On January 18, 2011, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn pushed a bill through the City Council that makes it illegal for NYers to tie up their dogs more than 3 hours. On its surface, this law sounds like a godsend for dogs because chaining is unspeakably cruel. But if you scratch the surface, you’ll see […]

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At a public hearing on April 27th, 2010, Mayor Bloomberg justified his support of the bill to protect and strengthen NYC’s horse-drawn carriage trade by stating that the ASPCA believes the industry is humane: Why does the ASPCA protect the horse-drawn carriage trade by allowing lawmakers, carriage operators and even a Franciscan monk to (falsely) suggest […]

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January 12, 2008 Mr. Ed Sayres President ASPCA 424 E. 92nd St New York, NY 10128-6804 Dear Mr. Sayres: On Friday – when heavy rain was forecast – the horses once again left the stables and were forced to work in miserable and dangerous conditions, which included extended periods of torrential rain with thunder and […]

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DECEMBER 13, 2007
Dear Mr. Sayres:

Your silence is deafening at a time when your voice could save countless animals and change history.

Last Saturday, the ASPCA posted a press release on its website in support of Tony Avella’s bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. Here’s what didn’t happen next:

1. The A didn’t send the release to reporters, as evidenced by the fact that not one story included the A’s news. The media coverage would have been far more positive had THE authority on this issue spoken up. The unfavorable coverage resulting from the A’s silence has hurt the cause.
2. The A didn’t show up at the press conference, where CBS, NBC and ABC reporters would have gladly interviewed you or another spokesperson.
3. The A has not stepped into the media firestorm in any capacity, which has enabled the carriage PR machine to vilify Avella and call the rest of us “extremists.”

The emails you have sent to animal advocates over the past few days have a defeatist tone, yet you haven’t even stepped into the ring to fight. You are sending a very clear message that the A caved into pressure to support this bill, but that you have no intention of working for a ban. Am I missing something here? If so, it is only because the A has been so painfully quiet during this critical time following the intro of Avella’s bill.

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