March Newsletter
American Sporting Dog Alliance Helps
To Kill Horrible Wisconsin Legislation
The American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) joined forces with Wisconsin dogs owners' and sportsmen's groups to defeat legislation in that state that would have virtually eliminated purebred dog breeding. Senate Bill 308 died in the Joint Committee on Finance following an avalanche of letters and phone calls from dog owners.
This means that the legislation died when the 2007-2008 session of the Legislature adjourned. ASDA urges continued vigilance, however, as similar legislation likely will be introduced next year due to intense pressure from animal rights groups. Wisconsin was a key state in the "puppy mill" campaign of groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but hobby dog breeding was the real target of this legislation.
Wisconsin represents dog owners' second major victory within a month. Last month, ASDA led the fight to decisively defeat similar destructive legislation in Oklahoma.
In Wisconsin, dog owners' groups fought hard to block this legislation, using traditional lobbying and participation of their members.
ASDA's strategy bolsters this effort at the grassroots level. Our approach is to develop a huge database of email addresses and message boards, and to inform tens of thousands of people about the issues. We ask dog owners to participate directly as citizens, and give them the information and procedure that they need to respond. This approach mobilizes many people who are not part of existing groups, such as hunters with dogs and people who work with registries that focus on sporting dogs.
In addition, our teams of veterinarians and attorneys performed detailed analyses of the legislation, and this information was made available to dog owners, legislators and other key people. We also worked to gain some improbable allies, when we proved to several people who had supported this legislation that it would have destroyed animal shelter and rescue programs in the state.
Then, we added to our grassroots approach with direct contacts with every senator on the committee.
The result was a veritable flood of letters from dog owners, and this played a key role in convincing the committee to toss this bill into the trashcan. Elected officials care deeply about the opinions of people who vote for or against them.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
Hard Lessons In Virginia
We licked some wounds in March, too.
A law passed in Virginia that will essentially eliminate kennels that have more than 50 dogs. ASDA had stayed in the background of the debate over this legislation at the request of dog owners' groups in that state, who told us that they had the situation under control. With reluctance, we accepted their advice.
What the Virginia dog owners' groups hadn't counted on was being sold out by national organizations that they had considered allies. These national groups seemingly agreed to a deal of "non-opposition" to this legislation, as long as only large kennels were affected.
ASDA strongly opposes any such deal, as we see it as part of the animal rights movement's "divide and conquer" strategy. The animal rights groups try to identify the most vulnerable segments of dog ownership and hunting, and to focus on picking them off one group at a time. Thus, we flatly refuse to compromise if it means making one group of responsible dog owners "expendable."
Even though we stayed out of the Virginia fight until some very bad legislation passed the house by a 91-6 margin, we were able to support some dedicated and skilled dog ownership activists in that state to make some very positive changes in the Senate. We built a database and encouraged many people to participate, and provided legal analyses of the impacts of the bill to every members of the Senate.
The results were Senate amendments to block a plan requiring the state to enforce federal kennel regulations, enlarge the size limits used to define a breeding kennel and thus protect many serious hobby breeders from devastating requirements, and remove non-breeding kennels (such as dog trainers and people who keep packs of hounds) from the legislation.
While the legislation passed the Senate and was signed into law, we helped to make it much better than the House version.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
Holding The Line In Connecticut
ASDA learned of an effort to create a study of mandatory spay and neuter legislation in Connecticut, and worked with groups in that state to nip this bad idea in the bud. The legislator who had planned to introduce a bill in committee simply withdrew it without discussion, rather than face a firestorm of political activism from dog owners.
We also exposed another task force in Connecticut that is investigating the link between criminal violence and animal abuse. While we agree with some of the concerns of the legislator who heads this task force, we flatly oppose any task force that would serve to inject animal rights ideology into the schools and juvenile justice system.
In the process, we believe we have won a strong ally in Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who has disavowed support for either task force. We like what we see in Gov. Rell.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://wwwamericansportingdogalliance.org.
Hunting And Field Trials
ASDA also is taking an active role on issues that will impact hunting and field trials on public lands.
We have called our members and supporters to action on plans to eliminate the Illinois pheasant stocking program, and proposed rulemaking in Pennsylvania that would limit or prohibit the use of releasing pheasants, chukars and Hungarian partridge for hunting, dog training and field trials. The rulemaking also might restrict or eliminate the use of pen-raised quail if their origin is from a different state.
In Ohio, we continue to strongly support efforts to stop the closure of the Kildeer Plains and Indian Creek Wildlife Management Areas to most field trials. While we are deferring to the leadership of the Ohio Association of Field Trials on this issue, we have supported them by publicizing the issues, contacting elected officials and wildlife agency officials on the behalf of field trialers, and encouraging our members and supporters to take an active role on this issue as citizens.
Those two Ohio field trial areas are of national stature and are notable venues for championship-level competition.
The issue in Ohio centers around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's policy of eliminating field trials from lands funded through the Pittman-Robertson Act. The USFWS essentially is extorting state wildlife agencies by threatening to withhold funds for management unless field trials are banned. They did this a few years ago in Indiana, they are doing it now in Ohio and we hear that Michigan is next on the list.
The Ohio groups are approaching this issue by trying to gain the support of state wildlife agency officials for an extension of time (the shutdown has been ordered for May), or to come up with alternative areas. We are supporting this effort, even though we believe that stronger action is needed.
ASDA maintains that the USFWS is breaking the law on this issue, as the Pittman-Robertson Act specifically identifies field trials as an acceptable land use, and specifically forbids the federal agency from interfering with state land management decisions. The USFWS is violating both parts of the law.
In Pennsylvania, we are taking an active role in trying to preserve the grouse study area on a state game lands called "The Barrens" near State College. The Game Commission wants to shut down this study area, which is the only one of its kind in Pennsylvania. We believe that preservation of the study area and continuing research are vital to the future of grouse hunting. In the process, this area also has become one of the premier grouse trial grounds in America.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
Current State And Local Legislation
ASDA now is actively involved in stopping bad legislation in several states and municipalities around the country. Here are our current campaigns:
In California, we are gearing up for a bitter fight when mandatory spay and neuter legislation is reintroduced into the Legislature this year. This month, we published investigative reports that completely destroy the rationale behind this legislation, and several more major reports will be forthcoming.
We also are seeking to overturn and defeat mandatory spay and neuter ordinances in Kern County and the City of Los Angeles, in California, and in Volusia and West Palm Beach Counties in Florida. Our investigative report this month on the Kern County situation uncovered some horrendous euthanasia policies at the municipal animal shelter, and a long history of breaking the law. We believe this information will play a productive role in the debate over this issue.
In Dallas, Texas, and Santa Barbara, CA, we are working to block mandatory spay and neuter ordinances that fly in the face of the facts, and are crudely designed attempts to eliminate the breeding of dogs to advance the genocidal agenda of animal rights groups. Forthcoming investigative reports will prove that there is no need for these ordinances, and, in fact, they will make the problem worse.
We also are working to defeat proposed new kennel legislation in Pennsylvania, which is expected to be published in days. We have created a network of at least 50,000 Pennsylvania sporting dog and kennel owners who are gearing up for the fight in the legislature, and hope to double this number in the near future. Prior to the publication of the legislation and regulations, we have tried to improve draft versions by meeting with key legislators, senators and administrators in the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, and also are in the midst of publishing a series of investigative reports on the issues.
In Ohio, we are working to defeat changes in the animal control act and proposed new kennel regulations. With the animal control legislation, we supported the Ohio Valley Dog Owners Association in testimony at a hearing before a House committee, and the testimony was overwhelmingly against the legislation. We also have submitted analyses of both pieces of legislation based on reports from our legal and veterinary committees. As in other states, our focus has included building a large database of dog and kennel owners, so that thousands of people can be quickly informed and mobilized to take direct action. It's working! Legislators and senators are being deluged with letters from concerned dog owners.
We also are working to include animal shelters and large rescue groups in existing state kennel regulations. While many of these programs are excellent and deserve our total support, a shocking number of animal cruelty law violations occur in shelters and large rescue kennels, and they are not regulated in most states. Literally, tens of thousands of animals have been found living under inhumane conditions at shelters and large rescue shelters every year. We are supporting legislation that has been introduced in Connecticut to regulate shelters and rescues under the same standards that are used to license private kennels In other states, we are working to include large rescues and shelters under dealer license requirements, because they transfer hundreds of thousands of animals a year. Many of them have health problems, undiscovered disposition problems, and have been exposed to many communicable diseases and poor conditions. The new owners of these dogs deserve this kind of protection, and the dogs deserve it, too!
The South Carolina Legislature is considering anti-tethering and anti-crating legislation that is a thinly veiled assault on all animal owners - and especially on people with hunting dogs - to accomplish a larger animal rights agenda. South Carolina activists have succeeded in blunting several of the worst parts of this bill in committee, and we are backing them up by informing people and preparing investigative reports that will show the true colors of this legislation and the groups that are supporting it.
We are working with a group of Kansans to change rabies laws to reflect veterinary science research. Research has clearly shown that vaccinations are needed only every three years to establish total immunity, and not annually as is required in Kansas and other states. Other research has shown that more frequent vaccination creates serious health risks to dogs due to side effects from the shots.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
>
Political Accountability
A rapidly growing focus will be to hold elected officials accountable to dog owners for their votes on issues affecting animal ownership, hunting and animal welfare/rights issues. We began this with in-depth profiles of track records of the presidential, senatorial and congressional candidates in Texas and Ohio, prior to those states' primary elections, and will be doing the same prior to the April primary in Pennsylvania.
We plan to do this in a greatly expanded form for the upcoming November general election, with extensive coverage on voting records and position statements for all candidates for federal office, and many candidates for state offices. We hope to expand our database to be able to reach more than a million sporting dog and kennel owners who will vote in November, and many more people who hunt with dogs. We do not claim that dog owners have the power to decide the elections, but we do believe that we realistically have the power to decide many close races.
That is especially true at the state level. We plan to make millions of voters aware of every state legislator's and senator's records of voting for or against animal rights legislation, with special emphasis on those who sponsor or cosponsor dangerous legislation aimed at taking away the rights of dog owners. We believe that this is a very important role for ASDA, as the mainstream news media does a very poor job of reporting voting records on animal rights issues. Expect us to play a major role in legislative elections in states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California and Ohio. We believe that dog owners have the power to defeat or elect many candidates in those states.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
Dog Owners' Bill Of Rights
We are in the process of drafting model legislation for a Dog Owners' Bill of Rights, and to work for its passage into law in many states. This model legislation will confirm dog ownership rights in order to prevent the passage of any legislation that will adversely affect those rights.
The aggression of animal rights groups has pushed us into a defensive position on legislation in dozens of states.
A Dog Owner's Bill of Rights will prevent legislation from being considered that harms the rights of dog owners, kennel owners, hunters and farmers. We believe that this has the potential to become a very powerful political alliance that will make legislators think twice before supporting any part of the animal rights agenda.
Learn more about this and other issues by visiting us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
Volunteers Needed
We need your help to accomplish several immediate goals, and are seeking volunteers.
We need help in enlarging our database to include every state. This is very tedious work, but also very important work. It means searching the Internet for email addresses, websites and message boards for sporting dog owners and professionals. To accomplish our mission, we need to create a huge database to reach dog owners quickly.
We also need volunteers to contact their local schools to study what is being taught to our children about animal rights issues. We have learned of an extensive nationwide program orchestrated by puppet groups attached to PETA and HSUS to create what are called "humane education programs" in the schools. We have seen some of the materials that are being presented to students as "fact," and many of them are blatant and biased attacks on dog ownership, dog breeding, hunting and farming. We need people to go into their schools and learn what is being taught, so that we can oppose it on the local, state and federal level.
We also need undercover investigators to help us unmask the brutal secrets at PETA animal "shelter" in Virginia, which butchers 97-percent of the animals it takes in This will be a tough assignment that may involve personal risk.
We also need people to get an inside look at many troubled animal shelters and rescue groups around the country.
Additional needs for volunteers are for people to track political candidates' voting records, animal rights group affiliations, and positions.
We also need people to work on the state level to introduce legislation for a Dog Owners' Bill of Rights.
Please contact us at asda@csonline.net to volunteer.
Join Us Now
Please consider joining ASDA now. Your membership and full participation are a vital part of helping us to accomplish our mission to protect the rights of dog owners and professionals. We are supported solely by the donations of our members, and maintain strict independence. Our only allegiance is to people who own, hunt with and work with dogs of the sporting breeds. Please stand up and be counted now.
For information about joining and about our organization, please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org. You can join online or by snail mail.
Please Forward This Newsletter To As Many People As Possible
Have You Joined Yet?
The American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
No comments:
Post a Comment