Grateful for the great work done by the PPHE team and FINALLY "putting to bed" the argument that animal welfare is uniquely exempt from the interpersonal and structural racism that permeates U.S. society. Key findings in this report (from my perspective) are:
- Family separation: Pets are consistently being adopted to higher SES and more White communities
- Lack of trust: When asked if they thought law enforcement or animal control were more likely to take pets to punish their owner, respondents who identified as BIPOC were more likely than Whites to believe that pets were used for punishment
- Inequitable punishment: Despite differences in location and size, significant similarities were discovered. In all four communities, members of the BIPOC community have less economic wealth, lower rates of home ownership, and less access to a vehicle. These systemic factors coupled with lack of access to veterinary care directly impact pet owners' ability to be compliant with local ordinances – especially those that require all dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered.
Looking forward to a future based in Human & Animal Wellbeing that reimagines how we as a society can support pet, family, and community safety and wellbeing by valuing (not policing) the human-animal bond.
------------------------------
Sloane Hawes
Chief of Research and Development
Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE)
Baltimore MD
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-13-2024 09:24 AM
From: T' Fisher
Subject: Racial Disparities in Animal Welfare
The results are in.
https://pphe.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/FINAL-Racial-Disparities-April-2024.pdf
Please share with all your fellow humans.
Thoughts? Comments?
#Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice
------------------------------
T' Fisher
Director of Operations
Program for Pet Health Equity
------------------------------