It’s my personal opinion that many things Dr. Hurley has said gave aid and comfort to the anti-no-kill movement, but she is herself a supporter of that movement.

Some of this is, I believe, a misunderstanding, but there are also issues I’d chalk up to the fact that many veterinarians start to have a bit of a “herd medicine” mindset, which can often result in statements that are horrifying on the level of an individual animal, and definitely contrary to the goal of the no-kill movement. I discussed this with Dr. Hurley and I think her responses were both enlightening and encouraging.

Another factor in play is that people frequently decide if one self-described no-kill shelter is badly managed, that carries over to the entire no-kill movement, but never seem to think that one badly managed, even hellish, traditional shelter tarnishes all traditional shelters. It’s incredibly aggravating, and I think that some of the things Dr. Hurley has said play into that, although I truly don’t think that was her intention.

However, as Gina said, Dr. Hurley can defend herself. These are just my thoughts based on what I’ve seen and heard. I’ll have more to say when my article and the interview have been published.

Nathan is a visionary and a firebrand, and he is a game-changer without whom we not have advanced the idea and the reality of no-kill communities as we have. We will see a different shelter industry in a decade, mark my words, and that’s largely because of Nathan Winograd standing up and calling them out for losing their way.

He is not, however, a bridge-builder, and as visionaries sometimes do, he fails to see that people may be coming to the same place from different starting points.

I have been profoundly unhappy with his treatment of her. He is entitled to his opinions, and I will continue to consider them. But I am entitled to mine: He is off-base on Dr. Hurley, and that’s a damn shame.

Ingrid Newkirk deserves all the shit Nathan has thrown her way, and much, much more.

Dr. Kate Hurley? She’s a grown woman in a tough field, and she doesn’t need me to defend her. But I will nonetheless. She doesn’t deserve this.

http://www.nathanwinograd.com/index.php?s=Hurley