The crackdown on animal abuse continues with South Carolina hitting the public right in the face with 10 billboards that will feature an image of a dog with a scarred face and missing an eye and a hotline number for people to call; (888) CRIME-SC.

“The message is, if you see something, say something,” Attorney General Henry McMaster said.

Dogfighting can be associated with crimes including gang violence, drug trafficking, serial killings and child molestation, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.

“If someone will abuse an animal,” Lott said, “they will abuse a human.”

Anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction in an animal-fighting case can receive a reward up to $5,000 from the Humane Society of the United States and distributed by CrimeStoppers.

McMaster established a statewide Dogfighting Task Force in 2004, which has made more than 50 arrests, authorities said. More than 300 dogs have been seized.

Dogfighting comes with some severe penalties.

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Now I have to admit this is not something that I would have ever considered had I not come across this article. It defiantly gives you something to think about!

Using Dog Slang Hurts Dogs

Your words have power, and every day you influence your friends and family more than you know. Be responsible and careful about every word that you use and every thought that you express, especially words or thoughts that refer to one of your best friends, your dog.

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More and more states are working on legislation to try to regulate the commercial breeding industry which in far too many instances are just houses of horrors, puppy mills, masquerading as reputable breeders.

Louisiana is now working on legislation that would limit the number of dogs that breeders would be allowed to own, instituting a cap at a maximum of 75 dogs. This doesn’t sound like much of a move but when you look at many of the puppy mills, some have hundreds of dogs, often crammed two, three or more to a cage that is barely large enough for one.

No, it’s not the answer. The answer would be to close them all down! But as anyone who is part of the fight against puppy mills knows, it’s not going to happen anytime in the near future but each and every little step in the right direction is something to be lauded.

The bill aims to limit the number of dogs held in abusive puppy mills – mills that churn out thousands of dogs for sale in pet stores and over the internet.

The Humane Society of the United States testified in support of the legislation. The organization says many puppy mill operators deceive consumers into believing the dogs came from reputable breeders.

“Limiting the number of animals at a puppy mill is an important first step to ensure that dogs used for breeding are treated humanely, and also addresses one source of pet overpopulation,” said Julia Breaux , HSUS’ Louisiana state director.

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WooHooo!!! Big kudos to Animal House pet store on 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg!! They made a a decision and took a stand to stop selling puppies, a decision that few pet stores would ever embrace because it would affect their bottom line. As a family, the owners of Animal House decided to ‘go greener’ and added ‘Natural’ to their name and instead of selling puppies, they now bring in shelter pets for adoptions.

The strangest day was the first. No barking. No squeals from excited kids. Just some empty cages and a stream of customers who asked the same question. “Where are they?”
The owners of the Animal House pet store on 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg decided this year they needed a newer, greener image. So they tacked Naturals to the end of their name and added stacks of natural products.
They also did something many smaller pet stores wouldn’t think of doing. They stopped selling puppies.

“It was a family decision,” said Rebecca Hearn, who manages the store with her sister, Rachel. The store is owned by their parents, Jim and Donna Nannen. “And it was a bit of a gamble.”

Puppy sales can account for up to 20 percent of monthly revenue, and the markup can be huge. A purebred puppy bought for $300 can be sold for $1,000 or more.

But sales at Animal House are better now than when puppies were sold, partly because of the store’s partnership with local animal rescue and adoption groups. Each weekend, a different group brings dogs to the store, where customers can adopt them. And, of course, shop for supplies.

PetSmart and Petco are among major retailers that decided years ago not to sell dogs and cats. But smaller stores often can’t afford to lose a large part of their business.

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Flexpetz has moved to London and it’s getting a chilly reception, to put it mildly. The US based firm that rents dogs on an hourly, daily, weekly basis is finding that, as in many places is the US, their service is not only unpopular, but getting blasted by animal welfare groups, trainers and the public as well.

Targeting the wealthy with not enough time for a full time pet or those who don’t want the inconvenience or responsibility, they rent dogs out at at a cost of £279 for once a week for a month or the equivalent of over $500! In the US the same service is about $150. The reason cited for the astronomical difference in cost the that pet care costs are much higher in the UK.

Right now they have only one dog available for rent, an 18 month old Pomeranian named Gucci who five people will be able to share. They plan on more in the future.

Pippa Woollard, the Flexpetz facilitator, has declined to say where Gucci came from except to say “he was well cared for and lived with a family that had other dogs on the outskirts of London.” In the US, Flexpetz says their dogs are acquired from shelters.

Concerns have been raised that passing a dog from one home to another could prove distressing to the animal, leaving it with no routine.

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Far too often rescue and shelter dogs and animals get a bad rap. People think because these animals were turned in to shelters there must be something wrong with them but what they don’t realize is that most often the ’something wrong’ was with the previous owner of the pet. Too often people get pets for the wrong reasons or maybe they’ve become ill or passed away, or have to move and cannot find adequate housing which will allow pets. The reasons are numerous and oft times have little to do with the pet.

Here’s a great article from Pet-Abuse.com dispelling some of the myths of adopting a shelter animal for a pet.

There are many misconceptions about the quality of animals found in rescue shelters. The stigma that shelter pets have been stuck with for many years is that they are “damaged goods”.

Myth: Shelter pets are obviously not good pets, or else their original owners wouldn’t have gotten rid of them

If the main reason why a pet gets brought to rescue shelters was because they were a *bad* pet, there would be thousands of empty shelters across the country. Animals are brought to shelters for a large variety of reasons, some of which are…

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Dogs that spend their lives on chains often become neurotic, aggressive and pathologically protective of the patch of dirt where they spend their lives. Frustrated and unsocialized, chained dogs pose a year-round danger to unsuspecting children who approach these dogs. However, children are especially vulnerable as the weather warms, according to Mothers Against Dog Chaining, an initiative of non-profit Dogs Deserve Better. The groups are dedicated to ending the suffering endured by chained dogs and to educating the public about the dangers chained dogs pose to people.

Mothers Against Dog Chaining is working to raise awareness about the connection between perpetual chaining and aggressiveness during Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 18-24.

Since 2003, when the Mothers Against Dog Chaining began monitoring attacks nationwide that result in serious injury or death, it has traditionally seen an increase every spring when the warmer weather beckons more children outside and chained dogs can be especially frustrated after another lonely, agonizing winter.

Chained Dogs

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Hannah, a 4 yr old GSD, previously owned by a Tattnall County, GA deputy/K-9 handler, turned into Animal Control facility pregnant, severely emaciated, weighing only 41 lbs, heartworm positive and showing signs of longterm kenneling, among numerous other medical problems, will receive no justice from Tattnall County. DA Tom Durden has decided NOT to press charges.

For the full background, please read the original story HERE.

The Tattnall County Deputy/K-9 handler who owned Hannah (originally named Huanna), Ramsey Arnold, claims he owned Hannah for only three months.

“I got her from another law enforcement officer, K-9 handler, breeder, trainer. It wasn’t connected with the sheriff’s office. I asked the man I got Huanna from if anything was wrong with her. He said ‘no, she was just naturally small’ and that he used her as a breeding dog,” Arnold said.

Arnold said he took good care of her and never had time to do any of the things he was accused of including breed her.

If that’s the case;

• Call after call was made to DA Tom Durden prior to ‘going public’ with this story with requests for information but for some reason no information was forthcoming until now, when a major media outlet gets involved.

• If Deputy Ramsey Arnold had Hannah for three months why was she still severely emaciated? She weighed only 41 pounds when she was turned over to animal control. Protruding ribs is a pretty sure sign of malnourishment. “Long term starvation” was what the vet said who examined her. In the short time that she was fostered and adopted, she was able to easily put on weight and become much more healthy.

• If Deputy Ramsey Arnold had her for even only three months, why had she not been vetted? Any decent responsible vet would have been blind not to see the severe problems Hannah had.

• How could a K-9 handler, someone who should know something about dogs, not know that she was pregnant? A dog’s gestation is approximately 63 days, Deputy Arnold claims he had her for 3 months, if he didn’t breed her, how did she get pregnant to give birth to three stillborn puppies shortly after she arrived at animal control?

• If in fact Hannah was in such deplorable condition when she was given to Deputy Ramsey, there is still someone out there responsible for her condition, for the abuse she suffered. Who is this person, this “law enforcement officer, K-9 handler, breeder, trainer.”

• Perhaps Deputy Arnold is not guilty of the long term problems that Hannah suffered from but she was still starved, not medically cared for and had been bred while in his custody. These facts do not speak of innocence to me!

And now, despite almost 1500 signatures on a PETITION at this time, asking for Justice for Hannah, Tattnall County DA had decided not to press charges against the deputy.

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They’re in every shelter across the country, the big black dogs, the pitbulls, the seniors, the ‘ugly’ dogs, the ’special needs’ dogs; the underdogs. Hundreds of thousands of them every year, killed, because no one wants them, people look past them, don’t see them.

Oh the little dogs, the ‘purse’ dogs, the puppies, the ‘designer dogs,’ usually find new homes pretty quickly and easily, not always, not every where, but they have much more of a chance.

So, whose going to love the underdogs? Whose going to rescue them from death or a sad existence of a life in a shelter, day after day, week after week, month after month? You can see the life drain from them, the hope in their once bright eyes dim as they no longer even move forward when people walk through. It’s happened so many times, they’re passed by and passed over. They lack the energy anymore to even try.

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The harder people fight again puppy mills the more money opponents throw into the pot and they can afford to with the profits they reap off the bodies of abused and neglected dogs. Now, with the increased awareness of puppy mill atrocities due to Oprah’s involvement, legislation has a better chance than ever to actually move forward.

PA Governor Rendell has drafted and redrafted legislation to try to stem some of the abuses in the “Puppy Mill Capital” of the US. He has been faced by opposition every step of the way but he still continues to try to make thing better.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is preparing to introduce a bill that would change the way commercial dog breeders do business in the state. He’s doing it with a new round of support brought on by Oprah Winfrey and her recent probe of puppy mills.

In video from Main Line Animal Rescue, you can see dogs packed into rabbit cages. The animals walk gingerly on wire flooring and feces cover the ground below.

News Report on Puppy Mills

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For as horrific as the Michael Vick dogfighting debacle was, it had some positive ramifications. The awareness of this bloodsport is now at an all time high and the public as well as lawmakers are demanding changes, higher penalties, stronger prosecution and harsher sentences.

One of the scariest things about dogfighting is that is goes beyond the terrible abuse and cruelty to the  dogs. Usually there are drugs, guns, vast quantities of money and gangs involved and all these ingredients add up to make an untenable situation for dogs and people alike.

More and more states and passing more laws when it comes to dogfighting. It’s now a felony in Idaho and Wyoming, finally! Virginia’s gotten tougher on dogfighting and now Georgia is following suit.

Five months after Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick was sentenced to prison for his involvement in dog fighting, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation Tuesday stiffening Georgia’s dog-fighting laws.

Georgia has had among the weakest dog-fighting laws in the country, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The new law makes it illegal to train, transport, sell or own a fighting dog. It also will be illegal to promote or advertise a fight and to attend a dog fight.

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WARNING - CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES!!

Dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the federal Animal Welfare Act prohibits the interstate transportation of dogs for fighting purposes. Forty-eight (48) states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have made dogfighting a felony offense. Forty-seven (47) states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands prohibit the possession of dogs for fighting. And 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands prohibit being a spectator at a dogfight.

What is Dogfighting?

Dogfighting is a sadistic “contest” in which two dogs — specifically bred, conditioned, and trained to fight — are placed in a pit (generally a small enclosed area) to fight each other, for the purpose of entertainment and gambling by the “spectators”. Fights can average nearly an hour in length and often last more than two hours. Dogfights end when one of the dogs is no longer willing or able to continue. Dog fighting is prevalent EVERYWHERE… from the most urban of neighborhoods to the deep backwoods.

Dog Fighting - Animal Cruelty

The injuries inflicted and sustained by dogs participating in dogfights are frequently severe, including deep puncture wounds and broken bones, and some are even fatal. Dogs used in these “events” often die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection hours or even days after the fight.

Other animals - besides the actual fight dogs - are often sacrificed as well. Some owners train their dogs for fights using smaller animals such as cats, rabbits, or small dogs. These “bait” animals are often stolen pets or animals obtained through “free to good home” advertisements.

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