WAKE UP CALL....Federal regulation

[Jeff Stanley]

Permission to cross post from Peggy Mickelson (AKC Judge)
From: Peggy Mickelson
Subject: some of us are still breeding dogs, so....

This is a WAKE UP CALL for all dog breeders in the US. The Animal
Right's faction is making good headway in the US...read it and don't say
"...It can't happen to me.."


U.S. Court Judge Rules In USDA/DDAL Case
August 3, 2001

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on July 30, 2001
handed down a decision invalidating the U.S. Department of
Agriculture' longstanding regulation exempting retail sellers of dogs from
Federal regulation. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the
Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) and several other plaintiffs against the
Department challenging the Department's interpretation of the federal
Animal Welfare Act. The judge also refused to consider amicus curiae
briefs in support of the Department of Agriculture's position filed by the
American Kennel Club (AKC) and others.

The judge's ruling, if not overturned, will require a huge expansion
in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's licensing and inspection
activities, and deal a devastating blow to non-commercial hobby and show
dog breeders. The ruling could potentially require every person who sells a
dog or cat for any reason to obtain a federal license and submit to federal
regulations. The AKC pointed out in its brief that this could expand
Federal licensing under the Animal Welfare Act from the current level of about
10,000 entities to several hundred thousands entities. The AKC estimated that
based on AKC registration data alone, nearly 300,000 persons could be required to
be licensed. More importantly, the AKC argued, it was clearly not the intent
of Congress in enacting the Animal Welfare Act to regulate non-commercial
hobby and show breeders, and that to make the sport of purebred dogs into a
federally regulated activity would undermine the very nature of the sport.

Government attorneys are studying the opinion, and will decide over
the next few weeks whether to appeal it. The AKC will strongly urge an
appeal. One factor that is likely to weigh strongly in a decision to appeal is
that the wording of the opinion is so sweeping that, if left standing, it
could significantly limit the government's latitude for exercising discretion
in all federal regulatory matters. The AKC is also evaluating other
avenues for mitigating the adverse impact of the ruling on hobby and show
breeders and is discussing the impact of the ruling with members of
Congress.


Permission (and I urge you) to cross post

Originally posted by Jeff Stanley:
<STRONG>Permission to cross post from Peggy Mickelson (AKC Judge)
. The ruling could potentially require every person who sells a
dog or cat for any reason to obtain a federal license and submit to federal
regulations. The AKC pointed out in its brief that this could expand
Federal licensing under the Animal Welfare Act from the current level of about
10,000 entities to several hundred thousands entities. The AKC estimated that
based on AKC registration data alone, nearly 300,000 persons could be required to
be licensed. More importantly, the AKC argued, it was clearly not the intent
of Congress in enacting the Animal Welfare Act to regulate non-commercial
hobby and show breeders, and that to make the sport of purebred dogs into a
federally regulated activity would undermine the very nature of the sport.

f

Permission (and I urge you) to cross post</STRONG>

I say HALLELULUJAH!!!! Anything that might cut down on indiscriminate breeding of dogs, YAHOO!!!!!

AND I believe any *reputable* breeder will have NO PROBLEM exceeding any "federal guidelines", let alone meeting them. JEEZUS!


Also...can anyone explain to me what is the
"sport" of purebred dogs, and how federal regulation will undermine that "sport"?????

[Jeff Stanley]

Soapie&Buddy'sMom,

I am afraid I have a much different opinion of this.

I think this is just one more thing the Government wants to use in order to control every aspect of our lives. It seems like you have to have a permit or a license to own anything anymore.

Our freedom is being taken away so slowly that no one is noticing.

[cpayne]

This is a tough one...

I do NOT support the govt getting involved in every aspect of our lives. However, I feel even more strongly that no one should be able to collect a dime for a dog / puppy unless they comply with a code of ethics, are a reputable breeder and are actively involved in rescue work. If we, as human beings, can not curb the number of homeless critters that face destruction each day... than I may be in favor of regulation that requires us to act responsibly. It seems likely that only those who do not wish to meet reasonable standards would fear or oppose such regulation.

It is certainly worth further scutiny...

[Jeff Stanley]

The employers who want to put cameras everywhere but the bathrooms say, “If you’re not doing something wrong, why be afraid of cameras.”

The people who want drug testing say, “If you’re not doing drugs, why be afraid of a test.”

The people who want to register guns say, “If you don’t own an illegal gun, why be afraid of registering yours.”

[Mattweiser]

Jeff,

I absolutely agree with you, but... big but here......

I believe this law to be more of a revenue generator, than a control device....

I would venture to say, without having read the full legislation... that the income from these breeding permits will go to the various shelters in the communities...

very few laws are innacted these days that do not benifit the goverment in monetary terms ... if they want to impose a small fee on "reputable" breeders, in order to generate more funds for the government funded shelters.... I am all for that....

[new2rotts2001]

I am, as my login name implies, new to Rotties and their many public relations difficulties. However, it seems to me that if the industry cannot or will not regulate itself, then for the good of the breed (and all dogs) and in the interest of public health, some sort of government regulation may be necessary. I see no reason not to require licensing of breeders and those licenses should include the requirement that each breeder investigate the prospective homes of their puppies to the fullest extent possible (not to mention that the breeding animals be cleared of problems of health and disposition), much like the good rescue groups attempt to make sure that their rescues are placed in suitable homes. The question really is how could/would these regulations be enforced! (I'll introduce myself in a separate post in a suitable location!)

Originally posted by Jeff Stanley:
<STRONG>The employers who want to put cameras everywhere but the bathrooms say, “If you’re not doing something wrong, why be afraid of cameras.”

The people who want drug testing say, “If you’re not doing drugs, why be afraid of a test.”

The people who want to register guns say, “If you don’t own an illegal gun, why be afraid of registering yours.”</STRONG>

ya know, that is the trade off of living in society, not to mention working for an emplyer who PAYS YOU (you don't want your employer to drug test you? then start your own company and don't do drug tests)
there is some regulation of daily activity here in the USA. SURPRISE! yes, cops can search your car with probable cause. yes, you are required to register a gun (ummm...you have a problem with REGISTERING a GUN???? I don't even want to go there! Yes, it's our constitutional right to bear arms...but you know who wrote the constitution? MEN! Acting under the guise of GOVERNMENT!!! so you could say our FREEDOMS are regulated, too!!!!)
if you want to live completely free of government regulation, go live in the mountains of ....????? there must be somewhere that there are no laws. GOOD LUCK!

[German Vanegas]

If such ruling prevails, the Government eventually will eliminate most dog breeders in the States, reducing them to a very low number. Basically, only those people that want to comply and meet the criteria will be allowed to breed dogs. This way, prices will "skyrocketed", making purebreds dogs unaffordable for most people, where only the elite will be able to have dogs. That is a &@#*%! up decision. And we like to think that we are "free", and we "can have the dog we want"... Wake up people! The Government not only wants to tell us what breeds we may own, but now is worse: who can have dogs!!! Wake up people! Your dog is on the line!

[German Vanegas]

Originally posted by Jeff Stanley:
<STRONG>I for one am not going to bend over and take it like a good citizen. If you want to, good luck.

I believe in freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, and freedom of beliefs. I will not accept less.</STRONG>

If we, in the United States of America, are going to be told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, what is allowed to do, in short: what to think; then we may as well incorporate the States to the Government of Cuba!

The irony of it is that, while other nations are moving away from socialism, communisn and other radical failed line of thinkings, we seem to head that way!!!

By the way, we have plenty of government intrusion, trust me, we don't need more! Anymore of that, and they will be analyzing your fecal matter to "make sure you are eating the right stuff"... You know, we are the government, we are here to help you! ;)

[ August 07, 2001: Message edited by: German Vanegas ]

Originally posted by Jeff Stanley:
<STRONG>I for one am not going to bend over and take it like a "good citizen". If you want to, good luck.

I believe in freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, and freedom of beliefs. I will not accept less.

When they ask people to put chips under their skin, (why be afraid of a little chip) I won’t be there.

[ August 07, 2001: Message edited by: Jeff Stanley ]</STRONG>

yeah...like asking to regulate dog breeders is the same as implanting a chip into your body.
uh huh.

do you know where your so-called FREEDOMS come from? do you know that with freedom comes RESPONSIBILITY!!!!>>>>>????!!!!

what is so scary about asking for SOME regulation of dog breeding????

and please don't quote me some rhetoric re drug testing, gun registration, etc...
just answer the question.

Originally posted by German Vanegas:
<STRONG>If such ruling prevails, the Government eventually will eliminate most dog breeders in the States, reducing them to a very low number. Basically, only those people that want to comply and meet the criteria will be allowed to breed dogs. This way, prices will "skyrocketed", making purebreds dogs unaffordable for most people, where only the elite will be able to have dogs. That is a &@#*%! up decision. And we like to think that we are "free", and we "can have the dog we want"... Wake up people! The Government not only wants to tell us what breeds we may own, but now is worse: who can have dogs!!! Wake up people! Your dog is on the line! </STRONG>

GOOD!!!! I think the number of dog breeders SHOULD be reduced. But I don't agree with "only the elite will own dogs" -
what basis do you have for THAT statement?
like, all the regulation that is in force for exotic animals (must have a license, etc. -
oh yeah, only the "elite" own exotic animals!)
the regulation of exotic animals *does* make it more difficult to own/breed/etc. exotic animals. IT SHOULD BE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.
but many many people who are not the "elite" (what is the "elite" anyway) have exotic animals, having met the criteria for owning them here in the US.
p.s. i hate the analogy, because i do believe NO ONE should have a tiger/lion/bear/etc as a pet, but it was the only example i could think of where the USDA has regulated animal ownership.

[RottnKid1]

Regulations won't do a thing to stop accidental breedings, back yard breeders and the like. The only ones it will effect are the ones who care enough to do things right to begin with.

[winniecnm]

Jeff, German, couldn't agree with you more!!

I already stated my opinion on this before in a different thread, but I would like to add what I think will happen in addition....

People will start buying their dogs overseas or from Canada. People will breed dogs, not register them and sell them on some sort of black market.

The diversity of our breeders' availible gene pool will decrease drastically. The rottweiler breed and every other breed out there will suffer, though it may take years for us to realize it.

This is not a solution to any problem. This law in itself IS a problem.

And for those of you who don't mind letting the government regulate your lives, remember that it was not too long ago that Americans fought for our freedom in two World Wars and were PROUD to die for their country, knowing they were protecting future generations from unfair government. We as a nation have become too apathetic, brainwashed by an illusion of freedom while it is in truth being ripped away from us bit by bit.

[K9-man]

08/07/2001 7:05 AM CDT

Originally posted by winniecnm:
<STRONG> We as a nation have become too apathetic, brainwashed by an illusion of freedom while it is in truth being ripped away from us bit by bit. </STRONG>

So true. :(