The Animal Rights Agenda
I was asked to write an
article for the Utah Shetland Sheepdog Association's newsletter. This is
the result of that request.
There has been concern about
mandatory spay/neuter laws. In some areas a mandatory spay/neuter law has
already been passed. This means that ALL dogs and cats MUST be spayed or
neutered. They do allow for some exemptions for dogs such as show dogs. To
get this they wanted the owners to bring in the club membership lists to
"prove" they were a member of a kennel club. This list would give Animal
Control the names and addresses of people who have unaltered dogs.
It was suggested that the clubs instead issue membership cards.
It was mentioned that we don't have mandatory spay/neuter laws here. Well,
not yet we don't. It is being suggested even today. This was in the
letters to the editor in the Deseret Morning News on Sat. March 29, 2008.
"If Provo wants to protect residents from dangerous dog bites
without singling out any breeds, a spay/neuter law for all dogs would be a
wise move.
Spaying and neutering dogs can significantly reduce
their aggression and desire to roam, which may help explain why unaltered
dogs of any breed are three times more likely to bite. As an added bonus,
such a law would help prevent more unwanted dogs from being born. This
would save taxpayers thousands of dollars and would prevent countless dogs
from facing euthanasia.
Lindsay Pollard-Post
People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals
Norfolk, Va. "
(http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695265598,00.html )
Provo is also currently considering a ban on pit bulls. Read the
article here
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,5143,695264711,00.html We have to
be aware of breed specific laws (BSL) as this is the start to banning more
breeds. Yes, shelties "could" be on the list. In Italy Corgis are on the
dangerous dog list. (
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/domino/) If you
think you can identify the pit bulls go to this site and try:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
Mandatory spay/neuter is on the Animal Rights agenda. It is one step in
the effort to do away with dogs and cats. In fact to do away with all
domestic animals. No I'm not dreaming up conspiracy theories or
seeing black helicopters.
Let's begin with the
difference between Animal Welfare and Animal Rights. And please take the
time to go look up the links I've provided. Many are from actual Animal
Rights sites. Others are from anti-AR sites who are trying to expose the
real agenda. (For those who don't get their newsletters by email let me
know and I can get you hard copies of most of the links.)
Animal Welfare works for the good of the animal. They care about humane
treatment and are not fanatical about things. Most of us who show dogs
would fall into this category.
Animal Rights says that
animals should have the same rights as people. They don't want us to to
own them (they say they're "enslaved"), we shouldn't "exploit" them by
breeding or showing them.
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/cranks.htm
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/animalrightsquote.htm#Araw
Animal Rights is no meat, no fur, no milk, no eggs, no service
dogs, no guide dogs, no police dogs, no leather, no pleasure riding, nope,
nada, zilch, none. Don't use animals at all. Just enjoy them "from afar".
They promote vegetarianism. They oppose any experiments done on animals.
http://www.peta.org/campaigns/ar-petaonpets.asp
http://goveg.com/vegetarian101.asp
http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/clothing.asp
http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp
http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/entertainment.asp
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/animalrightsquote.htm
Who are the Animal Rights groups?
PETA (People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals): PETA has been known to come to shows
and release dogs from crates. They protest at public events. They have
thrown red paint on people wearing fur coats. They have been known to take
adoptable dogs and cats and put them down.
http://www.peta.org/
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/article_detail.cfm/article/134
HSUS (Humane Society of the United States): "Despite the words “humane
society” on its letterhead, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
is not affiliated with your local animal shelter. Despite the omnipresent
dogs and cats in its fundraising materials, it’s not an organization that
runs spay/neuter programs or takes in stray, neglected, and abused pets.
And despite the common image of animal protection agencies as
cash-strapped organizations dedicated to animal welfare, HSUS has become
the wealthiest animal rights organization on earth." (
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136 )
AALF (Animal Liberation Front), Best Friends, American Humane
Association and In Defense of Animals are others that come to me right
off.
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/index.html
http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer
Some of these groups such as Best Friends are included in the AR
groups because they are anti-breeder. They are not as outspoken as PETA
but they do support mandatory spay/neuter laws, banning pit bulls and
other such AR backed legislation.
Some of the terms used by
the AR (Animal Rights) movement:
Guardian - Some areas have passed laws
that animals will have "guardians" not owners. Guardian has a
different meaning in a court of law than owner.
"Guardians are merely temporary caretakers whose ownership can be revoked
at any time. Court-appointed inspectors must oversee all their decisions."
(
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/guardian.htm)
Our animals need to remain as "property" so that we have the right to
make the decision on what we can and can't do with them. Including medical
care.
Guardianship can be removed if someone deems that
you are not acting in what they think is the best interest of your
animals.
For further reading go to the link above and this one:
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/animalrightsquote.htm
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/schoolresources/communications/publications/bellwether/62/high_noon.html
Puppy Mills, Hoarders, Collectors: All these are terms that AR
groups freely use. Part of the agenda here is to divide an conquer.
If they can turn other breeders against puppy mills, then we fight to
eliminate them. Only in doing so we also help to enact laws that will
affect us and our ability to breed dogs.
Horders or
collectors are anyone who has more than the two or three dogs most
communities legally allow. They like to toss these words around to make
owners of multiple dogs or cats look bad to the general public. True
horders have medical or mental problems and usually the animals, home and
themselves are not taken care of.
According to the AR
groups there is no such thing as a responsible breeder. A breeder is a
breeder is a breeder and they're all bad. They do not what us to be
breeding at all, ever. We are lumped in with puppy mills.
http://www.peta.org/campaigns/ar-responsiblebreeders.asp
http://spanieljournal.com/33lbaughan.html
If they came
to your house and you have more than three dogs you will be labeled a
puppy mill or hoarder. And they will count every dog and puppy (even
newborns) separately and report that number as the total taken from your
home.
Overpopulation: Again a term tossed around by AR
people. Breeders are the cause of overpopulation, because if dogs and cats
were not bred then there wouldn't be an overpopulation problem.
Next time you go to a shelter or to a adoption event, notice how many
puppies there are and how many are adult dogs. Most dogs in shelters are
adults. This is an owner retention problem not an overpopulation problem.
These dogs had homes at one time and have been given up for a variety of
reasons.
AR people claim that every time we breed and place
a puppy a shelter animal dies. This is not true as the market is totally
different people. Most who want a purebred puppy and buy from a breeder
are not looking for a dog to adopt from a shelter. And people who want to
adopt from a shelter or rescue don't go to breeders.
In some areas shelters and rescue groups are "importing" dogs from other
states or even Puerto Rico or other countries. If there is such an
overpopulation problem why do we need to bring in dogs from other places?
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/hsus01.htm
Now we come to Mandatory Spay/Neuter as this is supposed to be
the solution to overpopulation. And yes, it will end overpopulation but it
will also end domestic dogs and cats. If we spay and neuter all our dogs
and cats now, where will the next generation come from? Mexico maybe? Or
other countries where they do not have the humane treatment we are used to
for our animals.
Here's a link to cities that have passed
mandatory spay/neuter laws and wording of some of them:
http://www.helpinganimals.com/res_lawspayord.asp
Yes,
they say that there will be exemptions for show dogs, but usually that
comes with a hefty fee and often they have expiration times written into
them. So you are exempted for say two years then no more exemptions.
Fees, are often $100 per intact animal. Sometimes a fee to breed that
animal is added on top of the fee to keep the animal intact.
The AR groups are opposed to crating. They have come to shows and released
dogs. Sometimes these dogs have been caught, and I've heard of at least
one who ran into traffic and was killed. If you lock your crate they have
been known to pour anti-freeze into the crate, their theory is "better
dead than caged". (http://www.peta.org/campaigns/ar-cratingdogs.asp)
Quotes From The AR Groups:
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/animalrightsquote.htm
“I don’t have a hands-on fondness for animals…To this day I don’t feel
bonded to any non-human animal. I like them and I pet them and I’m kind to
them, but there’s no special bond between me and other animals.” Wayne
Pacelle quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt by Ted
Kerasote, 1993, p. 251. (Wayne Pacelle is President of HSUS)
"In a
perfect world, we would not keep animals for our benefit, including pets,"
Tom Regan, emeritus professor of philosophy at North Carolina State
University and author of "Empty Cages" - speaking at University of
Wisconsin-Madison campus, March 3, 2004
"Our goal: to convince
people to rescue and adopt instead of buying or selling animals, to
disavow the language and concept of animal ownership." Eliot Katz,
President In Defense of Animals, In Defense of Animals website, 2001
"I don't use the word "pet." I think it's speciesist language. I prefer
"companion animal." For one thing, we would no longer allow breeding.
People could not create different breeds. There would be no pet shops. If
people had companion animals in their homes, those animals would have to
be refugees from the animal shelters and the streets. You would have a
protective relationship with them just as you would with an orphaned
child. But as the surplus of cats and dogs (artificially engineered by
centuries of forced breeding) declined, eventually companion animals would
be phased out, and we would return to a more symbiotic relationship
enjoyment at a distance." Ingrid Newkirk, PETA vice-president, quoted in
The Harper's Forum Book, Jack Hitt, ed., 1989, p.223.
For further
reading:
http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/166692.html
Books:
"The Hijacking of the Humane Movement", Rod and Patti Stand,
1993.
"Animal Rights -- The Inhumane Crusade", Daniel T. Oliver, 1999.
"Animal Scam -- The beastly abuse of human rights", Kathleen Marquardt,
1993.
"The Future of Dogs -- In an Animal Rights America", 2007
"Redemption" - Nathan Winograd
http://www.nabr.org/animallaw/Quotes.htm
http://purebredcatbreedrescue.org/animal_rights.htm
Enough of the
AR movement
http://www.caninechronicle.com/Features/Grossman_08/grossman_208.html
Teaching children
http://www.theanimalspirit.com/AWE.html
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3589
General AR http://animalscam.com/
http://www.animalscam.com/
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/
http://bluedogstate.blogspot.com/
PETA literature
http://www.petaliterature.com/
http://www.petatv.com/
http://www.peta.org/about/faq.asp
Legislation
http://www.api4animals.org/b4c_model.php
Animal Rights agenda
http://www.mofed.org/The%20Twelve%20Steps%20Agenda.htm
http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/aragenda.htm
http://www.raot.org/legislation/animal_rights.htm
Pet Law site
http://www.pet-law.com/
Dangerous dogs
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/domino/
AR groups
http://www.webdirectory.com/Animals/Animal_Interest_Groups/Animal_Rights/
Best Friends
http://dogpolitics.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/10/msn_is_the_new_.html
HSUS
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_quotes.cfm/oid/136
Microchips/Pet Data
http://www.petdata.com/company/about/about.html
Promoting
Legislation http://www.nifaa.org/
What you can do
http://www.wethepeopleusa.us/
http://www.akc.org/enewsletter/taking_command/2008/january/archive.html
Animal control
http://www.ckcscsc.org/animal-control.htm
Children
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/downloads/reference/docs/040817_petakids.pdf
http://www.naiaonline.org/
http://www.greenpeople.org/animalrights.htm
http://www.animalscam.com/
http://www.activistcash.com/
http://www.pet-law.com/
http://www.mofed.org/