[ SHOWGSD-L ] USA Today article - PAWS
- From: RihadinK9@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 21:40:51 EST
From the CFA Legislative Group
Appropriate forwarding is appreciated.
Fanciers;
In the Weekend Edition of "USA Today" Newspaper, December 4, 2005, there
was an article about the PAWS bill - below. It is the first article that has
expressed some opposition in a public forum. The Gannett News Service (owns
USA Today) noticed the Pet Animal Welfare Statute (PAWS) opposition ads in
Roll Call publication on November 8th. The PAWS bill is difficult for the
media to understand, and the supporters continue to mislead the public/media
and legislators as to what the legislation would do - this article suggests
that PAWS provisions will rectify genetic disorders of dogs. The Animal
Welfare Act has to do with the environment of animals in commercial
facilities
and it assures minimum standards of care - the PAWS bill does not include
husbandry matters, genetic soundness or behavioral issues.
I was interviewed on behalf of CFA but I did not say "there are no kitty
mills". I did say that there are very few large commercial breeders selling
cats either to the pet trade or directly to the public. I said that the
threshold established in the PAWS was arbitrary and based on what the dog
fancy
considered to be a "large volume" breeder and that it had no relevance in
the cat
fancy. Cat breeders who raise 7 litters/year and/or sell 26 kittens may
only own 4 or five breeding female cats since cats sometimes produce more
than
one litter per year depending on their heat cycles and what is determined
to be best for their health.
The side bar, "Tips for Buying Pets Online", includes some good
information.
I stated to the reporter that the Internet actually helps to educate
potential pet buyers as well as those who adopt from shelters or breed
rescue groups. Be aware of what we do offer to the public if you have the
opportunity to talk with your Congressional members or their aides. The CFA
website has excellent guidance on selecting and buying a kitten - see the Cat
Breeder Referral Service (CBRS) Welcome Page. (Breeder Referral left side
button on the home page).
_http://cfa.org/cbrs.html_ (http://cfa.org/cbrs.html)
The Gannett News Service provides articles for many newspapers all over the
country. Let me know if this story is run in your local paper. Please be
ready for editorial responses and let us know of further media interest in
the PAWS bill or in the topic of Internet selling of cats.
In between Christmas cards remember to send a short letter to your Senators
and Representative asking them to NOT cosponsor PAWS or to withdraw their
name if they are on the cosponsor list. Instructions are on the CFA Website
- PAWS Alert link. A call or visit to your congressional members' local
offices over the holidays would help also.
Joan Miller
CFA Legislative Coordinator
_JMillerArt@xxxxxxx (mailto:JMillerArt@xxxxxx)
**************************
<<
Bill aims to regulate online pet sales
By Bill Thoebald, Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON â?? Thousands upon thousands of the cutest little puppies and
kittens are just a mouse click away on the Internet.
Daniel Morris and his girlfriend, Tracy Lum, play with their pet bulldogs,
China, left, and Bam Bam in their Martinez, Calif., home. (photo)By Kim
Kulish, GNS
But sometimes what people see on their computer screen is not what ends up
in their arms when the shipping crate arrives. Severely sick animals leave
their new owners with awful choices: return the pet and possibly have it
euthanized or pay thousands of dollars in veterinary bills.
Animal welfare groups say some large breeders, dubbed puppy mills, are
exploiting animals and pet owners by using a loophole in federal law to avoid
licensing and inspections by selling directly to the public. Now only breeders
who sell at wholesale are subject to federal regulation.
An unusual menagerie of animal welfare groups, including the Humane Society
of the United States, and breed groups such as the American Kennel Club has
united in support of legislation intended to plug the loophole.
Opponents â?? including many smaller breed groups, hunting dog enthusiasts
and cat fanciers â?? say the problem the legislation is designed to remedy has
been overblown. And the legislation is so poorly crafted, they argue, that it
would virtually shut down small hobby breeders and animal rescue operations.
An estimated 150,000 dogs are purchased through the Internet each year,
according to a survey released this spring by the American Pet Products
Manufacturers Association. No estimates are available for the total number of
dogs
purchased or adopted each year, but the survey found nearly 74 million dogs
are kept as pets.
Daniel Morris, 30, of Martinez, Calif., fell in love with a bulldog puppy
from a Missouri breeder while searching on puppyfind.com. He wanted a
companion for China, a healthy bulldog he'd purchased for $1,800 over the
Internet
in 2003.
A few months after Bam Bam arrived this spring, Morris noticed that the
dog's hips were popping out of joint. His veterinarian diagnosed hip dysplasia
and blamed it on poor genetics, Morris said. Bam Bam, who cost $1,500, has had
one $6,000 surgery and may need more.
Morris filed complaints against the breeder, Jessica Rutherford of Bruner,
Mo. Her husband, Geoff, said his wife sells about 35 to 40 dogs a year. They
have never had any other complaints, he said.
Geoff Rutherford said they offered to exchange Bam Bam for another dog but
heard nothing. "There is no way I could do that," Morris said. "We already
had bonded with the dog."
The legislation, called the Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005, would
require anyone who sells more than 25 dogs or cats in a year to be licensed
whether they sell directly to the public or to a wholesaler.
The bill also would require dealers and pet stores to keep records of dog
and cat sales and would give the U.S. Department of Agriculture greater
enforcement authority.
The law is needed, proponents argue, because of horror stories like the
scene authorities found this year at a Maine kennel that was selling puppies
over the Internet. Police, who seized 119 dogs, said they found 2 inches of
standing dog urine in some places in the home and thick feces covering the
floor.
A dog was found eating a dead puppy.
Many breeders are reputable, Norma Worley, director of Maine's animal
welfare program, testified at a hearing last month on the PAWS legislation.
"Unfortunately for every one of those lawful and ethical kennel owners, there
are
as many, if not more, who see the animals simply as a commodity and a way to
make a quick buck," Worley said.
Conservative Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is the sponsor of the PAWS bill. A
companion bill has been introduced in the House. Santorum's bill has
attracted a who's who of co-sponsors in the Senate, including Democrats
Hillary
Rodham Clinton of New York and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Republicans
Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania also have
signed on.
Santorum's spokesman, Robert Traynham, said the senator would probably try
to move the legislation through the Senate Agriculture Committee next year.
One of the legislation's leading opponents, Bob Kane, founder of the
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance, said the bill would subject
all
hunting-dog sellers and small rescue operations to federal licensing. The Cat
Fanciers' Association also opposes the bill because the breeding limits were
set based on dogs and not cats, and there are no kitty mills, said Joan
Miller, chairwoman of the association's legislative committee.
Kane pointed out that although the number of Internet dog sales is large,
it amounts to less than 0.5% of all dog acquisitions and that the large
seizures of poorly treated dogs are anecdotes, not proof of a problem.
"There is no documented evidence that there is a problem here," Kane said.
"People want to extend the reach of the federal government into people's
personal lives."
>>
(Sidebar)
<<
TIPS FOR BUYING PETS ONLINE
Humane organizations say buyers should visit the breeder in person.
Obtain the names of and call people who have bought dogs from the breeder.
Check for complaints with the Better Business Bureau in the area where the
breeder is located.
Use one of the online escrow services to withhold some of the fee until the
dog arrives and can be checked by a veterinarian.
Study the contract, health guarantees and return policies posted on the
breeder's Web site.
Obtain copies of the dog's veterinary records.>>
Ginger Cleary, Rome, GA
a rumor flies around the world while the truth is still putting it's shoes
on..
_http://www.rihadin.com_ (http://www.rihadin.com/)
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