Here are some helpful tips on how to make your life more animal friendly:

• Disinfopedia by PR Watch
  The editors of PR Watch have set up a new web site, Disinfopedia, to keep track of organizations that engage in deceptive practices to sway public opinion in favor of industry and other interest groups.
  
  
• Estate Planning for Animal People
  Animal People has prepared excellent information that everyone who cares about animals should read. "Making Bequests to Animal Charities, and setting up Trusts to Benefit Animals" can be read and downloaded for free at: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/MakingBequestsS.html
  
  
• More Tips on Writing Letters to the Editor & Links to Identify Your Local Newspapers & Statistics related to your letter

  Tips for writing Letters to the Editor on important issues:

  • Your newspaper's letters page should say where & how to send in your letter. If you can't find this information, bookmark this link: http://congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media Enter your zip code and it will provide you contact information for all the local newspapers in your area plus the big national newspapers. Very cool!
  • Keep your letters short and to the point; irony, wit and a play on words often catch the editor's attention. Give brief details about why the issue is important to you and why it matters to the public. Papers have space limitations; know what they are and stay within the word limit.
  • Pounce on a recent news story. For example, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote today to approve a $726 billion tax cut. Most likely, your paper will run a story on that vote. Referring to such a story helps position your letter as relevant for publication.
  • Localize your letter with statistics on how your state will be affected. A great resource for this is at: http://database.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoff

    You can use this site, for example, to tell you exactly how much tax cuts will cost your state, and even translate the dollar figures into real-world terms. For example, if you live in Nebraska, this site will tell you that President Bush's $726 billion tax cut proposal would cost Nebraska $638.9 million next year, which could pay for 107,349 people's health care instead. Working a number like this into your letter makes it locally relevant, again increasing the odds of publication.

  • Use your own words whenever possible. Samples are best used as sources of ideas, identical letters will be discarded.
  • Be sure to include your name, address, and phone number. Papers don't print your street address and phone number, but they will often contact you before publishing your letter to verify that you wrote it and get your permission to print it.
  • Help keep democracy alive and write!

• Some weather reporters are very good about reminding people to bring their companion animals inside when the weather is cold.
  If you watch a television news program whose weather reporter does not warn people about leaving their animals outside in the cold, please contact the station and ask to speak to the weather reporter. Ask him or her to tell viewers to bring their animals inside when the weather is freezing.
  
  
• A good way to get your animal-friendly message out is to put a sticker on your cat carrier. When you take your cat to the vet, you will be educating people about the wearing of fur, the eating of meat, or any other issue that you wish to publicize. The next time a woman comes into the vet's waiting room wearing a fur coat, she may begin to make a connection if she sees a NO FUR bumper sticker on a cat carrier.
  
  
• The use of language can effect change in people's attitudes. Whenever possible, refer to animals as "he" or "she," not "it." Say, "the animal who," not "the animal which." When you fill out a form at your veterinarian's office requesting information about you and your companion animal, refer to yourself as the guardian, not the owner. Animals are not things. They are not pieces of property.
  
  
• If you enjoy writing, take every opportunity to write a letter to the editor about an animal issue to your local newspaper. Politicians and their aides look closely at Letter-to-the-Editor columns to gauge public interest in issues. A well-written letter to the editor can reach thousands of people.
  Research your facts thoroughly before you write a letter. The opposition loves to catch animal people in exaggerations or mistatements of fact.
  
  
• Be sure to give your complete name and address when you write a letter on behalf of animals. A letter signed "Alex from Alexandria" or "Charles from Chevy Chase" does not make a good impression and will probably not be taken seriously.
  
  
• Always copy your state and federal officials in the correspondence when you write letters or e-mails about certain animal issues. For example, if you are writing to Petco regarding their care of animals in their stores, copy the Health Department in that locality and your state elected officials (state senator and delegate.) The recipient of the letter is more inclined to act and respond to you if these parties are copies
  
  
• Always request a reply to your concerns when you write a letter on an animal issue. If you subscribe to progressive publications such as The Nation, Mother Jones, The Utne Reader, please make point of writing letters to the editor on animal issues. Many progressives have not yet come to understand that animal concerns are worthy of their attention. In many cases, we can help change these people by educating them about animal abuse, exploitation, and cruelty.
  
  
• Meet with or send information about circuses to sponsors. This includes stores that advertise the circus or that sell tickets. We have put together an information packet that we will send upon request. All of the material can be duplicated. It is a compilation of newspaper articles and information collected from numerous animal organizations.
  
  
• The next time you visit your doctor, dentist, or vet, take along some old issues of The Animals' Agenda, Animal People, or other pro-animal publications. Leave them in the waiting room. Who knows? Someone might learn something new about animal issues. These publications make a welcome change from the ubiquitous Time, Newsweek, Vogue...
  
  
• Don't Just Be An Email Activist: According to a recent Washington Post story (03/19/01), email activism may be unwittingly hampering activists' communication with their legislators. The story cites a report by the Congressional Management Foundation and George Washington University which states that because U.S. Senators can get up to 55,000 emails a month (while House members get up to 8,000), "neither office budgets nor office technological capabilities have kept pace with the demands, leading to a growing disconnect between Members of Congress and their constituents." The report goes on to observe that while many emails sent to Congressional offices are automatically deleted by frustrated staffers, handwritten postal mail continues to receive individual attention and responses. The moral of the story: keep those phone calls and handwritten letters coming! They continue to be the only reliable way to get your message across to federal legislators! (from HSUS)
  
  
• Six Things You Can Do To Help Stop Animal Abuse At Circuses
  The following information comes from the ASPCA: Late last month, ASPCA, along with several other animal-welfare groups, sued Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus for routinely chaining & beating performing elephants. Since then, we've received countless letters & calls of support, & many members want to know how to help us stamp out cruelty to all animals who are exploited in circuses. ASPCA's Nancy Blaney, Director, Federal Government Affairs and Public Policy, suggests the following:
  
  
  • Don't go to the circus. "Ticket purchases translate into animal suffering."
    
    
  • Write a letter to Ringling Brothers today & express your disdain at theirtheir continued animal abuse. Contact Feld Entertainment, 8607 Westwood Court Dr., Vienna, VA 22182; information@feldinc.com; (703) 448-4100 fax.
    
    
  • Most people who attend the circus aren't aware of the suffering that goes on behind the scenes--you can spread the word by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper when Ringling Brothers comes to your town.
    
    
  • Speak to sponsoring venues, such as Madison Square Garden or your loca arena, and encourage them not to welcome Ringling's contract.
    
    
  • Talk to local merchants who have business partnerships with Ringling--i.e. grocery stores, radio stations that give away free or discounted tickets--and let them know that animals who perform in this circus are abused.
    
    
  • Educate friends, parents & educators! "Spread the word that a trip to the circus is NOT the way to teach children how to love & respect animals."

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