Allie Phillips is the Director of the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse and Deputy Director of the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, at the National District Attorneys Association in Alexandria, VA. Born and raised in Michigan, she has significant prosecution experience as a former Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Lansing, Michigan, and has been training prosecutors and criminal justice professionals since 1997. She was the Vice President of Public Policy and then Vice President of Human-Animal Strategic Initiatives for American Humane Association where she worked on legislative issues and developed national initiatives on human-animal interactions, including creating the Therapy Animals Supporting Kids (TASK)™ Program. She is the Founder of Sheltering Animals & Families Together (SAF-T)™ which is the first national initiative to house families and pets together after violence. She co-founded Friends of Ingham County Animal Shelter in 2000 and Michiganders for Shelter Pets in 2011. She is the Vice President of No Paws Left Behind, council member of the Michigan State Bar Animal Law Section, National Link Coalition steering committee member, and volunteer/past president of King Street Cats (Alexandria, VA). She is a nationally recognized trainer and author on animal protection and is a published book author. She also owns Manifested Harmony, a business that provides services and training on energy healing, especially for animals. Learn more at www.alliephillips.com (and follow her on Twitter and Facebook). 1. What was your first experience with animals that had an impact on you? I grew up surrounded by animals and when I was about 7 or 8 years old I brought home a stray cat named Tramp. But the first significant impact was when I was a college sophomore at Michigan State and adopted a cat named Tabitha from a local shelter with my then-boyfriend. I was horrified at the living conditions and how many pets were at the shelter. That made a lasting impression on me that continues to this day. Helping shelter animals has since been one of my main missions. All of my cats have been adopted from Michigan animal control shelters. I currently have Oscar and Lucy who I adopted from Ingham County Animal Control in 1998 and 1999. 2. When, how, and why did you first get involved with the animal welfare/rights movement? When I was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Ingham County, I began volunteering for Ingham County Animal Control in January 2000. At that time, our volunteer group was not welcomed. Within a few months, I learned that the shelter was selling the cats and dogs to a Class B dealer who then resold them for research. I had never heard of pound seizure and was horrified to learn that this practice was legal in Michigan and being practiced (at that time) in about 20 shelters. That is the moment that I became an animal advocate. I was a co-founder and board member of Friends of Ingham County Animal Shelter and we mobilized to end the practice. We spent about 3 years lobbying the County Commissioners and educating the community to end the practice. Eventually we were successful in June 2003 when the Board of Commissioner passed a resolution stopping the Class B Dealer from taking the shelter pets. From there, I provided legal guidance and advice to advocates in Jackson (banned pound seizure in 2006), Eaton (banned pound seizure in 2008), Montcalm (banned pound seizure in 2010) and currently in Gratiot and Mecosta counties (pound seizure will end 6-30-12). It also helped me to write and have published How Shelter Pets are Brokered for Experimentation: Understanding Pound Seizure in August 2010. It is the first and only book dedicated to exposing the barbaric and outdated practice of pound seizure. 3. What are your favorite types of animal advocacy activities? Why? (i.e. lobbying, letter-writing, petitions, volunteering, protests, etc.) For me, my power is through my words. I am an excellent writer and public speaker (from being a trial prosecutor and national trainer since 1995). So my work involves lobbying (which I did professionally for 3-1/2 years at the federal and state level), letter writing, petitions, mobilizing grassroots advocacy, volunteering, and educating others. This is why I co-created Michiganders for Shelter Pets with Holly Thoms (Voiceless-MI) and invited three other passionate Michigan advocates to join our group to help mobilize Michiganders to help pass laws to protect shelter pets. 4. What animal issues are you most passionate about? I am most passionate about ending pound seizure, gas chambers in shelters, animal cruelty and neglect, and also human-animal bond issues (keeping people together with their pets, even in times of crisis). All of my paid and volunteer work involves animals in one regard. I even have a small business that provides energy healing for animals and trains people on how to provide energy healing. This can be especially beneficial for shelter pets and animals who have been abused. 5. What current animal-related issue or campaign has caught your attention, and why? Through Michiganders for Shelter Pets, we have worked to have two bills filed to end gas chambers in Michigan shelters. I wrote and worked on these bills in 2009 when I was Vice President of Public Policy for American Humane Association. Gassing animals is completely unnecessary, outdated, inhumane and more costly to shelters than injection. And while no one wants to think about shelter pets being euthanized, one thing we should all agree on is that gassing is not appropriate. 6. How do you address animal issues within your career? I’m a “jack of all trades” when it comes to animal protection in my work. I handled animal cruelty cases when I was a prosecutor. When I joined the National District Attorneys Association in 2003, I nationally trained prosecutors and other criminal justice professionals on the linkages between violence to animals and people. When I joined American Humane Association in 2007, I was Vice President of Public Policy and worked on federal and state legislation to protect animals. In 2011, I returned to the National District Attorneys Association where I launched and am the director of the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse. We are training prosecutors and those that work with them on the proper investigation and prosecution of animal abuse cases. We host free one-hour monthly webinars and have a free online newsletter (please sign up for these). You can learn more at http://www.ndaa.org/animal_abuse_home.html. 7. What advice do you have for someone looking to become a more active animal advocate? Please forgive the shameless plug, but buy my book called Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets released July 2011. The entire book is filled with chapters to educate on the multitude of ways to help companion animals. The “You Can Do More” tips at the end of each chapter describe how to get involved, from the simplest task to more involved advocacy and employment endeavors. It has been described as the “Bible for animal advocacy” and will inspire you to get involved. The other piece of advice that I have is this … if you love animals, you have to be a voice for them. We are at a tipping point in getting more protection for all animals and this can only happen if we all work together. Even taking the small step towards only purchasing cruelty-free cosmetics and household cleaners would lessen the number of animals victimized in animal research each year. 8. What book, quote, photo, video, story, etc. have you found most inspiring/has inspired you? There are far too many to list. I am inspired everyday by the little acts that people take to help animals. Right now, I am most inspired by the people and organizations helping the animals at the Gratiot and Mecosta County animal shelters to avoid pound seizure and gas chambers. I have been a volunteer in the trenches like that and know the daily toll it takes on your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being. I am grateful everyday for the work that they do, and for the work that other Michigan rescue groups do to take those shelter pets into their care.
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Holly Thoms is the President & co-founder of Voiceless-MI, a mid-Michigan area rescue group/foster care network. Voiceless-MI finds homes for pets that are taken from Michigan shelters that sell to research and/or use the gas chamber. She is also a co-founder of Michiganders for Shelter Pets (M4SP). Michiganders for Shelters Pets was created to help bring together Michigan voters, animal shelters, animal protection organizations, businesses, and professionals in a coordinated effort to advance the welfare of Michigan shelter pets. M4SP is not a lobbying organization; instead, it is a coalition to bring Michiganders together for a common purpose. 1. What was your first experience with animals that had an impact on you? 2. When, how, and why did you first get involved with the animal welfare/rights movement? I have always loved animals since I can remember. But my first experience that made me want to help animals was at our local animal shelter. I received an email that said the shelter was going to euthanize dogs because they didn’t have the manpower (inmates) to clean up after them. So I went in to help clean. And I went back often after that. I found out that our local shelter sold their dogs & cats to the Class B Dealer (research middle man) and was horrified. I decided it was time to make my voice heard and do whatever I could to make the practice stop. That was Ingham County Animal Control and the practice was stopped in 2003 after a huge outcry from the county citizens. 3. What are your favorite types of animal advocacy activities? Why? (i.e. lobbying, letter-writing, petitions, volunteering, protests, etc.) I like talking to people who are starting out and wanting to find out what they can do. One motivated person is more powerful than you know. I like to make sure people understand that. If you are a “self starter”, there are so many things you can do on your own and on your own time frame that’ll make a difference. You can write your to your legislator, you can call your legislator, or even make an appointment to meet with them. The list of things one single person can do goes on and on—if you are motivated enough to sit down and do it. 4. What animal issues are you most passionate about? Without a doubt, pound seizure. Pound seizure is the practice of selling or giving away of shelter cats & dogs for research or experimentation. Right now we are down to ONE animal control in Michigan, Gratiot County Animal Control, that sells to the class B dealer (research middleman). To me that says Michigan does NOT want to take part in this practice. A state law needs to be enacted to end pound seizure in our state. 5. What current animal-related issue or campaign has caught your attention, and why? Ending pound seizure in Michigan is always on my radar. However, since no legislation was introduced in the 2011-2012 session, I have put my focus on Grant’s bills, SB 423/424. Grant’s bills were named after a friendly dog that was killed in the St. Joseph County gas chamber. If these bills are enacted, they would require that all Michigan animal shelters and Class b dealers euthanize animals via EBI (euthanasia by injection). For more information on Grant’s Bills, please visit: http://michigandersforshelterpets.org/grants-bills/. 6. How do you address animal issues within your career? My current job is not in the animal welfare industry. I work 9-5 managing a sales office. Which goes to show you will alway find time to do something you love. Anyone can do what I do if they make it priority. Calls, emails and lunchtime faxes make a difference....that is a great place to people to start. 7. What advice do you have for someone looking to become a more active animal advocate? Step out of your comfort zone! It might seem scary to go talk to a legislator or make that phone call. You will find out that they are just like us. The next time it won’t be so scary and you make more of an impression in person than any other way. Also, please remember that change does not happen overnight. It can be long and drawn out and very frustrating. But don’t give up. Be consistent, be knowledgeable, be polite, and be persistent! 8. What book, quote, photo, video, story, etc. have you found most inspiring/has inspired you? I would highly recommend Allie Phillips Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting & Advocating for Pets. Not just because I was interviewed for the book, but because this book is filled with different ways you can help and make a difference. There is something in the book for everyone, ways you can help that you probably haven’t even thought of before. |
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To feature prominent as well as lesser-known animal advocates in order to a provide a resource for those interested in learning about current advocacy activities and how one can get more involved in the animal protection movement. |