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ANIMAL RESCUERS DEFEND ONLINE PETITION IN COURT
Michigan court rules that petition to save three victims of animal cruelty can stay on Change.org
MONROE, MICHIGAN – A Monroe County judge has upheld the First Amendment rights of animal activists appealing for the lives of three dogs rescued from a dog fighting bust.
Advocates from the Monroe SPCA and Buster Foundation, a pit bull rescue group based in Belleville, Mich., posted photographs and videos of the dogs online to support their case that the animals should not be put down.
Jennifer Burke, a local animal advocate, started a petition on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing social change platform. The petition, which has gathered more than 4,000 signatures in less than three weeks, features a video of a dog named “Dusty” being evaluated by Dr. Katherine Houpt, the prosecution’s expert witness. The video makes the case that that Dr. Houpt’s testimony condemning the dog does not match the evidence.
“I created the petition because we were finally allowed to show the public what sweet, gentle dogs these are, and my opinion is that the expert was biased based on the testimony from her evaluations,” said Burke, the Change.org petition starter, in reference to the July 13th decision to put three of the four dogs down.
The Monroe County prosecutor wanted the groups held in contempt of court for distributing materials about the case online. But on August 4 Judge Vitale of the First District Court ruled that forcing the advocates to remove the photos and video from Change.org, their websites and social media would infringe on their First Amendment rights.
“This is about fighting for whats right, and we have 3800 signatures to prove that we are not alone,” said Burke, the Change.org petition starter. “We are aware that there are thousands of other dogs out there that need rescue, however if we continue to stand by and watch these needless killings we aren’t getting to the root of the problem. Michigan taxpayers have a right to know where their money is being spent.”
“We are shocked that the prosecution has made our battle for getting these dogs vet care, training, and human contact almost impossible,” Burke continued. “This is wrong, and we are standing up for ourselves and for these dogs that deserve a second chance. This victory means we are re-energized for our appeal. The community support has been amazing.”
“The dedication of Ms. Burke, the rescue groups and the community to giving these dogs a second chance is remarkable,” said Stephanie Feldstein, Senior Organizer for Change.org. “Through the petition on Change.org and their social media outreach, they’ve truly succeeded in giving these dogs a voice.”
The groups will gain custody of one dog, Razzle, later this month. The appeal to save the lives of Dusty and two other dogs has not yet been scheduled.
Live signature totals from the campaign on Change.org:
https://www.change.org/petitions/katherine-houpt-vmd-phd-recant-testimony -
MORE THAN 100,000 PET LOVERS ASK EBAY TO STOP SELLING ANIMALS
Animal activists urge eBay Classifieds to shut down live animal sales; take stand against animal cruelty
SAN JOSE, CA – More than 100,000 people have joined a campaign calling on eBay, the world’s leading e-commerce company, to shut down its live animal listings and take a stand against puppy mills.
The San Jose, California-based eBay corporation is under fire from animal advocates upset by the sale of ‘puppy mill dogs’ on eBay Classifieds. Puppy mills are commercial breeders who mass-produce animals under inhumane conditions, resulting in heath and behavior problems that buyers often don’t discover until after they’ve taken their new pet home.
eBay does not allow animal listings on the company’s auction site, but such listings are still allowed and promoted on eBay Classifieds. Six months ago, Felissa Elfenbein of the Two Little Cavaliers blog urged animal lovers to contact the company, leading to a grassroots campaign on Change.org asking eBay to stop selling live animals on all of its sites. Half a year later more than 100,000 people have joined the petition drive.
“The dedication of the online community to protecting animals and pet owners is incredible,” said petition author Stephanie Feldstein. “With the widespread support of this Change.org petition, animal lovers all over the world have made it clear that they want to see eBay Classifieds end its live animal sales.”
Animal activists argue that it’s impossible for eBay to monitor the health or welfare of animals listed on its site, and believe the only way for the company to stop supporting animal cruelty is by shutting down its pet listings or expanding its partnership with Petfinder.com to allow adoption listings only.
The Change.org petition calls on eBay Classifieds to end its live animal listings out of concern that the site is providing a marketplace for puppy mills and unethical breeders to deceive consumers. Internet anonymity, like that provided by eBay, makes it difficult to hold the people responsible for these abuses accountable.
Although eBay Classifieds’ policy does not allow breeders with “a history of non-compliance inspections with the USDA” to list on their site, there is a loophole in federal law that allows kennels selling directly to consumers via online or classified ads to bypass USDA oversight. As a result, conscientious consumers are misled into believing that sellers on eBay Classifieds have been subject to inspections to ensure that their animals are treated humanely.
“eBay is putting pets and consumers at risk,” said Feldstein. “eBay listened to the community’s concerns when it did not allow animals to be part of their online auctions, but with eBay Classifieds, they’ve left the back door open for puppy mills and unethical breeders to find unsuspecting customers on their site.”
Several years ago, eBay considered the creation of a live animals auction category. Following protests from animal activists against allowing unscrupulous breeders on the site, eBay decided to maintain its policy against live animal listings. eBay Classifieds gives those same unethical breeders a marketplace.
In April, eBay amended its policy to prohibit the sale of pets on its Korean website, Auction.co.kr, stating that “eBay is committed to being socially responsible and we take the concerns of our global user community seriously.”
View live signature totals on the campaign asking eBay to stop selling live animals:
http://www.change.org/petitions/ebay-classifieds-stop-selling-live-animalsArticle from the World Society for the Protection of Animals on new Auction.co.kr policy:
http://www.wspa-usa.org/latestnews/2011/EBayProhibitPetSalesKoreanWebsite.aspxChange.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 400,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.
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Break the Chain Campaign
In anticipation of the opening performances of the Shriners Circus this weekend at the Shriners Auditorium in LA, ADI is determined to Break The Chain against attendance at circuses that use live animals. Please pass the word to animal supporters everywhere that a circus is no place for animals. Let people do the entertaining.ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL ‘BREAKS THE CHAIN’ AGAINST
ANIMAL CIRCUS ATTENDANCE IN LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES, Apr. 8, 2011 – Animal Defenders International (ADI), a leading global animal protection group, asks Los Angeles residents to ‘Break The Chain’ of animal suffering by not attending the Shrine Circus at the Shrine Auditorium, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles on Apr. 8-10, 2011. ‘Break The Chain’ aims to raise awareness of the reality of animal suffering in traveling circuses in the U.S.
Just last weekend, ADI released shocking new undercover footage revealing the terrible suffering of Annie, the UK’s last circus elephant, chained and being repeatedly beaten. Public outrage led to the circus signing over her ownership in the past few days and Anne is now at a safe place.
Jan Creamer, President of ADI said: “Annie’s tragic story symbolizes the plight of circus animals and is a shocking indictment of the circus industry. Time and time again, our investigations of these circuses all over the world produce similar evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, and suffering and it’s now time to ‘Break The Chain.’ We are asking audiences to vote with their feet and stay away.
“Together with local partner organization Orange County People for Animals, ADI’s mission is to stop circus suffering by communicating the behind-the-scenes facts to local communities where traveling circuses hold performances.
ADI will be handing out “Stop Circus Suffering” leaflets to circus-goers. To join the Shrine Circus leafleting outreach groups for the weekend circus performances, please contact Matt Rossell of ADI at 323-804-9920.
As the leader of the ‘Break The Chain’ campaign, ADI works with animal rights and welfare organizations across the U.S. to bring awareness on a local grassroots level to the communities in which animal circuses perform. Providing campaign assistance, program guidance and educational materials to local campaigners, ADI also reaches out to local governments to communicate its scientific findings to end circus suffering.
For more than 18 years, ADI has effectively produced overwhelming evidence of suffering of animals in circuses as a result of extreme confinement, the constant traveling nature of these shows, and cruel training practices. ADI’s groundbreaking two-year undercover investigation on circus cruelty shocked the world, resulting in major changes in the U.S., South America and European countries.
Courts in many countries have used ADI’s evidence to prosecute offenders while governments have been compelled to change laws in favor of partial or complete bans, such as the recent passing of Bolivian law 4040, which prohibits any and all use of animals in Bolivian circuses.
Though ADI opposes circuses that utilize animal performers, it remains fully supportive of arts and entertainment and circuses that use only human performers.
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