Dear PCRM member:
I was asked by Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. Chad Sandusky to contact you with an important alert! The Jackson County Commission will vote on Tuesday whether to end pound seizure from the County animal shelter. Dogs and cats are currently sold to Class B Dealers and Michigan State University. Please, if you live in Jackson County, contact the Commissioners listed below and tell them to vote to end pound seizure. A sample letter is provided if you'd like to email. If you know anyone in Jackson County, please forward this email to them, or have them call their commissioners. For more information about pound seizure, please see
http://www.pcrm.org/resch/anexp/pound_seizure.html.Dear Commissioner:
Please add my voice to those who are opposed to shelters that are involved with the practice of "pound seizure" -- selling unclaimed shelter animals to research facilities.
There are compelling reasons to stop turning dogs and cats from the local shelter over to laboratories.
>From a scientific standpoint, animals from shelters are not ideal
>research
subjects. Their health condition and genetic history are completely unknown. That’s one reason why most cities that host leading research centers (including Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan) no longer practice pound seizure.
Although some shelter animals are euthanized, that is considerably more humane than conditions in many laboratories. One study found that three-quarters of experiments using mongrel dogs resulted in significant pain, and one-third lasted at least one month. Death by a painful, month-long experimental procedure is not equivalent to euthanasia.
Pound seizure also fosters public mistrust of animal shelters. After all, who wouldn’t be horrified to learn that their missing dog’s last days were spent undergoing a painful experiment?
Thank you,
<your name>
Gary D. Adams: 517-522-8063, gadams@co.jackson.mi.us
Phillip H. Berkemeier: 517-784-0978, pberkemeier@co.jackson.mi.us
Gregory Wilson: 517-787-0797, Gwilson@co.jackson.mi.us
Cliff Herl: 517-569-3202, CHerl@co.jackson.mi.us
Todd Brittain: 517-764-3662, TBrittai@co.jackson.mi.us
John Day: 517-529-9724, JDay@co.jackson.mi.us
Rick Baxter: 517-563-2739, rbaxter@co.jackson.mi.us
Jim Videto: 517-750-1098, JVideto@co.jackson.mi.us
James Shotwell, Jr.: 517-787-4106, JShotwel@co.jackson.mi.us
Gail Mahoney: 517-784-9335, GMahoney@co.jackson.mi.us
Robert Lacinski: 517-787-2155, RLacinsk@co.jackson.mi.us
David Elwell: 517-783-1392, DElwell@co.jackson.mi.us
Please see our Web site (
http://www.pcrm.org/resch/anexp/pound_seizure.html)to get more information about the practice of pound seizure, and do not hesitate to contact me if you would like, using the information below.
Thank you for helping us in our campaigns to promote ethical and effective medical research!
Best regards,
Kristie Stoick, MPH
*************************************
Kristie Stoick, M.P.H.
Research Analyst
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Program Coordinator
Council on Humane Giving
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20016
p 202.686.2210 x335
f 202.686.2216
e kstoick@pcrm.org
www.pcrm.org, www.humaneseal.org*************************************