Sleeping With The Enemy in Tennessee

The HSUS Kool-Aid has made its way to Tennessee,  as evidenced by the state's ANTI breeder bill that is being supported by several of the AKC all breed dog clubs. ("We just HAVE TO get rid of those terrible "puppy mill" people"...yeah, whatever that means...)

Called the "Commercial Breeder Act", SB258/HB386  seeks to label breeders who "possesses or maintains at least 20 female dogs in order to sell their offspring as companion animals" as commercial breeders.  Once again, a "magic number" is being introduced....a number that can easily be LOWERED at the whim of the HSUS and lawmakers.   What's worse, the bill calls for WARRANTLESS inspections, guidelines for breeders to follow that aren't described in this bill.....AND .....before a license is issued it must be determined that the applicant is of "GOOD MORAL CHARACTER"....

Does any of this sound VAGUELY familiar to anyone???   Does this sound like the other dozens of ANTI breeder bills being pushed around the country??? 

How many "hobby breeders" co-own bitches with other people as well as "possess" bitches at their homes?   Under this bill, the burden of proving you are NOT intending to sell those bitches' offspring falls on your head...and, just how exactly, would a person do that?  The short answer is:  YOU CAN'T.  Think about it.  It's not hard to reach the magical "20" number. ( "But, Mr Animal Control Officer, those 3 bitch puppies over there....I'm holding onto them to see if they will be show quality or not.....and, well, I don't actually own those over there 'cuz they are just here for me to show and train...")


So, what if someone has, say 19...or 18...Guess that pesky detail will have to be changed next year, huh?  When are people going to wake up?  Obviously not soon enough, since the House version of this Anti breeder bill passed yesterday.  The Senate is expected to vote soon.  Rather than stand up and CONFRONT the bully that is the HSUS head-on, the dog fancy has chosen to "protect itself" and throw somebody else under the bus. 

Act now:  Write, call, fax the senators in Tennessee and tell them to OPPOSE SB258....Tennessee already has cruelty/neglect laws on the books, and Commercial Breeders are already licensed and regulated under the USDA.  Placing the "burden of proof" on the accused as this bill is written is unconstitutional as it deprives the breeder of due process under law.

Who, I wonder, will be left to stand up when the HSUS comes for you.....and your breeding program....hmm...

The Gospel According to HSUS

Unless you've been living under a rock this year, it's impossible to avoid the onslaught of "ANTI-dog breeder" bills that have been introduced in no less than two dozen states pushed by none other than the Humane Society of the United States.  These two dozen bills are worded almost identical in all states, with the common theme being to limit the number of intact animals a person can own and in most cases, allowing for WARRANTLESS searches of the breeder's premises.  Are these laws really about cracking down on substandard breeders?  Or is it a nationwide push to make dog breeding so troublesome and expensive that hobby breeders will just quit? 

According to Wayne Pacelle's blog,

• "There are perhaps more than 10,000 mills in the nation, with Missouri accounting for more than 3,000, and then Oklahoma and Iowa the next biggest." 
•  Last year Virginia was the "hub" of puppy mills (the "Virginia Is For Puppy Mills" campaign), and Pennsylvania is "the puppy mill capitol of the East"

Gee, with Wayne stating facts like that, it makes you wonder WHY legislation is needed in states like Nevada, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, Illinois, Maine, West Virginia, Arkansas, Delaware, Texas, California, Florida....you get the idea.  Are all of these states infested with "puppy mills" as well??   The real reason for these bills?  To ensnare the "other guy"...the hobby breeder; those breeders who are not required to operate under USDA guidelines. 

From the H$U$ website:  "Under current law in most states, and under current regulations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, individuals running breeding operations that only sell puppies directly to the public are not required to be licensed and inspected by an oversight agency."  (YEP, show folks, that's YOU!) 

And further:  "USDA exempts breeding facilities – regardless of the number of animals they have or financial thresholds they meet – where the puppies are bred and sold directly to private pet owners as "retail pet stores."........"Without oversight, the operations can easily fall below even the most basic standards of humane housing and husbandry."

A good breeding facility law: (According to H$U$)

• applies to all breeding operations with animals or animal sales numbering over a specified threshold.  (can you say "limit laws")
•  requires a licensing fee and pre-inspection. (Like $500 per intact animal fee...and "must be of good moral character", as we have seen in bills proposed this year)
• includes routine, unannounced inspections at least twice yearly. (Warrantless searches of private property, unconstitutional last time I checked)
• is enforced by an agency with adequate funding and properly trained and tested staff. (Oh yeah, we're just in the worst economic crisis since the Depression, but I'm sure Wayne and company would love to step in and take over this job, huh) 
• rotates inspectors to cover different areas of the state. (Uh-huh, I can see that happening...who would want to uproot their families to move to a different area...)
• is equipped with strong penalties when facilities are in repeated non-compliance, including but not limited to cease and desist orders.  (H$U$ translation:  raids, intimidation of breeders into "signing over" all dogs so said dogs can be sold for profit to further stuff their warchests)

Do you get it yet?  Have you connected the dots?  The current nationwide push to "end puppy mills" is NOT about protecting animals...it is NOT about cracking down on substandard breeders...it is NOT about regulating commercial breeders that are already under USDA guidelines...

What it IS about is ending purebred dog breeding.  Period.  Using incrementalism (limiting the number of animals someone can own, which can easily be lowered next time, in a new law), the Animal Rights group, the Humane Society of the United States, is pushing it's REAL agenda:  to eliminate the hobby breeder, who has now become "just another puppy mill" in the eyes of the public...There is no one left to throw under the bus.  The bus is headed straight for OUR breeding programs.

Are you willing to throw away years of dedication to your breed and your breeding program?  Are you still one of those breeders that thinks "this law won't apply to me"?  Now it does.  There can be no compromise, no backing down.  The only way to defeat the bullies is to get in their faces and scream, "HELL NO!! You will NOT take away MY rights...you will NOT tell me how many dogs I can own...you WILL NOT tell me how or when or to which dogs I can breed to!!!"

The "Anti-dog breeder bus" is roaring down the street...in YOUR state, or will be headed there shortly.  There will be no "other guy" to sacrifice like we have done in the past because we are now the "other guy".

Good Moral Character Required for Dog Breeders

Nevada is the only state in the Nation where the oldest profession known to man...-er...woman-kind, is legal in some counties.  The state known for glitzy casinos, quickie divorces, and legalized prostitution is calling for a higher standard for dog breeders.  Yep, if you want to breed a litter of puppies or kittens in Nevada, ya' gotta be of "good MORAL character".

The state of Nevada is the latest victim in the Humane Society of the United States' all out anti-dog breeder legislative campaign.  SB241 seeks to, among other things:

• Impose $500 breeder permit  (wow! That's expensive considering there is also a bill being proposed there that would levy ONLY $5 tax on "human sex acts")
• Make microchipping of dogs mandatory
• Limit the LIFETIME litters of any dog to 2 litters
• AND "Breeders Must Posess "Good Moral Character"

So, I ask you the million dollar question:  Just WHO in the hell is going to be the judge in Nevada as to "good moral character"????   THINK ABOUT IT! 

But considering that the H$U$ is pushing these cookie cutter ANTI breeding bills across the country, I guess even a prostitute is of higher moral character than the ever-so-cleverly-deceptive H$US and company...At least you "know" right up front what a prostitute is all about.  The H$U$, however, continues to mislead millions of hardworking folks with good intentions into "donating" to what the majority still believe will benefit their local shelter or will help the H$U$ on their "war on puppymills".  When in fact, all those hard earned dollars will go to their already HUGE warchest to end the production of meat, fur, fishing, and to put "ever-so-greedy dog breeders" out of existence.

Give Wayne-O and company the boot, Nevada.  Ya'll have got a lot more to worry about than the "good moral character" of dog breeders.

NEVADA: Give HSUS The Boot April 7 Hearing

Heads up, Nevada....HSUS and company are ridin' into town....Gather up the posse` and send 'em back squealin! 

The following article appeared in The Wendover Times, and is posted here with the permission of the author. 

NOTE:  THE HEARING FOR THIS BILL HAS BEEN CHANGED TO APRIL 7!!!!  For more information and to join the FIGHT for your RIGHTS and ANIMALS, please contact:  info@savernvanimals.org     
http://www.savernvanimals.org/    

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David Meets Goliath in the Old West

by B. Kubichka

Dateline: Elko - Nevada

Most people don’t think too often about Nevada, well maybe Las Vegas comes to mind. But when the ranchers and other animal breeders and lovers in this sagebrush covered, windswept, high desert town, tucked in the eastern corner of the great Silver State, found out the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was a comin’ to town with their big city anti-animal breeder agenda, well that burr was too much for them to tolerate under their saddles.

That’s when the good and hearty folk - ranchers and the plain talkin’ townsfolk had enough! No big city D.C. city slickers were going to tell these good old boys--the tough and sun weathered independent ranchers and farmers --how to run their lives.

These D.C. big city outsiders from HSUS, decided it was high time they invaded this dusty Western state with their animal rights agenda and animal welfare laws. Just because these Old Timers don’t talk much, old HSUS decided, they must be asleep at the wheel. Well when these independent old frontier folk got wind of this plot against their freedom and their constitutional rights, and well, they got mad. Nobody was going to tell them how to run their lives, no siree!




Well then an amazing thing happened in this lonely corner of this vast desert state--the good and independent pioneer spirit of the Old West was galvanized! People woke up. People became red blooded, fighting Americans again! No way was HSUS going to tell the good people of this state how to run their lives. The good folk of the Old West were not going to take this outside interference laying down!

An amazing grassroots effort sprung up between these many disgruntled Nevadans. It eventually took a turn and turned into an organization of the people--just ordinary folk of Nevada, but with that independent and self reliant spirit.
 
One such person was a woman, Cheri. A slender, Western gal, golden by working outside in the clear blue skies and strong Nevada sun, more comfortable in jeans than a little black dress. Cheri, who is a small breeder of AKC purebred cattle dogs, was so outraged by the audacity of HSUS, of assuming they know what is best for her state and for her animals, she just knew she had to do something! So she became the Elko hub of the grassroots, just plain Nevadans movement, Savernvanimals.org.
 
According to Cheri, “No way is HSUS coming here! You will not come to our state and tell us how to run things!” She feels as many other Nevadans do, that local government handles these animal issues “just fine and to our satisfaction”. She stresses, “We don’t want or need your [HSUS] presence in Carson City [state capitol] telling our legislators how to think. The work for us!”
 
And another thing, Cheri says is, “We don’t want you [HSUS] telling the world that “Nevada is one of the five worst states in the United States.....and that you say “In Nevada, well anything goes...”. As a proud Nevadan and of independent spirt, Cheri was outraged when she saw this statement in the HSUS press release on their very own website.
 
“It’s insulting", she continues, she says they [HSUS] also says Nevada is a puppy mill state, when according to the USDA , who monitors and licenses commercial kennels, there are only two ‘commercial breeders’ in the entire state of Nevada, and they don’t even breed dogs”, she exclaims!
 
So Cheri got mad, very mad. She pulled together a coalition of ranchers, farmers, vets, and just plain towns folk who love their animals and their independence, and formed a caravan, a big caravan. And it’s planning on coming to Carson City on April 9th to attend the big rally against SB241, the Nevada Puppymill Bill proposed in part by HSUS and a Senator Townsend, who isn’t from around these parts. (NOTE:  The date has been changed to APRIL 7th, for more info, please email info@savernvanimals.org )
 
According to Cheri, HSUS and the collaborating legislators should be scared, “....because us old Cowboys won’t be asking you twice to pack your bags and leave our state and never come back. We are officially giving you the boot out of Nevada!”


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Sources:

[www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/worst_exotic_pet_states_031809.html]
[www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/index.shtml]breeder reports
Savernvanimals.org is a grassroots organization of Nevadans from all animal areas, be they rancher or pet owner, and is opposed to the loss of our constitutional rights as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and serves to help protect plain Nevada animal folk from the threat of bigger and bigger government, not to mention the unfunded mandates these proposed laws require of Nevada taxpayers.