Sunday, September 26, 2010

Inherit the Wind

Heredity is the means by which traits (distinctive features) are passed on to the next generation. Physical traits include such things as eye shape and color, body size, and coat color. Behavioral traits involve characteristics like herding or retrieving instincts. Some traits are not readily apparent, like blood type or predisposition to a disease. All these traits are inherited.


We talked a bit about chromosomes in a previous post. Chromosomes carry the genes that determine the traits that are inherited. Chromosomes are string-like ropes made up of thousands of genes. Chromosomes occur in pairs; one from each parent. Every gene has a partner on the opposite chromosome, and these partnered pairs of genes determine the traits of an individual. There are some exceptions to this rule. For instance, the female sex chromosome contains more genes than the male sex chromosome, so some traits are linked to the sex of the individual. Other genes might be composed of extra material created through mutation or insertion, and those might not always have a partner on the opposite chromosome.

But most genes do have partners. There are many different forms of a gene that can exist at any given location. These different forms are known as "alleles". For example, at one certain location on the chromosome, an individual could have a gene for sable, or for tan-point pattern, or for black. These are three alleles that might be found at that particular location. You will inherit only one allele from one parent, and one from your other parent.

How do we know how this all works? Let's take a brief look backwards at how our knowledge of genetics developed.

Way back in the 1700s, a man named Jean-Baptiste Lamarck developed some theories about how evolution occurred. Lamarck observed that organisms adapted to their environment. He believed that bodily features were gained or lost through use or disuse. He also believed in something known as "soft inheritance"...the idea that the effects of the environment on an individual's traits could be passed along to their offspring. While this idea has generally been discounted, science is now beginning to delve into the area known as "epigenetics". We now know that sometimes environmental factors (nutrition, toxins, radiation etc) can indeed affect the genes that are passed on to offspring! Lamarck may have been on to something after all!

In the 1850s and 1860's an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel did experimental hybridizing on thousands of peas. Mendel showed that the inheritance of traits followed certain patterns and laws. He was the first to postulate that traits could be dominant or recessive, or in some-cases co-dominant. Mendel also developed the theory of independent or random assortment of traits. The importance of his work was not realized during his lifetime, but Mendel is now regarded as the father of modern genetics.

During this same time frame, Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution by natural selection. (Darwin knew nothing of Gregor Mendel or his research). Darwin's observations led him to the idea that organisms adapt and change through "survival of the fittest". Darwin's theory of natural selection is widely accepted today. In the early 20th century the ideas of Mendel and Darwin were combined to form the basis of genetic science and evolution.

We can see examples of how evolution occurs in an artificial, man-made manner by looking at the results of selection in domestic animals. Man can change a species form and function by selecting for certain traits that we find valuable. Traits less valued are selected against and do not survive. For example, we rarely see a thirty pound Pomeranian today....small size has been selected for and the genes that produce larger body size have almost disappeared. We also attempt to produce an almond-shaped eye, small ears, a high tail set and a relatively short back. Although this is a man-made selection process, and not "natural" selection, it's a good example of how evolution occurs.

But organisms are not simply the product of their genes. Scientists are finding that traits determined by genes can often be greatly influenced by environmental factors. Hip dysplasia is a good example of this phenomenon. The genes that predispose to hip degeneration can be influenced by the effects of nutrition or stress on the joint.

Another example is coat color which is determined by genes, but can be changed under the influence of the sun or hair dye.

A non-canine example of environment affecting expression of genes is the coat color of the Siamese cat. The Siamese cat has a form of partial albinism due to an enzyme that blocks melanin, but this enzyme that produces light coat color is inactivated by cooler body temperature. The coat color of the Siamese cat's tail, legs, ears and face (which is cooled by the nasal passages) remains darker than the rest of the body because these regions are not as warm as the rest of the body. The gene for blocking dark coat color depends on warmth (an environmental factor) to be activated and expressed.

We learned from Mendel that some genes are "dominant"; others are "recessive", and still others are co-dominant. But only a few traits are determined by a single gene. Most traits in complex creatures like animals are created by the actions of multiple genes. This is what we call a “polygenic” trait; one that is the product of many genes interacting together. Even a fairly simple trait such as coat color is produced through the interaction of multiple genes.

Traits like the size and shape of the ear, or the croup, or the front, are examples of polygenic features. This makes it difficult to predict with any certainty what sort of offspring will be produced from any certain mating. Remember, there are literally millions of different combinations of genes that each animal can possess. Selection of individuals who possess the traits you wish to perpetuate is important. This is actually more important than looking back at ancestors in a pedigree, because some genes that produce certain traits can be lost through the generations.

How can we stack the odds in our favor to produce the traits that are important to us in our breeding program? One tried and true method used by dog breeders has been inbreeding or linebreeding. This system involves breeding together dogs who are closely related or who descend from a meritorious common ancestor.

Inbreeding and linebreeding help to preserve certain valuable traits. However, inbreeding may also preserve undesirable traits at the same time. Another problem with inbreeding is that any hidden “problem” recessive genes that the admired ancestor possessed stand a relatively high chance of being doubled up and expressed in the offspring, because each parent has a higher than normal probability of sharing some common genes. These problems then become nearly impossible to eradicate from a line and in some cases from an entire breed.

Breeds that were founded on only a few ancestors or breeds that use a few popular sires extensively will almost always eventually develop a few problems that become characteristic of that breed. Another problem with inbreeding and linebreeding is that along with producing a more uniform type, the inbreeding process can also result in a lack of variability in the genes needed for optimal immune system function. Unfortunately, impaired immunity can mean a greater susceptibility to infection, higher rates of autoimmune diseases, lower birthrates and decreased lifespan.

Breeding outside the line, or “outcrossing” serves to introduce more genetic variability and improve health and vigor, but the downside is a lack of predictability of type. Most physical characteristics and even most diseases are produced through the interaction of multiple genes. Many disorders of the immune system such as autoimmunity or allergy may be caused by something as simple as lack of a variety of genes in the immune complex. Such problems can often be corrected in the next generation by outcrossing.

Usually an outcross must be carefully planned for certain features that the breeder wishes to introduce or to eliminate, and several generations are required to refine those features to reach a certain goal. This might require more patience than many of us possess, and there is no guaranteed pot of gold at journey's end. However, the rewards of improved health and vigor may make your “surprise” outcross experiment very worthwhile.

There are a few diseases produced by a single, identifiable gene, and some of these are able to be tracked by DNA identification of that gene or a closely located “marker”. Carriers of certain diseases may be identified in this way. Identification of problematic genes does not necessarily mean that we should eliminate the carrier from the gene pool. That animal probably has other very valuable genes to contribute as well. Judicious selection coupled with rigorous testing can result in the reduction of incidence of a genetic problem down through future generations once the genetic carrier status is readily identifiable.

The dramatic production "Inherit the Wind" chronicled the events of a teacher in the 1920s who was arrested and tried for teaching his students about the science of evolution and heredity. One great line from that play sums up our general knowledge of genetics: 


"The man who has everything figured out is probably a fool. College examinations notwithstanding, it takes a very smart fella to say 'I don’t know the answer!'"

Monday, September 20, 2010

In Defense of Dog Breeders


In Defense of Dog Breeders


How Animal Rights Has Twisted Our Language

by the late great JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
Reprinted here with permission of Donna Yates


“You’re a dog breeder!!!!!!!!!!!!”
In today’s world, that is a very loaded statement. It’s more like an accusation.
“I told the television news reporter that I breed dogs,” a friend from Dallas told me recently. “He looked at me like I was a harlot.”
Dog owners have allowed the animal rights movement to redefine our language in order to paint everything we do in the worst possible light. If we say that we breed dogs, the looks we get ask us if we own a “puppy mill” or if we are a “backyard breeder.”

If we reply that we are a “hobby breeder,” someone immediately asks how we can consider living creatures a hobby. Some of us try the word “fancier.” We fool no one.


The most pathetic response to the question is when we call ourselves “responsible breeders.” Responsible to whom? Who defines “responsible” and “irresponsible?” Some bureaucrat? A politician? Animal rights cretins who say there is no such thing as a responsible breeder? Animal rights fanatics would rather kill all animals than see someone love them. In fact, that’s their plan.


If we say we are not breeders, it makes us “pet hoarders.” We are tarred as mentally ill people in need of psychotherapy.


The entire language about dog ownership has been hijacked by the rhetoric of the animal rights movement.


The worst part is that we have allowed it to happen. We are too fearful and wimpy to stand up for ourselves. We keep searching for inoffensive euphemisms to describe what we do, so that we don’t open ourselves up to attack.


By doing that, however, we have engineered our own demise.


The animal rights movement will not go away. Its agenda is to destroy our right to own or raise animals. Animal rights groups have declared war on all animal ownership, and they won’t stop until they either win or we finally have the courage to stand up and defeat them.


They have not taken that kind of power over us. We have given it away. We have surrendered our beliefs to the enemy.

We apologize for what we do. We make weak excuses for things like animal shelter euthanasia, accidental matings, dog fighting and dangerous dogs. We take at least part of the responsibility for these problems onto our own shoulders, when in truth we have no responsibility at all for creating them.


None whatsoever!


I am sick and tired of watching dog owners constantly apologize and grovel, and allowing themselves to be put on the defensive.


Enough! It’s time to stop sniveling about who we are and what we do.

Let me state clearly and for the record: I am a dog breeder. I breed dogs. I raise puppies. I like it. I’m very proud of it.

If you don’t like it, you are free to take a flying leap. I don’t care what you think of me or what I do.

I raise two or three litters of English setter puppies a year. I wish I could raise more puppies, but can’t figure out how to do it without driving myself into bankruptcy.

My dogs work for a living, just like I do. They have to be good at their jobs, just like I do. If they aren’t good at their jobs, I don’t keep them and I certainly don’t breed them.

They are hunting dogs, and they have to be able to perform to a very demanding standard of excellence to be worthy of breeding. They have to meet the exacting standard of championship-quality performance in the toughest competition.

They are professional athletes.

Most of them don’t make the cut. Those dogs make wonderful hunting companions or family members.

I have never had a dog spayed or neutered, except for medical reasons, and I don’t intend to start now. If a dog is good enough for me to keep, it is good enough to breed.

Nor have I ever sold a puppy on a spay/neuter contract. With performance dogs, it takes two or three years to know what you have. There is no way that anyone can know the full potential or worthiness of a young puppy. I hope every puppy that I sell will become a great one that is worthy of being bred.

I do not feel bad (and certainly do not feel guilty) if someone decides to breed a dog from my kennel that I did not choose to keep for myself when it was a puppy. It still will be a very nice dog, and I have worked very hard on my breeding program for 35 years to assure that very high quality genetics will be passed along and concentrated in any dog that I sell.


On occasion, I have a puppy that has a serious flaw. I don’t sell those puppies, even though they would make many people very happy. I give them away free to good homes, and the definition of a good home is mine because it’s my puppy. I own it. You don’t.


My responsibility is to the puppy. It is not to you, and it’s not to some gelatinous glob called “society.” I consider myself to be personally responsible for every puppy I raise, from birth until the day it dies. It always has a home in my kennel, if its new owner can’t keep it or no longer wants it.


That’s a contract written in blood between the puppy and me. It’s a contract written with a handshake with the puppy’s new owner.


I laugh cynically when someone from the Humane Society of the United States or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ask if I am a responsible breeder. HSUS and PETA are two of the most vicious, bloodthirsty and dishonest snake pits on Earth. Their moral credibility is a negative number. PETA butchers more than 90-percent of the animals it “rescues” every year, and HSUS supports programs and policies that result in the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of animals every year.

By now, I assume that I have pushed all of the buttons of the animal rights crazies. I can hear them snort and see their pincurls flapping in indignation. It makes my day.


Can’t you hear them, too? They are calling me an exploiter of animals. They are saying that I ruthlessly cull and manipulate the genetics of my dogs. They saying that I make the exploited poor beasts work for a living and live up to impossible standards. They will say that I do this to feed and gratify my own fat ego. They will say that I sell them for money and exploit them for personal gain. Then, of course, they will say that I use them to viciously hunt innocent wild animals.

Terrible, terrible me! My mother should have a son like this! She was such a nice woman.

Well, I plead guilty to all of the charges. Know what else? I don’t feel guilty, not even a little bit. I do it. I like it. I feel good about it.


Now I will speak in my own defense – as a dog breeder.

I happen to love dogs. I love being around them. I love working with them. I love watching a puppy grow up and discover its potential. I love having the privilege of experiencing a truly great dog in its prime. I love sharing supper with my dogs, wrestling with puppies, and sacking out with them on the couch. I lose sleep when they get sick, and work myself unmercifully to care for them. I spend almost all of the money I have on them, and some money that I don’t have. My heart breaks when they grow old and die. I have a dozen lifetimes worth of beautiful memories.

What do the animal rights freaks have? They have their ideology. They look in the mirror and feel smug and self-righteous, as if God has personally anointed them to protect animals from the likes of me.

What they have is nothing at all. Utter sterility. A world devoid of life and love.

They can keep it.

My life is filled with love and joy and beauty, and I owe most of it to my dogs. They have helped to keep me sane when sanity was not a given. They have given me courage on the days when all I wanted to do was lie down and quit. They have given me strength to endure on the days when all I wanted to do is run away and hide.

I owe them my life.


The animal rights folks are right. I ruthlessly cull and manipulate genetics. To make the cut, my breeding dogs have had to live up to the most exacting possible standards and pass the most strenuous tests.

I am very proud of doing that.

The result is that the vast majority of people who buy a puppy from me love it. When I sell a puppy, chances are that it has found a home for the rest of its life. The puppy will have a great chance of leading a wonderful life. I produce puppies that make people happy to own them and want to keep them. That’s my job as a breeder.


I have done this through rigorous selection. My puppies today are the result of 35 years of my stubborn insistence about never breeding a dog that does not have a wonderful disposition, perfect conformation, great intelligence, exceptional natural ability, breathtaking style and that mysterious ingredient called genius.

Every puppy born in my kennel has six or eight or 10 generations of my own dogs in its pedigree. All of those ancestors possess a high level of each of those desirable traits. I have raised, trained and grown old with every dog listed in several generations of each puppy’s pedigree.

Simply put, my puppies today are a lot nicer than my puppies of 35 years ago. Today, there is a much higher percentage of good ones, a much lower percentage of deficient ones, a much higher average of good qualities, and a much higher percentage of true greatness emerging from my kennel today.


That’s what it means to be a breeder.


Does that feed my ego? Yep. I like having my ego stroked. Don’t you? If you don’t, you are in very deep trouble as a human being.

But I’ll tell you what else it does. It makes for happier dogs. It makes for dogs that lead better lives, find permanent families and homes, and get to experience love in many forms.

It also makes for healthier dogs. Generation after generation of perfect functional conformation means that the dogs are less likely to get injured, wear out or develop arthritis. Many generations of selection for vigor, toughness and good health means that they are able to laugh at the extremes of climate, weather and terrain.

I also have virtually eliminated genetic health problems from my strain of dogs. For example, hip dysplasia is the most common genetic problem in English setters, afflicting a reported four-percent of the breed. In the past 20 years, I have had only two questionable hip x-rays, which both would be rated “fair” by the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA). The last one was 10 years ago.


Yes, I am very proud of being a breeder. I did that.


I am proud, too, that I am producing dogs that are so intelligent that it’s scary, so loyal that they can be your complete partner in the field while also possessing the extreme independence needed to do their job well, so loving that you want them with you every second of the day, so bold and brazen that nothing bothers them, and just plain drop-dead gorgeous to boot.

They make me smile a lot. I think I make them smile, too.

But, the animal rights whackos say I am doing it for the money. They accuse me of exploiting animals for profit.


Yep. Every chance I get. I am very happy when I am able to sell a puppy for cold, hard cash. It makes me feel good.


It makes me feel good because it shows me that someone appreciates the work I am doing. It makes me feel good because I have earned it, and earned it honestly.


My only regret is that I have not made more money as a breeder. With all of the sacrifices I have made and the hard work I have done, I should be rolling in money.


Alas, I am not.


It has been years since I actually have made money on a litter of puppies. Usually, I lose my shirt.

For every puppy I sell, there is another one that I keep to evaluate, and a couple of other ones that I am keeping for two or three years to evaluate for their worthiness to breed. Then there are dogs that are in competition, and that costs bushels of money, not to mention old dogs that are retired and have a home here until they die of old age. Almost a third of the dogs in my kennel are elderly and retired, and it takes a lot of money to care for them.


It takes money for dog food, supplies, veterinary bills, kennel licenses, repairs, vehicle use for training and field trials, advertising, internet, phone bills, and four pairs of good boots a year. It takes money. Lots of money. Bundles of money.


Oh, Lord, please help me to sell some more puppies!


Besides, what’s wrong with making money? It is a rather fundamental American value. Making money is something to be proud of, as long as it’s done honestly.

Even animal rights bozos have to eat. Someone has to make money to stuff veggies down their gullets, and organic veggies are rather pricey. Most working folks can’t afford them.


I also can’t help but notice that most animal rights activists over the age of 30 drive pretty fancy cars (we are talking about the Beamer set, folks), live in rather fancy houses and dress very well indeed. I can’t help but notice that many of the leaders of animal rights groups have pretty cushy gigs, with high-end six-digit salaries, fancy offices, and all the perks.

I guess they are saying that it’s ok for them to make money by the truckload, even if making money turns dog breeders into immoral greed bags. There is no one in America who exploits dogs for as much money as the paid leaders of animal rights groups. Their fat salaries depend on having animal issues to exploit. If there were no animals for them to exploit, they would have to get a real job.


It’s a rather perplexing dual standard, don’t you think?


Well, maybe it’s not perplexing after all. The only thing perplexing about hypocrisy is that so many people can’t see through it.

My next sin is making my dogs work for a living. The animal rights people try to paint a picture of whipping dogs beyond endurance, exploiting them, creating misery and causing unhappiness. The poor, downtrodden, huddled masses. You know the tune.


Only problem is, my dogs don’t agree. They love to work. They love their jobs. The only time they are sad is when it is not their turn to work. For my dogs, working is sheer joy and passion! They love every second of it.

What animal rights groups live for is creating imaginary victims. Helping victims makes some people feel better about themselves and, of course, it helps them to part with their money so that animal rights leaders can live high on the hog. Oops. I mean high on the carrot. How callous of me. I guess I’m just not a sensitive kind of guy.

Back to the exploited masses of bird dogs. Try an experiment sometime. Read an animal rights essay, and substitute the word “proletariat” for the word “animal.” You will find that animal rights philosophy actually is pure and straightforward Marxian doctrine.


I guess my dogs are not natural Marxists. They love their jobs. They are excited about their jobs. Their jobs make them very happy.


Animal rights people can’t seem to grasp that people can feel that way about their work, too. It’s how I feel about the very hard work of being a dog breeder. It makes me happy.

Another way of putting it is that both my dogs and my own example provide proof that life is not pointless drudgery and exploitation. We provide living proof that joy, beauty and personal fulfillment are possible in life.


I just don’t think of those qualities when I think of the animal rights fanatics I have known. They seem a rather sad and sorry lot to me. I’ll take my dogs’ company any day.


Oh, but the icing on the cake is that I use these poor exploited creatures to hunt innocent birds. How terrible!

Hunting, of course, is a subject of its own, and I won’t attempt to cover it here.


Suffice it to say that opposition to hunting flies in the face of a few million years of human evolution, the entire balance of nature everywhere on Earth, and common sense.

I know one thing for certain. The fact that we have healthy populations of most species of wild birds and animals today is only because hunters have cared enough to support strong conservation measures. We have preserved millions of acres of habitat that are vital to the survival of many species, saved more millions of acres of wilderness from development, supported the protection of endangered species everywhere, and put our money where our mouths are.

Animal rights groupies do nothing but blow hot air, when they aren’t too busy destroying the land and the animals that live on it to create vast wastelands of industrialized monoculture.

I am proud to be a hunter, too.

It’s time for every dog owner and breeder to stand up proudly and be counted.

Each one of you has done far more to enhance the quality of life of both people and dogs than all of the animal rights activists put together.

So stand up and shout it to the rooftops!

Stop crawling around on your bellies and apologizing. Your dogs deserve better from you. You will just have to get a little tougher if you want to live up to your dogs.

What you are doing is right.

It’s just that simple.






Sunday, September 12, 2010

Message from New Brunswick breeders' group chair

By now most of you are aware of a few issues that have taken place in the past two weeks.


  • Threats that without owner immediate compliance Agents can arrive without notice and take away pets.
  • Still calling without immediately identifying themselves as NBSPCA agents - leading into the conversation pretending to be puppy buyers.
  • Still getting statements from agents “we become suspicious of wrongdoing if breeders refuse immediate entrance into their home”.
  • Agents lying to breeders to intimate them into inspection. (ie. being told they are the first to refuse entry into their home)
  • Threats to arrive with RCMP Officers - arrests of owners and dogs seized if you don’t let them in your primary dwelling.
  • Comments that we should be staying home 24/7 with puppies, not leaving them to take our children to school etc.
  • Arriving at people’s homes unannounced wearing bullet proof vests etc, very intimidating for citizens who have never dealt with the law nor aware they are operating outside the new legislation.
  • giving non-compliance chits (no puppies onsite nor do these people currently have any for sale)
  • going through dog show catalogues, initiating harassment based on information found within. Note: puppies born/sold prior to 1 June 10
  • using “anonymous tips” to begin the harassment even though legally these tips cannot be acted upon in a court of law.
  • Breeders are being quoted different fine amounts for initial non compliance.
  • Breeders given only a temporary license and lists of changes that need to be made yet there is still no appeal process in place.
  • Breeders having to make changes to their primary dwelling without an appeal process in place.
  • Chief Inspector doing inspections yet we have been told he wants be part of the appeal process, he is not on the list of agents we should be dealing with.
  • Breeders are still having to deal with their primary dwelling being videotaped.
Non compliance with the licensing regulation is not in these cases an act of cruelty to animals, therefore not covered in the criminal code of Canada. Therefore many of the threats and subsequent harassment handed out by agents of the NBSPCA to these citizens would without a doubt be considered overstepping their authority. They were given limited powers of a peace officer, yet are far exceeding the full powers of a Police Officer. If an RCMP was reported to have done even a small portion of what has happened to citizens in the past month, it would most likely result in an internal investigation; so why is it continuing?

Saturday, September 11, 2010

New Brunswick....animal rights terror

From a member of We The People for Pets:


There's actually something REALLY awful happening in New Brunswick, Canada, right now, this minute, today. Apparently a pol (they call them MLA's) snuck a LAW into the legislation that no one caught.


For the past several years, New Brunswick has had Breeder Permits for over 4
intact dogs that were being used to breed. Apparently you went down to the
New Brunswick SPCA office and told them about your dogs (as in, very voluntary) and they issued you a permit. It cost about $100. People did it to be "responsible" and to support the NBSPCA. There was no real reason not to except to avoid paying the $100.00. They even gave you coupons and crap at the local pet stores and groomers and vets.....making it almost pay for itself or better if you used a lot of these services.


My breeding partner and best GF in NB went in to pay. She had 4 breeding dogs. They KINDLY explained it was only if you had OVER 4, but thanks for coming and you can still donate to the NBSPCA if you want.


THEN, as of June, they passed what they called "Mandatory Breeder Permits".
Try imagining PAWS and PUPS and MSN all bundled into a nice neat package.
NO ONE had ANY clue what was really in the "law" that was passed. They all
seemed to believe it was just a way to get ALL the dog breeders in the area to pay their $100 and go on about their business, so if they DID see the proposal, they MIGHT have even voted for it as it was described as a law to STOP the "PuppyMills".

Even when my GF mentioned it back in June, and me, being completely paranoid due to living here in Calif., told her it didn't sound so "simple" because part of the language included a clause about "breeder inspections". I was assured that ONLY applied to those "awful puppymills" so they could be stopped." and that she, and the other "responsible hobby breeders" were fine, because they keep their dogs inside their homes, etc. and are not breeding for income, hence they are not "puppy mills". Except......


1. The new Breeder Permit costs $250 for a SINGLE INTACT dog.


2. The NBSPCA is being run by AR's and my GF's friends that worked there are
gone. Plus, they refer to HSUS "policies" in their "checklists", including no
inbreeding, no bitches bred under 18 months, only TWO litters allowed per bitch and TWO stud covers that result in pups allowed per dog. There are no
provisions for working or service dogs; if it's intact, it's in trouble.


3. They are doing physical inspections of people's PRIVATE homes and
VIDEOTAPING it even if you ONLY have a SINGLE intact dog.


4. They are physically handling each dog in your PRIVATE home to determine if
you pulled dews, cropped or docked, or haven't groomed it. (each carries a $500 fine per dog)


5. They are doing these "inspections" UNANNOUNCED! Dog owners and breeders are freaking out because they walk in during whelpings and ties and other private business and some lady had her Dane nearly die of bloat because she was feeding him when they burst onto her property.


6. They bring the RCMP (police) with them and are threatening getting warrants if you won't let them into your house or ....are not home. They have told people it is an "offense" (criminal) if they are not home when you have nursing pups. They were told to hire someone to take the children to school or the market because you must not leave your home.


7. They are chasing down co-owners and puppybuyers because they copy ALL your paperwork. If they find your co-owner or puppy buyer lives in the Province and has a still intact pet, they descend upon them for the $250 with videos and other demands.( I have found an argument in here, as Canadian law does not allow the sharing of private third party information)


8. They DON'T have a Rabies law, so they cannot even say this is why they are doing this.


9. The requirement checklist to breed a single dog was taken right from the
HSUS recommendation list, "impervious floors, 8 inch baseboards, no crating, clean metal water dish, affixed to floor" for EACH dog, .....basically NO ONE can afford to remodel their home to keep an intact pet, effectively forcing them out of breeding.


10. Parvo is spreading like wildfire (documented) because these NBSPCA IDIOTS are going from one home to the next and TOUCHING all the babies looking for crop/dock/dew violations.


11. My GF lives in a 3500 sq ft fabulous new home on SIXTY acres which has been in her family for 100 years. Her dogs have the life of luxury, every need is immediately met. There has never been a single complaint from anyone about her dogs. Because of the limit law stuff in Calif, I have a couple of my finished, intact, AKC Champions living with her. Now there is a fear they could be taken.


If anyone here knows anything about Canadian law, and their constitutional
rights in preventing this nightmare from continuing, I'd appreciate the help,
since my dogs are there.


They have formed a group similar to WTPP and have a Yahoo list. Due to a bunch of unannounced Nazi style inspections on completely naive owners last week, many of the owners are planning to approach their respective MLA's (like our senators, etc.) on Monday.....


I have heard that my GF's MLA (whom her father contributed heavily to his
campaign) is utterly aghast at how this is being enforced. Supposedly he
was under the impression it was just a law to get more money from people
who were making income from more than 4 active breeding dogs.


I am working on providing her with any constitutional violations that I can
find, along with having her vet provide documentation of the Parvo outbreaks.
Also I'll put together something about the No-Kill info from.....hello? Canada....that demonstrates how this new law will result in MUCH more costs
than income.
 
The actual checklist and the CVMA Guidelines are what the Inspectors are bringing with them along with videocameras and copy/fax machines to usurp paperwork. Also warrants to enter homes if they are refused and the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to carry out the warrants.



They are REQUIRING a RECORD of daily puppy weights from BIRTH ......my God......

I spoke with another breeder friend in Montreal, which is in the Province of Quebec. She was quick to point out that "her" Province hadn't passed anything like this and she didn't think they would. I was almost yelling when I told her that was how New Brunswick got screwed.....no one actually believed that something like this could pass. They think someone else is watching the freakin' henhouse while the chickens are getting fried. I told her she had to get involved in her local lawmaking NOW or forever live with a choice that could leave her without her beloved dogs....

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Animal Rights Puritans

Here’s a question for you: Is it wrong to feel good about yourself? It is, according to the animal rights crowd.

Here’s the scenario:


I watched a “Today" show program where Matt Lauer interviewed a woman who
suddenly realized she was an animal hoarder after the “Animal Hoarder" show
came to her door. Before, she thought she was helping animals, but they
made her realize she was in it to make her feel good, purely selfish reasons.

Barbara


Can you imagine? The woman actually thought she was simply trying to help animals! And she had the sheer audacity to feel good about herself for helping the little furballs. Oh, yeah. The animals were in good shape and her house was, too. Seems her only problem was a) having the animals and b) feeling good about helping them.

Of course, those of us who have been “educated” by the animal rights folks know better. We know that it’s wrong to feel good about ourselves or anything we do for animals. That might lead to us wanting to keep animals enslaved as pets. We’re not supposed to take pleasure from helping animals or (gasp!) living life. We’re lowly humans and the sooner we slink off the planet, the better. That will just leave domestic animals to fend for themselves until their numbers dwindle and they die off, too. But beautiful Gaia will be left in all her pristine beauty, unencumbered by such crawling, unworthy creatures as humans or animals to mess things up.

Of course, those of us who really love animals know better. Doesn’t it just make you sick that ARs are convincing people that it's wrong to feel good about helping animals? I guess if you donate a kidney to someone, which most people would consider a generous act, you would need some mental help if you felt good about yourself. By this line of thinking, why should anyone donate to a charity or non-profit? It might make them feel good about themselves. Tell that to HSUS when they ask for money.

What I actually believe is that animal rights people do try to suck all the joy out of the world. For whatever reason, they only see the negative. They see the world in black and white — mostly black. To them, every owner is an abuser; every breeder only cares about money; every dog and cat are suffering. I think it’s the animal rights people who are mentally ill because they are incapable of seeing the beauty in the world or feeling the love. They can’t see all the people who love their pets — yes, pets, not “companion animals” or some other euphemism, and certainly not “slaves.” They can’t see all the breeders who adore puppies and raise them with the greatest care and love. They can’t see all of the happy, well-cared for cats and dogs in the world who would never be happy without their owners (not “guardians” or “caregivers”). How sad is it that these animal rights people are blind to so much of the happiness in the human-animal relationship?

Instead, they live like old-time Puritans, hating anyone who enjoys life, and looking for sin everywhere. Or, in their case, looking for anyone or anything that they think suggests animal abuse or “hoarding.” It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad and if it didn’t have such terrible consequences for innocent people and their pets, like raids and seizures, ruined lives, and animals euthanized.

The world outgrew the Puritans. We can hope that our time will move away from these animal rights puritans, too. It is all right to feel good about yourself for helping animals. It doesn’t make you a bad person or a person who needs mental help. It makes you perfectly normal — a good, generous person with a big heart. Don’t let these fanatics stop you from helping animals. They’re the ones who are sick. Not you.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

And she's not only merely dead, She's really, most sincerely dead. ...

Ding Dong!! SB 250 is dead.


http://capetlawnews.blogspot.com/







It really was no miracle. What happened was just this...

The wind began to switch
The house, to pitch 
And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch
Just then the Witch
To satisfy an itch
Went flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch!
 And, oh, what happened then was rich!
The house began to pitch
The kitchen took a slich 
It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch
Which was not a happy situation for the Wicked Witch!

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!

Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead.
She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below.
Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh,
sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!

As Mayor of the Munchkin City,
In the County of the Land of Oz,
I welcome you most regally.
But we've got to verify it legally,
to see
To see?
If she
If she?
Is morally, ethic'lly
Spiritually, physically
Positively, absolutely
Undeniably and reliably Dead

As Coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her.

And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead.

Then this is a day of Independence
For all the Munchkins and their descendants

If any.


Yes, let the joyous news be spread

The wicked Old Witch at last is dead!