Californians... Vote YES! on Prop 2

This November 4, Californians should vote YES! on Prop 2 – a modest measure that stops cruel and inhumane treatment of animals, ending the practice of cramming farm animals into cages so small the animals can't even turn around, lie down or extend their limbs. Voting YES! on Prop 2...

• Prevents cruelty to animals. It’s simply wrong to confine veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens in tiny cages barely larger than their bodies. Calves are tethered by the neck and can barely move, pigs in severe confinement bite the metal bars of their crates, and hens get trapped and even impaled in their wire cages. We wouldn’t force our pets to live in filthy, cramped cages for their whole lives, and we shouldn’t force farm animals to endure such misery. All animals, including those raised for food, deserve humane treatment.

• Improves our health and food safety. We all witnessed the cruel treatment of sick and crippled cows exposed by a Southern California slaughter plant investigation this year, prompting authorities to pull meat off school menus and initiate a nationwide recall. Factory farms put our health at risk—cramming tens of thousands of animals into tiny cages, fostering the spread of diseases that may affect people. YES! on Prop 2 is better for animals—and for us.

• Supports family farmers. California family farmers support YES! on Prop 2 because they know that better farming practices enhance food quality and safety. Increasingly, they’re supplying major retailers like Safeway and Burger King. Factory farms cut corners and drive family farmers out of business when they put profits ahead of animal welfare and our health.

• Protects air and water and safeguards the environment. The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effects these operations can have on surrounding communities, spreading untreated waste on the ground and contaminating our waterways, lakes, groundwater, soil, and air. Prop 2 helps stop some of the worst abuses and protects our precious natural resources. That’s why California Clean Water Action and Sierra Club-California support YES! on Prop 2.

• Is a reasonable and common-sense reform. Prop 2 provides ample time—until 2015—for factory farms using these severe confinement methods to shift to more humane practices. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Oregon have passed similar laws. The Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, hundreds of California veterinarians, including the California Veterinary Medical Association; California family farmers; the Center for Food Safety, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the United Farm Workers, and the Cesar Chavez Foundation; Republican and Democratic elected officials; California religious leaders; and many others.

To learn more about this important issue, visit YES! on Prop 2's website.

Click to contribute to the cause!

If you live in California, register to vote so you can make a difference to farm animals in your state and across the country!

Scotty Goes Home

Well, Scotty left last weekend... Saturday morning I took all three dogs to the research park one last time together and then I went home, dropped off the girls, brushed Scotty, and headed out to the drop-off location for his Homeward Bound transport. I talked to him all the way out there and told him he was going to live with his new family and to be a good boy and that we would miss him. I wished he could understand.

I didn't think I was going to cry but when we got to the girl's house I couldn't leave him. I asked to sit there with him for a while and I just sat on her couch hugging on him and rubbing his belly and breaking down intermittently. Luckily, all the Homeward Bound people are animal lovers too and they totally understood. They let me stay with him as long as I wanted while they got everything ready and I did... for an hour and a half. :-) I just couldn't overcome the (probably irrational) feeling that he would think I was abandoning him.

So, I finally pulled myself away from him and walked, crying, to my car, then drove, crying hysterically, home. I felt like I was giving away one of my own dogs... and, in a way, I was. The experience I've had with him has meant so much to me.

So, where is Scotty now, you ask? Well, after a short stint with a family who, due to unforseen circumstances, decided that they were no longer in a position to have a dog, he is now at the home of the owner of Luke's Place, the New Jersey rescue he was adopted through. I spoke with Pat, the owner, last night and she just raved about how great a dog he is! She said he and the other dogs she received from the transport were all a little shaken up after the 15-hour van ride, but that he was doing wonderful now and can already heel and shake. She said he is great with her three-year-old granddaughter, which is a relief because I had never seen him around children. As I was talking, she said his ears were perking up so she let me say "Hi" to him, haha :-) She also said if he didn't get adopted in the next day or so, she really just wanted to keep him! I am just elated over how well this has worked out for my sweet Scotty and I feel really grateful for having been a part of it.
Fostering has been such a fulfilling experience. Really, it is saving a life, because in most cases you are helping shelters keep more animals and give them a better chance at adoption. As long as people continue to neglect spaying and neutering their pets, we will always have an overabundance of animals and shelters will never have enough room for all of them. Four million dogs euthanized each year is a tragic, sickening number. You CAN help though!

• Spay or neuter your pet! In just six years, a female dog and her offspring can multiply to 67,000 puppies! And you can often qualify for discounted or free spaying/neutering, so there's really no reason not to! Check with your vet or local animal shelter.

• Be a hero - Adopt your next pet! With a homeless dog being killed every nine seconds in American shelters, why wouldn't you?

• In fact, you can quite literally save a life by going to Dogs In Danger and entering your zip code. It will show you adoptable dogs in your area who are soon to be put down, most often due to space limitations.

• Foster a dog or cat! Contact your local animal shelter to find out about their foster program and see just how rewarding it can be.