A Special Appeal: Justice for Dogs

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You might not have heard of the Four Paws boycott. A friend of mine told me about it a few weeks ago. I didn’t buy any Four Paws products in the interim, I wrote a note in my Palm Pilot, but I didn’t follow up until a recent email from a reader informed me of the latest developments. This new information has moved me to immediate action.

On June 22, 2008, a lab mix, Chai, sustained a severe injury from a Four Paws product, the common Pimple Ball with Bell, that resulted in the amputation of his tongue. He is now permanently disabled.

The vet explained the defect in the product that led to this injury. Chai’s person reported the injury to the company. On the morning of Friday, August 29th, according to an intrepid reporter who has been monitoring the site and emailed me, a recall notice appeared on their website. They are sending out a letter in response to inquires, which states, in part:

We want you to know that we have stopped shipping these toys to our distributors and we have asked them to have retailers immediately remove the toys from their shelves and return them at our expense.

It sounds sensible and responsible, doesn’t it? We can all relax about the safety of our pets.

Until you find out that a lab mix named Cole was injured from this same defective product.

He died.

He was a 5 year old bouncy beautiful lab mix that wagged his tail up till the very end when we let him cross the rainbow bridge due to the horrendous injury to his tongue.

In July of 2005.

It doesn’t seem like they are living up to their slogan, does it?

Here’s what Chai’s person says on her blog:

I sent [the vet's] information along with the reference to Petunia the french bulldog to Four Paws Inc, and it is their position that there just aren’t enough instances to do anything about this. I told their Insurance company’s case manager that was not a good enough excuse, It was inferred that my dogs value wasn’t much and that his pain and suffering don’t count as he is just a piece of property.

I am livid. They knew. They knew. And they did nothing.

Because …there just aren’t enough instances to do anything about this. When even one should have been enough. If we can truly trust them.

Which, it seems obvious, we cannot.

Remember all those pets who died in the contaminated pet food scandal? That was another clear case of profits over pets.

It’s time this stops.

I’m sure the boycott helped. They are taking the toys off the shelves. Finally. But I don’t think it is enough.

After all, the company is stalling about compensating these pets and their people for their horrible pain and loss, hoping it will all go away. Because all they care about is their money.

Not about suffering.

So let’s speak to them in a language they do understand. If it’s about money, let’s make it about money.

I am asking Petsmart, the chain I shop at, to remove all Four Paws products from their shelves. Send them back and don’t order any more until Four Paws settles, properly, with the people they have caused such grief and anguish.

I love what PetSmart does to further pet adoption and letting pets into the store. I’m sure they would not approve of the way Four Paws failed to act, eventually was forced into the recall, and ultimately failed to protect our pets as they promised.

If they really cared, they would have acted back in July of 2005, when a beloved dog, Cole, died after much agony, because of a defective toy.

Chai would still have a tongue.

And they wouldn’t have the nerve to mock the love we have for our pets by putting up this picture on their website.

Are you as angry as I am? Visit my Four Paws Boycott action page.

It has the letter I wrote, and contact information so you can write, email, or call pet suppliers and demand action.

It has the links to the blog about Chai and other pertinent sites on the web.

We can do this. We can get justice for the dogs. Together.

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