Poop City

Allergen free, but what about guilt?

Though the desire to care for a companion animal is without question an admirable one, there's something that is just wrong about purchasing an animal, as this family in the Village has, whose genes have been manipulated to make him/her allergen free.

No doubt, the Greenberg family loves their cat, and Dempsey certainly lives up to his zeitgeist-y moniker (geeks that we are, back in '98 we almost named our Zoe "Scully," and are very glad it didn't take).

But how many kitties were bred before Allerca Lifestyle Pets got the allergen-free mutation right? What happened to them? What happens to the cats who are returned to the seller like defective toasters? What happens to these cats as they age?

None of these questions are addressed in any depth on the Allerca web site. The closest the company comes is on its Q&A page, where potential clients can find this ridiculousness:

Q: Is there anything you can do to help current animal overpopulation?
A: All ALLERCA kittens are spayed or neutered prior to delivery, so at least we are doing our part.

Then there's this:

At ALLERCA, we are particularly concerned about animal and bioethics, and continually study and discuss these issues both internally and with leading experts.

So they're discussing ethical issues. Continually. With leading experts. What - you expect details for $4000?

For our money, Gothamist commenter Tim N. sums it up nicely:

Do what I do around our two cats and take a damn Allegra.

P-O-R: Good Government Edition

NO CLASS: Democrats in the House and Senate have proposed federal legislation to prevent "Class B" animal dealers and unlicensed dealers from selling dogs and cats to research labs. "This bill," writes the ASPCA, "would eliminate the incentive for 'bunchers' - people who collect animals from random sources and sell them to Class B Dealers - to obtain dogs and cats through illegal [i.e. theft] or unethical [i.e. 'Free to Good Home' ads] means, as there would be no profit in doing so." Read the ASPCA endorsement for more details about S. 714/H.R. 1280, the Pet Safety and Protection Act. And, most important, be sure to contact your Senators and Representative (click here if you aren't sure how or who).

PROPERTY RIGHTS: New Jersey lawmakers are looking to crack down on pet food makers who release contaminated food into the marketplace. One bill, proposed by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, would require food makers to certify that their products are safe, and would hold them liable for damages if proved otherwise. Another legislator wants tighter controls on the retail level in order to ensure that recalled food doesn't remain available for sale. The New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance, while applauding those efforts, believes the state should take a more holistic approach by elevating pets above "property" status.

IMBY: Support New York's own animal-defending government watchdogs by attending the League of Humane Voters of New York City spring membership meeting, tomorrow (Wednesday) at the LGBT Center (208 W. 13th St., Rm. 101, 6:30 p.m.). Come for the animals, stay for the animal-free pizza.

Giuliani dogged by Post readers

Dog lovers (or "animal-rights activists," as the Post calls them) are reacting to coverage of Judi Giuliani's work history, which includes a stint at U.S. Surgical, a company that killed dogs to demonstrate its products.

Here's a sampling:

To witness or participate in the pain and suffering of a living being tells so much of a person's lack of character, greed and selfishness.

This is unforgivable, and she should be ashamed. The thought of Giuliani as first lady sickens me.

Rudy Giuliani has lost my vote. Anyone who can condone animal abuse is a loser in my eyes.

If Giuliani desires to be the first lady, she must understand two things: It is not a good idea to ignore public opinion, and Americans like animals and have a special fondness for dogs.

Giuliani's indifference to suffering obviously carried over to people, evidenced by her escapades with Rudy while he was married.

Ouch.

For his part, Mr. Giuliani doesn't think the issue is worthy of comment. At least not yet.

Photo: pwilnyc via Flickr

Giuliani killed dogs for money

The Post reports that First Lady hopeful Judith Giuliani once worked for a medical supply firm that routinely maimed and then killed dogs during surgeries performed for the sole purpose of demonstrating its products.

U.S. Surgical killed "hundreds" of dogs from the 1970s through the 90s, the Post says. Giuliani got a job there in 1975, as a saleswoman in North Carolina, and worked for the company for four years.

"It was a horribly cruel, outrageous program," Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral said about the demonstrations of medical staplers on dogs ...

The dogs were "either put to death following the sales demonstrations because they can't recover from them, or they die during them," Feral said.

A campaign spokesman for Rudy Giuliani told the Post that Judith Giuliani "was in the operating room hundreds of times," but would not say whether she participated in demonstrations involving dogs.

Seems likely she did, though.

As the story says [emphasis added]:

The company, now part of Tyco Healthcare, has long acknowledged its salespeople routinely demonstrated staples on anesthetized dogs as part of sales pitches to doctors.

Then-CEO Leon Hirsch defended the practice in the 1980s, saying there was no other way to properly show how the staplers worked.

"A dead dog doesn't bleed," Hirsch said in a 1988 issue of Time magazine. "You need to have real blood-flow conditions, or you get a false sense of security."

Did someone say security? Yes, security!! Homeland Security!! Terrorism!! 9/11!! Run Rudy run!!