From: "Julian and Jackie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
. I am most familiar with people in
| this country where there is a very strong consciousness of animal rights
| and animal welfare. Vets bills seem significantly lower than in the US,
| but people seem to be far more prepared to spend money on their pets.
| Commercial considerations rarely apply. A sick animal needs help and
| people without the means have access to charities like PDSA and Blue
| Cross who will help the animals if the owners cannot.
|
| Legislation on animals welfare and animal cruelty is very strict.
I agree with your sentiments, Julian. But please be kind as we Yanks
catch up.
As you know professionally, legislation often is not adopted easily. I
explained that splendid new WA state law that whizzed into enactment
because everyone in the state was angry. That doesn't often happen.
The best we all can do is to keep pressing.
History might play a role. I don't know when you date the establishment
of England, but I'll bet you that there weren't animal cruelty laws in
1066, or William's knights would all have been arrested.
In this country there are frontier and farm-oriented traditions that are
hard to overcome. Either legally or psychologically. I won't suggest
that the US has bizarre regions -- but Arizona (where Rebecca's reported
cat slaying occurred) became a state in only 1912, and until 1936 it was
till mainly useless desert with some beef steers and memories of
gunfighters. I won't mention other places like Texas (where Rebecca is)
or Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Ann-Marie).
We have traditions of local governance so things take a LONG time for
EVERY jurisdiction to catch up. That's not justification, but it is an
explanation.
