Save the Planet, Save Trust, End the Rodeo – The Vacaville Reporter

I am sure that now, with all the weather chaos and devastation around the world, we finally understand and reaffirm what science, environmentalists and common sense people have been warning for decades about the real implications of climate change and the great need for human lives to change its damaging impact and combat this crisis before it is too late.

Climate change deniers should no longer derisively call anyone concerned about the environment and its inhabitants a tree hugger. The planet is in dire need of care from all of us to survive.

The propaganda and false narratives of Big Biz and the polluters must be exposed once and for all, and a planet in need of stewardship must be embraced.

Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and extreme heat all endanger the planet’s inhabitants with accelerated dangers.

As the hottest summer days arrive in the Northern Hemisphere, I think about all those animals and wildlife that will become extinct due to the heat.

Here in Vacaville I have witnessed a man walking a tired dog in the afternoon heat.

As the pavement reflected the pounding heat, the dog’s tongue hung, drooling with exhaustion, his paws no doubt aching, forced to suffer for an unwitting owner. I was furious.

No one should endanger the well-being of his or her companion animal under any circumstances.

We need to be aware of the very real dangers of the summer heat to our companion animals and ensure they are walked in the cooler hours of the early morning, not after 10am, or later in the evening when temperatures cool and the terrain and the walkways are not hot, causing discomfort to your pet’s feet. Water must also be readily available.

When walking your pet or just taking a walk alone, it is advisable to wear loose clothing, made of lightweight material and light in color and to stay hydrated. To take good care of our animals, we must also take care of ourselves.

This time of year, the news continues to report on people leaving their dogs or children locked in oven-like vehicles while they go grocery shopping, shopping malls, or do other activities. One recent disturbing case involved a woman who left her dog in her vehicle while she went to the beach to sunbathe. Thanks to some conscious people who saw the confused, thirsty, and overheated animal slowly succumbing to heatstroke, the police were called and the dog was rescued.

In my neighborhood, I have witnessed cattle being raised for slaughter in barren pastures without trees or shade to provide relief from the sweltering summer heat. It’s beyond shameful.

It is important to emphasize the importance of providing water bowls for livestock and pets in the shade, maintaining the water level and keeping the water clean.

Hot water does not beneficial to the health and well-being of any animal, especially those that are thirsty in triple-digit temperatures. It is unfortunate that these common sense obligations are routinely neglected or ignored year after year.

The “temporary lives” of animals raised for slaughter that I have seen in rural areas of Solano County do not seem as blissful as the old advertisement of happy, talking cows from California.

Deception in advertising spoils one’s perception of reality. The reality of livestock raised for slaughter ends with the animal suffering in immense fear and confusion.

There is nothing cheerful about their demise. Mainstream advertising should focus on the reality of the slaughterhouse and all the suffering that comes with it. Maybe the consumer would finally wake up to the nightmares and horrors animals endure for human consumption.

Unfortunately, networks, programs, and the meat industry would never allow such images to be aired because it would hurt their profits.

Instead, we are constantly indoctrinated with the kind of happy, talking California cows.

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California has a rodeo law – Penal Code 596.7 – which was enacted in 2000.

It was sponsored 24 years ago by Action For Animals head Eric Mills to protect livestock, requiring all rodeos and Mexican Charreadas to report injuries to rodeo animals.

These injuries are quite common in rodeo, some of which I have witnessed first hand.

The injury report must be sent to the State Veterinary Medical Board in Sacramento.

There have been reports of injuries to animals during rodeos, but there has been no report of injuries to Mexican charreadas, most of which are kept on remote private ranches.

When you consider the hundreds of Charreadas that occur in California each year, it is hard to believe, in fact impossible to believe, that in the past 24 years not a single head of livestock has been injured.

Rodeo animals are terrified of the hunt. As cowboys drag their bodies to the ground with ropes and tie their legs, these sentient beings are filled with distress and fear, often suffering catastrophic injuries including broken tails, broken legs, and crushed pelvises, their “temporary lives” ending in slaughter.

The Charreada community seems unaware that the Penal Code 597.7 of 2000 was amended in 2007, which states: A violation of this section is an infraction and shall be punished as follows:

• A fine of not less than $500 nor more than $2,000 for a first offense. A fine of not less than $1,500 nor more than $5,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

(Amended by Stats, 2007, Ch 714, Sec.1, effective January 1, 2008.)

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The RSPCA must carry out more prosecutions against perpetrators who harm animals. Reports of animal cruelty I have been reading about lately show a lack of swift action.

A dog breeder named Jasmine Gladwell, 51, from Hayle, was fined for harming a dog. This breeder was caught on video kicking a dog in the chest while the mother dog quietly tried to nurse and feed her newborn babies. Gladwell struck the animal with her feet, lifted her into the air from the neck and skin of her buttocks, and finally dumped her in the pen.

This horrific incident was reported in July 2023 by a concerned citizen.

A veterinarian who analyzed the film said the dog named “Trust” was in both physical pain and emotional distress. The video is disgusting to watch and the blatant abuse in this video shows that this was not an isolated incident. How long has this abuse been going on?

Gladwell was in court last June 18. She pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. To attack a passive, calm dog who is just trying to care for her pups requires a harsher punishment than a fine. This deranged and violent breeder must never come near any species again.

If the RSPCA received the animal cruelty report in July 2023, why did it take four months for the RSPCA to finally launch an investigation in November?

This is not the first case of animal cruelty where RSPCA officials appear to be delaying an investigation. Since the King of England sits on the board, he has the power to demand that the RSPCA act more promptly to protect sentient beings.

— Write Maite @ PO Box 5112, Vacaville, CA 95696