[Animals] Honoring women who advocate for animals

[FazzNoth]

During the month of March we give a little extra attention to the amazing accomplishments of strong, determined women. Since 1987, when the National Women’s History Alliance (https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/) petitioned Congress, the United States has formally recognized March as National Women’s History Month.

This year’s Women’s History theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers, and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history. As a retired nurse, human caregivers and frontline workers will always garner my utmost respect and hold a very extra special place in my heart.

But as always, this is a column dedicated to other species and, not to slight anyone, there are a myriad of women around the world that have provided healing and promoted hope for those that cannot speak for themselves.

Some of them are exceedingly famous, such as the “Trimates,” The Founding Mothers of Primatology – Dr. Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Dr. Birute Galdikas (https://thehumanevolutionblog.com/2015/07/14/the-trimates-the-founding-mothers-of-primatology/). Others, like Lek Saengduean Chailert of Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park (https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/) and Jill Robinson, founder of Animals Asia (https://www.animalsasia.org/us/about-us/), represent some of the current generation of women fighting for the survival of our planet’s most endangered wildlife. What all of them have in common are the drive and determination to change our world for the better.

On a national level, Caroline Earle White is deemed to be one of the first prominent women advocates for animals. She started the first US animal shelter in 1869, along with a group of 30 female animal activists.  The Women’s Branch of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (https://womensanimalcenter.org/) was founded in Philadelphia for stray dogs and cats to help them locate their owners or new homes. The women also believed that educating people was the “best weapon against animal abuse.” Caroline White also founded the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) in 1883.

One woman who has been an invaluable resource of information for me, personally, is Hannah Shaw, aka “The Kitten Lady” (http://www.kittenlady.org/). A rescuer and humane educator, she provides free online educational media and resources to help individuals and animal rescue groups learn how to save the lives of the tiniest and most vulnerable kittens.

Then there is Dr. Janet Donlin, DVM who, in 2016, became the first female CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association (https://www.avma.org/) and continues today to lead the AVMA’s efforts to protect, promote and advance the veterinary profession through political advocacy, educational programs for vets, and public information campaigns.

If you have adopted a healthy animal from a shelter, you probably have Dr. Lila Miller, DVM, to thank. By developing the first vet-written guidelines for shelter animal care, now utilized across the country, she transformed the lives of countless homeless pets. She wrote the ASPCA’s first Animal Care Supervisor’s Manual, which laid out protocols for animal care staff, and co-founded the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (https://www.sheltervet.org/) and co-authored ASV’s “2010 Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters” (https://oacu.oir.nih.gov/system/files/media/file/2021-02/shelterguide.pdf), the first document by veterinarians that addresses the care and welfare of shelter animals.

The list of women who “provide healing and promote hope” for those that cannot speak for themselves is both enormous and amazing. But we do not need to look around the world to find those women. We only need to look within our own backyard.

Our family’s veterinarians are, in my opinion, vitally important to this family’s welfare, and each one of them is a woman. They have ensured our animals’ health, saved our pets’ lives on more than one occasion, and held our hands and grieved with us when it was time to let one of them go. They have definitely provided healing and hope to us and others.

A number of our animal control officers and police officers are women, who are the first line of protection, not only to our citizens, but also to the animals whose health and welfare they work steadfastly to safeguard. Their required duties are wide-ranging, frequently hazardous and often underappreciated, yet they ceaselessly continue to be the first line of defense for the helpless.

An animal’s guardian angel will protect, heal, love, and transform the life of the animal it is watching over. Such are the numerous animal rescue organizations around our county, each one predominantly run by women, whose devoted efforts have played a significant role in improving or saving the lives of many pets.

Last, but definitely not least, are the team of women who work and volunteer at the Tehama County Animal Care Center. Their leader is a dedicated female manager who deals daily with a minimal budget, limited space, and inadequate resources. Despite the hurdles faced, all of them have united to create a place of improved chances, a place of recovery and redemption, and a place of compassion. If they do not deserve a tribute this month for providing healing and promoting hope, then I do not know who does.

https://www.redbluffdailynews.com/2022/03/04/honoring-women-who-advocate-for-animals/