"Animal Services = Family Services"
"Pets are family. Animal services=family services. Or at least, that’s the way it should be. But all too often, it seems that there is simply a one-size-fits-all approach for authorities dealing with animal situations in people’s homes. If the residents are breeding pets for sale, they are labeled a puppy mill. If they have a large number of pets, they are called hoarders. And it so often plays out the same way: the animals are seized and sent to pet killing facilities while the people are charged as criminals.
When it comes to human families, social services appears to take a more nuanced approach. They recognize that even when the home environment is lacking, the parents still have both legal rights to, and deep emotional bonds with, their children. Breaking up a family by removing kids from the home and placing them into a shabby state foster system is viewed as a last resort. Social workers generally seem to be able to distinguish the obviously evil parents whose malnourished 5 year old is in a diaper and locked in a closet from those who love their children but need education, assistance and monitoring in order to do a better job as parents. The former must be charged as criminals and their kids saved from further abuse. The latter need to be provided with the tools and skills required to bring the home environment up to societal norms."
