Date post: | 16-Jan-2015 |
Category: |
Lifestyle |
Upload: | dogs-trust |
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Heart or Head?Heart or Head?
Difficult Decisions Difficult Decisions in Feline Rescuein Feline Rescue
Maggie Roberts and Maggie Roberts and
Karen HiestandKaren Hiestand
How should decisions be How should decisions be made?made?
With the heart With the heart or with the or with the
head?head?
Getting the balance rightGetting the balance right
Needs of Needs of the animalthe animal
Needs of Needs of the people the people
What the Animals NeedWhat the Animals Need
•Quality of life: physical and mentalQuality of life: physical and mental
•Appropriate housing, handling, treatmentAppropriate housing, handling, treatment
•Disease preventionDisease prevention
What the Humans NeedWhat the Humans Need
•Motivations of staff and volunteersMotivations of staff and volunteers
•FundraisingFundraising
•Public relationsPublic relations
Loosing sight of either side Loosing sight of either side causes problemscauses problems
Examples:Examples:
No kill policy No kill policy
vs vs
Healthy animal Healthy animal euthanasiaeuthanasia
What’s right and what’s wrong?What’s right and what’s wrong?
Maybe there is no such thing in animal rescue?Maybe there is no such thing in animal rescue?
Just different ways of looking at the issuesJust different ways of looking at the issues
UtilitarianismUtilitarianism
Weighing everything up, what gives the best outcome for the most animals/people.
Animal RightsAnimal Rights
Every individual animal has rights that can’t be outweighed by the majority
ContractarianismContractarianism
What society thinks is right
Respect for NatureRespect for Nature
Credit Alley Cat Allies
RelationalRelational
An animals worth is based on whether that
animal matters to a human
Why do these arguments matter?
•What does the organisation think?
•What do you think?
•What do your supporters think?
•What do the people you want to influence think?
•How do you please everyone while still doing the right thing for the animals?
The Heart
Why do people get involved in animal rescue?
• Moral reasons and beliefs
• Altruism
• Feel good factor
• Gain skills
• Ego rescue
The Head
•Policies
• clarify the ethical beliefs of organisaion• help match right people to right organisation
• help ensure we see things from the cat’s perspective
Limitations of Rescue
•There’s never enough money•There’s always more animals than you can help•Rescue is expensive
– Buildings, vet care, labour, food, litter...
Difficult Decisions
OR
Spay the pregnant cat?
Let her have the kittens?
WhoWho do you help? do you help?
Who Who cancan you help? you help?
Now for a really difficult decision….
Which is the BEST
cat????
Sometimes you’re too close to an issue – so
some decisions require an outside
perspective
Thank YouThank You