Lewis the cat and Spencer the dog illustrate findings of first annual Kindness Index
Americans say we have 'moral obligation' to protect animals Best Friends invites everyone to commit an act of kindness towards animals this weekend, June 23-25
June 21, 2006: 1:48 PM
Kanab, Utah (06/21/2006) -- A cat and a dog, who were in the national spotlight this week, are prime examples of what a recent nationwide poll showed: an amazing depth of concern about animals.
Lewis the cat, who got in trouble with the law in Connecticut, faced the real possibility of being executed for attacking his neighbors. And Spencer, a homeless puppy, faced death in Mobile, Alabama, simply because the local laws say that homeless pit bulls should be put down.
In both cases, thousands of people petitioned the authorities to save their lives. Lewis was put under "house arrest," and Spencer was given over to the care of Best Friends Animal Society.
"These two dramas underscored the fact that people care very much about animals," said Michael Mountain, president of Best Friends. "And people's reactions to these dramas were right in line with a nationwide poll that we've just conducted. We found 89 percent of the people said we have a moral obligation to protect the animals in our care and 96 percent said that animals should never be abused. The Best Friends Kindness Index survey also found that most people view pets as members of their family.
"We simply have to create the opportunities, and people will jump in to help animals."
So this weekend, June 23-25, Best Friends is inviting people across the country to perform acts of kindness on behalf of animals/ "Visit http://www.bestfriends.org/ and record your action on our Acts of Kindness Counter," Mountain said.
Here are some ideas for this Kindness Weekend. Of course these actions can be done at any time.
- Take your elderly neighbor's dog for a walk
- Make a donation to a local rescue group
- Eat a vegetarian dinner
- Get your pets spayed or neutered, if they aren't already
"If each of us in our own communities does one good thing for the animals on this one weekend, we can demonstrate how easy it is to change the world. One animal, one person at a time, we can reach goals like having no more homeless pets. Kindness is an achievable goal."
Details of the Best Friends Kindness Index survey are at www.bestfriends.org/kindnessindex.
The Best Friends Kindness Index Survey - Methodology
On a scale of 1 to 10, this year's Kindness Index stands at 5.86. Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey, which was conducted by phone between March 27 and March 30, 2006. The survey reached 1,000 registered voters ages 18 or older nationwide. Telephone numbers for the survey were drawn from a random digit dial sample. The sample was stratified geographically based on the proportion of voters in each region. Data were weighted slightly by age, education and race to reflect the attributes of the actual population of registered voters. The margin of error is #/-3.1%.
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Best Friends Animal Society operates the country's largest sanctuary for homeless animals, and works with its members, and with shelters and rescue groups nationwide, to provide adoption, spay/neuter, and educational programs, and to bring about a time where there will be no more homeless pets.
Best Friends Animal Society: A better world through the kindness to animals.
