PUBLICATIONS
Public Service Announcements, Print, 2009
Read "It's Time to Help All the Victims of Animal Cruelty PSA Campaign" by clicking here.
Since this publication, our cruelty reporting procedures have changed. Click here to learn more.
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For Reporting Cruelty to Humane Society of Berks County* |
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"My Owner Beats and Starves Me" |
"Cruelty Doesn't Always Stop with the Dog" |
"Boys Who Abuse Animals Become Men Who Abuse Animals" |
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5.187" x 8.5" |
5.187" x 8.5" |
5.187" x 8.5" |
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5.5" x 8.5" |
5.5" x 8.5" |
5.5" x 8.5" |
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8" x 10" |
8" x 10" |
8" x 10" |
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10.5" x 17" |
10.5" x 17" |
10.5" x 17" |
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For Generic/Universal Reporting** |
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"My Owner Beats and Starves Me" |
"Cruelty Doesn't Always Stop with the Dog" |
"Boys Who Abuse Animals Become Men Who Abuse Animals" |
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Spanish Coming Soon!
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*The print PSAs may be used in unaltered form (with the exception of resizing which alters the layout and content in no other way or with advance written approval by HSBC) in any publication.
**These "fill in" files are available for use at no charge by any animal welfare agency for the purposes of promoting reporting of animal cruelty. They may not be modified (with the exception of resizing which does not alter the layout and content in any way). HSBC and Silverbox copyright information must appear.
If you download these for use, please email and let us know (it makes us feel good). Please refer any questions regarding use or inquiries for alternate layouts and formats to Karel Minor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 610-921-2348, ext. 10.
Our thanks to Mariela Jurado for her assistance in translating these PSA's into spanish. If you are in the need of translation services, consider using someone who donated her time and services to the animals!
Mariela Jurado
University of Puerto Rico
BA in Communications/ Information and Journalism
Independent Contractor
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
484-794-5358
Past Newsletters (newsletters now sent in digital format):
- 2011 HSBC Services Survey
- Summer 2007 Kennel Kapers Newsletter (1.25 MB)
- Special 2006 All-Walk Kennel Kapers Newsletter (315 KB)
- Summer 2006 Kennel Kapers Newsletter (1 MB)
- Spring 2006 VetConnection Newsletter (115 KB)
- Summer 2005 Kennel Kapers (700 KB)
Informational Brochures:
- Leading the Way (2 MB)
- Humane Education (2 MB)
- PetNet (2MB)
- Lindy Scholar Legacy Society (2 MB)
- Ani-Meals On Wheels (76 KB)
- County Animal Response Team (116 KB)
It's Time to Help All the Victims of Animal Cruelty Public Service Announcement Campaign
Following the controversial signing of Michael Vick to the Philadelphia Eagles and the announcement by Humane Society of the United States (no relation to HSBC) that the group would be using Vick in its End Dogfighting Campaign, there has been much discussion about Vick and his crimes. Most of the talk surrounds arguments over what Vick's appropriate penalty should be and statements on behalf of the voiceless animal victims of men like Vick.
However, there are more victims of animal cruelty than just the animals. Recent statements released by some in animal welfare have demonstrated a profound-- disregard is too strong a word-- oversight of many of the non-animal victims of animal cruelty. These are the children indoctrinated into a culture of cruelty and violence and all of those who will bear the brunt of this indoctrination, both animal and human, as these children become adults.
Animal cruelty is a disease which impacts us all. It kills animals, it ruins the lives and relationships of those who practice it, and it costs us all in resources better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately, to this point the vast majority of efforts in addressing this disease have been directed at interdiction and prosecution, not prevention. The "wait and see" and "tough on dog fighting" approach now offered again by some assumes the abuse and death of animals will happen before action can be taken to solve the problem.
This is like developing a "cure" for a disease that requires the amputation of a limb to save the patient and does nothing to stop the spread of the disease to others. Wouldn't the better choice be to identify the causes of the disease and prevent it in the first place? What if someone advocating for animals had been there twenty years ago when Vick was only eight years old and being indoctrinated into a lifetime of cruelty? How many animals might have been saved if we had steered him away from his violent path, a path that thousands of other children will begin to walk down today and tomorrow and the next day?
The Humane Society of Berks County recognizes that animal cruelty damages the lives of animals and people. We also recognize that it is people who must be changed if we want to stop the never ending cycle of violence that leads to prosecution after animals have been abused and killed and children turned from victims to victimizers. Yes, we need interdiction and prosecution. But we also need intervention and prevention. And we need to extend our compassion to all the victims of animal cruelty- both two or four legged.
To help remind the public that animal cruelty impacts us all, we have created a series of public service announcements which target the three directs victims of animal cruelty: the animals, the children who learn to victimize, and the human victims of those who practice cruelty. We hope to increase awareness that animal cruelty hurts more than just animals and that more than an animal is saved when we can intervene early to help a child or young adult.
This series of PSAs was created with the generous assistance of Silverbox Creative Studio and may be used free of charge. They are available in a variety of sizes in color and grayscale versions. There are also non-branded versions with space for other animal welfare organizations to list their own contact information.
This education effort is part of the Humane Society of Berks County's multi-year effort to build upon our "preventative" animal welfare programs, rather than merely providing the same old reactive programs. Through programs like PetNet, Ani-Meals on Wheels, veterinary services offering income based sliding scale fees and providing equal quality of care for the animals of the poor, our pet food distribution programs, community humane policing efforts, and more, we are attempting to prevent animals from coming to our doors in the first place. Through original programs like Free To A Great Home, our 30 Day Adoption Health Guarantee, and our collaborative adoption transfer programs, we are working to get more of the animals which do come to us into permanent homes.
We can't adopt our way out of overpopulation in our nation's shelters. We can't prosecute our way to a world with no dog fighting. We need to attack all aspects of the problems facing animals and we need to recognize that it involves extending some compassion and assistance to the humans who need our help in order to become the animal caretakers and humane citizens we want and need them to be.
In animal welfare we we work every day to try to give animals the best start possible, to intervene when things aren't going well for an animal, and to give animals a helping hand when they need it. It's time that we recognize that sometimes the best way to do that is to try to do the very same things for people.
