Speak Up! of the Week

Welcome to our first Speak Up! of the week. Every Wednesday you will have the chance to bring real change with the power of your voice as we feature a petition focusing on a current event, legislative issue, court case or a situation where those who need us most need us to Speak Up! Signing petitions is a great way to dip your toes into the animal welfare world as they require only a couple of minutes (at most) of your time but make a huge difference when your signature is added to thousands of others around the world who care just like you.

Created in 1915 by American Humane, Be Kind to Animals Week (May 1st -7th) celebrates our relationship with animals and all the ways we can ensure their humane treatment. In honor of Be Kind to Animals week we will feature a petition sponsored by the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) supporting the passage of the Pet Safety and Protection Act.

As the ASPCA states, "The U.S. Pet Safety and Protection Act would provide a much-needed safety net to ensure that beloved family pets aren't stolen or acquired under false pretenses for sale to research laboratories.

The act would prohibit Class B Dealers -- people who make their livings selling animals to the research industry -- and unlicensed individuals from selling dogs and cats to research labs. Currently, under the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, these people aren't held accountable for where they obtain their animals.

This is a problem because dealers sometimes acquire them through illegal or unethical means -- such as responding to "free to a good home" ads in newspapers, falsifying records to keep the animal's true origins unknown and stealing pets kept in outside yards.

Passing the Pet Safety and Protection will ensure that stolen pets and animals acquired illegally or unethically won't end up in research facilities. Tell Congress to pass the Pet Safety and Protection Act today."

Speak Up! and add your voice here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/714/448/113/ 

For all my Canadian friends, I have not forgotten about you. May 2nd through the 8th in Canada is Puppy Mill Action Week. 

As the Humane Society International: Canada writes, "Because of inadequate laws, puppy mills have proliferated throughout Canada. An estimated 2,000 of these unethical mass breeding facilities operate in Quebec alone. Puppy mills are large scale operations that force "breeder dogs" to produce litter after litter to support consumer demand for purebred pets. These puppies are sold to pet stores across the country and directly to the public over the internet, through newspapers and at the mills. Hidden from the public is the suffering, disease, malnutrition, and loneliness of the breeding dogs confined in the puppy mills. Moreover, puppies produced in puppy mills often suffer from genetic weaknesses and disease, leading to unanticipated, substantial veterinary costs for the unsuspecting purchaser.

BUT YOU CAN HELP: Please join us in writing to your Member of Parliament to demand a strong federal law to stop puppy mills now."

Speak Up! and add your voice here:

http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=104&ea.campaign.id=1745