Being 'Faithful' to Puppy Doe

Submitted by Barry L. Adams, Boston

I am always honored to stand among the “faithful” crowd of protesters who turned out again yesterday in memory of the mutilated puppy known the world over as “Puppy Doe” – hers possibly the most famous face of animal cruelty that history will ever record. “Faithful” is how the Boston Herald described the 30 to 50 activists who predictably stand vigil outside the Norfolk Superior Courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, as well as witness the legal machinations inside for the man accused of knifing and pulling her apart at the joints

Although the protests in Dedham are always peaceful and orderly, the public anger the world over simmers just below the surface of many of the signs held up by the protesters. Exhortations such as “I CAN’T BELIEVE I STILL HAVE TO PROTEST THIS CRAP!!” and “NO DISMASSAL FOR THIS BARBARIC DEMON” communicate a growing and palpable lack of trust in the tepid animal “protection” establishment that continues to raise hundreds-of-millions of dollars more every year, most donated from the animal loving public. Meanwhile, the wealthiest of all of these organizations, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), admits; “The shocking number of cruelty cases reported daily in the media is only the tip of the iceberg. Most cases are never reported, and most animal suffering goes unrecognized and unabated.”

That very ineffectiveness, along with a growing awareness that lucrative fundraising campaigns year-after-year and complex organizational infrastructures among competing behemoths is obviously not working, and are giving rise to more purposeful strategic grassroots efforts aimed at producing meaningful change in the prevention of cruelty to animals, including a desperately needed multi-faceted culture change.

Meanwhile in Massachusetts, a state that boasts world-renowned veterinary education and medical services, along with two very wealthy animal protection organizations (located not far from lawmakers on Boston’s Beacon Hill), the lighting rod cruelty case of Puppy Doe continues and the resulting public outcry has produced legislation that Beacon Hill policymakers (ironically) say was too long overdue. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) claims to advance legislation intended to reduce animal cruelty in the state and across the nation. It also asserts Massachusetts “consistently ranks in the top tier of states regarding the strength of our laws to protect animals…” However, observations of Massachusetts’ lawmakers and rankings by the Animal Legal Defense Fund suggest otherwise.

Again, only a week ago, in an announcement that legislative measures were finally advancing after many decades, Massachusetts Senator Bruce Ayers made very clear: “The fact of the matter was that the laws in Massachusetts were not strong enough to prevent animal abuse. My intention in filing the original version of this legislation in January of 2013, was because Massachusetts maintained some of the most lenient fines in the nation.” How do we reconcile disparate claims and observations? The historical record is always a credible place to start and, in fact, served as the basis for the current efforts of Massachusetts lawmakers.

As the movement that is creatively inviting the entire world to rethink what animals actually are, how they think and feel emotions, and that also argues their right to be free from market exploitation and other human inflicted harm, can demanding accountability for the harshest elements of their current social reality be far behind? If we are to move forward, we must look back. And the tragedy of Puppy Doe provides a clear vantage point for reflection.
HSUS Source:

Photo: Adams’ dog Taco Lee