IDA's e-news: 8/10/05

Table of Contents:
1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for August: Hero to Denver's Pit Bulls
2. Feral Cat Summit 2005 is Coming
3. Continental Airlines Aids Cockfighting Cruelty
4. Campbell Soup Co. Sponsors Rodeo Violence
5. Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Goes Bankrupt


1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for August: Hero to Denver's Pit Bulls

Toni Phillips started rescuing dogs in 1990 after moving to a rural area in Dallas/Fort Worth, Tex. Having grown up in Seattle, Wash. and fresh from living in San Francisco, Calif., Toni had never before experienced the tragedy of finding dogs and puppies "dumped" along the highway in the remote country to survive on their own. She immediately began bringing these abandoned dogs home, an effort that was supported by her husband Mike, who quickly took an active role in the cause. The couple fostered and sought loving homes for all the deserted dogs they could find, and continued rescuing canines when they moved to Branson, Mo.

In 1998, the Phillips moved to Colorado, and in 2003 bought property in the forested mountains of Divide where they founded Mariah's Promise, a safe haven and sanctuary for dogs named for a five-week-old puppy who fought a losing battle against parvo when their land purchase was being negotiated. Located just south of Denver, Mariah's Promise was perfectly placed to become the hub of an urgent rescue mission when an indiscriminate ban on pit bulls began to tear beloved canine companions from their guardians in May 2005.

Toni and Mike heard in April that the ban would soon be reinstated, so they posted signs around Denver offering to find permanent homes for pit bulls with new families or temporarily foster people's dogs at their sanctuary until they could relocate to new cities. Sadly, just weeks later, many guardians stood helplessly by as their dogs were driven away in Denver Animal Control vans, the majority to be killed because of their breed. Dogs taken in by Mariah's Promise were the lucky ones, having survived the mass extermination that is still well underway in Denver. Mariah's Promise has so far saved the lives of 73 pit bull dogs and puppies victimized by the ban, with more arriving by the week. Of those, 22 have been given a fresh start in new, loving homes outside of Denver's city limits. Mariah's Promise has also worked with other no-kill rescue organizations outside of Colorado, transporting dogs across state lines to make room for the constant influx of Denver exiles, which will only increase should breed-specific bans pass in neighboring communities.

Toni and Mike have managed to keep Mariah's Promise going while simultaneously running a family business, and have built their "Denver Refugee Camp" (which includes numerous dog houses and kennels) from donations provided by generous dog lovers. With the long, cold winter on the way, Mariah's Promise is now focused on building 10' x 10' climate controlled doghouses with outside runs to keep the dogs warm through the frigid winter months. Seed money provided by the Max Fund was essential to get this project off the ground, but now the sanctuary needs all the funds they can get to continue saving the lives of as many dogs as possible.

What You Can Do

- To help pay for food, shelter, veterinary care and other necessary expenses, please send checks to:

Mariah's Promise
4027 CR 5
P.O. Box 1017
Divide, CO 80814

You can also donate using your credit card on IDA's website at https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations and designating "Mariah's Promise" or "pit bulls" in the First Name field of the "in honor of" section of the form.

- Mariah's Promise has many loving dogs who need permanent, loving homes and families to take care of them. Visit http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=1&pet.Shelterid=CO117&preview=1 to see a listing of their available dogs. If you are interested in adopting a new friend, contact Toni at mariahspromise [at] msn.com , (719) 687-4568 or (719) 651-4733. If you write an email, be sure to put "POTENTIAL ADOPTER" in the subject line of your message.

- Learn more about the ban and the efforts being made to help pit bulls at http://www.idausa.org/denver_frame.html.

IDA is proud to salute Toni Phillips and recognize her dedication to dogs by naming her our Guardian of the Month for August 2005. Congratulations, Toni, and keep fighting the good fight!


2. Feral Cat Summit 2005 is Coming

IDA - in partnership with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Alliance for Philadelphia's Animals and the Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals - is proud to co-present the 2nd Annual National Feral Cat Summit. This one-day conference will feature presentations and workshops by feral cat experts and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) leaders from around the country, including Esther Mechler (SPAY USA), Dr. Margaret Slater (Texas A&M University professor), Kit Jenkins (PETsMART Charities), Anitra Frazier (author of "The New Natural Cat"), Bryan Kortis (Neighborhood Cats) and IDA's Valerie Sicignano. Presentations will emphasize practical information and instruction to help participants more effectively advocate for feral cats and implement TNR programs in their communities.

What: 2nd Annual National Feral Cat Summit 2005
When: Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Where: Wyndham Philadelphia at Franklin Plaza, 17th & Race Streets, Philadelphia, Penn. (click http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/PHLFP/mapanddirections/main.wnt?param=1 for directions)

Registration is $40 before September 1 and $50 thereafter (the registration fee includes a vegan lunch). For the complete program and registration information, please visit http://www.neighborhoodcats.org .


3. Continental Airlines Aids Cockfighting Cruelty

Most people find the idea of strapping razor-sharp blades to roosters' legs and setting them on each other in a fight to the death appalling, but in many parts of the world thousands of dollars are wagered on the outcome of such a bloody spectacle. Though it is normal for roosters to challenge one another over food, mates or territory, these disputes rarely end in serious injury. Those who train roosters for cockfighting exploit this natural trait by isolating and tormenting individual birds, using terror tactics to turn them into killers. As a result of competing in this "sport," gamecocks typically suffer from broken bones, ruptured eyes and punctured lungs. Such injuries are most often fatal, and usually one of the birds doesn't make it out of the ring alive: sometimes even the "winner" dies soon after the fight ends.

Cockfighting is already illegal in all but two states in the U.S., and is punishable as a felony offense in 31 states. Yet every year, Continental Airlines transports thousands of roosters bred and trained to kill from the U.S. to the Island of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands of Rota, Saipan and Tinian. Breeders routinely claim that these roosters have been raised for breeding purposes or bird shows, but certain telltale features unique to fighting birds (such as trimmed combs, wattles and earlobes) evidently indicate otherwise.

Although Continental officially prohibit the shipment of animals for fighting purposes on paper, they still transport roosters with clear characteristics of fighting birds. Over 90% of the birds used for fighting in Guam and the Marianas are imported from the U.S., so the airline can potentially strike a huge blow against cockfighting in these areas by more rigorously enforcing their existing policy against transporting animals used for fighting.

What You Can Do

Please write a polite letter to the CEO of Continental Airlines, Larry Kellner, urging him to end Continental's transport of gamecocks by enforcing the company's current policies and implementing the following recommendations:
- Inspect birds for transport, and reject those with characteristics typical of gamecocks.
- Carefully inspect birds shipped in individual crates (those trained for fighting will engage in violence and cannot be kept together).
- Require that the Certificate of Animal Health include a signed statement from a veterinarian that the bird will not be used for the purpose of fighting.

Larry Kellner
Chief Executive Officer
Continental Airlines
P.O. Box 4607
Houston, TX 72210-4607

If you have questions or want additional information about Continental Airlines' role in the transport of gamecocks to Guam and the Marianas, please contact IDA Program Coordinator Karen Steele at Karen [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641 ext. 217.


4. Campbell Soup Co. Sponsors Rodeo Violence

Over the 125 years they've been in business, the Campbell Soup Co. has carefully crafted a wholesome image for themselves and their "family" of products. Yet behind the warm, smiling faces and cute cartoon characters that dominate Campbell's advertisements hides a far darker reality: direct financial sponsorship (through their subsidiary Pace Foods) of the rodeo - a cruel "sport" that every year injures, maims and kills thousands of animals.

Few rodeo spectators realize that horses, cows, calves and bulls are normally docile animals who are only made to appear wild and dangerous so that the cowboys will seem brave and daring. Handlers therefore agitate these otherwise gentle creatures with electric prods, flank straps, ropes and spurs for the "entertainment" of the crowd. Regular rodeo events include chasing baby calves on horseback and lassoing them around the neck, jumping from horses on top of steers and twisting their heads to force them into the dirt, and riding "bucking broncos" who are actually domesticated horses leaping frantically in the air only because of the severe pain that is being deliberately inflicted on them.

Campbell's also sponsors rodeos that include steer roping, an event so overtly cruel that it is illegal in all but a handful of western states. In steer roping, a cowboy on horseback lassos a running steer around the neck and tautens the rope so that the 500-600 lb. animal flips over in the air and crashes to the ground on his back. Through Pace, Campbell's actually sponsors an individual steer roper, yet company officials continue to deny that their support for the rodeo harms animals.

What You Can Do

The Illinois-based animal advocacy group SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) is campaigning to end Campbell's rodeo sponsorship through an international boycott of their products. They are also urging consumers to express their disapproval of Campbell's support for rodeos through letters and phone calls to the company. Please call or write the Campbell Soup Co. to politely let them know that you will not buy any of their products until they stop sponsoring the rodeo. Visit http://www.sharkonline.org/index.php?&page=0000000274 to learn more about SHARK's campaign, see a list of Campbell's products, read sample letters and get contact information.


5. Atkins Nutritionals Inc. Goes Bankrupt

Only a few short years ago, Americans seemed obsessed with a controversial diet that proclaimed eating carbohydrates an unhealthy addiction and high-protein foods like meat and cheese the key to fitness and weight loss. Now, as Atkins Nutritionals Inc. files for bankruptcy protection, the reign of the once-popular Atkins diet finally seems over.

Nutritionists from across the spectrum have long criticized Atkins for claiming that people could gorge themselves on fatty, cholesterol-laden meat and dairy products without long-term negative health effects (so long as they avoided carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, rice and pasta). Atkins' recommendations contradicted decades of nutritional research linking high-protein, carbohydrate-restricted diets to increased risk for almost every major degenerative illness, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. By advising people to consume a meat- and dairy-based diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol, Atkins damaged the health of tens of millions of people around the world.

Atkins also raised the ire of animal advocates and vegans, who condemned the intensification of factory farming that followed the rise of the Atkins diet. In the years that Atkins held sway over dieters, his influence likely caused many more chickens, cows and pigs to needlessly suffer during their short lives crammed in filthy cages, cramped and trampled during transport and painfully hung upside down before having their throats slit, some while fully conscious.

The collapse of Atkins' financial empire indicates the ultimate failure of the Atkins diet to deliver on its specious claims. Current nutritional research indicates that plant-based diets are the most effective way to promote health and protect against disease. In addition, studies show that eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains is a natural way to lose weight and stay slim without strict dieting and calorie (or carbohydrate) counting. For more information on the health benefits of a plant-based diet, visit the website of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine at http://www.pcrm.org .


Join IDA's President's Circle

In honor of the anniversary of the founding of In Defense of Animals, please consider joining a very special group of people who help animals each month.

This week, 22 years ago, Dr. Elliot M. Katz and a motivated group of animal advocates came together to stop cruel animal experiments at the UC-Berkeley research laboratories. From this initial call to action through the formation of IDA as a non-profit organization and over these many years, IDA has expanded the circle of caring and compassionate individuals. Our growing numbers have helped us achieve many amazing victories for animals.

We could not do our vitally important work on behalf of our animal friends if it weren't for the time and financial support that you and our other supporters so generously provide to us.

We are very grateful for all that we have accomplished together. We are dedicated to continuing our mission to defend the rights, welfare and habitats of animals and we know that we will have many more victories in the coming years thanks to your support!

Pursuing the promise of continued success, we invite you to join Dr. Katz in a special group of supporters by becoming part of IDA's President's Circle.

President's Circle members are IDA donors who support our critical efforts to help animals by making a regular monthly contribution. Your monthly gift, along with those of the other President's Circle members, will afford us the resources necessary to act in defense of animals quickly. In addition, your monthly gift will provide a pool of stable funding that Dr. Katz and our staff can count on whenever an emergency need to help animals arises. It will also help us maintain the critical on-going campaigns we carry out in support of our mission.

The President's Circle makes giving easy. Giving automatically through your credit card each month lets you save time while conserving IDA's resources.

To find out more and to join the President's Circle, please visit our web site at http://www.idausa.org/supportf.html and scroll down to the President's Circle section. From there you can click the link to our secure on-line enrollment form at https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations .


Help Someone Kick the Meat Habit with FARM's Meatout Monday Newsletter

If you know someone who says they'd like to cut meat out of their diet but thinks it's too hard, then tell them about Meatout Mondays, a free weekly e-newsletter designed to help those who don't want to quit "cold turkey" kick the meat habit one day at a time - starting with Mondays! Easy and fun to read, Meatout Mondays encourages individuals to make changes at a pace that is comfortable for them, and is an excellent tool for introducing vegetarianism to anyone.

Every week, Meatout Mondays includes tasty vegan recipes, new product and book reviews, important health information, and inspirational stories of people who have changed their lives for the better by cutting animal products from their diets. This week's Meatout Mondays discusses a study linking consumption of whole-grain foods with lowered risk for heart disease. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-08-08.htm to read the latest issue.

Please visit http://www.meatoutmondays.org to review past issues and to subscribe your friends and family members. Meatout Mondays is a free e-newsletter, and individuals can easily unsubscribe at any time.


The Cat Therapist Shares Her Wisdom

Every month, Carole Wilbourn, the Cat Therapist, answers questions and offers advice on how guardians can enrich their relationships with their beloved feline companions. Click http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html to read the August edition of Cats on the Couch. Men: the deadline to enter Carole's "Men and their Cats" contest has been extended to November, so there's still time to enter. Also visit Carole's Cat Store at http://thecattherapist.com/cat_store.htm to purchase a copy of her classic book, "Cat Talk: What Your Cat is Trying to Tell You."