FOX LA-Journalistic stupidity

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/los-angeles-moves-to-ban-factory-bred-pet-sales-20110607



This article is so full of lies!! Whatever happened to journalistic integrity?


I do not believe in sitting idly by while fools such as yourselves force out of business those who are licensed and inspected, only to create a black market for pets that is getting worse every year. Many “rescues” these days are importing dogs from overseas to meet the demand for pets. This is happening right now in the City of Los Angeles! A “rescue” group here in LA imports dogs and sells them for hundreds of dollars each. Per the “Dogs Without Borders” website: “We currently rescue most dogs from local shelters and strays, but sometimes we rescue dogs from as far away as Taiwan!....Some of the dogs you see on our site are not here in the States.”

Dogs are currently being imported from the Caribbean, Romania, Taiwan and Mexico. These dogs are produced under unknown conditions and bring with them parasites and rabies! There was a case in 2004 of a dog brought up to Los Angeles from Mexico with rabies. First case of rabies here in over 30 years, but with continued imports of foreign strays, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more RABIES. Get rid of those who are licensed and inspected would have many adverse unintended consequences.

If Koretz and Barnette really want to help save dogs in shelters, they should attempt to implement some proven methods; increasing the pet limit ceiling is a good first step. More dogs in homes=fewer killed in the dog pound. Lower the ridiculous license fees for intact dogs. $335 per dog per year is outrageous! Repeal the mandatory spay-neuter law. Mandatory spay-neuter laws only cause shelter numbers to increase. It's a FACT that LA shelter intakes have increased by 38% since the mandatory spay-neuter law went into effect. This, after decades of progress and a steady decline in numbers. Good going, Los Angeles! You are a real model for the country. A model of failure!

Pet stores cannot sell dogs from unlicensed, noninspected breeders. How will this law affect anyone else? You know, those evil people who abuse dogs? They do not sell via pet stores!

Claims of high incidence of illness in pet store puppies are totally unsubstantiated. There is evidence that the pet industry provides more veterinary care for puppies than the public at large. DVM/VPI Insurance Group, the largest provider of animal health insurance, testified during a hearing in California that "preconceived notions" concerning pet store puppies "could not have been more wrong."

After insuring more than 89,000 pet store puppies and kittens and handling health claims from a pool of more than 500,000 insured animals, the insurance company reduced its premiums for pet store puppies and kittens substantially by as much as 22 percent compared to premiums charged for animals from other sources. Why? Pet store puppies receive more veterinary attention during the first 12 weeks of age than any other puppies and, as a result, have fewer claims.

Let's debunk the false claim of high number of pet store puppies ending up in shelters.

A Las Vegas shelter collects data on their intakes. Here is an excerpt from an article written on the subject:

'Officials should focus on finding the origin of the animals that rescue groups, shelters and animal control agencies come in contact with, said Harold Vosko, co-founder of Las Vegas-based Heaven Can Wait Animal Sanctuary. Without accurate information on the source of the crisis, addressing it is impossible, he said.'

'The Lied Animal Foundation, which operates the regional shelter, recently started asking people how they obtained their pets, said Jason Smith, who took over as director of operations about six weeks ago. The data will help Lied shape how it educates the community about responsible pet ownership.'

'Statistics collected over the past two years at Heaven Can Wait showed more than 85 percent of the animals came from a neighbor or friend’s litter, Vosko said. Fewer than 5 percent were from pet stores and no more than 1 percent or 2 percent were from professional breeders.'

'Michael Maddox, director of legislative affairs for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council in Washington, D.C., says, 'The “overwhelming majority” of pets in shelters come from sources other than pet stores.'

Fox LA, DO YOUR HOMEWORK  and stop printing LIES.

“Los Angeles - The City Council today instructed the Department of Animal Services to draft a law banning the commercial breeding of dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens in Los Angeles and the sale of factory-bred animals in pet stores.

The motion, which was introduced by City Councilman Paul Koretz and was approved unanimously, also asks the department to arrange frequent adoption drives for shelter animals at licensed pet stores...Koretz said he unknowingly purchased a "puppy mill" bichon 20 years ago, and it required expensive medical care.

‘This is frequently the case because these animals are inbred and raised in terrible conditions, and that results in medical problems, behavioral problems ... often that leads to those animals winding up in our animal shelters,‘ he said. “

So let’s see...stop the pet stores from selling animals in pet stores (since commercially bred and factory bred, in L.A. City terms, covers EVERYONE), but “ask” them to sell animals from shelters instead. IOW, yeah, you can sell animals, but only when your inventory comes from shelters. Especially since most animals in shelters come from puppy mills (which, according to Koretz, et al, is synonymous with commercial breeders and factory bred). So the pet stores are continuing to sell the same animals, but all the income goes to the shelters. What a deal! Not for the legitimate pet stores, only for the shelter pet stores, but that doesn’t matter, does it?

All of this, apparently, because Koretz “unknowingly purchased a ‘puppy mill‘ bichon 20 years ago,“ which I guess he knew came from a PM because it required expensive medical care. I guess that would be one of those puppy mill dogs that end up in shelters, which the shelters then get to sell at pet stores now that the pet stores aren’t allowed to sell them. Ain’t guv’mint great?

All of which might have been avoided if Paul “head up his ass” Koretz had purchased his freaking Bichon from a responsible breeder. But he didn’t know to do that because he had his head up his...well, you get my drift.

The South Responds

The article below originally appeared in the May 27, 2011 issue of Dog News. It is reprinted here by permission of the author.

The South Responds

Carlotta Cooper

I was very happy to see Matt Stander writing about “The Alabama Effect” in the May 13 issue of DOG NEWS. However, as a daughter of the South, I have a slightly different take on the situation.

I think that unless you live in the South, or perhaps unless you were born and raised here, you may not be sensitive to the disdain that comes from some of our northern friends. It applies even to the way we in the South treat our dogs. Just in the last month I’ve been told on e-mail lists and Facebook that people in the South do not give their dogs heartworm medicine and that people in the South have “an attitude of casual cruelty toward animals.” I have a suspicion that there are probably people in the north who think we are all barefoot and toothless, too. (I assure you, I have lots of shoes and all my teeth.)

I don’t know what to do about some of these stereotypes, but most people in the South take very good care of their dogs. Your dog breeder friends treat their dogs the same way the rest of you do. Puppy buyers are likely to raise and love puppies the same way as people anywhere else in the country. And cruelty is not confined to any one region of the country.

Per “The Alabama Effect,” I personally despise these northern shelters, along with the ASPCA, which have been coming down to the South to pluck dogs from shelters and even out of people’s yards in the wake of devastating tornadoes and now flooding. They claim to be saving animals but what they are really doing is making sure that the owners of these animals will never be able to be reunited with their pets.

For someone who has lost their home in a tornado, who may have family members who are injured or dead, and their dog is missing, they may be hoping that someone has kindly found the dog and taken him to their local shelter. They have no idea that there is a “dog relocation program” in place to take their poor dog off to a state a thousand miles away and that they will never have a chance to see their dog again. It seems horrible to me that these animals are being whisked away before their owners even have a chance to get their lives back together and start searching for them. These dogs are not ordinary stray dogs or unwanted dogs. These dogs are homeless due to disasters and they should not be taken out of their states.

Yet, these shelters in northern states, and elsewhere (there are some midwestern and other states involved now, too), are taking the dogs and putting them up for adoption! They are making money from the tragedies that have befallen other human beings by selling their dogs. I honestly can’t think of a much lower thing to do than that. And they are doing all this in the name of “saving the dogs.” Saving them from being found by their owners? Saving them from going home? They have taken money-making and taking dogs from their owners to new depths.

My heart really goes out to the owners of these lost dogs who will never be able to find them.

So, I do agree with a great deal in “The Alabama Effect,” but for me the onus is on these shelters which have taken the dogs. But I suppose it takes both shelters on the giving and receiving end to make this terrible system work and it should be shut down. What began as a good idea to send shelter animals where they could be adopted has now become a big-time money-making business for shelters in which animals are being taken away from owners who want their pets back. Last time I checked, shelters were not supposed to be in the business of stealing animals from people or selling them like pet stores. What’s more, these shelters are touting these dogs as “Tornado Dogs!” as a selling point! They’re trying to make people feel sorry for the dogs in order to get them adopted. How about the poor families who are looking for their pets? Doesn’t anyone feel sorry for them?

Please tell your friends to avoid shelters which engage in these practices. If they are taking animals from areas that have been hit by tornadoes and flooding, there are most likely owners who don’t know where their dogs are. Tell those shelters that people want their pets back. The least they can do is post pictures of the animals they have taken so owners can search for their pets online. Some shelters which have taken dogs have refused to do even that and they are refusing to answer anymore questions about the dogs they have taken.

And, please remember that the South is part of the United States. There are cultural differences here but we do love dogs very much. Rednecks can be nice people, too. Hunters love dogs. Good ol’ boys love dogs. If you want to find people who have a problem with dogs in the South, it’s likely to be someone’s stately grandmother who hates dirt and hair, but she would never hurt an animal.

When you’re posting on e-mail lists and other places, you might try to remember that about half the people reading your messages are from the South and they might be offended when you make stupid comments about people from the South not taking care of their dogs. I spend a lot of money every year on heartworm medicine, flea and tick prevention, vaccinations, and all the rest, for my five dogs, so such comments really don’t go down well. And everyone I know does the same for their dogs. We fought this war once so let’s not fight it again over dog care.

TX: As We Say, Not As We Do

http://www.ussportsmen.org/page.aspx?pid=2758

As We Say, Not As We Do 6/3/11 While anti-hunting and animal rights groups were pushing the infamous puppy mill bill through in Texas, looks like it was a case of "do as I say, and not as I do" with one Austin, Texas group. A report by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reveals how the group actually treats dogs in their care.  During the first three months of 2011, the Austin ASPCA group euthanized 106 dogs, had six dogs die that were in their care, and actually lost three dogs. Maybe Texas will follow the lead of other states and place the ASPCA and HSUS kennels under the rules of the same puppy mill bills that those groups worked to pass. Can you say huge fines?

http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/946/2003/02/06/FillingEmptyPounds

Filling Empty Dog Pounds

As U.S. shelters help solve local stray problems, a Tufts expert says many are importing dogs from other countries to meet demand for animal adoptions. No. Grafton, Mass.

No. Grafton, Mass. [02.06.03] At local animal shelters around the country, the dogs up for adoption may be a lot further from home than many people would imagine. With stray animals on the decline in many communities, but interest in adoption still high, a Tufts expert says many shelters are importing stray animals from around the world to meet the demand.
"Animal shelters in the USA are casting a wide net - from Puerto Rico to as far as Taiwan - to fill kennels," reported USA Today. "Critics say many shelters have solved the stray problem in their own area - but rather than shut down, they become de facto pet stores. Some charge more than $200 per adoption for imported dogs."
According to Tufts' Gary Patronek - the director of Tufts' Center for Animals and Public Policy at the University's School of Veterinary Medicine - U.S. shelters may be a victim of their own successes.
"The drive to have dogs spayed and neutered in the USA has cut down on unwanted litters. And adoption campaigns have helped empty dog pounds," reported USA Today. "But [the Tufts expert says] people who want to adopt dogs increasingly find aged dogs or undesirable breeds like pit bulls at shelters."
Imported animals are filling the demand.
"In the last seven years, one organization in Puerto Rico has shipped more than 14,000 strays to the states for adoption," reported the newspaper. "Shipments from other countries also appear to be increasing. Most imports are small to medium-size dogs popular among adopters."
In order to enter the U.S., the imported animals do not need to be quarantined - having certificates of good health and proof of rabies shots are sufficient.
"But Patronek said bringing dogs in from abroad runs a serious risk of importing a disease," reported the Scottish newspaper The Scotsman.
According to the Tufts expert, "What makes it so scary is that you just don't know what might emerge if you aren't at least looking for it."
And despite their similarities, shelters and pet stores have important distinctions from one another.
"[Patronek says] not-for-profit shelters may be chartered to insure animal welfare, but they are relatively unregulated," reported USA Today. "Pet shops, on the other hand, generally operate under more stringent state and local regulations."
But some pet owners don't mind that the stray animals they've adopted are from other countries, not their local communities.
"I read a lot about how hard their lives are in Puerto Rico," Marianna Massa - who adopted two imported stray dogs - told USA Today. "It just affected me so much. I had to do something. If I had a farm, I'd have more."

Raiders of the Lost Bark

HSUS conducting one of their famous "rescues" (i.e. RAIDS)

If any of the rest of us this treated our dogs like this we'd be arrested, fined and maybe jailed. And barred from ever owning animals again.

Hypocrites Shilling the Ultimate Scam

Ah, the HSUS.

"Hypocrites Shilling the Ultimate Scam"

Spending the bulk of their vast fortune on lobbying for anti-animal ownership legislation. Excessive political lobbying by a 501c3 "charity" is illegal. But hey, it's not ALL spent on lobbying; they do reserve a goodly portion of their money for executive salaries and pensions.

HSUS collects donations by exploiting abused animals, all the while not providing them with any sort of meaningful assistance. Hmm, isn't that exactly what they accuse others of doing? Exploiting animals for cash? They need only look in the mirror!

• Fay, an abused bull terrier who needed reconstructive surgery, was used for a donation appeal which drew millions, but HSUS never donated a penny to her care until called on the carpet by the actual foster caregiver. The woman who was caring for Fay stated: "I am rather sad that HSUS has chosen to use Fay in their fund drive. Fay has never received a dime from HSUS."
• Katrina disaster was a goldmine, with HSUS raking in over $34 million in donations. The Louisiana Attorney General demanded an accounting of the funds; HSUS could only account for $7 million. A pledge by HSUS to help fund a new animal shelter in Louisiana magically ended the investigation.
• Vick dogfighting incident. HSUS collected millions in donations, but NEVER had the dogs in their custody. HSUS urged the judge in the case to order all the dogs killed....even the puppies. Thankfully, the judge did not listen to HSUS, and REAL rescue groups successfully rehabilitated many of these dogs and placed them in homes. Later, HSUS partnered up with dogfighter Vick in an ad campaign to promote their organization and ask for....you guessed it....more donations.
• Scotlund Haisley, multiple illegal raids. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle: "I like the cowboy ways that Scotlund brings to the team". Haisley is now president of the radical AR group "In Defense of Animals" and heads up the Animal Rescue Corps, a group that recently conducted a raid in Tennessee that was determined to be illegal. Meanwhile, the animals are taken from their owners and sold, even when the owners are eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
• HSUS likes to send in moles who illegally frame animal-related businesses for purported "abuse." See RICO suit filed by Feld Entertainment, which is one of the the more blatant incidents recently made public.
• HSUS lobbies against no-kill legislation in California and, more recently, in Texas, with their opposition to the Companion Animal Protection Act. Rather hypocritical to lobby against no-kill sheltering. But then, it seems that the hypocritical HSUS must enjoy the drama of shelter killings. In their "consultations" provided to shelters, they urge them to kill as soon as any mandatory holding period expires. The more killing, the better, seems to be their motto.
• Ariana Huemer, an HSUS government-affairs employee, wrote a check to fugitive animal-rights bomber Daniel Andreas San Diego. The check was recovered by the FBI from the trunk of San Diego's car. San Diego, currently on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list, is presumed responsible for 10-pound shrapnel bombs detonated in 2003 at two California biomedical research companies. One of these bombs was accompanied by a "secondary" device, timed to detonate after paramedics and firefighters arrived on the scene.
• Another stellar HSUS employee is legislative affairs staffer John Goodwin, a high school dropout and member of the domestic terrorist group "Animal Liberation Front". The ALF has been involved in arson, firebombings,and threats against farmers and scientists. "My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture," Goodwin wrote one Internet activist mailing list.
• HSUS has made regular contributions through "Waste.Org", an organization that funds about a dozen animal rights groups that are affiliated with the Animal Liberation Front.

Let us remain ever mindful of the threats posed by HSUS and other radical animal rights groups.

"How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways! - Top three Ways to Love Your Pet"

A MESSAGE FROM THE DESK OF BRENDA BARNETTE, LAAS GENERAL MANAGER WHO OVERSEES THE PROTECTION AND WELFARE OF OUR CITY'S ANIMALS  

City of Los Angeles  Department of Animal Services

221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 500, Los Angeles, California 90012 / http://www.laanimalservices.com/

 For Immediate Release                                        

April 28, 2011                                                                

Contact: Brenda F. Barnette, General Manager

Email: Brenda.barnette@lacity.org                                                                                    Phone: (213) 482-9558

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways!

Top Three Ways to Love Your Pet

 Number 3:  Spaying/Neutering -- A Change for the Better

You get a healthier pet.  Spayed/neutered pets are less likely to get injured in fights or get lost.  They live twice as long and are less likely to develop certain cancers.  This means lower medical bills.

You get a happier family member.  Spay/neutered pets are calmer because they are more focused on being a loving member of the family; and with adequate daily exercise and a reasonable diet, they don't get fat.

Your pet and your house will be cleaner.  Spayed females will not have heat cycles that soil your rugs and furniture.  Neutered males are less likely to mark furniture and rugs with urine.  This means less special cleaning bills.

Spaying or neutering your pet is a good investment.  Once you multiply the increased food, basic supplies, veterinarian and advertising costs to find homes for the animals, you will see that the cost of altering your pet is very smart investment.

Number 2:  Microchip your pets.

A microchip is a tiny electronic transponder about the size of a grain of rice.  The chip is embedded under the pet's skin using a simple, relatively painless procedure similar to a routine vaccination.  Each chip bears a 10-digit number that can be traced to the pet's guardian.  When your lost pet is found, anyone with a scanner – animal care and control agencies, adoption centers, veterinary clinics – can quickly reunite the family.

Microchips are available from veterinarians, some vaccination clinics, and public shelters at an average cost of $15 to $75, sometimes with additional registration fees.  Los Angeles City Shelters include a microchip for all dogs adopted from City Shelters.  We also microchip non-shelter animals for $25.

And the Number 1 Way To Love Your Pet:

Get Your Dog Licensed NOW!

Make sure your dog's license is current because it protects your dog if he/she accidentally gets out and gets lost.  License tags give you the peace of mind to know that Los Angeles Animal Services will be able to reunite you with your pet if she/he is turned in by a Good Samaritan or is picked up by one of our officers.  It is not only a great safety net for your dog, it is the law.

Do not delay; get your dog a license TODAY!

·         Fees: Spayed or Neutered: $20.00 with proof of rabies vaccination and proof of spay/neuter.

·         Not Spayed or Neutered (if qualified): $100 license plus $235 breeder's permit fee.

Call the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services at 888-452-7381 (TTY Hearing impaired: 877-875-8205) or visit our website at http://www.laanimalservices.com/ to find out how you can get your dog license today.

Golly, only $335 per dog, per year, for a license! Wow, let me call right away! What a bargain. If I have three dogs, that's only a THOUSAND dollars per year. For dog licenses.  No problem, I'll just cut back on food for my children. And what's that you say? I need to beg for government permission each year, or else my dog will be forced to have unnecessary surgery? Where is the hoop? I am ready to jump! How high?

Dear, dear. Seems Ms. Barnette has been swilling some serious AR Kool Aid. Well, after all, she USED to be a breeder, just like she USED to eat meat, but not any more. Maybe her brain is fogged from lack of Vitamin B-12? Just like the rest of her vegan friends. And maybe....just MAYBE....that KoolAid is laced with some serious psychedelic stuff!

Well, first, before I can address the string of lies in this propaganda, let me pick my jaw up off the floor. Gee, a government official who lies to us? Who would have thought?....I am absolutely SHOCKED!

Ready? Here we go:

Neutered pets live twice as long and are healthier? Where is the proof of this? The scientific evidence proves the exact opposite. Many studies that show that keeping all the original parts is the appropriate course of action if you want to promote health and long life. Ovaries promote longevity. Testicles and their precious hormones protect against prostate and bladder cancer. Intact animals have significantly lower rates of hemangiosarcoma, osteosarcoma, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, diabetes, pancreatitis, and senile dementia.

Happier family members who won't get fat? Baloney! Many studies show a link between speuter and obesity. When you lose essential hormones and your metabolism slows down, you easily get fat. And really, the dog is happier? You know this how? Behavioral studies show that sterilization increases fearfulness, shyness, and studies show that dog-to-human aggression actually increases! Oops!

Your house will be cleaner? I guess Ms. Barnette forgot that 20-30% of spayed females develop urinary incontinence. They even have a special name for this problem; it's called SPAY INCONTINENCE. Your house won't smell real great with pee all over the place; but seriously, for any dog with a housebreaking problem, or the minor problem of discharge during a season, whether that pet is intact or neutered, it is a simple matter to buy bitch britches or belly bands. Get over it already.

Guess what, neutered dogs get into the mud and get skunked just the same as those who are intact. Duh!

Spaying and neutering a "good investment"? After paying hundreds for unnecessary surgery, you then get the added bonus of extra vet bills for other health problems that come along with sterilization.

 But hey, since your pet likely won't live as long as it would if it kept all its vital organs, then I guess you will save a lot of money. Dead animals don't eat or have medical bills.


Typical AR swill. Do any of them have any kids? Two-legged ones, I mean. Do they turn up their noses in disgust changing a diaper, or at the messes kids make? Would they slice out their child's organs and then lie about their reasons for doing so? Yet they think nothing about doing exactly that to these victims "family members".

Guess when Animal Rights nuts make those claims of how "pets are part of the family", it's just lip service. Who would treat a family member like that?

      Someone with a VERY dysfunctional family.

  

Apparently, LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz is proposing a ban on the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits in Los Angeles. This was presented as a ban on pets from "puppy mills," that undefined term which has lately been applied to breeders of any kind.

Perfect example of that incremental chip-away factor. First it’s puppy mills, then commercial breeders, then pet stores, then anyone who ever breeds a litter. So if Joe Blow’s dog accidentally has an “intimate moment” with his neighbor’s bitch, he won’t be able to make a buck off the puppies, so they’ll be let loose in traffic or dumped at the shelter. Not that I recommend this type of unplanned breeding, but it happens. The how or why isn’t the point. What IS the point is that Joe’s puppies will end up dead.

Wait, I forget, what’s the purpose of this type of legislation? To protect animals? Well, of course, what was I thinking? PETA has always said animals are better off dead than living on this planet with evil humans. When the intention of these laws is to end our association with animals, ALL animals, death is as good a way as any, right?

Hey, Paul, it’s working! Koretz is not Korect, he’s Korupt.

Buy a Puppy, Go to Jail.

Making meth is illegal. Buying or possessing meth is illegal.

Making kiddie porn is illegal. Buying or possessing kiddie porn is illegal.

Making puppies is illegal. Buying or possessing a puppy is illegal.

Sound outrageous? Maybe for now.... But increasingly, making puppies (breeding dogs) is illegal, and is following in the footsteps of other prohibitions, as if it was likewise some great social evil. The day may come when the other half of the prohibition equation is put into effect.