[ SHOWGSD-L ] Bill Hemby on AKC and AB 1634
- From: "Peggy" <pmick12@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:14:12 -0400
from Bill Hemby -- crossposted with permission
Next week Senator Padilla will stand up and proclaim AB 1634 is no longer
opposed by the AKC. That AKC represents hundreds of thousands of dog
breeders and they now see the wisdom of AB 1634.
If CDOC follows suit (bets anyone?) it is just another nail in the
coffin. Then we spend the next few months legitimizing and apologizing for
the AKC stand. Its like the PG&E. you may not like 'em but you gotta have
'em.
In the end,if AB 1634 becomes law, it will be California dog breeders
and cat breeders and our pet owners who will feel the sting of this
misguided legislation. It is we who will have to fork over hundreds of
thousands of dollars to file court suits. We will also continue to go to
dog shows, continue to do our dog days, and good citizenship days, because
in the final analysis, AKC is the only game in town.
I am not giving up. I still feel we can beat AB 1634. But, I fear if
AKC has thrown in the towel, it will be the excuse for hundreds of us to do
so too.
I was in a Senator's office today and mentioned I was with PetPAC and we
still oppose AB 1634. I was told, "everyone is opposed to that bill."
Just remember we need at least 6 democratic senators to vote No. If AB
1634 passes the Senate, it must go back to the Assembly for them to concur
in the Senate amendments--that is a full Assembly vote!, If it passes there,
it goes to the governor. Remember: Every Republican in the Assembly and in
the Senate opposes AB 1634. The governor's own Department of Finance opposes
AB 1634. So, stay in there.
Bill Hemby
My letter - -
Dear AKC Rep & DDTCA President:
In California we have been fighting AB 1634 for 1? years. This
legislation has morphed many times but in every iteration its terms and
conditions have provided powerful tools for Animal Rights activists to
assault the rights of legitimate dog and cat owners. It's most recent
version, until yesterday (August 13, 2008), was an absolute Mandatory
Spay/Neuter bill making it illegal to own an intact dog or cat in
California, no exceptions.
Yesterday, the proposal was again completely re-written. It now uses
mandatory microchipping and mandatory spay/neuter of dogs and cats as a form
of punishment for violation of any animal control law, no matter whether the
nature of the offense bears any relationship to the offending animal's
reproductive status. It is not the worst version of the legislation we have
seen through this process, but it still gives the AR folks a "nose under the
tent" to attack animal owners who have legitimate reasons for maintaining an
intact animal. And, more importantly, it reinforces the misconception in
the mind of legislators and the general public that any animal problem can
be solved simply by sterilizing all dogs and cats. That is a scary and ugly
precedent.
Through the course of the last month, AKC has taken an official position
of opposition to the proposed legislation. However, informally, various AKC
staff members have spent a lot of time trying to convince fanciers that the
bill "really isn't so bad" and you have "nothing to worry about." One of
our opposers personally spent a long time explaining the facts of California
animal control administration to one AKC lawyer who finally (I hope)
understood that the bill as then drafted was a terrible risk for dog
fanciers and could mean the end of dog shows in California.
We have been fighting AB 1634 with letters, telephone calls and meetings
with legislators and with lobbying efforts undertaken by various
organizations who represent our interests. Generally, the opposition has
been unified in the concept that the worst thing we could do was to try to
negotiate an "acceptable compromise" with the proponents of the legislation.
Our rights as animal owners are well established in law and anything we give
up to the AR crowd is a loss for us and a big win for them. To our horror,
for the past 3 days there have been rumors that AKC has been privately
negotiating a revised bill with the author, Lloyd Levine.
Today, in an official statement posted on its web site, AKC has changed
its position on the bill to "neutral" and has confirmed that it has been
secretly negotiating with the bill's authors. This announcement was
literally made during the same hour that the bill was expected to come up
for vote by the full California Senate. The proponents have been telling
the Senators and their staff for the past 48 hours that "AKC now supports AB
1634." We have heard from a number of Senators that they feel they can now
vote for the bill because of "AKC's support."
AKC could not have announced their "neutral" position at a worse time.
If they simply waited a few days and remained silent on the bill, we had a
chance of retaining some of our opposition Senators. Instead, AKC has
created the impression that it is both a supporter and now a co-author of AB
1634.
If we lose this vote much of the blame can be laid directly at the feet
of AKC for this last minute change of position. I hope you can contact AKC
immediately and plead our case with the AKC Board and get them to rescind
their statement made earlier today and instead to again firmly oppose AB
1634. They have made a terrible mistake that could be fatal to all dog and
cat owners in California, but especially to the fanciers who are AKC's own
constituency. They cannot wait to act - AB 1634 is again scheduled for a
full Senate vote on Monday, August 18, 2008.
Please - let's get this bill placed where it belongs - the TRASH CAN!!!
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