Monday, November 17, 2008

Reward offered for tips on animal fighting in MN

Updated: 11/17/2008 12:30:39 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Various Minnesota law enforcement agencies are teaming up with the Humane Society of the United States to fight dogfighting and cockfighting.

The society is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in illegal animal fighting.

Jill Fritz is Minnesota state director for The Humane Society. She says cockfighting and dogfighting are cruel blood sports that hurt both animals and the surrounding communities.

They are also illegal. Cockfighting and dogfighting are felonies in Minnesota, punishable by imprisonment of at least one year and one day.

The new reward for information was announced at a news conference Friday at the state Capitol.

Organizers say the reward program has been made possible through a grant from the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation.


(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All Material Copyright 2008 KARE-11. All Rights Reserved.

Friday, November 14, 2008

No Kill Nation

I second these remarks from Mike Fry of Animal Ark:

From: Animal Ark Outreach
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 2:13 PM
Subject: Closer to a No Kill Nation

Applause for Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
A few months ago, I posted a blog about the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, and his continued change in language in favor of no kill. When I posted that blog, I was hopeful that the change in language represented a seismic shift in the animal welfare community in the United States. Recent news suggests that my hopes have been realized, to a certain degree.

In a recent ad promoting adoptions from shelters, and launched by Maddie's Fund, HSUS and the Ad Council, Wayne Pacelle, CEO of HSUS states, "It will make a life-saving difference in securing loving homes for untold numbers of pets and get us closer to a no-kill nation."

Wow. That is a big deal.

But, perhaps more importantly, Pacelle goes on to suggest that the "needless" killing being done in animal shelters is, at least, in part, the fault of animal shelters that have not done enough to save the lives of dogs and cats in their care.

This is on the heals of the announcement by HSUS that Susanne Kogut and Bonney Brown will be speaking at HSUS Expo in 2009. Both of these animal welfare advocates manages shelters that maintain the no kill status of their entire community.

The importance of this shift cannot be understated. Locally, here in Minnesota, we have a very wealthy humane organization that continues to misrepresent and deride the no kill movement in the United States. Historically, HSUS has provided political cover for such organizations. This shift suggests that those days are gone forever.


Read what Nathan Winograd from the No Kill Advocacy Center has to say about this development on his blog.