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Tuesday on Dr. Phil, he had a follow up program on a previous family's problems. He had told a financially strapped couple to get rid of their five animals! Now this was a middle class family with many ways to save a substantial amount of money, but Dr. Phil suggested getting rid of the animals! They "got rid" of two of them--the cats! (Dr. Phil said that was good because the No Kill shelters needed more cats!!!!!!)
I have contacted several animal welfare organizations about this show. The ones that responded stated they had already complained about the advice when the initial show aired but none of them had received a reply!
On Dr. Phil's website in the portion called "Re-engineering your life" he has this to say about pets:
Make decisions based on reality — not on guilt. If you can't afford (in terms of time or money) to take care of five pets, then even if your child adores them, one or more may have to go. You may really want to buy your teenagers name-brand clothing, and they may tell you what misfits they'll be without a label on their shirt, but if you can't afford it, you just can't buy it. It's that simple.Be willing to challenge everything. "There are no sacred cows when re-engineering your life," Dr. Phil says.
He has put pets in the same paragraph as clothes! Can you believe this?
I am apalled and furious with this man's advice.
The Humane Society of the United States sent Dr. Phil this letter:
Dear Dr. Phil:
On behalf of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s
largest animal protection organization, I wish to comment on your counsel
for people dealing with debt and chaos in their household. Frustrating as
these problems are, “getting rid” of the pet isn’t just unfair to the pet,
but it also sends the wrong message about commitment, trust and
responsibility to children.
Adopting a pet is a life time commitment. Pets are members of the family in 62% of American households. Singling out the family pet as the brunt of
someone’s financial mismanagement is simplistic. While we agree that the
costs for pet care can be substantial, we urge people to consider this
before they bring a pet into their family. Once a pet is a member of the
family, we hope the family will not discard him. I would suggest that
individuals or families facing financial crises seek financial counseling
to work on their debt issues.
Research has confirmed what devoted pet owners have known for years: pets have the potential to improve our emotional and physical health. The chaos in a household is unlikely due solely to the behavior or presence of pets. If behavior problems are present, your viewers may visit our website at www.petsforlife.org for expert advice on dealing with them.
However, some people have more pets than they can responsibly care for and, in such circumstances, rehoming might be an appropriate option. In
addition, the keeping of reptiles (lizards) as pets is not recommended as
their care needs cannot be met by nonexperts, and children are particularly susceptible to Salmonella that all reptiles carry.
Sincerely,
Nancy Peterson
Issues Specialist
As of this date, the Humane Society has received no reply.
It is my understanding that there are plans to again address the issue as Dr. Phil has not issued an apology, accepted responsibility that his advice was wrong, nor has he removed the bad advice from his website!
Please send an email to as many animal advocate/welfare organizations as you can and ask them to:
Ban together to censure Dr. Phil's program. Ask that he do a program on animal welfare, remove the bad advice on his website and that the programs where he suggested animals be "gotten rid of" not broadcast again.
The horrible advice this man is spouting is enough to send animal welfare concerns back fifty years.
Thanks for caring!
I have contacted several animal welfare organizations about this show. The ones that responded stated they had already complained about the advice when the initial show aired but none of them had received a reply!
On Dr. Phil's website in the portion called "Re-engineering your life" he has this to say about pets:
Make decisions based on reality — not on guilt. If you can't afford (in terms of time or money) to take care of five pets, then even if your child adores them, one or more may have to go. You may really want to buy your teenagers name-brand clothing, and they may tell you what misfits they'll be without a label on their shirt, but if you can't afford it, you just can't buy it. It's that simple.Be willing to challenge everything. "There are no sacred cows when re-engineering your life," Dr. Phil says.
He has put pets in the same paragraph as clothes! Can you believe this?
I am apalled and furious with this man's advice.
The Humane Society of the United States sent Dr. Phil this letter:
Dear Dr. Phil:
On behalf of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s
largest animal protection organization, I wish to comment on your counsel
for people dealing with debt and chaos in their household. Frustrating as
these problems are, “getting rid” of the pet isn’t just unfair to the pet,
but it also sends the wrong message about commitment, trust and
responsibility to children.
Adopting a pet is a life time commitment. Pets are members of the family in 62% of American households. Singling out the family pet as the brunt of
someone’s financial mismanagement is simplistic. While we agree that the
costs for pet care can be substantial, we urge people to consider this
before they bring a pet into their family. Once a pet is a member of the
family, we hope the family will not discard him. I would suggest that
individuals or families facing financial crises seek financial counseling
to work on their debt issues.
Research has confirmed what devoted pet owners have known for years: pets have the potential to improve our emotional and physical health. The chaos in a household is unlikely due solely to the behavior or presence of pets. If behavior problems are present, your viewers may visit our website at www.petsforlife.org for expert advice on dealing with them.
However, some people have more pets than they can responsibly care for and, in such circumstances, rehoming might be an appropriate option. In
addition, the keeping of reptiles (lizards) as pets is not recommended as
their care needs cannot be met by nonexperts, and children are particularly susceptible to Salmonella that all reptiles carry.
Sincerely,
Nancy Peterson
Issues Specialist
As of this date, the Humane Society has received no reply.
It is my understanding that there are plans to again address the issue as Dr. Phil has not issued an apology, accepted responsibility that his advice was wrong, nor has he removed the bad advice from his website!
Please send an email to as many animal advocate/welfare organizations as you can and ask them to:
Ban together to censure Dr. Phil's program. Ask that he do a program on animal welfare, remove the bad advice on his website and that the programs where he suggested animals be "gotten rid of" not broadcast again.
The horrible advice this man is spouting is enough to send animal welfare concerns back fifty years.
Thanks for caring!