Here's another PAW PROJCT HERO, Ruth Ockendon Laycock. She's happy to live in the UK, where declawing is not generally performed, but she has worked relentlessly for years and years to educate people and help end declawing worldwide.
PAW PROJECT HERO, New Jersey State Senator Troy Singleton has being working continuously for several years to pass solid declaw prohibition legislation in the Garden State. His bills have passed committees and legislature floors, but the bills have not gone to the Governor...YET!
Please read his take on declawing: /nj_lawmakers_revisiting_ban_on_declawing_cats and /ending_an_inhumane_practice_declawing_cats
(btw, another PP HERO, Dr. Jean Hofve Dvm, is quoted!)
We were honored to have Senator Singleton present a screening of the Paw Project documentary, "American Cats: The Good, The Bad & The Cuddly" a while back.
We're a bit sad that Paw Project-Oklahoma Director, Dr. Suzanne Hurst, has retired from Tulsa's Kindness Animal Hospital, which she owned. Dr. Hurst has performed surgical rehabilitation procedures for many cats crippled by declawing. The good news is that Dr. Hurst tell us that her retirement will give her more time to work with The Paw Project to end declawing.
PAW PROJECT HERO Former West Virginia Delegate Rodney Pyles describes himself as a "Husband, father, Catholic, (former) WV Delegate, retired professor, historian, champion of working people and friend of good-hearted cats." He introduced bills to ban declawing in West Virginia, which did not pass, but the attention they generated educated many West Virginians of the harms of declawing. He has also been a much-appreciated supporter of the Paw Project.
GREAT MOMENTS IN PAW PROJECT HISTORY. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti presents Paw Project Founder and Director Dr. Jennifer Conrad with a proclamation from the City of Los Angeles acknowleging her advocacy and the Paw Project's successful effort to end declawing in Los Angeles.
GREAT MOMENTS IN PAW PROJECT HISTORY
(return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear)
In 2014, we met with Jane Hoffman, an attorney who was the Executive Director of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals (in photo with black cat) to discuss our idea of creating legislation to prohibit declawing. She invited us to lunch to meet NY Assemblymember Linda B Rosenthal. Assemblymember Rosenthal jumped at the idea...she introduced the bill that in 2015 and in every subsequent year, fighting the considerable opposition, until it passed in 2019, making New York the first US state to ban declawing.
PAW PROJECT HERO former California State Senator Fran Pavley. The first attempt to prohibit landlords from requiring tenants' cats be declawing was passed by both houses of the California legislature in 2010, but the bill, sponsored by the Paw Project, was voted by the Governator. That bill was introduced by Assemblymember Pedro Nava, who had left the Assembly by 2012 when the bill was re-introduced by Senator Pavley. The bill again passed and was signed by Governor Brown, as the first law in North America to bar landlords from requiring cats of renters be declawed as a condition of tenancy. Since then, similar laws have been passed in Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Delaware.
PAW PROJECT HEROES, Amy Gilson and the Honorable Bill Quirk. In 2019, then California State Assemblymember Bill Quirk, PhD (a genuine rocket scientist, enthusiatically agreed to author the Paw Project's Anti-Declaw Bill. His aide, Amy Gilson, Phd (Harvard, no less!!) whipped the Paw Project team into shape, demanding original source evidence for all of our claims. Unfortunately, the bill was stymied by the Committee-Chairman-who-shall-not-be-named, but the Paw Project credits Amy for forcing us to better substantiate our claims, which allowed us to be more successful in subsequent legislative endeavors.
PAW PROJECT HERO LINDSAY LEMMER. Madison, Wisconsin City Alderperson Lindsay Lemmer contacted the Paw Project in 2021 with the request for help drafting a city declaw ban. The Madison Common Council unanimously passed an ordinance on December 7, 2021 (a day that will live in sweet memory), which bans cat declawing (File Number 67344). The law prohibits anyone from performing the amputation, citing it as cruel and harmful.
PAW PROJECT HERO and "SuperVolunteer" TRACEY FRANKCOM. Tracey is originally from a civilized country (UK) where declawing is not done, but she has lived in Washington for many years. She has been Paw Project's #1 volunteer for well over a decade...Tracey goes to conventions, fundraises, arranges educational events, and generally does whatever is needed to help end declawing. Recently, she was instrumental in developing support for the Washington anti-declaw bill, HB 1904. The unfortunate news is that the bill will not progress in this session. This is a "short session" year in WA and the bill is the victim of time, rather than the merits of the bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support in the state House. Never fear...we will be back next year!
Marc Ayers has many tiles: Humane World for Animals State Director-Illinois, Sangamon County (IL) Board Member, "That Animal Guy"...but we call him PAW PROJECT HERO. Marc was responsible for two cities in Illinois, Evanston and Downers Grove, to pass declaw bans. The Paw Project is working with him on a statewide bill to prohibit declawing. Marc is probably the most influential animal protection advocate in the Land of Lincoln. Despite the fact that he is a "dog person," we love him.
