Pet Law
Responsible Breeders in Texas need your help!
Oppose HB 1451 Commercial Dog & Cat Breeder Act
Please take a moment to call, email or fax in your opposition to this bill. It could mean the end of breeders in Texas (responsible ones) forcing us from hobby/small breeders into commercial breeding operations or out of breeding all together. I won’t breed my animals as if i was a commercial operation with the animals in cages and without human companionship or their jobs to do (in the case of the livestock guardian dogs).
Follow this link to read about the bill and email your own letter with one easy click. http://saova.org/TexasHB1451.html
This is my letter to our legislators:
As a responsible cat and future dog breeder I ask you to oppose this bill!! It has unreasonable standards for compliance and interference by often times less educated and inexperienced “animal control” not only hurts the animals but can shut down responsible breeders over large commercial outfits that can afford to jump through various legal hoops and hire big gun lawyers.
Not only as a responsible breeder to I bring revenue to the state by the supplies I get for my animals, the veterinary care I pay for, the shipping fees, the show fees, travel expenses, hotels and more I also bring people to Texas who travel through to pick up their new pets and stay awhile. I also spend countless hours educating people on responsible pet ownership, and breeding as well. We are not the enemy. We are your tax payers, your voters and your supporters.
I absolutely oppose this bill for the sake of the animals and for responsible breeders such as myself and I hope you will too. It would be better to spend our valuable, and shrinking state budget, on education, our teachers, our roads and helping animals in true need that are abandoned, neglected and abused every day than trying to police every small time breeder in the state. Our state budget can’t take it and those breeders forced to quit will flood state funded shelters with more homeless animals and further create a burden.
Thank you,
Dawn Campbell
ASPCA’s Position on Mandatory Spay/Neuter – They don’t recommend it!
Imagine my surprise, and for once it was a pleasant experience, to read the ASPCA’s stance on Mandatory Spay/Neuter legislation. They are against it and instead support low cost spay and neuter, and education programs. I do not think shocked and amazed can adequately describe what I am feeling right now. I do have to say, THANK YOU ASPCA!
For those of you that are confused, and you are not alone, let me explain. Normally most animal organizations push the destruction of pet ownership rights and they get away with it because of the unfortunate minority of people who abuse, neglect and abandon animals. Personally I have always had mixed feelings for ASPCA as they have done great good but also support taking my rights away. Unlike them though the HSUS and PETA have only done as much harm as they can. HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) has even gone so far as to recommend immediate execution of all “fighting dog breeds” (with the hidden agenda that all dogs and cats should be destroyed). PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has the same agenda and has endorsed the euthanasia on wheels traveling neighborhoods near you taking “stray” pets off the streets and killing them on the spot.
All over the country legislation is being rammed down the throats of pet owners (and farmers as well). These movements are being pushed, lobbied for and backed by HSUS and PETA. The idea is to put outrageous penalties, registration fees and other provisions in place to make it impossible to breed, own or care for domesticated animals. These anti-pet (and anti-livestock) policies not only make it impossible to be a responsible breeder but also cause euthanasia rates to sky rocket as people dump their unaltered pets rather than face fines they cannot pay. They never back proven strategies such as low-cost spay & neuter clinics which have been successfully reduced euthanasia rates, as well as pet abandonment. The Responsible Pet Owners Association has been quite successful promoting voluntary spay and neuter programs. They have also successfully assisted with low-cost spay/neuter clinics that have helped to reduce pet overpopulation in Texas. Despite this excellent record, legislators continue to ignore the facts, and the concrete proof, and listen to groups like PETA and the HSUS.
In the past we have seen the ASPCA on the wrong side of the fence on these issues. The ASCPA often backs what we consider to be anti-pet and anti-responsible breeder legislation. Many times they do this merely by providing their name as backers of these bills and other times with “expert” testimony that usually centers on examples of pet abuse and neglect that actually have little to do with the majority of pet owners that these bills would affect. This type of legislation often looks good on paper, and sounds good on your local news station, but in reality it is designed to end pet ownership. They do this by making it so expensive to breed or own animals that responsible people cannot reasonably afford to breed or even own pets any longer. These bills are often touted as stopping the evil “Puppy Mills” but in reality are full of loop holes for corporations that run large breeding establishments.
In the ASPCA’s policy available on their website we see that they are no longer supporting mandatory spay/neuter. This is huge! If an animal “welfare” organization as big as the ASPCA takes a formal stance against this type of legislation it helps those fighting against it. And I personally want to thank the ASPCA for being reasonable, ethical and smart. Anyone can see the facts and the facts do not support mandatory spay & neuter. In fact the facts are that when mandatory spay and neuter is passed in certain counties (like San Mateo in California) euthanasia rates sky rocket. More pets die than ever before and the money spent harassing pet owners can be better spent running and funding low cost spay and neuter programs in poor neighborhoods.
We hope the ASPCA will now also get on board against pet limit laws which also force good and loving homes to abandon their well cared for pets or face unreasonable fines. And for those of us who have the joy of owning dogs we would surely appreciate a hard look at the facts on “dangerous dog legislation” and Breed specific legislation. We also implore them to get behind the No Kill Advocacy Center that can truly make our country a No Kill country! But that’s a subject for another article.
Thank you to the ASPCA for taking a stance that will actually save pets!!
Read the ASPCA’s stance on Mandatory Spay & Neuter: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/policy-positions/mandatory-spay-neuter-laws.html
