PUPPY LOVE with Kate Whiteney
Info on animal
testing available on-line
This
month I decided to write about a subject
that is not very pleasant - testing on
animals. I was on the People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
website one day (www.peta.org)
and came across a whole section that
promotes awareness about this
topic. As I read through what was
on the website, I only grew more
curious.
I googled the subject and found hundreds
of websites that talk about animal
testing. At first I was pretty
emotional and I cried. I
couldnt believe what I was
reading. Then that sadness turned
to anger and disgust. I scrolled
through the endless number of websites
trying to learn all I could about testing
on animals. I channeled that anger
I had inside into writing this article.
I hope that you find this topic as
eye opening as I did, and maybe it will
even convince you to change some of your
habits, to start reading labels, and only
buy products that are not tested on
animals.
I feel like I should put a warning on
this article because some parts are
pretty disturbing. However, I think
its important that the American
people who love animals know what is
being done to millions of innocent ones.
To educated myself on this topic, I tried
to read as much as I could and watch as
many news clips that I could find.
There is one video on PETAs website
that I began to watch and had to turn it
off after about six seconds.
Its a video that shows the animals
in actual testing situations. It
was absolutely, horrifically
disgusting. If anyone thinks they
can handle the video the website is http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp.
For anyone who doesnt believe this
exists, or who needs to see something to
get them mad, watch the video. But
dont say I didnt warn
you.
Some of you might have heard about animal
testing but dont really know what
it entails. Well, youre in
luck because after researching the topic,
I now know the ugly, horrible truth and I
am going to share it with you. So
what does it mean when a product is
tested on animals, and what animals are
used for testing?
The number of animals that are tortured
and killed in US laboratories every year
is in the millions. Companies pump their
products into animals stomachs, rub
the product onto their skin, squirt it
into their eyes, or force the animals to
inhale them as aerosol sprays.1
Animals that are used for testing include
monkeys, birds, rats, baboons, mice,
dogs, cats, rabbits, farm animals, and
guinea pigs.
On the PETA website, there is a list of
companies that do and do not test on
animals. The companies that are
featured on the list include cosmetic,
personal care, and household cleaning
product companies.
Whats inexcusable about this list,
is that there is no law that requires
animal testing of these products.
Each company purposely chooses to test
their products on innocent animals. Put
another way, these companies do not have
to test on animals but do anyway.
Personally, I think this is just
ridiculous and it makes me mad.
Not featured on the list are companies
that are required by law to test on
animals, such as pharmaceuticals,
automotive and garden chemicals, food
additives, etc.
For your convenience here are a few of
the companies that do NOT test on
animals. 2.
Abercrombie & Fitch, Almay, Avon
Products, Inc., Bare Escentuals, Bath
& Body Works, The Body Shop, Bumble
and Bumble, Burts Bees, Crabtree
& Evelyn Cosmetics, Hello Kitty,
LOccitane, M.A.C. Cosmetics,
Revlon, Trader Joes Company, and
Victorias Secret (for a full list,
visit http://www.caring
consumer.com/resources_companies.asp)
Some companies that DO test on animals
are 3: (for a full list go to above link
as well)
Arm & Hammer, Bic Corporation,
Clairol, Clorox, Cover Girl, Johnson
& Johnson, Oral-B, and Pantene.
Something that we give to our dogs every
day and dont really think twice
about is dog food. Take a minute to
think about the following
statements:
Dogs and cats are confined to tiny lab
cages for years and are forced to
participate in horrible experiments in
order to test dog and cat food. Lonely
dogs are driven mad from confinement in
barren steel and cement cells. Dogs
are dumped on cold concrete flooring
after having chunks of muscle cut out of
their thighs.
Experimenters severed dogs vocal
cords in order to keep them quiet.
And lastly, sick dogs were languishing in
their cages desperately needing
veterinary care.4 You would
probably say Im crazy and made
those statements up, right?
And things like that dont
happen? Wrong.
Those things all did happen and they were
exposed when PETA conducted an undercover
investigation that lasted nine months to
expose a laboratory that conducts cruel
animal testing for companies like Iams
and other major companion-animals food
companies.
Dont believe it? Watch this video
and see for yourself, at; http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=iams&Player=wm
Want to view pictures and learn
about some of the dogs used in the
experiment? Type in this link http://www.iamscruelty.com/photos.asp
and make sure you have a box of tissues
next to you. Why are these animals
suffering like this?
PETA found that testing like this occurs
so that the companies can add new
and improved to their
packaging. You can find a complete
list of food companies that do not test
on animals by visiting the link http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp and scrolling to
the bottom. Here are a few that are
on the list:
Natures Variety,
PetGuard, Veterinary Nutritional Formula,
and Active Life Pet Products
So why havent these cruel ways of
testing on animals changed? New research
methods, like computer models, cell
cultures, and human studies are more
accurate, less expensive, and much more
humane. 5 Researchers are hesitant
to change their ways.
They are comfortable with the testing
routines they know. Change is slow
coming, and unless we start to do
something, things will never
change. If you want to start living
a cruelty-free life visit http://www.peta.org/living
to find out how.
After writing this article, I
threw out anything in my house that was
on the tested on animals
list. I will never buy products
that are tested on animals ever
again. The testing often provides
misleading and inaccurate results and
even if a product has blinded an animal,
it can still be marketed to us.
So why is this testing even done?
What good is it doing?
Apparently some researchers havent
noticed that humans and animals differ
significantly, making animal drug tests
dangerous and unreliable.
Im not telling my readers to stop
using products on the do test on
animals list or not to buy Iams
food dog food. People are allowed
to make their own decisions and live
their lives as they please. I just
hope that this opened your eyes to some
things that maybe you never knew.
So even if you change just one product
you use, you will be making a difference,
and possibly even saving a life.
(Endnotes)1 http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp, 2 http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp, 3 http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp, 4 http://caringconsumer.com/pdfs/companiesDontTest.doc, 5 http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp, 6 http://caringconsumer.com/info_consumers.asp
If you are interested in adopting a
puppy or becoming a foster parent to a
puppy waiting for a home you can email
Kate at Kwswingrite@aol.com
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(C) copyright, Valley Patriot, Inc., 2008
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