Valentine’s weekend = a fine time to show your love for animals by demonstrating against fur and/or the carriage horse trade. Just as it’s true that Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean death for turkeys, it’s also true that Valentines doesn’t have to mean fur coats (thanks to slaughtered animals) or “romantic” carriage rides (thanks to cruelly abused horses).
Can’t humans just celebrate their holidays and leave animals alone?!
* Caring Activists Against Fur will hold a major demo in NYC this weekend. Here are the specs (from the website: www.caafgroup.com):
Saturday, Feb. 13 - Have a Heart march and protest in NYC
1:00 - 1:15 gather at Columbus Circle
1:15 - 1:30 march down Central Park South
1:30 - 3:00 protest in front of Bergdorf Goodman 754 Fifth Avenue (57th and 58th Sts.)
* On Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14, three groups against horse-drawn carriages (Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages [www.banhdc.org], Friends of Animals [friendsofanimals.org], Heart for Animals) will sponsor “a peaceful demo and rally to protest the inhumane and unsafe horse-carriage trade,” from 1-3 pm. On “a day of love and kindness to all” (including horses, for a change!) they invite participants to meet at Central Park South and 5th Avenue, near the hack line. Demonstrators will ask people not to make a date with cruelty by boycotting horse-drawn carriages.
Love means never wearing fur or riding in horse-drawn carriages.
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2 comments:
It's really a shame that your thinking is so skewed.
You should try thinking for yourself, rather than parroting the talking points you hear from others.
The welfare of the horses is what the decent-minded, casual observer is truly interested in, and for good reason. The horse-drawn carriages are a New York City icon; they are ambassadors to our visitors, and the horses themselves are working animals that are entitled to proper care and good handling.
Fortunately, our record reflects exactly that. Our horses lead exceedingly reasonable and content lives. They each receive a superior, formulated diet, occupy roomy box stalls, receive vet & farrier care, and are groomed and bathed regularly. This amounts to food, shelter, and medical care - which many CHILDREN in this city do not have.
Beyond these basics, they are loved by their owners/drivers; they receive affection, treats, and human interaction everyday.
Every stable has a sprinkler system in case of fire, and every stable has 24/7 stablemen. We are overseen by 5 city agencies, and not one WEEK goes by (and sometimes, day) that our horses are not checked by the ASPCA or the Dept of Health. (Let’s see Child Protective Services match that record)
The horses receive rotation turnout several times a year on farms in both Upstate NY and PA.
When the time comes, we retire them to loving, forever homes; some of the owners retire them themselves on privately owned land. I personally have retired 3 horses, one of which is still living the life of Riley after being retired 6 years ago in South Jersey at a bank president’s home.
Anybody hell-bent on putting carriages out of business should hop on down to the auction & buy a slaughter-bound horse and care for it for the rest of its natural life. That would actually be doing something to help the horses, not hurt them.
The epidemic of abandoned horses across the country is due to what is being called a “perfect storm” of a slow economy, highfeed prices, &recent national outlawing of slaughterhouses. This is a mammoth crisis - 1000s of horses being left to waste away in fields &paddocks, or surrendered to over-crowded rescues. Closing down a business where horses lead content & exceedingly reasonable existences will only ADD to this problem.
A well-loved, cared-for horse with a job is a lucky horse.
What have YOU done for a horse lately?
And if you are so fond of Peter Singer, WHY do you have a pic of yourself with a pet? Humans keeping domestic animals is a form of slavery, didn't you learn that from that fool?
Wake up and grow up.
"Anybody hell-bent on putting carriages out of business should hop on down to the auction & buy a slaughter-bound horse and care for it for the rest of its natural life."
Domesticated animals shouldn't be produced in the first place, but once they are here, we're stuck with having to care for them. We shouldn't be in that situation in the first place, but since we are, we should be courteous enough not to enslave them pulling carriages, etc. "Pets" are domesticated animals, too. Again, they shouldn't have been produced in the first place, but we have to care for them once they are here since we forced them into existence.
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