Our Views
What are our views? What do we stand for?
Read on to learn about The Protego Foundation's stance on a variety of issues that involve using animals.
Adopt Don't Shop
The
Protego Foundation advocates for spaying and neutering, as well as always
adopting animals rather than buying from breeders.
Animal Fighting
The Protego Foundation is unequivocally opposed to any event that sets one animal against another or sets a person against an animal as combatants. The Protego Foundation believes that an event in which an animal is tormented, wounded, maimed, or killed for entertainment is cruel and unjustifiable.
Animals in Research, Testing, and Education
The Protego Foundation is opposed to animals being used in all forms of testing including medical and cosmetic. We also do not condone the use of animals in classroom dissection lessons.
The Protego Foundation encourages the use of truly humane testing methods including cell and tissue cultures from humans, computer models, and other forms of animal-free testing and education methods.
We do not discourage people from taking medicines, vaccines, or intervention that is only available in a form that was derived from animal ingredients or animal testing.
The Protego Foundation encourages the use of truly humane testing methods including cell and tissue cultures from humans, computer models, and other forms of animal-free testing and education methods.
We do not discourage people from taking medicines, vaccines, or intervention that is only available in a form that was derived from animal ingredients or animal testing.
Animal Racing and Riding
The Protego Foundation opposes the use of any animal for racing or riding due to the speciesism of climbing atop another being, the opportunity for neglect and cruel training methods, the restriction of freedoms through limited housing and socialization, and the reality that animals no longer seen as fit to race or ride tend to be sold, forced to breed, or are sent to slaughter.
Animal Shows
The Protego Foundation believes that no animals should be forced to perform for entertainment. As such, in addition to our views on circuses and rodeos, we do not support marine mammal shows or swim-with-dolphins attractions, alligator shows, animal actor shows, and pseudo-sanctuaries that have their animals perform for the public under the guise of education.
Animals Used for Fiber and Food
The Protego Foundation deplores the killing of animals, whether wild-caught or captive-bred, for the purpose of producing food, animal-skin garments, and decorations in communities where non-animal options exist.
The Protego Foundation recognizes that farmed animals are creatures of intrinsic value who experience pain and complex emotions and are deserving of dignity. The Protego Foundation believes that the billions of animals raised each year in the United States and around the world for food and clothing are entitled to live their lives free of unnecessary pain, suffering, and stress, as well as to a life free from human-caused death.
The Protego Foundation recognizes that farmed animals are creatures of intrinsic value who experience pain and complex emotions and are deserving of dignity. The Protego Foundation believes that the billions of animals raised each year in the United States and around the world for food and clothing are entitled to live their lives free of unnecessary pain, suffering, and stress, as well as to a life free from human-caused death.
Circuses
The Protego Foundation opposes the use of animals in circuses due to the neglect and cruelty animals experience in their treatment and training and due to the risk to public safety created by animal use.
Cosmetic Surgery in Animals (ear-cropping, tail-docking)
The Protego Foundation opposes cosmetic surgical procedures when done solely for convenience or appearance and without benefit to the animal due to their painful, distressful, or restriction of a body part.
Declawing Cats
The Protego Foundation is opposed to the declawing of cats' sensitive paws which leaves them vulnerable and without a critical method of protection. Declawing happens for non-medical purposes and is performed solely for the convenience of the animal’s guardian.
Dependents
The Protego Foundation understands that young persons, disabled persons, and the elderly might not have a choice in the food they consume or how animals are used in their lifestyles due to family structure, their environment (schools, hospitals, residential homes), or cultural considerations.
We aim to inspire every generation to become passionate advocates for animal welfare and to make informed choices regarding their treatment of animals and consumption habits by way of educational outreach and awareness campaigns.
We aim to inspire every generation to become passionate advocates for animal welfare and to make informed choices regarding their treatment of animals and consumption habits by way of educational outreach and awareness campaigns.
Euthanasia
The Protego Foundation supports open admission shelters that take euthanasia decisions seriously rather than closed, limited admission, or “no-kill” shelters, since those shelters are only able to help a small number of animals and leave many without help.
Guard Dogs
The Protego Foundation opposes the use of animals for guarding purposes. “Guard dogs” often lack nutritious food, clean water, clean and dry shelter, veterinary care, and opportunities for kind and loving socialization.
The Protego Foundation encourages the use of technology for security and surveillance instead of animals.
The Protego Foundation encourages the use of technology for security and surveillance instead of animals.
Hunting and Trapping
The Protego Foundation opposes the hunting or trapping of any living creature for the sole purpose of entertainment, trophy, or sport because it subjects animals to stress, suffering, injury, and/or death solely for the entertainment of humans. We therefore do not condone rod and reel fishing or catch and release.
Marine Life
The Protego Foundation believes fish, marine mammals, and all other marine life are sentient beings deserving of ethical consideration, advocating for humane treatment, and conservation efforts. We advocate for the complete cessation of fishing, which more often than not harms not only the targeted animals, but also the animals and environment around them.
Native and Exotic Wildlife as Companion Animals
The Protego Foundation is opposed to the illegal practices of catching and keeping wild animals as ‘pets.’ Whether captive-born or wild-caught, wild animals make unsuitable companions and captivity denies them the right to live their life in a way that is meaningful and important to them.
An animal is defined as ‘wild’ if their species has not been domesticated.
An animal is defined as ‘wild’ if their species has not been domesticated.
Proper Shelter and Care for Cats
The Protego Foundation believes that responsible cat guardians protect their cats, the public, wildlife, and the environment by keeping their cats indoors or supervised in an enclosed outdoor area with easy access to shelter, food, and clean water. In addition, all cats should receive proper veterinary care.
Proper Shelter and Care for Dogs
The Protego Foundation believes that all dogs are indoor dogs and that all dogs should be cared for as beloved family members. However, The Protego Foundation recognizes that some dogs are primarily forced to live outdoors. All dogs should receive nutritious food, clean water, clean and dry shelter, veterinary care, and regular, kind, and frequent socialization with humans, and they should not be excessively tethered.
Proper Shelter and Care for Small Companion Animals
The Protego Foundation believes that smaller companion animals such as rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, birds, small marine life, small reptiles, etc., should not be housed outdoors and should not spend their lives in cages. These animals should be given ample, safe space indoors to roam and play, socialization and stimulation (the requirements of which vary by species), veterinary care, and food that is nutritionally appropriate for them.
Retail Sale of Companion Animals
The Protego Foundation does not support the commercial breeding or sale of any animal, as many commercial breeders house animals in inhumane conditions without regard to their physical or social needs. We also oppose the pet shops that support this cruel industry by selling animals from commercial breeders. Further, we disapprove of the trapping and removal of animals from their environments for the sake of animal companionship.
The Protego Foundation supports legislation that restricts or bans such commercial breeders.
The Protego Foundation supports legislation that restricts or bans such commercial breeders.
Rodeos
The Protego Foundation opposes all rodeo events, which involve cruel, painful, stressful, or potentially harmful treatment of animals – not only in performance at the events, but also in handling, transport, and practice for such events.
Sterilization of Companion Animals
The Protego Foundation supports the sterilization of companion animals as it not only reduces the companion animal overpopulation crisis, but may increase an animal’s chance of living a longer life. The Protego Foundation also supports the existence of spay and neuter clinics and programs that allow guardians to access affordable companion animal sterilization.
Training Methods for Animals
The Protego Foundation believes that animals learn best through positive reinforcement and opposes the routine use of inhumane punishment-based training, corrective devices, or methods that cause an animal to obey out of pain, fear, or intimidation. This includes the use of shock collars and prong collars for dogs.
Veganism and Marginalized Communities
The Protego Foundation acknowledges that food deserts exist and that indigenous communities may have limited access to the tools to live a fully vegan lifestyle and may have cultural considerations, educational barriers, and financial barriers which aren’t conducive to veganism.
Vegetarianism / Veganism
The Protego Foundation encourages and provides support for its members and supporters to adopt a vegan lifestyle, where practicable. Due to the exploitation and suffering of cows in the dairy industry and hens in the egg industry, The Protego Foundation opposes vegetarianism as a lifestyle but supports it as a step toward adopting a vegan lifestyle.
Wildlife-Human Conflicts
The Protego Foundation believes that before any measures are taken to control, translocate, or kill wild animals, a careful analysis of the animals’ behavior, environment, and the specific problem or threat posed should be conducted and all humane alternatives exhausted.
Working Animals
The Protego Foundation does not condone animals being forced to work for a living, such as law enforcement dogs, load-hauling mules, coconut-harvesting primates, animal actors, sheep-herding dogs, etc., due to the potential for mistreatment, harsh training conditions, and suboptimal living conditions.
The Protego Foundation does not discourage the use of professionally trained and certified seeing-eye dogs, therapy dogs, and cancer-sniffing dogs, because they are more often treated with respect.
The Protego Foundation does not discourage the use of professionally trained and certified seeing-eye dogs, therapy dogs, and cancer-sniffing dogs, because they are more often treated with respect.
Zoos and Aquariums
The Protego Foundation believes that wild animals should be permitted to exist undisturbed in their natural environments. Therefore, The Protego Foundation is against the collecting, selling, trading, and holding of wild animals by zoos, aquariums, and roadside attractions.
The Protego Foundation supports reputable and accredited animal sanctuaries whose goals are to give rescued animals a forever home as free from human interference as possible and to alleviate their suffering.
The Protego Foundation supports reputable and accredited animal sanctuaries whose goals are to give rescued animals a forever home as free from human interference as possible and to alleviate their suffering.
