“By investigating the . . . connection between the . . . shelter and the community . . . vastly expands . . . notions of intersectionality, democracy, and inclusivity.” —Leslie Irvine, American Journal of Sociology Monster is an adult pit bull, muscular and grey, who is impounded in a large animal shelter in Los Angeles. Like many other dogs at the shelter, Monster is associated with marginalized humans and assumed to embody certain behaviors because of his breed. And like approximately one million shelter animals each year, Monster will be killed. The Lives and Deaths of Shelter Animals takes us inside one of the country's highest-intake animal shelters. Katja M. Guenther witnesses the dramatic variance in the narratives assigned different animals, including Monster, which dictate their chances for survival. She argues that these inequalities are powerfully linked to human ideas about race, class, gender, ability, and species. Guenther deftly explores internal hierarchies, breed discrimination, and importantly, instances of resistance and agency. “Powerful and timely. . . . Katja M. Guenther unlocks the shelter door and eloquently explains this complicated and contested multispecies space, as she reflects on issues such as witnessing, vulnerability, advocacy, grievability, compassion, and animal resistance.” —Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat “In this compassionate, incisive ethnography . . . Katja M. Guenther illuminates the entangled injustices that shape human relationships with other animals.” —Lori Gruen, author of Entangled Empathy “With the perfect balance of intimacy and analytical depth, the author reminds us of how messy things can get when caring and killing become one, or when the value of the animal companion's life is measured by the race, gender, and zip code of the owner.” —Bénédicte Boisseron, author of Afro-Dog

Explains the "No Kill" movement, tracing the history of animal sheltering and describing what can be done for homeless dogs and cats by shelters without the need to kill them.

Elizabeth Hess, a journalist and former art critic, walked into the Columbia Greene Animal Shelter in upstate New York looking for a new dog. Touched by the animals' plight and the dedication of the workers, she began to volunteer at the shelter on a regular basis. In Lost and Found, Hess brings you behind the scenes in this thorough examination of the day-to-day workings of the shelter. From the weekly adoption days, when families come to find a new dog or cat, to investigations of animal abuse and a thrilling puppy mill raid, we come to know both the animals and their caretakers on a deeply personal level. With a keen eye for detail and profound emotional insight, Hess dispels common myths about shelter animals and captures the boundless compassion and courage of the people who comfort and defend them, especially during their desperate efforts to find homes for the animals, lest they be put to sleep. A vivid portrait of a world many of us are blissfully unaware of, Lost and Found is "a must-read for every pet owner" (Seattle Times).

Offering a comparative analysis of feminist social movements in the aftermath of the collapse of state socialism, this book offers a unique opportunity to examine how shifting gender relations interact with local identities to create new understandings of gender, the state, and strategies for resistance.

Pound seizure or pound release involves a shelter selling or giving away cats and dogs to research facilities, universities, or Class B Dealers (random source animal brokers licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture) to be used for experimentation that often ends in death. This book offers an overview of the problem of pound seizure, and its history, and provides practical tips for how anyone can become an advocate to end pound seizure in their community, while protecting oneself from legal attacks from Class B Dealers and the research community. With personal stories, firsthand accounts, and vivid examples, the author relays the seamier side of this practice and offers a plan for ending it.

Scientific experiments using animals have contributed significantly to the improvement of human health. Animal experiments were crucial to the conquest of polio, for example, and they will undoubtedly be one of the keystones in AIDS research. However, some persons believe that the cost to the animals is often high. Authored by a committee of experts from various fields, this book discusses the benefits that have resulted from animal research, the scope of animal research today, the concerns of advocates of animal welfare, and the prospects for finding alternatives to animal use. The authors conclude with specific recommendations for more consistent government action.

Despite increasing public attention to animal suffering, human beings continue to exploit billions of animals in factory farms medical laboratories, and elsewhere. This wide-ranging study shows how spiritual teachings in seven major religious traditions can help people consider their ethical obligations towards other creatures.

We live more intimately with nonhuman animals than ever before in history. The change in the way we cohabitate with animals can be seen in the way we treat them when they die. There is an almost infinite variety of ways to help us cope with the loss of our nonhuman friends—from burial, cremation, and taxidermy; to wearing or displaying the remains (ashes, fur, or other parts) of our deceased animals in jewelry, tattoos, or other artwork; to counselors who specialize in helping people mourn pets; to classes for veterinarians; to tips to help the surviving animals who are grieving their animal friends; to pet psychics and memorial websites. But the reality is that these practices, and related beliefs about animal souls or animal afterlife, generally only extend, with very few exceptions, to certain kinds of animals—pets. Most animals, in most cultures, are not mourned, and the question of an animal afterlife is not contemplated at all. Mourning Animals investigates how we mourn animal deaths, which animals are grievable, and what the implications are for all animals.

Children's Choices for 2000, CBC/IRA 2000-2001 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List 2001-2002 Mark Twain Award Master List 2002 Children's Crown Award Runner-Up 2001-2002 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Master List 2002-2003 Volunteer State Book Award Intermediate Master List 2002-2003 Iowa Children's Choice Master List 2003 Sasquatch Reading Award Master List 2002-2003 Land of Enchantment Young Adult Master Reading List 2003-2004 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Master List From the award-winning author Peg Kehret comes a collection of true stories about the amazing lives of eight shelter dogs. Many of these dogs were unwanted because of their size, behavior, or medical condition. All of the dogs found owners who loved and cared for them and ultimately helped change their lives in tremendous ways. The dogs have changed the owners' lives, too.

Kim Sheridan grew up with animals as her constant companions. Each time she faced the death of a beloved animal, along with the pain came the same questions, to which she could find no answers. Then, mysterious things began to happen that she couldn't explain, which led her on an incredible journey to uncover the truth. Along with her own extraordinary experiences, she compiled heartwarming and meaningful true stories of everyday people around the world, and discovered compelling evidence that forever erased her own doubts about an afterlife for animals. This book provides enormous comfort and reassurance to anyone who has ever cherished an animal, and food for thought for anyone who has ever questioned the place of these beloved creatures in the larger scheme of things, both here on Earth and beyond.