Rachel and Mazzy's visit

I certainly enjoyed Rachel and Mazzy's visit on Wednesday. Mazzy was adorable and her story was a prime example of the importance of compassion toward animals. It is always great to hear a success story like that, and even better to meet the subject of such a story.

What Rachel had to say was very interesting. She gave us a great overview of the animal welfare movement, from its humble beginnings as a result of medical school experiments in England to the current shelters found throughout the world. Before this, I hadn't known that Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals started in England as the Royal SPCA, which specifically targeted the welfare of carriage horses. This issue is still current, although luckily it is on a much smaller scale. It is still a problem, though, and welfare organizations such as the ASPCA still keep a focus on it.

I found it very interesting that women were a main force in starting off the animal welfare movement. This reminded me of Josephine Donovan's essay: Feminism and the Treatment of Animals: From Care to Dialogue, which we read in the Animal Ethics Reader. The "care theory" that Donovan talks about is more than likely why women were the pioneers in the animal welfare movement. (And this probably explains our class population!)

Overall, Rachel and Mazzy's visit on Wednesday was a treat, and I certainly learned a lot. I think the entire class would love to see them again soon.