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I am SO ANGRY right now. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: |
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Dominion may mean we don't see our pets as equals; to have a well-behaved pet you need to be the leader of the pack and that definitely is dominion too. |
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Determining the future of Indiana's puppy mills / nwi.com Determining the future of Indiana's puppy mills BY JEAN STARR TImes Correspondent | Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | When the wirehaired Fox terrier arrived at Honey Creek Animal Hospital in Terre Haute, Ind., the staff had no idea she was pregnant. "She was so emaciated that we had no idea," said practice manager Candice Staub. "She was term and gave birth four days later to seven puppies." After the dog's wounds were healed, she went to a rescue organization. She was treated for Sarcoptic Mange, open wounds, and eye abrasions. She had been debarked, a procedure in which vocal cords are severed either with scissors or by ramming a metal pipe down their throat to prevent them from barking. Some puppy millers who have hundreds of dogs on their property don't want neighbors to know so many of them will perform this procedure, often without anesthetic. Photos of a French bulldog Staub is fostering tell the story of what happens to a dog used for breeding year after year. She has a nasty case of pneumonia and corneal abrasions. Her legs on both side are totally broken down; her feet flat and her toes broken from being caught in the wire bottom of her enclosure. She is totally emaciated with a body scale of 2 out of 10. She has only two canine teeth left and those are nubs. The rest have fallen out from decalcification from the constant nursing. Her vulva is swollen almost beyond recognition from being bred at each heat cycle and whelping so many puppies. She is still learning to walk on hard ground, having no idea how to plant her feet on a hard surface. These are signs of the typical existence of a puppy mill dog rescued from a lifetime of suffering. Usually, they are either disposed of by drowning, skull crushing or shooting. Sometimes they are sold to the highest bidder for whatever they can get to try to have one more litter before the dog dies or their productivity slows "The public needs to be aware that this dirty secret is being hidden in the state of Indiana with more and more millers being attracted to the state due to the very lax laws," Staub said. There is a bill in the Indiana Senate that will either pass or fail in the next several days. Indiana House Bill 1468 (Animal Cruelty and Commercial Dog Breeders) passed the House with a vote of 81-14 on Feb. 23 and is now in the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters for consideration. Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, is on that committee. "We have no statewide regulations on commercial breeding of dogs," said Anne Sterling, the Indiana state director for the Humane Society of the United States. There are 34 states working on passing regulations similar to HB 1468. "If this continues, we will become very attractive to puppy millers throughout the country." Sterling has seen examples of breeding operations moving from states that have passed legislation to other states with no laws governing standards of care for dogs used to churn out hundreds of puppies in their lifetimes. "The people who are targeted are those who breed 10 or more litters of puppies a year," she said. "The USDA inspects only licensed breeders that sell to pet stores." Breeders that fall through the gap are those who breed without a license and who sell over the Internet and through other means. Online purchasers see only cute online puppy photos -- never their true birthplace. It costs the lives of countless dogs, but it also costs the taxpayer. In December 2008 the Indiana Attorney General's removed 78 animals from a Cloverdale, Ind., breeder who sold puppies on the Internet by using more than a dozen aliases. Tammy Gilchrist was served with a search warrant for business and tax records dating back to 1998 and was served with a jeopardy levy when she was unable to produce payment of $192,960.28 in state sales tax. Add to that the cost of treating the dogs and four horses for open sores, severe skin conditions, parasites, mammary tumors and malnutrition and the costs rise even further. WHERE IT NOW STANDS H.B. 1468 has been referred to the Committee on Corrections, Criminal & Civil Matters. The 11-member committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Brent Steele, will do the initial review of the bill and decide if it is worthy of further consideration. According to Matt Doerr, Sen. Steele's legislative assistant, Steele is still considering the bill. Opinions have been coming in from both sides of the issue, with many objections from the Nappanee and Warsaw areas. "A lot of breeders are concerned the bill will be detrimental to their business," Doerr said. "The response that favors the bill has been limited but we do expect that to change." FOR MORE INFORMATION A link to the bill can be found at in.gov/legislative/bills/2009/PDF/HB/HB1468.2.pdf Indiana Senate general phone number: (800) 382-9467. |
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I wonder if anyone knows if support from people outside the state would be helpful? |
Wisconsin puppy mill proposal Ground Zero for puppy mills Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 3:26 PM by Paul Knoff, WCCN Clark County has become Ground Zero, for those fighting what they feel are inhumane conditions at mass dog breeding operations. The county in central Wisconsin has the most "puppy mills" in the state; it's also home to the state's only dog auction. Jamie Paige, a news anchor at WQOW-TV in Eau Claire, has been on a personal crusade against mills ever since she adopted a Yorkie from the Clark County Humane Society last year. It turns out the animal was rescued from a mill. "Basically, what it is, is the idea of turning dogs, one after the other," says Paige. "They (kennel operators) over breed the moms, and they do it for money." Some operations are unsanitary. Most don't have ample room for dogs to exercise. The close quarters also lead to rampant disease and other health problems. "One I went to in Clark County last weekend was actually a very clean facility," says Paige. "But if you go beyond the cleanliness of it, we counted 98 kennels that they had in this facility." Paige says that particular operator is registered to have 308 adult dog, but each kennel housed 3 or 4 adult dogs. Paige is working with State Rep. Jeff Smith to try to craft legislation to better regulate the industry. Under Smith's proposal, kennel operators with more than 25 dogs would face state regulation. "They would require that they have running space," says Paige."That they wouldn't just be kenneled and housed in a kennel, that they could go outside and be walked." The bill would also require proper veterinary care for the dogs, which Paige maintains is another major shortcoming in puppy mill operations. |
Washington state bill passes senate Senate passes bill cracking down on puppy mills Last updated March 11, 2009 6:08 p.m. PT Senate passes bill cracking down on puppy mills THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Senate has approved a bill cracking down on dog breeders who operate inhumane puppy mills. Under the bill, which passed on a 35-11 vote, dog breeders and owners would be barred from owning more than 50 dogs over six months old that are not neutered or spayed. The measure now goes to the House for consideration. The measure would also place restrictions on some owners and breeders with less than ten dogs. They would be required to house their dogs in conditions that are sanitary and dry, among others. Dogs would need to be provided with food, water and exercise. The puppy mill bill is Senate Bill 5651. On the Net: Washington state Legislature: Washington State Legislature Home Page |
Does anyone know if there is any legistration in Tennessee, I think 30 dogs is enough for any breeder to handle with out hired on help. Just wondering about TN as that is where I live. |
NC Puppy mill bill gaining momentum Puppy mill bill gaining momentum News : Puppy mill bill gaining momentum (Roanoke Rapids, NC) by Hank Dewald, Daily Herald Staff Writer Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 12:05 PM CDT ROANOKE RAPIDS — A bill to regulate commercial dog breeding operations currently being considered in the General Assembly is generating some excitement among local animal shelters and concerned citizens, many of whom think it is long overdue. Sometimes referred to as the Puppy Mill Bill, the legislation defines commercial breeding operations and provides specific guidelines for the operation of such a facility, a licensing requirement, an inspection process to ensure compliance, as well as penalties for failing to comply. The bill, HB 733 in the House of Representatives and SB 460 in the senate, is sponsored by two area lawmakers, Rep. Lucy T. Allen and Sen. Ed Jones. At this time, the two other local representatives of the valley area, Michael Wray, in District 27 and Angela Bryant, in District 7, are not listed as co-sponsors of the bill and could not be reached to ask if they plan to support the bill. Mike Markarian, executive president of The Humane Society of the United States, has written a letter to many N.C. animal shelters asking them to encourage their supporters to contact their representatives about supporting and voting for the bill. “Puppy mills are breeding facilities that mass-produce puppies for sale in pet stores, over the Internet and directly to the public,” Markarian said in the letter. “Dogs at puppy mills are often stacked in filthy wire cages, often with little or no veterinary care or human interaction, and treated not like pets but like a cash crop. Mother dogs are constantly bred and kept in continual confinement. They are destroyed or discarded when they can no longer churn out puppies.” Markarian said law enforcement raids of breeding operations have uncovered hundreds of dogs living in deplorable conditions, proving that puppy mills are a serious problem in North Carolina. Allen has said she is passionate about getting this bill passed but wanted small, home breeders and hunters who breed sporting dogs to know the bill is not targeting them. Section Two of the bill clearly defines commercial breeding operations as “any person who, during any 12-month period, maintains 15 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals.” The definition goes further and states, the bill “shall not include those kennels or establishments operated primarily for the purpose of boarding or training hunting, sporting, herding or guide dogs.” Donna May, one of the founders of Down East Animal Refuge (DEAR), a “no-kill” animal shelter in Scotland Neck, said she was thrilled by this new bill and is also urging everyone to support it. The DEAR shelter is full and cannot take in any more animals, so she is also passionate about slowing the number of unwanted or abused dogs in North Carolina. “This is a great first-step in regulating the breeding of dogs in North Carolina,” May said, “But it (the laws regulating dog breeding) should eventually be more like our neighbor to the north, Virginia.” May said a large portion of the people who contact DEAR about adopting dogs are from Virginia because the stringent laws there have reduced the number of unwanted dogs in that state. She would like to see that happen in North Carolina soon. “One female dog can have six to eight puppies in one litter and eventually generate 600 or more dogs in her lifetime, so something must be done to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats in North Carolina,” May said. Local PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) representative Emily Allen said she didn’t know the details of the proposed legislation in N.C. but would support any regulation of commercial breeding operations in the state. The Norfolk PETA affiliate she works with operates an animal clinic in Emporia, Va. and transports dogs from the Roanoke Rapids area there for free or reduced cost spay and neutering, as well as basic veterinary care. May also pointed out the numbers of unwanted animals has increased as the economy has taken a downturn. “The cost of pet foods has risen, sometimes dramatically and that is becoming a big problem, not just for pet owners, but for us as well. Many people find they can no longer feed their animals and begin looking for help in finding them a new home. We really need to do something to slow the numbers down and this is a good first step.” |
Puppy mill bill draws opposition Stillwater NewsPress - Puppy mill bill draws opposition Published: March 26, 2009 09:33 am Puppy mill bill draws opposition By Monique Headley Stillwater NewsPress The American Kennel Club has concerns about a Stillwater-area lawmaker’s bill aimed at puppy mills. The AKC-affiliate Oklahoma Animal Interest Alliance is against the proposed law the group says will unfairly limit breeding. The alliance is urging breeders and pet owners to speak out against the measure. AKC listed several “grave concerns” about House Bill 1332 in a letter to bill author Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, but still called the bill “a great step forward.” Read AKC's letter here. Denney, a veterinarian, proposed HB 1332 to license and regulate individuals, shelters or businesses that acquire or sell 35 or more domestic dogs and cats in Oklahoma. Denney wants the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to regulate care to eradicate cruelty and neglect to dogs and cats in mills. Violations would result in penalties of $50 to $2,500 per instance. AKC legislative representative Lisa Peterson says the AKC would rather see the state enforce animal cruelty laws already on the books. |
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Puppy Mill Bill Usurps Animal Abuser Registry -- ZooToo Pet News Puppy Mill Bill Usurps Animal Abuser Registry By Amy Lieberman March 26, 2009 Puppy Mill Bill Usurps Animal Abuser Registry: An effort to publicly document animal cruelty felons has been sidelined as Tennessee legislators struggle to get the needed support. Now their focus is on a more favorable commercial breeding bill. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A unique bill is circulating through the Tennessee legislative body, calling for all convicted animal cruelty felons to be documented on a public, online registry. But a divisive rural-urban playing field within the legislature has placed the bill, the Tennessee Animal Abuser Tracking and Verification Act, on hold, perhaps for the long-term. "When a new type of provision like this gets introduced, it's sometimes difficult to immediately get support for it. There is often the perception that it would have high costs." said Stephan Otto, legislative director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Otto first drafted a model of the bill nearly eight years ago. Colorado saw a like bill in 2002, but it was eventually shot down; Tennessee is the only other state to have since proposed instilling the registry system. It would look and operate much like databases inspired by "Megan's Laws," which require all convicted sex offenders to be publicly registered. "It's like how you are able to know if you have a sex offender, or a potentially dangerous person, living in your community," explained Leighann McCollum, the Humane Society of the United States' Tennessee state director. "If somebody has been convicted of setting an animal on fire, I wouldn't necessarily want my daughter going over there to play at his house. It's good to know." The law would target those convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals, or people who "intentionally kill or cause serious injury to an animal," McCollum said. The bill has some loopholes, as someone who was convicted for facilitating dog fighting, a felony, would fall on the list. On the other hand, someone who orchestrated cock fighting sessions, which is a misdemeanor in the state, would be exempt. All convicted animal abuser felons would be placed on a list accessible to the public online, on a statewide level. "These would be really violent, dangerous offenders," McCollum said. "This is not your average farmer who has to shoot one of his cattle." The bill passed through the state senate in February 2008, but stalled in the House; state senator Doug Jackson, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the measure is not likely to get revisited this year. "We're so focused on passing a puppy mill legislation right now and that really is taking a lot of time," Jackson said. "We don't want to diffuse the bill here and stir up opposition. There is a lot of suspicion from some lawmakers involving animal rights advocates." Jackson and District House Representative Janis Sontany (D-Nashville) are sponsoring both the registry bill, as well as the puppy mill one, or the Commercial Breeder Enforcer Act. Their decision to push the state's two main animal-related bills perhaps speaks to the larger legislative body's wariness of tackling animal welfare at all. The registry plan is "a great bill," Jackson maintained, which would "provide a tremendous amount of information to people at a low cost." Yet some legislators have expressed concern about high costs the program would create, and that the bill might unjustly target farmers and ranchers. "We were constantly trying to diffuse that type of paranoia," Jackson explained. The battle, in the end, proved insurmountable before the House recessed, much to the sponsors' and McCollum's dismay. "I was very disappointed to realize that people didn't understand the difference between routine livestock handling and torturing an animal, that they didn't understand, in this day and age, that these are dangerous, violent offenders who will move on to humans," McCollum said. Cruelty extends beyond urban and rural borders, she also said. "People in the country view animals differently than people in the city, but we are trying to make them understand that, whether city or country, that normal, stable human beings don't torture animals." The program would have "minimal" costs, according to McCollum, as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation already maintains a comparable database for sex offenders. The way the system now stands, Otto says, is "really problematic," making it nearly impossible for breeders or shelters to perform accurate background searches on prospective pet owners. "Records could be kept at a county level, and there is not any centralized database for people to check, so people can move around to different parts of the state, or out of state, and it is often hard to track crimes of this type," Otto explained. That means a convicted animal felon could technically cross state lines and continue to adopt or purchase animals with few obstacles to overcome. Otto says he has seen this happen several times, with abusers operating under various pseudonyms, or simply moving every few months. "It's important that these people are tracked to prevent future offenses," Otto said. Yet Jackson and Sontany say they are willing to place this bill on the back-burner, in hopes of passing the puppy mill bill. As of now, Tennessee has no restrictions on commercial breeders or mill operators, save basic animal cruelty laws. "This [puppy mill] bill doesn't have nearly the stigma attached to it, I guess I should say," McCollum said. The push to monitor such practices has received a considerable amount of support, according to Sontany, who agreed that it is not nearly as controversial a measure as the abuse tracking bill. "We've received a lot of support from the community on this bill," she said. "It's actually going to soon start being considered on committees." Tennessee is joining many other states in trying to bust puppy mills, a trend Otto says is likely to carry through into coming years. "There are puppy mill bills popping up everywhere," he said. North Carolina, Indiana and Oklahoma are all currently considering similar measures. In 2008, six major mill operations were raided in Tennessee; the largest bust, which occurred last summer, involved 747 animals, McCollum said. She estimates that the state hosts approximately 400 separate mills. The measure is not aimed to target private breeders, and would affect anyone who "maintains 20 adult non-sterilized females for the purpose of selling their offspring," McCollum said. "When you have 700 animals in your backyard, operating as a business, you should have some oversight, and be accountable to your consumer. It should be required to provide a basic standard of care for animals keeping in your kennel." The law would also mandate all commercial kennels register their business. That licensing could create a $1.3 million increase in tax payments to the Department of Revenue, Sontany said. A committee hearing is set for this bill next week, and several more have been scheduled. "We're very hopeful that this will get passed this year," Jackson said. The animal abuser registry, though, might have to wait a little more to experience any substantial traction. |
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