On September 11th I posted  a petition to help stop the killing of dogs by the dog death squads in China.

In case you’re wondering what happened I have wonderful news to report, it was stopped. At least this time, we still have a lot of work to end the practice altogether.

Great news! Thanks to your immediate response and support, the dog cull in Qinhuangdao has been averted.

The details are still coming in – but it’s clear that the government in Qinhuangdao felt the pressure from IFAW supporters around the world. Public notices and government web site postings announcing the cull have been taken down.

If you ever wondered whether one person can make a difference – well, this is proof that you can! Every email, message, and dollar sent had a direct effect on averting a widespread, unnecessary and cruel slaughter. Read the rest of this entry »

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I want to thank Carol for letting me know about the situation Sabbath Rescue is dealing with. The rescue is about to be closed due to a zoning issue and their 150 dogs are at risk of being put down.

Here’s more details from The Pet Postcard Project website.

In light of the enormous foreclosure problem we are experiencing here in south Florida, the number of dogs rescued by Sabbath Rescue within the last two years has exploded. These abandoned dogs, most sickly and inhumanely treated, now have a home where they are cared for, loved, and have the possibility of being adopted. Sabbath has been rescuing dogs for the past 9 years.

Read the rest of this entry »

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This petition only has a little over 700 signatures, let’s see what we can do to get that to a respectable number.

One that will make the New York Senators stand up and take notice.

There is a petition here to ban the gassing of dogs, cats & wildlife in New York and also VERY important is that no animal can be sold to a research or any other facility by the shelter. This means that those people who collect dogs and cats from shelters and sell for research will have to pay the adoption fee to get them from and their profit will be gone.

This also means that dogs and cats that have to be killed will be done so with compassion and peacefulness. Not scared and afraid.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Support-Ban-of-Gas-Chambers-in-New-York-State-Animal-Shelters

PLEASE PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION AND WRITE TO THE LAZY SENATORS OF NY (WHO HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR THE LAST MONTH AND YET WE PAY THEM) AND TELL THEM THAT WE THE PEOPLE OF NY DEMAND THAT THEY PASS THIS BILL.

Thanks
Jennifer Fedele
Best Friends NY Ambassador
Pit Bull Rescuer and Advocate
Pitty Love Rescue

You do not need to reside in New York to sign the petition.

* Pic of Buddah from Pitty Love Rescue

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I’ve received many emails requesting information on how to help the dogs that were rescued from the dog fighting raids. Unfortunately I really don’t have any updates.

I do have a request from Mary K. LaHay, Director of Iowa Voters for Companion Animals, to take action ensuring the defendants in the case are punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Make a quick call to make sure the people who are charged in the dog-fighting bust don’t get off without facing punishment.

Here’s contact info for the presiding judge,

Judge Sarah Hays, US Magistrate Judge, 816/512-5775

I just called and she picked up the phone!! I simply and quickly asked her to ensure that these folks face charges. She thanked me for calling and we hung up.

I also called the number in the message below and left a message. PLEASE KEEP YOUR MESSAGES AND/OR CONVERSATIONS SHORT AND RESPECTFUL.

Please consider making these calls. It takes less than a minute!

Mary K. LaHay, Director

Iowa Voters for Companion Animals

The seven defendants from Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska who have been indicted on dog-fighting charges will be arraigned day after tomorrow. Carl, I don’t know how far you are from 400 East 9th Street in Kansas City, but the defendants indicted for dog fighting charges will be in court with Judge Sarah Hays at 11:30 on Thursday July 23. She can do whatever she chooses with these guys, and I just visited with someone from the office, and some of the accused have already hired attorneys who will be pushing for dismissal of charges. Whitworth, US Attorney who announced the charges has an office in Kansas City. His phone number is 816-426-3122 or a toll-free number is 800-733-6558. How sad it would be if these charges were dismissed.

If we want change we need to take action.

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result”

Mahatma Gandhi

* Photo courtesy AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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On Friday I posted the horrific story about Ella, the young German Shepherd who was left in a locked cage to starve to death after her owner moved out.

Christine Abrams, the woman responsible, was convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to 12 months probation, a $5,000 fine, and 80 hours of community service. Out of the 12 months she was supposed to serve eight in jail, she only served about six.

Abrams who was just released  is currently appealing the case, post-conviction, on grounds that the police searched her house illegally. It is speculated she is appealing to get out of the imposed court fines and probation.

While it’s too late to do anything to save Ella it isn’t too late to change the outcome of future cases. We need to join together to help get Florida law changed, making animal cruelty a felony. Death by starvation is a horrible way to go, this should never have been allowed to happen and the person responsible got away with murder as far as I’m concerned.

In some states animal cruelty has been changed to a felony, but not all, which is a travesty of justice. Read the rest of this entry »

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Dogster member Carol barked this to me, it’s Michigan’s disgusting practice of selling animals in shelters to brokers who sell the animals for research.

Right now in Michigan, shelter cats and dogs are allowed to be bought for experimental research. The animals are then euthanized.

Support Michigan House Bill 4663 to eliminate pound seizure in Michigan animal shelters >>

Companion animals depend on humans for their safety and well-being. Tragically, this dependency is betrayed when shelters allow these pets to be taken by Class B Dealers for resale to research. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Davis family of Odenville, AL need our help to bring justice against the man who cold-heartedly shot their dog Babyboy. He was a beautiful one-year-old Basset Hound who accidentally got out of their backyard.

On the evening of Saturday June 28, 2008  the Davis’ family lives were changed. Their little Basset Hound, Babyboy, slipped out of the safety of his backyard. Moments later a neighbor came to the Davis’ front door to report their precious little dog was hurt.

Another neighbor, had shot and killed Babyboy.  Surrounded by a crowd of people, Terri picked up his lifeless little body screaming to God, as tears ran down her face. At that point she didn’t know how Babyboy had died. They brought him home and it was then, as they looked him over, that they found the bullet hole.

Delawder was part of the crowd that surrounded Terri. He was asking if, “Anyone had seen anything.” In other words, he was acting like he had no knowledge of the shooting. When the police arrived he lied to them. It was after Mr. Delawder contacted his attorney, (2 hours later) he admitted to shooting the Davis family dog.

His excuse? He stated he had every right to shoot the dog to protect his cats. It is suspected that his cats, (if there really are any) are locked in an unventilated box in his backyard. In which case, not only is he guilty of a crime by shooting the dog, he is also guilty of animal abuse.

Alabama state law made it a class C felony in the year of 2001: Title 13A. Criminal Code. Chapter 11. Offenses Against Order and Safety. Article 1. Offenses Against Public Order and Decency. § 13A-11-14. Cruelty to animals. Section 13A-11-240. Definitions. Section 13A-11-241. Cruelty in first and second degrees. 13A-11-14. Cruelty to Animals. (a) A person commits the crime of cruelty to animals if, except as otherwise authorized by law, he intentionally or recklessly: (1) Subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment; or (2) Subjects any animal in his custody to cruel neglect; or (3) Kills or injures without good cause any animal belonging to another. (b) Cruelty to animals is a Class B misdemeanor. (Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, § 5565.) 13A-11-240. Definitions. (a) The word “torture” as used in this article shall mean the act of doing physical injury to a dog or cat by the infliction of inhumane treatment or gross physical abuse meant to cause said animal intensive or prolonged pain or serious physical injury, or thereby causing death due to said act.(b) The word “cruel” as used in this article shall mean: Every act, omission, or neglect, including abandonment, where unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering, including abandonment, is caused or where unnecessary pain or suffering is allowed to continue. (c) The words “dog or cat” as used in this article shall mean any domesticated member of the dog or cat family. (Act 2000-615, p. 1252, § 1.)

This petition is to urge the magistrate and police of Odenville, AL to take action. Help us bring the town of Odenville, Alabama, to task, for failing to uphold the law. Help us get this man prosecuted for his CRIME. Thank you all, for your support.

This is a very sad story, that man’s crime was cruel and unconscionable. He shot a defenseless dog for nothing more than getting loose.  If it was really an act of protection one doesn’t deny it and then call an attorney.  I just hope that there are no neighborhood kids that disturb him, or ‘threaten’ him in any way.

There is a petition to get the police and authorities to take action against this man.  The goal is to get 10,000 signatures, if you would like to add yours, stop by The Petition Site. You can also read more on Babyboy’s MySpace page.

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There is a bill to eliminate Pit Bulls in Montana, the entire state. This is a ludicrous bill that goes after innocent animals at the whim of a politician, it must be stopped.

Montana state Rep. Robyn Driscoll, a Democrat who represents the 51st District, has introduced a bizarre bill calling for the elimination of all “pit bulls” from the state. If the bill, H.B. 191, becomes law, owners must surrender their pit bull dogs which must then be euthanized within 10 days.

Those who don’t give up their dogs to be killed? Well, any peace officer is authorized to obtain a search warrant and come and get the dog.

The cost of paying animal control and other law enforcement officers throughout the state to round up family pets and kill them will be substantial. A task force found that a pit bull ban in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just one county, cost $560,000 in one year.

There are exceptions for pit bulls temporarily in the state, passing through, or attending a exhibition, show or competition “sponsored by a dog club, association, or similar organization”. Even for the dog to attend an exhibition, show or competition, the owner must obtain written permission from the county and the sponsor must take steps to “prevent [the pit bull dog] from escaping or injuring the public.” The only other exception is for a pit bull wearing a tag indicating it is a registered pit bull, but the registration and tag must have been obtained before the law’s effective date. Here is a copy of the bill.

The National Canine Research Council reports that between 1965 and 2008, there were 3 fatalities in Montana from dog bites. Yes, 3 in 43 years. In 2005 alone, just one year in Montana, 1,400 people died from smoking and 251 in traffic accidents. (Maybe Driscoll should work to protect Montanans from smoking and second hand cigarette smoke or negligent or drunk drivers; that would at least be something useful.)

The NCRC notes, “All the dogs involved … were …not spayed or neutered….All three cases involved unsupervised children left alone in a yard with unfamiliar dogs (2 cases) or the child wandering off and encountering an unfamiliar, chained dog (1 case).”

The bill, H.B. 191, is now in the House Local Government Committee. Check Animal Law Coalition for updates.

Take Animal Law Coalition’s poll on breed bans on this page!

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Write or call Rep. Robyn Driscoll and urge her to drop this breed ban. Tell her dogs don’t bite because of breed and breed bans don’t make communities safe from dog bites. Instead, they penalize responsible owners and greatly increase animal control costs. Send her the information found here. Be polite.

Robyn Driscoll, (406) 534-4874, rdriscoll@peoplepc.com

Contact the House Local Government Committee by calling Joe Kolman, 406-444-9280

Find Montana legislators and email, fax or call them and urge them to say no to H.B. 191. Here is the fax number for the House: 406-444-4825

This is outrageous and unacceptable to me. A good friend of mine was attacked by a German Shepherd over Labor Day weekend, a totally unprovoked attack.  She was walking on a beach with her Jack Russell when the German Shepherd, who was on a balcony of a house, spotted them. It somehow got out of the house and went after her, severely attacking them both.

To go after a dog who has bitten is one thing, to go after an entire breed on the premise they will someday bite is insane. Why aren’t the laws stricter against the people that run the dogfighting rings?  Not people who are alleged to run them, but those where there is hard evidence. The people that turn these dogs into fighters, who make them vicious, they are the ones that need to be eliminated.

One of the scariest sentences in the bill is…..(e) any dog that has been registered at any time as a pit bull terrier or has the physical characteristics that substantially conform to the standards established for the breeds listed in this subsection (2) by the American kennel club or the united kennel club.

The physical characteristics that substantially conform to the standards established for the breed?  What’s next? What if someone has a mix, when do you determine how much is too much PB?  Where does it stop?

This is outrageous, please get those paws busy and call, fax, or email the appropriate parties above to get this bill dropped.

* The beauty above is courtesy The Animal Law Coalition site.

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For any Dogsters out there that are as disgusted as I am with Michael Vick’s actions, and minimal sentence, there is a petition to ban him from the NFL.

Michael Vick has openly admitted to the fighting, torture, and murder of many pit bulls on his land in Virginia. These dogs were not only fought but murdered in some of the most brutal ways-beating, drowning, hanging, and even electrocution.

For the horrible crimes that Michael Vick has committed, he was sentenced to a mere 23 months in prison, and now his lawyers are announcing that he should be out of prison and in a halfway house by Jan. 20, 2009.

This petition is to encourage the NFL to not reinstate Michael Vick into the NFL EVER! As we all know, famous athletes are supposed to be role models, setting a good example for America and its youth. Michael Vick should never be allowed to play professional football again.

If you agree with this, please sign the petition. For more information on how the dogs lives have been affected please visit http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/07/vick.dogs.rehab/index.html

There was a big outcry when the article about Wildside Kennels was posted. Regardless of what side you were on (no need to revisit that argument, you know who I’m talking about) now’s your chance to stand up for what’s important, the dogs.

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An investigation by the Humane Society has discovered some disturbing facts about the puppies sold at Petland stores.  While the pet giant claims to only get puppies from reputable breeders the facts show otherwise.  The Humane Society goes so far as to allege that Petland supports puppy mills.

According to a report by the Humane Society of the United States, many stores of the Ohio-based Petland Inc. pet store chain support puppy mills while telling customers the dogs come only from good breeders.

The animal protection group made the charge at a Washington, D.C. news conference, saying it conducted an eight-month investigation of the chain headquartered in Chillicothe in southwest Ohio.

Petland Inc. did not return repeated calls from CBS News seeking comment on the report. But in a message posted on the company Web site, Petland said the company does not support substandard breeding facilities and provides each store with humane care guidelines developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While Petland has stated prior that the Humane Society reports surface every year around holiday time, the same time as their fundraisers.  Implying they are using “sensationalism” to help raise funds for their cause.

If you look at the facts found in the investigation it’s very hard to dispute the allegations. The Humane Society said investigators visited 35 breeders and brokers that sold puppies to Petland stores.
As well as reviewing hundreds of additional interstate import records from other breeders.

“We found very classic puppy mill condition,” the Humane Society’s Stephanie Shain told CBS News. “Dogs in small cages. These animals were living in those cages 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year.”

In puppy mills, hundreds of breeding dogs are packed into cramped, barren cages with no socialization, exercise or human interaction, she said.

The stores investigated are perpetuating an abusive industry where dogs are treated like a cash crop instead of as pets, said Shain, director of the Humane Society’s campaign against puppy mills.

“They know that consumers won’t stand for the cruelty inherent in mass-breeding facilities, so they make outrageous claims to hide the reality that the dogs came from puppy mills,” Shain said.

Shain is right, now that consumers are aware of what goes on behind closed doors we will do anything in our power to stop it.  We, as dog lovers, have banded together to sign petitions and help change legislation.  The voice of 60 million dog owners can no longer be ignored, we will not allow it.

We are their voice, the only one they have. Take action by going to the Humane Society site where you can learn how to contact Petland’s corporate headquarters to express your concern for puppy mills and ask them to stop selling puppies.

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