Puppy Mills / USDA Proposed Rules...

Hi All; Rescue Mutt Cinder here ~

Check out this Humane Society link to read about some proposed USDA rule changes effecting puppy mills: http://www.hsus.org/programs/companion/puppymills_011901.html

There is a link on this page to a suggested sample letter to the USDA; but it will require 4 copies and a snail-mail to get them to read and consider it. Some day you the voters should otta ask the Feds to consider reading and considering the content of an E-mail http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif. But that's another issue.

Please look at the above ref link. Thanks!

------------------
/s/ Cinder & Smokey
the Rescued & Adopted
FurKids of *Phred*

[Logan]

Thanks Phred. I have printed off the site and will work on composing a "snail mail" letter immediately. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Logan

[tatsxxx11]

Me too Phred. Thanks so much. This issue is so important. And much love to Cinder and the "Smoke."

[Angels3]

Good on you, Phred, for suggesting how people can help beat those puppy mills. We call them 'puppy farms' in australia & the passing of laws allows our RSPCA (major animal welfare organization) to raid them & seize & rehome the dogs. I'm involved with tibetan spaniel rescue & we've had to help out with some gorgeous little tibbies that were kept in horrible conditions. Go meet the very pretty Ping that's one of the refugees. http://www.geocities.com/aussie_tibbie_rescue/news.html
Just look at Ping's sweet face & see what writing a letter could save from a horrible life at a puppy mill.

[This message has been edited by Angels3 (edited March 14, 2001).]

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Angels3, Ping is so sweet, surely with that face she will find the right home for her.
I had not seen a Tibbie before, but they are adorable. Wonderful job you are doing with the Rescue.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Thanks Phred, I printed the letter and will type some up and send them from everyone in our family.
Jackie

[RachelJ]

Cinder and Smoke,

You kids got a heart of gold. I guess it's because you know something about the cold cruel world as well as the cushy digs you got now. Tucker sometimes has a faraway look in his eye himself, and Mom says he's known some rough patches too. Anyways, I got her to send out the stuff like you said. Hope it will help prevent some of the bad things that are happening.

Hannah aka *Snarla*

[Albea]

Hi Phred!
Thank you for posting the story about the USDA. I'm not only mailing my 4 copies but I'm also sending the information to friends and members of Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue for which I do volunteer work. The USDA will be inundated with paper http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif Too bad we'll kill a couple of rain forests in the process http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/mad.gif
Hugs to Cinder and Smoke.

[Angels3]

Sweet little Ping, rescued in a raid on a puppy farm, now has a new home with a loving family. Word is that more 'farms' are to be raided by the animal welfare athorities here. Lots of foster carers are ready to take in the rescued dogs. It's great when the animal welfare laws allow dogs to be rescued from inhumane conditions. Phred & All, I hope many other people will write those letters saying that dog-lovers support laws which protect dogs from the awful conditions in these puppy mills.

[Genia]

Cinder and Smoke, thank you so much for posting. I will send my letters and I am emailing this to many friends.

[wolflady]

It would be nice to see all of the states ban the production of dogs for profit. It's absolutely rediculous and senseless...not to mention cruel in a lot of the cases.

On nopuppymills.com, I found this article to show the epitomy of this man's greed...and more puppy mills! UGH!! When will it stop?

From Rags to Riches
by Kim Townsend
April 2, 2001

Johnnie was raised the son of sharecroppers. As a young boy he picked cotton in the fields of Northern Arkansas. In 1939, at the age of twelve, Johnnie dropped out of school and began work at his uncle's sawmill. Odd jobs kept Johnnie a step ahead of the bread lines and in 1952 he settled down with the love of his life...a relationship that has spanned nearly half a century, and is still going strong today.

Johnnie was a dreamer and his wife Johnelle stood beside him through all the ups and downs. In 1969 Johnnie made an investment that forever changed the course of his life. Johnnie's name can be seen on every highway and byway in America, stenciled on the sides of those bright yellow tractor/trailers--J.B. Hunt.

Today, J.B. Hunt Trucking is a multi billion dollar company. Although Johnnie officially retired in 1995, his life has really just begun. Now he can relax, enjoy his family and friends, and do the things he's always wanted to do.

One of J.B.'s first dream-come-true adventures involved Harley Davidson Motorcycles. He's a regular at the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota and he now owns five of his own Harleys. But retirement doesn't come easy for J.B. He dabbles in a little bit of everything. Hunt enjoys cattle farming on his four farms located in Arkansas and Missouri and has ventured into the bottled water market after purchasing land in Missouri. Perhaps one of Hunt's newest, and biggest adventures was the purchase of a large amount of land in McDonald County Missouri. On December 20, 2000 Hunt formed the business of J.B. Hunt Big Horn Lodge. Hunt will allow individuals and companies to stay at the lodge while hunting for big game which he has confined to the 4000 acre ranch.

So now that Hunt has seen 74 years, gone from rags to riches, pulled himself up by his bootstraps, become a multi-millionaire, has his wife of nearly fifty years by his side, has Harleys parked in his garage and antelope trapped in Missouri, what could this man possibly have left to accomplish in life?

Well, how about the formation of H & H Kennels? Kennels you say? Well that doesn't shock us, does it? Lots of wealthy people begin buying their way into the show ring when there's nothing left to do in life. So what type of dog is J.B.'s breed of choice? (a) The fearless Jack Russell Terrier? (b) The faithful Collie? (c) The powerful Mastiff? (d) The protective Great Pyrenees? How about (e)---All of the Above!

H & H Kennels? We know what one of the H's stand for, but how about the other? Prepare yourself...the other H stands for none other than Andrew Hunte of The Hunte Corporation/Honey Dew/Love My Puppy/Sundowner. Hunte has already completed the buy out of DoBoTri and Best Friends (The former owner of Best Friends, Rocky McMahan, sits on the Missouri Governor's Advisory Council on Agriculture). Andrew Hunte leases dogs to one of Missouri's largest breeding kennels. The Hunte Corporation (which is located in McDonald County...where J.B. Hunt's new Lodge is located) reported in 1999 that they ship 900 puppies a week out of Missouri. On just one inspection by USDA in August of 2000, Hunte had 700 puppies at his McDonald County facility.

For years the puppy mill industry has screamed about how the animal rights activist are trying to put them out of business. At the hearing for Missouri Senate Bill 511, a representative for the Hunte Corporation testified in opposition of the bill. The bill proposes to remove the $500 cap off of the kennel licensing fees. The average commercial kennel would pay less than $60 more a year in fees. However, with the removal of the cap, the Hunte Corporation (based on last year's figures...before the merger with J.B. Hunt) would pay in excess of $50,000 a year in licensing fees. Also testifying in opposition to the bill was Rocky McMahan of Best Friends.

At the Senate hearing in Missouri, the commercial kennels showed up by the dozens. They testified that the fee increases would put them out of business. The way I see it, if this bill fails, the industry itself will put them out of business.

What will the future hold for dogs in our country? How will the breeders (both hobby/show and commercial) compete with a billion dollar company that makes the wholesale breeding and brokering of puppies their business? How long until we see H & H Pet Shops open up in every mall in the nation? Who will be their dog registry of choice? AKC, UKC, ACA, APR? Why of course not...won't HHKCW (H & H Kennel Club of the World) will be a household name?

Brace yourself people. Hang on to your hats and make sure ToTo is securely in the basket. When Kansas tightened down on commercial breeding in their state, the breeding industry spread like wildfire into Missouri. Now that Missouri is trying to toughen their laws, the industry could move to Arkansas (where H & H Kennels incorporated). Arkansas has no state laws that govern the production of dogs. Even if they introduce legislation next year, it could be years before it is implemented...and that's if it can even get passed in that state.

So...what do you think the chances of an anti-puppy mill bill has of passing in Arkansas? Consider the fact that Hunt and Wal-Mart (both Arkansas based companies) entered into a 100 MILLION DOLLAR contract in April 2000. JB Hunt agreed to dedicate 360 trucks and driver to manage shipping to 31 of Wal-Mart's distribution centers. In 1969, Red Hudson (Hudson Foods) gave J.B. Hunt his start by helping him obtain 5 trucks that were used to haul chicken parts from Arkansas to Ralston/Purina in St. Louis. Farm Bureau was the major opponent to the recent bill in Arkansas that would have made torturing a domestic animal a felony. Farm Bureau contended that the bill could send some poor farmer to prison for putting horse shoes on his horse.

As they saying goes, "You can't fight City Hall", but in the case of the Hunte/Hunt merger, I believe we won't even have the chance to get into the ring with them...let alone fight them! J.B. Hunt may be America's classic story of 'rags to riches' but I'll certainly choose my rags over his riches any day! There are many things that I can't afford to buy, but the things I value most in life aren't for sale at any price.