Confusing the Issue of Accountability

To the Editor:

In his August 13 letter to the editor (“The Whole Truth: All Too Uncommon”), Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People magazine, seems to confuse issues of truth and accountability with the fact that certain agencies’ approaches to solving animal-related problems don’t match his own favored approaches.

The debate about how to properly classify direct-mail outreach — is it fund raising or program-related? — is old and tired and will likely never be finally adjudicated. This is an “eye-of-the-beholder” issue.

As far as the examples he cites regarding the gaps between what “the public” perceives about the actions and priorities of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Greenpeace, etc., it appears that this information is readily available to those who ask. After all, Mr. Clifton discovered it.

I don’t see accountability or truth evasion on the parts of the agencies cited. Rather, I see honest differences about how to best deal with the issues at hand.

For instance, a graduate-school colleague of mine is the executive director of our county’s humane society. “No-kill” shelters sounded like a great idea to me, too, until she and I discussed this. She makes a solid, well-researched case against their use, and she changed my thinking through education.

Mr. Clifton’s arguments are not about truth and accountability. They sound like sour grapes to me.

Tom Welsh
Development Director
45th Street Clinic
Seattle

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To the Editor:

In his recent letter to the editor, Merritt Clifton makes an incorrect assumption about the way the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals presents our relationship with independent S.P.C.A.’s to donors, the general public, and the media.

We promote our organization to donors and the general public based on the complete program of work we do for animals:

* The adoption shelter we run in New York City finds new homes for about 2,000 animals each year and provides our “National Shelter Outreach” program with the credibility to counsel local shelters across the country. Nearly 1,000 shelters receive advice annually, with some receiving financial grants.

* The National Animal Poison Control Center telephone hotline handles 42,000 cases annually. This unique facility helps animals in every state and even several countries, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

* A federal and state Government Affairs Department is currently tracking the progress of 1,300 pieces of legislation across the country. In conjunction with other national and local humane organizations, we are actively working for the passage of many of these bills and the successful approval of various state ballot initiatives.

* Our Humane Education Department annually distributes classroom materials and curricula to more than 20,000 schools nationwide to help teach children to treat animals with compassion and respect.

* The Humane Law Enforcement Department investigates animal cruelty within New York State, and our Legal Department advises prosecutors and courts throughout the country about animal-cruelty law.

* A low-cost veterinary hospital in New York City serves 30,000 animals annually, subsidized by the A.S.P.C.A. to offset an operating deficit of $1.5-million.

Of course we find some members of the general public and the media who are confused about the relationship between the A.S.P.C.A. and local S.P.C.A.’s, and we correct those misperceptions every day in the course of our work. To proactively state who we are and what we do, the A.S.P.C.A. uses the following boilerplate in all of our press releases:

“The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani mals was founded in 1866 as the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Today, the A.S.P.C.A. has over 475,000 members and donors, and continues to prevent cruelty and alleviate the pain, fear, and suffering of ani mals through nationwide education, awareness, legal, and legislative programs. The A.S.P.C.A. headquarters in New York City houses one of the area’s largest full-service animal hospitals, an adoption facility, and the Humane Law Enforcement Department, which is responsible for enforcing New York’s animal-cruelty laws. For more information about the A.S.P.C.A., visit our Web site at www.aspca.org.”

No one really knows to what degree any confusion exists, but if Mr. Clifton has a hypothesis, perhaps he should test it.

Roger A. Caras
President
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
New York