Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Petfinder Post: Tomorrow Is Animal Rights Day

...But beware. Well funded, well publicized groups have been paid to redefine "animal rights" as things very different from what animals seem to want--the right to live their lives on their own terms, as close to humans or as far from them as they want to be. 

Once again this web site reminds everyone that although the term is often misappropriated, an animal sanctuary is very different from an animal shelter. An animal sanctuary may offer cages to animals who are sick or scared (and when they're scared some animals want to be in a nice safe cage) but does not keep animals in cages. An animal sanctuary provides emergency care to sick or injured animals, but does not routinely inflict unnecessary surgery or vaccinations on healthy animals. An animal sanctuary accepts animals who are completely "wild," so long as they're not dangerous to others, and animals who are human-friendly but not pets, and animals who are house pets, on their terms.

If there are cages, "routine vetting," and efforts to control where each animal is at all times, it may call itself a sanctuary, but it's a shelter.

Animals living in a sanctuary may be adoptable if they seem to need more space or attention than they get at the sanctuary. Animals living in a shelter are basically for sale, although it's called "adoption" to justify more intrusive questions and control-freaking about purchasers, and higher prices.

This web site does not really discriminate between shelters and sanctuaries that post pet photos on Petfinder. Adoption or rescue is about the animals; animals need to be rescued from shelters. If you want to support sanctuaries that aren't merely shelters in disguise, cheers to you--you can monitor what actually goes on in your city; we can't.

We do recommend that, unless you're rescuing individual animals from their custody, you NOT send money to any "Humane Society," to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or--and I say this with profound regret, Cleveland Amory having been a national treasure--the World Wildlife Fund. These organizations are currently controlled by people whose agenda is global dictatorship, which includes breaking up the natural relationship between humans and nature that allows humans to form respectful, voluntary, mutual bonds with other lifeforms. Basically they don't want people to have pets, although they put it in terms of protecting animals from any chance of ever being abused or sick or suffering in any way...by being humanely killed, they mean. Not all people who volunteer services to these organizations share this agenda but they're being pressed into its service all the same.

Is it this fundamental incompatibility that's prompted the uninvited changes to the Petfinder site? More likely they've listened to some terribly clever person, who's studied "marketing (to TV watchers)" at university, who has told them, "These people who look at the photos regularly aren't buying animals! You must reduce the choices! When the kind of people we study are shown just ONE option and told "take it or leave it," they're more likely to take it!" In effect "the New Petfinder" is saying to bloggers like me that they don't want us picking photos to promote. We can promote their picks or not. 

I'll finish the year as planned, but for 2026, if Petfinder doesn't show me enough photos to make a contest, my forced choice will be "leave it." Somebody else can echo Petfinder's picks. I don't find that idea inspiring. 

Zipcode 10101: Ophelia from Corinth 


This stray (or dumped out?) kitten was found with her head stuck in a Dairy Queen coffee cup. She would have pulled it off eventually, but she was picked up, taken to the vet, and placed in a shelter for adoption. 

Zipcode 20202: Tommy from Sykesville 


Despite claiming to specialize in feral cats, shelter staff think Tommy is friendly. They don't say whether he's been neutered yet.

Zipcode 30303: Elias & Flynn from Sandy Springs 


These brother cats sound as if they've been house pets. Two tomcats who live together as house pets have probably been neutered at a very early age, and may not even make the house smell bad. 

Zipcode 10101: Grandpa Rocky from NYC 


Rocky is very old, as retrievers go--more than seven years. And he's big, as retrievers go--not fat, but he weighs about seventy pounds. And he's not the standard black or yellow color. And he's lost some teeth. People inquired about adopting him but didn't follow through, whether because he has some additional problems they're not mentioning, or because the shelter where he became a news item allowed too much control-freaking. He's in a different shelter, trying his luck. He is described as a nice old fellow who likes lots of naps, but still also expects lots of walks, and behaves well on a leash. 

Zipcode 20202: Jimmy from Virginia Beach 


When his humans left the country, they left this posh and pricey eight-month-old Pomeranian puppy behind. If you've always wanted a Pomeranian...you could try haggling about the price, which is pretty ridiculous, but somebody else might pay the asking price. (Or you might consider how long it takes to train a puppy and what a Pomeranian puppy is going to smell like during that time, and adopt a nice little Dachshund or Chihuahua.) Anyway, here he is as proof that you can find the look of a perfect fancy-breed dog at Petfinder.

Zipcode 30303: Kraine from Atlanta 


Kraine is a Border Collie, a short-haired, intelligent sheep-herding breed. He'll be happiest when he has a job that keeps him awake during the day. If you don't keep sheep, what else can you hire him to manage? They say he's afraid of bigger dogs but gets along well with smaller ones.
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