An Attack on ALL  Dog Breeders and Owners Everywhere

by Cathy Blatz

For 10,000 + years a mutually beneficial partnership has existed between man and dog.  Dogs, of all the world's animal chose,  and in a way, domesticated us.  Dogs became our hunting partners enabling more meat  and better quality of life for the hunters and gatherers.  Dogs helped new farmers by guarding lifestock and homes.  They helped rid the village and farm of vermin that posed a threat to both human safety and stored crops.  In the Arctic dogs were a dependable method of transportation.

Today Dogs continue to enrich our lives.  Dogs guide the blind and help the disabled with a multitude of tasks. The sick, elderly and children are helped by visits from Therapy Dogs. Dogs work with the military and law enforcement.  They still have a place  on farms and ranches.  And for  millions of people dogs provide unconditional love, acceptance and companionship.

For all dogs have given us there are some extremists and organizations who would condemn these most faithful of partners to extinction.

We all have received literature detailing the horrors of animal abuse or "puppymills".  Organizations such as PETA and HSUS are famous for their calls to action and pleas for money.  What they don't say in their literature is that their ultimate goal is the elimation of all domestic animals, including dogs.  

  Their very names are misleading.  PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) kills more then 90% of the dogs and cats that come into their 1 lone shelter.  HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) doesn't have a shelter at all.  They are NOT the parent  organization of any Humane Society shelter anywhere.  And very little, if any, of their money  goes to any shelter in the country. 

They are  organizations built to  Lobby for laws restricting your rights as dog owners and hobby breeders.

Around the country laws are being passed that mandate spay/neuter for young puppies endangering their adult welfare. Mandarory spay/neuter laws passed in some parts of the country have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of dogs whose owners simply could not afford the cost of the surgery.   These are not breeding animals but rather family pets.  Laws are being passed that limit the number of pets you can own.  These laws are not based on your pet's care but an arbitrary number that can be reduced on a whim.  Some laws enacted ban entire breeds.  Studies that show NO correlation between a breed and random aggression are ignored.  HSUS and PETA lobbyists are pushing laws that ban the breeding of any dog or make it so expensive to get a breeding license that hobby breeding of healthy, quality pets  becomes impossible.  If these laws are allowed to flourish commercial breeders (what HSUS likes to refer to as puppy mills) will be the only breeders with the money to survive.  HSUS raids on owners, breeders, and rescues are happening  with increasing frequency across the country.   Most of these raids do not result in cruelty charges. In fact most of these "rescued" ddogs are healthy enough and so well socialized that local shelters (used to front HSUS) are able to sell them immediately resulting in huge financial gains for the raiders.  One owner/breeder had her dogs stolen (rescued) due to a rainy spring and some of the dogs were muddy.  Other dogs are "rescued" because of long nails or overturned water bowls.  Invasion laws are being enacted that strip away the 4th amendment rights of dog owners and breeders to be secure in their homes.  Some laws provide NO recourse to the dog owner.

It is important for everyone who owns or breeds dogs to know the laws in your state and community.   It is very important to get involved in your local council.  Know what is going on locally as well as nationally.  Know your rights.  Understand what is at stake.  The AKC is actively working with dog clubs to combat the constant onslaught of HSUS and PETA sponsored anti-dog legislation.  The AKC has a legislative department and "alerts" are constant.  These can be accessed via the AKC web site, www.akc.org.  There is no let-up in this battle to retain the right to own and breed dogs.  

 There are Yahoo lists for most states that  pertain to animal legislation.  There is a general pet law list on yahoo  that is very active.   These are easy ways to begin to learn and to understand.

Learning and understanding are paramount to saving our dogs from extinction.

Apathy will destroy our right to own and to breed.