Talk About A Frivolous Lawsuit.

This story takes the cake, as far as I am concerned. It seems that a group that wants to have all animal fighting legalized, has filed a Federal lawsuit in Columbus OH, to do just that. Last year, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was updated to make animal fighting a felony.


It includes transporting animals across state lines and advertising fights. Former Ohio attorney general Jim Petro represents the Humane Society of the United States.

source: Herald Dispatch

The HSUS And The AVAR Launch The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Assoc.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) announced on Jan. 14, 2008 that their respective boards of directors have approved a corporate combination agreement which will result in a powerful new veterinary advocacy organization, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA). The HSVMA will give veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians an opportunity to participate in animal welfare programs, including disaster response; expanded hands-on animal care; spaying and neutering; and advocacy for legislative, corporate and veterinary medical school reforms."Veterinarians bring a special credibility and authority on animal issues, and I am delighted to add this exciting new operation to The Humane Society of the United States' family of organizations," said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO. "For 27 years, AVAR has been an important and principled veterinary voice in animal advocacy. Now we will be able to amplify that voice and expand our veterinary-related programs dramatically."


In 2007, RAVS delivered more than 30,000 treatments to animals. More than 700 veterinary students a year participate in RAVS program, providing veterinary students with invaluable clinical experience with animals in need. The HSUS also has major collaborative programs with the veterinary schools at Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University. AVAR, founded in 1981, has 3,500 affiliated veterinarians.


The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association will be a voice for the vast majority of veterinarians not in the employ of industries that do harm to animals."HSMVA will continue the veterinary work of The HSUS and AVAR, and will explore new programs such as offering benefits for veterinary practitioners and starting student chapters at veterinary medical colleges in the United States. The combination took effect on February 1, 2008.

A Feel Good Story Out Of The Horrors Of War.

Chance wants to personally thank Maj. Dennis for caring!!

A dog named Nubs, whom was befriended by a kind Marine in Iraq named Major Brian Dennis, arrived at Lindbergh field in San Diego, CA., Monday 2/25/08. He is a German Shepherd/Border Collie Mix. Major Dennis is a native of San Diego. His friends, Eric and Chrissy Sjoberg, along with friends and support of some animal organizations, collected $3500.00 to get Nubs to the states. They were all on hand to greet Nubs when he touched down. He is estimated to be about 2 yrs. old, but his life has not been easy, as it is not easy on any dog in a war zone. He is so lucky to be alive. When he was younger, an Iraqi cut his ears off, because he thought it would make him tough and alert. Stupid!!

Abuse is world-wide. He was also stabbed with a screwdriver, and Major Dennis patched him up and slept with him through the cold Iraqi nights to keep him warm. But, when the unit received orders to move, Maj. Dennis had to leave him behind, or so he thought. Nubs traveled 2 days and 70 miles to catch up with the man that he knew had saved his life. Since it is against military rules to have an animal, Maj. Dennis wrote home and asked for help. His friends rallied and now Nubs is here. He now has a chance at life thanks to the kindness of a tough Marine. He will live with the Sjoberg's until Major Dennis comes home from the war.

Support the Animal Welfare Accountability Improvement Act (H.R. 2193)

This is a continuation of the Final Farm Bill information.Representatives Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced the Animal Welfare Accountability Improvement Act (H.R. 2193) to prohibit the use of animals for sales/marketing of medical devices and products, increase maximum penalties for animal research facilities, and require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to submit an annual report to Congress regarding enforcement activities.


Harming Animals in Sales Demonstrations:The recent death of a dog following a sales demonstration at an Ohio medical center highlighted the fact that the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) does not bar the use of live animals in sales demonstrations for products such as medical devices. The HSUS is calling on Congress to amend the AWA to prohibit the use of animals for mere sales pitches.


What happened at the Cleveland Clinic?An individual artificially created an aneurysm in the brain of an anesthetized dog in an attempt to demonstrate a medical device used to treat such aneurysms. The demonstration was for the benefit of salespeople from the device's manufacturer, about two-dozen of whom watched and at least some of whom participated in the hands-on exercise. According to news reports, the surgeon thought it would be “fun” for the sales representatives to use the device; the exercise had nothing to do with the advancement of medical science. The procedure was repeated several times on the dog, who was later killed. Why should the use of live animals in sales demonstrations be prohibited?


Many people have concerns about animal experimentation even when conducted for the most compelling medical purposes. However, in this case, a dog was operated on, manipulated repeatedly by non-medically trained salespeople, and later killed, all for marketing of a device and for the financial gain of a for-profit corporation. The Cleveland Clinic took swift action in the matter, and has stated that the exercise was not approved and it does not allow procedures with animals for the sole purpose of sales training. However, this is not a decision that should be left up to individual research facilities; this use of animals should be prohibited by law altogether. How many animals are used for sales demonstrations each year? While the exact number cannot be determined, the use of live animals in sales demonstrations is increasingly coming to light.


In the 1980’s, a company that sold surgical staples used over 1,000 dogs per year in sales demonstrations. The company eventually stopped but only after years of public pressure. How does H.R. 2193 solve the problem of the use of live animals in sales demonstrations? This legislation would specifically bar the use of live animals for demonstrations of medical devices or products for the purpose of marketing. This amendment will not prohibit the training of physicians as to how to use a device or product if the training is for purposes other than marketing a device or product.


Increased Penalties for Violations by Animal Research Facilities:The proposed amendments increase the current maximum penalty for research institutions under the AWA from $2,500 to $10,000 per violation. The maximum penalty has not changed since 1985. It would also require that penalties be calculated per animal affected per day per violation.

Protect Pets In The Final Farm Bill!

The House and Senate unanimously approved language in both their respective versions of the Farm Bill to prohibit the use of dogs and cats obtained from random source Class B dealers (who may steal pets or fraudulently obtain them through "free to good home" ads) in experimentation. The Senate also included measures to stop the import for commercial sale of very young puppies from foreign puppy mills, and to strengthen the federal law on dogfighting, and the House included provisions to increase the maximum fines for Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations and require USDA to resume providing annual reports to Congress on its AWA enforcement efforts.

Research facilities generally obtain their animals from one of two sources: Class A (Permit Breeders) dealers who supply purpose-bred animals to laboratories, or Class B dealers who obtain the animals they supply to labs from “random sources.”


The Problem:Class B dealers obtain the animals they provide to research facilities through a variety of unseemly methods, such as responding to “free to good home” ads in local newspapers, adopting from local animal shelters, and stealing companion animals from their owners’ yards, cars, and farms. Too often, dogs and cats are subjected to abusive handling and exposure to the elements while kept at the premises of Class B dealers, as pet owners mourn the loss of their stolen pets.


The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has repeatedly documented the failure of random source Class B dealers to comply with the minimum requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Because of the questionable reliability of random source animals, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a long history of using only purpose-bred dogs and cats for its intramural research. Robert A. Whitney, D.V.M., former Director of Research at NIH, said the following about random source Class B dealers: The continued existence of these virtually unregulatable Class B dealers erodes the public confidence in our commitment to appropriate procurement, care, and use of animals in the important research to better the health of both humans and animals. (Letter to Members of the U.S. Congress; June 12, 2006)


After hundreds of AWA violations, and an undercover investigation (by Last Chance for Animals), one of the most notorious Class B dealers in the U.S. - C.C. Baird of Martin Creek Kennels in Willifore, Arkansas - was finally shut down by the USDA. The undercover investigation, documenting extreme animal cruelty and the illegal acquisition of animals by the 15-year-old facility, was featured on HBO and called dramatic amount of attention to the issue. However, the remaining 10 Class B dealers who sell live, random source dogs and cats to research pose a terrible drain on USDA resources as the agency struggles to oversee these problematic operators.


The Solution:
To remedy this serious problem, Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), and Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Phil English (R-PA) introduced the Pet Safety and Protection Act, S. 714 and H.R. 1280. This legislation will ensure that dogs and cats used in research and education are neither stolen nor obtained through fraudulent practices and will also establish monetary penalties for related violations. Under this bill, purpose bred and random source, young and old, genetically uniform and genetically diverse dogs and cats will ALL still be available to research facilities from a variety of sources, such as Class A dealers, shelters, research facilities with breeding programs, individuals, etc. They just wouldn’t be able to use the Class B middlemen to obtain animals from the illegal sources – stolen pets, pets being offered through “free to good home” ads, and other fraudulently obtained animals.


S. 714 and H.R. 1280 will accomplish the following:•
Prohibit Class B dealers and unlicensed individuals from selling random source dogs and cats to laboratories.
• Prevent stray animals, who may be lost family pets, from being sold to laboratories.
• Provide pet owners peace of mind that their animals will not be sold to a laboratory, should their animal be stolen or become lost.