Pet Stores and Puppy Mills: Why the HSUS Is Encouraging People Not To Buy From Them

Quite simply, pet stores = puppy mills = animal cruelty.

Here are a few facts from the article below. I’ve also listed links for more information.

“The Humane Society of the United States is encouraging people not to buy from pet stores.

It says that pet store dogs frequently come from puppy mills, or mass breeding facilities, where dogs are kept in poor condition and bred merely for profit.

The agency also warns that breeders who advertise on the Internet often operate puppy mills, despite insisting that they run reputable, humane kennels.

And when someone buys one of the puppies, they’re likely to find that it has health or behavioral problems, due to inbreeding, neglect, genetic disorders and other factors associated with puppy mills.”

For more information on puppy mills and pet stores and tips on finding and buying dogs, cats, etc. from reputable sources other than pet stores and puppy mills see the following links:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/
get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/index.html

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/
zbuying_a_puppy/

Stoppuppymills.com

Article:

‘Puppy mills’ group’s pet peeve; Society says most store dogs from mass breeders

By Jenny Maher, Delaware State Newsjk

DOVER — Few things are more irresistible than puppies in pet store windows.

With big, sad eyes, pouty faces and unconditional love, it’s no wonder that so many animal lovers shell out big bucks to provide the caged canines with a caring home.

But the Humane Society of the United States is encouraging people not to buy from pet stores.

It says that pet store dogs frequently come from puppy mills, or mass breeding facilities, where dogs are kept in poor condition and bred merely for profit.

The agency also warns that breeders who advertise on the Internet often operate puppy mills, despite insisting that they run reputable, humane kennels.

Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for the Humane Society of the United States, has one simple warning for people who are looking to buy a puppy.

“Stay away from situations where you don’t know where the puppy was raised,” she said.

While she admits that not all pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills, she said the majority do.

And when someone buys one of the puppies, they’re likely to find that it has health or behavioral problems, due to inbreeding, neglect, genetic disorders and other factors associated with puppy mills.

Ms. Shain said it’s impossible for people to tell by looking at a puppy in a pet store window or on a Web site where it was born.

“You can ask questions, but you can’t trust those answers,” she said. “I’ve had people who were told that (certain) pet stores don’t deal with puppy mills, but they found out that wasn’t true because their puppy got sick or died.”

Ed Wagner, manager of the Seaford Pet Emporium, said he doesn’t think people should associate all pet stores will puppy mills.

He admitted that the Seaford Pet Emporium used to buy from puppy mills, but said it stopped after a puppy came in with a disease that spread to a lot of other dogs in the store and killed them.

He said the store now buys from local breeders, where he and other employees can visit with the puppies’ parents and make sure they receive proper veterinary care.

Terrie Lawson, manager of CR Pets in Camden, said the store does not buy from puppy mills, but from a company in the Midwest called Lambriar, which touts itself as “the nation’s leading supplier of companion animals” on its Web site.

Ms. Lawson said Lambriar works with private, reputable breeders that provide puppies and parent dogs with quality care.

The Lambriar Web site claims that the company “is very active in state and federal legislation that supports regulations to keep the pet industry safe and comfortable for the animals involved.”

It also says the company in no way supports illegal kennels and that it provides happy and healthy animals to responsible pet retailers.

Ms. Shain, however, did not express much confidence in Lambriar.

She described the company as a “classic middleman” that buys dogs from puppy mills and sells them to pet stores.

Ms. Lawson maintained that Lambriar does not buy from puppy mills.

And although she’s never visited the company or any of its breeders, she said CR Pets has a broker that makes sure the puppies are treated properly.

“We know our puppies are not coming from puppy mills,” she said, noting that the dogs at CR Pets rarely come down with anything more serious than a cold.

Ms. Shain said she does not think any responsible breeder would sell dogs to a pet store, because they want to make sure that the person who buys the puppy knows the breed.

“They don’t just sell to the first person that walks in with a credit card in their pocket,” she said.

She encourages people to get their dogs from shelters, rescue organizations or quality breeders.

Laurie Baker, owner of the Black Tower Kennel in Milton, said there are a few things people should look for to make sure they’re buying from a responsible breeder and not a puppy mill.

She said reputable breeders usually stick to one or two breeds of dogs, while puppy mills have five or more breeds.

Good breeders have the parent dogs on the premises, she said, and they are kept in the house or in large outdoor kennels, not crammed into tiny cages.

They also have up-to-date health certificates and have tested the parent dogs for genetic diseases and share all pertinent health information with buyers, Ms. Baker said.

Responsible breeders also breed their dogs less frequently than puppy mills, because they “breed for quality, not quantity,” she said.

Ms. Shain said puppy mills keep the parent dogs in cages 24 hours a day and provide them with minimal care.

They receive low quality food and their water isn’t fresh, she said, and they get little to no veterinary treatment and are often kept outside in extreme heat and cold.

“The (dogs) are looked at as machines to produce puppies,” Ms. Shain said.

While such actions would be illegal for most pet owners, she said commercial kennels, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, tend to get away with inhumane treatment.

The Web site Stoppuppymills.com says the USDA licenses and inspects puppy mills for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, but the mills “successfully navigate around” laws by selling directly to consumers and avoiding licensing requirements or because there are not enough inspectors to crack down on all of them.

Ms. Shain said puppy mills were historically in rural states, but now they’re being found everywhere.

She said the best way to put puppy mills out of business is to stop buying from places that could be dealing with them.

Ms. Shain said people often want to rescue puppies from pet store cages, but she said what they consider a good deed is actually a bad move.

“That $700 you spend just opens up the cage for another puppy mill puppy to come in,” she said. “If people didn’t buy these puppies, then puppy mills wouldn’t exist.”

Visit the Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org for tips on finding a reputable breeder.

Los Angeles Reporter Investigates Puppy Mills: Same Sad Reality Found: Pet Stores Fuel Abusive Puppy Mills and Breeding: Death, Disease, and Abuse

Same reality found again. But still, puppy mills and pet stores go on.

We’ve actually posted about the pet store, puppy mill, breeders connection before see this posting for more information - http://geari.blogspot.com/2006/09/pet-stores-and-puppy-mills-why-hsus-is.html

For more information on puppy mills and pet stores and tips on finding and buying dogs, cats, etc. from reputable sources other than pet stores and puppy mills see the following links:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/
get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/index.html

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/
buying_a_puppy/buying_a_puppy/

Stoppuppymills.com

Article:

David Goldstein Investigates Puppy Mills

http://cbs2.com/goldstein/Puppy.Mills.
David.2.719762.html

Reporting

David Goldstein

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― They're locked in cages. Put there to breed. With little love or attention.

The animal rights group Last Chance For Animals videotaped this puppy mill in Littlerock--near Palmdale.

Hidden behind a fence--more than 100 dogs. They do have a permit to breed from L.A. County--but not from the federal government. The federal animal welfare act says any breeder who sells to a pet store has to have a permit.

With a hidden camera we went into Posh Puppies in Tarzana. Here we found one of their maltese puppies for sale for over $2,000! But when we tried to question the employee--she didn't want us there.

"It's an unlicensed puppy mill yet the dogs come from there? Can I please ask the camera to leave?"

Last week we uncovered this puppy mill also in Littlerock. After our investigation -- L.A. County Animal Control cited the facility for overcrowding--and ordered more than 300 dogs moved out. They also don't have a federal permit.

But it seems Littlerock is fast becoming the puppy breeding capitol of L.A. County. Just around the corner--we found a third facility. In a county inspection last November--they found 274 dogs---which is legal. But again--we found no federal permit. No legal license to sell to pet stores.

"These stores are buying from puppy mills that are not properly licensed. Animals are basically illegal."

Chris Derose is the director of Last Chance For Animals. He blames the puppy mills in L.A. County on the trend in Hollywood.

The cute little dogs are all the rage with celebrities--so people want to follow suit. And breeders are trying to keep up. But the public doesn't see the dark side.

"This little girl's leg is missing."

This dog was rescued from the puppy mill last week with leg problems. Others rescued also are mistreated.

"These dogs pay for it over and over and these people--these celebrities that have animals don't go out and see where these animals come from."

Because of our investigation -- L.A. County supervisor Mike Antonovich is going to introduce a motion to see if further inspections are needed.

Pennsylvania Governor Puts Forth Measures to More Closely Regulate Puppy Mills: Measure Also Address Cruelty Conditions of Puppy Mills

These are incredible moves. Just simply adding more inspectors will help immensely. In fact, the lack of inspectors is usually to blame for not enforcing cruelty measures in any setting. Yet, he has also included new regulations which would certainly help. At the very least, this sends a signal to the cruel puppy mills that they are now being watched. Well, we’ll wait and see how it all ends. Let’s hope it’s not just another political maneuver.

Here are some excerpts from the article below the state what will be done:

“Governor Ed Rendell appointed a new head of the state's bureau of dog law enforcement, named a special prosecutor, and created a team of inspectors to police about 2,800 kennels.

New regulations, which also need approval by legislators, include doubling cage sizes; requiring all dogs to be exercised for at least 20 minutes a day, and setting minimum standards of temperature, lighting, ventilation and sanitation in the kennels.”

For more on the cruelty behind puppy mills see:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/get_
the_facts_on_puppy_mills/index.html

http://www.kimtownsend.com/whatisapuppymill.html


Article:

Pennsylvania moves to end cruelty at "puppy mills"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061017/us_nm/life_puppies_dc_1

By Jon HurdleTue Oct 17, 4:54 PM ET

Pennsylvania unveiled measures on Tuesday to crack down on commercial kennels that breed dogs in inhumane conditions across a state that has one of the biggest concentrations of so-called puppy mills in the United States.

To strengthen the application of existing law, Governor Ed Rendell appointed a new head of the state's bureau of dog law enforcement, named a special prosecutor, and created a team of inspectors to police about 2,800 kennels.

"We have a very serious problem with the regulation and sale of dogs in Pennsylvania," Rendell said at a news conference. "The state has become known as the puppy mill capital of the country."

Rendell, a Democrat who is running for re-election on November 7, proposed legislation that would strengthen criminal penalties for kennel owners found guilty of cruelty; allow dog wardens to seize dogs in distress, and revoke the license for 10 years of any kennel owner found guilty of cruelty.

Rendell hopes to introduce the legislation by the end of the year.

New regulations, which also need approval by legislators, include doubling cage sizes; requiring all dogs to be exercised for at least 20 minutes a day, and setting minimum standards of temperature, lighting, ventilation and sanitation in the kennels.

Other states with significant numbers of puppy mills include Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Animal-rights campaigners have protested for years against the conditions endured by thousands of dogs kept permanently in cramped and unsanitary conditions. Adult dogs are continuously bred until they reach the end of their reproductive life, and are then destroyed, according to activists.

Because of the inhumane conditions of the kennels, the puppies produced there often have health, genetic and behavioral problems when they are sold to pet stores.

Bob Baker, a consultant with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals, welcomed the Pennsylvania initiative which he said put the state in the forefront of a national effort to regulate puppy mills.

"We are delighted with the proposals," Baker said. "This is a significant step forward in enforcement, and it is significant that (Rendell) also wants to improve the regulations. No other state compares."

Baker estimated that Pennsylvania's puppy mills produce at least 200,000 puppies a year.

Inherent Cruelty of Puppy Mills / Dog Breeders Begin to be Exposed

For more on the truth behind dog breeders, puppy mills and pet stores see http://geari.blogspot.com/search?q=puppy+mills

Article:

States attempt crackdowns on puppy mills

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070603/ap_on_re_us/puppy_mills_1

By ERIC OLSON, Associated Press Writer Sun Jun 3, 1:41 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. - Bob Baker has seen the worst of the worst in his 27 years as an animal cruelty investigator.


There was the Missouri breeder who would skimp on food by skinning dead dogs and feeding them to other dogs in his kennel. There was the South Dakota breeder who used a handsaw to amputate the leg of a pregnant Rottweiler, injured in an attack by another dog, in hopes that the Rottweiler would survive long enough to give birth to another litter.

Baker says such cases are the exception, but adds that mistreatment of dogs in large-scale breeding operations remains common and troubling.

"Most breeders learn how to keep their standards just above violating cruelty statutes, but the conditions are still unacceptable," said Baker, a St. Louis-based national investigator for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "It's difficult dealing with these people. We file charges on the most egregious ones."

State legislators across the nation are attempting to crack down on rogue breeding operations and pet sellers.

The week after the May 16 rescue of 173 dogs from the property of a Dawson County man, the Nebraska Legislature passed a law that increased the number of state kennel inspectors from one to four and requires new operations to be inspected before opening.

Puppy lemon laws, which let buyers get their money back if health or genetic defects are discovered within a set time, are on the books in 16 states and were introduced in four others this year.

California lawmakers are studying a bill that would require cats and dogs over 4 months old to be spayed or neutered, unless the person caring for them obtains a breeding license.

Laws that would tighten the regulation of retail pet shops are pending in Oregon, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and bills establishing standards for breeding operations were introduced in Minnesota and Ohio.

Mass breeding has been a hot-button issue for decades with animal welfare activists, who use the term "puppy mills" to describe the most unsavory of operations, which are usually situated in rural areas.

The Humane Society of the United States has long identified Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania as the major puppy-mill states, said outreach director Stephanie Shain.

Of the 7 million to 9 million dogs brought into U.S. families each year, Shain said, an estimated 2 million to 4 million are products of puppy mills.

The demand for popular breeds, and the high prices people are willing to pay, keep breeding operations churning, Shain said. A quick Internet search showed many puppies with four-figure sale prices, and some breeds, including bulldogs and Belgian Malinois, with top prices exceeding $3,000.

Many dog breeders chafe at the term "puppy mill," saying it is inflammatory and lumps conscientious commercial dog breeders together with the unscrupulous.

Clem Disterhaupt, president of the Nebraska Dog Breeders Association, said most commercial breeders have the animals' best interest at heart.

"We don't associate ourselves with puppy mills, but sometimes people are under the impression that if you have a lot of dogs, you must be a puppy mill," Disterhaupt said.

Disterhaupt said reputable breeders are licensed with state or federal agencies and provide adequate space, cleanliness, heat and air conditioning and ventilation.

"That's not a puppy mill," he said. "People need to distinguish the difference."

Daisy Okas, assistant vice president of communications for the American Kennel Club, said breeders, kennel operators and pet stores register all types of breeds with her organization. The AKC has 15 inspectors who visit about 5,000 places a year where significant numbers of dogs are registered.

Shain, however, said people who want a puppy should avoid pet stores and instead buy from a hobby breeder or adopt from a shelter.

Puppy mills, Shain said, damage dogs emotionally and physically because the animals are confined in tight, unsanitary quarters with little or no socialization with humans or veterinary care. Females are bred repeatedly, some when they're as young as 6 months.

The overbreeding, combined with the dismal environment, results in sickly puppies that have genetic defects and temperament problems, she said. The dogs are sold in pet stores or on the Internet to unsuspecting buyers.

Investigators such as Baker inspect breeding operations after receiving complaints. Breeders usually cooperate, but when they don't, he said, he gathers information by interviewing neighbors and observing the facility from afar.

Baker, who said he has visited more than 750 breeding facilities since 1980, said that when he finds evidence of animal cruelty, he notifies local law enforcement.

"Most abuse we see is neglect," Baker said. "They know some of the stuff they're doing is wrong, and they're embarrassed. They apologize a lot of times when we come see them. But they're blinded by the greed and money they're making off of this.

"Some start out with the right intentions. They breed a few and make money, so they get more dogs but don't put money back in. They get swamped."

____

On the Net:

Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: http://www.aspca.org

Amish Puppy Industry Draws Charges of Cruelty

Wow. Terrible stuff. Puppy mills are bad, plain and simple. Who would have known that this was going on in such a degree? So basically, the Amish are into making money off of animal cruelty. Here’s a quote from one Amish man that describes his view of the world – “…out here, we're farmers, and our animals are animals."

They call them mills for a reason. See this quote - "The worst puppy mills, according to Williams and Humane Society investigators, pen up young females and force them to mate from their first day in heat. They then mate every time they're in heat until they grow too old to produce litters."

More information on puppy mills can be found at:
http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ and
http://www.lcanimal.org/cmpgn/cmpgn_012.htm



Read on...

http://www.newhouse.com/archive/murray112805.html

Amish Puppy Industry Draws Charges of Cruelty

BY BRIAN T. MURRAY
c.2005 Newhouse News Service


LANCASTER, Pa. -- A few scattered pumpkins dot the muddy fields where bearded men in wide-brimmed hats lead teams of shaggy plow horses tilling the soil.

It is autumn in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania's Amish country, and the fields that sustain the simple lifestyle are mostly bare.

But one crop -- the most important crop to some -- remains: Puppies.

"They're more expensive now because of Christmas coming up," said a bonneted young girl, barely 10, who cheerfully greeted visitors to her picturesque dairy farm in Ronks last week. "You want a better price, you come back in the summer when things are slower."

She disappeared into a large red barn and emerged with three squirming puppies, each a different breed. One spilled from her arms, tumbling over her white apron to the edge of her long, gray skirt.

"That's a Boston terrier. This one is a bichon," she said, motioning to the pups still in her arms, "and this is a Yorkie. ... He's going to cost the most. You can probably have him for $1,300."

Bred for bulk and retail sale, puppies are a growing cash crop for hundreds of farmers in and around Lancaster County, where Amish and Mennonite settlers from Switzerland and Germany arrived in the early 1700s in search of religious freedom.

For farmers, a big crop of dogs can gross up to $500,000 annually, with successful operations netting six figures.

For critics, the men in the suspenders and bushy beards are masking a cruel form of factory farming behind the quaint and pure image of the Amish culture. They so badly want the kennels shut down, they have taken their fight to Congress, where a Senate subcommittee heard testimony two weeks ago.

"Amish country is synonymous with puppy mills, and Lancaster County is the capital of Pennsylvania puppy mills, with more than 200 kennels," said Libby Williams, founder of New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse. "Dogs ... should not be treated like chickens, penned up in coops for their entire lives just to breed." Lancaster County sits just 70 miles from the New Jersey border.

"Pennsylvania is the main source (of dogs to New Jersey pet shops), and farmers in Amish country are the major suppliers," said Stuart Rhodes, president of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

At a Parkesburg pasture known to authorities as Betty's Boxers, the pups last week were out of sight at what otherwise operates as a dairy farm.

"They're only 4 weeks old," said Betty Stoltzfus, showing visitors around her small operation. Her puppies, she explained, are still three weeks shy of the age when they can legally be sold. But, she added, "they'll be ready before Christmas."

The little ones make this a downtime for her breeding stock -- 10 yapping, growling female boxers in wire pens at the front of the property. They now are the concern of Betty's 10-year-old son, Marvin.

A few miles away, the little girl in the bonnet and her family have a much larger operation.

Activists contend more than 200,000 puppies are churned out annually in and around Lancaster County. The farm where the little girl greets visitors had hundreds of older dogs secluded behind the main barn last week.

Perhaps 60 fluffy white dogs were tucked in rabbit hutches stacked a story high and several dozen feet across.

Scores of others filled dozens of pens stacked two-high on both sides of an alleyway. The sight of human visitors ignited a fury of yelps, and the dogs pawed their mesh cages.

Some were bichons, others Malteses. All were the small, playful and popular breeds that bring the farm -- known as Clearview Kennel -- a steady income.

The Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement lists 243 kennels in Lancaster County, and about 50 hold federal licenses to sell entire litters to brokers. Hundreds more are scattered in surrounding farm counties.

"The vast majority of kennels, and we have about 2,500 in Pennsylvania ... go through a year without receiving citations, but there are those where we do find violations," said Mary Bender, director of the dog bureau.

Puppy Love, a kennel at the southern end of Lancaster County that sells more than 1,000 puppies a year, was labeled one of the most notorious by the state Attorney General's Office earlier this year. In a lawsuit, the state charged customers bought dogs that died within 48 hours of purchase.

The case was settled in May, when owners Joyce and Raymond Stoltzfus (no relation to Betty Stoltzfus) agreed to pay more than $75,000 in fines and restitution. The money reimbursed 171 customers in seven states for veterinary bills.

Under the settlement, Puppy Love, now known as CC Pets, must have every dog tested and treated by a veterinarian -- a measure that exceeds existing state law for other kennels. (Pennsylvania law requires only that kennels be inspected once a year, and that the dogs be keep "healthy and free of disease," Bender said.)

The worst puppy mills, according to Williams and Humane Society investigators, pen up young females and force them to mate from their first day in heat. They then mate every time they're in heat until they grow too old to produce litters.

That means churning out litters twice a year, maybe for up to seven years, and often with some unhealthy results, said Bob Reder, who conducted undercover puppy mill probes for the Humane Society throughout the 1990s.

"To breed a dog properly requires a medical checkup to see if the animal is healthy enough to give birth to healthy litters. That is never done by these breeders. They breed every dog, so you get sick offspring," said Pamela Shot, a Morris County, N.J., veterinarian and activist.

She cited congenital defects, such as bad hips and poor eyesight, and allergies that develop years later. Temperament problems also occur.

In response to problem breeders, New Jersey and Pennsylvania adopted "Puppy Lemon Laws." The lawsuit against Puppy Love was based on such a law.

The lemon law requires anyone who sells a sick dog to cover costs and veterinary expenses of buyers, according to Nina Austenberg of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of the Humane Society of the United States.

But she said the laws do little to solve health problems that develop a year or more after a purchase, and they do not address the proliferation of unwanted pets caused by puppy mills.

"The point is, we don't need more domestic pets; we don't need people churning out hundreds and thousands of dogs," Austenberg said.

Whether labeled kennels or puppy mills, the driving force behind dog farms is money.

"It's a good income. It's a great income, no doubt about that, and it helps a lot," said John Stoltzfus, Betty's husband, as he leaned inside the doorway of his barn.

He offered no apologies for the reddish boxers that barked and darted around his wire dog-runs. They turn out most of the 100 to 150 puppies he and Betty sell annually, for $600 apiece.

"But this is no puppy mill. You can't call this a puppy mill," John Stoltzfus said. "These dogs have human contact, they are out in the open air, they can run. They aren't penned up all the time in chicken coops, and they have names."

Of course, he added, not every kennel here is run this way.

"Some places ... may have a little going on in a field, something planted. Maybe a few dairy cows. But you go there, and you see those real puppy mills -- dogs in cages stacked up high. Hundreds of them," John Stoltzfus said.

Reder, the Humane Society investigator, called the dogs a "cash crop" for farmers.

"Why work from dawn to dusk plowing 50 acres every day when you can make the same money just by setting up an old trailer on half an acre and raising hundreds of dogs?" he asked.

More Amish breeders are treating it like a volume business and selling entire litters to pet shops or brokers who act as middlemen. For the biggest breeders, Williams and Reder said, a dog's average price can drop to $50-$500, depending on breed and the broker's cut.

John Stoltzfus, who prefers selling directly to the public, wouldn't reveal his overhead costs. But he did say it wasn't much -- just the price of dog food and an occasional veterinarian visit when a dog gets sick.

Most dog farms are tucked away on winding country roads. But the kennels do advertise in newspapers and on the Internet.

Yes, the farmers of Amish country are online -- or at least working with outside partners who advertise their puppy crops on Web sites.

Daniel and Verna Esh, whose daughter greeted visitors at Clearview Kennel last week in Ronks, declined to be interview for this story, but photographs of their puppies grace several Web sites touting "cute Yorkies," "cute bichons," "cute pugs" and "cute Maltese."

Like the Eshes, most farmers didn't want to talk about their dogs, particularly now that protests have forced their operations to be licensed and inspected for health and abuse violations by county, state and federal agencies.

"Folks really don't like to talk about it much because there just doesn't seem to be any point to it. Some of these animal people drive through Lancaster County and call everything they see a puppy mill," said John Stoltzfus.

The pressure for additional reforms continues.

Two weeks ago, during the U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on a bill introduced by two Pennsylvania senators, animal rights advocates told horror stories about breeding operations across the county.

The legislation would add retail dog operations to the licensing and inspection authority of the federal Department of Agriculture, which already regulates wholesale dog sales.

Nancy Perry, vice president of government affairs for the Humane Society in Washington, D.C., said the "legislation has tremendous support on both sides of the aisle." A new draft, which will incorporate modifications recommended by activists and kennel operators during the hearings, is expected to be presented soon to the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The commotion has sent most large kennel operations into their barns, or behind them, and out of sight.

Nathan Myer's farm in Lititz is no exception.

His golden retrievers are tucked into stacks of rabbit hutches and secluded in a two-story cement building at the end of his driveway.

While out of sight, his operations are hardly out of mind.

Just a mile down the winding road, a large lawn sign offers a protest: "No More Puppymills."

It is posted outside an upscale cul-de-sac of stone houses. It is the work of a new local organization called unitedagainstpuppymills.com. It was formed in March by new residents.

To the farmers, it is one more intrusion into a world where dogs are viewed no differently than cows, chickens or any other livestock.

"They (the outsiders) see their animals like people, give them the run of the house and let them jump on the bed at night -- and that's fine," John Stoltzfus said. "I've nothing against that. But out here, we're farmers, and our animals are animals."

Nov. 25, 2005


(Brian T. Murray is a staff writer for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. He can be contacted at bmurray@starledger.com.)

Stop Puppy Mills Facebook Page. And, the Article: Cesar Millan: Help Me Stop Puppy Mills. And, Missouri Back to Loving Puppy Mills

First, like this page to keep up on puppy mill news: http://www.facebook.com/StopPuppyMills?sk=wall

Right away you’ll see an article by Cesar Millan titled “Cesar Millan: Help Me Stop Puppy Mills.” If you do not see the link, go to http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2011/04/21/cesar-millan-care-puppy-mills-help/

Cesar discusses how Missouri is back to loving puppy mills, mostly due to (wow surprise) business looking to kill a recently passed bill. I guess they, like Washington, feel that democracy is over rated. You can read more about that at http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/14/2801542/missouri-bill-limits-lawsuits.html

After Shocking Investigation of Horrors Behind Petland, this Holiday Season, the HSUS and GEARI Remind You to Pick a Dog or Cat From a Shelter

The HSUS and GEARI Remind You to Pick a Dog or Cat From a Shelter and Not from a Pet Store that is Supplied by Breeders and Puppy Mills

Here’s a great page on the horrors of puppy mills. Remember, breeders create puppy mills, which in turn feed the pet stores. According to eh investigation carried out by the HSUS regarding Petland, they are egregious supporters of animal cruelty and puppy mills.

Article:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/

The Humane Society of the United States reveals the results of a shocking investigation revealing that pet store chain Petland Incorporated is the nation's largest retail supporter of puppy mills. Watch our video and then take action.

Pet Stores and Puppy Mills

Came across this article which exposes the truth behind pet stores and their suppliers – puppy mills.

Article:

The Other Side of the Pet Store Window

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – PETA

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/
viewArticle.asp?articleID=18410

December 28, 2006

By Christina Matthies

Every time I see a shopping mall pet store, I wish I could stand in front of it and show the passersby an elderly Chihuahua named Sophia. Sophia is the reason no one should ever buy an animal from a pet store. Like most dogs for sale in stores, she came from a puppy mill.

When I first met Sophia, I didn’t think she would ever get over her intense fear of humans. The first month I had her, she huddled in the corner of my bedroom and shook with convulsions whenever I looked at her, her large eyes bulging with fear.

Sophia was one of a hundred neglected dogs seized by authorities 14 months ago from a puppy mill in North Carolina. Instead of frolicking in a home with loving guardians, Sophia and her fellow inmates were relegated to dilapidated wood and wire outdoor hutches, denied proper nutrition and veterinary care, given algae-coated water and forced to sit in their own waste. Like Sophia, most of the dogs were small breeds: Chihuahuas, Boston terriers, Shih Tzus and others. They were being exploited for the sole purpose of making money for their owner.

Puppy mills are a thinly veiled “secret” in the pet store industry. The little bundles of joy in pet stores come from puppy mill mothers like Sophia, who are forced to bear litter after litter, with dire consequences to their health. Male breeders are stuck in cages, treated like assembly-line objects, and both males and females are thrown away when they can no longer reproduce. The puppies they give birth to are usually sick—infested with parasites and infected with viruses and diseases on top of the genetic problems they’ve inherited from their worn-out parents.

Puppy mill dogs are never touched with a loving hand, fed treats, given soft beds or chew toys or taken for walks. Their basic physical needs are unmet and they are emotionally ignored. And they carry their wounds with them. When People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gained temporary custody of 20 of the North Carolina puppy mill breeding dogs, I agreed to foster six of them. I was totally unprepared.

Most of them were so scared of people that even if gently touched, they would lose control of their bowels. They had infections, parasites and untreated broken legs that had calcified and healed improperly. When I lifted a camera to snap a picture, they scrambled against the wall, their bodies trembling so hard I thought they would collapse. They would do anything to get away from me, which made giving them their medicine for all their ailments next to impossible. It soon became clear that I had a lot of making up to do for the human race.

Now, I’m proud to say, a lot of that fear is gone.

Sarah, a Chihuahua mix who spent the first year or more of her life in a cage, enjoys playing tricks on my son, stealing his socks and toys and running away with them when he isn’t looking. Chandler, one of the youngest of the bunch, no longer cowers in fear but rolls onto his back to have his belly scratched when he’s done playing with his new friends—three large shepherd mixes. Theresa, another little Chihuahua mix, is slowly learning to trust me and recently started touching my legs affectionately when she thinks I’m not looking. And Sophia, the one I thought would never trust humans, sleeps curled up in a queen-sized bed, snoring like a contented freight train as her new foster mom desperately tries to get some sleep.

The best way to help dogs like Sophia is to refuse to buy animals from pet stores. There are millions of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the nation waiting for homes. All of them are special and all have something to offer. If you have the time and resources to share your home with one—or better, two—of them, go to your local animal shelter and adopt. It’s time to put the puppy mills out of business.

Christina Matthies is a proud foster mom and writer for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.HelpingAnimals.com.

Designer Dogs and Puppy Mills Offer Vanity, but What of the Health and Ethical Implications.

I had no idea about Puggles. But, I do know about puppy mills and breeding. Designer dogs and the vain people who seek them are the reason for puppy mills. Over all, given the problem of euthanized dogs and cats in shelters, designer dogs and puppy mills are only wrong.

More information on puppy mills and breeding can be found here:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/

get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/

http://www.stoppuppymills.org/

Popularity at a price

Puggles are hot new dog on block; that's the problem

http://www.azstarnet.com/

By Gerry Doyle

Chicago Tribune

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.24.2006

Puggles, with their floppy ears, a hyperkinetic, curly tail, and a catchy name, are designer dogs that have been surging in popularity.

These offspring of female beagles and male pugs have settled into the homes of celebrity owners as well, including actors Jake Gyllenhaal and James Gandolfini.

"It's crazy," said Robin Segal, owner of Pups4Kids.com in Gurnee, Ill. "If I had another 50 (puggles) sitting here, they'd all be gone today."

Segal's puggles cost $899, a $100 increase over the price a month ago. Carolyn Dick of Paul Webb Kennel in Dalton, Ill., said that the dogs were selling for about $450 in April and that now it's common to see them listed for more than $1,000.

Puggles have been around for about five years, and their popularity has risen steadily, Segal said. She estimated there are thousands in the United States. The American Hybrid Canine Association notes that puggles are the most popular type of dog among the 500 litters a month the group registers.

Why the popularity? Many experts believe crossbred dogs are healthier because they draw from a more varied genetic background than purebreds. Owners are looking for animals that combine the best qualities of two breeds, like pugs' lap-friendliness and beagles' loyalty.

But Lainie Cantrell, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club, warned that the trendiness of a particular breed is a bad reason to choose a pet. Besides, in trying to bring out the best traits in both breeds, you might end up with the worst, she said.

"It's really just a genetic crapshoot," Cantrell said. "The other problem is unscrupulous breeders capitalizing on a trend. They're just trying to pass out puppies to as many people as they possibly can."

If you want a mixed-breed pet, she said, you can go to a shelter and get a healthy dog for a small fee. Buying from a breeder or broker increases the chances that the puppy has been raised in poor conditions.

Jenn Uhen of Chicago saw that firsthand when she bought her puggle Rhody about two years ago for $300. After taking her home, Uhen discovered the dog had parasites and kennel cough, and the seller refused to pay for the veterinarian bills. The dealer was keeping about 15 puppies in her back yard, Uhen said.

If she had to do it all over again, she'd look for a dog at a shelter or a rescue organization, she said.

She said she loves Rhody, who is "a big dog trapped in a little dog's body." When she first started looking for a dog, she wanted a pug but decided on a mixed breed to avoid that breed's breathing problems and other health issues.

"I didn't get Rhody because she was a puggle or a hot dog," Uhen said. "I got her because she was cute and playful and energetic."

Theresa Rogers of Schaumburg, Ill., said her interest in puggles also began when she was looking for pugs. But the hybrid's lack of health problems made the difference, she said. She got her dog, Max, in November 2004 for about $700. By comparison, purebred beagles cost $200 to $300, and pugs can run upward of $500.

The puggle follows in the paw prints of other more-established hybrids such as the cock-a-poo (a cocker spaniel-poodle mix), the golden doodle (golden retriever-poodle) and schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle). The labradoodle, a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, first was developed in Australia about 30 years ago by breeders looking for a hypoallergenic house pet, said Garry Garner, president of the American Canine Hybrid Club.

Animal-rights groups say they have no problem with designer dogs in principle, but they caution against giving a puppy as a gift.

"We don't generally recommend people just go out and buy or adopt a pet for a family member," said Gene Mueller, a licensed veterinarian and president of the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago. "What you're doing is, you're making a decision that's going to impact your life for the next 15 to 20 years."

Paula Fasseas, founder and chairwoman of PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) Chicago, added that puggles' desirability can cut two ways.

"Any time people embrace animals, they realize what wonderful family members they are," Fasseas said. "That's the positive. The negative is when people think of them as accessories and have them on a temporary basis."

It's unclear whether the puggle's popularity will wane over time, Garner said. Interest has spread as far as Europe, where a London Telegraph article led to calls from Britons inquiring about buying a puggle, he said.

"I thought it was a fad," Garner said. "I have thought that for three or four years. But it just seems to keep growing and growing and growing."

Pet Sales at Flea Markets: Why Not a Good Idea? Puppy Mills.

When you buy a dog, cat, bird, etc. from a pet store, you support puppy mills. It’s just as bad when you buy from a flea market. Why should you not buy from a pet store or flea market: puppy mills. To find out more about puppy mills, follow this link: http://www.stoppuppymills.org/

Article:

Animal rescuers: Stop flea market pet sales

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/

The Associated Press

MONCKS CORNER - Berkeley County animal rescuers want to stop the sale and give away of puppies and kittens at the Coastal Carolina Flea Market.

Although the county has an ordinance prohibiting the practice, animal control officer John Nutter said it hasn't been enforced.

Lawyers are still reviewing it, he said.

Flea market owner Dan Davis said the concerns about flea market pets are unfounded.

"I don't believe we are the illegal ogre they make us out to be," Davis said.

But Pearl Sutton, executive director of the Doc Williams Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said pets sold at flea markets often are in poor health and end up discarded at shelters.

Davis says he won't ask vendors to stop selling animals until County Council redrafts its ordinance prohibiting the sale, trading or giving away of animals in commercial parking lots, flea markets, fairs or carnivals.

The dogs and cats given away or sold at the flea market are not regulated by any health standards the way animals sold in pet stores are, Sutton said.

She said it also is a public health hazard because people could get scratched or bitten by unvaccinated animals.

ASPCA Brings Awareness to the Horrors of Pet Stores and Puppy Mills via Campaign “No Pet Store Puppies”

Great group and great campaign. Ever wonder why those in the know tell you not to buy from pet stores? Simply – puppy mills. Learn more about this issue at http://www.nopetstorepuppies.com/

“The campaign raises awareness about puppy mill cruelty and aims to reduce the demand for puppies that come from puppy mills by urging consumers not to buy anything at pet stores or on Web sites that sell puppies.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger Supports Animal Cruelty by Vetoing a Pair of Bills Related to Convicted Animal Abusers and Puppy Mills

Well, Arnold proves again that he has more respect for animal abusers and less for those attempting to stop animal abuse. Both of these bills were pretty light, and he still vetoed them.

“AB 241 — would have limited the number of potential pets to 50 in the hopes of eliminating large-scale breeding operations colloquially known as “puppy mills…”

“The second bill, AB 243, was also vetoed, but would have required judges to prohibit convicted animal abusers from owning pets for a set period of time.”

Article:

Governor Denies Acts

http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=19443

By Evan Sherwood

Published Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Issue 16 / Volume 90

On Sunday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a pair of bills authored by local assemblyman Pedro Nava aimed at strengthening animal rights.

The defeated legislation, authored by Nava, was part of a three-bill animal rights package Nava shepherded through the California legislature this year. While the governor approved a third law increasing the penalty for attending a dogfight, he vetoed similar bills that would have instituted stricter punishment for animal abuses and put a cap on the number of cats or dogs owned for breeding purposes, respectively.

The later bill — AB 241 — would have limited the number of potential pets to 50 in the hopes of eliminating large-scale breeding operations colloquially known as “puppy mills,” an approach Schwarzenegger did not agree with.

“An arbitrary cap on the number of animals any entity can possess … will not end unlawful, inhumane breeding practices,” Schwarzenegger said in a prepared statement. Nava said he disagreed with the governor and that the cap was not arbitrarily decided.

“We used the best advice from California animal control officers and law enforcement in coming up with that figure,” Nava said.

The second bill, AB 243, was also vetoed, but would have required judges to prohibit convicted animal abusers from owning pets for a set period of time.

Nava said he will reintroduce both bills next year.

“These problems don’t go away just because the governor failed to understand them,” Nava said.

Help End Puppy Mills in U.S.: Pass the PUPS Act. AND, Video "Where Do Pet Store Puppies Come From?"

Very easy action.  Just go here:

https://bestfriends.capwiz.com/bestfriends//issues/alert/?alertID=62669601

To see the video Where Do Pet Store Puppies Come From?" that discusses the pet store and puppy mill connection, go to http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/05/where-do-pet-store-puppies-come-from/

From the site:

“Under the current requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, commercial dog breeders who produce puppies for commercial resale through pet stores are required to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, breeders who sell puppies directly to the public — through classified ads, the Internet and other means — are exempt from any federal oversight.

Because the Animal Welfare Act was enacted well before the birth of the Internet, puppy millers who sell online are able to operate virtually under the radar and don’t even have to provide basic, humane standards of care for their dogs. This loophole has resulted in widespread abuse of dogs in breeding facilities.

Many puppies sold online come from puppy mills, where the conditions are often unsanitary, overcrowded and inhumane. Breeding dogs in mills are typically forced to live their entire lives in small cages with no opportunity for exercise, insufficient veterinary care and minimal human interaction. As a result, puppies purchased online often arrive at their new homes unsocialized, sick or dying, and when purchasers are unable to shoulder the financial and emotional burden of caring for them, many of these puppies are surrendered to our overcrowded shelters.”

Toronto Permanently Bans the Sale of Dogs and Cats in Pet Stores: Victory over Puppy Mills and Pet Stores!

Yes, it’s in Canada, but this should lead to change in the US as well.

Pet Stores are the reason for puppy and kitten mills, or, aka, pet overpopulation and mass killing, all started by breeders.

Anyone with a heart and head knows that adoption from a shelter is the only way to ensure you’re not directly funding cruelty.

To learn more about the evils of pet stores and puppy mills, visit: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/

To read more about this story, visit: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/09/toronto-bans-retail-sales-of-cats-and-dogs/

Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) Would Make It a Crime to Engage In Peaceful Protest If Causes Business to Suffer Loss in Profit

This article asks the following question: Could we be the next country to introduce restrictive legislation that prevents animal lover and animal welfare campaigners from protesting?
Not a strange question as this horrible, draconian, blatantly obvious business-focused bill will make us all terrorists. Absolutely ridiculous. Besides pedophiles, it shows you who’s in charge in the government – business.

Here's a little about the bill. And, in the article below, you’ll see a statement by the American Society for the Protection of Animals:

The bill would also make it illegal to expose cruel conditions at facilities such as puppy mills and research labs, if exposure of such conditions even if done lawfully would result in economic damage to the animal enterprise. There is no exemption in the bill to exclude economic damage that results from the disclosure of information about a company's treatment of animals, which is disclosed through public information.

Makes it illegal to protest against or prohibit profitability of any 'animal enterprise'. Effectively making puppy farmers and unprofessional breeders immune from criticism

Here's a good article on what you can do to respond: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/09/28/18315335.php


Article:

Could Protesting Against Puppy Farming Make You A Terrorist?

http://www.k9magazine.com/viewarticle.php?sid=15&aid=1570

A new law recently introduced in America has made it illegal to protest against or prohibit profitability of any 'animal enterprise'. Effectively making puppy farmers and unprofessional breeders immune from criticism. Could we be the next country to introduce restrictive legislation that prevents animal lover and animal welfare campaigners from protesting?

A representative of the American Society For The Protection Of Animals contacted us with this statement.

"The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), is a bill that could make it a crime punishable by imprisonment to cause any business classified as an "animal enterprise" to suffer a loss of profit, even if the company's financial decline is the result of legal activities, such as peaceful protests, consumer boycotts or media campaigns. The term animal enterprise would include manufacturers, distributors and sellers of animals or animal products, research facilities, pet stores, breeders, zoos, rodeos, circuses, and animal shelters.

While the ASPCA strongly opposes acts of violence, including vandalism, property damage and trespass, this bill threatens to criminalize as terrorism otherwise lawful, constitutionally protected acts often utilized by citizens and organizations to effect change.

Lawful and peaceful protests that, for example, urge a consumer boycott of a company that does not use humane procedures, could be the target of this provision if the activity resulted in economic damage to the company.

The bill would also make it illegal to expose cruel conditions at facilities such as puppy mills and research labs, if exposure of such conditions even if done lawfully would result in economic damage to the animal enterprise. There is no exemption in the bill to exclude economic damage that results from the disclosure of information about a company's treatment of animals, which is disclosed through public information.

The AETA has already been passed in the Senate, and a vote in the House is expected very soon.

Steve King Hates Animals & Is Ok with Puppy Mills: CALL NOW TO Tell “Your” Rep. and Senator to REMOVE THE KING AMENDMENT FROM THE FARM BILL!!

 Do now.  Evil King is at it again.  Here’s the text and directions:

URGENT ACTION NEEDED. There is an extremely dangerous amendment in the Farm Bill, one that could repeal animal protection laws like puppy mills and even dog meat. Please call your US Representative and Senator at 202-225-3121, asking to remove the King amendment from the final ‪Farmbill. 

• Please make a brief, polite phone call 202-225-3121 to your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators - action.humanesociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=electedOfficials_federal.   You can say: "As a constituent concerned about preventing cruelty to animals, I would like you to please help to remove the King amendment from the final Farm Bill and oppose this attack on states' rights." 

• Then, follow up via the link below:

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=6215&s_src=fb_072913

Animal rights group targets shop for selling sick pets

Though not local still shows why one should never buy any animal from a "pet" store.

Animal rights group targets local shop for selling sick pets
Protesters say goal is to shut down business
By Charlie Weise
Published: Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Article Tools:Email This ArticlePrint This Article Page 1 of 3Next Page

An Orlando pet store has been targeted by an animal rights group for allegedly selling sick and dying dogs to customers who complained that the animals either died within a few days or were slowly nursed back to health.

The Puppy Store, on the corner of East Colonial Drive and Bumby Avenue, is besieged by Protesters from the Orlando Animal Rights Alliance that claims the store owners sell ailing dogs after purchasing them from puppy mills out west. These mills run kennels that raise dogs in cramped, crude and filthy conditions. The conditions often resemble factories and the animals are treated like machinery.

The store owners, Barbara and Donald Glatz, could not be reached for comment.

"The store obtains puppies with false medical records in order to bring them over state lines," said Sarah Miller, the president and founder of the OARA. "Mothers and their litters often suffer from malnutrition, exposure and a lack of adequate veterinary care. Female dogs are bred twice a year and are usually destroyed when they are no longer able to produce puppies."

An array of OARA members set up shop on the sidewalk in front of the Puppy Store every Saturday with hopes of deterring prospective buyers, Miller said. The throngs are banned from protesting in the parking lot and their cars towed if they park close to the store.

They sport protest signs and pamphlets as they wave and holler at passers-by. Some signs alert drivers of passing cars to honk if they love animals. It's a request that is frequently answered.

The Protesters want any prospective buyer to speak with them before entering the store. Some members hold up signs urging potential buyers to adopt from shelters instead.

"They know we're out here," said protest coordinator Heather Carpenter. She is one of the core members who shows up every week and could be found holding a sign that says, "Ask me where to adopt."

"We refer them to shelters. You can get a puppy there without spending $2,000," she said.

Horse Slaughter by Foreign Companies in the US: How Politics Really Works in the US in General and in Relation to Animal Issues and Proposed Bills.

Even Animal Haters Should be Angry

A great, great article about how politics in Washington is business as usual and ends up circumventing and destroying any animal-friendly measures. Please read the following three paragraphs taken from the writing below. It will give you a good idea of what’s the truth in politics. Particularly disgusting is that lobbyist were actually able to prevent the passing of legislation that would have banned the slaughter of horses in the US. Even more, the companies that slaughter the horses are foreign owned and export the flesh to Europe from the US. So, let’s get this clear – A FOREIGN OWNED ENTITIY HAD MORE SAY THAN THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER. The US is for sale.

Even if you hate animals you should at least be beyond angry that foreign money has more say then the voices of ACTUAL US CITIZENS. Democracy? Yeah, right!

Yet, let’s hope that The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2005 passes.

A few paragraphs before the article below:

“By Pacelle’s own admission, HSUS’s lobbying on ANWR was “pretty tepid” given their greater stake in winning Stevens’s support for PETS. But it illustrates the broad agenda of issues that HSUS lobbies on, everything from puppy mills to cockfighting to horse slaughtering. “We come up against a lot of industries, and every industry has its own corporate lobbyist and a defense mechanism designed to bollix up our reforms,” he says. “Even cockfighters have a hired lobbyist.” It typically takes an average of seven to 10 years to pass a piece of animal-welfare legislation. It’s much easier to kill a piece of reform legislation, and that’s what lobbyists do.”

“A particularly egregious tale of lobbyist influence thwarting the will of the people, and even the Congress, is the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which passed the House and Senate by wide margins and was signed into law by President Bush in November. Because of the circuitous way Congress works, the measure ended up as an amendment attached to an agriculture appropriations bill, which allowed the lobbyist representing the three plants that slaughtered more than 90,000 horses last year to strike a deal with the industry-friendly Department of Agriculture to circumvent the amendment’s intent and continue the horrific practice.”

“Americans don’t eat horse meat; it’s not even used in pet food. We have a romantic attachment to horses and find the prospect of turning them into human food abhorrent. The three plants, all foreign-owned, two of them in Texas, export the horse meat to Europe and Asia, where it is considered a delicacy.”

Protecting Pets

Hurricane Katrina put animal welfare on the political agenda. But the unholy alliance between Congress and lobbyists is hampering legislative reforms.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10948479/site/newsweek/

WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY

By Eleanor Clift

Newsweek

Jan. 20, 2006 - The governmental-affairs unit of the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) operates out of a tidy building by a park, not far from the Capitol. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO, says HSUS is “not a Red Cross for animals,” but he got a lot of face time on television after Hurricane Katrina hit, pleading with government agencies to help rescue the tens of thousands of animals left behind in the evacuation efforts.

Pacelle explains that HSUS focuses on the policy issues that Katrina exposed. Who can forget those reports about the little boy who cried so hard when his dog, Snowball, was wrenched out of his arms that he threw up—or the black lab found guarding the body of a woman who sacrificed her safety because she didn’t want to leave her dog behind. The revulsion and anger generated by these and other images produced a national consensus that animals should be included in any future disaster-relief plan. President Bush, when asked in a year-end interview to name the first thing he would grab if faced with a Katrina-like disaster, replied, “Barney.”

Now it’s up to Pacelle and the 9 million HSUS members he represents to turn that sentiment into legislative reality. It should be easy since one out of every 31 Americans is a card-carrying animal lover, and HSUS has 13,000 to 14,000 members in every congressional district. But the legislative path is never easy, and it’s important to act before memories fade. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2005 has a better chance than most reform measures because of Katrina. “People are recognizing animals are part of our family, that they matter and should be cared for,” says Pacelle, who has worked in animal welfare for 20 years and says he’s been “hard-wired” since he was a toddler to care about animals.

He’s cheered on the afternoon he chatted with NEWSWEEK by the news that Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has agreed to introduce the PETS legislation on the Senate floor. Stevens is a gruff octogenarian whose mission as a senator is to open up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling. He’s not the first person who comes to mind as a pet lover. “That’s what makes him a very good communicator for the legislation,” says Pacelle. “When you have an unlikely suspect, people pay more attention. I only hope he forgives us for lobbying against ANWR.”

By Pacelle’s own admission, HSUS’s lobbying on ANWR was “pretty tepid” given their greater stake in winning Stevens’s support for PETS. But it illustrates the broad agenda of issues that HSUS lobbies on, everything from puppy mills to cockfighting to horse slaughtering. “We come up against a lot of industries, and every industry has its own corporate lobbyist and a defense mechanism designed to bollix up our reforms,” he says. “Even cockfighters have a hired lobbyist.” It typically takes an average of seven to 10 years to pass a piece of animal-welfare legislation. It’s much easier to kill a piece of reform legislation, and that’s what lobbyists do.

A particularly egregious tale of lobbyist influence thwarting the will of the people, and even the Congress, is the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which passed the House and Senate by wide margins and was signed into law by President Bush in November. Because of the circuitous way Congress works, the measure ended up as an amendment attached to an agriculture appropriations bill, which allowed the lobbyist representing the three plants that slaughtered more than 90,000 horses last year to strike a deal with the industry-friendly Department of Agriculture to circumvent the amendment’s intent and continue the horrific practice.

Americans don’t eat horse meat; it’s not even used in pet food. We have a romantic attachment to horses and find the prospect of turning them into human food abhorrent. The three plants, all foreign-owned, two of them in Texas, export the horse meat to Europe and Asia, where it is considered a delicacy. The blatant disregard of Congress’s intent has drawn widespread editorial comment. The Washington Times published Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns’s e-mail and phone number so readers could register their outrage. Florida's St. Petersburg Times observed: “Such abuse of executive authority is common in the Bush administration, and sometimes with consequences beyond the lives of horses.”

What Pacelle finds disturbing is how an industry with no constituents and no community support can get such a friendly hearing in Washington. The culprit is the unholy alliance between lobbyists and politicians, a culture that magnifies the power of corporate lobbyists. They have money, and money buys access. The White House acknowledged this week that indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff attended meetings with presidential aides, underscoring the high-level access money buys. “If serious reforms come out of this, that should make lawmakers warier of corporate lobbyists,” says Pacelli. “And if you diminish the influence of corporate lobbyists, you increase the participation of average citizens who care about animals and want their voices heard.” Lobbyists should rise and fall on the merits of their arguments, but that hasn’t happened in Washington for a long time, maybe never.

Puppy Mill - Shadow Mountain Kennel - in Missouri Poses as Rescue Group: HSUS Calls for Investigation

Wow, another liar using lives to profit. I added some paragraphs in below that summarizes the situation, but you can read the whole story at http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/08/mo-puppy-mill-posing-as-dog-rescue-group/

“The HSUS’ complaint contends that Laymon is violating the state’s consumer protection law, also known as the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, by deceiving the public into believing that the dogs in her operation are rescued from other facilities, when in fact many of the dogs may be coming directly from her puppy mill.”

“The HSUS named Laymon’s breeding facility, Shadow Mountain Kennel, as one of the worst licensed puppy mills in the state in its 2010 and 2011“Missouri’s Dirty Dozen” reports. The kennel received a “dishonorable mention” in both reports based on consumer complaints about sick and dying puppies Laymon allegedly sold over the Internet, as well as USDA and state inspection records citing Laymon for numerous violations of federal and state welfare standards.”

“The violations included excessively matted dogs, inadequate veterinary care, and dirty housing conditions. In 2009, the USDA fined Laymon $7,125 for repeated violations and suspended her license for three years. However, Laymon continues to be licensed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture even though she has been cited by that agency at least 36 times for animal care violations.”

To Attend to Slander and Falsehoods Put Out by Business Paid Lobbyist and PR Groups, HSUS Launches Eye on the Opposition

A great idea. I’m amazed that money interests actually trump truth in the eyes of these sick groups. Well, now they’re being watched, and unlike them, the HSUS will report the truth.

You can find out more at:

http://www.hsus.org/about_us/about_hsus_programs_
and_services/eye_on_the_opposition/


Eye on the Opposition

It's no secret that The Humane Society of the United States doesn't see eye-to-eye with some people and organizations over animal protection. These groups typically have a vested interest in some form of animal use—it could be trophy hunting or cockfighting or greyhound racing—and they instinctively view The HSUS as a threat to the status quo.

To protect their own interests, these animal-use groups routinely resort to smear campaigns and high-powered spin control to confuse the public about their practices. The disinformation can be deafening at times. For these reasons, and others, The HSUS has launched its Eye on the Opposition campaign to keep tabs on those who would do animals harm. We will publish regular columns under this banner with the hope of lifting the fog of disinformation generated by others. We plan to set the record straight and unmask those who abuse animals for profit or leisure.


Article:

Legal Concerns: ALEC Looks to Turn Animal Activists into Domestic Terrorists

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/14/18329693.php

November 20, 2004

By Michael Satchell

The events of September 11, 2001 have re-ordered the lives and values of many Americans. Tough new anti-terrorism measures have been implemented, and freedoms and civil liberties long taken for granted have begun to erode. In the name of homeland security, travel restrictions, personal searches, identity checks, surveillance cameras, and military patrols are now everyday facts of life.

This new climate of heightened security has also provided an opening to target domestic lawbreakers. In their zeal to look tough, conservatives have cited groups like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) to justify pushing state legislation against so-called "animal rights and eco-terrorists"—despite the fact that destruction of property, stealing private property, and threatening violence are already serious offenses.

The punitive new laws—already on the books in Oklahoma and California, and currently proposed in Hawaii, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, and Washington state—not only increase penalties for the aforementioned (or lesser) crimes, but also seek to have a chilling effect on all forms of social and political activism. Some of these broadly written laws could potentially define any non-violent, law-abiding animal or environmental activist as a "domestic terrorist."

What historically has been a legally protected form of dissent and protest could suddenly become an act of domestic terrorism—non-violent animal advocates lumped into the same category with legitimate targets like foreign hijackers and home-grown arsonists. The HSUS and our friends in law-abiding animal-protection and environmental groups are all potential criminals under new state statutes.

"We agree with the criticisms of those who resort to violence in the name of animal protection," says Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The HSUS. "But we don't want to allow political opponents of animal and environmental protection to leverage legitimate societal concerns about terrorism in order to institute indefensible restrictions on non-violent and long-permissible forms of dissent."

It's already too late in some states. Last April, for instance, Oklahoma enacted a new law against trespassing on a farm. Causing a disruption (whatever that means) or damaging property is now punishable by a felony jail term and a $10,000 fine. On January 1, California bumped up penalties for farm trespass from a citation and a $10 fine to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Similar measures came very close to passage in Illinois and Missouri, where the legislatures approved bans on photographing puppy mills. If not for conference committees, which stripped out the bans in the 11th hour, both bills would have become law.

The Man Behind the Curtain

So who or what are behind these new laws? The impetus for them comes from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a tax-exempt Washington-based organization that is financed to the tune of $5 million-plus annually by corporations. ALEC's main function is to bring together state lawmakers (2,400 of them are members, a number that reportedly represents a third of all state lawmakers) and corporate representatives in so-called "task forces" to draft "model" legislation on a raft of right-wing issues. These task forces cover such issues as health care, criminal justice, tax policy, education, economic development, and transportation.

But since 9/11, ALEC has also turned its attention to drafting laws aimed at "animal rights activists and terrorists." ALEC ominously calls its model legislation "the Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act" (AETA). Once drafted, the legislation often finds a receptive audience among ALEC's "legislator members," who may be influenced by perks such as junkets to prime tourist destinations and Broadway theater tickets.

ALEC claims its model eco-terror act is justified because of the escalating violence by ALF, ELF, and similar groups. ALEC cites FBI statistics listing 600 criminal acts since 1996, with damages totaling close to $50 million. "The legislation specifically addresses actions that are designed to intimidate, coerce, invoke fear, or other forms of terror that are committed in the name of environmental or animal rights activism," ALEC argues.

That may be, but the proposed state laws based on the AETA model are written so broadly that such innocuous activities as fundraising, lobbying, photographing abuses, or even picketing and protesting could be treated as criminal acts. Consider this language, imported from ALEC's model legislation, contained in a Senate bill in Washington state:

" 'Animal rights or ecological terrorist organization' means any association…or combination of two or more persons with the primary or incidental purpose of supporting any politically motivated activity through intimidation, coercion, fear, or other means that is intended to obstruct, impede, or deter any person from participating in an activity involving animals, activity involving natural resources, animal facility, research facility…" (Emphasis added.)

Or these prohibitions in last year's House bill in Texas, which forbid: "Entering the facility to take photographs or a video recording with the intent to defame the facility or the facility's owner…" (Emphasis added.)

And "A person commits an offense if the person knowingly provides financial support, resources, or other assistance to an animal rights…organization for the purpose of assisting the organization in carrying out an act …" (Emphasis added.)

Broad and nebulous catch-all phrases like "other means," "obstruct, impede, or deter," "defame the facility or the facility's owner" and "provides financial support, resources or other assistance" would almost certainly violate constitutionally protected political activity and free speech.

Consider what such language could cover: It could cover nonviolent civil disobedience and other forms of activism, including demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, and fundraising. This legal overkill could make criminals out of bunny huggers. "Holding a bake sale to support tree sitters could be a terrorist offense," quips the Sierra Club's Andrew Becker.

The Chilling Effect

Threatening law-abiding activists with felony arrests and branding them with terrorist labels are ways of intimidating them from gathering information, demonstrating peacefully, committing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, and other forms of constitutionally protected political dissent. To ratchet up the pressure, ALEC's animal and eco-terror law also allows plaintiffs to sue for triple damages, and calls for property forfeiture by defendants.

What's more, under the model laws, those found guilty would have their photograph and personal information posted on a statewide "terrorist registry" web site—as if they were convicted child molesters or other sex offenders. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, a hunting advocacy group of middling influence, has jumped on the anti-animal bandwagon and teamed with ALEC to help introduce the eco-terror legislation in several state capitals.

Animal-protection organizations, including The HSUS, have argued that these laws, particularly the measures passed in Oklahoma and California, are just thinly veiled attempts to prevent the investigation and documentation of abuses on factory farms and other commercial animal operations.

"The fact is, animal abuse often occurs on private land," says Pacelle. "There are times when documenting abuse on private lands is necessary for the prosecution of individuals committing acts of cruelty or for the exposure of systemic abuse that policy makers need to address. ALEC's model legislation is designed precisely to thwart those worthy aims."

When The HSUS investigates the myriad cruelties heaped upon animals in hog factories, egg production plants, slaughterhouses, puppy mills, canned hunts, fur farms and other animal enterprises, the activities are designed only to document conditions. "Investigating potential cruelty is a crucial function that we, and others, provide in order to allow an informed debate on how animals are treated in our society," Pacelle notes.

Tilting Right

Today's ALEC has swung far to the right of the organization founded in 1973 by conservative activist Paul Weyrich and a handful of state legislators, who were looking to oppose liberal groups on social issues like abortion and women's rights. In its joint critical analysis of the organization, Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council call ALEC "an insidious…corrosive, secretive and highly influential power in state capitals across the nation."

In the 1980s, ALEC began tapping big business for support, and today some 300 large companies each pay up to $50,000, plus additional fees, each year to help draft favorable laws and influence state legislative agendas. As a tax-exempt matchmaker between legislators and corporate giants in the oil, insurance and airline industry (to name but a few), ALEC purports to be a bipartisan "good government" group operating in the public interest. In fact, its state legislative officers and ALEC's directors are overwhelmingly Republican, and represent the most conservative wing of the party.

What's more, ALEC brags on its web site that more than 100 legislative members "hold senior leadership positions in their state legislatures, while hundreds more hold important committee leadership positions." That's an important point given the nature of state legislatures: They are often made up of underpaid, part-time lawmakers, usually dealing with a confusing blizzard of bills in brief and often-frantic sessions.

ALEC's model bills can find a receptive audience in these chambers, particularly when the bills are pushed by senior leaders or committee chairs who have perhaps enjoyed a few of those previously mentioned perks. This arrangement survives in most states because of weak public-reporting requirements; lawmakers simply may not have to report their largesse.

ALEC's well-financed advocacy is proving to be remarkably effective for corporate America—and threatening to advocacy groups like The HSUS. In the 1999-2000 legislative cycle, the group introduced more than 3,100 pieces of legislation, and more than 450 new laws were enacted.

All this legislative activity under ALEC's banner raises an important point: How does a 501(c)(3) organization like ALEC deal with the lobbying restrictions placed on such non-profits? It's a question we couldn't answer by looking at the organization's Form 990, which it files with the Internal Revenue Service annually. We looked at five years' worth of 990s, from 1998 to 2002, and on every one of those forms, here's what ALEC reports for lobbying expenditures: zero.

"Legislators need to see through the smoke and mirrors of ALEC's efforts," concludes Pacelle. "Our nation's most important reforms—whether civil rights, women's rights, or environmental protections—have come through a blend of sound ideas and sensible and determined political activism. Such efforts need to be protected because our work as a society in halting the abuse of the weak and disempowered is hardly complete."

Journalist Michael Satchell is a former senior consultant for The HSUS.