In a letter currently making the rounds defending the ASPCA's longtime
relationship with Sue Sternberg, Julie Morris of the ASPCA's National
Shelter Outreach (NSO) writes -"Thank you for your concern for animals and for contacting us about the
distressing rumors being spread over the Internet about Sue Sternberg and
her programs. The ASPCA National Shelter Outreach (NSO) department works
with Sue on a regular basis and we have shared these concerns with her.
It is clear to us that the most alarming accusations have been misinterpreted, exaggerated or taken out of context."
###### end ASPCA quote ######
Many of us who share concerns over Sternberg's obsession with killing
shelter dogs became aware of her seminars through an email from a
respected rescuer named Esther Lotz. In Esther's email a year and a half
ago dated March 23, 2002, vivid and frightening details of Sternberg's
hatred towards shelter dogs and her rhetoric that advocated killing off
large numbers of shelter dogs became public knowledge.
Since then, dozens of other rescue volunteers have stepped forward to
repeat very similar rhetoric being used at Sternberg seminars which they
attended.
The following response to the ASPCA's stance on Sternberg is forwarded
with permission from Esther Lotz.
###### begin Esther Lotz message ######
Permission to crosspost given by Esther Lotz.
-----------------
Forwarded Message:
Subj: re Sue Sternberg defense letter
Date: 10/9/2003 10:38:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: EstherLotz
To: juliem @ aspca .org
Julie,
I just read a e-mail that you generated in defense of Sue Sternberg in
which you referred to Internet "rumors" regarding Sue Sternberg's
ideology-I must share with you the following:
My thoughts & concerns relating to a Sue Sternberg Seminar, held in
Burlington, Vermont, & attended by myself, Esther Lotz, on 7/28/01.
I have scrutinized the following words carefully, & to the best of my
knowledge, the following words accurately describe the seminar content.
I am forwarding you the following e-mail that I recently sent to the
president of the ATTS organization. I must say, in defense of Sue, the
written material that I have reviewed, & the radio shows featuring Sue
Sternberg that I have listened to are absolutely wonderful-completely
different material from the frighteningly extreme verbal seminar rhetoric
I experienced.
The "frighteningly extreme verbal seminar rhetoric" included Sue
referring to herself as "Hitler", Sue quoting Joseph Stalin, Sue relating
tales of soliciting owner surrender (through the Rondout Training Wheels
program) of dogs with assurances offered to the public of rehoming, (with
the one & only goal consisting of euthanasia), Sue relating tales of
misleading other shelters into turning dogs over to her under the guise
of good homes lined up for the dogs, again, with the one & only goal
consisting of euthanasia, & Sue advising the audience attendees to
conceal her euthanasia ideology from shelter donors- in the event they
chose to implement her ideology in their shelter operations...
It is hard to convey accurately how frightening I found this individual's
seminar rhetoric. Our nation's largest animal advocate organizations
should not be endorsing someone who advocates misleading the public,
other shelters, & shelter donors. Our nation's largest animal advocate
organizations should not be endorsing someone who refers to themselves in
a public setting as "Hitler," a nickname many are sure to find offensive
& frightening.
The concept that up to 75% of the dogs in one region of America today
could be branded as unplaceable appears not to be a sound one, according
to the Animal Control Officers & geneticists I have discussed this
statement with throughout our nation.
I personally find this to be a preposterous & fallacious claim.
That said, I firmly believe that dogs should be evaluated thoroughly by a
dog behaviorist before being offered to the public for adoption-safety
for adopters is paramount! Nothing is ever gained by "warehousing"
companion animals-their quality of life & their ability to be placed in
safe, successful lifetime commitment homes should always be a
priority-euthanasia is always, always a far better option than
sacrificing issues of safety for humans or the emotional health & quality
of life for the potential adoptee!
Esther Lotz
formerly Dalmatian Rescue of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05401
Forwarded Message:
Subj: dogs to destroy...
Date: 03/23/2002 5:00:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: EstherLotz
To: herkcc@mindspring.com
Dear Carl,
Sue stated in the seminar that her goal is to destroy up to 75% of the
dogs available to the public in the Northeast. At the point in time that
Sue accomplishes her goal, she will transport into the Northeast the
excess dogs from the rest of the country to place into homes. She states
that the Northeast has had the benefit of spay & neuter public education
for some time now, & so now we own the "dregs of the dog world-the
difficult, dangerous Northeast dogs", whereas the rest of the country is
still haunted by terrible companion animal overpopulation statistics, &
is putting down "small", "submissive", "good", "easy", & "safe" dogs. At
the point in time that she has transported the excess dogs from the rest
of the country into the Northeast for placement, she will implement her
breeding program. Sue stated that she is amassing a gene pool from which
she plans to start breeding & disseminating dogs to the dog owning public
that she feels they should own. This gene pool consists of "under 35
pound, submissive, mixed-breed dogs," the only type of dog that she feels
should be kept alive, & that she feels is "safe" in today's society. Sue
feels that dogs over 35 pounds are potentially dangerous because of the
damage they can do if they bite a person or another dog. She feels that
they should be owned only with a special license like a firearms license,
renewable each year following yearly testing of owner proficiency, as
they are so potentially dangerous. Sue is also very, very anti- "Bull
Breeds."
My understanding of Sue's presentation is that she had designed her
temperament test to accomplish her euthanasia goals & her breeding plan.
Respectfully, Esther Lotz.
This is one of the PSAs we ran throughout New England following the
seminar...
Dog Bite Epidemic
All dogs are capable of biting, although Dalmatians have a greater
propensity for biting & snapping than most dogs! Never, ever attempt to
acquire or own a puppy or dog (of any breed, but most importantly a
Dalmatian) from a breeder, pet store, private adoption, shelter or rescue
without meeting with a dog trainer or behaviorist to set up a
no-corrections, no-punishment dog bite prevention program for your
household. In the interest of safety, have your puppy or dog temperament
tested or evaluated thoroughly by a certified dog behaviorist before you
bring a companion animal into your home!
Professionals in the Northeast are currently being urged by a nationally
known dog expert to destroy up to 75% of the dogs (all breeds & mixtures
of breeds) available to the public in the Northeast, in an effort to make
dog ownership safer & easier for an "uneducable" public. This nationally
known dog expert feels that dog ownership should be "dumbed down", & made
"fail-safe", to the point that only "submissive, timid dogs weighing
under 35 pounds" should ideally be kept alive, & subsequently made
available to the public for adoption. This nationally known dog expert
feels that dog ownership "should not have to entail dog training or dog
bite prevention." Although this approach is not without some merit, in
truth, almost all dogs can be owned safely although there is no such
thing as a "safe" dog.
###### end Esther Lotz message ######
For the ASPCA to simply ignore the dozens of complaints by rescue groups,
former Sternberg employees, and volunteers like Lotz is a dangerous
precedent for the ASPCA to take, especially in view of the negative
impact their defense of Sternberg's extreme temperament tests could have on
their donations.
We in the rescue community are calling for a COMPLETE investigations into
the serious allegations that have been and are still being leveled about
Sternberg and her obsessive extreme verbal rhetoric that calls for the
mass murdering of many innocent shelter dogs.
The volunteers who have stepped forward against Sternberg appear to have
no cross to bear but are only interested in advocating for the thousands
of innocent animals being killed by Sternberg's highly erratic and
prejudicial temperament test methods.
The irony of the ASPCA's defensive stance on Sue Sternberg, an admitted
advocate of killing up to 80% of the Northeast's shelter dogs, is that
October is "ADOPT a Shelter Dog Month" with both the ASPCA and Petfinder
as its cosponsors. Both the ASPCA and Petfinder use Sue Sternberg as a
paid consultant. It is an understatement to say that it seems highly
irregular to makes claims advocating adoption for homeless shelter dogs
while at the same time supporting a woman who has made a highly
successful career out of teaching shelters how to kill shelter dogs
without a guilty conscience.
The ASPCA's National Shelter Outreach (NSO) maintains a huge shelter data
base. We can only wonder to what extent NSO is helping to facilitate
Sternberg's quest to kill off all the shelter's "unadoptable" dogs.
Sue Sternberg has been pushing her "kill" rhetoric on her seminar circuit
since as far back as the mid-nineties. Her philosophy of a highly
unscientific temperament test used to kill off most of the shelter dogs
as unadoptable is NOT a message being well received by the rescue
community. It would appear to this advocate that October should be the
ASPCA's and Petfinder's Month to Come Clean With the Rescue Community.
While their message to adopt is being sent out to the rescue community,
one needs to wonder if the ASPCA and Sternberg are sending out a contrary
message to the shelter community which makes October not "Adopt" but
"KILL a Shelter Dog Month." This strange-bedfellows arrangement makes
absolutely no sense......
horrible,
leslie, Oct-13-03, (1)
ASPCA,
Anna, Oct-13-03, (2)
nope,
lottadogs, Oct-22-03, (17)
