Who Chains You Publishing has chosen our Charity of the Year for 2018, based on their outstanding work confronting and publicizing the heinous cruelty inherent in pigeon shoots nationwide.

We would like to thank the staff and volunteers of SHARK—Showing Animals Respect and Kindness—for their efforts, and pledge to help raise awareness and funding for the issue throughout 2018.

WCY publisher Tamira Thayne first learned about pigeon shoots when she worked on state laws for chained dogs in Pennsylvania, where the majority of pigeon shoots are still held annually. She watched advocates like Johnna Seeton agonize over the failure of bill after bill in the Pennsylvania state legislature that would have specifically prohibited pigeon shoots in PA.

What are pigeon shoots? Well, they’re as bad as you can imagine. From a June 5, 2017 article in the Philly Voice by John Kopp, titled “Pennsylvania clings to pigeon shoots that have nearly vanished nationwide”:

“During such shoots, live pigeons are placed into spring-loaded boxes and propelled into the air at the shooter’s command. The shooter then fires at them from a distance of about 30 yards. Hundreds of birds are wounded or killed.”

From that same article: “One group, Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) has protested the Philadelphia Gun Club shoots by posting videos of wounded pigeons and aerial videos of the shoots.

“We’ve really been pressing them hard and exposing the people who have been participating in it,” SHARK activist Stuart Chaifetz said. “We treat it the same way as if you saw someone dogfighting – it’s inexcusable.”

A rough sketch from “Smidgey Pidgey’s Predicament”, coming soon from WCY Books.

Who Chains You Publishing applauds SHARK’s efforts, and is already hard at work on a children’s book about the issue, called “Smidgey Pidgey’s Predicament”. The book will donate $1 from each sale of the book to SHARK through at least the end of 2018, and the non-profit will receive a year-end donation from a portion of all sales as well.

“Smidgey Pidgey’s Predicament” is due out in February, and is appropriate for ages 8 and up. The book was written by author Tamira Thayne, and illustrated by Rocky Shepheard, creator of The Vegg and author and illustrator of A Doggie Hero is Born.

We encourage you to learn more and support SHARK’s efforts to end the cruelty of pigeon shoots, and we hope you’ll join us in spreading the word about this abuse of our feathered friends.

SHARK’s website: http://www.sharkonline.org/

SHARK’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sharkonlineorg/

SHARK’s latest video investigating pigeon shoots. This one was in Maryland: