On April 5, 20ll, Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, released his first book, titled The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. It is somewhat surprising that this is Pacelle’s first book; his blog, A Humane Nation, regularly features his stellar writing on animal issues. Pacelle has been with HSUS since the mid-nineties and has been President since 2004, and in that time he has been a driving force for improving animal welfare in the US and around the world.
The Bond is quickly gaining status as a “must read” for any animal person, from the entrenched animal activist to the dog lover. Even “the choir” will learn some new facts about the history of animal protection organizations and laws, and readers get to meet the local heroes of the animal welfare movement, those people who sacrifice time and money to provide care and shelter to the animals who are cast aside by our society.
Pacelle discusses a variety of animal welfare issues, such as dogfighting and cockfighting, sealing, the wild animal trade, and of course food and companion animals. He also addresses that wildly controversial relationship between HSUS and Michael Vick. While many animal activists vehemently disagree with that connection, it is very useful to at least read the in depth explanation of why many believe Vick can relate to inner city youth and help fight dogfighting, and how he might actually learn to respect animals.
The title of this book really says it all: our bond with animals has been broken, particularly as we continue to urbanize and experience a greater disconnect from food animals, and as other animal industries fight to keep their operations behind closed doors and out of the public eye. In the days when humans truly depended on animal flesh and pelts to survive, the animals were respected for their sacrifices. Today, most humans are able to not only survive but thrive without the use of animal products, and yet we now treat animals like commodities that have no right to their own lives or natural behaviors. We must acknowledge our bond with animals, and not just the animals that we keep in our homes as pets. It's time for people to learn about all of the animals hidden away from their sight and to do what we can to end or reduce their suffering. The book ends with 50 ways to do just that.
Pacelle, for all of his work with HSUS, is a somewhat controversial figure in the animal welfare movement. Some accuse him of being too “radical”, and those accusations come primarily from groups fighting to maintain their rights to exploit animals. Others accuse him of being too weak, or criticize him for working within the system and engaging in dialogue with groups such as livestock producers. Some complaints are legitimate, the majority are mostly fabricated. The truth is that, as far as working to reshape the legal framework of animal welfare in the US, few have been as influential or as successful as Pacelle and the HSUS.
Despite what some highly paid slanderers imply, the HSUS does not promote itself as a shelter, and while it does provide grants and other assistance to shelters, the bulk of its work is to generate systematic changes in the legal system to protect animals against cruelties inflicted upon them by those interested solely in the bottom line. In fact, The Bond does an excellent job of describing how these animal industries have latched on to outdated behaviorist theories that animals are mere “things” that cannot think or feel, and they use this archaic nonsense, along with some quid pro quo, to influence legislators. Most of the rest of us know better than to believe the propaganda put forth by these industries. And most of us also know that we as a community are the ones who need to support our local shelters through donations of time, money, food and supplies for hands-on care of animals on a local level. Some people don’t take the time to research the charities they support, but HSUS is clear on how donations are used if you choose to donate to them.
That said, no one will likely agree with anyone else 100% of the time, and constructive criticism from true supporters of the animal welfare movement is fair game. The cautionary tale is that one needs to be able to separate fact from fiction, and in the case of smear campaigns against HSUS or any other animal protection organization, one must do their research to separate true concern from animal lovers from lies paid for by the animal industries. And, as The Bond notes, one must always look beyond the name of an organization—a humane sounding name can veil malicious intent towards animals.
A very significant theme of this book is the hypocrisy of our bond with animals—the fact that some of us devote time and money to protect a particular species of animal while supporting the exploitation of other species. Why do some of us spend so much money pampering our companion animals while simultaneously consuming the product of animal suffering at meals? Oppose fur but eat veal? Avoid red meat but eat pork? The Bond is an easy and compelling read that will hopefully inspire many to ask those kinds of questions of themselves, and in response, we’ll add even more thoughtful, compassionate individuals to the animal welfare and animal rights movements.
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