the bond between animals and veterans

Today being Memorial Day, it seems appropriate to honor not just the veterans who have served our country with such faithfulness and sacrifice (thank you), but also some of the companion animals who have befriended and served their military humans with an inspiring faithfulness and sacrifice of their own. 

Sadly, many of the dogs who served alongside military personnel in wars past were not allowed to return home with the soldiers, and were subsequently abandoned or even euthanized as this National Geographic video portrays, featuring tremendously moving interviews with Vietnam vets (shared by Peter Spiegel and Conservative Animal Advocate):

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William Wilberforce, a man of many causes

If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures, and to be warmed with the desire of relieving their distresses, is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever to be permitted at large.

I'm not sure in defense of which cause William Wilberforce made this statement specifically before British Parliament, but it certainly applies to his concern for God's nonhuman creatures as well.  Wilberforce, a Christian, is best remembered, and rightly so, for his crucial role in the abolition of slavery in Great Britain, which is featured in the highly-recommended recent film Amazing Grace.  But I was happily surprised to see instances of his care and advocacy for animals featured in the film as well, and to learn of his leadership in putting the cause of animal welfare on the map.

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animals and evangelicals

My mother first passed along this rare article to me from Karen Swallow Prior, professor of English and chair of Liberty University's English and Modern Languages Department.  Karen has since become a good friend and always-welcome contributor to not one sparrow, and she originally wrote "Animals and Evangelicals" for Liberty Journal in response to the Michael Vick dogfighting headlines of three years ago (10/18/07):

The spotlight shone by the Michael Vick case on the issue of dogfighting and other forms of animal abuse has bemused many conservatives and Christians, leaving them to wonder where to place this barbarism on the scale of evils plaguing society today.  But our Evangelical ancestors in the reform movements of 18th- and 19th-century England would not have been so baffled, for even in the midst of their fight against slavery and other ills, they viewed animal cruelty as one of the most important moral issues of their day.  By fighting barbarism in all its forms, these Christians sought to cultivate universal benevolence throughout all of society.

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cockfighting, truly barbaric

Updated on March 27, 2010 by Ben DeVries

Last Summer I had the pleasure of meeting John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues at the Humane Society of the United States.  John gave an articulate and compelling presentation on the barbarism of cockfighting, for both the animals and humans involved, as well as the gambling and other peripheral criminal activities which the fighting attracts.  See the following video for an introduction:

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dogtown and the Michael Vick pit bulls

If you followed the headlining dog fighting case last Fall involving NFL quarterback Michael Vick and Bad Newz Kennels, you may remember that there was much concern as to whether the rescued pit bulls would need to be put down because of their breeding and training.  I even assumed that this was an inevitability, based on early reports.  This seemed grossly unfair to the dogs involved, which were finally freed of a despicable business they had never asked to be a part of, forced to be vicious just to survive.

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