A founder of an Oregon rescue faces federal fraud conspiracy charges after having over 100 animals seized from her operation. She faces separate charges of neglect, identify theft, and forgery.
What really gets our attention are the 280 counts of misrepresenting animal health and behavior to potential customers. Aside from the emotional toll of an ailing pet, chronic issues can place a massive financial burden on a new owner. While many owners expect and even plan for their pets' occasional illnesses or medical emergencies, knowingly passing on sick or aggressive pets is just deplorable. Unscrupulous practices such as these are not only unethical and dangerous, they also cast a shadow on the reputation of other rescues.
That this woman was allegedly able to cheat so many customers speaks to the fact that people want dogs, and that they find the idea of adopting - or "saving" - a dog especially appealing. The human-animal bond is powerful, and pets are certainly a place where we often lead with our hearts rather than our brains. This makes the damage - to trust, public safety, and to the reputation of all the rescue groups that do a great job - especially egregious.
Last December, a 22 year-old dog sitter's face was "erased" in a horrific dog attack. She suffered more than 800 bites, had to be placed in a medically induced coma for a week, and is now enduring grueling physical therapy while looking ahead to countless more reconstructive surgeries.
After her miraculous survival, her goal is to serve as an example and spur change - maybe even become a dog trainer at some point. Her love for dogs has not been extinguished by this brutal attack, and she can see herself helping to create a world where dog owners are more aware of and accountable for their animals' behaviors.
When something this awful happens, one of the first responses for many of us is to blame someone or something, and this blame will likely - conveniently - be covered by our own biases. Breed ban advocates will immediately note that one of the dogs was a pit bull mix and think "Aha. Knew it!" Someone who has dealt with rescues that seem to value "live placement" over owner compatibility (or even public safety!) might wonder what - if any - behavioral assessment these dogs received before being rehomed. And if you've ever had a dog act aggressively toward you, only to have the owner explain "No, you're the one who is wrong. Pooky is actually really sweet!" or make excuses for its dangerous behavior - well, you get the picture. We all want justice, and we all bring our own baggage, too. But most of all, it's important to remember that no matter what our angle is, we don't want anything like this to happen again.
Australia has a serious invasive species problem. If it isn't cane toads or rabbits, it's cats and foxes. The biodiversity of Australia is unique and fragile. Nowhere else on earth has the number of marsupials it does, nor does any other place have monotremes - mammals that lay eggs. And invasive species, like the fox, are wreaking havoc on those delicate ecosystems.
Foxes were introduced in the 1800s after the British colonized Australia. They wanted to bring over their favorite pastime: fox hunting. So, along with more people and cats and black rats, foxes adapted to their new surroundings and proliferated. Unfortunately, the cost of the fox's success was the downfall of several different small animals. Foxes have decimated populations of reptiles, birds, and mammals, some to the point of extinction, like the desert rat-kangaroo. This, coupled with the feral cat population, has conservationists desperate for Australia to step up their (invasive) predator management programs.
Arabian camels, the one-humped Dromedary, have lived alongside man as domesticated pack animals for thousands of years. They are smart, reliable, hardy, and even affectionate to their closest handlers. Camels provide transportation, milk, meat, and even barter value in lieu of cash on hand. They have been exported to several countries, since they are so versatile - Australia has herds of them in the outback. In the United States, camels have an interesting past. Historically the US Army experimented with using camels to travel across the southwest during the mid nineteenth century. Today we use them for rides, live nativity scenes, petting zoos, and even camel dairies (camel's milk is easier to digest for people who cannot tolerate cow's milk).
But don't let this fool you into a false sense of security. Camels can be very dangerous when upset or spooked. Bulls can easily weigh 1,200 lbs, and grow canine teeth to crush woody plants, or bite one another in camel skirmishes. Males fight like male giraffes and slam necks until one falls down. Then they are pinned to the ground by the chest pad of the winner. Even females can bite and pin down a threat to protect their babies.
Sadly, an accident at a Tennessee petting zoo resulted in the death of two men and ultimately the camel. The men were killed when they tried to gain control of a bull camel in rut that had escaped. When authorities arrived, the camel turned on them and had to be put down immediately for everyone's safety. This is rare with camels in human care, but it is not impossible. Working with animals of all shapes and sizes carries an inherent risk and that is something all caretakers accept when caring for their charges.
Ellen Kessler, a Colorado animal-rights activist who was appointed to the state veterinarian board by Governor Jared Polis, was recently charged with 13 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. The charges stem from the conditions her birds were being kept in. It was what you'd expect from an animal control seizure: dirt, mice, feces, and a lot of sick birds. One bird was found dead, while another died shortly after being removed from her home.
Kessler, a vegan with strong opinions about Colorado's ranchers and 4-H specifically, and animal agriculture generally, has been a controversial and incendiary figure since her appointment by Governor Polis in 2020. In fact, she felt compelled to step down last January after calling ranchers "lazy" and "nasty" in a Facebook post. Given the judgmental hostility she has displayed toward others, some snarky "those in glass houses..." or "who watches the watchers?" commentary may be tempting. However, we do not know the specifics of her case or personal life at the time of the animals' seizure, nor has her court date arrived yet.
