Humane Lobby Day is scheduled to take place this year on Tuesday, February 15th, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Indianapolis. You will have an opportunity to meet with your state legislators to discuss animal-related legislation currently pending before the Indiana General Assembly.

If you have not yet registered (and pre-registration is required!), please follow this link: http://action.humanesociety.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=103345

Here is a link for information on some of the bills we will be discussing: http://www.humanesociety.org/action/alerts/indiana/

Kel asked some good questions about this campaign that might help shed some light.

Kel: can you help me understand why a chicken coop costs $6000?

Chris: Calling it a chicken coop is a bit deceiving. It is more of a barn that will be large enough to hold dozens of chickens and a few small farm animals. All of which will be rescues from abusive situations. The $6000 figure was the estimated amount to cover material costs, equipment rental, and food/care for the chickens for the first year. It didn’t make sense to us to raise money for an empty barn. We also factored in the credit card processing fees. Let me know if you have any other questions. You are right, we should have better explained where that number came from. I assure you, it was the result of a lot of research and personal experience.

Kel: What happens to the pledged funds if you don’t reach the goal?

Chris: The cards aren’t processed if we don’t raise all the funds. It is all or nothing.

If you want more information about what we are buiding and why, visit the Kickstarter project page (http://kck.st/crFbgq).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our new toolbar is free to download and allows you to raise money for Deep Roots virtually every time you search or shop online! Once added to IE or Firefox, each time you shop at more than 1,400 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to our cause – at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar also provides you thousands of discount coupons and free shipping offers!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to our cause.

Please hurry and do this now so that we can earn the $1 bonus per toolbar!

And, please pass this along to all of your friends. The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser can make a lifetime of difference for our cause!

Get the toolbar NOW! http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/deep-roots-animal-sanctuary

This project has been driven by Mabel, the sanctuary matriarch and currently the only bird living at Deep Roots (pictured below). When Mabel came to us, she was missing most of her feathers, a large chunk of flesh had been torn from her side, and she was dehydrated nearly to the point of death. During her recovery, she had been very solitary. That changed when Harold, a duck rescued from the dinner table, came to live with us. Mabel and Harold quickly became inseparable. Wherever you found one, the other was rarely more than a few feet away. They did everything together: forage for bugs, sleep, chase cats, and learn to trust humans. They were the best of friends and anyone who met them, immediately fell in love.

Sadly, Harold died last year, leaving Mabel to bide her days alone. She seemed saddened by Harold’s death. But one thing that she learned from Harold was that life is better with friends. Mabel can now be found hanging out with the cats and dogs at the sanctuary. She follows the cats and dogs around, begs for food when they beg for food, and jumps in laps when they jump in laps. Unfortunately, the cats and dogs are terrified of her. They don’t seem to understand this fearless, talkative descendant of dinosaurs.

That’s why we decided to take on some chicken friends for Mabel – survivors of the farming industry, like herself. Chickens have it pretty bad. Our hope is to build a place where people can come to meet chickens, interact with their incredible personalities, and realize that we shouldn’t be killing them in the name of food. You can help accomplish this goal by donating to our Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/crFbgq) and spreading the word to all your friends and family. The Kickstarter page has lots of easy ways to share the campaign through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and email. You can also post a widget to your website.

Another great way to help is to “attend” our Facebook event and invite all your friends. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123261337700473 While you’re at it, be sure to “like” us on Facebook so we can easily share photos and updates with you.

By donating to the Kickstarter campaign, you not only help us to save lots of chickens, but you also get fun gifts in exchange. What you get depends on how much you give. We’ve got new buttons, limited silk-screened totebags, copies of the book Extraordinary Chickens, the chance to name one of the new chickens, and more. Be sure to check out our page on Kickstarter for more info about the gifts (as well as more info about our plans for the chickens). http://kck.st/crFbgq

Truth be told, there are a lot of things that you can do. Some more legal than others (but in the age of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, it seems harder to know the difference at times). I don’t want to tell you how you can be most productive in your activism. I just want to provide five easy things that anyone can do during “WAIL Week.” If you have more ideas, feel free to share them in the comments section.

1.) Support the Great Ape Protection Act (HR 1326)

It is true that this bill won’t protect all lab animals, but it will save thousands of chimpanzees from research that could potentially cause death, physical harm, or psychological distress. It will also allow about 600 chimps currently housed in U.S. laboratories to live out the rest of their lives in sanctuaries. Ending this type of experimentation and saving thousands of lives in the process is something that we should all be able to get behind. Since the U.S. is the last known country to conduct invasive experimentation on chimpanzees, this bill would effectively end all known chimpanzee experimentation throughout the world. The bill has 142 co-sponsors. Make sure that your representatives are on the list.

You can easily send an email to your representatives.

2.) Organize a demonstration

First, check to see if there is already an event being organized in your town. If not, grab some friends and put something together. The WWAIL website has a great demonstration checklist if you are new to organizing such things. While having a lot of people turn out for your demonstration can look good, you don’t need a ton of people to be effective. Be creative and have fun!

3.) Set up an educational event

You can educate people with a demonstration, but very few people are going to come up and ask questions of someone participating (unless they are epithetical questions). By passing out informative pamphlets, setting up a table, and/or setting up a presentation, you can help spread the world about the questionable ethics of animal testing to more people. You can find some free downloadable resources on the WWAIL website.

4.) Write a letter to the editor

These days, a “letter to the editor” means more than just your local newspaper to me. Sure, you should do that, too. (Why not? It is so easy.) But you can also “write a letter to the editor” in the form of a blog post, tweet, facebook status update, zine, and other form of be-the-media. Don’t let corporate news outlets control what the public does and doesn’t talk about. Help create a local, national, and international discussion on animal testing.

5.) Disobey

Nonviolent civil disobedience can be a great tool for several reasons: brings public attention to the issue, shows that we aren’t going to be satisfied with writing letters to no avail, and can sometimes shut down operations for periods of time. Civil disobedience in its very nature does probably mean you are breaking the law to some degree (hence, disobedience). I can’t be responsible for what actions you take, but be forewarned that you may get arrested depending on what you choose to do. But like those who fought for civil rights or the abolitionists that fought to end slavery or the suffragettes that fought for a woman’s right to vote, I don’t think you should let the law stand in the way of doing what is right. Especially when you are practicing nonviolence.

For this bill to pass, it must first pass through this committee, and then through the full Senate. Time is running out in this legislative session and Senator Steele has already killed three bills to crack down on dog fighting. We need to put a lot of pressure on Senator Steele and other members of the Senate to do the right thing.

As you may know, last year brought the largest dog fighting ring bust in Indiana history right in Steele’s district. We can’t allow the cruelty of animal fighting to continue in our state.

HB1258 will make it a felony to be a spectator at a dog fight and add it to the RICO statute making it easier to combat dog fighting in Indiana.

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO:
If you live in Senator Steele’s district, call his office TODAY and ask him to hear the bill and pass it as written.

Phone#: 1.800.382.9467

If you are not in Steele’s district, you can contact your Senator and say the following:

“Hello, my name is _________________ and I am a constituent of Senator _____________’s from _________________ (city/town). HB 1258, the animal fighting bill, passed the House and is now awaiting a hearing in the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters. I would like to request that Senator ______________ please do all she/he can to assure that Senator Steele give this important bill a hearing. Thank You.”

If you’re not sure who represents you, follow this link: http://action.humanesociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=electedOfficials

The bill has now entered the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters. Because of the great success of the bill in the House, the pro-breeding lobby (including Indiana Farm Bureau, Pet Breeders Association and the Amish puppy millers) has begun to meet in great numbers to try to kill this bill in the committee. It is vital that animal lovers contact the members of this committee to let them know that you support HB 1468 and to encourage them to do the same. You can call any of them at (317)232-9400 or (800)382-9467. The committee members are as follows:

Brent Steele, Committee Chair
Mike Young, R.M.
Richard Bray
Mike Delph
Randy Head
Brent Waltz
John Waterman
Lindel Hume R.M.M.
Tim Lanane
Karen Tallian
Greg Taylor

Despite what some may claim or even believe, this bill does not affect small, responsible breeders. You can read the full bill at http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2009/HB/HB1468.1.html

Here is a message from the Monroe County Humane Association:

The MCHA has received many phone calls and e-mails regarding what is being done and can be done to help our neighboring communities, their shelters and animals that may be stranded by flood waters.

Over the past 48 hours the animal welfare community in southern Indiana has been working quickly to combine resources and work as efficiently as possible alongside The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to asses the situation at hand and develop an action plan.

HSUS has stepped in to help create a temporary animal shelter in Morgan County that has seen some of the worst damage due to flooding. HSUS will also assist with rescue operations as needed.

With rains overnight the situation may worsen and force more individuals and their pets from their homes.

You, as MCHA supporters have reliably risen to the challenge when called upon and today I ask two very important things of each and every one of you.

First, please donate dry cat food, non-clumping cat litter and bottled water for the temporary animal shelter in Morgan County. The MCHA will be collecting the donations and taking them to the shelter.

Donations can be dropped off at the MCHA/City of Bloomington Animal Shelter at 3410 S. Walnut Street during business hours: M/W/Th/Sa 12 – 5p.m. and T/Fr 12 – 7 p.m.

Secondly, as the last few days have shown us all, we are not immune to disasters in our area. Take the time to educate yourself and prepare your pets in the event of an emergency. Proper planning ahead could make all the difference for the safety of your pet.

Visit the MCHA Flood Disaster Page to find out what to do if you are affected by the floods, know of animals that need to be rescued and other pertinent information.

We will update this page on a regular basis over the course of the flood disaster as needs arise.

I personally thank you in advance for joining all of us in helping protect and come to the rescue of the animals that need us. Our compassion knows no geographical boundaries.

Sincerely,

Sarah Hayes, CEO
Monroe County Humane Association

If you are interested in volunteering at the temporary animal shelter in Morgan County, please contact me at chris (at) deeprootssanctuary.org or 812-929-9647.

UPDATE: Conditions have stabilized, so the temporary shelter is not being set up. However, Morgan County Humane Society can still use your financial and volunteer help. You can reach them at 765-349-9177.

Measures to protect pets from being sold for experimentation, and also from the horrors of dogfighting, are being considered right now for inclusion in the final Farm Bill. A small committee will decide the fate of these provisions, and you live in a district that has more influence than others in the country. Please take action right away to protect pets.

Both the House and Senate Farm Bills include provisions to stop the abuses of Class B Dealers, who acquire dogs and cats through methods such as pet theft and fraudulent response to “free to good home” ads. The Senate Bill also includes a provision to strengthen the federal law to combat the barbaric activity of dogfighting. These provisions are in jeopardy and we need your help right away to ensure that they are retained in the final Farm Bill.

You should call your senators and representatives (calls have a greater impact). You can reach your elected officials by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or click here to look up your legislators and office phone numbers.

Those of us in Indiana have even more of an impact because Senator Lugar is the chair of the agriculture committee, the committee that determines the fate of the companion animal language in the bill. Calls are quick and can have a big effect on protecting animals. Here is a sample call from HSUS:

“Hello, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent from [your town]. I want to urge [legislator's name] to make sure that the final Farm Bill includes the Senate-and House-approved language that will put an end to the sale of random source dogs and cats by Class B Dealers for experimentation, and the Senate-passed language to crack down on dogfighting. These issues are very important to me. Thank you.”

Researchers implant coils on the monkeys’ eyeballs, thread wires up the skull and put a metal cylinder – sometimes two – into holes drilled in the monkey’s skull.

Through public disclosure requests we obtained thousands of pages of internal e-mails and reports from the UW and federal agencies. Some of the surgeries were approved, many more were not. We found evidence that some monkeys underwent a dozen or more surgeries, as the eye coils and head chambers were removed and replaced, again and again.

From StopAnimalTests.com:

Prompted by a complaint from PETA, federal investigators opened a formal inquiry at the University of Washington, Seattle (UW). New information from the ensuing investigations has confirmed widespread violations of animal protection regulations. The animal suffering involved in these cruel experiments is shocking. Experimenters cut off the tops of monkeys’ skulls, insert electrodes into their brains, and implant wire coils in their eyes. The monkeys are then restrained in experimentation chairs, with their heads bolted in place so that they can’t move while experimenters track their eye movements. They are kept hungry or thirsty much of the time so that they’ll comply during tests to get a sip of water or a bite of food.

Patrick was one of the monkeys used in these experiments at the UW. During his years of imprisonment at the university, Patrick battled illness and repeated infections caused by the implants. Because Patrick would not always perform during the experiments, his food was tightly restricted. There were times when he was so thin that his spine and his hips jutted out under his skin. Patrick also suffered from serious psychological conditions and even self-mutilated. Despite all of this, the operations and tests continued. Experimenters violated federal animal protection regulations by performing unauthorized surgeries on Patrick and other monkeys—cutting into the monkeys’ heads and eyes without approval from the university’s animal oversight committee.

You can send an email to the National Eye Institute asking them to stop the cruel experiments at UW by visiting getactive.peta.org/campaign/uw_monkeys

You can read the full story and watch the video from KOMO TV at komotv.com/news/15988507.html.