Steve

http://gantdaily.com/2010/03/26/oregon-dog...puppy-mill-law/ A commercial dog breeder has surrendered dozens of animals to the Oregon Humane Society to comply with a new state law banning puppy mills, which mass produce animals for sale to pet stores and online. The Oregon Humane Society received 43 dogs Thursday from a breeder in Medford. It is the first time a commercial breeder has voluntarily turned over dogs to abide by legislation. "I just want these dogs to go to loving homes. I am thankful that OHS is helping me be in compliance with the law," the breeder, who preferred to remain anonymous, said in a statement. The dogs range from 4 to 9 years old. They will be sterilized and checked for health problems before being offered for adoption. "We are looking to find homes for all of these dogs, so they can live out their lives as part of a loving family. That’s something that most dogs used for breeding never experience," Sharon Harmon, executive director of the Oregon Humane Society, said in a statement. A number of states and counties nationwide have enacted measures cracking down on substandard or unlicensed breeding facilities following reports about inhumane conditions in such kennels. The Oregon legislature passed passed a measure last year, joining Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington state in capping the number of breeding dogs in a facility. The law was approved by Oregon lawmakers following the rescue of 371 dogs from one individual who kept the animals housed in deplorable conditions. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, limits the number of dogs breeders may own to 50 sexually intact animals that are older than two years. It allows people to own up to a maximum of 75 dogs as long as they have at least one employee to care for the animals eight hours a day. The law requires that each dog must have enough space to stand, lie down and turn about freely, without its legs or tail touching the sides of its enclosure or another animal. The enclosure should be cleaned of urine and waste once a day, with the animal out of the enclosure during the cleaning. Dogs older than four months should be provided with one hour of exercise each day outside its enclosure. All dogs older than eight months must also have a record of their medical history and information about the litter from which it came from. Pet stores are required to disclose where they purchased the dogs they sell. They also must give refunds to customers who provide documentation within a limited time that the dog they bought from the store is seriously ill or has a congenital defect. The law was passed despite concerns from breeders that legitimate businesses that provide quality care to dogs will be affected. About a third of the nation’s independent pet shops sell puppies, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The main supplier of these stores are puppy mills. Documented conditions in puppy mills include filthy enclosures where dogs are overbred and permanently confined without socialization or affection from other animals or humans, and little or no veterinary care and exercise. Dogs rescued from such facilities are not ensured of a promising future. Nearly 4 million animals are euthanized in shelters every year. The situation has pushed three cities in California to ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats. More than 500 pet shops nationwide have also voluntarily stopped selling dogs to support the campaign against puppy mills. "The financial success of companies that refuse to sell puppies and kittens, such as the nation’s largest retail pet supply stores PETCO and PetSmart, is proof that a humane business model is successful," said the Humane Society.<br />

No personal attacks is a base rule which applies to everyone new or old - anyone guilty will be sent off.

Being involved in the forum is just like playing a game. Know the rules and learn the game plan - if there's a dispute tell the unpire and the umpire's decision is final. When you start to take anything thats said here personally and its no longer a game it might be time to take time out sit on the bench to catch your breath and remember how to play again.

It wouldnt matter how many moderators you had here its not possible for anyone to read every post. No one can know when something needs to be looked at until the report button is hit and even then moderators have lives away from the forum, they have to sleep and go to the toilet too. Over moderation would also be counter productive in my opinion as it cuts down debate and the ability to get a bit passionate sometimes. There is a system here which allows for warnings to be given and for users to be banned which happens much more often than you think. However, you have to hit the report button and expect that its not always going to get you instant attention.

Any time you see squirty poos - step back and think what you would do if it was you who had the problem. Stop solids and only fluids with probiotics for about 12 hours. Sometimes owners think they have a problem when they dont. Different foods will give different poo consistency and when you feed dry dog food they need more fluids which also waters down the poos and any type of canned food is notorious for the skirts. So you need to be able to describe what you think you are seeing. When you say runny - how runny.Is it like toothpaste or a bit looser or is it like water. What colour is it? How long as he had it ? What are you feeding etc. If you had no injury you could pin point a stiff joint or stiiff muscle to you wouldnt expect to race off to the doctor unless it was not getting better after a week or so and even then it would be unlikely the doctor would send you off for Xrays straight away and its no different for your dog. Xrays are a pain and cost lots of money - they stress the dog and the vet has to guess about what bit of the dog is actually causing the limp because the dog cant asy where its a bit tender so its not really a good idea to go stright in and Xray most times. So - tell me - how runny are the poos, how long have the poos been runny? What you feed him? How often how much? How old is he? What size is he ? When was he wormed last,and vaccinated last - is he on heart worm meds - if so what sort ? How long has he had the limp and describe the movement - is he favouring one side or which leg etc. Does he get up quickly or slowly, does he run or jump?

Many photos are now up on our website - www.mdbaawards.net.au

No one here is denying the need for the animals to be looked after but why take it to court?

MDBA Pacers is a charity of the same nature as the RSPCA we have a board of directors and Im just one cog in the wheel so if anything happens to me there is plenty in place to ensure the dogs are well cared for in people's homes and that what we are doing can prevail for hundrds of years not just for now.We are the new kids on the block but our aim is to be the animal charity of choice before Im too old to see it. :D Since we have been doing pacers Ive been blown out by the things Ive seen which make me more and more determined to get it right for the owners because I think the dog is better off if you help the owner and follow the owners direction on what is best for their animals. We have seen people who have decided that the reason their friend was sick was because she had two german shephards which lived in her home.While she was in hospital there were moves to have her dogs removed so when she came out they would no longer be there. We fought like mad for that and I was given power of attorney to stop them. We even had to take on the local catholic priest to ensure those dogs were there to greet her when she returned home from hospital because they all thought they knew what was best and they didnt get why the dogs meant so much to her. Now she is back to full health and knows what could have happened she has it all tied up legally so that her dogs are not sent off to the pound if she becomes ill or dies. I could tell you stories all day about how Ive seen family race in and ignore everything the owner wants for their animals even though the owner trusted them to do the right thing. Ive seen animals taken off to pounds even before the will is read and Ive seen people who take animals and the money then decide its too hard or the dog is too old and have the dog taken off to be PTS.

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/mcdaniel-12...ducts-says.html The way you're protecting your pets from fleas and ticks, could lead to even bigger trouble! That's according to a new study released by the EPA which shows that some popular medications are killing hundreds of pets each year! Concern is growing in the Capital Region, where the phone has been ringing off the hook at Sand Creek Animal Hospital in Colonie. Dr. Matthew McDaniel says pet owners are frantic, worried about the EPA study that shows some spot-on flea and tick treatments are causing some pet deaths and severe allergic reactions. None of the products have been pulled or banned yet, but new restrictions will be placed on the products. McDaniel says, "Most of the warning is about products that has been on the market for some time. The older generation flea and tick products are predominately sold through the pet stores, internet channels, non-veterinary sources." McDaniel says the products sold at the Vet's office are safe. "100 percent safe. We have used Frontline for over 10 years. It's been on the market for over ten years " The EPA is also worried about the clarity of the labels which tells owners how much should be used and where. "It's a tube once a month that you apply to the skin. Part the hair and put it on the back." explains, McDaniel. Veterinarians continue to see increasing amounts of tick disease in the Capital Region, that's why McDaniel says the meds must be used. "Your best prevention is to use a product from a Vet to prevent fleas and ticks."

Yes - For those of you who dont know Dr Lesley Levins is a Professor of Science Education and was teaching at Armidale University when she first joined the board of the MDBA.She had been breeding Labs for over 30 years and had been highly involved with the show ring and training. Most of her puppies went to Guide dogs NSW. She bred horses and competed internationally in horse events. She is responsible for the academy side of our organisation and taught us loads of things to help us put the courses on the map. I remember when I first read the first unit of the canine genetics course she had written and thought"Oh my God - this is way too hard " but the way its set up by the time I worked through it I had learned heaps and it had lead me through the learning process I needed to understand it all. She pushed and pulled me with the things I wrote to go out in public and made me pick up my writing skills and forever nagged me about where I put my fullstops. :D Anyway, Lesley began to loose her sight and her health deteriorated so she was forced to retire from her teaching position at the Uni and she continued to work her heart out for the MDBA. Like all of the people who had started the MDBA she felt dog people needed more education and that we should concentrate on the good things people did rather than anyone we had no control over.She slugged it out with us every step of the way and is a very valued member of the MDBA board. She was instrumental in the start up of MDBA Pacers a charity set up to help domestic animal owners when they hit hard times.Her sight faded [currently about 1% ]and she had to go to Sydney to learn how to handle a guide dog - one she bred ! We spoke often about how Jenny - the dog - had become so much more to her than she could have ever imagined possible and soon her and Jenny became part of the scenery when Lesley refused to let blindness keep her back. In the early stages of her working with Jenny the dog wrapped its lead around her legs and pulled her off her feet - resulted in a broken leg for Lesley. Over the last 9 months she has had her heart valves replaced - life threatening for her as the meds she had been on for the pain of immune related arthritis and type A diabetes which she has had since a teenager had weakened her blood vessels needed to stitch the valves in place and whilst in surgury she suffered a stroke which left her unable to walk or speak.We were told to expect the worst and that she probably would not recover. In typical Lesley form she has fought her way back - learned to walk again , speak again become independent again until they gave Jenny back to her. She has pushed herself and is now in such a short time back to a point where she was able to attend the awards and walk up those steps and hand over the Best MDBA Student of the Year award. Each time I begin to feel sorry for myself I remember Lesley who I have never ever, not once heard complain. But - when Jenny first came to live with Lesley as a guide dog Lesley was just so much more determined that breeders needed to get it right.That we needed a way to tell the good from the not so good and push for more breeders to become more educated on how to get it rght. Even though she had sucess in the showring [better than most] over the years she saw this as nothing compared to the health and temperament of the dog. We spoke about how wonderful Jenny was and with all of Lesley's other accomplishments [for her] breeding such a marvellous dog far outweighed any other. It made her Phd fade into the background.She knew her dogs changed her life and so many others.That without her skills as a breeder the dogs would never have been as good as the one she completely depends on.She more fully understood how dogs - any dogs had the power to enrich people's lives and why it was so important for breeders and rescue to work at what they do in a professional manner. When Lesley was escorted to the stage on Saturday night and confidently walked up the stairs and presented Amanda with her award for Best MDBA student I fought back tears.Amanda had worked hard on her course and did us proud with her approach to the Introduction To Canine Breeding Course Lesley has set .It wasnt just because I knew Lesley was impressed by the quality of Amandas assignments but how much Lesley has fought for her life back and because I knew that when she bred that dog she didnt know it would be her who was holding the lead. That dog was truly bombproof, it did everything right even after it was trodden on a couple of times. The next time any professor wants to tell us how to breed dogs who cant say they have equalled Lesley in education and experience and who cant show us dogs like Jenny with zero hips scores,zero elbow scores , cleared by parentage for PRA ,heart and eye perfect and 100 percent made for the job they have been bred for we should stand up to them and laugh. Our Professor - Dr Lesley Levins is a true hero and that is most demonstrated by watching the dogs she bred,the breeders she has taught the dogs she will continue to breed herself and the contribution she has made to the future of her breed way into the future. Thats what brings me to tears and what makes me more passionate about predictible purebred dogs and makes me more determined to make the MDBA something that all dog people, breeders, rescue, owners and professionals can use to promote who they are and what they do over those who dont have a clue about how important it is to get it right. Because they understand how very important it is and its not just about money or wins in the show ring or the paddock - its about understanding how the decisions they make impact on not only the dogs but also the people who live with them. Im so very proud to call Lesley my friend but I cant begin to explain how I am moved when I look at our members and know each and every one of them,the breeders, rescue, dog owners and those who work with dogs get how important what they do is and I cant tell them often enough or tell the world about how much that impacts on the lives of those who come in contact with them. The Awards help us to put focus on all of that and it was all of those things that were running through my mind when I watched her take her place beside Lesley Stewart and I on that stage.

Yes and I was one of those foster homes for an old Kepie....they have a waiting list for bequest dogs, because they are vet fee free and a lot of people who adore dogs, but cannot afford them can get a dog this way. The Foster owner has the dog, but all vet fees are paid....From the bequest left for them......the foster owners are checked and we were re-checked whilst we had this old boy. You can also give a preference to future foster owners. Which is what I have done. My dogs are in the bequest program, but they are to give the first option to a couple of newfie people. That means they would get the dogs, but not pay any vet fees for the dogs lifetime and if their situation had changed the dogs would go to our own newf rescue, with the same options. this is all tied down quite legally through our will. One of our friends did pass way and that is how we got her Kelpie. You have many options in this program and you need to check this all out with your solicitor, which is what we did. Therre are not many friends or relatives who can afford to take on 3 large dogs, plus our horses. And friendships change and everything can change, so we chose a body that would be around and we just tied it all up legally, which cost us a $800.00 solicitor fee, but it is for our pets future Yes it works in a similar way to ours but none of our foster carers pay expenses regardless of where the animals come from or why.

Yep When I saw her walk up those stairs with that absolutely awesome dog full of confidence with the steps etc knowing what she has recently been through and how she couldn't walk or speak for a while only a few months ago had me choking back the tears. That dog was absolutely perfect wasnt it? Completely bomb proof - it even put up with this and never flinched from its job.

Me too. I saw a few that I know & had the pleasure of meeting a few more. We arrived right before everyone was seated so didn't get to mingle at the beginning & had to get Chloe home at the end before she fell asleep standing up . We had no idea who would be on our table, but we got the biggest & best surprise ever . 3 of the amazing staff members at Hawkesbury Pound had secretly purchased tickets and came along to support Nic B in her nomination for the work she does at HP. It was such an amazing gesture for them to show their appreciation to Nic. Not only did the night start with a brilliant surprise but it continued with good company. Yes I thought it was fantastic for them to sneak in as support for Nic and surprise her too. Even though Nic didnt win she must have felt very much appreciated by them being there with her.

There is much you can do without taking on a dog -People just want to know you will keep an eye out for their dogs in case of an emergency.You dont have to take the dogs as foster carer all you need to do is watch out for them until we get there to get them out or more help. Sometimes its as simple as checking the water is O.K. because the owner has had to be away a bit longer than they expected.Its basically what many of us assume our neighbours or family will do for us but lots of people dont have neighbours or family to rely on or they dont trust that their animals will be seen as important enough to be a priority in a disaster. They just want to know someone who understands how much they love them is in the wings if needed.

MDBA Pacers will step in when disaster hits - personal disaster such as illness, or eviction, domestic violence, death etc and natural disasters such as bushfires, floods, earthquakes, etc. We have several elderly people who are worried about what will happen to their animals if they become ill or die so we put plans in place to ensure they dont need to be worried about that. Here's one example an elderly lady in her mid 80's has a little dog - until last christmas she thought that it would be looked after if anything happened to her by her daughter but when she went to her daugthers house for christmas and walked in with her dog the daughters dog attacked her dog. The son in law threw a hissy fit and said under no circumstances could the dog come onto the property again . Now she is stressed and cant sleeep at night worrying about what will happen to her little dog who is all she has had for company for 6 years. I came in here to try to get her a buddy [who could race in and ensure the dog was safe if anything happens to her as she knows no one in the town she lives in [Taree]] who could do this for her but we had no takers. So over Easter Im travelling to Taree to meet her and introduce her to some people Ive been able to line up for the job who live near Taree so she doesnt have to worry anymore. If something does go wrong the people who we have lined up to help will take the dog for her. The dog will never go to a shelter and will be looked after according to her wishes. We dont expect her to pay for this. With the ones we have already rehomed or which live here now and their owners are still alive we have teenagers who have volunteered to write reports to them and send photos to ensure they know their dogs are happy and healthy and they dont need to worry about them.

There is no need to have people punished via the courts when they are desperate already.How did having her charged and fined by the courts stop any animal from suffering? They had already taken them away!

We have been providing foster care for animals when their owners are in this sort of predicment until they are able to find accommodation which allows them to bring their animals home. We are working with women's refuges in the same way. We have also been able to help people find accommodation which allows pets with our counselling services. With the help of Eukanuba we currently feed about 80 cats and dogs to give help to people who have hit hard times. We do this for a limited period and provide help for them physically and with counselling to try to make sure the problems are not recurring. The aim is to do what we can to keep owner and animal together but we have hit some who really needed to thin them out because they were being neglected and there was no alternative in sight so we've helped with rehoming and allowed the owners to feel involved.Then we help follow up with welfare services to ensure all is well for both owner and animal.

www.mdbapacers.org.au Pacers stands for Preventing Animal Cruelty in Emergency Response Situations - Its a registered charity in the same charity category as the RSPCA we help people who are domestic animal owners to ensure their animals arent suffering if their owners hit hard times or cant cope. Donations over $2 are tax deductible and we now have approvals to fundraise in several states. We are getting about 6 to 10 calls for help each week and we have been able to help many people and their animals. The Buddy system is taking off and that will build to be a great safety net for all of us. We have just put in a National Marketing Manager and a National Foster Care co ordinator so you will see the ante raised over the next few months. If anyone is interested in taking a book of raffle tickets to sell for us in our holiday Raffle please give a yell and Ill get them out to you.

I agree the best place for dogs who cant live at home anymore is someone else's home and we try to replicate as much as possible the same type of environment for them in new homes.I wouldnt want my dogs kept in kennels with no one loving them when I go.

MDBA pacers is doing this. Im happy to speak with her www.mdbapacers.org.au We currently have some which we keep the owners updated on fortnightly after they go into aged homes where their dogs have not been able to go with a letter to tell them the things their dogs are getting up to and regular photos and we will honour any wishes for animals who are left when someone dies. I guess you could call what we are doing is like a retirement home for pets. Right here under my feet we have Cindy who is 15 years old and her owner was put in aged care and had to leave her behind.She is incontinent and epileptic and will stay with Pacers until she needs to go to the bridge.

Well done Lilli - outcross and then backcross - all we end up with is the same situation they claim we have now but with more diseases rather than less because of the new ones we let in when we out cross to another breed. What the ANKC should be doing is fighting back and stop giving into them and start counteracting their uneducated opinions. 1.Tell the world dog shows are only judging dogs on how they look depending on their breed standard - the show ring is a beauty contest and that no reputable breeder only breeds with a dog which passes this test and not all of the other tests and screenings and research into ancestry the dog has to pass to be chosen to breed with.If they muck around with implmenting health criteria before issuing a championship that this will not prevent dogs suffering. Its not possible to test and screen for everything a dog could have or get into the future and dogs have over 100,000 genes not one or two. 2. Explain that when purebred breeders breed puppies they have several major issues to contend with that cross bred breeders do not.That is, future litters and how possible RECESSIVE genes and POLYGENIC GENES which may not show in the first generation will show in potentailly thousands of dogs into the future. 3. That close breeding used with knowledge is a proven scientific tool which can identify and eliminate problems which can stop thousands of dogs suffering into the future WHICH ALL PUREBRED BREEDERS OF EVERY SPECIES use when it in the best interest of the animals they are breeding. That if they take away the option for a breeder to use this then there will not be less dogs suffering. 4.That purebred dog breeders have ALWAYS - SINCE DAY ONE - had the ability to have the stud books opened and that many have done exactly that. If they make certain screens and testing passes mandatory for championships, if they open stud books without clear goals and understanding of what they are doing - just because someone who has no formal education in genetics, and no experience in breeding dogs says this is what we should be doing all that will be is a PR exercise which will cause more dogs to suffer not less. They should also tell them they are full of it because they dont have any idea of what the health of OUR purebred dogs are because there are no studies, research or figures to back them up and unless they can work out a way of identifying who breeds a dog which they think is a purebred and can determine issues in OUR dogs as opposed to dogs bred by back yard breeders and puppy farmers they are dreaming and someone had beetter start yelling back at them.

Unless you had a really really special reason and got someone to double check you had no choices and tested all resulting pups and were prepared to cull - mating carrier to carrier is not only dumb its negligent.

In the Introduction to the Code of Practice for the Responsible Breeding of Animals with Heritable Defect that Cause Disease (2009), the Department of Primary Industries (Vic) notes that: Breeding programs must consider the effects and ethics of high risk mating combinations that may, based on the principles of genetic inheritance, in theory produce animals with heritable disease. Where such heritable disease has potential to cause severe welfare issues for affected progeny such breeding programs must be justifiable. Affected progeny must be assessed and humanely destroyed if they suffer. Such animals must not be used for breeding. The purpose of the Code is to set standards for the prevention and spread of heritable defects and the expression of disease caused by them. The Code aims to educate animal breeders how to best minimize or avoid the development of heritable disease in progeny caused by inappropriate selection and mating of animals with heritable (genetic) defects. It also outlines breeding practices that will assist the reduction of the prevalence of the heritable defect in the animal population. The standards set by the Code should be practiced by owners and custodians of animals used for breeding that are affected by any heritable defect that causes disease and must be observed for breeding of animals with heritable (genetic) defects causing the diseases listed the Schedule of the Act. A person breeding animals in a program that conforms at least to the principles in this code is not considered to be breeding animals recklessly or intentionally as defined as an offence in Section 15C(1) of the prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986. It should be noted that the legislation is Victorian State legislation, and as such only applies to Victorian breeders. Breeders in other states are subject to their own state legislation. Does this include the 5 diseases which are listed in the legislation which says carriers can not be used for breeding?

As dogs of any breed or part thereof are of the same species they can and do often carry the same recessive genes which cause problems but they also have various other genes not necessarily in evidence in the dog which can be given to the pups. A minimum acceptable requirement is 1) knowing the parentage so you know what you may inadvetantly breed into the puppies. Unless you know the parentage you go in blind but there are gene interactions in which a gene at one locus masks or suppresses the effects of a gene at a different locus so you cant see it in the parent but you do see it in the babies.2) That you screen for various diseases common to all dogs and known to occur in the breed. The theory behind this kind of breeding is that even if there are recessive genes that there is little chance of them meeting up with random matings but this is only one type of gene interaction and mixed breed dogs actually have potential for more genetic issues than purebreds as was evidenced in studies done by George Padgett and as is clearly showing in our health surveys. If you get healthy puppies its more luck than anything else. Even many commercial puppy farmers want to know the parentage of their parent dogs and why Kate Scoffeld wants to be able to buy healthy pedigreed purebred dogs to use in her breeding establishment.

No one is denying the animals needed to be helped but so did the owner. Misguided,mentally ill or not that woman loved those animals and hung onto them through horrible adversity. It must have Been aweful for her to live under those circumstances. Yes the situation wasnt good for the animals either so there was a need for some kind of action but She should have been helped via welfare and counselling services.Not treated like a crimminal and fined. The emphasis is so heavy on punishment and publicity that they have lost their humanity and the system is feeding it.