pet connection

We don’t write about horses much, but the Fugly Horse of the Day has long been one of the featured links in our blogroll. That’s because it fearlesslessly and furiously exposes bad practices in the equine world, everything from overbreeding and improper breeding, husbandry and riding techniques that are unsafe for people and horses, and too-common stories of horses neglected and abused — sometimes by the non-profits that raise money to save them.

Right now Fugly is working on a rescue, and what she has to say about the on-site effort of the HSUS bears reading:

Overall I thought we had a great team comprised of various individuals from rescue that are repo’ing horses from Jason to HSUS staff to National Disaster Animal Rescue Team volunteers (I’m officially the latter). Yes, HSUS is paying for our expenses, and I cannot imagine why anyone would have a problem with that, but I’m still trying to figure out why people are so scared of the HSUS to begin with. Seriously, they are not trying to take over the world. Some of the staff here at this operation eat meat and everything, LOL.

Here, by the way, is more detail on the operation on the HSUS site, and the background, from  HSUS top dog Wayne Pacelle’s blog:

On Tuesday we received a call for help from Habitat for Horses, one of the nation’s largest equine rescue organizations, requesting urgent assistance. We had just 12 hours to gather a response team of expert equine handlers and report to Alliance, Neb. Transporting and properly caring for a herd of large animals is no small feat and it took the coordinated efforts of several animal welfare groups from across the country, as well as the assistance of the local equine community.

The HSUS was charged with the task of securing horse trailers, equine handlers, medical supplies, food, and sheltering supplies. In less than 12 hours our Emergency Services team, with tremendous efforts from our animal cruelty case worker Jackie Beckstead, had gathered a response team and the needed resources and set off for Nebraska.

That’s some freaking awesome response, and it deserves to be noted. While PETA defends its 90 pefcent-plus shelter kill rate, signs up silly celebs to spout nonsense and waves a lot of signs trying to make people believe they’re animal advocates while working towards its goal of no domesticated animals, HSUS puts a great deal of its money to work for animals. Do I agree with every HSUS policy and every HSUS action? Of course not.  But these two national groups are not the same, and it’s time everyone started acknowledging that.

Related: Pacelle’s post on how those who have no problem with factory farming are working to keep their animal cruelty under cover:  They’re being advised to buy equipment that detects electronics such as cameras and videocams:

When confronted with photographic and video evidence of the grim mistreatment of animals inside these facilities, the leaders of these companies typically profess ignorance. They excuse them as isolated cases, outside of the norms of industry, and pledge corrective action.

But what’s the underlying attitude? The unfiltered view?

Well you can find it on Twitter, of all places. David Martosko is the mouthpiece of the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF)—a primary critic of animal welfare groups, nutrition and health advocates, environmentalists, and anti-drunk driving groups. [...] So what does Martosko have to say about the farm animal cruelty that has come to light in case after case?

“Cheap solution to #PETA & #HSUS? Stop animal-rights infiltrators in farms & slaughterhouses … ” He then provided a link to a website that sells a supposed gadget to detect the presence of hidden cameras. (The #-signs indicate Twitter subject tags.)

That’s right, Martosko and his ilk have a simple answer to cruelty. Prevent anyone from seeing it. Don’t fret about the suffering, just stop the chronicling of it.

Concentrated animal feeding operations — a/k/a factory farms — are a public health risk, an ongoing assault to the environment and a system of stomach-turning cruelty to the animals treated like machinery.  They’re also a threat to our national security, since concentrated “modern” animal farming operations make it relatively easy to tain supply and are highly dependent of fossil fuels.

The HSUS is off the mark on many companion animal issues — no kill, reputable breeders and pit bulls included — but they seem to be coming around on a lot of these. Yes, the cynic in me thinks that’s because the public is, and the HSUS wants to keep the donations flowing.  But still …

I’m grateful for their clout and their organizational skill when in comes to many other issues. When they can put boots on the ground for animals as they have in the Nebraska horse rescues and expose cruel and dangerous practices as they did in the California dairy cattle scandal that led to the biggest meat recall in history … well, more power to them.

And I’ve nothing but admiration for Fugly, who puts her muscles where her mouth is when it comes to saving horses.

Side note: CCF/David Martosko has industry-funded reasons for doing so, but the CCF’s bringing to the light Commonwealth of Virginia reports documenting PETA’s shelter kill rate has been a service to animals — and a necessary driver of discussion among people who care about animals.