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Freedom for shelter animals?

The Animal Care and Control Team has a goal of providing animals with Five Basic Freedoms

In Monday's column, I reported the city animal shelter, the Animal Care and Control Team, has instituted a policy called "Humane Housing" that gives dogs more space.

Over time, the numbers will prove whether it is bringing the desired result of more lives saved.

At the same time, a goal announced by new executive director Vincent Medley is to provide every animal with the Five Basic Freedoms, which in turn will help ACCT "become a national leader in animal sheltering," he says.

The Five Basic Freedoms are:

Freedom from hunger or thirst

Freedom from discomfort

Freedom from pain, injury or disease

Freedom to express (most) normal behavior

Freedom from fear and distress

These reminded me of FDR's Four Freedoms speech, actually his State of the Union, delivered in January 1941. President Roosevelt listed Four Freedoms people "everywhere in the world" should enjoy.

His Four Freedoms were:

Freedom of speech

Freedom of worship

Freedom from want

Freedom from fear

A speech like that today might be criticized as forcing "our" values on others. And maybe it would be. And that's OK with me.