[ SHOWGSD-L ] PAWS INFO: Comments from Holt and AKC
- From: RihadinK9@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 15:29:25 EST
From Charlotte McGowan
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 2:55 PM
Subject: Re: PAWS update. Notes from Jim Holt's talk in NH last night
Feel free to cross post.
This is a really interesting message as I was in NH last night (Feb.9)
where
Mr. Holt spoke at the invitation of the Merrimack Valley Kennel Club. Mr.
Holt stated that he had spoken with Sen. Santorum's aide yesterday morning
and
that a revised draft would be out in a day or two and then he backed up
later
in the evening and said 7-10 days. That does not compute with this release
dated the previous day. He did not mention that there had been a
briefing
of sponsors or that it had been given to USDA to review. We did ask if USDA
had been consulted for their viewpoint and he skirted around the question
and
never gave a direct answer. We also asked him if home based breeders who
might
be regulated would also be subject to the Freedom of Information Act
through AKC (which would make their names and addresses available to
HSUS, PETA,
DDAL etc.) He ducked that question a couple of times. Then he stated that
AKC breeders who are inspected by AKC would be exempted altogether and so
not subject to PAWS. Then when asked the question of whether current USDA
inspected breeders who breed AKC dogs would also be exempted he said no (?)
So you
get a lot of stories, we certainly did last night, and no clear picture of
any "unintended consequences." He did say DDAL was opposed to AKC being
exempted and he said they were also opposed to this bill. When asked if
he
thought they would sue he said they may well do that. He was also asked if
AKC's
performance standards on their inspections will have to be adjusted to be
USDA
engineering standards (crate size etc.) and he said that is a risk in all
of
this. USDA would have to write regulations for this and there is the risk
that any approved 3rd party inspector is going to have to be using whatever
standards USDA comes up with and we don't know what they may be. Then he
went on
to say he thought USDA would like to move away from engineering standrads
to performance standards. He also made a big point of saying he did not
work
for AKC but that he was a paid lobbyist working for a lobbying firm. He
also
numerous times stated that this bill was authored by Sens. Santorum and
Durbin. He used Sen. Durbin's name quite a lot of times which is also
interesting. I guess it is because Sen. Santorum is in a tight race and
might not even
be in the Senate next term. He wanted to make clear to us that even
without
Santorum this would be pushed on. He said he thought it had a good chance
of
passing this term by being attached to another piece of legislation and if
it
went to the next term and Sen. Santorum was gone, Sen. Durbin would push
it.
Someone in the audience brought up that Santorum had taken HSUS money. Mr.
Holt told us Sen. Santorum's last Aide, a Miss Hershey, an ardent animal
rights campaigner, was referred to as the 3rd Senator from Pennsylvannia
during
the time of the PPA.
Mr. Holt also went over various historical points including that AKC
used to be the name in town for Purebred dogs and now it is just one of 23
regsitries and that AKC doesn't attract the same kind of respect it did in
the
past.
He said not for profit rescues and shelters would be exempt if they
didn't import more than 25 dogs meaning if they brought in more than 25
they
would be dealers.. Then I also asked about shelters and rescues and
mentioned
that the Save-A-Sato group admitted to 8,000 stray and feral street dogs
being shipping to Massachusetts shelters and then he went back and said
not for
profit groups would all be exempt including operations like Save-A-Sato. So
it is not clear what the shelter-rescue situation is going to be or if
purebred rescues will be exempt if they place more than 25. Oh, and he did
say that
PAWS would not effect Mr. Hunte or his operation.
On the timeline of PAWS, I pointedly asked about that and he said the
numbers 25/6 were not added until last April just before the bill was
announced. Prior to that it was just the business of pet store source
records and
enforcement provisions. He called the HSUS and DDAL "strange bedfellows."
Isn't that funny when they have been so busy making nice with AKC.
And I will add here that HSUS, dear friend that Wayne Pacelle is, has
sent out alerts on the Vermont Cropping bill. They also showed bloody ear
cropping films to legislators. The HSUS lobbyist in Vermont was asked by
someone
if the cropping bill would include tail docking and she was quoted as
saying
that will come later.
Charlotte
Ginger Cleary, Rome, GA
"You should not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will
convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do
and
the harm it would cause if improperly administered." Lyndon Johnson, 36th
President of the U.S.
http://www.rihadin.com
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