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13 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

Nup, sorry, that's where she lost me. And then she throws in the 'working together' line! Great way to get the team together.  

 

I'm yet to benefit financially and if it wasn't for donations and the unpaid hours we put in there wouldn't be a rescue to speak of. I also own a pedigree dog myself (and I'm not the only one) so where is the anti-breeder ethos here. 

 

And I don't know what it's like in the U.S. but some states like VIC have rescue under the same umbrella as breeders so rescue aren't magically immune from AR or Govt pressure.

no idea what she meant either,  the only one who can take/rescue/seize your animals here far as I can remember

with complete immunity is rspca.

 

From what ive seen of the Animal Welfare league here in nsw is that they are excellent, everything and more than the rspca once were....

 

 

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The Animal Welfare League have exactly the same powers as the RSPCA when it comes to enforcing POCTAA... but they don't seem to seize as many animals or take people to court with the same veracity. Maybe they are more focused on educating to help people comply with the regulation, rather than prosecuting for profit?

 

When you consider that someone pleading guilty to 1 count of aggravated cruelty can score the RSPCA up to $20k in fines, and the fact that attempting to fight a number of charges will cost someone in excess of $100-200k in legal fees alone... can you see the efficacy of laying multiple charges, whether they can be proved or not, then offering to drop a number of those charges if a plea is made to at least 1? Easy money IMHO...

 

T.

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18 hours ago, asal said:

no idea what she meant either,  the only one who can take/rescue/seize your animals here far as I can remember

with complete immunity is rspca.

 

From what ive seen of the Animal Welfare league here in nsw is that they are excellent, everything and more than the rspca once were....

 

 

I took the meaning to be that rescues piggyback seizures or raids undertaken by the big orgs and swoop in as immune 3rd parties simply because they are 'rescue' (as she put it). If she means rspca/aspca/peta then she should say so instead of sounding paranoid about anyone rescuing pets.

 

I clearly get butt-hurt about being lumped in with anti-everything nutters and AR. :laugh:

Edited by Powerlegs
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Quote

 

semantics
The main purpose for internet forums. 
The study of discussing the meaning/interpretation of words or groups of words within a certain context; usually in order to win some form of argument.

 

 
Edited by Powerlegs
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Surely you cannot buy a Sentient being, or pay/buy to adopt it either?

 

 

This is not animal welfare....

 

this is animal rights, the right to live wild and free, not exploited by man, in case the sheeple haven't twigged there is a very big difference.

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

interesting article.2016 .. shame its been a total failure to get the government boofoons to realise what this journalist has recognised... not even dogs nsw is game to say animal rights has now control of them.

 

to scared of offending them.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/the-rspca-cares-more-about-political-activism-than-animal-welfare/news-story/d2a6ddc43f2e8d370efc6d15b85dff41?fbclid=IwAR3CmSeu-mTl6vMtxSh2LK-xIOI31AUaOQKteJGhz0DmtEykXv_6mfgAcLQ

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I'm on a Facebook page for a US rescue that predominantly has farm animals (and goats in particular). They go to extreme lengths to save those animals and deal with a lot of heartache as a result. They had a post recently where they expressed their despair at hobby/old school farmers still breeding, slaughtering and eating animals.

 

Humans have been omni's since the dawn of time, seeking enough food of any type to keep their hunger satiated and their bodies fueled. Today we have more time, money and ability to eat whatever we want whenever we want without breaking a sweat than any time before. I see no possible way of stopping the consumption of animal products (for clothing, food, etc) regardless of what tactics are used. But for the sake of our collective health and that of our planet we would definately benefit from a significant reduction in our excessive consumption rates. If they focused on people being less wasteful (buying and then throwing away food, clothes, shoes, homewares and the like), more mindful and more balanced in their regularl consumption  that would have to lead to less animals needing to be bred, kept in horrible conditions and slaughtered. I know there would be a financial impact on some of the big companies that control these mega farms and slaughter houses but less animals bred and killed has to be a win for the animals. Instead PETA is driving people away from the issue with their ludicrous behaviour (seen this fight with a seafood restaurant? https://www.distractify.com/trending/2018/09/06/1NVzjP/peta-jimmys-famous-seafood). They probably need to have their blood pressure monitored during planning meetings.

 

Same for companion animals. More time, more money and more desire so our buying habits have changed dramatically and people have found ways to cash in on that. If people shopped more mindfully and were less wasteful (ie less inclined to neglect or abandon because they put more time into their purchasing) that could only be a good habit to develop. I don't care what cutesy name you call a breed, for the sake of the animals themselves we can't continue to breed at the rates we are. It is out of balance. And it is not quality breeders who are pumping out hundreds of oodles a year so the tippy toeing needs to stop. Again a national education campaign about the reality behind the different breeding arrangements and their sale/post sale support methods might actually make more of a change than new laws. I couldn't care less whether a puppy farmer or back yard breeder lost money from less sales because less sales means less bad breeding. But RSPCA wants to just keep all their millions rather than educate. Even if they used their Million Paws Walk as an education platform that might effect change in hundreds of thousands of people's minds across our country.

 

It's all getting a bit ridiculous. There is no point banging on about the difference between adoption and buying or kill rates or animals being sentient beings. The core issue is the number of abandoned and unwanted animals that die every year because they don't have a better, permanent option. And if that better option is a lack of permanent places for them all to go then Houston, it is an over production problem. Then you go to who is 'producing' the biggest amount and bingo! Looking at you puppy farmers. I wish our legislators had the balls to focus their attentions there first and see what comes of it.

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except there is a massive assumption going on, actually has been going on for decades.

 

That the hundreds of thousands of puppies bred can be traced to unscrupulous breeders and or puppy farms.

 

when the real elephant in the room that can never be traced are the hundreds of thousands, nay millions australia wide who have 

 

their pet and breed a litter or litters......totally under the radar

 

As Ivor Slezacheck once said to me as people were coming into his surgery with parvo affected dogs and puppies after a week of strong winds from the east.... "I can guarantee when the winds are blowing from the east I will be getting anything from three to a dozen a day infected dogs and puppies, because Mt Druitt is the largest vector of unvaccinated dogs in the sydney basin."... Yes his surgery was on the western side...  ... now after high winds if you have a litter or puppy to vaccinate its a good idea to first ring the intended vet to see if infected dogs are at the surgery to avoid turning up with your uninfected puppy or puppies...

 

you can get rid of the registered traceable breeders, you can get rid of the registered traceable puppy farms... but you will never get rid of the real problem... the hundreds of thousands of untraceable one or a dozen untraceable litter owners and breeders and they are where the vast majority are actually coming from...

Ive driven though where Ivor was talking,,,, they are everywhere,,, all breeds, all kinds many running the streets in packs just as

they once did in the 1960's   

 

You will find the same in every town and city of this land, the dont care a shit about the law neighbourhoods....

 

nothing is going to penetrate there

 

they neither vaccinate or chip any pet and how long has it been law now?  over 20 years I believe

 

doubt it?  just look at the stats for unchipped and more than likely never vaccinated 

dogs and cats entering the pound system.... they sure didnt come from any registered breeder or puppy farm,,, they obey the law, believe it or not

 

no matter how many laws you demand and have passed, they totally miss the gnats because they are too tiny to be caught in the net

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Sorry Asal, we have to agree to disagree on puppy farms. When you look at the sheer volume of puppies they produce (and the breeding bitches they discard when they are worthless) they have to be at the top of pile. They make up breeds, they sell popular breeds and they provide little after sales support or quality control for their product (puppies). We know they are even deceptive to their customers.  They are also charging so much money for these poor puppies. Tens of thousands of poorly bred, undesexed puppies are flooding our suburbs simply because this one business venture is left unchecked. The financial cost to owners of genetically poor puppies is high (especially when you multiply it by how many puppies they pump out), the financial cost to rescue picking up the pieces with sick, unwanted dogs needing rehoming is high and even the cost to the RSPCA when they have to go in and seize 100+ puppies and breeding bitches is high. We simply don't need that many poorly bred dogs being bred year in and year out. If they are not available people can't buy them and be ripped off.

 

Back yard breeders are another issue, closely behind puppy farmers for me but I feel many backyard breeders are just puppy farmers in the making (ie ones with not enough capitol to go bigger). So you end puppy farming and you also impact the expansion of the next breeding tier down.

 

There will always be enough whoops or idiot litters out there to keep pounds and shelters busy. And perhaps if laws made it easier for quality registered breeders to do what they are good at our canine population would be a whole lot healthier for it.

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I've found that there are not so many oodle types in the pound system (around Sydney anyways)... more likely to be the not so popular crossbred or bull breed backyard types that were cute when tiny pups, but have grown larger and become more destructive/naughty as their novelty wore off and they were banished to the back yard. Most of those are unchipped also. Funnily enough, most of the puppy farmed types are chipped - but whether or not the details have been entered or updated can be questionable.

 

I'm not a fan of poorly bred animals just for the sake of making money... but I really haven't seen as many of the popular mixes in the pounds here. I do see plenty of them visiting the vet clinic I have vet nursing work placement at... and despite any ongoing genetically or congenitally linked issues, their owners are generally more likely to bend over backwards to make sure little fluffy is well cared for.

 

T.

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On 12/08/2019 at 5:39 PM, Little Gifts said:

Sorry Asal, we have to agree to disagree on puppy farms. When you look at the sheer volume of puppies they produce (and the breeding bitches they discard when they are worthless) they have to be at the top of pile. They make up breeds, they sell popular breeds and they provide little after sales support or quality control for their product (puppies). We know they are even deceptive to their customers.  They are also charging so much money for these poor puppies. Tens of thousands of poorly bred, undesexed puppies are flooding our suburbs simply because this one business venture is left unchecked. The financial cost to owners of genetically poor puppies is high (especially when you multiply it by how many puppies they pump out), the financial cost to rescue picking up the pieces with sick, unwanted dogs needing rehoming is high and even the cost to the RSPCA when they have to go in and seize 100+ puppies and breeding bitches is high. We simply don't need that many poorly bred dogs being bred year in and year out. If they are not available people can't buy them and be ripped off.

 

Back yard breeders are another issue, closely behind puppy farmers for me but I feel many backyard breeders are just puppy farmers in the making (ie ones with not enough capitol to go bigger). So you end puppy farming and you also impact the expansion of the next breeding tier down.

 

There will always be enough whoops or idiot litters out there to keep pounds and shelters busy. And perhaps if laws made it easier for quality registered breeders to do what they are good at our canine population would be a whole lot healthier for it.

puppy farms are not unchecked, they are licensed, they have to have up to date records they not only are businesses, they are compliant to the regulations AND they are licenced and policed as are the registered breeders... be interesting to have the stats on how many puppy farms ARE registered and how many they breed to compare with the figures so we can see a true figure of what is coming from where... the only breakdown ive found was the ankc one...... pity the other stats are not included too

 

I suspect although they would be churning out far more than the ankc people, especially since they are not attacked for elimination if they breed ten or more litters...... would be interesting to know the figures so we really have a clue of actual churn-out rate of the unknown, un traceable, unvaccinated, unchipp's ?

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, tdierikx said:

I've found that there are not so many oodle types in the pound system (around Sydney anyways)... more likely to be the not so popular crossbred or bull breed backyard types that were cute when tiny pups, but have grown larger and become more destructive/naughty as their novelty wore off and they were banished to the back yard. Most of those are unchipped also. Funnily enough, most of the puppy farmed types are chipped - but whether or not the details have been entered or updated can be questionable.

 

I'm not a fan of poorly bred animals just for the sake of making money... but I really haven't seen as many of the popular mixes in the pounds here. I do see plenty of them visiting the vet clinic I have vet nursing work placement at... and despite any ongoing genetically or congenitally linked issues, their owners are generally more likely to bend over backwards to make sure little fluffy is well cared for.

 

T.

That's part of my point T - you breed a dog with genetic health issues it is the poor animal that suffers the most - a life full of breathing or joint or heart issues or skin issues and visits to the vet. Why is that ok for companion animals? Multiply that by the hundreds of dogs that might be deliberately bred from one bitch and stud who are a poor genetic match or who are passing on congenital issues and that is a lot of animals suffering needlessly and a lot of out of pocket expenses for owners. It probably also drives up pet insurance premiums for some breeds. But the puppy farmers don't care about any of that, least of all the ongoing health of their puppies. They are only worried about lining their pockets. We wouldn't tolerate any other business selling poor quality products at top dollar so I don't get why it is ok with living things?

 

As for popular breeds not being in the pounds - I think that is because rescue (breed specific rescue in particular) tend to grab them so they can at least get the care they need and be rehomed to a more suitable owner. They don't want them to end up in the wrong hands and used for breeding. I see it pretty much every day with shar pei rescue. Seeing Frenchies with serious health issues pop up too more frequently in rescue now as surrenders.

 

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from what I have seen breathing issues is the norm now for frenchies, my nieces dog is 3 and now its either remove most of his pallete or he is not going to survive the coming summer.........

 

a friends family has bred them for decades and lost one before they could get home when the day turned hotter than expected.

 

air conditioning or trouble, my nieces has trouble overheating just going outside to toilet on a hot day now

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  • 2 weeks later...

Interesting link.

 

we are not just getting american tv programs

 

so much of this has crossed the ocean and now happening here too, interesting to see how worldwide this now is........... posted by a fb group in america 22nd August.

 

 

"Just read the beginning of the paragraph. F......... PETA, HSUS, ASPCA! The ASPCA has been a domestic terrorist group since it was founded in 1867 for the sole purpose of BEING a terrorist group!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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What You Need To Know - Threats to Animal Ownership

Animal rights organizations like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) seek to put an end to animal ownership. In their eyes, animals should share rights with humans. They equate animalownership to slavery. Their goals of abolishing animal ownership and animal breeding is an ideology not known by many.

An important part of our mission at Protect The Harvest is to protect the right to own and interact with animals. Pets and livestock enrich the lives of Americans all across the country. Animals also offer assistance to people in several different capacities. They provide us with companionship, resources like food and fiber, a source of recreation, or assist us with our work.

Protect The Harvest and our founder, Forrest Lucas, have been steadfast supporters of both animal breeders and authentic animal shelters and rescue groups. We believe in Americans having options when it comes to adding a new animal to your household. In 2016, the American Kennel Club (AKC) honored Forrest and Charlotte Lucas with its inaugural AKC Award for Outstanding Leadership in Canine Policy. This was a great example of the partnership between one of the largest canine organizations and Protect The Harvest.

Link to article about the Lucas’ AKC award:https://www.akc.org/clubs-delegates/government-relations/government-relations-blogs/forrest-and-charlotte-lucas-akc-award/ 

Since its founding, Protect The Harvest has worked hard to educate the public regarding the threats posed by animal rights organizations to animal ownership.

To read more about threats to animal ownership and what Protect The Harvest is doing to stop them: 
https://protecttheharvest.com/what-you-need-…/animal-owners/

Below, we outline several topics we have engaged in over the past few years.

Pet Ownership in Jeopardy
Pet Breeders and Pet Stores

Pet breeding is facing some serious threats from animal rights groups. In an effort to disguise their true intentions of outlawing animal ownership, animal rights groups have been seeking to both regulate pet breeders out of business and to restrict choices for citizens when it comes to selecting a pet. In doing so, they are not only attacking the breeder’s ability to provide for themselves and their families, but they are targeting your right to raise and care for your family’s pets. These groups continue to spread false information that distorts consumer perception of how pet breeders operate in hopes of forcing the issue.

Link to CA AB485 Articles:
https://protecttheharvest.com/news/california-ab-485-bad-news-for-pet-ownership/

https://protecttheharvest.com/news/ca-ab-485-follow-up-governor-brown-signs-bill-that-restricts-the-rights-of-pet-owners/

https://protecttheharvest.com/news/coming-state-near-pet-store-bans/ 

Retail Rescue

Recently, a push to eliminate choices for U.S. residents when it comes to purchasing a new animal has made its way to our ballot. In states like California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, legislation is being proposed to outlaw selling animals from federally licensed breeders. Instead, the animals must come from a shelter or rescue.

We have several concerns with this type of law. It takes away a buyer’s freedom of choice, as well as any consumer protections previously offered by USDA licensed breeders. These consumer protections include “true to breed” temperaments, health clearances, and some states offer “Pet Protection” policies that refund the purchase price and veterinary care if the dog falls ill immediately after bringing it home. The same cannot be said for animals sourced from rescues or shelters, simply because they, more often than not, come with little knowledge of their history. Some are even being imported from outside the U.S.

For example, “rescuing” animals has become a big business. Groups that “rescue” animals are turning around and selling them to “adopters” at high prices. There’s a name for this recent business trend, “retail rescue”, and it generates a huge income for some so-called rescues that are in it solely for profit.

A recent study (2017) of Southern California rescues and shelters shows some alarming data:
• 643 rescue and shelter groups in Southern California were reviewed.
• Non-reporting, non-registered, delinquent or suspended groups reduced that number to 486.
• 296 organizations showed annual income on their IRS 990 forms over $50,000, for a total of $251,807,644. That number is not a typo. Keep in mind these figures apply to Southern California alone and that number is just a total from the groups that actually filed tax returns.

These big numbers bring up concerns about animal welfare since there is no oversight and there does not seem to be a plan or budget to implement a program that protects the consumer or the animals that are in the “retail rescue” pipeline.

Links to articles:
https://protecttheharvest.com/news/aspca-vice-president-reveals-discussions-about-shelters-breeding-puppies/ 

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/04/28/non-profit-pet-rescues-not-charities/

Importation of Animals

The business of “retail rescue” brings up another topic, the importation of animals. Patti Strand, of the National Animal Interest Alliance, explains that the number of “replacement animals” - the animals wanted by the American public each year to replace deceased or retired animals – is much higher than the number of animals born each year. To fulfill that demand, shelters and rescues are importing animals, usually dogs, from other regions of the country or even outside of the U.S.

Unfortunately, this is a cause for concern; dogs from other countries are, potentially, poorly socialized, aggressive and fearful. Some of these imported dogs are bringing diseases that previously were eradicated from this region. In addition to this, foreign dogs have been imported that have exposed American dogs to new strains of disease. For example, in 2017 there was an outbreak of Asian strains of Canine Influenza in the Los Angeles area and since then, additional dogs have been diagnosed with the disease. There was also a deadly outbreak in the Midwest that was traced back to the importation of Korean dogs.

Importing dogs from outside the country is not the solution to helping abandoned or unwanted dogs find new homes within the U.S. For this reason, Protect The Harvest supports local shelters in their quest to rehome animals in need but also supports the breeding and selling of purpose-bred animals. In short, we support Americans having the right to choose where their next animal comes from.

Links to additional information:
http://shelterproject.naiaonline.org/shelter_data/states/5

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/InfluenzaCanineH3N2.htm

https://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=36524

https://www.npr.org/2015/01/01/374257591/with-rescue-dogs-in-demand-more-shelters-look-far-afield-for-fido

Mandatory Spay-Neuter Regulations

In New Jersey, animal rights groups pushed for legislation that further severely limits the rights of animal owners. The language of S2847 mandated that all dogs and cats 8 weeks of age or older could only be sold or transferred to new owners if they were spayed or neutered. The result is that there would only be animals available in New Jersey that cannot reproduce. Eventually, with this model, there will no longer be pets available to us. Additionally, there are numerous recent studies within the veterinary industry that have examined the impact of early spay – neuter. The results of these studies raised great concerns. There are now many in the veterinary community that believe early spay-neuter, especially at 8 weeks of age, is detrimental to the health and long-term welfare of pets. Large breed dogs are at particular risk of life-long health problems with an early spay-neuter.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) published an opinion in regards to mandatory spay and neuter legislation: “The AVMA does not support regulations or legislation mandating spay/neuter of privately owned, non-shelter dogs and cats. Although spaying and neutering helps control dog and cat populations, mandatory approaches may contribute to pet owners avoiding licensing, rabies vaccination and veterinary care for their pets, and may have other unintended consequences."

Link to guest blog about How Radical Animal Rights Groups Push Their Agenda: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/guest-blog-radical-animal-rights-groups-push-agenda/ 

Anti-Exotic Pet Ownership

Since the animal rights ideology believes that all animal ownership is akin to slavery, their agenda is broad-sweeping. It does not just stop with eliminating animal agriculture or controlling the sale of dogs and cats. Animal rights activists would prefer that no animal, including exotics, be owned by a human. Although there are already laws and regulations in place, these groups believe they do not reach far enough. No matter how they disguise it, the underlying agenda is that animals should be removed from the hands of their owners.

This ideology greatly impacts family businesses like “Bearadise Ranch” owned by the Welde family. The Welde family has been working with bears for over 90 years. At Bearadise Ranch they have created a caring and enriched environment for their bears. The ranch is used as an educational experience for the public to learn about bears and the threats against them in the wild. Even though the Bearadise Ranch bears are healthy, well cared for and live in a model environment, they have become the target of one of PETA’s many harassment nightmares. Their story is just one of many.

Unless animal rights groups are stopped, their beliefs will have significant implications for facilities like zoos and exotic animal parks where our children learn about the animal world around them. At zoos, zoologists, veterinarians, and caring staff members work to improve animal care techniques, exotic animal medicine and are key in furthering wildlife preservation efforts. If animal rights groups get their way, the end result will be detrimental to many species of wildlife.

Animal Entertainment and Competition

For almost half a century, animal rights extremists have put considerable funding behind efforts to end animal entertainment, performances, and competitions. They have pursued legislation, changed municipal codes, deployed propaganda, lobbied Congress, and distorted the truth. Additionally, they continually harass entertainers and animal competition organizations. Rodeo events, circus performances, animals in movies, as well as horse and dog shows, have all experienced the impact of animal rights harassment.

Link to Guest Article by Roni Bell Sylvester: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/mutton-busting-animal-rights-extremist-groups-allowed-to-get-away-with-false-accusations/

More information about Performing Animals: https://protecttheharvest.com/what-you-need-to-know/performing-animals/ 

Racing Greyhounds

Florida voters went to the polls November 6th, 2018 and voted to amend the state constitution with a law prohibiting Greyhound racing. Amendments in Florida can only be reviewed every 20 years by the Constitution Revision Commission and will have to receive 60% approval to be changed at that time. Since Florida was home to the majority of race tracks in the country, this will effectively end the industry. Dogs in this industry are greatly cared for, and live long, happy lives both in racing and their adoptive homes after retirement. Racing is what these dogs are bred to do and enjoy doing. The animal rights groups were able to reach voters with myths about the industry, effectively appealing to the public’s emotions rather than logic based on facts.

As a result of this decision, thousands of dogs will need to be rehomed and many people will be out of work when the law goes into effect in 2021. This doesn’t just impact dog racing; it also opens the door to end other working animal industries. With this amendment, the verbiage is so vague, that it could lead to other industries being negatively impacted. Keep in mind that the ultimate goal of animal rights groups is to make all animal industries comply with their ideology.

To read more about Prop 13:
Article - Animal Rights Agenda Wins in Florida and Greyhounds Lose: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/animal-rights-agenda-wins-florida-greyhounds-lose/ 

Article - Prop 13 in Florida: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/animal-rights-activists-seek-constitutional-amendment-florida-ban-greyhound-racing/ 

Horses and Horse Shows

Animal rights groups attack all animal enterprise and they do so without having any practical experience with the animal sector they are targeting. The performance horse industry is no exception.

Groups like Reining Enigma, attend horse shows to take video content and then heavily edit the footage in order to present horse shows in a negative light. Animal rights groups are doing these things to work towards implementing over-reaching and overbearing regulations. Some animal rights activists and their affiliated groups have even worked to insert themselves within horse industry organizations.

PAST Act

Another method by animal rights groups to impact the performance horse industry was the PAST Act (Prevent All Soring Tactics Act). There are already laws as well as industry rules and regulations in place to protect show horses. Almost every major horse show organization has a published and updated handbook which outline competition rules and how horses are to be treated while at their events. The PAST Act will not improve the welfare of show horses since all soring tactics are already illegal. Instead, it calls for more regulation on common items used for show horses that cause no harm at all – for example, spray to enhance a horse’s coat and sprays to keep flies away. More regulations are not needed when good regulations are already in place. Coming back for more regulations is an angle that animal rights groups are using to get a deeper foothold into the horse industry, via legislation pushed by animal rights groups. Over-reaching laws not only impact the horse industry but also open the door to set precedents which can impact other performing animals.

Horse Processing

The horse population has suffered greatly since the funds for USDA inspectors in horse processing plants were cut from the Federal Government’s budget. Contrary to what animal rights groups have led people to believe, the elimination of USDA inspectors has not stopped horse processing. Instead, horses are now shipped to Canada and Mexico to be processed at facilities not regulated by USDA standards or USDA animal welfare oversight. Traveling to these facilities can be difficult on the horses and cause more harm. Re-funding USDA inspectors for horse processing will improve animal welfare because horses processed in the United States would be monitored by USDA inspectors. This will ensure animal welfare standards are followed and that the horses are being cared for and handled in a humane way. Opening processing in the United States will help curb the problem of unwanted horses being abandoned, starved or shipped long distances outside of animal welfare oversight.

Link to AVMA video response to the HSUS in regard to their position on horse processing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=3S1K20EiZmY 

SAFE Act

The Safeguarding American Food Exports Act is legislation proposed and supported by animal rights groups. The SAFE Act calls for the prohibition of horse processing for consumption in the United States as well as prohibits the exportation of horses for the same reason.

Dog Shows

Dog shows have long been an issue with animal rights ideologues. These groups have been known to disregard the well-being of show animals at extreme levels; demonstrating that they don’t care about the animal’s welfare, but rather their agenda to end all use of show dogs. Over the years, there have been reports of animal rights protestors releasing animals from their crates and unplugging air-conditioning units that keep dogs from overheating in their trailers and motorhomes. In an incident in March 2018 at the Crufts Dog Show held in England, protestors stormed the stage as the champions were about to be awarded. Acts like this can be harmful to pets, who may get scared from the violent commotion.

Carriage Horses

Carriage horse businesses are another target of animal rights groups. These groups have been working across the country to eliminate the tradition and heritage of horse-drawn carriages. The Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as well as the ASPCA and other affiliates are involved in these efforts. They have published false information about the welfare of carriage horses to rile up emotions. They have been especially active in New York City but have also pushed banning carriage businesses in other cities as well.

In New York City, a group known as NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean and Livable and Safe Streets) has pushed for a ban on carriage horse businesses for several years. These groups have claimed that the horses are mistreated. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The horses have access to clean food and water throughout the day, wear specialized shoes for walking through the streets and rest each night in clean and well-bedded stables within the city. It is important to note that the main supporter of NYCLASS is a real estate developer and the stables where the horses are housed are located on highly desirable properties in NYC.

We support the carriage horse business and will continue to do so. If you would like to know more about this issue and more about the motivations behind NYCLASS’s efforts to eliminate this industry, we recommend watching the movie “The Last Horseman of New York City”.

Links: https://www.lasthorsemenfilm.com/about
You can watch a trailer for the movie here:https://vimeo.com/259671275

County Fairs

Across the country, 4-H and FFA children are now subjected to constant and ongoing harassment by animal rights extremists. So much so that children and their parents are being coached prior to their local state and county fairs on how to deal with animal rights groups. In a number of cases across the country, these extremists have entered fairgrounds late at night and set animals free. They have also engaged in other criminal activities that put the welfare of the animals at risk. This situation has become so problematic that many 4-H and FFA groups are having to post night watch in order to protect the welfare of their animals.

Animal Seizures

As the animal rights agenda presses on, pushing legislation and ordinances on the federal, state and local levels, animal owners across the country have been subjected to unlawful search and seizures and harassment. What happened to Gary Dassinger, a rancher in North Dakota, is an example.

In April of 2017, Dassinger faced charges of “animal abuse and cruelty”. The accusation came from someone out of state that had never even been to his property. This situation was made possible by a new law in North Dakota that changed the Century Code. It was introduced by the Humane Society of the United States and pushed by their Humane Legislative Fund. This newer law is something that has come as a surprise to many North Dakotans because historically, the numbers of animal abuse and neglect cases in North Dakota have been few and far between. The HSUS has trained law enforcement agencies, in North Dakota, on their interpretation of animal law and how to conduct animal seizures.

Over the course of several months, Dassinger dealt with repeated unannounced inspections of his animals and property, and general harassment and defamation from the media and animal rights activists on social outlets. At one point some of his horses were seized by the Sheriff’s Department even though it was known to them that a judge was reviewing a restraining order to prevent their seizing Dassinger’s animals.

In July of 2017, Free Range Report reported that “Judge Rhonda Ehlis, of the Southwest District Court, ruled that there was not clear or ‘convincing evidence’ that on May 18, 2017, the animals of Gary Dassinger met the definition of ‘neglect.’ She further noted that, ‘Therefore, the Petition to Seize Neglected Animals and the Petition for Disposition of Seized Animals are denied.’” It is also important to note that the County Sheriff who was a key player in this case was not re-elected in the following election cycle.

With the help of his daughter, Protect The Harvest, and many others, Dassinger successfully fought to keep his livestock and his 40-year breeding program. However, it was not without great personal sacrifice both emotionally and financially. In order to defend himself and to stop the seizure and sale of his livestock, Dassinger and his daughter made a considerable investment in time and legal fees. Although he was not guilty of the charges, he decided to cut his losses and take a plea deal.

For more information about the Dassinger case and the Open Field Doctrine:

Article - North Dakota Rancher Fighting for His Ranch and Your Rights: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/north-dakota-rancher-fighting-for-his-ranch-and-your-rights/ 

Article - Open Field Doctrine Can Be Used Against Animal Owners: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/open-field-doctrine-can-used-animal-ownership/ 

Link to Support Dassinger Ranch Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/280418352430392/ 

Animal Rights Groups Busy in Oregon

On November 14, 2018, an amendment to Oregon’s animal cruelty statute was filed. If passed this amendment will permit anyone to file a civil action complaint against an animal owner. This means that a person can file a complaint outside of the criminal legal system. The amendment states, “plaintiff shall include any person even if the person does not have any legal interest or possessory rights in an animal.” Of additional and grave concern is the fact that the amendment allows the plaintiff unrestricted access to the owner’s home and property. It also allows for the plaintiff to seize the animals and require the owner to post bond and pay board. If the animal owner cannot pay board or post the bond, then the ownership of the animal is transferred to the plaintiff. Of most concern is that the amendment allows for all of this to happen to an animal owner solely based on a complaint from a plaintiff and without any hearing to establish guilt. In short, this would be state-sanctioned extortion and thievery of animals.

Link to article by Nancy Halpern, DVM about the proposed Amendment to Oregon's Animal Cruelty Statute: https://animallaw.foxrothschild.com/2018/12/08/a-proposed-amendment-to-oregons-animal-cruelty-statute-may-permit-anyone-to-file-a-against-the-animals-owner/?fbclid=IwAR3W0nOyX-m3nVtGDAl9CwbWA-LK3adgGTMkY8iaFDC0Rjpj1Exzg7AZAxI 

Habeas Corpus is For Humans, Not Animals

In December 2018, an elephant at the Bronx Zoo in New York has recently made the headlines after the animal rights group Nonhuman Rights Project filed court documents to encourage a judge to award habeas corpus to an animal. This is an unprecedented and alarming event. No non-human animal has ever received habeas corpus.

The ability for an animal to have habeas corpus would imply that they are persons and can participate in a social contract. However, animals are unable to be held legally liable for their actions. Even if an animal, such as a chimpanzee, has some human-like traits, that does not make the animal a person. 
Habeas corpus for animals brings rise to a number of questions:

If an animal were to be awarded habeas corpus, where would the line be drawn for future cases?

What is to stop animal rights extremists from litigating further?

Make no mistake, further litigation is the plan and the result would be devastating to animals. It would cause the closing of every educational zoo, and every laboratory conducting lifesaving research that benefits both animals and humans. It would certainly impact our precious food system and even owning a pet will become a thing of the past.

Habeas corpus is a common law civil right, it was written for and by people. Taking the law out of context to make it fit into the animal world reduces the significance of our human civil rights. Habeas corpus was written into our Constitution by our forefathers to protect human beings.

Article - Habeas Corpus is for Humans, Not for Animals: https://protecttheharvest.com/news/habeas-corpus-humans-not-animals/

 

 
 
 
 
Comments
 
 
Thomas  F every law enforcement authority because they break into people's homes and businesses to do PeTA's dirty work.

And a rancher who had done no wrong having to take a plea deal. Blame the prosecutors and law enforcement for that, too, because they had the power to prevent that from happening, and they sold humanity out.
 
 
 
 
 
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  • 3 months later...
On 01/07/2019 at 11:48 AM, Little Gifts said:

I used to actively support the RSPCA and thought the sun shone out of their bums. I volunteered at one of their shelters regularly and was also a foster carer. Even though on the ground staff hadn't changed I started to notice decisions and processes that were not in the best interest of the animals at all. It became all about the organisation's needs at the expense of the animals. Even in a volunteer capacity I started to feel very manipulated. My breaking point was being repeatedly 'asked' one shift to foster a young pup with a broken leg or it would have to be pts. Yep, that was it's 2 options, all on me. I fostered it of course but my relationship with them ground to a halt after the pup was adopted. They had no right to put that on me.

 

And it hasn't got any better. I've experienced negative impacts on animals via independant rescue work, through friends and families personal experiences and also my own. What I despise about them the most (well there is a list really) but first is how they use emotive images of abused animals to raise funds but those funds don't go to that particular dog. Noooo! That dog was likely already put to sleep for its injuries because it would cost too much to vet care and rehab them! But they are the animals who need the assistance most! Two is that if they were truly doing all the protective and rehabilitative work that people think they are all the squillions of independant rescue groups wouldn't need to exist. RSPCA would be the hallmark rescue program successfully saving all creatures great and small. Instead we've had every form of rescue you can imagine spring up to do the work they should be doing. Then we come to my third hate - RSPCA having all the money (public and government) and farming out animals to independant and breed specific rescues who do all the work (fostering, vet care, feeding and medicating them) and the RSPCA keeping all the money and recording that as a positive rehoming on their stats. So rescue does all the work with none of the money or pats on the back! How is that ok? How did that deal even come about???? It happened because rescue were simply trying to save more animals than the RSPCA would and struck a one sided deal.

 

The money they access is astounding yet they are always screaming for more. Up here in QLD there are funding programs charity organisations can apply to (the monies come from gambling benefits). I know for a fact that the RSPCA not only apply for big monies pretty much every funding round but they are also successful pretty much every funding round. It's been like that for years too. It's how they built their Wacol facility. There is no other single rescue organisation in this country that even comes close to a bulging bank balance. I wouldn't begrudge them that if they weren't always crying extreme poverty and poor animals whilst doing very little in relation to public education (to improve dogs care and reduce surrender rates), addressing back yard breeding and puppy farming (over supply feeding into the rescue system) and being a strong voice for the animals in cruelty cases (so we can provide better deterrents for animal harm).

 

If the RSPCA ceased to exist tomorrow I'm not really sure what difference it would make? Independant rescues are already on scene to take animals every time there is a hoarding or puppy farming seizure. So few cases go to court for prosecution that they could go back to police prosecution processes. I guess their shelters could be taken over by another organisation, particularly those that are also running as pounds. Unwanted animals are already dumped on the steps of rescue, pounds, vets and the streets so that wont change. Perhaps local councils would have to take responsibility for public education and animal welfare in their own areas more successfully? Many used to do this.

 

What do others think? What unique services are they successfully offering? I think in QLD they have a fostering program for people escaping DV but with funds and foster carers that could be replicated by any rescue.

Have you submitted your experience to the inquiry? that will close tomorrow?

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, asal said:

Have you submitted your experience to the inquiry? that will close tomorrow?

 

 

 

I did the survey T linked to on the other page. I was clear in that even though I live in QLD I was basing it on my experiences with them over a NSW based matter. Oh I hope it makes a difference! We just need someone doing some actual bloody preventative and effective investigation and prosecution that benefits animals! I don't care who does it as long as they do it with some skill, speed, insight and passion! ! It's not too much to ask!

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4 minutes ago, Little Gifts said:

I did the survey T linked to on the other page. I was clear in that even though I live in QLD I was basing it on my experiences with them over a NSW based matter. Oh I hope it makes a difference! We just need someone doing some actual bloody preventative and effective investigation and prosecution that benefits animals! I don't care who does it as long as they do it with some skill, speed, insight and passion! ! It's not too much to ask!

Thanks LG... you da best!

 

T.

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