[3FurryFaces]

Originally Posted by Cares4Dogs

El Paso has a new dog ordinance. All breeders and nonbreeders having puppies have to purchase a permit $75 per litter for nonbreeders and $100 per litter for breeders.

Also, no puppies are to be sold or given away before 8 weeks. Any puppies given away before 8 weeks have to be turned over to the humane society. This is fantastic cuz I've seen ads for pups 5 weeks and ready to go..makes me sick.

Puppies are no longer allowed to be sold for profit under 1 year of age.

Although I see this overall as a great thing to help put a stop to careless breeding practices, I also see this with mixed feelings. I dont think its going to stop puppy mills in our area. They'll just sell their pups outside city limits. Also, many puppies are brought over from mexico and sold in our city.

The reasons for the permits is to reduce the number of animals brought to the animal shelter. Half of our city doesnt have to comply because they are in another state. They arent even required to mircochip and many of those dogs are dumped at the shelter. Is this really gonna greatly reduce the numbers at animal shelters??

I dont see how rules only effecting half the city is gonna do much good. Microchipping is a law here thats been in effect for 5 years. Since half of the city doesnt have to microchip, it has not helped bring down numbers at the shelter.

Where to begin… Most legislators don’t know the first thing about effective and appropriate animal legislation. They pass these laws to show their constituents that they are doing “something.” They would rather pass bad laws than no laws at all. More concerning is that they are influenced by one of the strongest, most effective and well-funded lobbying groups in America. The political agenda of the HSUS is clear by their actions and accomplishments. They are quickly eroding the rights of pet owners and anyone who does not share their “animal rights” views through lobbying legislators to pass laws which restrict pet ownership and pet availability. The largely unsuspecting public thinks they are donating directly to shelters and “poor animals”. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not an animal charity in the usual sense. If you look at their 2009 tax return, you find that they collected $101.6 million in revenue. They spent $6.7 million in services and grants and spent $74.1 million on “other expenses”. The other expenses are funds spent lobbying. In fact, they are under investigation by the IRS for misrepresenting themselves. Any other charity that spent a mere 7% of its revenue on services would be considered a miserable failure. These laws are not stopping any unethical people – the unethical breeders and abusers already ignore the law or move out of the jurisdiction. Studies have shown that education of the public changes behavior - not more restrictive laws. As responsible citizens and pet owners, it is incumbent upon each of us to educate ourselves on the issues affecting us and acting upon them. Contact your legislators and let them know how you feel on issues of importance to you. The AKC has a page with links to pending legislation in each state. Another helpful site is humanewatch dot org.
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson
Sorry, I will get down from my soapbox now…