Alaska Bill Would Grant Pets Greater Legal Protection

Paws Up!

To Alaska House Representative Liz Vazquez for introducing a bill that would grant companion animalsgreater legal protection in the state of Alaska.

While most of us do not think of our companion animals in terms of being “personal property,” that is precisely how companion animals are still viewed in many cases heard by state and county courts. In

H.B. 147 would provide protection under restraining orders to pets of domestic violence victims.

Alaska, a recently introduced H.B. 147 would not stop the law from viewing animals as property – but if passed, it would grant a higher legal protection for animals. For one, the bill introduced this spring by Rep. Liz Vazquez would require citizens convicted of animal cruelty or neglect to personally pay for the care provided to animals seized from their property. The bill

would also include animals in domestic violence protection orders. In civil cases involving divorce, the bill would create a statute requiring judges to consider the best interest of the animal when ruling on issues of ownership.

Take action. Residents of Alaska, contact your representatives and ask them to support H.B. 147, and other legislation that protects companion animals from violence and neglect.

New York Outlaws Pet Piercing and Tattoos; New Jersey May Follow.

Paws Up!  
To New York for outlawing the cosmetic piercing and tattooing of dogs, cats, and other pets in the state.

According to a recent news article, New York has banned the cosmetic piercing and tattooing of pets. It is an unfortunate reality that such a law would even be necessary, but when a woman in Pennsylvania was found advertising “gothic” kittens with piercings and amputated tails online, two lawmakers in New York introduced a bill to ban the practice. Governor Cuomo signed the bill into law in December. Only piercings or tattoos with a medical benefit will be permitted when the law goes into effect in the spring of 2015. Violators could be punished with a 15-day jail sentence and a fine up to $250. Legislators in New Jersey have also introduced a similar bill to prevent the painful and inherently cruel practice in their state.

Take Action: Residents of New York, contact Governor Andrew Cuomo  and thank him for signing this bill into law. Residents of New Jersey, please contact your legislators and ask them to support S2500  which would classify the cosmetic tattooing and piercing of pets as acts of animal cruelty.

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State NYS
State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Turkey Reforms Animal Welfare Law

Paws Up!
To the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for enacting much needed forms to the country’s animal welfare law.

Turkish pet owners and pet sellers will be expected to prove proper care of animals they own.

According to an article, “Turkey has taken a momentous step for animal welfare: From now on, anyone who owns or sells pets must have a certificate that proves they are able to properly care for the animal and meet all of its basic needs. The Turkish government has also furthered the cause of animal cruelty laws, and has introduced legislation to address the environmental impact of pets as well as the welfare of animals used in experiments.”

Additionally, the reforms ban circuses that involve animals. Also, animal fighting is now considered “purposely ill-treating an animal.”

Take Action: Write to the secretary general of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey congratulating his country’s work on protecting animals. Additionally, make sure your own state, county, and town is doing the best it can to protect animals in your area. Contact your legislators and urge them to ensure the full protection of animals under the law.

Mr. İrfan Neziroğlu, PhD
Secretary General
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey
TBMM 06543 Bakanlıklar Ankara
TÜRKİYE

When you think about it…looks can kill.

Public enemy or just a dog?

Some people believe the look of a dog is enough to justify killing the dog. However, visual identification of dog breeds is inaccurate most of the time. In a study done a couple years ago, many of the subjects failed to correctly identify the dominant breeds for most of the dogs used in the study. Yet, the study subjects were individuals who worked with dogs on a regular basis. Additionally, a recent article indicated that dog bites occur for several “preventable factors; breed was not one of these.”

So, if breeds don’t bite but dogs do, why malign one breed? Why are we enacting legislation to ban certain breeds from our communities when many people can’t tell one breed from another? Why are we condemning dogs to death based solely on their looks? When you think about it…looks can kill…but should they?

Service Animal Fraud

Many people are fraudulently identifying their animals as service animals in order to receive certain disability rights.

In a world where nothing seems to surprise us any more, there seems to be a new surprise—people fraudulently applying for service animals or purchasing service paraphernalia to identify animals who are not trained as service animals. The New Hampshire legislature is considering a bill, HB 1568, an act relative to service animals, that would make it a “crime to impersonate a person with a disability in order to receive a service animal or service animal accessories.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) grants certain rights to people with service animals and prohibits discrimination related to them. Service dogs, in particular, are the most often recognized animals who help perform tasks for people who have mental and physical disabilities. As the number of pet owners trying to pass their animals off as service animals grows, there may be a backlash against those who are validly entitled to use service animals.

The ADA does not require animals to be certified; it does require an owner to have documentation of a disability.

New Hampshire residents can contact their representatives to encourage them to support HB 1568. Residents of other states, contact your legislators to see if there are laws in your state. If not, ask them to sponsor a law that would protect the rights of service animals and their owners and punish those who fraudulently misrepresent their animals as service animals.

When you think about it…dogs bite.

It is often times the situation, not necessarily the breed of dog, that will prompt him or her to bite.

“When the dog bites, when the bee stings. When I’m feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things. And then I don’t feel so bad.” (“My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music) What happens when the dog bites? Depending on the breed, the dog may be feeling much more than sad or bad; the dog may be euthanized for his or her behavior. Certain breeds of dogs are maligned when in fact, all dogs have teeth and all dogs are capable of biting.

The circumstances under which most dog bites occur, regardless of breed, are when a dog and a child are interacting and no responsible adult is present, when a dog is not spayed or neutered, and when a dog or a human has not been well socialized around the other species. How guardians of dogs interact with their companions and how they socialize their companions around other dogs and humans affects the dog’s inclination to bite. The breed of the dog has nothing to do with the bite of the dog. So, when you think about it…dogs bite; breeds don’t.

When you think about it…fox penning and dog fighting seem alike, yet only one is illegal in all states.

Although fox penning is a cruel sport similar to dog fighting, it is still legal in several states.

The Washington Post carried an article in August about the practice of fox penning in Southern Virginia. Briefly stated, foxes and coyotes are trapped, transported miles to a location, and placed in pens. Then packs of dogs are put into the pen to chase the animals. If captured, the foxes and coyotes are often torn apart by the dogs. How is that any different from dogfighting? It isn’t, yet penning is legal in some Midwestern and Southern states, whereas dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Animal fighting of any kind as spectator sport is reprehensible. Yet some of these animal fights go unnoticed, especially penning, as few people know about the practice.

When you think about it…fox penning and dog fighting seem alike, yet only one is illegal in some states. Why?

When you think about it…saving lives is all you can think about.

Some people will go to great lengths to find forever homes for rescued animals.

Recently 1,200 rescued hens were flown from California to the East Coast for rescue. A book, titled Dogtripping, recently posted on the NHES website, relates the story of a couple who rescued dogs in Southern California and eventually moved 25 of those rescued dogs to Maine.

There are organizations like Pilots N Paws and Animal Rescue Flights, among many others, whose volunteers fly rescued animals around the country to find them forever homes.

Why do these people do this? Why do they spend their free time flying or driving rescued animals from one place to another to find them homes or sanctuaries where they can live out the remainder of their lives? What’s in it for them?

If you have to ask, then you probably won’t understand their answers. But those who do understand know that when you think about it…saving lives is all you can think about.

When you think about…planned pethood is not so farfetched.

Planned Parenthood Plus is an organization working towards ending animal overpopulation. They plan to sterilize 300 feral dogs in September with a birth control vaccine.

There exists an organization, Planned Pethood Plus, that works globally to end animal overpopulation. Here in the United States, there are an estimated 6 million feral dogs. What is the solution to this overabundance of dogs, especially feral dogs? Birth control. A test using a government vaccine is scheduled to begin in September on two Indian reservations in the West to help curb the proliferation of feral dogs who in previous years would have been left to die or simply shot. The plan is to capture and inject 300 female dogs with a birth control vaccine.

Of course, sterilization of dogs is the best way to curb the dog overpopulation in any area. Responsible canine guardians should ensure their dog is unable to reproduce. In some areas of the country, spay/neuter services have done such a fine job that those areas, especially the northeastern part of the country, often have few dogs for adoption but are able to help out areas of the country, south and west, where too many dogs exist and not enough adopters are available. Dogs are transported from these areas to shelters in the Northeast, often by car or van and sometimes by air.

The only way to reduce the number of dogs being born is to use birth control for those dogs who are not good candidates for surgery (feral dogs, in particular) and to spay/neuter all other dogs as soon as they are old enough to undergo the surgery.

Because, when you think about it…planned pethood is not so farfetched.

Greyhound Victory

Greyhound racing in the state of Florida continues but with more restrictions in place to monitor their standards of care.

Paws Up!
To the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering for filing a new rule to protect racing greyhounds in the state.

According toa news story, “Florida greyhound trainers will soon have to be more transparent with their dog care. A new state animal welfare rule…requir[es] trainers to notify state regulators every time a dog dies at a track or kennel. Trainers at the state’s 13 greyhound tracks also will be banned from keeping more than one dog per cage and be forced to maintain a roster that identifies each dog. Racetrack officials have to complete weekly walk-throughs of kennels.”

Greyhound racing is still a viable “sport” though its numbers are on the decline. However, the guess is that anywhere from 20,000 to as many as 50,000 greyhounds are born each year and anywhere from 20,000 on up are killed either as puppies unsuitable for racing or retirees whose racing careers are over. While NHES would ultimately prefer to see the sport banned outright, protection of the dogs in the system is of paramount importance.

Take Action: Florida residents, contact the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering to thank the agency for protecting greyhounds. Residents of other states where greyhound racing occurs (Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, and Iowa), contact your state agency that oversees greyhound racing to determine if they are protecting the dogs who race in your state.

Leon M Biegalski, Director
Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering
1940 North Monroe Street, Suite 50
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1035