by Kelly Modzelewski

Created on: March 31, 2009

PETA - How distorted extremists can ruin it for the rest of us

As dog owners, we are ambassadors for our canine friends. Being a good dog owner - cleaning up after them, keeping them quiet, making sure they're socialized - is imperative to keeping their reputations high in non-dog owners' views. And, when you're in the public eye, it's even more important to set a good example for other pet owners and for people who have nothing to do with pets. About ten years ago, I interviewed with PETA for a publishing job. I wore vegan shoes and practiced saying "animal companion" instead of pet. I didn't know much about them then, but I did know that I got a weird vibe from that session and didn't call them back.

Now, years later, they've come to the forefront in my life. I've noticed the Pam Anderson campaigns and naked models' anti-fur pix without much aplomb. Then, when Massachusetts threatened to pass an anti-pit ban, I did some research and found that PETA actually supports that. A little more research and I found that PETA kills more than 97% of the animals it takes into its care. All the while, campaigning for the protection of ants.

And, recently, the topper - PETA campaigned for a man in prison to receive a vegetarian diet. This man was not in for robbery, not even just for murder. He was in for murdering his girlfriend and eating her. I kid you not. PETA felt that that didn't matter, that what mattered was to further stop the killing. Now, I place animals pretty highly in my life and I want to treat them as humanely as possible. But how does killing a chicken equate with what this man did?

PETA is such a bad example of animal rights for the masses. If I were not animal-oriented and someone threw blood on my rabbit stole, do ya think that would convert me? Shock value may catch someone's attention but it also quickly turns it off.

There are so many fabulous animal organizations, several right here. Best Friends in Utah is one of my favorites. If PETA kills the animals in their care because some of them can't be rehabilitated (as PETA says), why aren't they trying to send them there? Best Friends houses hundreds of unadoptable animals. There's also a shortage of animals is shelters in parts of the Northeast, especially New Hampshire shelters in the South are actually sending animals here. Best Friends is Huge but being smaller and local can work out really well take http://www.grey2kusa.org/. They are very active, and offer a chance to be a part of their advocacy team. Just google "animal advocacy" and you'll find many organizations that are not extremist but still help animals. You can even join forces with Doris Day at http://www.ddal.org/.

There are many ways to support these organizations (and many good people who belong to PETA who could make a switch), from volunteering to fostering dogs and cats to helping to write legislation. And the next time you see a PETA ad with Pamela Anderson nearly naked, don't let it fool you there's more that's fake than the faux fur.

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