Forwarded message - please reply to agianotto@pet-abuse.com

An open letter to animal advocates

Dear animal advocates,

There are few in society that can understand your frustration, your
pain, your horror at the terrible cruelty and grave injustices
carried out every day more than I can. I know how it feels to be
hurting so much and to be so angry at the senseless violence that
your whole body shakes when you think about what happened. The tears
flow, the fists clench, and the anger boils up inside you until you
feel as if you'll burst. I admire and respect you for taking the time
to try to change things by attending court hearings, writing letters,
calling local media, and all of the other things you do to try and
transform that agony into action.

But I must ask you to consider the big picture here - and if you are
unable to conduct yourselves with dignity and grace, I must ask that
you reconsider speaking out. Every time an animal advocate becomes
belligerent and loses control, it only serves to further the
stereotype that animal advocates are all lunatics.

A perfect example is the recent case in Didsbury, Canada:
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/9745/. While I was thrilled to see so
many people attend Monday's court hearing, my heart sank when I saw
the behavior of some of the attendees there.

Every time you pick up a pen to write a letter, every time you pick
up the phone to make a phone call, and every time you attend a court
hearing, you are not only a representative of yourself, you are a
representative of every animal advocate and the work they do. Your
conduct directly impacts how seriously we as a group are taken by
other members of society. The members of our communities who
disregard animal cruelty are constantly attempting to paint animal
advocates as uneducated, maniacal fringe-dwellers and we must not
give them ammunition to do so.

We are doctors, we are lawyers, we are teachers and students, mothers
and fathers - but the moment we lose control, we lose the battle.
Shouting, making threats, becoming abusive - all that does is
reinforce the concepts that we are nothing more than lunatic
extremists. Believe it or not, animal control officers, humane law
enforcement, and prosecuting attorneys who are up against a tough
judge want you in their courtroom. They want you to show your support
for their cases and encourage strong and swift justice - but only if
you are able to remain calm. Your presence alone, quiet and
respectful, accomplishes what we are attempting to accomplish and
sends the message that justice must be served.

I understand how angry you are - I promise you I do. But you must
remain calm, you must remain respectful and you must use every ounce
of restraint you can muster, even when staring down demons. Or you
must stay home.

Sincerely,
Alison L. Gianotto
President/CEO
agianotto@pet-abuse.com
1-888-523-PETS ext. 100

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AnimalAbuseReports
Recent Animal Abuse Reports

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group 11/11/06