ARAN Sparks National Debate with New Campaign to Stop the Killing of Dogs this Christmas

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"I honestly never gave adopting an animal a second thought until I read about the killing of dogs in pounds. Your striking image in today's Irish Times has certainly sent a shiver down my spine that I now intend on taking a dog from the pound or shelter when the time comes, but more importantly, I will never, ever buy from a breeder again. I wish you all the very best in your noble endeavors".

"A superb piece of publicity, John, and the combination of picture, plus the very extensive text, really bring the problem home. You're a master of management, someday you'll have a political party knocking on your door, begging you to handle their PR profile - wait and see!".

"My heart goes out to all you beautiful people at ARAN for your inspiring and truly dedicated campaigning to save the lives of dogs in the pounds. You've opened my eyes, and my heart".

"Thank god for ARAN, your campaigns are truly changing the entire face of a nation that has been ignorant to the plight of all animals".

"And always a lot of media! That's the power of ARAN. I think we'll copy this demo, it's very good to get the attention for the topic from the media and public! And what works for Ireland will work for Belgium too, I think".

Dear Supporters & Members,

The above is just some of the many emails coming into ARAN since the launch of our new campaign yesterday. The response to our latest initiative is certainly sparking debate across the country and we have no doubt our efforts will spare the lives of dogs this christmas and beyond, keep reading, and be sure to watch our campaign video, here. Official statistics released by the Department of Environment to ARAN for 2010 revealed that over 5,000 dogs were killed in Irish pounds last year, ARAN believes that figure is much higher considering the many thousands of animals who die on the streets due to starvation, disease, accidents and cruelty situations. To combat the problem just in time for christmas, we kicked off a new campaign that will tour various Irish cities that have the highest dog-pound kill rates, a team of campaigners from ARAN laying “dead” in real donated “blood” covered body bags in a cordoned off “crime scene” to symbolise the death of dogs in pounds taken out in bags. Another team spoke with shoppers and the media about the importance of giving a helpless animal a permanent, forever loving home through a shelter or reputable rescue center who are busting at the seems with desperate animals all looking for a good home. A couple of campaigners held posters with an image of a dead dog with the tagline ‘Buying Animals is Killing Animals, Adopt – Don’t Buy'. The event struck a serious cord with the many who stopped-by to get a glimpse of what was going on. 

National radio station 4FM kicked off ARAN’s campaign less than 24 hours before it being launched, the programme also enabled us to talk about other campaigns such as veganism, blood sports, animal-act circuses, animal experiments and our campaign to ban fur factory farming in Ireland. The morning of our event, online news sites including Sligo Today, Breaking News and Irish Examiner ran articles, whilst radio stations were lining ARAN up for interviews. Dublin’s 98FM, FM104, Newstalk, Today FM, Beat FM, Tipperary FM and others were also covering the campaign that went out to thousands of listeners. Shortly after our event, the Irish Times ran a fantastic article and covered our campaign the following day with a huge picture showing our ‘Buying Animals is Killing Animals, Adopt - Don’t Buy’ campaign poster. Irish speaking newspaper Gaelsceal is also covering the campaign. Online websites such as Broadsheet picked up on the campaign that stirred debate amongst their readers, and websites as far-afield as Korea, Holland and India picked up on the issue too. If people who bought dogs from breeders had to face the consequences right then and there, they would be a lot more likely to do the right thing and adopt from an animal shelter instead. No matter how they do the math, buying an animal from a breeder adds up to killing a homeless animal in an animal shelter.

YOU CAN HELP STEM THE TIDE OF DOGS DYING IN POUNDS:-

1. If you are looking to give an animal a permanent loving home, always adopt and never breed or buy.
2. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter about the importance of the above. Contact ARAN for a copy of our ‘Buying Animals is Killing Animals’ poster used during our Grafton Street event.
3. Write a letter to your local or national newspapers explaining the importance of adopting a shelter dog or cat. Contact ARAN for a list of your local newspapers and tips on effective letter writing.
4. Always spay and neuter your companion animal and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

ARAN is now fighting animal abuse sixteen years. We could never be Ireland's most effective, active, vibrant and outspoken voice for animals if it were not for our loyal army of now almost 4,000 supporters, and a team of tenacious, dedicated volunteers spanning most parts of the country, thank you.

ARAN

‘Fighting animal abuse across Ireland’

P.S. This is not the first time in the space of two weeks that we’ve stepped in to help animals! Many supporters may recall two pigs running from a farm in Ennis, Co. Clare. Shortly after the animals were caught, ARAN picked up on the story and offered to buy the animals and retire them to caring sanctuaries that we had lined up. Using the opportunity to make the connection that all animals have the same feelings just like dogs and cats, media coverage enabled us to get the plight of these animals and the feelings of all animals on live on Clare FM, with print articles appearing in Clare Herald, Clare Champion, Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Independent, Irish Star, Irish Sun and Irish Examiner. Sadly the farmers did not come out and offer the animals to ARAN, however our message of kindness towards animals was heard loud and clear. Also today, Irish speaking newspaper, Foinse, is covering ARAN's ban fur factory farming in Ireland campaign.

 

YouTube - Videos from this email

Breaking News: New Investigation Exposes Ireland's Shameful Fur Farms, Again!

Dear Supporters,

ARAN, Respect for Animals and the Animal, Anima and Fur Free Alliance (FFA) have released the findings of a new 2011 undercover investigation into Ireland's shameful fur factory farms, showing that yet again, animal suffering, is still very much business as usual. The recently obtained footage from an Irish mink farm, reveals images of animal suffering, including painful injuries on mink's tails; cramped, aged and filthy cages riddled with the animal faeces, and more shockingly the images of stressed, traumatised and balding animals; which spotlights the stereotypical behavior associated with intensive farming. Ireland's government are seeking submissions into Irish fur farms which close on December 31. The campaign received impressive media coverage including a full page exclusive article in the Irish Daily Mirror with a follow up from Irish newspaper, Foinse, radio stations such as Ocean FM, Highland Radio, Radio Kerry and Near FM also covering the issue. To launch the campaign, a giant mobile billboard shadowed the Department of Agriculture in Dublin with a message 'FUR FARMING: TIME FOR A BAN,' before taking to the streets to garner public support. Click here to see the billboard in action. 

Take action to ban fur factory farms now. Log onto our brand new website www.banfurfarms.ie to see the investigation, and then let our politicians know how you feel about animal abuse, and we've also made it easy and convenient for you to do so. Type a short message on the link inside the website, include your contact details, press send, and our legislators will know how you feel.

Ireland's outspoken vet on animal welfare, Peter Wedderburn had the following to say upon reviewing the footage.  "In the video footage of the mink farm, there were several aspects that cause specific concerns. The animals seem to be kept at a high stocking rate, causing forced proximity to one another, with consequent social pressures that lead to repeated bouts of fighting. Episodes of fighting are demonstrated on the video. This in turn results in physical injuries, with one mink shown to have an open wound on its tail and another with the end of its tail completely severed. The mink cages have wire mesh flooring. This may be convenient from a management point of view to prevent body waste accumulating, but from an animal welfare perspective, a solid floor is preferable. Wire mesh can be a stressful underfoot surface, requiring the animal to choose its footing carefully to avoid the feet slipping through the gaps, and the narrow gauge of the wire can lead to pressure sores on the feet. Farmed animals should be given the opportunity to express natural behaviours, and it’s difficult to see how this is possible for the mink in the video. They are enclosed in a small, empty space, with no other objects or activities for them to engage with. This is likely to create serious ongoing stress. The gross accumulation of matted faeces in and around the cages is indicative of a poor level of hygiene, with increased risk of ill health as a consequence."

At a news conference held by ARAN, Respect for Animals and Denmark's Anima, on Wednesday, November 30, we called on the government to implement in the upcoming Animal Health & Welfare Bill the original ban on Irish fur factory farming by 2012 as agreed in the previous programme for government. We've got one real chance remaining to ban fur farming in Ireland and we need to pull out all the stops now which is why ARAN and our colleagues are working round the clock, however, we cannot do this alone. Please ensure to send your emails to call on our Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, to ban fur farming in Ireland and to ensure it's part of the upcoming Animal Health and Welfare Bill. If you need any assistance with your email or letter get in touch with us.

Please stand with us as we charge ahead to bring fur factory farming in Ireland to an end, because together, we can make a difference.

ARAN