Zorro went to an Animal Aid volunteer for fostering; they 97

have since been adopted. The other 14 went out to the Humane Societyof SW MI, where all but three have also been adopted--most locally, buttwo are now thriving under the care of a lady in Kansas City, MO!Phoenix and Zorro still mistrust humans, and to quote one of therescuers about the three who will probably live out their days at theHumane Society, \"They need to go to a home that doesn't expectanything from them but just to live there.\"Meanwhile, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the house's owner,and the entire area was outraged to learn that this was her THIRDoffense! The THIRD time she had \"collected\" a house full of cats, andthen abandoned them, the SECOND time in this very same house!How could this happen? It's not as unusual as you might believe--orhope.Such people are called \"collectors;\" they take in orphaned dogs or cats,watch the \"free to good home\" ads, either don't believe in spaying andneutering or run out of funds for the vet bills. These collectors actuallythink they are \"rescuing\" the animals! More and more free pets come tothem--they're very convincing; and they truly do love pets--and the onesthey have keep reproducing, until the collectors are overwhelmed. In thebest circumstances, animal rescue organizations are called. In the worst--the collector simply walks away.This particular collector was located in another state, and brought backfor trial. She will serve jail time, pay a fine, do community service, butthere is no guarantee that when her sentence is served, she won't simplymove to another house in another community in another state, and startanswering \"Free to good home\" ads again. As for the police, theneighbors, and especially the volunteers involved in the rescue of theGalien kitties--more than a year later, they're still having nightmares.WHAT CAN YOU DO? Some folks answering the \"Free to Good Home\"ads really are loving, responsible pet owners. Many--perhaps even most--are not. There are steps YOU can take to help end abuse:98

DON'T advertise Free pets; DO convince others not to. Some people eventake the time to phone owners of pets advertising Free to Good Homeand warn them of the dangers.DO spay/neuter to keep from creating possible Free to Good Homesituations or condemning your pet to a short, miserable life in a puppymill.DO write letters to the editors of your local newspapers warning of thedangers of Free to Good Home. (Sample letter attached.) DO contactbreed rescue organizations (there is one for every breed of pure-breddog!) or local animal welfare organizations for help in placing unwantedpets; if you bought the pet from a responsible breeder, he/she will helpyou rehome the pet.DO charge at least $100 to discourage resale of pets to labs. (Somesources suggest charging no less than $250 for pure-bred dogs.)DO take the time to interview every prospective owner. Ask for vet andpersonnel references, and check them, then visit the new home whereyour pet might be living!DO write a letter to your congressmen in support of House Resolution453 (H.R. 453)/Senate Resolution 1522 (S.1522), aimed at doing awaywith Class B dealers, who sell animals obtained from \"random sources\"to research facilities. Random sources include strays, stolen pets, seizedshelter animals, animals purchased at flea markets--and pets foundthrough \"Free to good home\" ads.DO report any incidence of suspected dog-fighting to police, AnimalControl, and your local Humane Society. DON'T try to stop these peopleyourselves; there is a lot of money involved here, and you could beputting yourself and your pets at risk if you try to intervene alone.DO call police, animal welfare workers, even the health department, ifsomeone in your area seems to be \"collecting\" cats or dogs. 99

DO write to district attorneys, judges, and prosecutors if you hear of thearrest of any so-called collectors in your area, and urge them not only toprosecute to the full extent of the law, but also to mandate psychologicalcounseling for these individuals in the hopes of avoiding repeatviolations.DO call police or animal welfare workers for any incidences of suspectedabuse. Be willing to testify in court, if necessary. Note: what constitutesanimal abuse is defined by state law. If your state has inadequate abuselaws, TRY TO CHANGE THEM![\"How Could You?\" is believed to be the most published animal-relatedessay in the world, now translated into 21 foreign languages. Everyone isencouraged to ask their local newspaper to publish it illustrated withphotos from local animal shelters; a recent occurrence has been radio DJsreading it on the air and literally stopping traffic with their readings.]\"HOW COULD YOU?\" Copyright Jim Willis 2001When I was apuppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You calledme your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple ofmurdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was\"bad,\" you'd shake your finger at me and ask \"How could you?\" - butthen you'd relent and roll me over for a bellyrub.My housetraining took a little longer than expected, because you wereterribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nightsof nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams,and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for longwalks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got thecone because \"ice cream is bad for dogs,\" you said), and I took long napsin the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career,100