The following literature review is part of a series for World Vegan Month. Other essays can be accessed by visiting the essays catalog.
Nathan Winograd. 2007. Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America. Almaden Books.
I first learned of Nathan Winograd’s work from a Vegan Freaks Radio interview many years ago. Like most, I had been indoctrinated with the “common sense” of “euthanasia.” Too many dogs and cats, not enough homes, what else can be done?
Well, a lot, actually. Redemption demonstrates that “overpopulation” is a misnomer. The problem is not a lack of homes, the problem is shelter management. Bureaucracy and out-dated procedures have created a pathway dependency. There is an ethos of, “This is how it has always been done; this is how it will continue to be done.” Change is perceived as “risky” or otherwise unattractive.
Winograd outlines a practical solution to “overpopulation,” including working to make shelters more inviting to the public (instead of sad houses of death that we all avoid because we don’t want to feel sad and guilty), lengthening hours of operation, emphasizing adoption, and coming up with creative solutions to overcrowding.
My own personal experiences with shelters exemplify this irrationality. One of my cats once went missing in Fort Collins, Colorado (one of the biggest cities in the state). The shelter would not allow citizens to phone in to check to see if their companion was there and its online records were not kept up to date. I had to get up very early before work and drive 30 minutes into the prairie to the outskirts of town, only to find out that the shelter didn’t open until 11 A.M. I had to drive 30 minutes back home, then repeat the procedure after work.
Having previously volunteered at the shelter, I also knew that unclaimed animals were put on the kill list after five days.
Redemption asks readers to consider how these structural issues could be altered for efficiency. Lives would be saved if this shelter was located where people could easily access it, accepted phone calls about missing animals, had an updated online listing, was open during regular hours, and housed animals long enough to give them a legitimate chance for rescue or adoption.
Redemption is an “Ah ha!” book the challenges speciesist ideologies that we’ve taken for granted as true and necessary. For that matter, PETA can’t stand him, often labeling him a radical–so you know he must be on to something! You can also sign up for his newsletter and follow him on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Readers can learn more about the Nonhuman Animal rights industrial complex and its consequences for anti-speciesism in my 2016 publication, A Rational Approach to Animal Rights.
This essay was originally published on The Academic Activist Vegan on November 25, 2013.
