You might be a "puppy mill" if...you own more animals than someone else thinks you should.
You might be a "puppy mill" if...you don't adhere to the same standards of care that someone else thinks you should.
And...hold on to your hats, folks, because this next one is new to me!
You might be a "puppy mill" if...you happen to own Jack Russell Terriers AND drive a truck with a camper shell and said animals are VISIBLE in their crates to law enforcement, who just happen to be driving behind you while traveling through the Birmingham, Alabama area.
Let the Criminalization of Transporting Dogs Begin...
Over the weekend a story began circulating on dog related email lists regarding a lady and her daughter on their way to a Jack Russell Terrier Trial in Germantown, Tennessee. While traveling through Jefferson County, Alabama, the exhibitor was stopped by local law enforcement.
According to the dog owner, the policeman asked her if she knew why she was stopped and she told them, "No I don't". He said, "I stopped you because I saw you had dogs in your truck".
In an email sent by Lt. Randy Christian, Office of Sheriff, Jefferson County, Alabama, "She was stopped driving a Truck with a Camper Shell. Multiple dogs were visible in rear camper window. This Captain is familiar with people who run "puppy mills" and these were all the same breed and were puppies. The 3 visible in the back window were visible panting."
So, here we have it spelled out for us in black and white: in Jefferson County, Alabama, if you are driving a truck with a camper shell AND have dogs visible in the back (which were in crates by the way), that is now probable cause for law enforcement to stop you?
In case some of you need it spelled out, Jefferson County law enforcement has CRIMINALIZED the mere possession of having dogs and puppies in YOUR vehicle. And unless I missed the memo, there is NO legal definition--in any law, in any state--of "puppy mill".
There are many, many more obervations about this entire incident, but I will save those for another day.
Victimizing the Victim by Those That SHOULD Know Better...
I guess being in the trenches fighting the animal rights nazis can make you crazy after awhile because that is what seems to have happened to many people whom I NEVER dreamed would victimize this lady.
Accusations of "it's a hoax", "you're a liar"....I would expect that reaction from the bunny huggers and the animal rights diehards, but not from the very people who are accutely aware of this exact type of harrassment taking place all over the country!
The bottom line is this...what happened to this dog owner is proof positive that the falsely named "Humane Society of the United States" has taken their hatred of dog breeders--and therefore the arbitrary term "puppy mill"--to now criminalize the act of having dogs and puppies in your vehicle too?. We read about breeders being raided and harrassed at their homes on a weekly basis it seems like; people being criminalized for breeding animals, for crying out loud! Or for having too many animals!
I can't reiterate this point enough: this woman was stopped FOR HAVING DOGS IN HER VEHICLE. Period. End of story. Panting dogs my ass. Just how close was this officer driving behind her anyways? The dogs were in crates, how in the hell could anyone **know** from driving behind the vehicle exactly whether or not ALL the dogs were the same breed--much less if they are puppies or young adults.
Furthermore, it may come as a total shock to some of you, but there are dog events in this country that do not REQUIRE YOU to pre-enter. How many of you fellow exhibitors take your entry confirmation WITH YOU to the dog show?
Oh, and for all the AKC dog show snobs that say that folks that choose to participate in UKC, AHBA, or in any other venue (other than AKC) are "puppy mill" people, or "responsible breeders don't participate in those lesser registries events.." GET OVER YOURSELVES and please don't offer to help in the fight for animal ownership rights...we have enough enemies as it is from the AR side.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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The JRTCA is the oldest registry of Jack Russell Terriers in the USA ( for those of you that stated that any registry except AKC are usually covers for puppymill abused dogs). It is an affiliate of the JRT Club of Great Britain. We are a working breed club. The focus for our dogs is that they have the ability to do the job for which they were originally bred. It drives our standard which is unchanging. It is not lip service only to functionality by the uninformed.
ReplyDeleteNone of our dogs can be registered till one year of age when they must receive a vet check to make sure there are no obvious genetic defects. The vet must sign a paper listing points of observation about the animal. This is submitted along with a stud certificate from the owner of the dog and a 5 generation pedigree. Just being born to registered parents doesn't allow a puppy to be registered. It provides at a minimum that our breeding stock is free of obvious genetic defects. Even then they can be rejected for registration if they are too far from the standard.
We have a Breeder's Code of Ethics to which we adhere. It applies to all members of the club whether they have a kennel prefix or not. Those that break the code can lose their membership.
We have post entries to trials available for an increased fee. I sometimes opt for that for a variety of reasons.
The JRTCA is the oldest registry of Jack Russell Terriers in the USA ( for those of you that stated that any registry except AKC are usually covers for puppymill abused dogs). It is an affiliate of the JRT Club of Great Britain. We are a working breed club. The focus for our dogs is that they have the ability to do the job for which they were originally bred. It drives our standard which is unchanging. It is not lip service only to functionality by the uninformed.
ReplyDeleteNone of our dogs can be registered till one year of age when they must receive a vet check to make sure there are no obvious genetic defects. The vet must sign a paper listing points of observation about the animal. This is submitted along with a stud certificate from the owner of the dog and a 5 generation pedigree. Just being born to registered parents doesn't allow a puppy to be registered. It provides at a minimum that our breeding stock is free of obvious genetic defects. Even then they can be rejected for registration if they are too far from the standard.
We have a Breeder's Code of Ethics to which we adhere. It applies to all members of the club whether they have a kennel prefix or not. Those that break the code can lose their membership.
We have post entries to trials available for an increased fee. I sometimes opt for that for a variety of reasons.
Finally! Someone nailed the real problem with this entire scenario...the driver was not stopped for a traffic violation but because she had dogs in the truck that were visable. She immediately became a 'puppy mill' to these cops.
ReplyDeleteI will no longer have dog stickers on the van this to could be a reason for the cops to stop me. As soon as possible, I will be tinting windows so no one can see in and violate my right to transport my property in a manner that I see fit.
I guess I am now a criminal not only because I breed dogs but because I dare to transport my own privately owned dogs/property in my own privately owned vehicle.
Thank you for pointing out the most important fact of this entire ordeal that this poor owner had to endure just because she happened to drive through the wrong town with her dogs.
This incident reminds me of the American Rabbit Breeders Association National Convention in Louisville KY a few years back. Louisville had just passed an anti-breeder ordninance which covered rabbits. Exhibitors going to the show were advised to cover windows of vans or camper shells for just such reasons as listed above. (At least rabbits don't bark and tip off the police they are there). Many of us elected to boycott a show held in a animal owner unfriendly city.
ReplyDeleteAs an animal cruelty investigator, let me tell you this. If we get a complainant from an annoymous source, we investigate. If there are criminal charges we charge. if not we thank the people for their time and understanding.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain things we have to abide by. just little things like civil rights. Search and seizure, you know the 4th amendment.
I was not there so I can not pass judgement one way or the other. However I have dealt with dog show poeple and they can be less than cordial. In fact they can be down right rude and obnoxious.
"Accusations of..." When it hits close to home, many have an initial reaction of utter denial, it's the human "flight" reaction, scared S***less. Nonetheless, it's painful, really hurtful, to be on the receiving end of that disbelief when it's coming from people you thought would be supportive, who should know you to be the truthful type. Hopefully, they'll get back to "fight" mode and apologize and then FIGHT some more.
ReplyDeleteCheck Snopes sometimes for why people are skeptical. The first version of this I saw had all the hallmarks of a classic urban legend -- friend of a friend plus a few email forwards, no real names, no links, no proof whatsoever. Here, thank you for providing the officer's name, the location, and other useful information that was not in the forwards. For every true story of something we genuinely need to watch out for, there are seventeen big fat whoppers that scare people or make them profoundly dubious. In general, if someone is making a claim that should provoke outrage, due to it being against all norms of society and the constitution, the burden of proof is on the person making the claim.
ReplyDeleteThat kind of harassment and search is a punishment in and of itself and the police officer intends for it to be. "Puppy mill" isn't a legitimate concern, it's a way to excuse amusing and enriching themselves at a citizen's expense.
ReplyDelete