We are naive. For organizations like the ASPCA, “animal welfare” is big business. They are money raising machines, using star power to raise millions to further their efforts. Paying their CEO, Ed Sayres, the man who responded to staff emails trying to save Oreo, the dog thrown off the roof, nursed to health and then murdered by the ASPCA by saying “just do your job” more than half a million dollars a year.
Pets Alive is not a money raising machine. We save animals. That’s it. Every day we pour over emails, phone calls and phone messages from other shelters, trying our best to save as many as we can. Understand one fundamental fact that some people seem to be forgetting. They are all equal. Every soul is as precious as the next. Each one is completely innocent and each one deserves life.
I was broken when I left my office last night. I was completely disgusted. I went out to dinner and drank more than I ate. Kerry was heartbroken as well.
The question left in our minds is very simple: how could an organization that has virtually unlimited resources claim to have run out of options and kill an animal? We’re not talking about an animal dying of cancer or ripped to shreds in a dogfight. There are no shades of gray here. No wiggle room. There’s only a binary reality – right and wrong. Black and white. Yes or no. Life or death. They chose death. Period. Why? Because that’s what Sayres and his minions wanted for Oreo. That’s what they thought was best for her. Can you f’ing believe that? They gave us all the finger and told us that death was the best thing for Oreo.
That is simply insanity. In fact, if I close my eyes it reminds me of another organization that preaches animal rights but kills most of the animals in their care — PETA. PETA’s “Animal Record” report for 2008, filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, shows that the animal rights group killed 95 percent of the dogs and cats in its care last year. During all of 2008, PETA found adoptive homes for just seven pets.
Want to hear it from their arrogant, self-serving, god-playing mouths?
“We’re saddened by the outcome,” said ASPCA spokesman Andy Izquierdo on Friday afternoon after the organization announced Oreo’s death. “But we truly feel it’s the most humane decision for Oreo.” [Emphasis added]
Wow. Let me see if I have this straight. Death is the most humane solution for Oreo. Hello PETA. So why NOT Pets Alive instead?
In an e-mail, Stephen Zawistowski, one of the ASPCA’s lead animal behavior experts who had worked with Oreo, said the organization didn’t believe that sanctuary placement was “good for her welfare.”
Pure doubletalk. Pure thinkspeak. Death is better. Hello PETA.
What they meant to say is that Oreo is better off dead then with Pets Alive, who they don’t know. And their cars are broken. And their emails. And their cell phones. And they forgot the phone numbers to Best Friends, the Mayors Alliance (which they helped found), and all of the shelters we help regularly. And when they recruited Rob Thomas to do some announcements for them I’m sure he didn’t mention us either.
Anyway…they couldn’t grant Oreo a twenty four hour reprieve and come here to look around. That wouldn’t be good for her welfare.
This all just amazes me. They are getting called out for this by many people like you. As they should be. They issued a press release this morning spinning their fool heads off to get us idiots to understand that the best thing for Oreo was a quick death rather than spending the rest of her life here with us. Sort of what they wanted for the Vick dogs, which are now living comfortably at Best Friends in Utah (at least the ones that Best Friends kept them from killing).
The entire press release had me alternating between laughter and rage. This is, by far, my favorite line:
The ASPCA is worried their decision will make people think they failed Oreo.
Um…you killed her. I think that may be pretty close to the textbook definition of failure. ASPCA, you totally and completely failed Oreo. You tried to innoculate yourselves from criticism by blaming…all of us.
If the ASPCA has failed at anything, it is shielding America from the true face of animal cruelty for far too long. Animal cruelty isn’t pretty and doesn’t always have a happy ending—it is ugly and sad and, ultimately, tragic.
Yes Ed, you failed to shield us unknowing morons from the face of cruelty. You and the rest of your arrogant, overpaid, unfeeling crew. But we got a good lesson in cruelty from you and from the ASPCA. What you did to Oreo was cruel. Killing is cruel. Killing unnecessarily is cruel.
So what IS the lesson we should all take from this? I think there are several.
1. The bigger so-called “humane organizations,” with the exception of Best Friends Animal Society, don’t deserve our support or our money. Humane Society of the US euthanized dogs by the hundreds during hurricane Katrina, ASPCA is, as someone commented a cesspool for animals and a piggy bank for humans, and PETA is a joke.
Take your hard earned money and keep it, or give it to local humane organizations who are struggling to stay afloat. They are the ones that are in the trenches saving animals. You won’t find big salaries and plush offices. You’ll find people working hard at the grassroots level to save animals.
Remember that when these organizations are killing dogs like Oreo, or placing 7 out of tens of thousands of animals and killing the rest, or setting up portable euthanization and cremation centers for dogs rescued from the hurricane, they’re doing it with your money. Is that where you want your money to go? Is that what you intended?
I’d like to share several emails and responses I’ve received from my earlier blog. This is the same old stuff. The red herring argument that Pets Alive is calling out the ASPCA because we will get money and publicity for doing it. Uh…no. We’re doing this because there’s a right and a wrong here and they’re wrong. Here are some examples of my hate mail that I’d like to address:
To all those here who condemn any national organization for making an unpopular choice on behalf of ONE animal, I say shame on you all for your negativity, short-sightedness, and ignorance. The ten dollars you may have sent to NY will now NOT save another Oreo…another dog who may have the emotional capability to become a lifetime, loving and happy family companion, unlike this poor soul. Get the full story before you decide to yank your support. Without PEOPLE who understand this battle we fight, the animals will never be safe.
Uh…no. An organization that claims to be the voice of animals, an organization that raises tens of millions of dollars on that premise, must not kill a SINGLE animal that could be saved. Not one. Period. These are not statistics…these are lives. Souls. Innocent beings who feel pain and emotion and are self-aware. There is absolutely no compromise on this. ASPCA accepted the responsibility for the lives of ALL the animals in their care — not most of them. Not all but one of them. ALL of them. What they did to Oreo was wrong. It was an abdication of that responsibility.
Wow, way to go, Pets Alive. Fundraising by libeling and badmouthing one of the finest animal shelters in NYC & best animal advocacy group in the nation. And doing it on the back of a dog. Your group will NEVER get a dime from me. Your fundraising effort using Oreo as your poster child is despicable.
THIS GROUP IS ATTACKING ASPCA SO THEY CAN GET MEDIA AND MONEY. F–K YOU
Yes. Of course. We don’t care about Oreo. We just want the money. And it’s pouring in. We’ve raised $400 so far. That comes to about $18 an hour for the time we’ve spent, making us the highest paid employees at Pets Alive. Ed Sayres, angel guardian of animals and the purveyor of one of the finest shelters in NYC made $5500 during the same time period.
I could have made more money standing outside the Middletown Wal*Mart with a cup (thank you for every penny. I promise we will spend it wisely).
Okay. Listen carefully Dr. Leather (the guy who wrote the first email). yousuck@yahoo.com wrote the second one but that’s probably not his real email address:
2. All the animals are important. Every life. Any animal that can be saved deserves to be saved. Animal welfare groups should spend time actually saving and placing the animals in their care rather than just making flashy TV commercials to raise more money.
I’m tired of hearing this one too:
I have a suggestion….all those folks all that attention to ‘adopt’ Oreo” well go back to NYACC 95% of the dogs are Pitts..go help one that isn;t a bitter, nor aggressive I agree with what was done..why don;t you save a dog that deserves to be saved??
This gets to the heart of the matter. The key words in that sentence are deserves to be saved. One last time folks.
THEY ALL DESERVE TO BE SAVED. OREO DESERVED TO BE SAVED.
They are all equal. Every life, every soul. And we will continue to save dogs.
3. Regardless of our differences, animal people and animal groups can come together and save animals. Ed Sayers will eventually leave the ASPCA. Hopefully sooner rather than later. The Internet will be the undoing of phoneybaloney groups like his because they make them transparent.
Pets Alive, the animal rights group WAR, the TV show Rescue Ink, and you. Where else would all of those misfits come together to try to save Oreo?
That’s the real face of animal rescue Ed Sayers. The arrogant little jerks who mocked those people who tried to help are not the face of the compassionate people that make up this movement, nor are you. You are just a parasite, sucking money and resources away from the smaller groups who are actually carrying your water.
You are actually part of the face of cruelty that you so flippantly mention on your website. You are part of the reason dogs are being killed.
Meanwhile, thousands of organizations and people around the world are saving animals. Some specialize in breeds or geography. Most exist on donations or their own money. Most would give their left arm for one hundreth of the money you spend sending out fund raising appeals. Yet we all save animals.
You may rather kill Oreo than give her to one of us, but we will continue to work to save animals. We saved almost half the animals you did on a budget that was one half of one percent of yours. You should be ashamed of yourself for taking people’s hard earned money and squandering it.
You take advantage of people’s generosity.
And you failed to act responsibly with the life of an animal in your care. Oreo’s blood is on your hands.
So, my friends. My fellow rescue people. Pets Alive supporters. Our detractors who read this stuff anyway. We thank you all for trying. Our hearts are broken for this poor soul who should not have suffered and should not have died.
We now know who is the real voice of these animals. We are.
Click HERE to sign a petition to get ASPCA President Ed Sayres fired: http://tinyurl.com/ye9cdk7
363 Derby Road
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Thank you Pets Alive, Matt, & Kerry. You are why us TRUE animal lovers keep coming back. No, we might not be able to give ya $1 million, but you sure deserve more than a dollar sign could ever provide. Thank you from myself, my 2 rescue pups, and those who have no voice that you voice for them. Oreo may be one fur-baby that was let down, but keep the fight as sooooooo many more have been helped by compassionate and caring souls like you all! So, chin held high while tears run down, there’s another Oreo out there somewhere just waiting for you to find…don’t waste your time on those who are to small to understand!
Here! Here! Well said. I for one will never ever join, support or fund another large SPCA or Human Society. I was done after yesterday. I had already cut off our local SPCA here in BC with which I had a lifetime membership because they are suing one of the little rescue organizations here for criticizing their work. This deal with Oreo yesterday just capped it for me. My money will go to private rescue organizations who have provem to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that their mandate is Saving Every Animal That Comes into Their Care. Period.
Great post. Will pass it along.
Matt, Kudos on this blog post. Your words were right on target. Ed Sayers is way past his time (obviously, he should have never had a time to be responsible for the well-being of animals in need) and needs to resign immediately –I’m so disgusted and disappointed about the ASPCA’s decision to murder Oreo, but unfortunately not all that surprised. Seems they’ve forgotten their purpose and charter — makes me wonder if old Ed even bothered to meet Oreo or is this was simply a “business” decision. I’m signing the petition and will ask everyone I know who cares for animals to sign it as well.
Thank you for doing a fine job. May the rest of us try to do better, to stride along with you.
Well said! Truly, many caring people have no idea, about PETA, about the ASPCA, about HSUS. About what happens to so many animals that go into their facilities, and never come out. 50-100 million a year buys a LOT of bullshit. And murders a LOT of lives.
BUT–there are the people who hand those lives over. Without a backward glance. Without a care. Knowing what will happen. Immediately or eventually. It all begins there. From the puppy mills/breeders to the pet store to–your nice neighbor who no longer wants the dog, the cat, the parrot. Everyone is culpable. Every single one who chooses NOT to care.
Great job Matt, and oh so true. Ideas that many of us have been trying for years to point out to people and get them to see the light. If the murder of Oreo, for that is what it is, and her death, have any positive outcome, it may be that more people will begin to see that the PR spins that these organizations spew out, are nothing more than fronts. While we are finger pointing at Sayres, there are certainly others who should also get some blame. One would be Stephen Zawistowski, PhD, ASPCA’s VP and highly touted behaviorist. Whether he took part in this decsion or just did not stand up for Oreo is of no consequence. He shares the same blame. Just as HSUS hightly touted behaviorist shares the blame for the deaths of so many fighting Pit Bulls, including babies, that he claimed were not saveable, or worth the time or the money, Wonder which of those tens of millions both organizations take in, were the money concerns. Great article.
Thank you so much for posting this. I support you 100%.
Oreo reminds me a lot of my dog Phoebe who is fear aggressive. She’s scared of everything and anything. This 60 pound pitbull runs away from lady bugs and baby bunnies. She’s a wonderful dog and in the year that we have had her, she has blossomed and become much more confident. I had to carry her out of the shelter and it would take her 30 minutes to get out of the car on her own. When we used to leave the house, she would flatten right away. Now, she just hops in and out of the car, carries her head high and is exploring her world.
Oreo could have been worked with. That test with the plastic hand is ridiculous. I would bite you too if you kept sticking a plastic hand in my face. You really expect a dog who has been abused to accept a hand in its face at feeding time right away? That’s naive and stupid.
I’ve stopped supporting the hsus and peta a long time ago and I was on the fence about the aspca but I’m not anymore. I am truly disgusted by this so called animal rights group who didn’t even try. And maybe Oreo is just ONE animal but how many animals go through the exact thing in their hand?
Thank you so much for what you tried to do to save Oreo.
I hope that the tragedy makes millions of people who gave to the ASPCA after seeing the “In the Arms of an Angel” ad realize that this group, like PETA and HSUS, is just another devil in disguise
You should rework this a little and submit it as an editorial to the NYTIMES!
They used this poor girl for fund raising and press and when they were either incapable of giving her what she next needed or perhaps she served her purpose with them, they then killed her instead of turning her over to more interested and capable hands where she could have been helped! In all likelihood it would be bad PR for them to send Oreo to another rescue group, not to mention all the money they collected on her behalf, would they then have to share that too? Ed Sayer’s and the rest are in my estimation nothing but whores for having done this. If Henry Berg (the founder of the ASPCA) were alive today he would spit on all of them!
Thank you, Matt, for stating so well what many of us feel. It is so frustrating to see that the no-kill movement still isn’t being taken seriously by so many of the huge organizations. Thank god there are places like Pets Alive.
Matt and Kerry,
As I watched this unfold from 2000 miles away, all the while seeing my little Raisin enjoying her Greenie, and snoring away on her fluffy bed, and wearing her fleecy coat on her walk, I felt such overwhelming sadness for Oreo, and for Houma, and for the Vick dogs, and all abused animals. Thank you, and Kerry, and Pets Alive, and the others who give your hearts to this work. I have been a regular donor to ASPCA for years; that effort will now be re-directed to Pets Alive. Ed Sayres will just have to settle for the special karmic ribbon waiting for him.
Holy crap.
I’m thinking about printing this and having it framed.
I am sick to my stomach about this story and the loss of Oreo. I personally would have also taken in this beautiful dog to give her another chance. There are many no-kill sanctuaries out here that would not give up on her and the ASPCA failed us and the public that sends them money.
Thanks to Pets Alive for their honest effort.
Mountain Angels is no-kill. We are here to help as well.
They did not have to kill this dog. She put her trust in people and they failed her.
Please follow Mountain Angels on twitter…
We are a no-kill sanctuary and rescue in Montana.
We are here to help.
Thanks for all that you do…PETS ALIVE!
Still voting for you every day!
OMG – – – – Edwin Sayres made $516,710 last year – no that is NOT a typo – his W2 was $473,998 and nontaxable benefits of 42,712!!!! who says there is no money in animal rescue? i think i am going to go throw up now.
“Sort of what they wanted for the Vick dogs, which are now living comfortably at Best Friends in Utah (at least the ones that Best Friends kept them from killing).”
The ASPCA helped convict Michael Vick and his dog fighting partners and advocated for, oversaw, and participated in the evaluation of all of Vick’s dogs. To say they wanted to kill Vick’s dogs is simply not true. They played a key role in their rescue. Please get your facts straight.
I want to know why they killed Oreo instead of simply handing him over to someone else. This article isn’t about Oreo; it’s about why ASPCA and other groups are evil (Which the statistics about seem a bit off to me). Who ever wrote this should give more information on Oreo’s case and not relentlessly bash the “Animal Rescue Agencies”. There’s two pictures of a dog that I can only assume is Oreo. One seems to be before the incident that Oreo was thrown off a roof (more information on that would be welcomed also). He looks healthy and fit, when the other photo of the poor animal in leg braces in sick. He obviously injured his front two legs, has something internally wrong judging by the area on his side and his coat has gone from a hearty black to a sickly brown. This animal has been threw allot between the time of these two photos. I want to know why this animal was beyond care after clearly so much has been down to save him. If this animal care establishment is so evil why waste the time and money to put Oreo threw the care when death was the end anyway? I think this article is poorly written if its goal is to get someone fired. If you really want to accomplish a goal then write something respectable with more facts on the means to your end.
Kevin – We would LOVE to know the same thing. THEY AREN’T SAYING. This article isn’t poorly written. The only thing they have said is that they put her down because they felt she was a threat to society. I’d sure LOVE to include their reasons but they won’t say – take THAT up with THEM.
I believe it was HSUS that wanted all the Vick dogs dead. I believe Best Friends had to actually SUE them or something to get SOME of them released to them where MANY have already been adopted!
I have donated to the ASPCA in the past and receive many appeals from them. Another one arrived the day Oreo was killed – pretty bad timing! I replied they would receive no more donations from me as a result of their handling of this tragic case – and they are no longer in my Will.
I withdrew my monthly donations to the ASPCA and I did sign this petition.
Mr. Sayres sure better hope that God is not a dog.
You should read Nathan Winograd’s post about Sayres. Nathan has direct experience with the idiot and it is horrifying to know that Sayres is in charge of ANY animal life.
http://www.examiner.com/x-16635-SF-Animal-Shelters-Examiner~y2009m11d16-The-meaning-of-Oreo
Well said – I’m sick of these “so called no-kills” who justify the killing of innocent animals – The SPCA failed Oreo. I think we need to have an animal statute in every US state that will not allow for any animal to be euthanized when another shelter or rescue organization is willing to take on the animal.
I had a similar incident with a cat that was owned but the shelter wouldn’t acknowledge the ownership of the animal – so while the owners were getting the court ordered stay – the shelter exec director euthanized the cat knowing full well that another agency, was willing to take the animal and it that it was owned. That same shelter then just days later had the nerve to ask the other agency to help them with another cat problem – all the while soliciting funds in communities that they did not service.
People need to wake up and really check out just where they are sending their donations. The big guys are not necessarily the best guys when it comes to animal welfare.
I’m confused — is Best Friends one of the “big guys” or one of the “good guys”?
Because our shelter has contacted them numerous times about animals that really needed help, and have yet to have them step up to the plate to do anything. In most cases, not even a return call. We’ve given their contact information to other groups who were trying desperately to save animals who had no other chance, and they’ve reported the same results.
It appears that they, like many other influential groups, will only assist in the big media cases — the ones that bring in the big donations. So does this make them “good guys” or “bad guys”?
The frustration I feel about this whole situation is incredible and I’m thousands of miles away. Doubletalk. Thinkspeak. Yes, it is quite Orwellian so I’ll add one:
blackwhite: “this word has two mutually contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts . . . but it means also the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary.”
How is it that it is so obvious to so many that what happened was wrong, unethical and shameful while to so many others it was right, merciful and necessary? We say black. They say white.
May we all live to see the day when large organizations like this which have the general public fooled are exposed for what they are and ultimately wither and become unprofitable because people will no longer support them. May we live to see the day when the truths written of in “Redemption” are known to all and when the killing of healthy animals is part of our shameful past.
Sorry, guys. I’m a little wound up.
1984 – George Orwell
We want specific facts about Oreo from the ASPCA; we want Oreo’s complete and untampered with chart made public. We want a court hearing on the care Oreo received while at the ASPCA. Something’s wrong with the picture Ed Sayres is painting. We want to hear from everyone in Oreo’s chain of care, under oath, as to who Oreo was “aggressive” with; clearly there were those Oreo was not aggressive with. It is obvious from the information and pictures that Oreo’s aggression seemed to be medically related, and with only some people. Did they give her adequate pain relief for her medical treatment? Obviously not. Did Oreo have mainly male aggression? This ASPCA reported that Oreo was doing fine a short time ago, and that she would be adopted out soon. The ASPCA admitted Oreo became aggressive under their care. Maybe this ASPCA shouldn’t be “caring” for animals anymore.
No court had ordered Oreo’s killing. If they had, there could have been an emergency stay of execution requested on Oreo’s behalf, and the facts of her case heard in a court of law. A judge should have made a decision about Oreo, not Sayres. Oreo had not bitten or mauled anyone. Oreo’s case was in the courts already, so what was the court order concerning Oreo? Did Ed Sayres violate this court order? Did Sayres’ decision to kill Oreo have anything to do with the NY Pit Bull law, pressured by those not wanting to show that an abused Pit-mix could be rehabilitated?
Sayres took money from the public to care for Oreo, commiting himself to giving her the best possible care and acting completely in Oreo’s best interest; this did not happen. We want answers.
Years ago, a town would have tarred and feathered Sayres. Now Sayres has the right to be heard in court. So let’s hear what Sayres has to say. If Sayres doesn’t get why so many people are outraged by Oreo’s killing, then he has no business working in an animal shelter.
We want to claim Oreo’s body and bury her in a park setting as a memorial to Oreo and all the other animals who have been mistreated and unnecessarily executed at the hands of so called ‘shelters.’ The ASPCA having a memorial service for Oreo is like the monster who threw Oreo off the roof having a memorial service for her; completely hypocritical. We don’t want a memorial service for Oreo at the ASPCA, we want to see Ed Sayres in court.
I was outraged by what I read here and have posted my own thoughts concerning Oreo as well as recent ASPCA activity in my area that is very very suspect.
http://dogsdollarssense.blogspot.com/2009/11/hot-topic-aspca-failure-of-oreo.html
Thank You so much for bringing these important issues to light!
To Kevin Boylan: I wish everyone would pay attention to the story.
The healthy picture of Oreo that you see is AFTER her rehabilitation – the ASPCA nursed her back to health after her abuse and then killed her.
Everybody’s on a power trip with little regard to the big picture.
You Mr. Sayres should be ashamed of yourself and lose sleep at night. You denied this dog a second chance after already doing so much for her. If she truly was aggressive, why not provide her the opportunity with an established organization who routinely cares and rehabilitates dogs such as Oreo.
All you had to do was to hand her over and be done with her.
I question whether or not you do what you do because you truly love animals or because the pay is good? I would think that a true passion for animals is a prerequisite for the position you hold, or is it?
Not to get too far off track but Stellaluna asked if Best Friends is one of the big guys or good guys. In my opinion, Best Friends is the only large national organization worthy of my support and my money. They talk and talk and walk the walk, as the good folks at Pets Alive surely know. I realize the Best Friends can only take a very, very, very small percentage of the animals in need across the country. I’ve asked them for help myself and have not had any luck placing an animal with them. But I will say this, I have had direct contact with more people at Best Friends than I can probably count when I’ve needed networking help, advice and resource support. I’ve even dealt directly with some of the founding members. That would never happen with the other big groups who use their millions in ways I will never understand.
I keep waiting for Best Friends to open a second sanctuary called “Southern Friends” – great location for rescue response and mill saves. I’d ditch this job in about .2 seconds and scoop poop to work for them.
I my honest opinion all Oreo needed was time. Given the right amount of time and
patience Oreo would more than likely have replaced the haunted memory of a
tortured puppy hood and attempted murder with thoughts of love and care from her
new person. She was used as a political pawn by the ASPCA and is now (after
death) being used for the same purpose by PETA.
Shifting the subject from her to the hundreds of animals killed in New York
every year is a cop out. It’s a coward’s way out of the responsibility of
killing a dog that had people who offered an alternative other than death.
The more I read about PETA the less I like it. The nude picture of that actress
holding a cross that covered her teets was not only in poor taste but,
again,,,IMHO blasphemous. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ bled, suffered and
died on the cross and the image of the cross should never be featured in a
pornographic photo. It’s not only disrespectful it’s just wrong on many many
levels.
Do you see how I’ve shifted the subject of PETA’s stand on the subject of Oreo away from her to the subject of the photo? That puts PETA as well as the ASPCA on the defense. They’ve done exactly the same thing by mentioning all the other animals that the ASPCA will kill in the future. It’s a weak attempt at best.
I will not only “NEVER” donate a single red cent to either group. I will do everything I can to convince others to withdraw funding as well. Eliminate the
killer and the killing will stop.
Sammy F. Smith
I fully support Pets Alive and Oreo’s law.
Thank you.