Caution Needed When Donating to Funds for Abandoned Animals...

Amid growing social concern over abandoned animals and the problem of animal abuse, many people feel distressed by the plight of animals that have been abused and discarded. In particular, because most abandoned-animal shelters operated by local governments euthanize animals 10 days after a public notice is posted, animal welfare groups and online communities dedicated to protecting abandoned dogs are increasingly organizing their own adoption campaigns or establishing shelters.

With the government failing to provide a fundamental solution for abandoned dogs, these efforts are regarded as the best course of action available to animal welfare advocates and are supported by their members.

However, caution is needed when making donations for animal protection.

Internal conflicts have recently become common, including legal disputes over donations intended to save and protect lives and changes in the management of online communities or private shelters for abandoned dogs. Groups and online communities formed to protect abandoned and suffering animals should, by their very nature, exist for animal protection. But if they exploit animals’ painful circumstances through provocative language and images while harboring hidden commercial motives, they may be even more unethical than profit-driven businesses.

Across the country, countless organizations large and small engage in animal welfare activities, paralleling the growth of the dog-owning population. All of them operate on donations. Before donating to help abandoned animals, donors should carefully examine how transparently a group or online community uses its funds and what it actually does to protect abandoned animals. If an organization uses provocative, forceful language about an incident to evoke sympathy and solicit donations, people should investigate the incident even more carefully and thoroughly before contributing.