Animal Welfare - Animal Protection - Animal Rights

Companion Animals Welfare

Taking Action to End Dogfighting: How to Spot the Signs and What You Can Do

Although the indictment of Michael Vick on charges related to dogfighting, and his announced plans to plead guilty to those charges, have recently focused the national spotlight on dogfighting cruelties, dogfighting has long been a thriving underground industry across the country in both urban and rural areas. All evidence suggests that dogfighting is on the rise.

To learn what you can do click here

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STOP PUPPY MILLS

Watch the HSUS undercover dog auction video - then take action

http://www.stoppuppymills.org/

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DOG CULLING IN CHINA TO START JUNE 10th. PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY! PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY. Sample letters and fax number included below.

If you have a problem in faxing your letter to the Chinese government, a member of the Anti-Fur Society group has again volunteered to do it for you, please send your letter by email to Lesley at this email address:   ssdalrescue@ gmail.com   and she will be happy to do it for you
 
PS:  As hard as it is to be polite under these circumstances, please send a polite and constructive message.
 
THANKS,
 
www.antifursociety. org
 
PLEASE, send petition/letters to the follow fax number: +0086-23-4023 1484.
It's an automatic fax number of the Changshou District Government's office.

Click here for sample letter

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Last Chance for Animals Thanks You for Watching "DEALING DOGS"

DEALING DOGS is an HBO America Undercover documentary profiling LCA's groundbreaking undercover investigation and bust of the largest USDA licensed Class "B" dealer, C.C. Baird. Many Cable Providers Will Offer a FREE HBO Preview From 3/17 - 3/21

Call your local cable provider to see if they are participating. "DEALING DOGS" will air once during this free preview on March 20th @ 4:05am Eastern and 7:05am Western.
"DEALING DOGS" Will Air on HBO America Undercover Through March! Click Here for Showtimes Greetings!

Last Chance for Animals conducted an undercover investigation into Class "B" dealer C.C. Baird and his facility, Martin Creek Kennels in Williford, Arkansas by placing one of its undercover investigators on the "inside" for six months. HBO America Undercover's DEALING DOGS follows "Pete" as he infiltrates the kennel and documents the hideous abuse and neglect of hundreds of dogs and cats.

Because of "Dealing Dogs," we have been flooded with calls and emails from people wanting to help and support the fight to save America's companion animals. The most frequently asked question has been, "What can I do?" THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTION FOR EVERYONE TO TAKE IS TO HELP PASS THE PET SAFETY AND PROTECTION ACT. THIS BILL WILL STOP THE REMAINING 17 USDA LICENSED CLASS "B" DEALERS FROM SUPPLYING DOGS AND CATS TO RESEARCH AND THE UNNECESSARY ABUSE OF ANIMALS IN THEIR CARE.

It is imperative that each of you TAKE ACTION right away! We must get this bill passed for our companion animals.

Take Action!

1) Contact Senator Saxby Chambliss, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, and request that hearings are conducted on the Pet Safety and Protection Act to bring it to the Senate floor for a vote. Tel (202) 224-3521.

2) Contact your U.S. senators and URGE them to co-sponsor this bill. Tell everyone you know about this bill and call often! The chairman and the senators need to know that we are outraged at what is happening and we will not stand for it anymore!

For senator contact information, call 1-888-VOTESMART or visit www.senate.gov.

Date:  3-10-06
Source:  Last Chance for Animals http://www.lcanimal.org

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Serbian Dogs in Danger

During the war in Bosnia in the 1990s, companion animals were not allowed into human shelters, leaving some 20,000 dogs abandoned on the streets. Serbian officials are now struggling with a surging overpopulation of stray dogs they must contain in preparation for the thousands of visitors expected for the European Basketball Championships to be held in Belgrade in September. Because there are few animal protection laws on the books, and those that do exist are routinely ignored, many in Serbia have resorted to brutally slaughtering dogs on the streets, with the "quiet blessing" of some government officials.

As reports from concerned citizens and tourists filter out to the international community, attention is increasingly being drawn to this problem. Witnesses nationwide report the brutal massacre of dogs -- stray and owned. Reprehensible killing methods such as mass poisonings, hangings and brutal beatings occur on a daily basis. In the city of Zlatibor, the mayor even issues hunting permits that allow people to shoot dogs on sight -- often right in front of vacationing tourists and children.

Without question, Serbia faces a very real challenge. Sadly, the current solutions are not, by any stretch of the imagination, humane. Fortunately, there are a few organizations working in Serbia to end this. Welfare for Animals Global, Inc. (WAG NY), a political advocacy and lobby group based in New York City, is working to pressure Serbian authorities to initiate humane reforms in a country devoid of any semblance of animal welfare whatsoever. After a formal meeting with the Serbian Ambassador to the United States in June of this year, WAG was issued a formal invitation to visit Serbia and sit down for discussions with Serbian government officials.

Things are on the right track, but in order for positive change to occur and to resolve the issue of substandard animal welfare, the Serbian government must become proactive; especially as the world's spotlight turns upon Belgrade for the European Basketball Tournament. This is where we come in!

What You Can Do:
Send an email to the following Serbian officials and urge and encourage them to develop and implement a humane method of animal control. A sample letter follows.

Office of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica
predsednikvladesrbije@srbija.sr.gov.yu

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management
office@minpolj.sr.gov.yu

Serbian Minister of Science and Environmental Protection
info@mntr.sr.gov.yu

City of Belgrade
citybeograd.org.yu

Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro in USA
ambassador@yuembusa.org

Sample Letter

Dear Sir:

The brutal treatment of companion animals in Serbia is fast coming to the attention of the world. We are horrified to learn , via graphic photographic evidence, about the lack of compassion and indiscriminate cruelty regarding the treatment of Serbian animals.

We respectfully and urgently request that you take action and put a stop to the brutal, vicious killing of domesticated street animals by government officials, civil workers and ordinary citizens. Please work with international animal welfare organizations, such as Welfare for Animals Global, Inc.,the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, and other international organizations who are adept at planning and implementing humane welfare programs.

Sincerely,

For more information about this campaign, please contact Marijo Gillis from WAG at (212) 427-0587 or by email twinkieperkyebby@msn.com

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Don't Be Fooled By Pet Store Claims
Sunday, November 28, 2004
By Joan Lowell Smith
For the Star-Ledger

Don't be fooled by an "AKC" label on puppies in a pet store. A potential customer thinking that's like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval would be mistaken. The American Kennel Club does not condone puppy mills that sell to pet stores around the nation.

Primarily located in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Pennsylvania, assembly-line puppy mills focus on the bottom line, not on producing healthy pets. Tiers of small cages are stacked on each other and in many cases left out in the elements. If you're lucky, you might find a rare healthy specimen at a pet store, but the odds are definitely against it. Why gamble?

Gail Miller, speaking for the AKC, explains their position: "The AKC endorses breeding of dogs by responsible breeders. ... We oppose random, large-scale breeding solely for commercial purposes. We believe all breeders bear a responsibility to assure that people who purchase their dogs are capable of carrying out their responsibilities as owners. The AKC supports scrupulous enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act and state and local regulations governing the humane care of animals. We recommend and support programs that teach the public to purchase puppies from responsible breeders and to avoid impulse buying of dogs."

Buyer Beware

Libby Williams of Lebanon, founder of New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse (e-mail: info@NJCAPSA.org), warns that some pet stores in New Jersey claim puppies are registered with the American Canine Association or another pseudo-registry that essentially "means nothing." "Pet store employees will insist their puppies come from 'good' or 'local' breeders. They perform cartwheels in an effort to distance themselves from puppy mills."

In the January-February 2004 issue of New Jersey Pet magazine, Williams addressed the genetic impact of irresponsible breeding practices in which females in confined cages are bred every cycle: "Puppies manifest attention deficit disorder symptoms. They're jumpy and often aggressive. They can't calm down. What buyers don't realize is that this puppy they've fallen in love with may harbor a contagious disease in addition to genetic problems that won't appear for many months, even years. By then the pup has become a part of the family and hearts and bank accounts are broken."

Uninformed consumers

"Pet stores sell indiscriminately," says Pete Campione of Howell, another crusader against pet stores abuses. "They do no counseling on what breed to select. They rely on impulse buyers who spend more time picking out a pair of shoes at the mall than selecting a puppy." The owner of Kindred Souls Canine Center in Howell for 15 years, Campione, a certified trainer, has also shown purebreds. "There's no such thing as a pet store selling a puppy from a good breeder. All good breeders belong to breed clubs, there for the betterment of the standards. Inherent in their bylaws is that they never broker a dog. They deal directly with the buyer."

Campione told of an 80-year-old woman who brought her Neapolitan mastiff to him for training. She had purchased the pup from a Monmouth County pet store that never told her anything about the breed, nor had she done any homework. "Pet stores count on uninformed consumers," states Campione.

Campione can spot a pet store dog instantly. "You have a dysfunctional background on top of dysfunctional parents -- a double whammy. They're so off the breed standard it's an abomination, and people don't even realize pet store puppies generally cost more than those from a reputable breeder."

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council reports that 3,500 to 3,700 of the 12,000 pet stores in the nation sell cats and dogs. In those, 300,000 to 400,000 puppies are sold each year. The Humane Society of the United States says the number is closer to half a million.

Humane view

The HSUS says on its Web site (www.hsus.org ): "Documented problems of puppy mills include over-breeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowded cages and the killing of unwanted animals. The unwitting consumer faces an array of immediate veterinary problems or genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later."

Speaking for the HSUS regional office in Flanders, Samantha Mullen said, "In an ideal world, the breeding of puppies would be restricted to responsible professionals. ... In the real world, however, the breeding of dogs by virtually anyone is subject to little regulation apart from the minimal provisions of the Animal Welfare Act that pertain to breeding and sale of puppies to pet shops. Much stronger measures, along with adequate enforcement of (existing) laws, are clearly needed in order to address the rampant problems associated with puppy mills."

Clifford P. Sporn, of Burlington, president of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, expressed his views: "Whenever the health of an animal is unnecessarily compromised, it is upsetting to veterinarians and we want to see that situation corrected. ... If breeders and sellers are compelled to use best management practices, there is no reason why they couldn't produce quality, healthy dogs. Pressure needs to be put on those aspects of the business that produce and sell sick animals. Stricter enforcement of New Jersey's sale of pets is one immediately available remedy."

Consumer complaints

New Jersey's "lemon law," passed in 2000, guarantees that the owner of a sickly dog purchased from a pet store will receive up to double his money back from the store to cover veterinary bills. The dog may be returned within one year. Williams told of a woman who paid $1,500 for a Labradoodle at a Somerset County pet store. The pup landed in the ICU at the University of Pennsylvania for eight days with pneumonia. Vet bills exceeded $6,000. The family was reimbursed $3,000 in accordance with the law. They're stuck with the rest.

To report pet store abuses to your county consumer affairs office, go online at www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/ocp/countyoff.htm.

"Puppy mills will cease to exist when people stop buying from pet stores or directly from puppy mills," says Williams, who acknowledges, "That simple solution is a long way off."

Source: New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse (NJCAPSA) http://www.njcapsa.org/

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The US Attorney in Arkansas is preparing a case against long time USDA licensed Class B dog dealer CC Baird, Arkansas, one of the biggest dog dealers still operating in the US. Baird buys at dog auctions where the source of dogs cannot be identified and he has a history of violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Last month USDA finally filed charges against Baird and his wife for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. In accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, the Bairds are being provided an opportunity to respond to the charges. After receiving and reviewing the response, the USDA division APHIS that licenses dog dealers will most likely request an administrative law hearing.

Meanwhile USDA issued a 21-day summary suspension against the Bairds to temporarily prevent them from selling dogs and cats. USDA says it is "exploring legal options for issuing concurrent legal 21 day suspensions." The agency is also preparing a request for the US Attorney to file an injunction against the Bairds. The injunction would not prevent animal sales, but would enjoin the Bairds from further violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Yet another useless action. Tell USDA to take a stand!

1. Contact:

Chester Gibson, Deputy Administrator
Animal Care USDA, APHIS
4700 River Rd, Unit 84
Riverdale, MD 20737 
Email: ace@aphis.usda.gov

Tell the USDA to:

Permanently suspend Baird and his wife's Class A and B licenses 

Publish photos of the dogs in Baird's kennel and then send dogs unclaimed by their owners to the local humane society

2. Contact the U.S. Attorney's office in Arkansas (Eastern District) and ask that strong and permanent action be taken against Baird. 

H.E. Bud Cummins III
PO Box 1229
Little Rock, AK  72203
501.324.7199 fax
501.340.2600 phone
Bud.Cummins@usdoj.gov

3. Contact Local institutions buying from Baird in your state and also your local newspaper. Send them this Atlantic Monthly article, which described Baird (not by name) at the dog auction.

Ask that taxpayer-funded institutions stop using public money to buy from dog dealers like Baird.

As of 2003, CC Baird was selling dog and/or cats to the following institutions:

Allegheny University of the Health Science, (PA)
CAVL (TX)
Church and Dwight (NJ)
Colorado State University
East Tennessee State University
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (ME)
Jefferson College Vet Tech (MO)
Iowa State University
KCM (Kid Count In Missouri)
Loyola University Medical Center (IL)
Masonic Medical Research (NY)
Mercy Health Care (AZ)
Miami University (FL)
Mississippi State University
Naval Medical Center (VA)
Professional Laboratory (NC)
SA Scientific (TX)
St. Joseph's Hospital (AZ)
Still Meadow, Inc. (TX)
Synbiotics, (CA)
Texas Tech Health Center
Tulane Medical School(LA)
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
University of California at Irvine
University of Florida
University of Nebraska
University of Pittsburgh (PA)
University of Illinois
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri at Columbia
University of South Alabama
University of Tennessee
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University, (TN)
Virginia Commonwealth University
West Virginia University
Young Veterinary Research Services, (CA)

SOURCE: In Defense of Animals http://www.idausa.org

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BOYCOTT Petland - The Sad Truth behind the puppies at Petland

Pet stores acquire their puppies from "puppy mills," literal factories where breeding dogs live their entire lives cramped in filthy cages. While millions of forgotten dogs (and other animals) are killed in our nation’s shelters, the unfortunate dogs in puppy mills are forced to produce litter after litter until they die. Even though our nation's shelters are overflowing with unwanted animals – an amazing twenty-five percent of which are purebred dogs – puppy mills continue to generate millions of dollars for the unscrupulous pet industry.

In an effort to break this tide of misery and death, IDA is targeting Petland, the nation’s largest pet store chain, and a major retailer of puppies, kittens, and other small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

IDA has documented shipments of puppies to Petland stores – they operate an amazing 123 stores in the U.S. and 57 more foreign outlets – from large Midwestern puppy mill breeders and dealers. One Petland supplier, Do-Bo-Tri Kennels, recently surrendered over 140 puppies to authorities in Nashville, TN after the puppies had been left unattended overnight inside a vehicle with no air-conditioning. Charges against the driver were eventually dropped after the dealer agreed to relinquish custody of the puppies.

Puppies are routinely shipped overland by truck or by air as cargo, often traveling hundreds of miles to pet shops across the country. Injuries and fatalities en route to pet stores are common and deplorable, yet they pale in comparison to the conditions their parents endure until their death at the mills. The euthanasia of millions of animals at shelters due to a lack of adoptive families compounds the tragedy of mill animals enduring a miserable existence to satiate the demand for their offspring.

While the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for inspecting and enforcement of regulations pursuant to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), conditions for animals at these federally licensed facilities range from bad to worse.

Do-Bo-Tri Kennels, a major supplier of Petland puppies, has been repeatedly been charged with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

IDA is looking for former or current employees and customers of Petland who have information to share about the poor conditions in which their animals are kept. Please write to IDA with information.

SOURCE: In Defense of Animals http://www.idausa.org

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CAGED ACTIVISTS TO DOG KOREA OVER ANIMAL CRUELTY

Members of In Defense of Animals protest Korean Embassy WASHINGTON, D.C. – Holding signs that read: "Korea: Stop Cruel and Illegal Dog Consumption," caged members of In Defense of Animals (IDA) will protesting the Korean government's refusal to enforce laws prohibiting the beating, hanging, burning, electrocution, and boiling alive of dogs and cats for consumption.

Date: Friday, December 5
Time: 12 p.m.
Place: Embassy of Korea, 2320 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.

Why do activists have their hair in hackles over South Korea's treatment of animals? South Korea has a law prohibiting the consumption of dogs and cats and another that considers dogs to be "domestic pets." The law is ignored and the government blithely ignores offenders. Before dogs are killed for meat, they are often strung up by their legs and beaten.

Dog butchers extol the virtues of their product, embellishing that the adrenaline rush that dogs experience by being bludgeoned to death enhances virility. Cats don't fare any better-viewed as pest animals, they are boiled alive so their "juices" can be extracted for health tonics purported by butchers to alleviate symptoms of rheumatism.

IDA has received many letters from Korean citizens concerned about the torture, but too afraid to disclose their names, let alone speak out. As one woman described, "Using all his strength he pulled the dog by his left leg. Next he did the same with the right leg. While the dog was still alive, he was tearing his body apart. The dog was moaning with horrible pain. He thought I was someone who enjoyed dog meat. He smiled at me and proudly told me, 'Dogs should take a long time to be killed, that way it tastes better.'"

"It's inconceivable that innocent beings whom we consider 'man's best friends' could be so brutally killed, butchered, and eaten," says IDA president and founder Elliot M. Katz, DVM.

For more information on IDA and its Korean Dog Campaign, please visit www.IDAUSA.org.

SOURCE: In Defense of Animals http://www.idausa.org

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Scott Dog Pages

This web site pays tribute to the estimated thirty thousand dogs who have given their lives so that Americans might return home from war. Once upon a time, our war dogs were hailed as heroes. They were routinely retired from service so they could to live out their lives with loving families. Not so for the dogs of Vietnam. Of three thousand dogs dispatched to that war, fewer than two hundred ever got back to the States -- even then, they were not allowed to retire. The rest were abandoned in country to suffer tragic fates.

http://www.scoutdogpages.com/

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Microsoft Promotes Cruel Iditarod Dog Sled Race

Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, and other companies are sponsors of the 2001 Iditarod dog sled race. Many Iditarod dogs have gastric ulcers and some have died from this condition. Ulcers predispose the dogs to vomiting. Normally, the trachea closes the airway so that foreign material does not enter the lungs. But because these dogs run at such high speeds for such a long period of time, they cannot stop gasping for air despite the vomiting. Consequently, dogs inhale the vomit into their lungs, which causes suffocation and death.

According to Michael Matz, a highly regarded expert in gastrointestinal disorders in small animals, the use of no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is the most common cause of gastrointestinal ulceration in small animals (Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XII- Small Animal Practice). These drugs reduce swelling, inflammation, relieve pain and fever, which allows the dogs to run farther and faster. Unfortunately, some dogs pay with their lives for the use of these drugs.

Learn more about the Iditarod races

Learn how you can help

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Greyhound Racing

BOSTON (AP) -- Lab workers give a greyhound a lethal injection and toss the dog's carcass onto a pile in the back of a pickup truck. The images in a 10-minute videotape are being shown by animal rights activists in support of a proposition on the Nov. 7 ballot to shut down Massachusetts' 65-year-old greyhound racing industry. Passage would mark the first time a state's voters put an end to an active dog racing industry, though in the past decade six states without active tracks have outlawed dog racing.

full article

SOURCE: In Defense of Animals http://www.idausa.org

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A construction contractor, Eddie, from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood becomes an impassioned animal activist. To learn more visit: www.tribeofheart.org

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Information provided by:
In Defense of Animals 131 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941. Tel.: 415-388-9641 www.idausa.org