Outrage over pork and puppies

Saturday's story about the end of a bill to regulate commercial dog breeders in the state brought lots of letters. Here's the lead to the story in case you missed it. You can read the rest here: "A bill aimed at combating puppy mills by regulating commercial dog breeders in the state has failed for the second straight year, in part due to opposition from an industry that doesn't deal in dogs: the state's pork producers."

Once again, big agribusiness made sure the Commercial Dog Breeder Bill went into the wastebasket.  These folks want to make sure "unregulated" puppy mills stay in business in North Carolina.  So do the "hobby" breeders.  

 

North Carolina has not been able to resuscitate itself since the decline in tobacco farming.    In 1980, North Carolina hog farms ranged between 10,000 and 25,000 hogs in size.  As of June 1, the total number of hogs and pigs, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture is now 8.9 million.  The numbers are down 8 percent from last year.  Maybe the Pork Council is upset it is not making enough money?

 

It appears that there still is a strong need in North Carolina to "own property."  Nowadays, the slaves of North Carolina appear to be the hogs and pigs.  They are brutalized horrendously, and the Pork Council is making sure nobody watches!  Never mind about the waste ponds that people are forced to endure and live by.  The Pork Council is busy parading the halls of the NC General Assembly making sure the welfare of mother dogs and their puppies continue to suffer unimaginable abuses. How are they protecting man's best friend?    

 

 North Carolina is a tragic land for animals.  I find it amazing that the democratic process is not working well at the NC General Assembly. I wonder how much the Pork Council lobbyist is paid to talk. 

 

Every industry that manufactures "things" requires standards.  I think the Commercial Dog Breeder Bill would enhance hobbyist breeders and the American Kennel Club because reputable breeders would be listed online at the N.C. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Division site.

 

 If you wanted to find a "reputable" breeder, you would go there to look one up.  Certainly the American Kennel Club is NOT doing its job of tracking the well being of the members' dogs.  As a matter of fact, they are now allowing breeding to take place with male mutts.  I guess money talks.  Registration fees keep the AKC declining business intact.

 

Shame on the N.C. General Assembly for  bowing down to the Pork Council and hobbyist breeders.  Do yourself a favor and don't touch factory farmed animals.  It's a dark and evil circus of horrors based on greed.

 

Commercial dog breeders, your time has come to stand tall and support standards for breeding puppies that ensure the health and well being of your "crop."

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As one who enjoys a good plate of N.C. barbecue, I'm confused and dismayed by the N.C. Pork Council's opposition of the bill that would regulate commercial dog breeders. How does one make the leap from ensuring the safety and health of puppies bred in NC to stop[ping] meat production for human consumption? Last I checked, Fido isn't on anyone's menu around here.

The Pork Council's lobbyist openly admits that the groups opposition has nothing to do with the content of the bill. Instead, they're letting fears and assumptions about one organization's support shift the direction of a bill that has absolutely nothing to do with pigs.

Since when do such fears and assumptions hold more sway over our elected officials than a bill's merits? I'd have hoped that our legislators would be able to look beyond the divisiveness of this bill's wealthy backers and opponents (both the NCPC and the HSUS) and evaluate it on its actual content and intent: Not to create some militant vegan society, but to ensure that breeders who earn more than a minimal amount of income from the sale of puppies are held responsible for maintaining basic minimum standards of care for their animals.

So it seems our legislators are yet again representing "big business" and NOT their constituents. The Pork Council claims it isn't against puppies, just one of the backers, the Humane Society of the United States. I guess I missed that we consume canines here in North Carolina. What a sad and crazy sense of logic! That by providing our companion animals with some much needed protection that (wait for the slippery slope here) we will lose our rights to eat meat and be forced to be vegetarians! It is laughable if it weren't so sad.

 

While the NRA and the AKC and the Pork Industry use their political pull to make sure their best interests are unchallenged, the real tragedy is that innocent companion animals are left to suffer. I can't believe that some of our esteemed legislators would bow to such ignorant sources of persuasion. The real hero in all of this is Senator Don Davis of Greene County, who sponsored this bill. He had the vision of bringing the state of North Carolina into the 21st century.

I think every one of the opponents should have to see the pictures of the animals seized from their atrocious conditions, and then see whether they have the heart to oppose this legislation. Better yet, let's send the bill for the tens of thousands of dollars that it costs us already to rehabilitate these dogs when seized, and send it to the AKC and the N.C. Federation of Dog Clubs, who say they police themselves. This cost should be their responsibility.

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I was dismayed to read in Saturday's paper that the puppy mill regulation bill was killed in part by the N.C. Pork Council's vindictive and ludicrous opposition to the Humane Society of the United States' support of the bill.

To allow puppies and dogs to continue to be abused and mistreated due to some paranoid delusion regarding the Human Society's so-called "hidden agenda" shows that the N.C .Pork Council has no moral bearing. As one who has rescued two dogs from shelters, I am stunned at the Pork Council's opposition.

In my case, the Pork Council's fear has come true. I will no longer eat any pork product (and I love my barbecue and bacon) until such time as the Pork Council comes to its senses and supports this bill. I urge all my fellow animal lovers to do the same.

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If the Humane Society were to push legislation that banned hog ponds that leach into our water supply, I would understand the hog farmers being up in arms. I would also understand our legislature's caving to the strong arming from such an agricultural giant as the pork industry and the NRA. What I don't understand is why those groups demand dogs suffer such inhumane treatment as being raised in puppy mills. For that matter, why do we continue to embarrass our state by offering a picture of uncaring, greedy, paranoid people? Doesn't it matter what we destroy to earn that dollar? North Carolina - the home of hog ponds and puppy mills. I am so proud.

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It is simply outrageous that the Pork Council has the influence that it does! The very idea that voting for the demise of puppy mills in this state is a vegetarian ploy to influence people to become vegetarians just doesn't make any sense. The two are not related in any stretch of the imagination!

 

Puppy mills are cruel and vicious treatment of animals and need to be closed never to open again. Puppies raised in these mills usually have health problems as well as problem behaviors as adult dogs manily because they had no human contact as babies. All pets need to be socialized; sitting in a wire cage all day with no exercise is not ideal socialization. Let's stop this vicious practice now.

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The article "Puppy mills escape again" created the unfortunate misimpression that a legislative effort to establish standards of care for commercial dog breeding operations was simply a pitched battle between the N.C. Pork Council and Humane Society. The article failed to mention that numerous groups with an immediate interest in the legislation, including the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, the N.C. Sheriff's Association, and the N.C. Veterinary Medical Association, supported the bill along with the Humane Society. The article also failed to identify the Pork Council's partners in opposition, including the NRA, the Farm Bureau and the N.C. Sporting Dog Association.

 

This bill had nothing to do with guns, hogs, farming, or hunting, and it is tragedy that our lawmakers allowed these groups to block legislation that would have protected consumers and prevented the suffering of untold numbers of dogs.

Robert Hensley

Durham

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I was outraged to read that the N.C. Pork Council fought against Senate Bill 460, which sought to eliminate abusive practices toward animals. As of today, I'm eliminating pork from my diet and will donate every cent saved to animal protection organizations.

I also admonish the State House of Representatives for not looking beyond the politics. Animals don't have a voice or a vote so it's up to those of us who do to fight for their rights. All God's children, both human and animal, deserve humane treatment.

 

The people and organizations on the frontlines of the fallout from pet overpopulation and negligent and cruel breeding practices supported North Carolina's SB 460, aka the Puppy Mill bill. Four Star Charity Navigator organizations supporting this common sense legislation include the SPCA of Wake County and the Humane Society of the United States.

In the July 3, 2010 article "Puppy mills escape again," focus is placed on the N.C. Pork Council for opposition to this bill. The Pork Council is honest in stating that its business is not related to the canine breeding business -- it will oppose legislation not on the merits of the bill but on the grounds that it is supported by the Humane Society.

 

Two other powerhouse opponents to common sense canine breeding standards that were overlooked in the article are the National Rifle Association and the American Kennel Club, which is headquartered in Raleigh. Of these three powerhouse opponents, only the AKC has an association with canines -- it is a registry service for breeders and canine owners to make profits on the volume of registered canines.

The claim that breeders "largely police themselves" and do not need outside industry regulations or standards is a sad excuse from Steve Wallis, lobbyist for the N.C. Federation of Dog Clubs. When has unregulated business ever been good for an industry or for the consumer?

It now seems unfortunate that N.C. does not have a ballot initiative. Informed citizens would vote for common sense standards to reduce the incidence of negligent and cruel canine operators -- this would be a win for the many excellent breeders, the canines, and the people who buy these pets.

 

I was saddened and angered by the information contained in the puppy mill article of July 3.  Angie Whitener, lobbyist for the Pork Council, interpreted the Humane Society’s mission of abolishing cruel treatment of animals as a disguised agenda for promoting vegetarianism.  Her rationale included reference to a ballot initiative passed in California requiring that livestock animals be treated humanely. 

 

The Pork Industry equates that requirement to promoting vegetarianism?!?  There are now many independent animal farmers that recognize the importance of humane treatment of hogs, cows and other livestock, until they are slaughtered for consumption.  Director Robert Kenner does an excellent job of demonstrating that kind of farming in his documentary film, "Food, Inc."  Practices of independent farmers are contrasted with those of corporate farms.

 

The billion-dollar pork industry has resisted changing its practices due to the effect on profits.  How sad that a bill requiring humane treatment of dogs presented such a threat to them that a much needed puppy mill bill is now defeated.  And kudos to the residents of California for passing an animal rights initiative.

 

The failure to pass the Puppy Mill bill in the state legislature is a good example of why the public is disgusted with politicians. The protection of indefensible animals is a clear moral obligation, and how the pork industry influenced the legislators is inexplicable. Why don't our legislators show some backbone and do the right thing?

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It was disheartening to read that abuses at puppy mills will continue unchecked thanks to the efforts of wealthy special interest groups like the N.C. Pork Council who oppose Senate Bill 460 simply because it is sponsored by the Humane Society.

 

Angie Whitener, lobbyist for the N.C. Pork Council provided a glimpse into the dark motives behind the Humane Society's push for puppy-mill regulations, suggesting that any law enacted to protect man's best friend will inevitably lead to atrocities like California's Proposition 2, which requires that livestock be kept in areas where they can freely lie down, stand up and fully extend their limbs.

 

Whitener didn't explain why the humane treatment of animals is a bad thing, only that it is. According to her, regulating puppy mills would lead us down a slippery slope to ... to ... well, to what I'm not sure. Compassion? Kindness? Empathy? Or something even worse? Regardless, it all sounds pretty scary to me.

It probably should come as no surprise that the same folks who brought us aromatic feces-filled lagoons would lend their support to those who profit from animal misery. After all, why should North Carolina's critters have it any better than the rest of us?

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Thank you for your article "Puppy Mills escape again" exposing how our state is run more by special interests than good, honest representatives who can think for themselves and recognize that humane treatment of animals should be a hallmark of our society.

 

I worked in a veterinary clinic for several years and saw firsthand the results of unregulated puppy mills. The sad little puppies brought in by the new owners were full of worms, were often covered in fleas, had skin issues, eye issues and the dreaded and cruel disease, Parvo. These puppies sometimes died trying to fight to live with so much wrong with them, much to the dismay and heartbreak of their new owners.

 

As for paying for oversight and enforcement, the puppy mill is a business and should pay for a business license, which is a source of revenue to support oversight. The House should be ashamed for not taking this up and passing it, and the Senate should be embarrassed that it passed with so little support. And the pork industry should shut up and sit down --  it has no dog in this fight.

I was quite appalled to see that North Carolina's Pork Council opposed the puppy mill bill because of its belief that the Humane Society's goal is to eventually stop meat production for human consumption.  I would urge the council's Angie Whitener to do some additional research on this position, as I believe she is confusing the goals of the Humane Society with those of PETA. There is a great difference between improving conditions on factory farms and complete elimination of meat consumption! 

 

The Pork Council's protestations make me wonder about conditions on hog farms and in hog processing facilities in North Carolina.  (Fortunately, the pork tenderloins I purchase are raised and processed in Canada.)

 

I was so upset that the Puppy Mill Bill did not make it through the N.C. House.  I was more upset that the reason it didn't make it through was not because of the merits of the bill, which would have helped to regulate commercial dog breeders in our state, but because of the lobbying of corporations that have nothing to do with dogs like the Farm Bureau, NRA, NC Agribusiness & the Pork Council.  

Perhaps worse, its fate was also influenced by the lobbying of groups that make money from puppy mills like the AKC.  

Rep. Paul Luebke was quoted as saying he hoped that in 2011 they could start over and try to build a consensus bill.  Well, that's not very likely to happen when the groups opposing the bill aren't doing so because they don't like the language in the bill, but because they don't like the organization supporting it.  

I'm disappointed in those N.C. representatives that let the worst face of politics control the fate of this bill.  I hope that in 2011 NC citizens will demand that our representatives put puppies over politics.   

Hailey Queen
Raleigh