Disposable Animals: Ending the Tragedy of Throwaway Pets
Although Brestrup deals with a variety of animal rights issues in this book, he focuses on "throwaway pets" in what appears to be the first real effort to deal with the problem. His main thesis is that shelters that kill contribute to a societal attitude that "commodifies" animals. What makes this work different from other animal rights resources is its social/psychological criticism of shelters that kill and their proponents. Brestrup is an excellent writer with a somewhat unusual background. A former social worker, he became executive director of Seattle's Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in February 1994. Distressed by the killing of homeless pets there, he left in January 1996, just as PAWS officially became a "no-kill" shelter. It is hoped that any subsequent editions will include a foreword detailing the effects of this change on the pet situation in that area. An appendix lists animal rights organizations. For larger animal welfare collections.?Alicia Graybill, Lincoln City Libs., Neb.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.