[ SHOWGSD-L ] (more on Paws)
- From: Peggy <pmick@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: showgsd-l <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 16:04:50 -0400
This is a long post made to Pet-Law by Walt Hutchens who is the
owner/moderator of the Yahoo Pet-Law group. I thought it worthwhile to
read if nothing else for some insight into why many people are afraid of
and unhappy with PAWS. As an aside, one of the reasons why I thought
there should be some additional legislation but not PAWS as it is
written has now been nullified ... mass imports uncontrolled... some
European breeders are now skipping the middleman and exporting directly
to the public!
Peggy
Mr.. Hutchens has given blanket permission to crosspost his posts so...
>
> PAWS is indeed "a Trojan horse for extremists who equate domestication
> with slavery." While most animal rights leadership doesn't actually
> want the problem solved (no more big salaries if that were to happen!)
> they are determined to keep shrinking the boundaries of acceptable
> breeding practices until quality pets are gone and the many problems
> can all be blamed on 'irresponsible' owners who need ever tighter and
> more punitive regulation.
>
> As you know, careful breeding is a huge amount of work. Hobby breeders
> hope to break even on out-of-pocket costs for a litter but we donate
> our time. Why? You probably know that too: Sport, we enjoy the
> puppies, a belief that creating great dogs and selling them to
> wonderful homes is worthwhile ... you might even say "For fun." The
> goal of PAWS is to remove all chance of having fun breeding dogs and cats.
>
> I'll send you some posts from people who have direct experience with
> USDA licensing.
>
> The AKC is another story. As a result of bad policy decisions they've
> been struggling to make ends meet for several years and have recently
> been falling over themselves to build up non breeding-related revenues
> such as the AKC credit card, website advertising and now an on line
> AKC dog supply catalog. PAWS represents a decision that hobby breeding is
> no longer worth fighting for and that the AKC's future lies with farm
> bred (commercial) dogs.
>
> This wasn't however a nice tidy business decision. It seems to have
> been made by a management group of perhaps only two or three people
> and there's no indication that it was voted on by the Board of
> Directors prior to announcement. Such is the state of board governance
> that when they were asked at a specially called meeting on June 12th
> to approve, they
> did so (8:4 with one opponent absent), without reported discussion of
> how or why the AKC had taken a public position of support some three
> weeks earlier.
My impression is that the AKC board has been afraid to say 'Boo' to
managment for at least several years. It's just a hobby shop, there at
260 Madison Avenue.
Needless to say, there's considerable unhappiness in the ranks of
members. Clubs representing over half of the dogs registered by the AKC
have adopted formal positions of opposition and others have not yet made
their decisions. No breed club has yet come out in support of PAWS.
As to the effect of the legislation, it will do essentially nothing
favorable. The 'Animal Welfare Act' enforced by the USDA is intended to
keep legitimate businesses from cutting too many corners. The threat of
a shutdown order strikes fear in the hearts of businessmen who have
payrolls to meet, bank loans to repay, and delivery contracts to
fulfill. However, the USDA has neither funds nor facilities to handle
the abusive 'puppy mill' operator who breeds in filth, gives no vet
care, and so on, other than to order him to shut down or comply with the
law and become licensed by a given date. So, the mill owner shuts down,
moves over three counties and starts up a new company. Back to square one.
The local sheriff enforces state and county laws that give fines and
jail time to any animal owner who doesn't provide adequate care. That's
the right approach and we see the headlines regularly; when it doesn't
happen it's because the sheriff doesn't feel that holding perhaps 200
dogs in poor condition as evidence for a few months pending a trial is
not a good use of county funds that are already stretched thin. PAWS
will do nothing to change that.
Unless the language of the law is ambiguous enough to result in a
lawsuit, the goals of the sponsoring Congressman are irrelevant. The
PAWS amendment to the AWA clearly includes animal rescuers and cat
breeders in those who become 'dealers' subject to licensing if they
exceed the 25 animals sold/six litters sold threshold. Also included
(but under a limit of $500 sales without licensing) are breeders of
mice, rats, and birds if they're sold as pets and any other warm-blooded
animal considered to be a pet. A single bird can sell for $500 in some
species; where do you think pet birds will come from if PAWS passes?
Various species could be amended out if Congress were inclined; I don't
believe there's a way to fix the problem for animal rescuers of a
covered species because they're distinguishable only by what's in their
hearts
There's always a lot of talk from animal rightists about how this and
that apparent bad result of such a law isn't intended and wouldn't be a
real problem. However looking at many different laws that HSUS and their
friends promote, regardless of widely varying stated goals the "that
isn't what we mean -- it won't happen" side effects are pretty much the
same. Laws that regulate breeding are ineffective against the claimed
problems (which are often wildly exaggerated) but make it harder and
less fun for the people who do it best. Those directed at pet ownership
are the same.
("Wildly exaggerated'? I suggest asking lobbyists for the various PAWS
proponents to document their claims that abusive breeding and
importation for retail sale are large and growing problems. Contrast the
numbers they're able to give you with the fact that the U.S. dog market
absorbs about 20,000 per *day*. Also ask for documentation on abuses
connected with breeding for retail sale of cats and pet birds. Also ask
the AKC's lobbyist why, if the Internet has led to so many abuses, the
AKC allows advertising litters of puppies on its web site.)
In fact, the stated reasons are for promotional purposes only; the real
reason for PAWS is those 'side effects.'
HSUS has told us as much: they're on record as believing that all
breeding of pets should be regulated and I've heard that they tell their
own folks that they intend to phase out home breeding within ten years.
They've recently said that PAWS is a first step; what do you think steps
two and three will look like? The ever positive Dr. Holt admitted in a
discussion this past weekend that he expected the threshold numbers to
be lowered in future years.
To understand the real significance of PAWS you have to look into the
future. A torrent of state and local laws that will follow will cause
loss of most small breeders which will in turn cause many gene pools to
collapse leading to extinction in this country. Most of us will be
limited to the popular breeds of dogs (and mixed breeds) available from
just-for-the-money 'moonshine' breeders who, since they operate
illegally, will be completely uninspected. So much for solving the
problem of 'puppy mills.'
Better quality dogs will be available from pet shops -- if you have the
money. An increasing fraction of them will be imported from places with
no animal welfare laws whatever. And so much for solving the problem of
abusive importing.
Of course, the worse things get, the more laws will be needed.
I believe the decision as to whether ordinary people will be able to
have good pets in the future will be cast in concrete within five years.
A tiny number of fanatics who don't so much love animals as they hate
humans are that close to passing laws that would put us on a one way
street to(almost) no pets . There isn't one American in a thousand who
supports this agenda. We're going to need all the media help we can get
if we are to wake that majority up in time. Thank you again.
Walt Hutchens
Timbreblue Whippets
>
> <http://www.ShowBoxer-L.com>
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org
============================================================================
Other related posts:
