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 Post subject: Victory In Oklahoma
PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:00 pm 
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Silent Mouth
Silent Mouth

Joined: 10 Feb 2008
Posts: 41
Victory in Oklahoma

The American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) played a key role in helping Oklahoma dog and kennel owners to stop legislation that would have had a major impact on hobby breeding in that state.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Lee Denney, failed to get a second in the House Agriculture Committee this week. That means it is dead until next year, when Denney promises to try again.

Rep. Denney said the bill was meant to put an end to large commercial breeding operations, which she described in the language of animal rights groups as “puppy mills.” Denney’s bill tried to create a state law to severely regulate any kennel that sells 25 dogs or puppies a year. This would include many hobby breeders, including several sporting dog kennels in the state that have excellent reputations for excellence.

Even someone who produces three or four litters of puppies a year would have fallen under intense “puppy mill” regulations, and would have been subjected to inspections, high licensing fees, and devastating fines and penalties for noncompliance. The bill also would have virtually prohibited Oklahomans from buying a dog or puppy from out of state.

ASDA defines this kind of legislation as animal rights activism, because it is a transparent attempt to reduce the number of kennels – and thus the private ownership of dogs – by driving high quality breeders out of business and restricting the availability of well-bred puppies and dogs. Animal rights activists are opposed to breeding purebred dogs, and believe it is immoral for someone to own an animal or make a living from raising or working with animals.

Members of the House Agriculture were quick to grasp the implications of this legislation that were described in a detailed analysis of the bill sent to each of them by ASDA. They saw clearly that this legislation represented a serious threat to Oklahoma’s great traditions of farming, ranching and hunting with dogs.

ASDA, working closely with several Oklahoma sporting dog and kennel owners, also emphasized that the large breeding kennels already are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Any kennel that has more than three breeding females and sells to pet stores, dealers or auctions must have a USDA license, follow 60 pages of tough federal animal welfare standards, are inspected at least annually, and are subject to high fines and license revocations for any violations.

Because these kennels are federally regulated, ASDA’s analysis said, creating a new state bureaucracy is unnecessary and redundant. Thus, the legislation’s purpose cannot be seen as protecting dogs, since this already is done through federal regulations. It was clear that the true intention of the bill was to place additional burdens on the shoulders of legitimate kennel operators, and to expand the law to cover most serious hobby breeders who sell directly to consumers.

The legislation was accompanied by a series of biased, inaccurate and inflammatory news articles in The Tulsa World, which was an obvious attempt to stir public sentiment based on fabrications and half-truths. The news articles focused on kennels that they alleged were not licensed and mistreated dogs used for breeding.

ASDA pointed out that a simple phone call or letter to USDA to report any unlicensed kennel, or poor kennel conditions, would result in an immediate inspection, sanctions, possible fines and closure. Moreover, ASDA consulting veterinarian Dr. Lori Hunt presented expert testimony that it is nearly impossible for a dog breeder to make a profit if breeding animals are kept in poor condition, or health concerns are not addressed. This is a lesson that any kennel owner or farmer knows, but animal rights groups don’t seem to grasp (or want to grasp).

Please join us in this important fight for the rights of sporting dog owners and professionals across the nation. You can visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org. Your participation is vital.


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