Take Action!
Quick Summary: HB 3180, a bill that will require licensing and regulation of large-scale commercial dog and cat breeding operations, is now pending in the Texas Legislature. This bill was written specifically to address the animal cruelty that is inherent in the puppy mill industry and will require that minimum standards of care, treatment and housing be met by puppy mill operators. Important Note: Hobby breeders who keep no more than 10 intact female dogs are exempt from licensing and regulation.
What can you do to help?
Spread the word! To increase the number of people contacting their legislators, please forward this alert to friends and family who love animals. Ask them to go to www.THLN.org, watch the puppy mill video and sign up to receive Action Alerts. A bill summary for HB 3180 is also posted on the site.
Each Action Alert will give you the progress of the bill and the names of legislators to contact to make your voice heard for the animals now suffering in puppy mills. As soon as HB 3180 is scheduled for a committee hearing, you will receive an alert.
This bill must be passed in a committee hearing before it can go to the House of Representatives for a vote. Please don't assume that this will be easy. Puppy mills operate in backwoods areas and in the shadows of our communities, but their owners have a strong lobby force at work to kill this legislation. They are driving paranoia among the hobby breeders who have not read this bill and are not aware that they are exempt from licensing and regulation, as long as they have no more than 10 intact female dogs.
Tell us your story.
Did you buy a puppy you believe may have come from a puppy mill?
Are you concerned about a potential puppy mill in your area?
Are you a shelter or rescue staff person who has assisted in puppy mill related work?
Do you have a question or comment about puppy mills?
Please share your story or question with THLN by clicking here. Please note that we are unable to accept attachments (including photos) at this time.
If you love dogs and cats, this is one of the most important bills you can help pass to protect them from cruelty. More than 700,000 dogs and cats were destroyed in Texas animal control facilities last year, simply because there were no homes for them. Puppy mills are not only cruel and barbaric operations that are producing sickly puppies with genetic defects, they are mass contributors to the pet overpopulation problem.
Thank you for taking action. Please help us spread the word.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
So glad to see the pro-HB 3180 comment. Let's hope it gets out of committee soon. FYI, the organization Texas Dog Commission mentioned in your 1-07-09 blog post was founded by atty Zandra Anderson who testified AGAINST HB 3180. Why? Because, sadly, she was paid to do so by a San Antonio coalition of dog breeders (puppy mill owners???).
Wake up people! This is just a start to the beginning to an end of pet ownership.
Texas Humane Legislative Network (THLN) is the driving force pushing HB 3180. So, who is THLN?
It is a lobbying non-profit corporation with a stated mission against people buying from
breeders of any kind. They have boasted that they will spend at least $200,000.00 in
lobbying efforts for this legislative season.
Here is their policy and philosophy on breeders as stated on their website:
THLN urges everyone who cares about animals to:
• Adopt your companion animals from a local animal shelter or rescue group.
• Never buy a puppy from a pet store, through a print advertisement or via the
Internet. At least 90 percent of these animals come from puppy mills.
• Do not buy from breeders. No matter how caring they appear to be about the
animals they are selling, they are still contributing to the overpopulation crisis. At
least 25 percent of dogs entering shelters are full-bred dogs.
I am a responsible breeder that cares deeply about my animals and where they go. I am not a puppy mill and I find that term very derogatory. This legislation will kill me with deep fees for raising any puppies. If you love having your pets, I would strongly urge you to contact your representatives not to pass this bill. This is not a bill about puppy mills it is a bill about controlling the pet industry by people who do not want you to own a pet.
"Don't breed or buy while animals in shelters die" is a bumper sticker slogan worth taking
to heart. As long as there is a market for "puppy milled" dogs, there will be puppy mills.
The Network encourages you to adopt a dog from a local shelter or rescue group and
have him or her promptly spayed or neutered.
Because THLN is a lobbying organization, it is classified as a 501(c)(4); therefore,
contributions are not tax deductible.
The above excerpts are from the THLN website as of March 30, 2009.
THLN is also pushing a spay and neuter law for every dog and cat in Texas, HB 4277, SB 1845.
Where are you going to get pet when they are all gone?
I watched the video. That is a puppy mill. There are those out there that do that. I am responsible owner and breeder and I will be punished if these bills pass. There are laws that are already in place to take care of those people but are not properly funded. If THLN care about the animals, they would help in the funding of the current laws. I am inspected 3 to 4 times a year by USDA and AKC. My dogs do not live like those in that video. THLN is not showing the full picture and that picture includes responsible breeders doing the right things for their animals. THLN and other organization like them want full and total control for themselves.
HB 3180 is a bill designed by radicals that have no concept of the people that they are calling puppy mills. Every breeder is not a puppy mill. As it has been stated before, there are laws in place to close these people down and they are not being enforced! If this bill is designed to end animal cruelty, why is that Any dog registered under the Texas Racing Act is exempt from complience? These people are notorious for the cruelty and mistreatment of their animals. They were exposed as far back as I can remember for killing dogs and burying them in mass graves. Remember the "SAVE THE GREYHOUND " campaigns? It seems suspect to me they would be automatically exempt, but responsible breeders are automatically guilty of being a puppy mill! Also, this bill will affect anyone that sells even 1 puppy! If that puppy has a health problem, you can responsible for any and all vet bills! And you have no input, the purchaser can run any bill up as high as he likes! This bill is unbeliveable!
Other than one-it appears all the other "Anonymous" posts are from anti-humane legislation lobbyist(s)who represent breeders(and other anti-animal friendly groups),who love to use the same scare phrases when fighting pro-animal care legislation, "If we regulate breeders, it will be the end of all pets!" "This will drive responsible breeders out of business!""(then names any organization/group who promotes animal friendly legislation,not breeder friendly/legislation) as "radical!","Extremist!" (Usually accompanied by quotes out of context from individuals w/in animal rights movement/humane organizations that are not related to the legislation-but that will reveal "true agenda" of legislation to "end pet ownership" & destroy nice, lovely breeders who just want to make money off breeding animals & here these awful "extremist" animal legislation people/humane groups want to take away people's "rights to their property" and . .) (Here we see supposed breeder-more likely lobbyist is writing in as "anonymous"-claims they are "inspected 3 or 4 times a year by the AKC and USDA" Nonsense- &implying humane legislation is also "not necessary-there are plenty of laws already on the books!" The sad reality is they just don't want to pay fees to breed dogs& face gov't inspections/regulations.Period. Sorry scaremongers trying to get the general public to protect BREEDERS/Other animal Users against paying fees/getting inspections/limiting how one can treat an animal,instead of protecting the ANIMALS-There's no actual "great conspiracy" by animal friendly legislation proponents to destroy pet ownership or destroy "responsible" breeders.If one activist or group feels that way-that has not one thing to do w/legislation proposed-but it's a great diversionary/scare tactic, isn't it? Make life better & less suffering for animals gets twisted into "this hurts people!"& sometimes "this legislation hurts animals!" and "fails/ed miserably" (when if you check the facts yourself-as I decided to-where whatever proposal was enacted it actually did not really"fail" or if there were problems, it was in spite of the laws,not because. . .The truth matters.
The imposition of enlightenment rationalism comes from the idea of the unnamed.
Post a Comment