How Humane Are You?
What does humane mean to you? And how humane are you?
hu·mane
To me it’s all about compassion in action.
com·pas·sion·ate
a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
Most of have rescued animals. If we see a kitten abandoned in snowbank, we leap into action without thinking. Perhaps we bring it to a shelter, a vet or back home to foster or adopt but we DO SOMETHING. There’s no point feeling sympathy “oh that poor cat” if we don’t act.
But what if there is no animal emergency in your backyard or a neighbor mistreating their dog? That’s when we need to be pro-active and take action in the area you feel the most passion for. It could be hands-on TNR, social media sharing of posts, fundraising and any numbers of possibilities. It could be just cats, just kittens, just special needs cats, cats and dogs, or all animals. It doesn’t matter, just find your niche. You probably already know your passion by the kind of photos, posts, videos you share or petitions you sign.
April is the ASPCA Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.
I found some vintage ads for be kind to animals week like this one dated April, 1938. Does anyone remember blotters? They were thick absorbent sheets of paper placed on desks in the days of leaky fountain pens. They’re out of style but compassion is always in fashion.
Find out some ways you can get involved by visiting the ASPCA Get Involved Page.
We’ve come a long way in helping animals live better lives.
In 1866, the ASPCA was the first humane organization founded in the Western Hemisphere. Their mission, as stated by founder Henry Bergh, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.” You may not know that while there are SPCAs and humane societies all over the country, the ASPCA is not directly affiliated with them. However, the ASPCA works nationally to rescue animals from abuse, pass humane laws and share resources with many shelters across the country.
Since 1877, the American Humane Association has been working on defined what it means to be humane for our nation’s children and animals. They touch more than 21,000 lives each minute with lifesaving and life-altering programs, research, and education, all designed to build a more humane world.
Did you know?
- In the early days of the film industry animals were hurt while making films but since 1940, American Humane Association has kept millions of beloved animal actors safe, designing and implementing the highest standards of humane protection.
- American Humane Association oversees the humane treatment and welfare of animals on 8,000 farms and ranches nationwide. The American Humane Certified™ farm animal welfare program is the oldest, largest, and fastest growing third-party farm animal welfare and audit program in the country.
- American Humane Association’s Red Star™ Rescue Services was created in 1916 when the United States Secretary of War called upon us to serve our country by saving wounded horses on the battlefields of World War I in Europe. Since then, they’ve rescued hundreds of thousands of animals caught in disasters, both natural and man-made.
Click to see the new Humane Society Impact Report and Video and let’s leave an even a better legacy of compassion for the next generation. So, how humane are you?
18 Comments
Connie Marie
I have a hard time thinking about myself, with all the animals and people who are so in need. I’ve had to scale back to clicking and signing petitions. I’ve learned the hard way you cant help anyone or anything if you don’t take care of yourself! I still have absolutly had to help 2 families save their beloved cats from the Animal Pound, the trick is to have compassionate caring individuals who help me as well. Also, a low cost caring vet and spay/neuter center. I have a question though,
I always thought it was American Humane Society, not Association.
Is there 2? I’ll Google both names.
I’ve found the hard way not all “cat rescuers” are very compassionate or humane to each other and that needs to change! We are all working to change the plight of cats and other animals, we need to be kind to each other.
I Love the Vintage and this is a marvelous post!!
Skeeter and Izzy
Sometimes my compassion almost overwhelms me because there are so many in crisis and need and I can only help so many but I keep on trying to do everything that I can for as many as I can everyday.
We all strive to do what we can and together we DO make a DIFFERENCE!!!!
We are so glad that so many things have changed for the better for both human and animal kind.
Luvs to all
Skeeter and Izzy and the Feral Gang + Twig and Peanut and Romeo >^..^<
Layla Morgan Wilde
It can be overwhelming but the only way to avoid burnout is to acknowledge that we can’t save everyone but we can do something in our corner of the world. And yes, together all our efforts add up collectively. Big purrs to you and the gang.
Brian Frum
Now that was darn good!
Viki Worden
I agree with you! It is all about compassion! I do whatever I can for animals and people. I have taken in 3 strays because I couldn’t stand to know they didn’t have a home. I would take in a lot more if I could. I cry a lot when I read stories about animals, etc. I also do not like to see people hurting. I sometimes think I am too compassionate and sympathetic, but I feel I need to be to make up for the ones who aren’t. I would love to have a big house and the money for it to take in strays and homeless people. I would also invite anyone who is alone for the holidays, etc.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Viki, we need more people like you in the world.
Angel AbbyGrace
Fantastic information Layla, thank you!
speedyrabbit
That is something new I’ve learnt today,xx Rachel
Tamago
I love these vintage ads. I agree compassion is always in fashion and I hope more humans are aware of welfare for animals.
Thank you for your advice about cat shelves. We’ll try to encourage Niko to use it, slowly and in fun way for him. More shelves (they are covered with carpet material) are on order and hopefully he will like them.
Layla Morgan Wilde
You’re welcome and I look forward to seeing the new ones.
Alana
This is great information on the ASPCA, many points of which we didn’t realize. Thanks for sharing. We want everyone to know that all of our animal actors come first on set – whatever their needs are, they get. In fact, that’s how our whole lives are run. 🙂
We hope many more people will be inspired to treat animals with Kindness. The tabbies pointed out that HUMANE and HUMAN are strangely close to each other. I’d like to point out the connection between ANIMA, the Italian (and Latin) word for “soul” and ANIMAL.
Fur Everywhere
Things have definitely improved for animals, but there is still so much we need to do and a long way to go. I hope that your post will inspire a ton of people to do their part in helping animals.
da tabbies o trout towne
frank lee uz animalz quest shun de use of de spellin: HUMAN connected ta de werd HUMANE….
R own species iz knot as cruel ….mor often than knot….
Random Felines
A good reminder of where we have been…..maybe someday we won’t need it
hilary
I agree with sparkle’s human…
The Island Cats
We think things have gotten better for animals, but there still is so much more that can be and should be done.
Sometimes, Cats Herd You
We’re glad that the American Humane Association has been working on these issues for so long. We’ve come a long way, but as Sparkle pointed out, there’s still a long way to go in a lot of places.
Sparkle
My human does not think the film industry does absolutely everything possible to keep animals (or humans) safe! There are still infractions, and worse, going on.