Recognition in Wilkes Co Case

In recognition of some who were involved in the Wilkes Co case...

PAWS DOWN:

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

John Goodwin, the manager of animal-fighting issues for The Humane Society of the United States, said yesterday that a judge will decide the fate of the dogs later. The Humane Society worked for three years on the investigation, in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.

[...]

Goodwin said that the dogs have been bred for fighting and it would very difficult and expensive to re-train the dogs, even the puppies, so that they could be adopted.

You can learn more about Goodwin at Blue Dog State but he is not one of the HSUS peeps who testified at the hearing to decide the Wilkes Co dogs' fate. He did respond to inquiries from folks who were upset at the killings.

Winston-Salem Journal:

Wilson ordered the dogs destroyed yesterday after hearing from a prosecutor, the attorney for Wilkes County government, Wilkes County's animal-control director and two representatives from The Humane Society of the U.S., who all called for the dogs be euthanized.

Amanda Arrington, N.C. director for The Humane Society of the U.S., and Chris Schindler, the agency's deputy manager of animal-fighting law enforcement, both told the judge that these particular dogs have been bred for aggression. [emphasis added]

I wanted to check out the expertise these folks had on evaluating seized Pitbulls. I picked up a few bits of info from the HSUS, first on background:

Amanda Arrington is the North Carolina state director of The Humane Society United States. Prior to joining The HSUS in May 2008 she was an office manager.

Then a quote from Amanda Arrington:

"I am committed to making a difference for the animals."

So in summary, in case you blinked, the first HSUS "expert" to explain to the judge why 146 dogs, including pups still nursing from their dams, needed to die joined the HSUS 10 months ago after leaving her office manager job. Congratulations, you have made "a difference for the animals".

The HSUS on Chris Schindler:

Besides arresting illegal animal fighters and rescuing animals from cruel deaths in the fighting ring, Chris gained valuable insight into the motivations and mentality of dogfighters.

Apparently the phrase "rescuing animals from cruel deaths" means something different to HSUS than it does to me. Because killing unevaluated dogs, including puppies still nursing from their dams, which is what Schindler recommended to the judge, doesn't seem like "rescuing" to me. Further, the HSUS contends that Schindler has insight into dogfighters - I'll take them at their word on that one. But what about the dogs? Any valuable insight on the dogs about which he was providing the recommendation in court? Does kill-them-all fall under the "valuable insight" category?

Schindler teaches a course for law enforcement, animal control, etc on cruelty investigations. For a $50 - $75 fee, attendees can learn, among other things, about dogfighting cases and the "disposition of seized animals". I assume that chapter is pretty short: K-I-L-L.

PAWS UP:

Sheila Carlisle of Morganton said she has been helping to care for the grown pit bulls and many puppies, and that the dogs are adorable.

"I've fallen in love with them," she said. "I don't want to cause anybody any problems with the court system, but I want these dogs saved."

I have no idea if this person is a shelter volunteer or what - all I know is, I'm thankful these dogs had her to care for them in their final days in this world. Thank you.

And thank you to the rescue groups who tried to intervene on behalf of the dogs, including Best Friends.

And last but absolutely not least, thank you to all my fellow pajama bloggers who continue to shine a light on this dark secret of the "Humane" Society of the U.S. It's because of you folks that I do believe we are a humane society and we can affect change for the better.

Dare Co, NC Moves Forward on Proposing BSL

Dare County initially had one set of problems, now they are compounding those by advancing the idea of breed specific legislation:

[Dare County Attorney Bobby] Outten said he is also looking into two types of breed-specific ordinances that have passed legal muster elsewhere. One would allow people to own dog breeds such as pit bulls only under certain restrictions; the other would outright ban them.

The proposals will be presented to the Board of Commissioners, probably at an April meeting, Outten said, and if the board decides to move forward on either one, a public hearing will be scheduled.

Adding insult to injury, the director of the Dare County Animal Shelter Denise Lambiotte is alerting the media to the myth(s) that wouldn't die!

Any dog left unmanaged can be dangerous, Lambiotte said.

"It's just that pits can do so much more damage," she said.

Pit bulls have powerful jaws that can lock when biting, and they are bred to attack, she said. Although they can be gentle to toddlers, the high-pitched voices of children and their sudden movements can set off pit bulls' predatory instincts, she said.

I look forward to Ms Lambiotte's presentation of the previously unknown, groundbreaking science to substantiate these claims. (She will be asked to substantiate these claims, right? I mean, the Board isn't just going to take a "Because I said so" on those claims, will they?)

Contact info - be polite, be respectful in your opposition to BSL:

County of Dare
PO Box 1000
Manteo NC 27954
(252) 475-5000

Dare Co Board of Commissioners e-mail contacts

Dare Co Attorney Bobby Outten: outten@co.dare.nc.us

Fat Cats at MSPCA Live On - Other Cats, Not So Much

The Boston Globe reports that the MSPCA may be cutting costs in the wrong areas:

As the nonprofit Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals prepares to close three animal shelters in reaction to a 25 percent loss in its endowment, advocates for animals are questioning the pay packages of the society's top administrators.
Four of the top five officials at the MSPCA make more than $200,000 annually, according to the organization's latest tax-exempt filing.
[...]
On Feb. 5, the MSPCA announced the closure of shelters in Brockton, Martha's Vineyard, and Springfield by the end of September and will downsize several programs and departments at its Boston office. MSPCA spokesman Brian Adams said a total of 46 positions would be eliminated. The three shelters slated to close cared for 11,000 animals last year. Four other MSPCA shelters, located in Boston, Methuen, on Cape Cod, and Nantucket, will remain open. Adams declined to reveal the annual operating budgets of any of the shelters.

Oh by all means, don't reveal any information not required by law. Follow the golden (parachute) rule: When confronted, hide.

Mr. Adams added this tidbit of justification:

"We have to attract the right talent, and we have to remain competitive. We can't remain competitive by asking people to work for free."

By gosh by golly, if only there could be some sort of compromise to be found somewhere between a $200k annual paycheck and working "for free". I hope science and technology someday advances us to the point where we could figure out that conundrum.

In the meantime, I'd like to point out that in fact, many animal lovers do "work for free" at animal shelters all over this country. They're called volunteers. I'm not saying shelters shouldn't pay staff, but I do think it's past time for many shelters to think outside the box. The days of ignoring the economic climate and maintaining the status quo are over. It's 2009, join us.

Treats on the Internets

Causes and Action Alerts:

Best Friends is asking NC residents to contact lawmakers and urge them to redraft the state's 'Dangerous Dog' law.

B-More Bulldogs posts about a letter writing campaign to the HSUS regarding their Pitbull 'seize and destroy' policy

Online auction to benefit the massive English Shepherd rescue in Montana (bidding closes tonight!)

Rare Wildlife Showing Up Unannounced:

"Extinct" bird has picture taken then gets eaten in the Philippines

Jaguar captured, collared and released in AZ

Sneezes:

Monkey and Panda (each sold separately)

Pitbull Hero Helps Save 11 People

In MA this week:

A dog is being credited with helping to save eleven people in Southbridge from a fire in a multi-family home. Firefighters say the dog woke up the people living there. Sadly the heroic dog didn't make it out alive.

The fire broke out early Wednesday morning. An eleven month old Pitbull named Chaos helped save 11 people from the the building.

Fire crews from five different towns battled the blaze for 90 minutes before they put it out. Family and friends are hailing Chaos the dog as a hero.

If you are a MA resident, please contact your state House representative in support of S2624 which will prohibit breed specific legislation in the state.

More HSUS Nonsense Regarding the Wilkes Co Dogs

The HSUS response (signed in brown ink) to the killing of the Wilkes County dogs, currently making the rounds online:

Thank you for contacting us regarding a county judge’s decision in North Carolina to euthanize fighting dogs seized from the property of notorious dogfighting kingpin Ed Faron. We understand your concern about the judge’s order to euthanize the dogs, and it is always a tragic outcome when healthy animals meet such a fate. But the blame lies with Mr. Faron, and not with county officials or The Humane Society of the United States. While we may not endorse every action of the county, we are grateful to them for working with The HSUS to bust a man who is responsible for an enormous amount of cruelty to dogs, and to bring him to justice.

No organization has done more to attack and harm the dogfighting industry than The HSUS. We’ve probably invested more in combating dogfighting than all other humane groups combined, and to great effect. We are principally responsible for the strong state and federal laws that make the practice a felony and ban possession and sale of fighting animals, and we have trained thousands of law enforcement personnel on investigating and raiding fighting operations. What’s more, it is our training, investigations, and rewards programs that are resulting in the arrest of countless dogfighters and the seizure of thousands of fighting dogs (which are, according to the dogfighters, an asset they lose upon seizure).

We are involved in dogfighting busts on almost a weekly basis, and the handling of Mr. Faron’s dogs raises the same questions that confound us constantly. With approximately 600,000 pit bulls killed in shelters each year, why should fighting dogs, which obviously require more resources to manage and which pose an obvious threat to other animals, get placed in favor of other equally deserving pit bulls and other breeds slated for euthanasia? In a local jurisdiction that has perhaps hundreds of other pit bulls waiting for loving homes, why not save them in favor of fighting dogs that will cost far more to handle on a per dog basis? How do we solve the larger pit bull problem in the nation, since we have an epidemic of dogfighters and others breeding them for aggression and for uses other than as companions?

We conducted a long-term investigation that led to the arrest of Mr. Faron and the seizure of his fighting dogs. He is considered one of the “Godfathers” of dogfighting, and it was our goal to put him out of business, just as it is our goal to target other industry leaders, in order to prevent thousands of dogs for use in fighting pits. Had it not been for our investigation, most of his dogs would have suffered immensely in a fighting pit in the weeks and months ahead. And who knows how many other dogs he would have bred to face this same fate.

It is now an HSUS policy to recommend an evaluation of all fighting dogs. In this case, The HSUS offered to pay for an additional professional evaluator to assess the dogs, even though we were skeptical that these dogs could be safely rehabilitated. The county did not take us up on that offer. Without an affirmative professional evaluation to indicate that the dogs could be safely placed in a new setting, we could not recommend adoption of these dogs who had been bred for generations for their instinct to kill.

While separate evaluations were not done, it is safe to say Faron’s dogs have been bred to produce animals with an unstoppable desire to fight, even in the face of extreme pain and fear. Professional dogfighters typically “cull” the dogs that don’t exhibit gameness or aggression, and only keep and breed the ones that exhibit the desired traits. For proof of that, we can refer to Faron himself, from his book about dogfighting:

“His face had only just healed from that fight with the Wreckers’ dog and he got his nose chewed half off again, that night.”

“The gamest dog I ever saw in my life was King David. At ten minutes, his right leg was broken. At twenty-three minutes, his left leg was broken. At thirty-seven he scratched on stumps, and at forty-eight minutes when he scratched he scratched down one wall and down the other ….until he got to Beau again.””

“ I mean, he broke muzzles, crushed skulls- we saw him bite dogs in the chest and their chest would literally collapse. That was Beau…”

Game-bred dogs pose a risk to other dogs not just because of training, but more importantly because of breeding for aggressive characteristics. Even no-kill shelters typically recommend euthanasia of obviously dangerous dogs.

These fighting dogs do not compare with the dogs from amateur “street fighters,” who typically take any, random pit bull and try and force them to fight. If pit bulls have not been bred for generations to have a “fight crazy” instinct, even if they have been exposed to dogfighting, they have a chance of being rehabilitated. This is why a substantial number of Michael Vick’s dogs were candidates for rehabilitation, after the court ordered Vick to pay $1 million as a set-aside to provide care and retraining for the dogs.

Once game-bred dogs are confiscated from a fighting situation, there are very few good options. There are no sanctuaries that exist for the thousands of game-bred dogs confiscated each year, and as a nation, there are hundreds of thousands of pit bulls awaiting adoptions in shelters every year. The resources that would be required to confine or rehabilitate fighting dogs could save many more dogs in shelters every year. So, in that sense, it is not a zero-sum game when it comes to euthanasia; it is a negative-sum game, and an inordinate focus on these few pit bulls would result in more euthanasia of other dogs. And if you impose upon rural counties – where most fighting busts occur – the burden of long-term holding of fighting pit bulls, then they may decline to intervene in criminal fighting cases, allowing the dogfighters to continue to operate.

There are tough choices to be made, and the only morally clear act is to attack the dogfighters where they live. We are the only national organization that has an entire unit devoted to this work on a national scale. That’s what we’ll continue to do.


A few points:

1. "We understand your concern about the judge’s order to euthanize the dogs, and it is always a tragic outcome when healthy animals meet such a fate. But the blame lies with Mr. Faron, and not with county officials or The Humane Society of the United States."

*sounds buzzer* Mr. Faron did not advocate for the killing of the seized dogs - the HSUS did. Their testimony led to the judge's ruling.

According to a ruling Monday by Judge Ed Wilson Jr. of Superior Court, state law defines dogs as dangerous if they are involved in a dog-fighting operation, and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed.

The raid was the result of a three-year investigation by the Humane Society of the United States, in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office. Representatives of the Humane Society told the judge that the dogs should be destroyed, because they had been bred for generations to be aggressive.

And:

Judge Ed Wilson entered the order after hearing arguments from Wilkes County officials, from the prosecutor and from The Humane Society of the U.S. that the dogs are dangerous and would pose a risk if adopted into homes.

Therefore, I'll assign blame for the destruction of those dogs as I see fit - at the feet of the HSUS.

2. "With approximately 600,000 pit bulls killed in shelters each year, why should fighting dogs, which obviously require more resources to manage and which pose an obvious threat to other animals, get placed in favor of other equally deserving pit bulls and other breeds slated for euthanasia?"

*raises hand and waves violently* [I SO know this one! I hope he calls on me.] No one is placing any dogs "in favor of" any other dogs and why is it the HSUS gets to decide who's more or less worthy of a chance at life in bust dog cases? I know this message is not getting through to you HSUS, but not everyone agrees with your assertions as stated above. Some people in fact, think it's malarkey. If YOU feel a bust dog is not a good match for YOU, then don't adopt one. But by the same token, don't advocate to get them all killed before someone else, who might feel differently than you about bust dogs, has a chance to rescue them. If there is the desire out there among rescue groups to save these dogs, what business is it of yours how those rescue groups spend their resources? Perhaps you are concerned that you will be proven wrong again, like you were about the Vick dogs. Speaking of which -

3. "While separate evaluations were not done, it is safe to say Faron’s dogs have been bred to produce animals with an unstoppable desire to fight, even in the face of extreme pain and fear. Professional dogfighters typically “cull” the dogs that don’t exhibit gameness or aggression, and only keep and breed the ones that exhibit the desired traits."

This is the same argument used by HSUS when advocating for the killing of the Vick dogs:

Pacelle said, "If the current set of facts is not disputed, that they were killing off the less aggressive animals and keeping alive the best, most aggressive fighters, then it does not make sense to keep these animals alive."

And that argument turned out to be wrong. And incorrect. And really quite off.

4. "There are tough choices to be made, and the only morally clear act is to attack the dogfighters where they live. We are the only national organization that has an entire unit devoted to this work on a national scale. That’s what we’ll continue to do."

Fine. Bring it. You keep seizing Pitbulls and advocating for their destruction and we'll keep the spotlight on your hypocrisy machine. It's the only "morally clear act".

What's So Great About Tossing Puppies in a Ditch?

Nothing, as far as the puppy dumping goes, but a lot as to how the story was reported here:

Suzanne Kratz said she didn't think much about seeing a man throw something out of the back of a red pickup truck, until she realized that his street litter was actually a litter of puppies.

[...]

"They feel like instead of bringing it to a shelter where they believe they'll get killed, they think dumping the animal off might be give the animal a chance," Thompson said.

[...]

"We know that we're all faced with hard times right now, and you know this person, maybe they were laid off from their job and couldn't afford to feed them, but there are plenty of people willing to foster," Kratz said.

This happened in Montgomery County, Texas which is close to Harris County, where 187 Pitbulls were "rescued" and then secretly killed by the rescuers late last year.  So one can imagine how local folks get the idea that turning dogs in to the animal shelter might be a death sentence.  I'm happy to see that mentioned in this article.  Shelters - take note!  Your community is aware of what you do and your actions affect how people handle their pets.

In addition, I'm glad the rescuer doesn't outright condemn the person who tossed the pups.  Yeah it's a horrible deed but she extends a compassionate hand of understanding while offering a little education.  That's the way to do it.

P.S. - Watch the video of the pups - they're dang cute!  (brief commercial at beginning of vid) 

Coalition Urges HSUS to Revise Policy on Dogs Seized in Fighting Busts

The "couple of individuals on the internet" just won't go away:

“We are disheartened and shocked that HSUS, a leader in the animal welfare community, would testify in court for the automatic destruction of puppies and dogs, who had not been given the opportunity to be evaluated as individuals, based on this policy. The Michael Vick dogs have proven how antiquated this approach is,” said Ledy VanKavage, an attorney with Best Friends Animal Society.

In 2006 HSUS advocated that all of the dogs from the Michael Vick dog fighting case be put down for the same reasons they used when recommending the killing of the Wilkes County pit bulls. In that case a federal court appointed a Special Master to oversee the evaluation of Vick’s dogs, all of which were adults. Many of the Vick dogs are now in adoptive homes, and at least two of the so-called “aggressive fighting dogs” are therapy dogs that visit hospitals to cheer up ailing patients.

“The coalition members and their supporters are urging HSUS to revaluate this policy and apply a more progressive approach that reflects the lessons learned by the animal welfare groups in the coalition, as well as other organizations that work directly with dogs,” VanKavage said.

Yeah, baby.

11 Pitbulls, 2 Rottweilers Seized in NC - UPDATED

*ding* Round Two in NC:

Tuesday, Gates County Sheriff Edward Webb seized 13 dogs under court order.

[...]

Thursday morning, WAVY.com was there when the dog owner, Jackie Parker, turned himself over to the Sheriff.

[...]

Parker appeared in court Thursday on one felony count of Dogfighting, 13 misdemeanor counts of Animal Cruelty and three counts of Not Properly Disposing of Animal Carcuses.

[...]

WAVY.com visited an animal shelter in Chowan County to see the dogs. Many have scars, appear weak from malnutrition, and one appears to have a broken leg.

I don't know what the intention is regarding the seized dogs yet but I know what the outcome often is.

Letters, faxes and phone calls requesting the dogs not be killed - be polite, be respectful:

County Attorney

Phillip P. Godwin, Jr.

Godwin & Godwin Attorneys at Law

110 Court Street

Gatesville, NC 27938

(252) 357-0438

Sheriff Edward E. Webb
202 Court Street
P.O. Box 154
Gatesville, NC 27938
Phone: (252) 357-0210
Fax: (252) 357-4131

Gates County Board of Commissioners

Henry Jordan, Chairman

Sunbury District

21 Cooper Road

Sunbury, NC 27979

Phone: 465-8161



Wade H. Askew, Commissioner

Eure District

216 White Oak Road

Eure, NC 27935

(252) 357-0992



Graham L. Twine, Jr., Commissioner

Hobbsville District

1428 Carters Rd.
Hobbsville, NC 27946

(252) 221-8378



Kenneth Jernigan, Vice Chairman

Gates District

387 Gatlington Road

Gates, NC 27937

(252) 357-1007



E. Carlton Nickens, Commissioner

Gatesville District

95 NC 37 South

Gatesville, NC 27938

(252) 357-0313

Will post more when I have it. So far, no word on the HSUS being involved which is good news. Law enforcement was apparently serving a civil warrant when they happened upon the suspected dogfighting operation so it doesn't sound like this is one of those HSUS orchestrated busts. In the meantime, the suspect is presumed innocent and in my opinion, should retain ownership of his dogs unless he decides to voluntarily sign them over to the County.

Update: A bit more info, from last night:

“Actually, it made me very sick to my stomach to have to deal with what we saw,” said Sheriff Edward Webb. “We actually found some dogs that had been, appeared to have been, burned. We found, actually, an old barn with blood on the walls and so forth. We found down, had carpet in it with blood stains where they had been fighting ‘em in almost like a pit.”

Also from last night, some specifics on the dogs:

Now, all thirteen dogs are fighting to stay alive at the Tri-county animal shelter. Animal control Officer Lacey Wilkins says most have scratches and cuts all over their bodies. One dog was so malnourished that it doesn't have enough skin on his back.

"These red marks... are actually from his hip bones protruding out of his back," Wilkins says."They were living off peanut butter mixed with dog food. Peanut butter is not enough to sustain a dog."

Wilkins says the dogs are just happy now to have a roof over their head and access to clean water and food.
[...]
The Sheriff's Office says they will probably stay at the shelter for the next six to eight months, even though the shelter is at capacity.

Animal control says it's up to veterinarians to decide if these dogs can be saved or if they are too vicious and will have to be put down.

Pants on Fire

John Goodwin of the HSUS on why the Wilkes Co dogs had to die even though the Vick dogs proved that bust dogs could be evaluated and placed with rescue groups accordingly:

Those particular fighting dogs in Wilkes County, NC were very, very different than the Vick dogs. Whereas Michael Vick was a pro football player that fought dogs as a hobby, the breeder of these dogs was a globally recognized professional dogfighter. Vick was not a good breeder, and he lost most of his fights. His dogs were a poor representation of true fighting dogs.

John Goodwin, meet Wayne Pacelle, your boss at the HSUS.  He was on record quite a bit when the Vick dogs were seized, calling for their destruction:

Pacelle said, "If the current set of facts is not disputed, that they were killing off the less aggressive animals and keeping alive the best, most aggressive fighters, then it does not make sense to keep these animals alive."

Indeed, that set of facts was not disputed.  Not even by Mr. Goodwin himself:

John Goodwin of the Humane Society said the manner in which losing or unwilling dogs were killed was especially troubling.

Pacelle made the media rounds, advocating for the death of the Vick dogs:

"Officials from our organization have examined some of these dogs and, generally speaking, they are some of the most aggressively trained pit bulls in the country," Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "Hundreds of thousands of less-violent pit bulls, who are better candidates to be rehabilitated, are being put down. The fate of these dogs will be up to the government, but we have recommended to them, and believe, they will be eventually put down."

Pacelle said the Humane Society normally advocated that fighting dogs be put down shortly after being seized.

So which is it HSUS?  Was Vick some wannabe dog fighter whose dogs just didn't have it in them to fight?  Or were his dogs violent killing machines programmed to destroy?  It seems like you want to characterize them as the latter when trying to justify why they should be killed but as the former when you've been proven wrong and want to justify why another group of bust dogs should be killed.

Some things just don't go together.  Like Humane and Society when talking about the need for immediate, secretive killing of bust dogs while simultaneously using them to raise cash.  Every dog deserves a fair evaluation.

You Can't Fool Mother Nature (or Mother Nurture)

John Goodwin of the HSUS on why the Wilkes Co Pitbulls, including 19 newborn pups, needed to be summarily killed:

Goodwin said that the dogs have been bred for fighting and it would very difficult and expensive to re-train the dogs, even the puppies, so that they could be adopted.

When I consider this, along with the plethora of similar generalized statements made by Goodwin and the HSUS regarding bust dogs, I realize this is in fact rilly big news that's slipped under the radar all this time. So listen up:

Stockdog breeders, good news for you! All you have to do to breed a good working pup is to take two decent stockdogs and breed them together. Bam - you've got a guaran-damn-teed litter of solid working pups. It's easy as pie! In fact, unless you have extensive training and financial resources, it will be just about impossible to get any of these pups NOT to work stock so they could just live as someone's pet. It's been bred into them and that's that. If they're bred for work, they're a-gonna work and there ain't no stoppin' 'em. Now you know.

Same goes for you breeders of service dogs, bird dogs, working terriers - even breeders of companion dogs. This is great news for Chihuahua breeders - just take 2 Chihuahuas that don't bite and have been trained to have good house manners, breed them together and you'll get a litter of sweet, well mannered pet pups that will be trustworthy around kids for life!

It's just so simple, now that we know the innate personality traits and the learned behaviors of the parents are absolutely transferred - by magic like - to the pups. And those traits are so dyed-in-the-fur that you couldn't realistically expect to mold them - even if'n ya tries.

To think, all these years breeders have been laboring under the many "misleading claims" that each dog is an individual and the behavioral traits of the parents are not necessarily 100% reflective of the temperament you'll find in the pups. How much time has been wasted focusing on environment, socialization, early experiences, training and the human-canine bond in order to shape desired behavior in dogs. Many of us were under the impression that behavior and genetics were complex issues with all sorts of potential variables involved. I blame the internet - it teached us wrong!

"These dogs would most certainly kill any other dog they could get to."

Here's John Goodwin's (HSUS 'dogfighting czar' *blech*) response to the Wilkes County Pitbull killings.  It's being posted around the net as pet lovers are still reeling from the events of yesterday:

Those particular fighting dogs in Wilkes County, NC were very, very different than the Vick dogs. Whereas Michael Vick was a pro football player that fought dogs as a hobby, the breeder of these dogs was a globally recognized professional dogfighter. Vick was not a good breeder, and he lost most of his fights. His dogs were a poor representation of true fighting dogs. With the Wilkes County dogs, even the puppies as young as 8 weeks of age where attacking each other and drawing blood. We had to buy new cages to separate litters of young pups.

With the Vick dogs it cost nearly $1 million to “rehab” 49 dogs, and still half of them are in solitary kennel runs, unable to socialize with other dogs. In this case there were 127 dogs, and they are far more aggressive than the Vick dogs. 

The “misleading claims” have come from a couple of individuals that never saw these dogs, and choose to throw stones on the internet. I saw these dogs, and in fact handled many of them while they were being evaluated. These dogs would most certainly kill any other dog they could get to. 

It is very sad that people are also missing the bigger story, that our work has shut down one of the top breeders of fighting dogs in the United States. Dogfighters are seeing their hero’s go to prison. This is having an effect, and many dogfighters are leaving that world behind as they recognize the cost of doing business is too great. HSUS is the only organization in the United States that has an entire campaign that works full time on animal fighting issues. 

I support pit bull rescue, but there has to be a group that goes farther and hits at the root of the problem. That is what we are doing by putting leaders in the dogfighting criminal underworld out of business. 

Lastly, Wilkes County euthanizes 3,000 healthy, adoptable animals a year simply because there are not enough good homes opening their doors to these needy animals. I find it disturbing that the groups clamoring for media attention over these 127 dogs raise no fuss, and offer no assistance, for the other 3,000 dogs put down in that county each year. 

Sincerely,


John Goodwin
Manager, Animal Fighting Issues
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L St. NW
Washington, DC 20037
301-258-3156

I'm apparently one of those "couple of individuals" making "misleading claims" and throwing stones on the internet.  Boo hoo, doncha just hate that Freedom of Speech thingy?  While I take issue with like, every single sentence in this letter, I'm going to focus on this one part:

I support pit bull rescue, but there has to be a group that goes farther and hits at the root of the problem. 

Number One:  With 'supporters' like you, pitbull rescue don't need no enemies, you know what I'm saying?  Could you go 'support' something else please?  Preferably something already dead.  Number Two:  HSUS is the 'group that goes farther'?  Really?  HSUS is the group that advocates for killing all bust dogs without individual evaluations by qualified behaviorists.  Is that getting to 'the root of the problem'?  To me, that's just compounding the problem by misleading the public and killing unevaluated dogs.  Every dog deserves a fair evaluation.  

For more "couple of individuals" and their "misleading claims", visit Lassie, Get Help. 

Wilkes County NC Kills Puppies, Adult Dogs

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

Wilkes County Animal Control began this morning to euthanize more than 127 pit bulls associated with Wildside Kennels, an operation that bred fighting dogs, according to county officials. The county was carrying out a judge's order from Monday.
[...]
The dogs should all be euthanized by the end of today, county officials said. The exact number of dogs is still unclear because several litters of puppies had been born since the raid.

Barring an unexpected about-face by Wilkes Co, I'm assuming all the dogs are dead now. I'm assuming they killed all the adult dogs, who had no known history of biting, without so much as one evaluation by a qualified behaviorist. I'm assuming all the baby puppies, born in the past couple months, were taken from their dams, and killed. And I'm assuming all the bigger pups, who were seized in the original raid, who never got to grow into their big paws or figure out their floppy ears or have someone tell them to sit their waggy butt down if they want a cookie - I'm assuming they've all been killed too.

Since I'm speculating, I'll go ahead and guess that the HSUS folks are clinking their glasses tonight as they celebrate their latest success - this one currently being exhibited at the Wilkes County landfill. Humane FAIL.

Added:  Bringing up from the comment by EmilyS:  http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/17/pit-bulls-destroyed/  So apparently 19 of the dogs killed were newborn pups, still nursing from their dams.  At least now we have a number.

Action Alert for Seized Dogs in Wilkes County, NC

Ok this is admittedly a Hail Mary with no timeouts left and 6 seconds on the clock but hey, what the heck. Sometimes those things actually work! If you have been following the case of the Wilkes County Pitbulls on this blog, you know I've been asking you to write letters requesting authorities to consider turning the dogs over to rescue groups. Well now that a judge has ordered all seized dogs and pups killed, the need for action is urgent. The dogs may already be dead, I don't know and haven't been able to find out, but just in case they aren't, please fax or phone the contacts below and voice your concern for the dogs. Remind authorities that Best Friends and others have offered to accept responsibility for the dogs and that they have a proven track record with bust dogs. Remind them that the state of NC allows for the adoption of dogs seized in fight cases. Let them know you've been following this case and you are hoping to hear an update about the dogs. Be polite and respectful. Do it now.

Wilkes County Board of Commissioners
110 North Street
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-651-7346

Wilkes County Attorney Tony Triplett
Vannoy, Colvard, Triplett & Vannoy
922 C Street
P.O. Box 1388
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Phone: 336-667-7201
Fax: 336-838-7250
E-mail: ttriplett@vannoylaw.com

District Attorney Fred Bauer
500 Courthouse Drive Suite 2022
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-667-6361 or 667-2994

HSUS and the Ongoing Campaign to Kill "Rescued" Bust Dogs

HSUS in their own words:

The results of dogfighting are heartbreaking, and it can be difficult to reject the pleas of potential adopters who have fallen in love with a seemingly friendly ex-fighter; to prevent such heartbreak, sheltered fighting dogs should be kept out of sight of the public.

Yes, hide the dogs - don't let the community know that there are potentially adoptable dogs sitting on your shelter's Death Row, waiting for their turn with the catch pole and the blue needle.

Unfortunately, euthanasia is the only responsible option for almost every animal rescued from this brutal bloodsport.

Almost every animal? Gorsh HSUS, don't be so modest - you work to get every single animal "rescued" from dogfighting operations killed. Like you did in Louisiana. Like you did yesterday in North Carolina. Oh but before the dogs are killed, take a photo for the website so you can ask for money to help protect them from abuse.

Once dogs have been bred and trained to fight, they may become dangerous at any time in the future, killing or injuring another dog, cat, or even human. The cruel training inflicted upon these animals makes them unpredictable—and unsuitable for placement into new homes.

Understandably, dog lovers who aren't aware of the sad facts of dogfighting may want to make up for the dogs' tragic existence by taking them in and providing them with a better life. The best way to counteract public pressure from these well-meaning folks is to do a little educating. Help people understand that while these animals may seem friendly, all too often they are ticking time bombs.

Oh yes, please educate me HSUS. For example, what should have been done with the dogs seized from Michael Vick?

The Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recommended that Mr. Vick’s dogs be euthanized, but many animal rescue organizations urged the prosecutors to let the dogs live.

So who was right? Have any of the ticking time bombs gone off yet? How many cancer patients has Leo mauled so far? Now HSUS, don't you feel ashamed?

HSUS, we are a compassionate nation of people who love pets and reserve euthanasia as a last resort for animals who are hopelessly suffering or deemed a danger to people by a qualified individual. Join us.

Update: News Release calling for common sense in the Wilkes Co, NC case.

Third Defendant in NC Pleads Guilty, All Dogs Ordered Killed

I posted on February 14 that the only thing keeping the 127 seized Pitbulls (plus newborn litters of pups) alive was that they were being held as evidence in the case of the third defendant in the dogfighting prosecution. Today, that case was closed:

Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25, the third and final defendant in the case, pleaded guilty this morning to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals.

Authorities wasted no time in seeking a judge's order to kill all the dogs:

A Superior Court judge this morning ordered that 127 pit bulls seized in a raid of a breeder of fighting dogs should be euthanized.

Who to thank for this travesty?

Judge Ed Wilson entered the order after hearing arguments from Wilkes County officials, from the prosecutor and from The Humane Society of the U.S. that the dogs are dangerous and would pose a risk if adopted into homes. [emphasis=mine]

I don't know anyone who donates money to Wilkes County authorities but I do know that lots of people donate to the HSUS, thinking they are helping animals. Ain't that a damn shame?

I would cry, if I was a cryer. I'm not so I'll just say a prayer instead:

As long as space remains,
As long as sentient beings remain,
Until then, may I too remain,
And dispel the miseries of the world.

State of NC Allows for Adoption of Seized Dogs

The 127 Pitbulls seized in Wilkes County, NC (and their many newborn pups) do not have to be killed by law even though John Goodwin of the HSUS says so. And even though Wilkes Animal Control Director Junior Simmons says so.

The state of North Carolina says different. Scroll down to nearly the bottom of this page to Article 6. Animal Subject to Illegal Treatment, (d):

In the event of forfeiture, the animal shelter may determine whether the animal is suitable for adoption and whether adoption can be arranged for the animal. The animal may not be adopted by the defendant or by any person residing in the defendant's household. If the adopted animal is a dog used for fighting, the animal shelter shall notify any persons adopting the dog of the liability provisions for owners of dangerous dogs under Article 1A of Chapter 67 of the General Statutes. [emphasis=mine]

Best Friends still has an offer on the table for Wilkes County authorities:

Ledy VanKavage, Best Friends Senior Legal Analyst, has been in touch with North Carolina County Attorney Tony Triplett and Animal Control Director, Junior Simmons, to offer help and discuss alternatives to euthanasia. Best Friends is willing to send a certified applied behaviorist out to evaluate the dogs and puppies. Of those who do well, Best Friends will fund their sterilization and transportation to responsible rescue groups.

They've also got an action item:

Please contact each of the following individuals and respectfully ask them to accept Best Friends' offer to arrange for behavior evaluations of the dogs, assistance with spay/neuter surgeries and placement of dogs that pass a stringent behavior evaluation.

Wilkes County Board of Commissioners
110 North Street
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-651-7346

Wilkes County Attorney Tony Triplett
Vannoy, Colvard, Triplett & Vannoy
922 C Street
P.O. Box 1388
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Phone: 336-667-7201
Fax: 336-838-7250
E-mail: ttriplett@vannoylaw.com

District Attorney Tom Horner
500 Courthouse Drive Suite 2022
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-667-6361or 667-2994

If you are a Wilkes County resident, please attend the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 pm. Voice your concern, politely and respectfully, for the seized dogs and mention the NC state law allowing for adoption of these dogs. Remind the Board that every dog deserves a fair evaluation.

Write, fax, call. If you need assistance with composing a letter, let me know. I will help.

H/T BAD-RAP.

Recipe: Big Breakfast Bars

I adapted this recipe from one I came across in Ann Martin's book Protect Your Pet. The original recipe can be found here.

Breakfast Bars

8 eggs
3/4 Cup olive oil
2/3 Cup honey
1/2 Cup molasses (blackstrap, if you can get it)
2 Cups milk
29 oz can pumpkin
12 Cups oats
2 Cups whole wheat flour
1 Cup flax meal
1 Cup wheat germ

In a gigantic-humongous bowl, whisk the eggs and add in the remaining wet ingredients, mixing well with super-duper spoon. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Wipe sweat from brow and then get the contents of the bowl onto two greased cookie sheets (of the large-marge variety). Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes. Run through with pizza cutter to create desired sized bars and return to oven (with heat off) for several hours or overnight. Can be served as a breakfast, maybe with a glop of yogurt and/or a hard boiled egg, or used as a treat.

Yield: A lot

Name That Animal

Happy Valentine's Day to All Creatures, Great and Small

Guilty Pleas in NC Dogfighting Case, Action Needed to Save Dogs

The owner of the 127 Pitbulls seized in Wilkes County, NC in December did not meet a January 15 deadline to pay a $53,000 ransom boarding fee imposed by authorities and therefore forfeited rights to his dogs. At that point, the dogs became the property of the county:

If the dogs' owner is found guilty, the dogs that were seized will be euthanized, county officials said.

The owner and his son have now pleaded guilty to felony dogfighting charges. Both have been sentenced but a third defendant in the case (Amanda Lunsford) is still waiting for a hearing. It is possibly the only thing keeping the seized dogs (and the many litters of pups born since) alive at this point:

Any decision about what to do with the dogs will be made after Ms. Lunsford’s case is resolved, Wilkes County Attorney Tony Triplett said this morning.

Best Friends still has an offer on the table for Wilkes County authorities:

Ledy VanKavage, Best Friends Senior Legal Analyst, has been in touch with North Carolina County Attorney Tony Triplett and Animal Control Director, Junior Simmons, to offer help and discuss alternatives to euthanasia. Best Friends is willing to send a certified applied behaviorist out to evaluate the dogs and puppies. Of those who do well, Best Friends will fund their sterilization and transportation to responsible rescue groups.

They've also got an action item:

Please contact each of the following individuals and respectfully ask them to accept Best Friends' offer to arrange for behavior evaluations of the dogs, assistance with spay/neuter surgeries and placement of dogs that pass a stringent behavior evaluation.

Wilkes County Board of Commissioners
110 North Street
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-651-7346

Wilkes County Attorney Tony Triplett
Vannoy, Colvard, Triplett & Vannoy
922 C Street
P.O. Box 1388
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Phone: 336-667-7201
Fax: 336-838-7250
E-mail: ttriplett@vannoylaw.com

District Attorney Tom Horner
500 Courthouse Drive Suite 2022
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-667-6361or 667-2994

If you are a Wilkes County resident, please attend the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 pm. Voice your concern, politely and respectfully, for the seized dogs and regarding the law requiring them to be killed. Remind the Board that every dog deserves a fair evaluation.

SC No Kill Shelter Goes the Extra Mile for Seniors

I just love this. Old dogs are my favorite. (And I don't mind old cats or humans either.) That's why I was so excited to learn about a program at the Animal Protection League (APL) in Hopkins, SC called Senior Pets for Senior People. The idea is to help in getting senior pets out of the shelter (they are often passed over for younger animals) and into homes with pet loving senior citizens who might be hesitant to take on a pet due to age or health considerations. Studies have shown many physical and emotional health benefits for senior citizens who own pets. Here's how the program works:

• Anyone over 62 years old who is interested in having a companion dog or cat can contact the APL and explain what type of pet he or she is looking for. The APL will carefully screen available older pets for a good match and bring the pet out to meet the senior at his or her convenience and WITH NO OBLIGATION.

• If the senior and the pet are happy with each other, the senior can adopt the pet (in essence, entering into a long-term foster agreement) AT NO CHARGE! (In some instances, the APL will even pay for the pet's food and medical care for individuals who are financially unable to do so.)

• The APL will appoint a liaison to stay in contact with the senior and to provide assistance as needed. This liaison will provide assistance getting the pet to a veterinarian, if need be, and will monitor the relationship to ensure that both the senior and the pet continue to benefit from the relationship.

• If, one day, the senior can no longer care for the animal, the APL will take the cat or dog back and work to place the pet in another loving home. In fact, the APL will resume care of the pet if at any time, for any reason, the relationship ceases to be mutually beneficial.

This is what I call a win-win situation! Adopted pets come with an "In Case of Emergency" poster with instructions for how to care for the pet: "If I am incapacitated or compromised in such a way that I cannot care for my pet, please immediately notify or return my pet to Animal Protection League".

Here are a couple pets currently available in the Seniors for Seniors program at the APL:


From the APL newsletter:

Ozzie is approximately 13 years old and has lived at the APL shelter since 1999—an entire decade! He doesn't show his age, though, and loves running and playing in the exercise area. Ozzie ignores cats and other dogs, but he gets a little nervous during thunderstorms. If you know of anyone looking for a faithful companion, please tell him or her about sweet Ozzie.

From the APL newsletter:

Caris is a beautiful Bengal cat who loves to chase laser pointers! We think that she hasn't been adopted yet because she becomes very shy when faced with a new environment. Caris needs a patient person to give her lots of time to adjust to a new home. She doesn't like being picked up but loves attention from the shelter staff.

I don't like being picked up either Caris. All paws crossed that these two find loving homes for their twilight years.

Related:

Pet Ownership and the Elderly
Seniors Who Adopt Senior Pets Often Stay in Better Shape
Dog Owners Visit the Doctor Less
How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress

Is Purebred Dog Breeding a Major Welfare Concern?

Terrierman has a post on a new report, commissioned by the RSPCA, on the health of pedigree dogs in the UK. Links to the summary report and the full 76 page report are at the end. Excerpt:

To date, breeding practices and efforts by breed societies and kennel clubs have been ineffective at protecting the welfare of many breeds of domestic dog. Therefore, to safeguard the future of pedigree dogs, changes in breeding practice are urgently required, and for some breeds more drastic measures will be needed.

Worth reading when you have some quiet time to devote to it.

Fid-o-ler on the Roof

Apparently they get a lot of snow over there in North Dakota:

"Just when you think you've seen it all," [animal control officer] Schnell laughed later Tuesday.

Apparently, the snow in the back yard is high enough to where the dog can basically walk right up onto the roof, Schnell said.

Treats on the Internets

The No Kill Nation has a nice piece up called "The Power of One":

Sometimes it just takes one person to stand up and say something. In Union County South Carolina that one person is Robert Small.

When Mr. Small went to the local shelter to adopt a dog for his family, what he saw caused him to be so upset he left … only to come back with his camera.

Read the rest and watch the video Mr. Small shot.

***

Check out the rookie cop in Chicago.

***

Lassie, Get Help posts about a prestigious award PETA has received from the American Language Association.

***

Loch Ness Monster or dead flatfish? You decide.

***

The Poodle and Dog Blog shares news of a positive ID made on the (in)famous shoplifting dog.

Dinner at Chez Dog

A simple meal of leftover salad fixins (put through the food processor), rice and chicken. Add oil and calcium, serve quickly before too much dog drool pools on floor.

More on Palin's Aerial Wolf Assault

In response to peeps who like to run their mouths when they don't know what they're talkin' 'bout, I've got a few tidbits to add on the Ashley Judd vid I posted yesterday.

1.  Ashley Judd is not a PETA spokesman as far as I know.  She does do a lot of charity work but to my knowledge, she is not on board with PETA.  That said, I don't follow celebrity PETA endorsers all that closely so can't say I know every star PETA has roped into their foolishness.  For the sake of argument, let me say this:  Even if Ashley Judd is affiliated with PETA, I am supporting her position on the wolf aerial assault issue.  Yes I detest PETA's pet extermination agenda and I do not support them in any way.  That doesn't mean I disagree with every single thing they do.  For example, they offer spay-neuter services to those owners who want it but that doesn't mean I have to oppose spay-neuter just because PETA offers it.  I like to think I'm a leetle smarter than that.  I can strongly disagree with PETA's motivation for offering those services but still support the practice in a general sense.

2.  The video posted is Ashley Judd speaking on behalf of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.  To my knowledge, that group is not affiliated with PETA but my same view applies:  I support their position on the aerial wolf assault, even if I may not support their positions on other issues.  I don't know much about them to be honest so I may think they're the nazz overall or maybe they suck overall - not making time to investigate right now.  

They do have a political disclaimer on their website which states "Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee" and I take them at their word unless it is proven otherwise.

3.  The reason the wolves are being killed is not to prevent them from starving to death due to overpopulation.  Quite the opposite actually.  The wolves eat big game such as elk, moose and caribou which attract wealthy hunters from out of state and brings in revenue for Alaska.  In order to have more big game available for rich people to spend their money hunting in Alaska, the state government decided to take out some of the natural predators - wolves.  At least that's the idea they're touting.  Many remain unconvinced (article from Sept. 2008):

A raft of scientists has argued that Palin has provided little evidence that the current program of systematically killing wolves, estimated at a population of 7,000 to 11,000, will result in more moose for hunters. State estimates of moose populations have come under scrutiny. Some wildlife biologists say predator control advocates don't even understand what wolves eat.

[...]

Last year, 172 scientists signed a letter to Palin, expressing concern about the lack of science behind the state's wolf-killing operation. According to the scientists, state officials set population objectives for moose and caribou based on "unattainable, unsustainable historically high populations." As a result, the "inadequately designed predator control programs" threatened the long-term health of both the ungulate and wolf populations. The scientists concluded with a plea to Palin to consider the conservation of wolves and bears "on an equal basis with the goal of producing more ungulates for hunters." 

Apparently Palin wasn't fazed. Earlier this year she introduced state legislation that would further divorce the predator-control program from science. The legislation would transfer authority over the program from the state Department of Fish and Game to Alaska's Board of Game, whose members are appointed by, well, Palin. Even some hunters were astounded by her power play. 

The legislation would give Palin's board "more leeway without any scientific input to do whatever the hell they basically wanted," Mark Richards, co-chair of Alaska Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, wrote in an e-mail. The legislation is currently stalled in the Alaska state Senate. 

4.  Lastly, I say again - This is not hunting.  It violates the reasonable hunter's ethic of fair chase.  I am not against hunting but this ain't that.

I Copied Offa SmartDogs' Paper

A little "beet poetry" comprised of search terms resulting in visits to YesBiscuit! this weekend:

yes bisquit blog
nrc aafco
beneful peanut butter
orijen cat death paralysis
beets ok for dogs
solid gold dog food for pitbull

free sheltered dogs
Ernestine Haselden asks for ban
pitbull news 2009
peta against pit bull

1300 hundred products affected by bad peanuts
what happened to houston
what are my constitutional rights of owning a pet
is soy meal in dog food ok?
blogspot de biscuit


H/T to SmartDogs for the idea.

This is Not Hunting

Apparently some people don't get that.

(Warning: graphic content)

Update:  Additional post on the subject here.

Dare Co, NC Alert and New Article on Vick Dogs

Dare County, NC considers BSL:

The recent murder of a pet by two pit bulls has drawn the attention of both state and county leaders.

The dogs responsible for the attack were euthanized on Jan. 30 after the owner gave permission to the Dare County SPCA to do so.

Following the Jan. 19 attack on Jazz, a labrador belonging to Mark and Diane Kent of Poor Ridge Road in Kitty Hawk, the animals were returned to their owner, Nikki Canady, pending a $25 fine per dog. Denise Lambiotte, director of the animal shelter, noted the county's ordinances did not give authority to the SPCA to either keep or euthanize the animals.

Kitty Hawk Police Department issued a leash law violation to Canady the day of the attack, but also was unable to detain the animals. Police Chief David Ward, concerned about the danger posed to the residential neighborhood, worked with District Attorney Frank Parrish to have the dogs seized after their initial release. The motion was granted Jan. 23, and the SPCA planned to impound the dogs until Canady's court date March 24.

The initial lack of legal authority to hold the dogs outraged the community and caused concerns for lawmakers, including NC Sen. Pro Tem Marc Basnight of Manteo.
[...]
The incident also sparked discussion during the Dare County Board of Commissioners Feb. 2 meeting. During public comment, several responses were heard, all in favor of strengthening the county's dog ordinances.
[...]
"This was a home invasion and a murder, I'm for banning this type of dog and others like it," said Chairman Warren Judge.
[...]
The ordinances will be discussed at the boards Feb. 16 meeting.

Am I the only one thinking that dogs don't commit "murder"? What up with the inflammatory language Dare County? This case involves dog-dog aggression, failure of owners to properly confine their dogs and failure to enforce existing confinement laws. If Dare County is unable or unwilling to enforce the pet laws already on the books, why would we want to toss more laws on to the pile? And bad laws at that. Stop BSL has all the contact info so you can take action.

***

The AP has a nice follow up article on how the Vick dogs at Best Friends are doing today:

Half the Vick dogs adapted well enough to other dogs that they’re allowed to have playmates.

The others are being slowly introduced to other dogs.

They’re all being prepared for their Canine Good Citizen tests — a 10-step exam that measures things such as the ability to mingle with other dogs, deal with strangers and behave on a leash.

[...]

When Vick’s dogs were first seized, the courts received advice from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals and other humane societies, which said the animals should be euthanized because their chances of living normal lives outside a shelter or sanctuary were minimal.

Oops. Here, let me wipe that egg substitute product off your face PETA.

Yeah but, No

PETA is never one to miss an opportunity for free publicity in their efforts to stuff more money into their mattresses and kill more animals solve society's problems:

In the wake of a savage attack on an 8-month-old boy by a pit bull terrier in Newport News this week, Daphna Nachminovitch of PETA outlined the organization's "controversial" position on pit bulls.

PETA supports legislation that bans the breeding of pit bulls, along with spaying and neutering legislation as the most effective way to combat the "tragic companion animal overpopulation problem."

*screeching brakes* We have no pet overpopulation problem. Nathan Winograd has definitively debunked that myth. We have a failure to get enough shelter pets into homes. Groups like PETA and HSUS share in the blame on that issue. But it is a solvable problem. We are a no-kill nation. Join us.

Back to PETA nonsense:

Although the pit bull that attacked a child at a baby sitter's home on Barclay Road in Newport News was neutered, PETA's position is about more than behavior. Taken to its logical conclusion, it would lead to the phasing out of a breed.

Right. The phasing out of a breed of beloved pets for many families in this country. Of course this fits right in with PETA's pet extermination plan (kill as many pets as possible, prevent the rest from reproducing) but it certainly doesn't fit in with the average pet owning American's civil liberties and Constitutional rights. But hey, don't let that stop you:

PETA argues the breeding ban would save a lot of canines from suffering.

Actually, what would save a lot of dogs from suffering death by lethal injection is to steer clear of PETA's slaughterhouse shelter.

More from the article:

PETA wouldn't be true to form if its position wasn't controversial. But maybe these proposals are worth further consideration.

Although all dogs are capable of biting a child, it goes without saying that the injuries inflicted by a pit bull will usually be worse than those inflicted by a Chihuahua.

M'kaaaaaaaaaaay. By this logic, I guess we could say that injuries inflicted by a hockey stick will usually be worse than those inflicted by a soccer ball. So, ban hockey? Methinks the author misses the point here. It is certainly tragic that this infant was mauled by a dog while in the care of a babysitter. The breed of dog is about as relevant as the color of the babysitter's skin. What we have here is a failure of a babysitter to properly care for a baby.

Sadly, just two days later in Newport News, a baby died while in the care of a babysitter - this time being choked to death by the chest strap of a car seat. So what do we do now? Ban babysitters? Ban car seats? Ban Newport News because two tragic incidents occurred there this week? If those suggestions sound ridiculous because they wouldn't address the real issues or solve any problems, then welcome to my world. Because that's exactly what I think about Pitbull bans.

As for PETA, do us all a favor and stick to what you know. *crickets*

Animals: I Luv Dem

I rather enjoy pieces of the "Then and Now" genre and came across this one on the human-animal bond. I thought some of you might enjoy it too. Here's a snippet:

One hundred years, we used to speak of 'breaking' horses to being ridden by a person. Today we speak of 'gentling' horses to being handled and ridden by people who consider horses as companions. In the last 20 years, a veterinarian, Dr. Robert Miller, has helped to change the horse industry by demonstrating that imprint training of a foal in the first several hours and days after birth can increase lifelong gentle responsive behavior of horses to people and environmental stimuli. Today, with scientific understanding of natural behavior, we are seeing a revolution among horse trainers to accept kinder, gentler methods to manage behavior of horses.

Today we have multinational and multicultural recognition of the mutual benefits of the human animal bond to health and spirit. Animals offer companionship—someone to talk to who will not criticize. They are living responding beings to touch or hug with emotion. Animals keep us alert and help fulfill our need to nurture and comfort others.

***

Image: Hama, a Jindo dog in Korea who learned to perform Buddhist prayer rituals alongside monks. The temple is home to dozens of stray dogs.

For more info on the Jindo Dog, aka National Treasure #53 of the South Korean Government (!), clicky.

With Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Oh Peanut Butter Product Recall, how do I consider thee similar to the 2007 Pet Food Recall? Let me count the ways:

1. We now know that such diverse brands as Little Debbie, Keebler, Nutri System and Kashi all use the same ingredients (at least as far as peanut butter goes, maybe more). But wait a minute here - I thought if I paid more, I was getting a higher quality product? *sounds buzzer* Sorry, thanks for playing.

2. You can check a product’s website one day and it has an announcement reassuring consumers that their foods are safe. But the next day: recall! Are we supposed to believe the company didn’t know they were using the contaminated peanut butter from the mildew plant yesterday? Come on!

3. If you ask a company why only certain lots are being recalled (when presumably the other lots contain the same ingredients, at least they say so on the label) and if they’ve switched peanut butter vendors, they can’t give out specifics - it’s "proprietary info".

4. Non-PB products that were processed on the same equipment as the recalled products now have to be recalled due to cross-contamination because apparently they don’t clean the lines between runs!

5. The Salmonella/Mildew peanut processing plant “lab shopped” until it got the “right” results on its food safety tests. Those records only have to be made available to the FDA after people start dying from their greedy scheme.

Gee, PB recall and 2007 Pet Food Recall - you guys are like twins. Let's hope there isn't a triplet happening out there right now which we will only be made aware of after people start dying.



Related:

• Science Friday discussed the sad state of affairs at the FDA as part of the show today.
• Owner who fed his dog PB crackers and then the dog died
• FDA does basically nada about Salmonella tainted pet food

MSN Links

A few examples of bad results for pets after mandatory spay-neuter (MSN) has been enacted:

CA:

Los Angeles - first year stats under MSN (more analysis of L.A.'s failure here)

San Mateo County

WA:

King County



Comparisons between MSN areas and non-MSN areas in CA:

Lake County has the highest kill rate in the state

Santa Cruz County kills significantly more pets than neighboring counties without MSN



Additional reading:

Why Punitive Legislation Fails (pdf) from No Kill Advocacy Center

MSN Fails to Reach Most Intact Cats (pdf) from Alley Cat Allies

One Person Requests BSL in Florence Co, SC

Dear Hand of Fate,

Please don't let me end up being a crackpot old lady who shakes her cane at the town council, whining things like, "There outta be a law!" while dragging my pantyhose around my ankles and pinning together the neckline of my chicken print dress because the top button just isn't high enough for me. Not that I know anyone like that. I'm just sayin'.

Ernestine Haselden, who lives on Railroad Avenue, said the person who lives behind her has four or five “pit bull-type dogs” who charge at her fence “just as hard as they can to get to me.”

She asked council members to consider an ordinance that would ban pit bull-type dogs as well as any other breeds they see fit. She said that if any pets are grandfathered in, the owners should have to hold a $100,000 liability insurance policy on the animals.

Most people living around her are elderly, she said.

“We should be able to live our last years in some sort of peace and tranquility in our own yards, not bothering anybody else,” she said.

Where to begin. OK, in whose judgment are these "four or five" dogs deemed pitbull types? (Sub-question: What is a pitbull type dog?) Can you please describe exactly what you mean when you say they are charging the fence and how is it you've determined they are trying to "get to" you? Could it possibly be that these dogs are just saying hello or even welcoming you home? Or perhaps they are guarding their property perimeter and warning you to stay out of their yard? (btw, they used to have a name for those type of dogs - I think they called them GOOD.)

Moving right along, why ask the town council to ban the entire, albeit unspecified, breed? Are these 4 or 5 dogs representative of some conspiracy? Do you think their brethren might be out there somewhere, perhaps in their own fenced yards, working on The Master Plan? And since we're banning indiscriminatorily, I guess we might as well throw in "any other breeds they see fit". I mean heck, why not, you don't want to have to break out the Banning Wand twice in one lifetime.

I got bit by a dog when I was a kid. It was a white German Shepherd - or maybe I should say "German Shepherd type" (I wanna show the council that I'm hip to crackpot old lady lingo). So obviously all those Shepherd types should be banned. My high school friend's dog always barked at me when I came over to visit. She was a mixed breed. We should prolly ban those types too. There were three Pomeranian types who used to chase me and grab onto my pants legs when I lived in a duplex. Ban. Oh and there's a big dog who gives me a funny look when I drive past him every morning on the way to work. I don't know what kind he is but let's add him to the list. Because I really think that I should be able to drive to work in some kind of peace which obviously I can not achieve with some dog looking at me every morning.

This has got me thinking: Maybe we should ban the owners of these type dogs too. What right does anyone have to keep a pet in their own fenced yard when that dog is free to give me any old look it pleases just because I happen to pass by on my morning commute? This nonsense has got to stop! There outta be a law!

Town of Scranton, SC:

Address: 1818 US Highway 52

P. O. Box 279

Scranton, SC 29591

Telephone: 843-389-2222

Fax: 843-389-0636

Scranton's elected officials:
Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Knotts and Council Members


Florence County Council Chairman K.G. “Rusty” Smith:
Phone: 843-210-7368
Address: P. O. Box 369, Lake City, SC 29560

If you are a resident of Florence County and you want to appear before the council, ya hafta ask in advance:

The written request should be sent to Connie Y. Haselden, Clerk to County Council, 180 N. Irby St., MSC-G, Florence, SC 29501. The request can also be emailed to clerktocouncil@florenceco.org or faxed to (843) 665-3042.

By gosh by golly - that last name looks familiar...

Seriously folks, I don't know a single soul involved in these shenanigans but this good ol' boy Southern tradition thang ain't funny. We're not backwards people here in South Carolina. Most of us are normal, compassionate folks who love pets and love our property rights. Most of us don't harass our neighbors or threaten them with the Law of Nepotism. We just never seem to make the national news. Now's our chance. Let's answer one person's request for a bad law that has been proven not to work with some polite and respectful voices of reason.