It’s not only a good idea, it’s the law.

I dare you, I double dog dare you.

Scratch and sniff.

Huh?

Beware of flying dogs.

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The new Supreme Court term started on Monday and there is a very interesting case to keep your eye on, United States v. Stevens.

It’s about Robert Stevens who was found guilty of violating  a statute by selling a commercial video that includes footage of dog fighting.

Here are the details of the case from The Washington Post.

United States v. Stevens

Robert J. Stevens produced videos he says were intended to show owners how to train their pit bulls to ward off predators, such as coyotes, or help in hunting expeditions involving wild boar. As part of his self-styled instructional videos, Stevens included footage — admittedly gruesome — of some of these endeavors gone terribly wrong, including one passage that showed a pit bull mauling a hog. The federal government charged Stevens with violating a statute that prohibits the sale or possession of material that depicts a live animal being maimed, tortured, injured or killed. The statute in question was passed during the Clinton administration, presumably to combat the proliferation of videos showing high-heeled women crushing small animals for the prurient enjoyment of viewers. Yet during the past decade, it has been invoked only three times in prosecutions involving those involved in some way with dog fighting.

Stevens was convicted of selling videos of dogs fighting each other and attacking other animals.  The law includes a provision stipulating that those who produce “serious” material with a journalistic or educational bent are exempt from prosecution. It is now up to the Supreme Court to decide whether the law passes constitutional muster or whether it violates the First Amendment by prohibiting speech that may be offensive but perfectly legal. Read the rest of this entry »

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Have you ever wondered what the animal welfare laws are in your state?  The Michigan State University College of Law: Animal Legal & Historical Web Center has a great site where you can access this information.

On the left side of the page, find the “Select by State” menus, and choose your state in the “US Law” submenu. A new page will display. Read the “Statute Name” and to find “Consolidated Cruelty Statutes” and click on the “Citation” link, where you will find actual texts.

Watch Tip Week of Sept. 27

Watch for spring’s puppies and kittens now banished to the back yard—do they have shelter, food and water? Talk with the owners or the authorities.

This website is truly an invaluable source of information, it covers everything from assistance animal laws to veterinary practice laws. Thanks to our friends at Sunbear Squad for letting us know about the Animal Legal & Historical Web Center.

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This isn’t your usual dog fight, it’s a couple who battled it out in court for the custody of their pup.  Eric Dare and Doreen Houseman both thought they deserved custody of Dexter the pug,  so they ended up in front of a judge (twice) to determine the outcome.

Dare thought he deserved Dexter because he was the one who bought him, while Houseman felt since she took care of him when he was sick and dressed him for holidays she should get custody. They both proclaimed their love for Dexter.

In 2007 the case was heard in court for the first time in front of Judge Tomasello, at that time Dexter was awarded to Dare. According to the judge it came down to simple possession, Dexter is considered an object, property.  Houseman was not alright with that and has spent at least $20,000 since then fighting to get Dexter back.

Dissatisfied with the outcome Houseman’s lawyer got the case to go before a  three-judge appeals panel for review of the decision.

Here are details of the appeals case from the Philly.com News.

“Dogs are chairs. They’re furniture,” Tomasello said, explaining that they are just one of many objects to be divided in a breakup.

But Houseman wanted Dexter, not cold cash. Her lawyer, Gina Colagero, took the case to a three-judge appeals panel that concluded Tomasello had failed to consider Dexter’s “subjective value.”

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It amazes me that all states do not have laws to regulate dog breeders, but they don’t. Wisconsin is one of the states with no such law, on Wednesday a hearing is scheduled to introduce a bill to change that.

There have been efforts over the last few years to try and get legislation but so far it has failed.  Due to concerns over cost along with opposition from groups who worry about unintended consequences and the effect on good breeders. Not sure exactly what they mean when they say unintended consequences, for who?

Here are the details from the Chicago Tribune.

State Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection spokeswoman Donna Gilson says Wisconsin has become a magnet for breeders because it has no regulations.

Read the rest of this entry »

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A pregnant woman in Maspeth, NY  let her dog out to relieve herself and sat on the front stoop before picking it up.  Keep in mind she is nine days overdue, which would lead me to believe bending down to pick up poo cannot be an easy feat. Bending down to pick up anything can’t be easy.

A Sanitation Department agent saw that she didn’t pick up after her dog and slapped her with a summons. She told the agent that she had just been sitting on the front stoop for a minute before getting up to go get a tissue to clean it up.

Here are the details from the NY Daily News.

She was approached by the officer about 10:30 a.m., minutes after her black mutt, Kimmy, pooped on a grassy patch in front of her father’s house, where she lives. Fernbacker was waiting for a ride to school.

“I told [the agent] I was going inside to get a tissue,” she said. “And he told me it didn’t matter.”

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Sadly, it’s official, California has cut the holding time of shelter dogs from six days to three.  In 1997 the Hayden Bill, otherwise known as the Animal Adoption Mandate, required shelters to hold  abandoned animals a minimum of four days and usually up to six.

The passing of the new budget has undone what this bill was meant to do, give owners time to find their lost pets. It’s not always easy to track down your pet when there are multiple shelters in the area.  Having extra time also gave kill shelters a chance to transfer some of the animals to rescue organizations or no-kill shelters. Now that the time has been cut in half not nearly as many animals are going to be saved.

“It makes a difference because for some animals every day counts,” said Cindy Machado of the Marin Humane Society, which does not euthanize animals that can be adopted. Instead, the society rescues thousands of animals facing death at other shelters.

“The new law will affect a lot of the shelters that we rescue animals from because, especially in this economy, they are bursting at the seams,” she said.

Read the rest of this entry »

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If you’ve ever been to a PetSmart store you know you can bring your “well-behaved” dog in, of course we all know the meaning of that is very subjective. What’s inappropriate to some is sometimes thought of as cute by the dog owner.

Since PetSmart is a pet supermarket it’s one thing to allow dogs, what if you were walking in your local grocery store and you saw someone with their dog, not a service dog, would it bother you? What about if the dog went to the bathroom in the store?

In Portland’s Pearl District this is happening, it’s become dog owners versus non-dog owners. Dogs are now  frequently seen in grocery stores and in the last year the food safety division of Oregon’s Agriculture Department has received over 600 complaints about this issue.

The New York Times has the details on what’s happening in Portland.

“Usually they’ll hold off and not make a complaint until they’ve seen a dog urinate in the grocery store or jump up and try to swipe a pack of meat,” said Vance Bybee, the head of the food safety division. “Or they’ve seen dogs pooping in the aisle, that sort of thing.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Good news coming out of Pennsylvania,  a new dog law was passed. The budget may still not be agreed upon but House Bill 39 was.

Angelique Gonzalez from  Your4State.com reports on the passing of the new bill.

Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) signed legislation making it illegal for anyone but a licensed veterinarian to perform certain medical procedures — like cropping a dogs ears or docking their tail.

House Bill 39 also makes it a third degree felony to steal an animal for the purpose of using it in dog fights.

“Until now these cruel practices could be carried out by dog owners without proper training and without the supervision of a licensed vet causing long term injury, pain, suffering and in some cases even death,” said Gov. Rendell.

Pennsylvania has a notorious reputation as being the “puppy mill capital of the east.”  In October 2008 a law to make puppy mills more humane was passed, but there is still a long way to go.

On September 19th Read the rest of this entry »

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Regardless of what you thought of Sen. Ted Kennedy one thing can’t be disputed, he loved dogs. Throughout his long political career he worked on a variety of legislation to protect the welfare of animals.

(L.A. Times) Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote today that Kennedy was “a stalwart ally over the years on a wide range of legislation to protect companion animals, farm animals, animals in research and wildlife,” adding that the senator from Massachusetts was instrumental in the passage of animal welfare legislation including laws that cracked down on dogfighting and cockfighting, protected horses and other farm animals, and sent chimpanzees once used in medical research to sanctuaries.

The two pups closest to his heart were his own Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Splash. His dogs were the impetus behind his book “My Senator and Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington, D.C.,” which introduces young kids to the political process. The book is told through Splash’s viewpoint, making it both a fun and informative read for children.

Even if Sen. Kennedy’s political viewpoint differed from your own, and you didn’t respect him as either a man or politician,  he diligently fought for the rights of animals.  For that, we should be grateful.

*Pic courtesy Steven Senne / Associated Press

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