HoundMusic
Posted : 4/7/2008 3:16:19 PM
cakana
I think the point is that people ARE asking questions. After seeing a show like the one Oprah did, anyone who watched it is asking "how can this be happening?". This woman seems quite self-serving and interested in protecting HER rights and I guess there's no way to convince someone like her that there are other things to consider. If dogs never had to live like those in puppy mills portrayed and no dogs ever had to be put to sleep and tossed in a bag in a heap BUT she could never have the dog with papers she so requires, then all I can say is "I don't care".
The point is that the footage shown on Oprah was vastly misleading. These are not the types of operations that all pet store dogs are coming from, quite the opposite - they were showing unlicensed breeders who are only a small fraction of commercial breeders. No one who saw the program questioned the *credability* of the HSUS people or their footage. It was said on the show, after showing footage of a lactating Lab bitch, who very obviously had a litter of puppers waiting inside the kennel building (that was not shown, btw - purposely so that people would be led to believe the above ground runs were the dogs only housing area), that her "swollen" mammaries were a sign of overbreeding & neglect. In what world would that even be remotely the truth? These people are conniving, manipulative, and play on our heartstrings to get what they want. No one wants to encourage animal abuse/neglect in any way, but these ARs take advantage of the public's lack of animal husbandry knowledge and run with it. Truth is, they don't know too much about husbandry themselves ... I don't understand why people seeing those dogs in runs (yes, they certainly were overcrowded in most instances) do not understand that these above ground runs (which are more sanitary than concrete runs, btw) are NOT NOT NOT the dog's only source of shelter. The dogs are not housed in these runs 24/7! If their cameras had flicked over to the right the viewer would have seen the kennel building the outdoor runs were attached to. And to successfully house dogs, you can bet your @$$ those buildings were heated/air conditioned. It does not behoove a breedeer to let their dogs freeze - dead dogs = no $. Common sense.
The footage was so twisted it sickens me. Not to say there may not have been neglect going on in certain instances - I don't know nor would I house my dogs like that, but most of the dogs were fat, boisterous, happy. If there was true neglect going on, do you honestly think these fanatics would not have called AC on them for even the slightest violation? Come on. Selective footage was shown to make things appear worse than they were!
This is not about not caring for animals. I'm sorry if that's what you've honestly taken from this discussion. If that's what you believe, you're wrong. No one debating the "other side", myself included, is cold hearted to suffering or neglected animals. However, the problem is that the few bad apples are exploited. These ARs on Oprah were attempting to push anti breeder legislation that has been introduced in PA, which is why no other state was mentioned by name. As I said, they are manipulative snakes in the grass ... you don't even know you've been bitten by them until you're half dead. I agree with Karen Strange in that this is often quite politically motivated. These people do tend to have socialist views, they are so far left they'd fall off the face of the earth if it was flat
They are pushing their secular progressive views, and yes, I'm going to say it, even though it's not going to sit well. The AR movement is another stab at traditional religious beliefs such as Judiasm & Christianity where we believe our animals must be well treated but we have been given the divine right to use animals for our benefit. This does explain why jerks such as Wayne Pacille are opposed to breeding, zoos, raising animals for meat, even owning companion animals, when he admits himself he is not what John Q Public would call an animal lover. In fact, he doesn't really even like animals. Political. Political. Political. They don't care who they put out of business. They don't care that for many, raising animals (not just for breeding, but for meat, wool, etc) is their only way to make a living. Perhaps they'd rather the commercial breeders just go on welfare instead of WORKING for a living ... When it comes down to that, I will always remain firm in that your breeding dogs must be well cared for - that goes for mentally as well as taking care of the physical needs - however when it comes down to who is more important, those breeders have the right to breed for a living, just as hobby and show breeders have the right to show and breed their dogs. And if the show breeders think that the ARs will leave them alone if all commercial breeders are wiped out ... ROFL! They are not stupid. They are patient. They will wait until anti breeder sentiment is at it's highest then do to us what they've done to the commercial breeders. Portray us as propogating genetic diseases, etc. They will turn on us so fast we'll never see it coming. In fact, they already are repulsed by responsible breeders, just by the simple fact we breed pups ...