Rethinking Rescue

Starred review from June 3, 2024
In this eye-opening account, journalist Mithers (Mighty Be Our Powers) profiles L.A.-based animal welfare advocate Lori Weise, presenting her activism since the 1990s in evocative juxtaposition with an examination of how classist undertones have since emerged in the very movement Weise spearheaded. Now largely led by wealthy donor-activists, today’s rescue movement seeks to remove animals from “undeserving” homes, according to Mithers’s well-researched history, which spotlights other prominent figures like Hollywood philanthropist Gillian Lange, whose organization instituted the first background checks for pet adopters. But when Weise first became active in the movement, “rescue” meant saving animals from euthanasia in shelters—not “unsafe” homes—and keeping them united with their owners, most of whom had fallen on hard times. Indeed, Weise first began promoting “no kill” policies because of her work with homeless people. As an employee at a factory on L.A.’s Skid Row, she got to know the area’s homeless population, and she was drawn into the no-kill battle as a means of bolstering the emotional health of those living on the street, whose relationships with animals strengthened their spirit. Mithers applauds Weise’s work but doesn’t cut corners; she unflinchingly depicts the harrowing conditions pets face in homeless encampments. The result is a provocative challenge to contemporary mores regarding animal welfare.