Not So Fake Fur

The fake fur scandal continues to make news. The website for the International Herald Tribune, Thursday February 22, includes the Associated Press version of the story headed, "Some 'fake fur' includes dog hair, animal rights group says."

It tells us:
"The Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels — Andrew Marc, Tommy Hilfiger, for example — and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake."

We read that HSUS bought coats from popular retailers "and then had the coats tested by mass spectrometry, which measures the mass and sequence of proteins, to determine what species of animal the fur came from. Of the 25 coats tested, 24 were mislabeled or misadvertised."

We read:
"Most of the fur came from China.... Raccoon dogs look like oversized, fluffy raccoons and aren't kept as pets. Importing their fur is not illegal, but activists argue they are still a type of dog.

"'This is an animal that is routinely killed by stomping them, or beating them, or skinning them alive,' Markarian said. Video produced by Swiss Animal Protection and posted on the Internet shows raccoon dogs clubbed or slammed on the ground and some writhing, gasping and blinking as they are skinned alive."

We are reminded, "Fur valued at less than $150 (€115) is not required to be labeled" and told, "A bill introduced by Reps. Jim Moran, a Virginia Democrat, and Mike Ferguson, a New Jersey Republican, would close that loophole by requiring labels for all fur regardless of its value. It also would ban fur from raccoon dogs."

Moran is quoted: "Americans don't want Lassie turned into a fur coat. In the U.S., we treat cats and dogs as pets, not trimmings for the latest fashion wear."

While many of us are uncomfortable with the suggestion that fur from Lassie is somehow worse than fur from anybody else, this story is generating wonderful publicity. Whereas for the last year, the only associations the media has made with fur are glamorous models on catwalks, in the last few weeks we have been reminded that fur is from once living breathing animals who were tortured for the product.

Further, the story opens the door for letters to the editor about all fur, not just dog fur. The full story is on line at http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Dog-Fur.php and the International Herald Tribune takes letters to the editor at letters [at] iht.com, up to 150 words at most.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters -- it is counterproductive as editors are looking for original responses from their readers and do not wish to publish campaign letters.


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)