What is a large-scale breeder? A vast difference exists between large-scale commercial facilities where breeding and selling animals is a full time occupation and a kennel in which a small number of intact animals is owned and maintained. When current Texas cruelty laws are enforced and dogs from a “large” facility are seized by authorities, details are widely aired by the media. Several large kennel seizures made the news in the past few years. In 2009 over 600 dogs were seized from a substandard kennel in Kaufman County. Yesterday the Dallas News reported a recent raid where 140 dogs were seized. It is logical to assume that the majority of the dogs in either kennel would be female, as the females produce puppies for sale. Even at an unlikely ratio of one female to one male the first kennel would have a minimum of 300 females (28 times the threshold of intact animals cited in HB 1451). The second kennel would have a minimum of 70 females (6.5 times the threshold of intact animals cited in HB 1451).
HB 1451 is part of an organized nationwide campaign by HSUS and has basically nothing to do with actual need in Texas. It is a relentless effort to place government restrictions on hunters and dog breeders until our sport, dogs, and hobbies are regulated out of existence.
Showing posts with label puppy mill bills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puppy mill bills. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Texas House Moves to Strip Rights of Sporting Dog Owners
4/27/2011 U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance
By Rob Sexton, Vice President for Government Affairs
Surely Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and Jim Bowie are rolling over in their graves. It is hard to believe that these patriots in the fight for a free and independent Texas would ever have foreseen that a legislature full of supposed conservatives would vote to permit warrantless searches of the homes of those folks who might sell a few puppies at the end of their driveway. That, however, is exactly what took place yesterday as the Texas House of Representatives voted 98-43 in favor of a bill alleged to be targeting so called puppy mills. Click here to see who voted to take your rights away and to see those that stood up to protect them.
Puppy mill is a media term coined by animal rights groups to bring attention to substandard conditions in some large scale, commercial dog breeding facilities. The dog owners that I know, along with hunters in general, all believe that these places should be operated humanely. But as is often the case with legislation drafted by the animal rights lobby, the net has been cast much wider than large-scale commercial facilities.
That’s why the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Texas Wildlife Association, and many other national and local sportsmen’s and dog groups are opposing the bill.
House Bill 1451 classifies you as a commercial breeder if you maintain eleven female dogs that have not been spayed, and you sell dogs. Now, to a lot of urban folks having eleven dogs may seem like a lot. But to a sporting dog kennel owner who uses the animals to chase foxes and coyotes or flush quail, it is not a lot. And if one of these owners sells even just two puppies, then that person opens his house to being searched by the government without cause. Without even so much as a warrant.
No warrant. I guess you can now add the founding fathers to the list of those rolling in their graves.
But that is indeed the case with this bill. The fellow who puts a sign to sell a litter of puppies at the end of his driveway is considered a commercial breeder. The woman who takes out an ad in her local newspaper to sell a few extra Labrador retrievers is to be treated as if she were operating a puppy producing factory. And yet no one has ever made a case that hobby breeders and sporting dog kennels are operating inhumane facilities that would necessitate these restrictions.
This bill is like treating a mom and pop ice cream stand the same as a factory. License fees will be higher, even thousands of dollars. Record keeping requirements must be maintained and be available to the government at any time. Kennel construction and maintenance will be tightly regulated and specifically spelled out by the government. The bill sets up a new unelected board of bureaucrats that is allowed to add any requirement, fee and restriction that it deems necessary. The commission is estimated by the state to cost at least $1.2 million per year, which must be paid by kennel owners. All of these things will run the cost of maintaining a hobby kennel through the roof, and ultimately out of existence.
Currently many sporting dog kennels and hobby breeders maintain the records for their dogs on their home computer. Because, as I keep driving home the point, they are not a large commercial industry. This bill gives inspectors the authority to search the premises where records are kept without probable cause or even a warrant. A suspected drug dealer does not have to worry about government enforcers storming his house without cause, but a dog breeder does? That is simply amazing!
And what is even more amazing? Is that this is taking place in Texas. Not California. Not New York. But in the Republic of Texas. The future home of one of the most restrictive dog kennel requirements in the United States.
House Bill 1451 is now in the Texas Senate. Here’s hoping that the elected officials here will remember their historical predecessors and make sure that this bill is written fairly, and properly targets those abusive commercial operators it claims to be pursuing. Failing that, this bill should be defeated.
To find your state senator’s contact information, visit the USSA Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/ussportsmen/home/
By Rob Sexton, Vice President for Government Affairs
Surely Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and Jim Bowie are rolling over in their graves. It is hard to believe that these patriots in the fight for a free and independent Texas would ever have foreseen that a legislature full of supposed conservatives would vote to permit warrantless searches of the homes of those folks who might sell a few puppies at the end of their driveway. That, however, is exactly what took place yesterday as the Texas House of Representatives voted 98-43 in favor of a bill alleged to be targeting so called puppy mills. Click here to see who voted to take your rights away and to see those that stood up to protect them.
Puppy mill is a media term coined by animal rights groups to bring attention to substandard conditions in some large scale, commercial dog breeding facilities. The dog owners that I know, along with hunters in general, all believe that these places should be operated humanely. But as is often the case with legislation drafted by the animal rights lobby, the net has been cast much wider than large-scale commercial facilities.
That’s why the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Texas Wildlife Association, and many other national and local sportsmen’s and dog groups are opposing the bill.
House Bill 1451 classifies you as a commercial breeder if you maintain eleven female dogs that have not been spayed, and you sell dogs. Now, to a lot of urban folks having eleven dogs may seem like a lot. But to a sporting dog kennel owner who uses the animals to chase foxes and coyotes or flush quail, it is not a lot. And if one of these owners sells even just two puppies, then that person opens his house to being searched by the government without cause. Without even so much as a warrant.
No warrant. I guess you can now add the founding fathers to the list of those rolling in their graves.
But that is indeed the case with this bill. The fellow who puts a sign to sell a litter of puppies at the end of his driveway is considered a commercial breeder. The woman who takes out an ad in her local newspaper to sell a few extra Labrador retrievers is to be treated as if she were operating a puppy producing factory. And yet no one has ever made a case that hobby breeders and sporting dog kennels are operating inhumane facilities that would necessitate these restrictions.
This bill is like treating a mom and pop ice cream stand the same as a factory. License fees will be higher, even thousands of dollars. Record keeping requirements must be maintained and be available to the government at any time. Kennel construction and maintenance will be tightly regulated and specifically spelled out by the government. The bill sets up a new unelected board of bureaucrats that is allowed to add any requirement, fee and restriction that it deems necessary. The commission is estimated by the state to cost at least $1.2 million per year, which must be paid by kennel owners. All of these things will run the cost of maintaining a hobby kennel through the roof, and ultimately out of existence.
Currently many sporting dog kennels and hobby breeders maintain the records for their dogs on their home computer. Because, as I keep driving home the point, they are not a large commercial industry. This bill gives inspectors the authority to search the premises where records are kept without probable cause or even a warrant. A suspected drug dealer does not have to worry about government enforcers storming his house without cause, but a dog breeder does? That is simply amazing!
And what is even more amazing? Is that this is taking place in Texas. Not California. Not New York. But in the Republic of Texas. The future home of one of the most restrictive dog kennel requirements in the United States.
House Bill 1451 is now in the Texas Senate. Here’s hoping that the elected officials here will remember their historical predecessors and make sure that this bill is written fairly, and properly targets those abusive commercial operators it claims to be pursuing. Failing that, this bill should be defeated.
To find your state senator’s contact information, visit the USSA Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/ussportsmen/home/
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Bill targets 'puppy mills'
Legislation would set limits and require checks
By JOE HOLLEY - AUSTIN BUREAU
April 22, 2011, 6:52AM
AUSTIN — So-called puppy mills and other dog and cat breeding operations would become regulated by the state, required to undergo annual inspections and criminal background checks under a bill that could come before the full House next week.
Rep. Senfronia Thomson's House Bill 1451 would classify dog and cat breeders who have 11 or more unspayed female animals as commercial breeders and require that they be licensed by the state. In addition to background checks and annual inspections, operators would be required to provide wholesome food and clean water, proper lighting and ventilation for animals confined indoors and adequate sanitation.
Supporters said current laws address only extreme cases and make it difficult for animal welfare workers to investigate puppy mills, especially if the operators bar them from their property.
Breeders criticize
Thompson's bill enjoys the support the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but breeders say it would go too far. At a committee hearing last month, dozens of witnesses, many of them breeders, testified that the measure would put them out of business while doing nothing to shut down inhumane operations.
Other breeders criticized the 11-female limit, and some argued that the annual examination and record-keeping requirements would be too expensive.
Hobby breeders would be excluded from regulation.
Thompson, D-Houston, said Thursday that she has continued to work with opponents of the bill during the past couple of months and believes she has addressed their concerns.
"Show dogs, wildlife, herding dogs — it doesn't affect them at all," she said. "If you have 11 intact females, and you're breeding them all at the same time, then you need to be licensed by the state. It's like when somebody cuts hair for free. We don't bother them. But when they start charging for their services, we need to make sure for the sake of public health that they know what they're doing."
Gib Lewis, the former House speaker who testified against the bill on behalf of the Responsible Pet Owners Association, the Texas Wildlife Association and himself, labeled the bill "extremely bad policy." He said Thursday he was opposed to it in part because PETA and other animal rights groups were pushing similar bills in state legislatures across the country.
Full story at link
By JOE HOLLEY - AUSTIN BUREAU
April 22, 2011, 6:52AM
AUSTIN — So-called puppy mills and other dog and cat breeding operations would become regulated by the state, required to undergo annual inspections and criminal background checks under a bill that could come before the full House next week.
Rep. Senfronia Thomson's House Bill 1451 would classify dog and cat breeders who have 11 or more unspayed female animals as commercial breeders and require that they be licensed by the state. In addition to background checks and annual inspections, operators would be required to provide wholesome food and clean water, proper lighting and ventilation for animals confined indoors and adequate sanitation.
Supporters said current laws address only extreme cases and make it difficult for animal welfare workers to investigate puppy mills, especially if the operators bar them from their property.
Breeders criticize
Thompson's bill enjoys the support the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but breeders say it would go too far. At a committee hearing last month, dozens of witnesses, many of them breeders, testified that the measure would put them out of business while doing nothing to shut down inhumane operations.
Other breeders criticized the 11-female limit, and some argued that the annual examination and record-keeping requirements would be too expensive.
Hobby breeders would be excluded from regulation.
Thompson, D-Houston, said Thursday that she has continued to work with opponents of the bill during the past couple of months and believes she has addressed their concerns.
"Show dogs, wildlife, herding dogs — it doesn't affect them at all," she said. "If you have 11 intact females, and you're breeding them all at the same time, then you need to be licensed by the state. It's like when somebody cuts hair for free. We don't bother them. But when they start charging for their services, we need to make sure for the sake of public health that they know what they're doing."
Gib Lewis, the former House speaker who testified against the bill on behalf of the Responsible Pet Owners Association, the Texas Wildlife Association and himself, labeled the bill "extremely bad policy." He said Thursday he was opposed to it in part because PETA and other animal rights groups were pushing similar bills in state legislatures across the country.
Full story at link
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