Connecting to "the animal"

      Even though I have been volunteering at animal shelters and rescues since I was a little girl, this past trip to the PSPCA was different. While the scenery was more or less the same, after having read and discussed the origins and various definitions of “the animal” in class, my perceptions of the animals at the shelter were significantly more complex and powerful. For example, how can a cat or dog rubbing up against the bars of his or her cage, begging for attention and love be considered a machine? Searching for love, connection and care are not mechanical characteristics as far as I can see.  This past at the PSPCA allowed for me to clearly see that animals have the same desires that we do deep down inside: security, acceptance, companionship and so much more. The only difference that I could see while spending time with the furry felines at the PSPCA is that they don’t make as much of a fuss over appearances and intellectual and societal status as much as we humans do.
      Leaving the PSPCA, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed and saddened for the animals that are living inside those relatively tiny cells, with people streaming in and out the doors pointing and talking and grabbing. Perhaps it’s not that type of situation that saddens me, but rather the fact that the animals must have no idea why they are confined and why so many people are staring at them but not necessarily giving them the love and security they so desire. 

      After hearing Rachel McCrystal and Mazzy’s presentation, I no longer felt as sad and overwhelmed as I originally had. I learned so much after that class… I had no idea how monumental Philadelphia was and has been in the animal welfare (and rights) movement and how vital of a role the PSPCA has played in the helping and healing of so many animals. I can now see that the animals at the PSPCA are not “sad” cases. The sole fact that they are being sheltered from the storm of animal cruelty and neglect until a furrever home can be found for them is so uplifting.

      One aspect of Rachel’s presentation that resonated with me the most was the section on Caroline Earle White. Before she founded the Women’s PSPCA (now Woman’s Humane Society), so much was being done to get stray dogs off the streets and to humanely care for agricultural and particularly industrial animals. But White saw that while these efforts were an extremely consequential part of the movement, they only acted as a band-aid to the problem, hence her opening up the first shelter in America and the first adoption program. Adoptions of rescued animals are becoming more and more popular and progressive, as I could clearly see by the swarms of people bustling through the halls of the PSPCA during adoption hours.

      Two things remain clear to me after volunteering at the PSPCA and listening to the animal welfare presentation: in order for success to be made in the movement, people must 1) learn to care for other animals besides themselves and their own species be it through introspection or personal connections, and 2) those who are already active and aware must spread their notions by means of education and first-hand experiences.