Sir Prolific anti-animal letter-writer Jon Burgess knowingly and disingenuously misrepresents what PETA US does (Worcester News, 18 July). PETA US transfers adoptable animals to open-admission shelters so that they have a chance of finding a loving home. The animals for whom PETA US provides a merciful release are broken beings, including highly aggressive dogs who have been kept chained for their whole lives; are enduring heart failure from advanced heartworm disease, which is endemic in rural North Carolina; have been shot or run over; or are old and ailing and need the merciful release that their guardians cannot afford at the vet.

Mr Burgess constantly bombards newspapers with diatribes in defence of blood sports such as hare coursing – in which hares are caught, caged and forced to run for their lives in a fenced-in area until dogs catch them and rip them to bits. Someone like this is no authority on how animals should be treated. I invite everyone to visit www.PETASaves.com to learn about PETA US' heartbreaking work to help animals.

Ben Williamson

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

London, N1 9RL