Insanity reigns supreme in Texas. Breeders being regulated out of existence, but it's fine to bring dogs across the border to sell on the street....
Perry vetoes roadside animal sales bill
Perry vetoes roadside animal sales bill
By Matt Stephens | Posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 1:56 am
Having passed the other 41 steps to become law, House Bill 1768 failed to pass the 42nd, as Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the bill Friday, which could have prevented the roadside sale of animals in Montgomery County.
"House Bill 1768 would encroach upon the rights of private enterprise and property owners while fundamentally altering and expanding the role of county government," Perry said in his veto statement.
"It would be unfortunate if, through regulation, we unintentionally prevented, for example, the owner of a peach orchard with baskets of fruit or a Girl Scout troop with cartons of cookies from reaching their consumers. As a state, we should not raise barriers of entry into the marketplace, stifle competition or hinder the entrepreneurial spirit."
While Perry vetoed one animal bill, he passed another, as the Puppy Mill Bill, HB 1451, was signed into law Friday. The bill allows the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to perform annual inspections of breeders who have 11 or more breeding females and sell 20 or more animals in a year. Breeders are required to pay a fee and apply for a commercial breeder's license.
Funny that Perry didn't worry about "the rights of private enterprise and property owners" when he authorized placing most all serious dog and cat breeders in Texas under USDA regulations with the so-called "puppy mill bill". I guess the HSUS didn't grease his palm enough on this one. Well, supposedly he is going to have back surgery soon, so maybe he is under the influence of some heavy narcotics. <SHRUG>
"As a state, we should not raise barriers of entry into the marketplace, stifle competition or hinder the entrepreneurial spirit."
I love this! and will be using it in my letters to legislators. And, if I have enough room, I might even reference the author, too!!
So, let's get all this into perspective. We don't want the very best breeders in Texas to own or produce more than a handful of dogs, but it's OK for someone to sell puppies out of the back of their pickup truck that they bring across the border from Mexico. And hey, with the ranks of legitimate breeders dwindling, there will be more pups sold out of boxes or truck beds. Lots more. Yep, that's the government "improving" our lives. Aren't we lucky?? 
There is plenty of insanity to go around in the world of dog laws.
ReplyDeleteHere in Missouri there are still people whining about "the will of the people" and our legislators modifying Prop B- even though Prop B had NO FUNDING MECHANISM to enforce its provisions and contained requirements that would have killed dogs. Oh, and those "puppy mill dogs" that are unhealthy and unsocialized had the shelters lined up, ready and willing to take dogs that were in excess of the 50 dog limit in Prop B. They even sent letters to the auction houses, expressing an interest in "rescuing" the dogs. One shelter was on TV with hundreds of donated crates (illegal for breeders under Prop B), ready and willing to take the puppy mill dogs. One shelter actually admitted they might have to kill the medium to large mixes in their shelter to make way for the "puppy mill dogs" - "Dogs will die, but it will be for the greater good". Gee, I wonder how the dead dogs would have felt about that.
My personal favorite is cities that ban "pit bulls" but then allow recues to come in and take the dogs out of the shelter. Okay, you're banning them because they're allegedly "dangerous" - but it's okay for them to be dangerous in another city? Wow, what a concept. Let's start "Criminal rescues". Think of the money Missouri could save in court costs and jail/prison expenses. Just turn over the criminals to "Criminal rescue" and have them escorted to Kansas or Illinois! Illinois is already full of crooks - they won't notice a few more.
Congress jumped on the stupidity bandwagon when Mike Vick was busted for fighting dogs (he pleaded guilty to interstate transport) and everyone was outraged that he killed, what, six or eight dogs? But when cities pass BSL or MSN they kill hundreds of pets, and no one cares.