On February 10, the Woodstock, NY city council adopted an
ordinance amending the city's municipal code to refer to people as
"guardian's" of their companion animals rather than the antiquated term
"owner." The action made Woodstock, NY the eighth city in the nation
(along with the State of Rhode Island) to acknowledge the right of
individuals to define themselves as guardians of their companion animals.
Boulder was the first city to pass a measure to replace
the word "owner" with the term "guardian" in their municipal ordinances in
2001. Since then, seven other cities; San Francisco, West Hollywood and
Berkeley, CA; Sherwood, AR; Menomonee Falls, WI; Amherst, MA; and now
Woodstock, NY and the state of Rhode Island have officially recognized the
important part animal companions play in our society by passing
legislation that incorporates the term "guardian" into all their animal
related ordinances.
"The Town of Woodstock is very proud to initiate actions,
such as our recently adopted animal control law, that will potentially
lead to more compassionate treatment of animals," said Jeremy Wilbur, Town
Supervisor of Woodstock. "Brian Shapiro, in one of his last acts as a
councilman for the Town of Woodstock, performed a great service in helping
the Town craft this legislation. We, humans and animals alike, are all
God's creatures and are equally deserving of humane treatment. If this
newly enacted law helps to raise consciousness with respect to treatment
of animals ... then I shall consider it a great success and would
recommend its adoption by other communities."
"Throughout the process of presenting the guardian
campaign and the ensuing public hearings, we were impressed with the
respectful attitude towards animals expressed by the Woodstock Town Board
members," added Woodstock residents Kirsti Gholson and Andy Glick, of the
Woodstock Animal Rights Movement (Warm) who campaigned for the changes, in
a joint statement. "Not only did the board vote unanimously to adopt the
language change, it also took the opportunity to broaden and strengthen
local laws protecting animals. A special thank-you goes to Brian Shapiro
for his vocal support and for drafting the ordinance revisions. Replacing
"owner" with the term "guardian" is a vital part of changing attitudes
about non-human beings. We're very proud of Woodstock for recognizing the
significance of this language change. We hope that other cities and towns
in New York will follow Woodstock's caring example."
In Defense of Animals President, Elliot M. Katz, DVM, --
who initiated the campaign nationally -- also praised Woodstock's Council,
"I am delighted that the City of Woodstock has joined the State of Rhode
Island and seven other cities in acknowledging the vital role of language
in seeking social change. Almost all animal abuse and exploitation stems
from viewing animals as mere property, objects or things. Updating our
language is an important first step in recognizing the changing
consciousness of the American public regarding our relationships to the
animals with whom we share our lives."
For more information about the campaign, go to:
www.GuardianCampaign.com
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[Editor's note: We at Animal Rights Online also want to
commend the above mentioned Andy Glick, who happens to also be one of our
staff members, for his hard work in making this happen. We're very proud
of him.]
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