Us
Print
E-mail
Rate
PETA donates $1,500 to local animal shelter
 |
By JUSTIN LANG jlang@lakecityreporter.com
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has given a $1,500 grant to the Lake City Humane Society and Animal Shelter as a reward for boycotting products from a well-known pet food manufacturer.
According to PETA, the Lake City shelter was one of 15 in the nation to receive its financial help because it does not "promote or in any way support" Iams, the pet food subsidiary of corporate conglomerate Proctor and Gamble.
PETA maintains that Iams practices "painful and often deadly laboratory tests on dogs, cats, and other animals."
The Dayton, Ohio-based Iams Company, however, says that PETA's allegations are based on events at a laboratory it - and other pet food companies - contracted with more than two years ago and no longer uses.
Margaret Smith, director of the local shelter, said she was aware of Iams and its alleged practices through magazine articles and information from PETA.
"I guess it all boils down to animal testing and at the animal shelter we are certainly against that," she said.
Smith said she received a questionnaire from PETA about Iams and the animal shelter's use - or lack thereof - of its products. After filling it out and returning it, she said PETA contacted her about receiving the grant for not using or promoting Iams.
Smith said she has already received the $1,500 and put it in the animal shelter's general operating fund to buy dog and cat food.
"It's a big help," she said.
The animal shelter often has pet food donated, but when it buys its own (usually Purina brand) Smith said she uses coupons and watches prices closely, meaning $1,500 will likely go a long way.
After receiving the grant, Smith said she had a call from Iams and said, "I think they are doing everything they can to get their good name back."
According to PETA, it conducted an undercover investigation at a laboratory contracted by Iams that revealed 27 dogs were killed during a study and others died of illness without veterinary treatment. PETA also alleged "the company has cut dogs' vocal chords so as not to disturb laboratory workers and has left sick animals to suffer alone and without care in barren cages."
"Nearly 100 shelters have decided to boycott Iams after learning about the company's cruel and unnecessary tests on animals," PETA Senior Vice President Mary Beth Sweetland said in a statement. "Iams uses its profits to create misery for dogs and cats, but these shelters need funds for their vital work of protecting animals from harm."
Kurt Iverson, spokesperson for Iams Company, said PETA is "spreading a lot of untruths and sensationalized stories."
"The story that they are telling is based on a facility we used two years ago and that we no longer use," he said. "They also don't tell you that the person that was gathering their video footage was the person Iams was paying to take care of those dogs and cats."
Iverson said pet owners and shelters can educate themselves about Iams research practices at www.iamstruth.com, as well as learn about the company's International Animal Care Advisory board. The board, he said, is made up of third-party animal experts such as members of the U.S. Humane Society and its purpose is to establish the best practices for humane research in the pet product industry.
Iverson said members of the board have the authority to perform unscheduled inspections at all of Iams' research facilities to "make sure the rules are being followed."
Recently, he said Iams also helped for a sixth year in a "Home for the Holidays" campaign which aided more than 1,300 animal shelters nationwide in finding matches for about 3,000 adoptable pets.
According to PETA, the Lake City shelter was one of 15 in the nation to receive its financial help because it does not "promote or in any way support" Iams, the pet food subsidiary of corporate conglomerate Proctor and Gamble.
PETA maintains that Iams practices "painful and often deadly laboratory tests on dogs, cats, and other animals."
The Dayton, Ohio-based Iams Company, however, says that PETA's allegations are based on events at a laboratory it - and other pet food companies - contracted with more than two years ago and no longer uses.
Margaret Smith, director of the local shelter, said she was aware of Iams and its alleged practices through magazine articles and information from PETA.
"I guess it all boils down to animal testing and at the animal shelter we are certainly against that," she said.
Smith said she received a questionnaire from PETA about Iams and the animal shelter's use - or lack thereof - of its products. After filling it out and returning it, she said PETA contacted her about receiving the grant for not using or promoting Iams.
Smith said she has already received the $1,500 and put it in the animal shelter's general operating fund to buy dog and cat food.
"It's a big help," she said.
The animal shelter often has pet food donated, but when it buys its own (usually Purina brand) Smith said she uses coupons and watches prices closely, meaning $1,500 will likely go a long way.
After receiving the grant, Smith said she had a call from Iams and said, "I think they are doing everything they can to get their good name back."
According to PETA, it conducted an undercover investigation at a laboratory contracted by Iams that revealed 27 dogs were killed during a study and others died of illness without veterinary treatment. PETA also alleged "the company has cut dogs' vocal chords so as not to disturb laboratory workers and has left sick animals to suffer alone and without care in barren cages."
"Nearly 100 shelters have decided to boycott Iams after learning about the company's cruel and unnecessary tests on animals," PETA Senior Vice President Mary Beth Sweetland said in a statement. "Iams uses its profits to create misery for dogs and cats, but these shelters need funds for their vital work of protecting animals from harm."
Kurt Iverson, spokesperson for Iams Company, said PETA is "spreading a lot of untruths and sensationalized stories."
"The story that they are telling is based on a facility we used two years ago and that we no longer use," he said. "They also don't tell you that the person that was gathering their video footage was the person Iams was paying to take care of those dogs and cats."
Iverson said pet owners and shelters can educate themselves about Iams research practices at www.iamstruth.com, as well as learn about the company's International Animal Care Advisory board. The board, he said, is made up of third-party animal experts such as members of the U.S. Humane Society and its purpose is to establish the best practices for humane research in the pet product industry.
Iverson said members of the board have the authority to perform unscheduled inspections at all of Iams' research facilities to "make sure the rules are being followed."
Recently, he said Iams also helped for a sixth year in a "Home for the Holidays" campaign which aided more than 1,300 animal shelters nationwide in finding matches for about 3,000 adoptable pets.
. wrote on Jan 30, 2008 11:01 AM: