Proposition B-What it is, and what it isn't.
S.Stokes-Begley
20 October 2010
This is a ballot initiative being pushed by the Humane Society of the United States. This is NOT your local Humane Society, the HSUS co-opted the name from The AMERICAN Humane Society, as they had a good name and HSUS knew they would be accepted quickly.
To help explain this, I'll start with a few quotes from some of the players involved.
"We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding."
-Wayne Pacelle, President, Humane Society of the United States. He has also stated, "I don't want to see another dog or cat born. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals."
"If we could shut down all sport hunting in a moment, we would. My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture"
-JP Goodwin HSUS Grassroots coordinator
"The life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration."
-Michael W. Fox HSUS Senior Scholar
While many years ago, one farmer used to produce enough to feed 20 people, due to advances in technology one farmer can now feed 158 people. This frees up a lot of people to go do other jobs they want to do. What it also does is remove people from the agricultural scene. They are unfamiliar with what it takes to raise healthy animals. That selective breeding bit Pacelle is so annoyed with? It's why there is less back fat on hogs now, and bigger rib-eye steaks. It's also why Paint Horse breeders try for horses with color, or actually trying to breed for any color. It involves more than just cosmetic reasons, it's why breeders have eyes and hips checked in dogs, or a horse might have a great temperament and another great conformation and that's why you chose to breed those two horses, or dogs. You are breeding to improve the breed. Selective breeding is responsible breeding. But then Pacelle doesn't want any breeding.
According to the Farm Bureau meeting I attended, HSUS accomplishes a lot by smoke & mirrors, lies & deceptions. There is a lot of money shuffling going on between HSUS, PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) ALF (Animal Liberation Front) and FARM (whose goal is not to have any farm animals) and several others. The ballot language on Prop B. is a good example. Just reading the first paragraph it sounds so reasonable. But when you get into what it requires, it is not at all reasonable. But since most folks are in a hurry when they vote, they just scan it and yep, first paragraph sounds good. The HSUS has spent $2.18 Million to push this, so far. Most of the money HSUS takes in goes to large salaries, lobbying and slick advertising campaigns. According to HumaneWatch, they give about ½ of 1 percent of what they raise annually to help animal shelters. In fact, the Joplin shelter changed their names and took the humane society out of it, so people won't think they are associated with HSUS. Groups trying to get the truth out have a hard time competing with the HSUS budget. Most farmers or breeders just want to work and do their job, spend time with their families and not get involved with this sort of thing. It has cost them. They have allowed misconceptions and lies to flourish unchecked.
There is a very big difference between Animal Welfare and Animal Rights. Animal welfare is just what it sounds like, the care and well-being of animals. Animal Rights on the other hand is the belief that humans and animals are equal, and animals have legal rights. This is the belief of Cass Sunstein, the Federal Regulatory Czar. Some of the goals of Animal Rights organizations, of which HSUS is one, include: Elimination of Animal Agriculture, no herbicides or pesticides or other agricultural chemicals should be used, prohibition of hunting, trapping and fishing, stop further breeding of companion animals-abolish commerce of animals in the pet trade, end the use of animals in the entertainment & sports and prohibit genetic manipulation of the species. So, no more pets, so guess no more horse shows won't be a big deal and since they can't breed selectively, no telling how healthy or long they would live anyway.
The HSUS seems to accomplish a lot by appealing to emotions, rather than factual information. They tug at the heart-string a lot with their rhetoric. In a November 16th 2009 e-mail Pacelle stated “every responsible breeder is a puppy miller, every family farmer is a factory farmer and every responsible hunter is a poacher. So they carefully pick the terms they use.
So now you understand, this will not just be about dogs. The HSUS is looking at Prop B as a battering ram. If they get this passed, they will then go after another segment of animals. Farm Bureau knows this, they are looking at what they have done in other states. In Florida, they put out the pork industry first, because there weren't many of them to fight back. In California, they have pretty much put the egg industry out. So they are very capable of regulating a good industry out of business, and out of jobs.
Since 1992 Missouri has had the Animal Care Facilities Act. EVERY kennel, boarding or breeding is suppose to be state licensed and is inspected annually. There are currently twenty three pages of rules the kennels go by. There is currently a program in place called Operation Bark where if you suspect a kennel is not licensed, or is not meeting the regulations you can call a number and report them. These programs are very successful.
So, lets look at what Prop B will and will not do.
Here are some of the changes. Currently dogs have to be fed every 12 hours. With the new change they only have to be fed once a day. Currently water must be provided every 8 hours or more often. With the new change it requires “continuous provision of water whatever that may be. Housing: Currently, stack cages are allowed in indoor facilities. Trays are used to catch the output so nothing falls on the ones below them. The change would outlaw stacked cages for breeders. (Municipal dog pounds, local humane shelters and veterinarians that use stack cages would be exempt. The new regulations only target dog breeders.)
Currently, outdoor facilities are allowed. The change would require temperature-controls in any facility housing dogs. Sufficient space: Currently, minimum space requirements are the length of the dog plus six inches squared times two with six inches of headspace. The change would categorize space requirements by the size category of the dog. A very small dog would have their indoor amount doubled, while a dog near the top of the category would see no substantial changes inside. The headspace requirement would be doubled. Regular exercise: Currently, dogs can be kept in indoor (temperature-controlled), sheltered (indoor/outdoor), or outdoor (no temperature-controlled, with exceptions) facilities. The change would require all facilities to be indoor/outdoor. Space requirements on the outside are double of the inside.
What some of this will mean is the new temperature requirement will make it nearly impossible for newborn puppies to survive. It will be a class C misdemeanor for a breeder if there is a piece of dog food found in a water bowl or a cobweb in a corner during inspection. It will set a size limit for breeders, having 51 dogs is cruel, having 49 is not cruel. Think how this will work in the beef, pork and chicken world and begin to embrace the world of bean sprouts. A Missouri State inspector has said not ONE licensed kennel will be able to meet the requirements of Prop B. This will put many good breeders out of business which will decrease the selection and increase the price of dogs. If proposition B passes, within two years there will be a shortage of purpose bred dogs.
What Prop B will NOT do: It will not stop unlicensed breeders, it will not provide additional funding for better inspection or more inspectors. It will not allow for many breeders who properly care for their dogs to continue breeding.
So who is exempted? Animal shelters, apparently it's ok for animal shelters to keep dogs in cruel conditions. Hunting dogs are left out, because HSUS was afraid if they included hunting dogs the NRA might weigh in. So it's ok to keep hunting dogs in “cruel†conditions, you can't breed them, but you can keep the ones you have in cruel conditions since the breeding restrictions do apply.
This is not just about breeding dogs, here are some of the organizations that are speaking out AGAINST it, and they are NOT breeders of dogs. Ask yourself, why?
The Missouri Agribusiness Association (MO-AG)
Missouri Cattlemen's Association
Missouri Equine Council
Missouri Family Network
Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri Federation of Animal Owners
Missouri Kansas Youth Rodeo Association
Missouri Pork Association
Missouri primate foundation,inc
Missouri Quarter Horse Association
Missourians for Animal Care
Western Missouri Shooters Alliance
Think about it carefully, and please vote NO on Proposition B.
More informational resources:
The Alliance for Truth: http://www.thealliancefortruth.com/
Missouri Farm Bureau: http://www.mofb.org/Home/AnimalCare.aspx
Humane Watch: http://www.humanewatch.org/