PETA sounds crazier all the time; latest letter deceptive, irresponsible and paranoid

PETA recently distributed a breathtakingly dishonest and irresponsible letter over the signature of its Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovich.  Not only is the letter deceptive and mean, it is also bizarrely paranoid. 

The letter speaks of their “opponents,” by which PETA appears to mean their opponents with respect to legislation before the Virginia General Assembly, since their call to action is for recipients of the letter to contact their state delegates and senators to proclaim their support for PETA. While the letter never calls the “opponents” by name, we all know what is really meant: the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies, the Richmond SPCA, Alley Cat Allies, the Norfolk SPCA and others who have dared to stand up to PETA with regard to their killing of about 90% of the thousands of dogs and cats that come into their Norfolk facility and who supported Senate Bill 1381 which became law in 2015. That law simply says that private animal shelters in Virginia must have as their purpose the adoption of companion animals to permanent homes. PETA has fought its passage, and more recently its enforcement, tooth and nail.

In this despicable mass mailing, PETA tells people that we, their “opponents,” want to see dogs “suffer at the end of a heavy chain” and that we prefer that cats “die in agony.” Yes, that we WANT to see these things happen to animals. It also says that we do not want PETA to provide free and low-cost spay and neuter services for pets. And, that we want PETA to “do nothing to help animals even when they suffer from chronic pain and horrific injuries.” What on earth are they talking about? These ravings are insane and paranoid. 

When the Richmond SPCA rescued Peanut his condition might have appeared hopeless, but we have treated his cancer and restored him to health.

The Richmond SPCA and the other organizations to which these hateful words are directed have been committed to saving animal lives for decades and have saved the lives of, as well as have spayed and neutered, many more dogs and cats than has PETA. 

So, let me right here and now provide PETA with the correct information to help them to stop lying to their donors and spewing crazy and venomous paranoia:

1. The Richmond SPCA was the motivating force behind the City of Richmond’s adoption of the earliest, toughest anti-chaining ordinance in the state, so stop saying that we want dogs to suffer on chains. That is absurd and everyone knows it.
2. We most certainly do not want PETA to do nothing to help animals who are suffering from painful injuries as it claims. Why would we ever want that? We want PETA to do what we do – treat the injuries of the homeless dogs and cats in its care and save their lives rather than ending their lives. PETA has an annual budget of more than $40 million and takes in about half the number of animals we do.  It should be treating and saving every single treatably sick or injured animal that comes into its care. Its steadfast unwillingness to answer any questions about how it determines whether and when an animal should be euthanized causes all of us to understandably question whether PETA is treating the treatable ones. Given PETA’s enormous financial resources, it is absolutely shameful for PETA to not provide full medical treatment for all animals it receives that have treatable medical conditions.
3. We are not “ignoring” a “homeless animal crisis” in Virginia. There is no such thing. There are certainly still many homeless animals who need our help but, due to the hard and committed work of private Virginia humane organizations, other than PETA, there are fewer such animals each year and more of them are living.  Let’s share with the public the actual statistics: In 2004, private agencies took in 91,915 dogs and cats and euthanized 33% of them, and public agencies took in 143,324 dogs and cats and euthanized 51% of them. A decade later, in 2014, the most recent year for which there are statistics, private agencies took in 102,708 dogs and cats and euthanized 10% of them while, that same year, public agencies took in 120,932 dogs and cats and euthanized 34% of them. This means that statewide over the past decade, private agencies are performing a larger part of the sheltering and their rate of euthanasia has declined by 66% while the public shelters are being required to do less and their euthanasia rate has declined by 43%.  Clearly, animal homelessness is declining and related life saving statewide is improving. While these outcomes are still not where we want them to be, it is dishonest to call it a crisis. We are clearly doing the right things and we need to do more of it in order for Virginia to become a no-kill state.
4. As stated above, the rate of euthanasia statewide for private agencies is 10% (even for public shelters statewide, it is 34%) but for the dogs and cats entering PETA’s Norfolk facility in 2014 it was 88.5%. Why on earth are PETA’s outcomes so wildly out of step with the rest of the state? They love to claim, with no support, that they take the worst of the worst.  One must wonder why there would be so many homeless animals in Norfolk that are in so much worse condition than those in the rest of the state. 
5. While we are on the subject of revealing statistics, over the last five years, the Richmond SPCA has taken into its care 17,770 dogs and cats and has euthanized less than 1% of them while PETA has taken in 10,944 dogs and cats and has euthanized 90% of them. So we don’t need or wish to “misrepresent” PETA’s “work” as it claims in its letter, since the truth is so very appalling all on its own.
6. Far from opposing its providing spaying and neutering services on a low and no cost basis, we applaud PETA for providing those services. We have provided those same services to our community too. We have done so for more than 13 years. Spaying and neutering is a crucial component of ensuring that Virginia becomes a no-kill state. 

PETA has hired a bunch of very expensive lobbyists to help them to get their way before the General Assembly in the coming session. They want to be sure that they can keep on killing an enormous number of animals with no questions asked. Clearly, the questions that we are asking about the numbers of animals they kill and the specter of having to actually operate their shelter with the purpose of adopting animals to homes is very upsetting to them. That is why they are throwing their vast resources at it in order to get their way.

Anastasia had been severely neglected before being taken in by the Richmond SPCA. Now she has a loving home and a new name, Coco.

PETA’s sending out that letter was a big mistake. No one is going to believe this stuff, least of all people who really care about animals. When you say that organizations such as ours WANT to see animals suffer and die and WANT to prevent spaying and neutering services from being provided, it makes you look desperate and crazy. It makes you look like a bunch of liars. It makes you look like what you are.

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Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires both your first and last name to be used as your screen name.

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Comments

[Lee Anne Holdren]

Excellent post. I hope the Virginian-Pilot publishes it.

[LCave]

Peta is despicable! What a disgraceful letter to send out at Christmas time! Mrs. Starr's response is very well written and facts of the good these other non-profits cannot be disputed.

[Jill Tinsley]

Thank you for your clear & concise response to Peta's continued craziness. How can we make their madness stop? They clearly don't have homeless animals best interest by euthanize at such a high percentage rate.

[[email protected]]

as i've said before-"preach it ,sister!" peta wants no pets in captivity. until their donations(by well-meaning, but clueless people) dry up, they will have the monies to twist its real agenda.

[Jeff Melton]

Excellent job of specifically rebutting PETA's various ridiculous claims. I wish you would edit out the ableist language ("crazy," "insane"), though. Anyway, thanks for fighting so hard for the right of companion animals, homeless or otherwise, to live out their lives.

[Lesley Hollowell]

Thank you for this intelligent and specific response to the ravings of PETA, an organization I am ashamed to have operating in Virginia. Thanks too for your many years of unflagging work on behalf of animals in need. Your compassion and dedication set the standard for all animal welfare agencies operating with a conscience.