Chicago, Nationwide Animal Organizations And The No Kill Movement That Help Animals Suffer

     There are some very well funded Chicagoland and nationwide animal organizations that help ensure Chicagoland animals and other animals suffer. They do this in a number of ways. The people that volunteer for these organizations, or that are employed, may be unaware that the organizations they are associated with cause harm. Many of these people may be sincere in their desire to help animals. But as with anything when it comes to organizations, nothing changes for the better if no one is willing to rock the boat. And so the harm and pathology goes on and on, like a broken record.
     These organizations like to focus on the feel good aspect of what appeals to the public and donors. This includes emphasis by some organizations on adoptions and the false perception that less animals are killed because less animals are euthanized. Some of these organizations enter public animal control facilities on a daily or near daily basis, removing for free many of the most adoptable dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. They know that every adoption they make is not only a source of revenue, but may result in a lifetime of donations to their organization from the adopter. They are removing animals that are highly adoptable, and that would be adopted if they remained in the city or public facilities.
     By focusing on feel good animal adoptions and lower euthanasia rates, they ignore basic issues such as animal control and animal cruelty. They will only address animal cruelty if it is a means of getting publicity for themselves, or if it promotes one of their ineffective programs.
     Regarding animal control, many animal organizations could care less how poor is the response to animal control. This includes the response to injured animals and stray animals. The fewer animal control officers, the poorer the response to animal control, the fewer animals will be brought to public facilities. Most stray animals and injured animals living out on the streets are not the animals these organizations covet. Having these animals die out of sight, out of mind on the streets means they can get bragging rights that fewer animals are euthanized. They have no consideration whatsoever for the unfortunate animals that die slow deaths out on the streets. Only a heartless person prefers for animals to die slow deaths out on the streets often out of sight, out of mind, than experience a painless humane death by euthanasia.
     If there were true animal advocates -of which there are few if any- they would look at the response by Chicago and other cities to animal control. This includes looking at the number of calls, the nature of the calls, and what was the response. True animal advocates, this virtually nonexistence group of people, would be appalled at what they would learn. All of this is public information that can be accessed. Unfortunately, many so called animal advocates and animal organizations could care less.
     Likewise, they could care less about the police response to animal cruelty and dogfighting. The poor police response to animal cruelty and dog fighting (with few exceptions), including the record of calls to 911 regarding dogfighting and animal cruelty, have been ignored for decades now by many animal organizations and animal advocates. (Ineffective investigations by token police teams- which are little more than an excuse for larger law enforcement to continue to do little to nothing-and the ineffective and often harmful investigations conducted by a number of animal organizations, have helped animal abusers and dog fighters. This is discussed extensively in previous blogs.)
     If there was a proper response to the crimes of animal cruelty and dog fighting, many city facilities would be flooded with animals. There would be no choice but to dramatically increase euthanasia rates. The no kill movement does not want this. It seems they prefer that dogs die in fights and from cruelty than upset the fiction that no kill is being achieved.
     No kill ignores the fact that animals have to be killed to feed dogs and cats.
     The  movement to keep cats outside in feral colonies, even when the cats are neutered and spayed, means robins, other songbirds and wildlife are killed. Harm also comes to outside cats from vehicles and abusive people that shoot, stab and harm them in other ways.
     If people care about the police response to animal cruelty and dog fighting and the exploitative response from a number of animal organizations, and if people care about animal control - which means caring about millions of animals that are not part of feel good adoptions - then millions of animals will not needlessly suffer from cruelty or from the harsh reality of living out on the streets.
     Animal adoption may be called rescues, but they are not. They are adoptions. Many animal organizations know pet adoptions are highly profitable, tax free money makers. By focusing on adoptions or so called rescues, they get to continue ignoring or exploiting animal cruelty. They get to continue ignoring animal control. The no kill movement and many animal organizations will keep selling feel goodness, hence the misuse of the word rescue. The animals that could be helped and freed from misery, cruelty and pain, is a number that far exceeds all the combined adoptions that take place in the United States. Rescue, such things as running into burning buildings, diving into freezing rivers, running into traffic to save an animal or human being, has been trivialized.
     Feel good adoptions and the fiction of no kill have made a number of animal organizations very wealthy. It enables them to continue ignoring or exploiting issues related to animal cruelty, dogfighting and animal control.
     The harsh truths about animal cruelty, dog fighting, and animal control have long been kept under the rug or exploited, despite the plethora of all kinds of animal organizations and animal advocates.
      Many organizations and the no kill movement in general have helped animal hoarding, ensuring in many instances animals are kept in filthy, overcrowded conditions. There is also the hidden scandal about where many so called no kill shelters get their dogs and cats (which is the subject of an earlier blog).
     Animal misery is made possible not only by those that abuse and neglect, but also by those that are enablers. This includes those animal organizations and animal advocates that have turned a blind eye to animal cruelty and animal control, or that exploit animal cruelty, pain and misery for their own gain.
     Our oceans, our wildlife, much of the tapestry that keeps this precious earth healthy, alive and vibrant, is being damaged beyond repair. This is causing enormous human and animal suffering. The no kill movement and many animal organizations ensure money will keep being diverted away from truly helping not only dogs and cats that suffer, but so much else.