Author Archives:
Reaching the masses
Today I started to feel pre-publication jitters for the September release of Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets. This is now my second book, but I still feel like a new book author. There is so much I have learned, and still have to learn; not necessarily about writing a [...]
Somedays it is not easy …
Yesterday, a friend who I volunteer with contacted me because she was experiencing difficulties in continuing to volunteer with homeless pets. The tipping point in her case was a local animal control shelter who recently euthanized all of its cats (about 80) because a strong virus swept through the shelter. I’m not passing judgment on [...]
Shocking that this still happens in America
Did you know that some states still condone killing shelter animals in a gas chamber? Only these states have outlawed it to date: Banned for all animals (including ferals and wildlife): Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wyoming Banned only for cats and dogs: Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, New [...]
June is Positive Animal Protection Month
In reporting the news of the day, have you noticed that most stories relate to death, destruction and downfall? In a world where we are surrounded by 24/7 news and social media sites, we are bombarded with negative news. In the world of animal protection, people frantically post stories and pleas for help to protect [...]
Don’t forget to heal
I spend most days working on issues that involve animals being in harms way, animals that have been abused, and finding better ways to protect them. I recently launched the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse through the National District Attorneys Association and as Director of NCPAA I will be creating training programs for [...]
A shelter where you feel better after visiting?
For those of you who have volunteered at, adopted from, or visited an animal shelter, did you feel happy after you left the shelter? Or did you feel sad, depressed, anxious, and worried about the pets left behind? If it is the latter, then I want to tell you that there is a shelter in [...]
Real help for the animals in Japan
So many caring people have been asking what they can do to help the misplaced and injured animals after Japan’s record-breaking earthquake and tsunami. This week, I have been watching the work of Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support. This is group of animal protection organizations in Japan that have joined together to help search, [...]
Animals in disasters
The world is watching as the tragedies unfold in Japan from the record-breaking earthquake and tsunami of yesterday. While Hawaii and the western coast of the U.S. suffered damage from the aftermath, the death toll and unimaginable damage in Japan continues. As humanitarian organizations, rescue teams and supplies swarm to Japan, those of you who [...]
Moral dilemma of words
As I was writing my next book (Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets which is now in editing), I struggled with whether to use the word “euthanize” or “kill” when addressing the shelter animal overpopulation crisis. Over the past few years, the No-Kill Advocacy movement has grown and encourages animal [...]
Evolve or perish?
Last week, a physician and former state health secretary in Maryland filed a complaint with the Baltimore State’s Attorneys Office accusing Johns Hopkins University of animal cruelty from the use of live animals in training medical students. In an article in The Baltimore Sun, Dr. Martin Wasserman and his wife Barbara, both alumni of the [...]
