4-legged friends get boost from 15 religious leaders

WASHINGTON — Dogs wagged their tails as religious leaders hugged each other inside the Cannon House Office Building's Caucus Room Wednesday.

In the same room where Code Pink protesters heckled Gen. David Petraeus as he testified on the Iraq war in September, and where decades ago Congress decided to investigate the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy, and where Frank Sinatra was a witness on organized crime, religious leaders brought a basic message: Be kind to animals.

The Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, the nation's largest no-kill animal shelter, created the different atmosphere as it brought together 15 religious leaders from various sects to Washington to sign its "Religious Proclamation of Animal Compassion." The proclamation's authors want to get a million signatures by 2009.

"Kindness is one of the best expressions of the Golden Rule: to treat others how you want to be treated," said Michael Mountain, president of the Best Friends Animal Society, standing before a photo backdrop of tiny kittens and smiling dogs.

As the four-legged visitors made their way around the room greeting other participants, House members from the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus talked about their own pets and the need for an overall better attitude in how people treat animals.

"The way a society treats its animals speaks to the core values and priorities of its citizens," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who co-chairs the caucus with Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif.

Lantos, who brought his dog to work Wednesday, sponsored the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005. He said he could never leave his dog behind in the event of a similar disaster and is glad to see the law is working as fires in California left people — and animals — without homes.

"Kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us," Lantos said.

While 15 religious leaders signed the document Wednesday, 32 co-authors created the proclamation, including two participants who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalists, Quakers, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Roman Catholics, Baptists and other religions.

"In a world of increasing violence towards others, ourselves, and our environment, we believe it is essential to reclaim and recover a commitment of compassion for all life," the proclamation states.