Rules for carriage horses in NYC

Another long hot summer, another season when their "jobs" must have taken a terrible toll on carriage horses in New York City. A Q & A column in the NYTimes last month spelled out what to do if you witness animal cruelty toward a carriage horse or any animal in NY.

Report it to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Humane Law Enforcement dept. at 212-876-7700, ext. 4450, or humanel@aspca.org. The ASPCA handles these complaints for the city's health dept., whose rules for carriage horses include . . .

1. If the air temp is 90 degrees F or the wet bulb temp ( a humidity indicator) is 85 degrees, drivers must stop working horses and make sure they're cooled off and walked to the stable.

2. In the winter months, they must be covered with blankets while awaiting passengers. (no mention of temperature)

3. Horses must be given at least 15 minutes rest for every two working hours, and cannot be driven faster than at a trot.

4. They must not be worked more than 9 hours in any continuous 24-hour period or during "adverse weather" including snow, ice, heavy rain or other slippery conditions.

5. A veterinarian's exam is required every eight months.

Probably the most laughable rule is the recent City Council requirement at least five weeks' vacation for each horse every 12 months, at a stable allowing access to a paddock or pasture.

Well, all these rules are on the books anyway. And once in a while, one or two of them may even be enforced. Meanwhile, the poor horses plod on.
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Advocates can become lobbyists for a day

Writing letters, phoning and demonstrating -- sure. But if you’ve ever wished you could speak directly to legislators in behalf of animals, here’s your chance.

On Monday, March 14, three animal welfare organizations will partner for Humane Lobby Day at the State House in Trenton, NJ. Between 9 am-3 pm, animal advocates who attend will get lobbying tips and an overview of pending legislation having to do with animals. Then they will meet with their state legislators to advocate for animals.

The day's sponsors are the Humane Society of the US (HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Animal Welfare Institute.

Lobbyists-for-a-day would definitely make a positive difference for animals if they successfully lobby lawmakers to pass these two bills:

· A-2509/S-540 – would authorize courts to include pet protection in domestic violence restraining orders; and
· A-3162/S-539 – would establish racketeering charges for the leaders of dogfighting rings.

Not only would the first bill help protect family pets in households where abuse takes place, but also without animal abuse, or its threat, human victims would find it easier to leave such situations.

Animal fighting alone is horrible enough, but it often involves illegal drugs, gambling and weapons too -- all threats to public safety. The second bill would add teeth to law enforcement efforts against dog fighting.

To lobby for animals on March 14, first register with the HSUS: www.humanesociety.org/njlobbyday.
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Making a good idea better

In New York City, the ASPCA runs a mobile adoption van Thursday-Sunday, year-round, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. The vehicle has a large picture window on one side, through which people can see the animals who need a home.

Most of the prospective adoptees are cats – usually not kittens, but “young adults,” whose personalities are easier to judge.

I’m not sure how I feel about shopping homeless animals around in a van or letting people enter the van to take a look. Doesn’t that commodify the animals involved? I am sure how I feel about adopting them out just like that – without background/home checks – if that’s how it happens. I’m against it.

That van might be put to better use, I think. It could still be driven around, loaded with information about adoptable pets, and how and where. But the bulk of its space might be used for stray cats and dogs that could be picked up for sheltering, and/or serve as an animal ambulance.

What if the van were marked with a toll-free phone number that people could call to report a stray cat or dog? What a kindness for an animal on a bitter cold winter night.

Another use: picking up people and their pets needing to get to a veterinarian. Some people can’t or don’t drive, and sometimes the weather can be a deterrent. At such times, when they might otherwise panic because they can’t get an animal to medical help, there’s the van – with luck, just a call away.

Rare prize to the reader who discovers where, earlier in this blog, the idea for a pet taxi or ambulance was suggested. Just send the answer in a comment.

(For details about the van and its schedule, search on “mobile adoption van” at aspca.org.)
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A graphic reminder

Just a few words about an effective appeal for animals. It’s by and for the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and, as it's intended to do, it probably melts hearts and creates donors.

The image is black and white on an orange ground. In the middle of the square format there’s a circle outlined in black. Inside it, a long-haired “Annie” kind of dog. Barely coming up to his jaw is a cat, looking up, and like the dog, holding something in her mouth.

At first it looks like a frisbee, but then it becomes clear (thanks to the line of type below the circle, reading, “We are their voice”): each animal holds a “talk bubble” – a circle or oval with a pointy part. In cartoon strips, characters’ words would appear in those rounded shapes.

But this image shows, graphically, that we must do the talking for them. And for “talking,” read “speaking up,” “protecting,” “helping,” “taking care of,” “supporting.”

It’s true, and sometimes sadly so: We are their voice.
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