What's wrong with me? These ASPCA ads on tv are more heart wrenching than

[catbyte]

UNICEF, etc. I just cannot stand seeing an animal suffer, as my 4 fat felines curl up sleeping next to me after feasting on tuna. I guess I figure more people will contribute to kids than animals. I remember seeing a captioned screen grab of an ASPCA ad captioned, "Hi, I'm Sarah Maclachlan and I'm about to ruin your whole fucking day."

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I have to turn the sound off during those ASPCA ads.

And the sad-looking puppies and kittens just kill me.

[X_Digger]

15. +1 n/t

[Thor_MN]

2. UNICEF is asking for $15 a month while ASPCA is asking for $18 a month.

Granted ASPCA is going to send you a TShirt, but I think it is tacky that both charities absolutely blast the sob story commercials this time of year and ask for more money for animals than children.

[meow2u3]

13. $15 goes further in poor countries than does $18 in the US

Especially in New York City--Manhattan, where the ASPCA is located--where prices are sky high.

[Thor_MN]

18. Good point, but I still change the channel.

[darkangel218]

3. I cant watch them either

[Behind the Aegis]

4. I won't watch the ASPCA ads. I will dive for the remote.

[countryjake]

5. I have to switch the channel, muting is not even effective anymore...

That old Sarah Mclachlan one, with the angels song, used to make me choke up before my critters began dying off, but at least I could watch it. Now, all of the new ones are just so wrenching, I can't stop looking even without the sound, and it really does impact my whole fucking day. We both grab the buttons the instant those things come on.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. One with clubbing baby seals just snuck up on me...

Sarah M-- Look what you started!

[eShirl]

7. Hate em; the TV goes OFF if I can't find the remote within 1 second.

[pecwae]

8. Nothing is wrong with you at all.

You're a compassionate human who abhors animal suffering. I'm proud to be seated right beside you.

[AngryOldDem]

9. I'm reminded of a Rage Comics 'toon -- "Damn You Sarah Maclachlan"

http://cheezburger.com/5174389248

(Sorry for just the link; I'm not sure how to post graphics.)

I CANNOT watch these ads, either, and I feel guilty for changing the channel. But I take comfort in the fact that my cat was once a stray, and my dog was rescued from a pet store, and both have lives that are 100,000 times better than what they could have had.

Look at it this way: If you can watch these ads and NOT be moved, THEN you've got a problem.

[MineralMan]

10. My wife and I are serious about animal concerns.

We have a rescue beagle/basset mix and have just taken in a beagle that was used in laboratory experiments through the Beagle Freedom project. My wife also volunteers at a local animal shelter. The ASPCA ads, however, bother me a great deal, in part for their high cost. How much of the money people donate to that organization goes to paying for their fundraising advertising costs, I wonder? How much goes into the administration costs of the ASPCA? I don't know, but they aren't getting any donation from me, I'm sure.

Here's a photo of Dude and Sam, the dogs mentioned above:

[catbyte]

20. Bless your hearts! I saw that video a while back where lab beagles touched grass

for the first time. Totally dissolved in tears.

[MineralMan]

22. Sam, our lab beagle, has been with us for a couple of

weeks now. He's less shy, more accepting of people, is making friends and playing with our other dog a little, and is improving daily. He still trembles a bit when he's in an unfamiliar setting, but we had a couple over yesterday, and he soon settled down and went to them for head scratches, etc.

We're working with him pretty much all of the time, and never walk by without getting down and encouraging him to trust us more and to accept that he won't be pulled out of a cage and have things done to him.

I expect him to be fully rehabilitated in a couple of months. He's a good doggie.

[catbyte]

23. Wow, that takes a lot of love & patience. Have you adopted Sam or fostering?

Beagles are so sweet. I guess that's why they are so easy to abuse in labs. It fills me with outrage, but folks like you remind me we aren't all bad.

[CanSocDem]

11. What is peculiar...

...is why they are the primary sponsor for the Breaking Bad Marathon. Is there a connection between Drug Abuse and Animal Abuse? Why would fans of the show be sympathetic to animal abuse?


.

[SomethingFishy]

25. I think they are blocks of ads.. I don't think it's specific to a show..

and they are everywhere for the holidays. You can't turn the TV on without seeing one. AMC, USA, History, GSN, every channel my wife watches..

I hate the guilt that they hammer you with on these commercials. I would love to help every child and animal in the world but I can't do it. I already carry as many "strays" as I can. I pay my ex's mothers bills, I have a nephew who sleeps on my couch, I have 2 kids of my own and 1 I adopted, and all their friends who like to hang out here because I never tell anyone to turn the music down And we aren't rich, I am the single source of income for all these people...

[BobUp]

12. I'd rather

watch Pernell Roberts saying we can feed children for ten cents a day in a third world country than watch a ASPCA clip. Around the holidays, I always block out thoughts of how people and animals suffer in the world, and give this guy a hug and be thankful we at least saved his life, one of six, all brothers, five of which aren't around anymore because of cars, coyotes, and given up to animal shelters.

Hugs n kisses every day, very often like every 15 minutes. He will be 7 years old on New Years Day.

[catbyte]

21. Gorgeous, lucky boy!

[Le Taz Hot]

14. There are some of us who cannot view

images like that without extreme consequences. I've been harping about that lately on DU for people who paste these kinds of horrendous pictures, either in a thread or a post, without a WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE. Most people are cooperative but a few . . . well, assholes must be assholes.

[LiberalElite]

16. I turn off the sound and look elsewhere -

the ads are too upsetting. ASPCA ads are running all over my computer screen everywhere I click the last couple of days. I also get appeals by snail mail at least once a month. The ASPCA is a very rich organization. I love animals but I don't think the ASPCA needs my money. Remember that cable tv program Animal Precinct? Last August they decided to gradually disband the Humane Law Enforcement Department in 2014 and cede control to the NYPD. I could find nothing on their website indicating this.

http://www.aspca.org/

http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/anp/2013/10/24/aspca-cedes-lead-role-in-new-york-city-humane-law-enforcement-to-police/

http://pix11.com/2013/08/22/should-the-nypd-or-the-aspca-be-responding-to-calls-involving-animals/#axzz2oyGaJ0JY

[Arkansas Granny]

17. Animal abuse and suffering is upsetting, but I am more disturbed by seeing human suffering.

I have to tune out all of the ads showing abuse, starvation and disease. I know it takes place, but I can't bear to see the proof. Most of my charitable giving is targeted toward medical care and feeding the poor and homeless in this country and worldwide. I make smaller donations to our local Humane Society.

[PasadenaTrudy]

19. I change the channel or I'll cry! n/t

[truebrit71]

24. I'm with you...

...Maybe because the animals are truly helpless whereas, in theory, humans can do something themselves about their own misery? I can't watch either TBH I have to fight the urge to rush to my wallet and max out the cards with donations...

[alsame]

26. Me too. I've been a regular contributor to

both the ASPCA and HSUS for years, but I can't watch any of their TV ads or read the literature that comes in the mail. I just can't stand seeing the images of the horrors I know exist.

[WilliamPitt]

27. They should run the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline at the end of those ads.

[COLGATE4]

28. If those bother you, don't ever look

at any ads for St. Jude's Hospital for Children. You'll see gut-wrenching pictures of cancer striken babies, toddlers, young children and adolescents as they (and their families) try to survive the cancer destroying them bit by bit.

[Jester Messiah]

29. I'm the same way.

I can't stand to see animals suffer. I tend to be more partial to animals than humans anyway... a tiger might eat you if he's hungry, but you never hear about them going on shooting rampages in crowded theaters.

[OwnedByCats]

30. Yep, can't watch

but I appreciate what they are doing. I know it exists because I see it all the time in RL - the commercials I can turn away from. They make me incredibly sad, more so than any other. My husband and mother dive for the remote every time one comes on to spare me.

[Jazzgirl]

31. I empathize with you.

I usually start checking to see what else is on. The guide on the TV covers up the ad. It is so depressing and I look at my kitty and wonder how people could treat any animal or human like that. It's sick but I don't want to look at the poor things.