02.09.12
Posted in AKC, On the National Front, Pet Laws, What is HSUS? at 12:53 am by Administrator
Please consider sending this to AKC. Dog breeding is in danger. Edit as necessary. Send to lxp@akc.org.
“Recently the Humane Society of the United States announced the formation of its Dog Breeders Advisory Council. This council is purportedly comprised of “responsible breeders” and was formed to work with the HSUS to help the public to identify responsible breeders and to avoid supporting puppy mills. Additionally, members provide input and advice on public policy decisions.
I (we) urge AKC to employ immediate action to counteract this latest HSUS tactic that is clearly directed at eliminating hobby breeders. This very alarming move by the HSUS has the imminent potential to narrow the public’s perception of a responsible breeder to a very prejudicial, HSUS-controlled definition. It further opens the door of opportunity for HSUS to include in new proposed legislation such constraints as the issuance of “breeding licenses” only to HSUS-approved breeders.
It is imperative that HSUS not be considered by the public as experts on the intricacies of raising the purebred dog. I (we) respectfully request that AKC take immediate action to counteract this new threat to the art, science, and constitutional right to breed dogs.”
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Posted in AKC, Animal Activists, Animal Ownership, On the National Front, Pet Laws, Pet Owner Bill of Rights at 5:30 pm by Administrator
While many of us concerned about canine legislation have been focusing our efforts on local and regional battles, an insidious bill has been gaining momentum at the federal level. Known as the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, this bill does nothing to ensure adequate breeding/housing for dogs, but is a strictly numbers-based act, heavily backed by the very deep pockets of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and is targeted directly at quality breeders.
Introduced in the federal House by Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) in 2/11 as House Bill 835 and mirrored in the Senate by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) as Senate Bill 707, this draconian bill has gained silent momentum and now has 141 co-sponsors in the federal House of Representatives.
Supposedly targeted at high-volume breeders, this bill has ramifications for even those who may not have a single breeding female on their property. One must remember that bills such as this target not just Norwegian Elkhound breeders, but also breeders of more popular breeds. As such, this bill targets NOT the high-volume, substandard breeders, but the kennels of quality who hold our breed standards dear. The breeders who have, throughout the years, produced dogs of exceptional quality and who do so by maintaining co-ownerships on quality bitches whom they have bred.
The PUPS act defines a high-volume breeder as one who has “an ownership interest in one or more breeding female dogs and sales by any means of more than 50 offspring of these breeding female dogs in any 1-year period.
Sounds like a lot, right? But let us dissect this.
Under PUPS, any female 4 months or older is considered a breeding female. How many 4-month-old bitches are breedable? Nine to 10 months is normal for first heat.
“Ownership interest” is not defined. Co-ownerships could be included – EVEN if the bitch does not reside on your property. And what is “ownership interest”? Do you have a clause in your contract to receive a pick puppy from a breeding? That’s an ownership interest. Does your contract include a clause that says if the dog cannot be kept, it should be returned to the breeder? Ownership interest. Does your contract indicate that you have a say in the potential sire? Ownership interest.
This bill is targeted at our best and brightest breeders. Over the course of many years, master breeders have placed, on co-ownerships, or with other “ownership interests”, many quality bitches. Perhaps not in our breed, which has low numbers, but in other breeds, it would not be unheard of to have - say – 8 bitches from the ages of 2 to 8 producing that “magic number” of 50 puppies. And the master breeder –by virtue of having an “ownership interest” in these bitches, magically becomes a high-volume breeder – even if there is not a “breeding” female on the premises!
Another term used in the PUPS bill is “sells or offers to sell” via any means…internet, phone, newspaper, it doesn’t matter. Anyone with a website might fall under this definition.
There are numerous other problems with the bill, including engineering requirements that most of us can’t meet if we home-raise our puppies, “primary enclosures” that are out of reach of most homraised pups, exercise requirements that are not “repetitive” or “goal-based” , impacts on the rescue community,
This bill would require licensing and inspection of law-abiding citizens, in many cases opening our homes up to “inspection”. It would make criminals out of ordinary folk, forcing us to PROVE our innocence – in a country that says we are innocent until proven guilty.
This bill is based on numbers, and not on the quality of care. Yes, there are substandard breeders, and they are to be abhorred. But they are far outnumbered by caring, dedicated breeders. This bill.provides NO funding for the additional burden of inspecting and licensing caring breeders. USDA and our powers-that-be should be concentrating on enforcing the laws that currently exist – NOT on making criminals out of innocent people.
Please contact your representative and express your opinion. Don’t think someone else will do it…YOU need to!
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10.26.11
Posted in AKC, Animal Activists, Animal Ownership, Pet Laws, Pet Owner Bill of Rights, Showing and Owner Handling at 10:09 pm by Administrator
What will become of the dog fancy in the future? As other, more eloquent writers have noted, we have the “perfect storm” brewing that could mean the end of purebred dogs as we know it.
Years ago, quality dog breeders were viewed with respect and admiration. Large, elegant, fully-staffed kennels boasted fit, healthy, and happy dogs. The proprietors of these kennels were considered to be knowledgeable, responsible dog men and women.
Enter the Animal Rights Agenda. Suddenly, dog breeders as a whole became evil puppy millers, out to make a buck, indifferent to a dog’s health and happiness. Pet limit laws, bandied about by the Animal Rights agenda, were put into motion, severely limiting a breeder’s ability to continue producing the happy, healthy, sound dogs that had been so sought after in the past. Fearful of being branded a “puppy mill,” established kennels curtailed their breeding operations, downsized, and as a result, made puppies of quality less available to the general public. Even so, the Animal Rights Agenda continues to seek to restrict the breeding of purebred dogs even further, using their very deep pockets (a result of misguided donor support) to lobby legislators to pass their anti-breeding agenda. In many areas of the country, restrictions on breeding are so burdensome and costly that only the very wealthy or the very corporate breeders continue to breed dogs.
The American Kennel Club, perhaps in an attempt to reverse the declining number of dog registrations (which is likely a direct result of the onslaught by the Animal Rights Agenda) designed the Breeder of Merit program. This program was intended to offset those breeders who strive to produce healthy puppies from those who do not provide health testing or gain breed or working titles on their dogs. Breeders of Merit must agree to provide health testing as recommended by their Parent Clubs on all dogs used in their breeding program, and must have a history of obtaining breed or working titles on their dogs. In addition, Breeders of Merit must be “demonstrate a commitment to ensuring 100% of the puppies produced are AKC registered.”
The response to this program has been mixed, with some breeders not willing to be identified as Breeders of Merit simply because of the threat from the Animal Rights Agenda; others signed on willingly thinking the distinction might assist in the fight against the Animal Rights Agenda. Unfortunately, after many breeders achieved the Breeder of Merit distinction, AKC chose to increase its litter registration fees, locking Breeders of Merit into a nearly 100% increase in their registration fees.
The fancy is quickly becoming a privilege accorded to only those wealthy enough to afford it. The Animal Rights Agenda continues to push for ridiculous legislation that would force unrealistic engineering standards on small breeders, continues to lobby for additional licensing for breeders, and continues to paint all breeders into the same dim light as the substandard breeders (who do exist, but not in the enormous numbers touted by the Animal Rights Agenda). Those few hardy breeders who intend to continue with their passion find that compliance with the ridiculous engineering standards and the cost of multiple licenses (city, county, state, breeding, foster, rescue) has become prohibitive. The cost of showing a dog to its championship, essential to an excellent breeding program, has far exceeded what the average family is able to spend. And now litter registrations will become prohibitively expensive.
Truly, the dog fancy is fast becoming a sport that only the wealthy can afford. At a recent regional specialty, the youngest active breeder was 40. This, unfortunately, makes sense, in that young couples or individuals just starting out on their own don’t have the financial resources to take part in the fancy. Space requirements implemented by many municipalities are out of reach for many people (such as the requirement for at least an acre of land in order to have a kennel of 3 dogs – even if they are Chihuahuas). Multiple licensing requirements (city, county, state, federal, and in some cases, foster home licenses), and unfathomable housing requirements (which are so prohibitive that the raising of a litter in the home is impractical – and in the home is where they SHOULD be raised) all contribute to the nearly insurmountable expenses involved in the breeding of dogs. And even the AKC, our friend and ally, has shifted the burden of expense onto us, the responsible breeders, by implementing higher registration fees.
The Internet has made the names and locations of breeders readily available to the Animal Rights Agenda. While the Internet is a valuable tool, it has also been shown to work against the dog fancy – including rescue groups. In fact, this author overheard a conversation in which a community officer told a shelter worker that he wanted to use Facebook to track down people who he could ticket for having dogs “running at large” – in other words, he wanted to use “lost” postings on Facebook to issue citations to people who have lost their dogs. In Wisconsin, a dog that was posted multiple times by a rescue as adoptable was “counted” in their total each time it was listed, and as a result the rescue organization was fined for not complying with their local limit laws.
The sport of purebred dogs has reached a precipitous fork. We who hold our hobby and fancy dear to us must make a choice. We either run away from this awful storm, or we batten down our hatches and prepare to fight it.
We need to welcome and nurture new breeders into our fold. We need to communicate with our registry when their increased fees threaten our own financial ability to continue to breed and show our dogs. And we need to fight the Animal Rights Agenda, as a united front. Not as piecemeal, “oh, someone else will do it.” We need to fight it as an army united in our quest to continue our hobby and passion.
We should not feel the need to unload our dog food in the dark of night lest we be branded puppy mills. We should not feel the need to defend our decision to have a litter of puppies. We should not hang our heads in shame when someone asks us if we are breeders.
We should not apologize for who we are and what we do.
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04.14.11
Posted in AKC, Animal Activists, Animal Ownership, On the National Front, Pet Laws, Uncategorized at 10:44 pm by Administrator
www.akc.org
American Kennel Club – News Article – Federal PUPS Legislation Information Update
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08.20.10
Posted in AKC, Showing and Owner Handling at 10:07 pm by Administrator
AKC has forgotten the primary constituents of its member clubs. That would be we, the breeders, owners, and exhibitors. AKC has forgotten us in so many ways.
Most of us don’t make nice six-figure salaries. In this economy, many of us are lucky to even have a job. We allocate our resources so that we may feed ourselves and our dogs, provide care for ourselves and our dogs, and hopefully have cash enough left over to show or trial our dogs.
We have kids, or grandkids, or elderly parents who require our care and our time. We juggle our jobs, our kids, our parents, and our dogs, and hopefully have enough time left over to show or trial our dogs.
A recent AKC survey questioned selected recipients about an associate membership in AKC. Apparently, one would have to “belong” to AKC in order to show in AKC events. Most of us cannot afford additional fees. We already belong to breed clubs (who, in turn, are AKC members) and local clubs. We already have to carve entry fees, club membership fees, litter registration fees, licensing fees, and kennel permit fees out of our every-day incomes. Worse, with the increasingly restrictive legislation, our licensing, intact dog, and kennel permit fees grow every day. We cannot afford another fee just to be able to enter our dogs in AKC shows.
Many of us are spending what little extra income we have actively fighting the ever-expanding breeder licensing and regulation legislation.
AKC is also trying to implement a sort of judge’s tax or fee, whereby judges would have to pay for the privilege of being a judge. Since judges don’t generally make money from judging, they would have to pass this fee onto the clubs…thereby increasing the cost to exhibitors.
Even the rapid explosion of “cluster” shows can work against the hobbyist. The hobbyist often cannot attend all shows during a cluster. We have responsibilities to our day jobs. Yet, it seems difficult, if not impossible, to get a dog noticed if it is not exhibited all four (or five) days of a cluster. Judges seem to increasingly give the nod to dogs on handlers that are seen more often than owner-handled dogs who are only out on occasion, even though the owner-handled dog may be a better dog.
Is it any wonder we don’t have a lot of young faces in the fancy? Is it any wonder we don’t have more judging applicants? What young person, in their twenties or early thirties, with a child or two, a mortgage, a car payment, and little seniority in their job, could possibly afford to enter the fancy? Who would want to even try to finish a dog, knowing that since they can only attend a few shows their chances of winning are stacked high against them?
Most of us have had to cut back on our luxuries during this economic recession. Perhaps it is time that AKC recognized this as well. Cut back on some of the extravagances. Remind your judges that every exhibitor deserves equal attention, and that just because a dog isn’t at a show every weekend, it still might be a good – or even great – dog. Remind your obedience judges that some people compete more for companionship than perfection. Get more involved in the fight against bad legislation.
Help us, the little guys, continue to do what we do – breed, exhibit, and trial our chosen and beloved breeds, and provide healthy, sound puppies for future owners to do the same.
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07.14.10
Posted in AKC, Animal Activists, On the National Front, Pet Laws at 10:06 pm by Administrator
By Dr. Al Grossman
For the past five years, part of which I spent as an AKC Delegate, I have
seen AKC inadvertently shoot itself in the proverbial foot. The PAWS
legislation, which tore the fancy apart, and the “clandestine” approach to
the agreement with the Petland Pet store chain come immediately to mind.
During this period PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and
the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) turned themselves into a
powerful legislative juggernaut backed by millions of dollars that were
milked from a gullible public and have become a royal PITA (Pain in the
Ass). AKC was slow to recognize their growing influence and has suffered the
consequences,
Three major tsunamis occurred during this time to create a perfect storm for
AKC and the world of purebred dogs. First was the expansion of leisure time
and the phenomenal growth of the recreation industry. Many different
opportunities arose for leisure time activities from Little League baseball
to the explosion of the cruise industry. The cadres of die-hard fanciers
stopped growing as the next generation found other pursuits more interesting
and challenging. Breed and All Breed clubs began to wither and die on the
vine as few new members were to be found.
A growing number of entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to make a fast buck
from the growing pet dog population by starting “registration” bodies and
issuing a piece of paper stating “Your dog is now registered with God All
Mighty Kennel Club” – no need for a stud book, inspections, DNA testing or
whatever. You now have a purebred dog registered on the cheap. With a PC and
a printer you too can become a registration body. Just print the meaningless
document and collect the dough.
At last count, AKC had 26 competitors in the registration business. For many
years the only “real” competitor was the United Kennel Club. At least they
maintained a stud book, published magazines, and held dog shows. Everyone
could live with such legitimate competition.
Interestingly enough the number of homes with dogs as pets has increased as
AKC registrations dropped. The registrations of AKC began a steady decline
as people either were not convinced of the value of registering a dog with
AKC or were deceived by effective advertising and promotion to register with
other bodies. Of course, it did not help that many puppy mills, discouraged
by AKC’s growing number of stringent rules about inspections, frequent
sires’ DNA confirmation, and emphasis on health and good animal husbandry,
turned away from the AKC bureaucracy and created their own registration
bodies, which for them simplified their registrations and cost them less
money. The new registration bodies were able to promote these “new”
registration entities to the pet shops, which sold their products, by giving
them kickbacks.
Some of these entrepreneurs also found another gold mine. They helped foster
the breeding and promotion of so-called “designer dogs.” CockaPoos,
Labradoodles, Puggles and the like began to be the “in” thing for the
unsophisticated public. Eureka, another vein to mine.
Now along came the most vicious threat to the sport of purebred dogs – the
resurgence of the Animal Rights Movement. This is a movement so insidious
that it grows likes a cancer. An unhealthy amalgamation of extreme
environmentalists, Greens, Greenpeace, ALF, PETA, HSUS, etc., has learned to
prey upon weakened institutions like a bunch of jackals. It appeals to the
young and idealistic who are seeking a cause to give meaning to their lives.
They practice all of the techniques of cults and give them a philosophy of
veganism, environmentalism and radicalism. Upset the status quo, be in the
forefront of a new movement, change the universe and you will be part of the
new chosen ones, is their motto. This has high appeal to impressionable
young people and is a message as old as time now supported by money,
advertising and hucksterism.
These people have become dangerous. They have destroyed facilities using
animals for research. They have killed and maimed animals in their quest for
the new nirvana. They have harassed researchers and others involved in vital
medical research. Lastly, and most telling, they have learned the art and
skill of manipulating legislative bodies. With their huge cache of money,
they have been able to mount punitive anti-dog legislation in city after
city and state after state. The punitive, anti-dog legislation in
Louisville, Kentucky shows that the inmates have taken over the asylum.
Many years ago, when I was the publisher of Doral Publishing, Patti and Rod
Strand came to me about publishing a book exposing the takeover of the
Animal Humane movement by groups of fanatics. We published it under the
title THE HIJACKING OF THE HUMANE MOVEMENT. It was a great critical success.
As a result of its publication, I received a number of death threats, but I
also got to participate in the founding of NAIA (National Animal Interest
Alliance) and served on its first Board of Directors.
As I became more and more concerned about this insidious cancer, I
approached AKC to take some affirmative action against these fanatics. I got
plaudits for my writings but the powers-that-be at AKC indicated that the
situation wasn’t too serious and that I was being an alarmist. So much for
foresight.
As these events hovered in the background, they finally came together to
form a perfect storm which hit AKC and the fancy with unprecedented
violence. AKC and the fancy reacted with shock and dismay at our failure to
anticipate the results of our inaction and the support of PAWS and Petland
without consulting the delegate body and the fancy in advance. The
realization of unintended consequences struck us like a thunderbolt. We have
been scurrying around ever since trying to regroup and decide on a
corrective course of action. As the famous Oliver Hardy of the Laurel and
Hardy comedic team would say, “Well, here is another nice kettle of fish
you’ve pickled me into”.
Having painted this canvas full of gloom and doom, I would like to take this
opportunity to change my pallet and paint another type of picture. Hopefully
one that uses brighter colors and offers some clues to a better future.
First off, we need to recognize we are no longer in a growth industry. We
need to re-identify what business we are in. Just like the Pennsylvania
Railroad, who discovered they were not just in the railroad business but the
transportation business, we are no longer just in the dog game. We are a
part of the leisure and recreation industry and must begin to act
accordingly. We must change our constitution and by-laws to accommodate this
change.
· We need to recognize that the sports of Agility and Rally are the growth
portion of our new industry, and begin to give them the recognition and
representation they deserve.
· While the emphasis on the bottom line is important to our survival, we
should not become overly dependent on the roller-coaster stock market for a
major share of our income.
· We should initiate a study of the possibility of acquiring the UKC so
there would be one strong body representing purebred dogs. Greater economies
of scale would be possible with this concentration of resources.
· AKC should move out of New York, sublease the current facilities, and join
with the Raleigh portion of the company. As our registration income shrinks,
it is folly to stay in New York with its ultra-high costs. Admit the
division was a mistake and now rectify it.
· Let’s admit that the delegate body has become unwieldy as the number of
clubs joining AKC increases. The new constitution and by-laws should address
a new way of representation, making sure that it’s duties and
responsibilities are more clearly spelled out.
· The archaic notion that the Board of Directors of AKC must come from the
delegate body has to be reviewed. We should have the opportunity to bring in
expertise from other arenas to give us wise counsel as needed. We need to
open our eyes to the realities of the 21st century. Our flexibility is being
limited by our own “inbreeding”. We need what we extol in our dogs – “hybrid
vigor,” which some good outcrosses can give us.
· The Board of Directors should cease micromanaging the organization and
delegate more authority to the President and staff.
· The National Championship show should be permanently located in one city
so it can grow its’ identity. It needs to be placed in a location that can
rival New York City as a destination city. Tampa and Long Beach do not meet
those criteria – Las Vegas does. Good transportation, lots to do and see,
and excellent facilities. It’s a natural.
· We need to change the direction and philosophy of how to combat animal
rights legislation. AKC should take a leaf from Union organizers and hire
people to go to the hot spots, organize the campaign, help letter writers,
and lobby the local/state legislators in place. They should spend at least a
month on-site to do this.
· AKC should retain a PR firm whose sole job is to poke fun and ridicule at
some of the preposterous things that animal rights groups do. They need to
point out that these people don’t realize the consequences of their own
actions and spell out the unintended consequences. Humor can be very
effective, especially biting humor.
I leave you with the following guideline. Tactics knows what to do when
there is something to do; Strategy knows what to do when there is nothing to
do.
Dr. Grossman, a long time judge of Sporting Dogs and publisher of Doral
Publishing is now the President of WinningSolutions.info, a website devoted
to developing the Professional Mentor concept via vital information for the
beginning breeder/exhibitor at http://winningsolutions.info
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