Black Wednesday For Dog Owners
Animal Rights Wins In Dallas, California, Pennsylvania
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
asda@csonline.net

Wednesday was a black day for dog owners all across America, as
animal rights extremists posted legislative victories in Dallas,
California and Pennsylvania.
Dog owner advocacy groups fought hard in all three contests and had
clear majority support, but animal rights groups such as People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the
United States cashed in political chips with elected officials.
PETA and HSUS have been infiltrating local and state advisory boards
for many years, backed by a war chest exceeding $150 million,
hundreds of paid employees and thousands of volunteers.
Apathy remains the greatest problem faced by dog ownership advocacy
groups.
Wednesday's votes also highlighted what is rapidly becoming a
partisan division on animal rights legislation. In general, almost
all Republicans voted against the legislation, and almost all
Democrats voted for the bills. The Democratic Party appears to be
lining up behind the animal rights agenda in support of its
presumptive presidential candidate, Barrack Obama. Obama has
expressed strong support for animal rights.
Here is a summary of the four issues decided this week:
B7 In Dallas, City Council voted 10-3 to pass an animal control
ordinance requiring mandatory pet sterilization, expensive permits
to own intact dogs and cats, mandatory microchipping and pet
ownership limits. The ordinance also bans tethering of dogs and
imposes strict requirements for keeping dogs outdoors. Home
inspections also are authorized.
In California, the Senate Local Government Committee voted 3-
2 to approve AB1634, which now will be sent to the Senate
Appropriations Committee. If this committee approves, it will be
sent to the legislature for a vote. This bill allows any person to
act as a vigilante and report any dog owner for an unsubstantiated
violation of any animal law. If any animal control officer agrees,
the accused person will have a choice between paying a fine or
sterilizing the animal. People who are accused of anything have no
right to defend themselves or to appeal. An accusation is automatic
guilt.
 In Pennsylvania, the House Rules Committee voted Tuesday to
approve HB2532, which is a de facto ban on tail docking, dewclaw
removal and ear cropping. In the absence of proof that the procedure
was performed by a veterinarian, the mere possession of a dog that
has had one of those three procedures subjects an owner to a
criminal citation for animal cruelty. This bill would destroy many
rescue operations, dog shows, competitive events and field trials in
Pennsylvania and result in the deaths of thousands of dogs. This
bill now goes to the full House for a vote, and then to the Senate.
 Also in Pennsylvania, the House Agriculture Committee
approved amendments to the state dog and kennel law that fall short
of changes that were promised to dog owner advocacy groups. The
actual text of this legislation was not available at this writing,
and a follow-up report will be issued when the revised legislation
is available. This bill now goes to the full House for a vote, and
then to the Senate.
Please see below for more detailed descriptions of all four issues.
Dog ownership advocates clearly outnumbered animal rights
sympathizers in public hearings on all four pieces of legislation,
as well as in written comments, emails and phone calls received by
elected officials. However, many of those officials chose to ignore
our voices, and that is doubly true of the Democrats. We are not
saying this to be partisan, as many of our officers and members are
loyal Democrats. We simply are stating a fact. Democrats voted
against animal owners this week by a shocking margin, and we urge
dog owners who are registered with this party to work to reverse
this policy.
Advocates of dog owners' rights also were hurt by the apathy of many
people who support us, but who did little or nothing to voice that
support to elected officials.
Apathy by the large but silent majority of dog owners is a major
component of the animal rights strategy. While we outnumber them 100-
to-one, most of us don't get involved. In contrast, animal rights
groups rely on an almost religious fanaticism by their supporters to
gain a high percentage of participation.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance urges every dog owner in America
to join one or more of the several fine organizations that are
fighting for your rights. Each of these organizations has its own
niche, but all are excellent and deserve your support.
We welcome your membership and hope you will participate fully in
our programs. Please visit us online at
http://www.americansportingsdogalliance.org.
Please stand up and be counted now!
We also ask all dog owners who belong to field trial clubs,
sportsmen's organizations, show specialty clubs, breed clubs and
event clubs to urge those organizations to take an active political
role to defeat animal rights legislation.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance also is urging dog owners to
boycott all dog events in the City of Dallas for their own safety.
Under the terms of the ordinance, even a visitor to the city is
subject to citations, fines and dog confiscations. It is known that
PETA plans a protest at a July dog show in Dallas, and we expect
them to report show dog owners for alleged violations of the
ordinance. Because the Dallas animal commission is dominated by PETA
members, we expect that there will be a move to raid this dog show.
All professional handlers would be in violation of the possession
limit of six dogs, and none of the dogs are expected to have a
required Dallas breeding or intact permit.
If the Pennsylvania and California legislation becomes law, it will
not be safe for anyone to attend a field trial, dog show or
performance event in those states, or even to visit, pass through or
take a hunting trip there.
We urge all clubs to cancel or move planned events in Dallas now,
and also in Pennsylvania and California if their legislation is
signed into law. We believe that clubs have an ethical obligation to
protect the safety of participants and their dogs.
Continued apathy and non-involvement will doom dog ownership in
America, as well as hunting, field trials and other dog events. We
can't do it without you. John Yates
PLEASE --- donate $$$ to the American Sporting Dog Alliance!!!
We are in the fight of our lives *** The American Sporting Dog Alliance is our army!

The OHIO legislature wants an end to this nonsense above!
Their plan ... give power to Animal Control to seize & kill your show dog!
WAKE UP AMERICA!
KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE'S VIEWS ON ANIMAL RIGHTS BEFORE YOU VOTE IN NOVEMBER!
URGENT!!!!!!!!!
Hearings This Week On Proposed
Let the Ohio Government know this is despicable legislation! 
Your opinion counts!
Let them hear your voices from around the world!!!!!

OHIO DOG AND KENNEL LEGISLATION!

Please Contact Your Legislators And Senators

 by JOHN YATES ** American Sporting Dog Alliance

http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org

COLUMBUS, OH – Hearings are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday on two pieces of legislation that would have a severe impact on all dog owners and hobby breeders in Ohio.

The Senate State and Local Government and Veterans’ Affairs Committee will receive a reported substitute bill for S.B. 173 (House version is H.B. 223) on Tuesday
at 10 a.m. in the South Hearing Room. Testimony will not be taken on this new bill. This legislation imposes heavy financial and legal burdens on kennel owners.

On Thursday, at 8:30 a.m. in the Finance Hearing Room, a hearing will be held to review reported amendments to H.B. 446, which affects all dog owners.
The House Local Municipal Government and Urban Revitalization Committee reportedly will take testimony at this hearing. The reported amendments were not
made available to the public by Monday morning.

It appears that an attempt is being made to ram these two bills through the legislative process as quickly as possible. These two bills take a giant step toward
fulfilling the extreme animal rights agenda of the eventual elimination of the private ownership of animals. They would drastically reduce the number of puppies
 available in Ohio by sharply curtailing hobby breeding of purebred dogs.

A Senate fiscal analysis of S.S. 173 shows that additional licensing costs will exceed $300,000 for an estimated 2,000 kennels that would be classified as small
hobby breeding kennels.

Under the legislation, a small breeding kennel is defined as having between nine and 15 dogs, which would impact most hobby kennels.

In addition, the analysis shows, a new supervisory position would cost about $60,000, and an unspecified number of dog wardens would have to be hired
at $43,000 each. Estimates of the number of new dog wardens needed to enforce the law range from a minimum of 17 ($700,000 a year) to 88 ($3.8 million a year),
plus numerous start-up costs.

These and other expenses would come out of the pockets of kennel owners. Our prior reports have contained detailed analysis of this legislation, and this report will
only summarize. For readers who want an in-depth analysis, please contact us at asda@csonline.net.

S.B. 173 (companion to H.B. 223) has the potential to destroy hobby breeding of purebred dogs in Ohio in a misdirected effort to curtail “puppy mills.”

H.B. 446 mandates licensing for puppies at eight weeks of age, increases fees, reduces the age for a spay/neuter differential to six months, gives county auditors
the power to revoke kennel licenses, and makes it much harder for good Samaritans to help lost dogs.

Testimony on the bills has been mixed, with only a few people attending previous hearings. However, some of the legislators and senators asked some hard questions
 and expressed doubts. Others, however, have signed on as cosponsors to this legislation.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance is supporting Ohio dog and kennel owners in an effort to defeat this legislation, and has offered strong testimony in opposition
 to the two bills. Ohio Valley Dog Owners President Norma Bennett Woolf has addressed the hearings on behalf of dog owners. Ms. Woolf has worked tirelessly to
 defeat this destructive legislation, and she is one of the true heroes of the movement to protect dog owners’ rights.

We strongly urge all Ohio dog and kennel owners to take an active role. Your participation and support are crucial. We cannot emphasize too strongly that this legislation
 stems from an extreme animal rights agenda that aims to greatly reduce the number of dogs as a giant step toward eliminating dog ownership altogether.

S.B. 173 -- This legislation (a companion to H.B. 223) claims to target “puppy mills,” but would have a devastating impact on every kennel that has nine or more
unsterilized adult dogs that could be construed as a “breeding dog.” Because of the definition and required burden of proof, almost all small hobby breeders will be affected.

A breeding dog is defined as any male or female dog that is intended for breeding or has produced one litter in a year, either as a stud dog or a mother.
The law does not define standards for this definition or for the burden of proof, and the burden of proof rests with the kennel owner. We see this as a “Catch 22,” as there
would be no way to conclusively prove the purpose for keeping any dog. It would a matter of convincing the dog warden to take the owner’s word.

This unvarnished animal rights legislation also grants dog wardens the power to confiscate any dog for which there is probable cause to call a breeding dog.
The standards for probable cause are not defined, but could be construed as any dog that has the potential for being bred.

To obtain a breeding license, a kennel owner would have to pay an annual fee ranging from $150 to $750, submit to inspections by state officials,
provide proof of insurance, purchase a bond guaranteeing financial liability, submit to a personal background check by the police, be fingerprinted and obtain and use
an approved vendor number to advertise or sell a dog or puppy.

Inspections would open any area that houses dogs to state officials without a warrant, including the owner’s home. Papers, documents and bank records also
 could be examined or subpoenaed. Citations can be given and fines levied for violations or “threatened violations,” which are not defined.
Any hearing, trial or appeal of an action must be done through only one Ohio court, in Franklin County. The inspections would be based on providing a
specified level of physical care in housing, sanitation, medical care and food and water.

They would require a kennel to be cleaned every 12 hours, mandate professional veterinary care for even minor conditions, injuries or ailments, require
grooming and nail trimming, mandate vaccinations, deworming and heartworm prevention, and require available water at all times, even in freezing weather.

Here is a link to the actual text of this legislation: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_173 .

We urge dog and kennel owners to submit written comments to each member of the committee. Emails, letters and phone calls all are important. This is urgent!

This link will take you to a list of the committee members: http://www.senate.state.oh.us/committees/com_state.html .
 A page will open up giving you a link to each senator’s email and mailing addresses.

 HB 446  Every dog owner will be affected by HB 446. It says:

• Puppies must be licensed for $10 apiece at eight weeks of age, and also must wear a collar and license tag at that age.
   A puppy must be registered and licensed before it can be sold or transferred. Unlicensed puppies and dogs can be confiscated.

• Individual dog licenses would rise from $2 to $10 per year, and kennel license costs would rise from $10 to $50.
  The extra charge for licensing for a dog that is not spayed or neutered will be imposed on dogs at six months of age, instead of the current nine months

• Kennel licenses would be required for anyone who raises a single litter of hunting dogs. The bill says: “A kennel owner is a person, partnership, firm,
  company, or corporation professionally engaged in the business of breeding dogs for hunting or for sale.”

• A particularly onerous part of the legislation gives county auditors the unrestricted power to revoke kennel licenses (this includes anyone
  who raises a single litter of hunting dogs) for unproven allegations of animal cruelty. County auditors do not have the qualifications to make judgments
  about animal cruelty, and the guilt or innocence of a dog owner facing such accusations should be determined only in a court of law. This power is given
  to auditors “if the auditor determines” that a violation of animal cruelty statutes has occurred. No limits are placed on this power, and the legislation does
   not define any criteria for an auditor to use. In fact, the law gives an auditor the power to revoke a license if he/she simply feels that a kennel owner may
   have violated cruelty statutes, or even extra-legal personal opinions about what constitutes cruelty.

• Good Samaritans who find a stray dog must notify authorities within two days and turn it over to the animal control agency within 10 days,
  and do not have the option to give the dog to a no-kill shelter or rescue group, or find someone to take the dog if its owner cannot be found.
  This exposes the dog to a high probability of euthanasia.

Other provisions regulate dogs that are declared dangerous, cats, ferrets and other animals.

The purpose of greatly increased fees is to make law-abiding dog owners pay for the cost of animal control in Ohio. The unfairness and irrationality of this approach
 is that responsible dog owners and breeders, who are perhaps the least likely cause of the problem, are the people who are being forced to pay for it.

Breeders and owners of purebred dogs rarely burden animal control agencies and animal shelters. Moreover, purebred puppies almost never are found
in municipal animal shelters. This legislation makes responsible dog owners and breeders the “cash cow” that will be milked to pay for animal control efforts directed
 at irresponsible people who ignore the law. ASDA regards this as the unethical exploitation of law-abiding citizens.

People who actually violate the law should pay for the cost of enforcing it, through fines and other penalties. This cost should not be borne by law-abiding dog owners.
 We should not be held responsible for the actions of others, over which we have no control.

We urge dog and kennel owners to submit written comments to each member of the committee.

Here is a link to the text of the legislation: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_HB_446.

This link will take you to a list of the committee members: http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Committee.jsp?ID=21.
Please click on each member’s name. A page will open up giving you a link to the legislator’s email and mailing addresses.

Please feel free to use any information contained in this report, and also to cross-post it and forward it to your friends.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance is the unified voice of sporting dog owners and professionals in America. We work at the grassroots level to defeat unfair legislation
 and policies that are harmful to dogs and the people who own and work with them. Our work to protect your rights is supported solely by the donations of our members.
Your participation and membership are vital to our success. Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.

Join the Fight to Save our Sport!
Vote the politicians with an AR agenda OUT of office!
And do NOT vote new AR activist politicians in!!