Villages damaged by recent Yukon River flooding are sending out an urgent plea for dog food.
“There has been a real call for dog food,” Tanana Fire Chief Mark Haglin said. “Tanana has at least six dog racing teams, and each dog kennel averages from 40 to 60 dogs.”
One Tanana musher, Pat Moore, lost his fish camp and with it, his dog food supply.
“His entire camp got obliterated,” Haglin said, noting Moore is not alone.
“Everybody’s saving table scraps and things to feed the dogs,” he said.
In other places, such as Stevens Village, raging water wiped out dog yards as it washed into the community. Canines are tied to trees and have bowls of water nearby, waiting for new doghouses as residents begin the slow process of rebuilding homes.
A note from the Alaskan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals:
Quote:
Urgent Dog Food Needs Due to Flooding on the Upper Yukon. The Alaska Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (AKVOAD) desk at the State Emergency Coordination has validated the need for dog food for the communities of Circle, Eagle, Stevens Village, and Tanana.
The estimated total need is for 8,000 pounds per week for the foreseeable future. Many of the villages will need dog food until the salmon arrive in July. There may be additional needs for dog food in other villages as the word comes in.
Dog food can be donated several ways. The most urgent need at this time is for dog food to be staged out of Fairbanks.
1. Drop off at the Civil Air Patrol hanger in Fairbanks at 3855 S University Avenue (East Ramp, Fairbanks International Airport). During working hours the dog food can be dropped off inside; at other times drop on the pallets outside the hanger.
2. Order (credit card) dog food from a store in Fairbanks and ask them to drop off the food at the Civil Air Patrol hanger in Fairbanks.
a. 49er Dog Food Store in Fairbanks (907) 488-4999b.
b. Coldspot Feeds. (907) 457-85553.
Anchorage: Drop off at the Alaska Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASCPA), 549 W International Airport Rd (907-562-2999) Deliveries ONLY Weekdays from 10AM to 4PM.AKVOAD will coordinate delivery from Fairbanks and Anchorage to the affected communities.
On Tuesday, May 19, 1,500 pounds of dog food was delivered to Tanana by the state and 2,400 pounds of donated dog food was delivered to Stevens Village by the Civil Air patrol.
AKVOAD has a general need to help with un-met human needs due to the 2009 floods. AKVOAD is accepting donations to the “2009 Spring Floods” account at any Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.
Additionally, checks may be mailed to:
AKVOAD (Alaska VOAD)
2535 Crestwood St
Anchorage, AK 99508
Mandatory spay and neuter legislation is a proven way to reduce the killing of millions of innocent animals, and it is drastically needed on a national scale. The animals which die in shelters are not primarily aggressive or sick, nor are they old or injured. Instead, they are simply victims of the overpopulation crisis which plagues our country, and they have no home to go to. They are killed for issues of time and space in a shelter system where there is always a line out the door waiting to deposit more sentient beings which will then await their turn to die alone. It is time to stop the killing.
The United States has more dogs per capita than any other country in the world (Golab PhD DVM 2001). Consequently, more than half of these dogs which enter the nation’s animal shelters leave in a body bag (American Humane 2008). Euthanasia is most commonly performed with the intravenous injection of barbiturates by a licensed veterinarian and a trained veterinary technician. It often provides a fairly peaceful death for the animal. However, some dogs can have violent reactions to the ketamine mixtures which are given as an initial sedative, or even to the actual euthanasia mixture moments before death. These reactions can include violent, sudden convulsions and erratic howling for seconds before the dog finally drops dead. An even more disturbing fact is that various municipalities throughout the nation still permit the killing of surplus dogs in animal shelters through utilizing a variety of inhalant agents within a gas chamber. Studies show that puppies one week of age or less survive an average of fourteen minutes in a gas chamber after being initially exposed to inhalant agents, whereas the survival time drops to three minutes if the animal is a few weeks older. Entire litters of puppies are often put to death by gas chamber in overcrowded animal shelters in states where the practice is still legal. The American Veterinary Medical Association claims that the use of a gas chamber is a humane practice. The Association also permits multiple animals of the same species to be subjected to this method of killing within the same chamber, causing additional stress and panicked confusion before death. It is worth noting that inhalant agents can cause convulsions in dogs, due to the amount of time it takes for this method of euthanasia to take effect. The term euthanasia was created from the Greek language. The term eu means good and the term thanatos means death (American Veterinary Medical Association 2007). Therefore, euthanasia is meant to mean “a good death.” However, asphyxiating in a dark, crowded chamber is far from what any compassionate pet guardian would consider being “a good death.”
In 2007, United States animal shelters killed 1.9 million dogs – nearly half of which were of the pit bull variety. Shelters in the Southern Atlantic region led the death toll with 459,485 cases of canine euthanasia, whereas Northeastern shelters were only responsible for 18,690 deaths. The other regions of the country ranged in number between the horrifying statistics of the Southern Atlantic and the slightly less disturbing of the Northeast. The Midwest came in second with a total of 137,050 deaths for the year. Next in line was the Gulf Coast with 378,395. The Appalachians followed with 187,882, the West Coast with 184,200, the Pacific with 145,069 and finally the Mid-Atlantic region with 80,490.
In the state of Tennessee, twenty-three out of ninety-five counties have no animal shelter. Kentucky, Arkansas and West Virginia suffer from a similar scenario. In these areas, surplus dogs are often killed by a gunshot to the head or drowning (Animal People News 2008). In 2008, the City of Los Angeles, alone spent over two million dollars on euthanization of shelter animals, killing 8,960 cats and 6,049 dogs (Hall 2008). That same year, Minnesota’s largest animal welfare organization - The Animal Humane Society - accepted 36,378 animals and killed 14,610 of them; 94% of that death toll being dogs and cats (Animal Humane Society 2008).
Animal shelters have attempted for years to lower the numbers of animals entering their shelters, and thus their freezers, through public education and low-cost spay and neuter programs. Some communities even offer spay and neuter surgeries completely free of charge. However, countless dogs continue to die in shelters across the country. Not only do most animal shelters lack the proper funding, staffing and facilities to handle the amount of dogs entering the system, there are simply too many dogs being produced annually to be able to find homes for each and every one of them. Even no-kill shelters are overburdened by the overpopulation problem, as they often end up warehousing dogs in substandard conditions for years and closing their doors to the public when they are full. This creates a stressful and depressing situation for both the long-term animals and the shelter employees themselves. It also leaves community members with dogs in need of new homes with few, if any options.
California is one of the leading states in the humane legislative field. Stanislaus County enacted mandatory spay and neuter legislation at the beginning of 2006. In that year, the number of dogs taken into the county’s shelters declined nearly 10% to 9,549. In the previous year, the county had sheltered 10,400 dogs. Santa Cruz County passed similar legislation in 1995. Over the next eight years, the county experienced a 56% decrease in the number of dogs sheltered. The city of Watsonville, however, did not adopt the ordinance until 2004, and in the same eight years experienced an increase of nearly 400% in shelter dog intakes (California Taxpayers for Safe and Healthy Pets [A] 2008). The city of Lakeport enacted a mandatory spay and neuter policy in July of 2006. During that fiscal year, 75 dogs were euthanized at the shelter. The following year, only 43 met their deaths. Finally, in 2008, only 23 dogs were put to death in the Lakeport shelter. A steady decline is obvious – the mandatory spay and neuter policy in place is working. The county of Lake also passed the same ordinance as Lakeport in July of 2006. The first year it was enacted, 486 dogs were killed. What followed was a steady annual decrease to 325 and finally, in 2008, to a mere 160. The city of Clearlake also adopted the same policy as the city of Lakeport and the county of Lake. Again, the death toll steadily decreased in this city, dropping from 273 to 242 to and finally to 83, between the years 2005 and 2008 (Werner 2008).
Most mandatory spay and neuter policies on the books require dogs to be altered by six months of age. Some breeders challenge the safety of this requirement, claiming that the health risks far outweigh any positive effect the law could have. A veterinarian who is most often cited in defense of this position is Chris Zink DVM, PhD, DACVP. Having evaluated a wide variety of studies, Dr. Zink states that early spay and neuter (before six months of age) can cause a number of problems, such as an increased risk of a splenic tumor known as hemangiosarcoma. The study showed that female dogs which were spayed at an early age were five times more likely to develop this cancer than were intact females, however the exact cause for the increased risk was not identified (Zink DVM, PhD, DACVP 2005). It is also worth noting that hemangiosarcoma occurs most often in dogs with a mean age between eight and thirteen years of age, and that there is no clear sex predilection (University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine 2004). Splenic tumors are not a commonality in dogs, especially compared with the mammary neoplasia so often seen among intact female dogs. The likelihood of this mammary tumor forming increases each time a female dog experiences a heat cycle (estrous). The death rate for this disease is 15.2%. However, if said dog is spayed before her first heat cycle (often around six months of age), her chance of acquiring this disease drops to 0.05%. After a dog’s second heat, the chance of acquisition rises to an astonishing 26% (University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine 2003). In terms of these two diseases, it would clearly be wiser and more beneficial to spay a female dog as early as possible.
Dr. Zink also claims that dogs which are spayed and neutered at an early age are more likely to have sexual behavioral problems. He refers in this statement to a study done four years ago (Slauterbeck 2004). However, nowhere in this study is early sterilization mentioned in relation to increased sexual behaviors problems. Dr. Zink also references to another study that was completed that same year (Spain 2004); the study shows that behaviors such as escaping, separation anxiety, and urinating in the house when frightened were actually found to decrease if dogs were spayed and neutered prior to five and a half months of age.
That said, the need for mandatory spay and neuter legislation is now even clearer. Only so much can be done in the way of humane education. Until members of society value the individual lives of animals over the almighty dollar, education alone will not be enough to end the overpopulation of dogs and cats in this country. Needless deaths will continue to occur across the nation. The hardest hit will always be the undersized and under funded inner city shelters. Staff members of these shelters see a different picture than the one that is conveyed through closed doors.These people have go home each night and cry for the lives they were not able to save that day, while the public looks on in ignorance.
References
American Humane (2008). Animal Shelter Euthanasia. Retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/fact-sheets/animal-shelter-euthanasia.html
American Veterinary Medical Association (2007). AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. Retrieved from http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf
Animal Humane Society (2008). 2007 Annual Report. Retrieved from http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/PDF/AnnualReport.pdf
Animal People News (2008). U.S. shelters killed 2.3 million cats & 1.9 million dogs last year. Retrieved from http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/ap7808.htm
Bekoff, Marc (2008). The Emotional Lives of Animals: A leading scientist explores animal joy, sorrow, and empathy - and why they matter. New World Library.
California Taxpayers for Safe and Healthy Pets [A] (2008). UniversalSpaying and Neutering Worked for Santa Cruz County. Retrieved from http://www.cahealthypets.com/pdf/2008%20Santa%20Cruz%20Works.pdf
California Taxpayers for Safe and Healthy Pets [B] (2008). Rebuttal to Misleading Effectiveness Claims. Retrieved from http://www.cahealthypets.com/pdf/2008%20Rebuttal%20to%20Effectiveness%20Claims.pdf
Golab PhD DVM, Gail (2001). A Model Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention. American Veterinary Medical Association 140th Annual Convention proceedings. Abstract retrieved from the American Veterinary Medical Association http://www.avma.org/advocacy/state/issues/dogbite_summary.asp
Hall, Carla (2008, February 1st). L.A. Weighs Mandatory Spaying and Neutering. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/01/local/me-spay1
In Defense of Animals (2008). About IDA – History. Retrieved from http://www.idausa.org/about.html
Lake County Animal Care & Control (2008). Spay / Neuter Ordinance. Retrieved from http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Residents/AnimalsAndPets/SpayNeuter.htm
No Pit Bull Bans (2008). Mandatory Spay/Neuter and Microchipping. Retrieved from http://www.nopitbullbans.com/?page_id=35
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (2008). Notice of Fee Increase. Retrieved from http://www.offa.org/feeincrease2008.pdf
Slauterbeck JR, Pankratz K, Xu KT, Bozeman SC, Hardy DM (2004). Canine ovariohysterectomy and orchiectomy increases the prevalence of ACL injury. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2004 Dec;(429):301-5
Spain CV, Scarlett JM, Houpt KA (2004). Long-term risks and benefits of early-age gonadectomy in dogs. JAVMA 2004;224:380-387.
State Board of Equalization (2008). Sales of Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals are Taxable. Retrieved from http://www.cahealthypets.com/pdf/BOE-18-08-G.pdf
The Akita Association (2008). Canine Hip Dysplasia. Retrieved from http://www.akita-association.org/hip_dysplasia.htm
The Guardian Campaign (2008). Do You Live in a Guardian Community? Retrieved from http://www.guardiancampaign.com/guardiancity.html
University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine (2003). Canine Mammary Carcinoma. Retrieved from http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/mccarthy/index.php
University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine (2004). Canine Hemangiosarcoma. Retrieved from http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/clerk/frankhauser/index.php
Werner, Paula (2008). Lake County Animal Care & Control Program Coordinator. Annual Euthanasia Statistics. Received from personal e-mail interview October 29th, 2008.
Zink DVM, PhD, DACVP, Chris (2005). Early Spay-Neuter Considerations: One veterinarian’s opinion. Retrieved from http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html
“A 6-year-old male dog named Victor in the team of Jeff Holt, died suddenly earlier this morning between Rainy Pass and Rohn.” - Tuesday, March 10th Press Release
As if that weren’t bad enough, the cause of death is once again being swept under the rug and listed as “undetermined” by special veterinarians who were hired by and profit from the Iditarod race itself:
“The gross necropsy of Victor, a six year old male from the team of Jeff Holt, has been completed. No cause of death could be determined by the board certified veterinary pathologist. Further testing will be conducted to complete the necropsy process.” - Wednesday, March 11th Press Release
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Bob Hickel scratched due to his team being too sick or unfit to continue (3/10/09 Press Release).
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Nancy Yoshida was forced to scratch after losing a dog (named Nigel) during the 30 miles of trail between Finger Lake and Rainy Pass (3/10/09 Press Release). After leaving the dog to fend for itself in the wilderness and continuing on to the check point, a search was claimed to have started the next day at dawn. It wasn’t until three days later that Nigel was found nearly 75 miles away in Skwentna (3/13/09 Press Release). It is not known what shape Nigel was found in, nor if he received any veterinary care or diagnostic bloodwork after his three days alone in the Alaskan wilderness.
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Bjornar Anderson scratched after traveling nearly 145 miles while he was severely injured and slowly losing his mental and physical ability to remain safe on the trail (3/12/09 Press Release). He crashed his sled between Rohn and Nikolai, but it was not until Takotna that he was finally able to travel no further. One can only imagine how difficult those 145 miles must have been for him - and his dogs. Whether or not his dogs suffered from his presumed lack of alertness or ability to provide proper care during those miles is unknown.
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On Saturday, March 14th, rookie Rob Loveman was forced to withdraw from the race (3/14/09 Press Release). Though the rule cited for his removal states merely a lack of competitive nature is a valid reason, we have not been provided with any details as to the degree of care his team of dogs was receiving and whether or not this was a deciding factor in his ejection from the race.
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Two more deaths have occurred in this year’s Iditarod - and both from the same dog team (3/16/09 Press Release). On Monday, March 16th rookie Lou Packer was overdue on his run to Shageluk. Officials deployed an Iditarod Air Force aircraft to check on his whereabouts, along with the whereabouts of two other rookies: Kim Darst and Blake Matray. When Packer was found, two of his dogs were deceased. He and the rest of his team were airlifted. A necropsy will be conducted by a board certified pathologist to determine the cause of death of the two dogs.
Darst and Matray have also scratched due to the health of their teams (3/16/09 Press Release).
Recently, the bodies of several sled dogs were found frozen to the ground in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada. These dogs, reportedly belonging to Tuktoyaktuk resident Randall Pokiak, had been tethered without access to shelter in temperatures below zero degrees. Three additional dogs were found still alive, also tethered without access to shelter and in bad shape. More information about this story can be found here <http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/01/07/tuk-dogs.html>. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) assured PETA that the three surviving dogs had been moved to the house of Randall Pokiak’s son, Lucky, and that they were now being well cared for.
PETA caseworkers have just learned that the three surviving dogs are still tethered outside in frigid temperatures with absolutely no shelter (and no access to water) and that they are now exhibiting possible symptoms of hypothermia and malnourishment. The local SPCA has requested that the RCMP take immediate action to help these dogs, but the RCMP has apparently not acted. The wind chill in Tuktoyaktuk is currently minus forty-six degrees.
Please call, fax, and e-mail Tuktoyaktuk officials and urge them help the three surviving dogs immediately before they fall prey to the deadly cold.
Please send polite comments to:
Matt Hare and Ian Diplock, Constables
Tuktoyaktuk RCMP
P.O. Box 58
Tuktoyaktuk, NT X0E 1C0
Canada
867-977-1111
867-977-2293 (fax)
Debbie Raddi, Senior Administrative Officer
Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk
867-977-2286
867-977-2110 (fax) debbieraddi@airware.ca
The Honorable Mervin Gruben
Mayor of the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk
P.O. Box 120
Tuktoyaktuk, NT X0E 1C0
Canada
867-977-2286
867-977-2110 (fax)
The Honorable Marys Nassar
Canada Crown Attorney
107 Mackenzie Rd., Ste. 201
Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0
Canada
867-777-3075
867-777-3260 (fax)
Contact information, email blocks and sample letter are below.
Please help end the barbaric treatment of dogs by sending protest emails to organizations that support the Iditarod. What happens to the dogs during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, frostbite (where it hurts the most!), bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons and sprains.
Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses
reported that musher Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a ski
pole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing Manual, “A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all but is effective.” “It is a common training device in use among dog mushers…”
Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and
routinely kill unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason are killed with a shot to the head, dragged, drowned or clubbed to death.
When they’re not hauling people, most Iditarod dogs are forced to live at the end of a chain. It has been reported that dogs who don’t make the main team are never taken off-chain. Chained dogs have been attacked by wolves, bears and other animals. Old and arthritic dogs suffer terrible pain in the blistering cold.
Most Internet service providers allow people to send up to 40 email addresses
at a time. For your convenience, the addresses have been divided into groups
of 40. Please email the first group first. Individual email addresses are
given under the sample letter. The groups contain addresses for the Iditarod
sponsors, promoters, and the sponsors of the 73 mushers who signed up for the 2009 Iditarod. Email blocks with semicolons are on http://www.helpsleddogs.org/sponsors.htm .
Please end your organization’s support of the Iditarod dog sled race. For the
dogs, this event is a bottomless pit of suffering. What happens to the dogs during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, frostbite (where it hurts the most!), bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons and sprains. At least 136 dogs have died in the race. No one knows how many dogs die after this tortuous ordeal or during training. For more facts about the Iditarod, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website, http://www.helpsleddogs.org .
On average, 53 percent of the dogs who start the race do not make it across
the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, of those who do finish, 81 percent have
lung damage. A report published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
said that 61 percent of the dogs who complete the Iditarod have ulcers versus
zero percent pre-race.
Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and
routinely kill unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are
permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason, including
those who have outlived their usefulness, are killed with a shot to the head,
dragged, drowned or clubbed to death. “Dogs are clubbed with baseball bats and if
they don’t pull are dragged to death in harnesses…..” wrote former Iditarod
dog handler Mike Cranford in an article for Alaska’s Bush Blade Newspaper.
Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses
reported that musher Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a ski
pole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing Manual, “Nagging a
dog team is cruel and ineffective…A training device such as a whip is not
cruel at all but is effective.” “It is a common training device in use among
dog mushers…”
Jon Saraceno wrote in his March 3, 2000 column in USA Today, “He [Colonel Tom
Classen] confirmed dog beatings and far worse. Like starving dogs to maintain
their most advantageous racing weight. Skinning them to make mittens. Or
dragging them to their death.”
During the race, veterinarians do not give the dogs physical exams at every
checkpoint. Mushers speed through many checkpoints, so the dogs get the
briefest visual checks, if that. Instead of pulling sick dogs from the race,
veterinarians frequently give them massive doses of antibiotics to keep them running.
Most Iditarod dogs are forced to live at the end of a chain when they aren’t
hauling people around. It has been reported that dogs who don’t make the main
team are never taken off-chain. Chained dogs have been attacked by wolves,
bears and other animals. Old and arthritic dogs suffer terrible pain in the
blistering cold.
Please end your organization’s association with this horrific race.
Sincerely,
———————-
Iditarod sponsors
K & L Distributors, Inc. (AB-Inbev distributor)
Email: marianne.amssoms@inbev.com, fabio.spina@inbev.com
Cabelas
Email: Christopher.Gay@cabelas.com
Chrysler (Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.)
Email: media@cerberuscapital.com
TO ANYONE LIVING IN OR NEAR RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA - YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
Please consider joining us for this important hearing. If you cannot attend, please call the supervisors and let them know that saving lives and saving money is the right thing to do for Riverside County.
Where: Board of Supervisors, County of Riverside, 4080 Lemon Street Riverside Calif., 1st Floor, County Administrative Center
When: Tuesday, the 13th of January, 2009. The meeting begins at 9 am, please show up early in order to make your voice heard.
Breaking News: Several backyard breeder organizations, including a group with direct ties to the puppy mill and fur industries, are now attempting to confuse the Supervisors with a flood of phone calls and a misinformation campaign. Their goal is to protect underground breeders from any accountability, by convincing our elected officials that the public is opposed to spay and neuter programs. It is essential that, as pet lovers, we help our friends in Riverside reduce the suffering in their shelters. Please call or attend the hearing.
Much to the dismay of the American Kennel Club and unethical breeders across the country, the American Veterinary Medical Association has changed their policy on tail docking and ear cropping as of November 2008:
The AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes. The AVMA encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards.
Thanks to the BBC airing of Pedigree Dogs Exposed, wonderful new legislation is on the rise!
The Kennel Club is launching a complete review of every pedigree dog breed in the UK in a move that will have far-reaching benefits for the health of many breeds. It has also called on the government to give it the statutory powers to clamp down on breeders who fail to make a dog’s health their top priority.
A breed health plan will be coordinated for each of the UK’s 209 pedigree breeds and will benefit from the extensive research that has been funded by the Kennel Club in conjunction with renowned veterinary research centres over the past 40 years. This will include updated breed standards to ensure that no dog is bred for features that might prevent it from seeing, walking and breathing freely. Judges will be fully briefed on the new breed standards so that only the healthiest dogs are rewarded in the show ring.
The Kennel Club is releasing the first of these new breed standards today, for the Pekingese, and has taken a tough line with the breed following extensive and abortive consultations. This is set to radically improve the health of the Pekingese which for nearly a hundred years was bred to have a flat face; a feature which can lead to breathing problems; under the new health plan the breed will be required to have a defined muzzle.
The breed health plans, which are scheduled to be completed by early next year, will also incorporate the results of a thorough, ongoing analysis of the health status and genetic diversity of each breed, drawing on results from the world’s largest dog health survey, conducted by the Animal Health Trust and funded by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in 2004. This will ensure that breeders and buyers are aware of the health tests that should be carried out for each breed. The final part of the plans will look at ways breeders can expand the gene pool of the breed.
In order to ensure that the plans are effective and reach all dogs, the Kennel Club has called on the government to give it statutory powers to make its established Accredited Breeder Scheme compulsory throughout the country. If successful, this would mean that all breeders who are not part of the scheme and who have not officially confirmed their willingness to follow the health standards set by the Kennel Club would be unable to produce or sell puppies within the law.
Additionally, breed clubs are now required to adopt the Kennel Club’s Code of Ethics, to ensure that their practices fall in line with Kennel Club policy for putting the health and welfare of puppies first. This includes a clause that explicitly forbids the compulsory culling of healthy puppies.
To complement these steps the Kennel Club is developing plans for a new Canine Genetics Centre. This will be run in conjunction with the Animal Health Trust, confirming the Kennel Club’s commitment to research into inherited diseases and the provision of DNA testing programmes which identify the genes underlying inherited health problems.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “The groundswell of public attention on the very important matters surrounding dog breeding is a welcomed momentum that will enable us to drive through, with added urgency, new and extended initiatives that will help to safeguard the health of our pedigree dogs. We have been listening and agree with the general public’s view that more needs to be done.
“Steps such as our breed health plans will enable us to ensure that the health of every dog is the number one priority and we are taking a tougher line with breed clubs by adjusting those breed standards that fail to promote good health. By asking the government for statutory powers we will be able to take a tougher line with all breeders and breed clubs that fail to abide by our high standards. This in turn will enable us to extend the reach of our Accredited Breeder Scheme, which is the quality control mechanism within our registration process, so that all dogs will be bred by people who abide by our stringent rules and regulations for the breeding of healthy, happy dogs.
“We have been working hard in recent years to identify and address health problems that exist in dogs, and we are taking advantage of the opportunities that advances in science have given us to improve dog health. We look forward to continuing our work with various institutions and organizations that share the same objective: to protect the health and welfare of all dogs.”
One of the guiding principles of the Humane Society Legislative Fund
is that we evaluate candidates based on a single criterion: where they
stand on animal protection policies. We don’t make decisions based on
party affiliation, or any other social issue, or even how many pets
they have . We care about their views and actions on the major policy
debates relating to animal welfare.
It stirs controversy to get involved in candidate elections. But we
believe that candidates for office and current lawmakers must be held
accountable, or they will see the animal protection movement as a
largely irrelevant political constituency. In order to have good laws,
we need good lawmakers, and involvement in elections is an essential
strategy for any serious social movement, including our cause.
While we’ve endorsed hundreds of congressional candidates for
election, both Democrats and Republicans, we’ve never before endorsed
a presidential candidate. We have members on the left, in the center,
and on the right, and we knew it could be controversial to choose
either party’s candidate for the top office in the nation. But in an
era of sweeping presidential power, we must weigh in on this most
important political race in the country. Standing on the sidelines is
no longer an option for us.
I’m proud to announce today that the HSLF board of directors—which is
comprised of both Democrats and Republicans—has voted unanimously to
endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the
better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care
about the humane treatment of animals, no matter what their party
affiliation, to vote for them.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been a solid supporter of animal
protection at both the state and federal levels. As an Illinois state
senator, he backed at least a dozen animal protection laws, including
those to strengthen the penalties for animal cruelty, to help animal
shelters, to promote spaying and neutering, and to ban the slaughter
of horses for human consumption. In the U.S. Senate, he has
consistently co-sponsored multiple bills to combat animal fighting and
horse slaughter, and has supported efforts to increase funding for
adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of
Slaughter Act, and federal laws to combat animal fighting and puppy
mills.
In his response to the HSLF questionnaire, he pledged support for
nearly every animal protection bill currently pending in Congress, and
said he will work with executive agencies such as the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to make their
policies more humane. He wrote of the important role animals play in
our lives, as companions in our homes, as wildlife in their own
environments, and as service animals working with law enforcement and
assisting persons with disabilities. He also commented on the broader
links between animal cruelty and violence in society.
Obama has even on occasion highlighted animal protection issues on the
campaign trail, and has spoken publicly about his support for animal
protection. In reaction to the investigation showing the abuse of sick
and crippled cows which earlier this year led to the largest meat
recall in U.S. history, he issued a statement saying “that the
mistreatment of downed cows is unacceptable and poses a serious threat
to public health.” He is featured in Jana Kohl’s book about=2 0puppy
mills, A Rare Breed of Love, with a photo of Obama holding Baby (shown
above), the three-legged poodle rescued from an abusive puppy mill
operation, and his political mentor, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), is the
author of the latest federal bill to crack down on puppy mills.
Importantly, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has been a
stalwart friend of animal welfare advocates in the Senate, and has
received high marks year after year on the Humane Scorecard. Biden has
not only supp orted animal protection legislation during his career,
but has also led the fight on important issues. He was the co-author
with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in the 108th Congress on
legislation to ban the netting of dolphins by commercial tuna
fishermen. He was the lead author of a bill in the 107th Congress to
prohibit trophy hunting of captive exotic mammals in fenced
enclosures, and he successfully passed the bill through the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
On the Republican ticket, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has also
supported some animal protection bills in Congress, but has been
inattentive or opposed to others. He has voted for and co-sponsored
legislation to stop horse slaughter, and voted to eliminate a $2
million subsidy for the luxury fur coat industry. But he has largely
been absent on other issues, and has failed to co-sponsor a large
number of priority bills or sign onto animal protection letters that
have had broad support in the Senate.
The McCain campaign20did not fill out the HSLF presidential
questionnaire, and has also not issued any public statements on animal
welfare issues. He was silent during the downed animal scandal and
beef recall, which play ed out during a high-point in the primary
fight. Yet he did speak at the NRA convention earlier this year, and
is the keynote speaker this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, at the U.S.
Sportsmen’s Alliance rally—an extremist organization that defends the
trophy hunting of threatened polar bears and captive shooting of tame
animals inside fenced pens.
While McCain’s positions on animal protection have been lukewarm, his
choice of running mate cemented our decision to oppose his ticket.
Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-Alaska) retrograde policies on animal welfare
and conservation have led to an all-out war on Alaska’s wolves and
other creatures. Her record is so extreme that she has perhaps done
more harm to animals than any other current governor in the United
States.
Palin engineered a campaign of shooting pr edators from airplanes and
helicopters, in order to artificially boost the populations of moose
and caribou for trophy hunters. She offered a $150 bounty for the left
foreleg of each dead wolf as an economic incentive for pilots and
aerial gunners to kill more of the animals, even though Alaska voters
had twice approved a ban on the practice. This year, the issue was up
again for a vote of the people, and Palin led the fight against it—in
fact, she helped to spend $400,000 of public funds to defeat the
initiative.
What’s more, when the Bush Administration announced its decision to
list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act,
Palin filed a lawsuit to reverse that decision. She said it’s the
“wrong move” to protect polar bears, even though their habitat is
shrinking and ice floes are vanishing due to global warming.
The choice for animals is especially clear now that Palin is in the
mix. If Palin is put in a position to succeed McCain, it could mean
rolling back decades of progress on animal issues.
Voters who care about protecting wildlife from inhumane and u
nsporting abuses, enforcing the laws that combat large-scale cruelties
like dogfighting and puppy mills, providing humane treatment of
animals in agriculture, and addressing other challenges that face
animals in our nation, must become active over the next six weeks to
elect a president and vice president who share our values. Please
spread the word, and tell friends and family members that an honest
assessment of the records of the two presidential tickets leads to the
inescapable conclusion that Obama-Biden is the choice for
humane-minded voters.
Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund and not authorized by any
candidate or candidate’s committee.
If there’s one truth to tragedies, it’s that they bring people together, as Jon Little, of Kasilof, was reminded of this past Sunday as he experienced every musher’s worst nightmare when his dog team was struck by a vehicle.”It was comforting that people stopped, and it was people I knew, acting together. Someone went and got my dog truck, someone got my dogs home, someone got me home — it was a huge help in that moment,” he said.
Little, despite maintaining a kennel of only 24 racers, is a five-time Iditarod finisher whose best finish is fourth, accomplished in 2002. He also competed in the Yukon Quest in 2005 and finished fifth as a rookie. He’s faced numerous challenges and hardships while running these 1,000 mile ultra-marathons, but this accident is tougher than any he has seen on a race trail.
As to how it happened, Little pointed no finger in blame. Rather, he said the incident was a string of small things that accumulated into a perfect storm.
He had just returned from an eight-day family reunion in the Lower 48, and the dogs had only run once while he was gone, so they were eager to stretch their legs.
“The temperatures had also cooled off while we were gone, which always energizes the dogs,” he said.
Little took out a four-wheeler pulled by 13 dogs, and was followed by another four-wheeler pulled by 12 dogs, being driven by Mike Barnett, a friend and past handler of Little’s from the winter of 2006-07. It was getting dark as they neared the tail-end of an 8-mile run, and to finish up they needed to cross the Sterling Highway near it’s intersection with Kalifornsky Beach Road — a busy location, but one Little had safely driven dog teams over for more than 10 years.
“I got across and then signalled to Mike to hold up because there was a lot of traffic,” Little said.
Barnett said he got the dogs stopped, briefly jumped off to deal with a tangle, then hopped back on the wheeler and began to wait for several minutes as a stream of continuous vehicles came through. However, as the dogs got their wind while on the break, they got their legs under them too, and started pulling against the four-wheeler’s brakes, which after several training seasons were not as new as they once were.
“They started pulling me, further and further. Jon was waving to stop and I was riding the brakes, but they got into the road,” Barnett said.
“I saw the car and saw the dog and knew something bad was going to happen,” Little said.
Six dogs — all lead dogs or leaders in training — were struck by a southbound 2007 Subaru Outback driven by Richard Abboud of Homer.
“I was probably doing 60 miles an hour and looked up and there was a dog team crossing the road. I didn’t have time to think about anything before I was already over them,” Abboud said.
Of the six that were hit, one dog miraculously sustained no injuries, but three others were killed instantly. These dogs were Belfast, a 5-year-old female and an Iditarod veteran, Breaburn, a 4-year-old female that, while leased out, finished the Iditarod on Jeff King’s second-place team in 2008 and on Zack Steer’s third-place team in 2007, and Nike, a 4-year-old male and another Iditarod veteran.
Two other dogs were hit and sustained injuries, but did not die at the scene. One was Handel, a 9-year-old female in semi-retirement that had eight 1,000 mile races to her name, including leading portions of the Iditarod last season while leased to Joe Runyan. Unfortunately, Handel had to be euthanized on Tuesday due to the extent of her internal injuries.
Wolf, a 3-year-old male, was also hit, but his tug-line snapped during the accident and he ran away frightened. After an exhaustive search, Little got him back on Wednesday morning.
“He came back overnight. He was curled up on some straw and had tipped a food bucket over and ate some,” Little said.
However, Wolf was only using three legs, so Little rushed him to the Kenai Veterinary Hospital where X-rays revealed he had no broken bones, but had “a major ankle dislocation.” Wolf was then taken to an orthopedic specialist in Anchorage for further diagnosis to determine the extent of surgery needed, and determine if he will ever run again.
Little said he is thankful to have Wolf back, but his injuries and the personal impact of loosing his other canine companions has taken an heavy toll on his psyche and his soul.
“It’s a really emotional time, but I need to get back in the saddle for my sake and their sake,” he said.
Prior to this incident, Little had signed up for the Yukon Quest again this season, but he said this accident will undeniably have an effect on his future.
“I’m going to keep going forward because I believe in not quitting, but obviously my season has changed so we’ll see what happens. It not easy to replace dogs that can finish 1,000 mile races, especially 4- to 5-year-olds, dogs in their prime,” he said.
Barnett said he was also depressed as a result of the accident.
“It was rough, really rough. Loosing a dog is a huge thing, especially knowing what they mean to Jon, but I’ve known all these dogs for years, so it’s really sad for me too. Handel was one of my favorites,” he said.
Abboud said he was also struggling with the situation.
“It’s troubling, but I’m glad there were no people injured or killed,” he said.
While it would be difficult for most mushers to find something positive about the death of five dogs, Little said he also hopes some good will come out of this incident.
“It’s a tragedy, but the dogs’ deaths won’t be in vain if this increases awareness about that intersection,” he said, adding maybe it needs a flashing light, like the one in Ninilchik, warning people to slow down — for pedestrians, motorists and mushers crossing the highway.
As a result of still mounting veterinary expenses related to this accident, Little is welcoming an financial support people would like to make toward Wolf’s recovery. Checks can be mailed to Kasilof Kennel, P.O. Box 691, Kasilof, AK 99610. Donations can also be made through the sponsor page of Little’s Web site at http://kasilofkennel.bravehost.com/.
These dogs live in substandard conditions, in plain sight of the public. They are resort tourism dogs. This case is one of many which proves the need for an international, humane mushing organization to legislate better care for sled dogs worldwide.
Krabloonik Kennels is a dog-sledding operation and restaurant located in Snowmass Village, Colorado. Krabloonik has been under scrutiny for many years due to the lack of care and poor living conditions that the 260 plus sled dogs are forced to endure. Krabloonik has been cited by the Colorado Department of Agriculture on several occasions over the past several years for noncompliance with state regulations. Many of these violations still occur and the dogs continue to suffer.
According to Lake County Sheriff Ed Holte, Ron Wyatt of Leadville, Colo. was charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty after his dogs were discovered without adequate food, water or shelter in a gulch north of St. Kevin’s Gulch by Leadville resident Jeff Pallo.
According to a report by Deputy Amy Arnett, on Sunday, April 6, Pallo was riding a snowmobile near St. Kevin’s Gulch when a dog approached him. Pallo stated that he thought it was strange to find a dog so far out because nobody was around the area. He then explained that he followed a county road to the left and went onto what he thought may have been private property.
Sixteen dogs were being held on the property, said Pallo in the report: six dogs were in a pen and 10 were tethered to lines. According to Deputy Arnett, who later visited the property, the six dogs did not have any shelter from the elements or any food. There was a stream running through the pen that the dogs could access for water.
Pallo stated that the 10 dogs had no shelter, food or water and three looked to be badly malnourished. Deputy Arnett later noted that the dogs’ ribs, hips and backbones were visible through their fur. She also noted that there were blue barrels the dogs could have used for shelter, but that snow had prevented entrance to the barrels. Some of the dogs had been on the chains for so long that their collars had rubbed the hair off their necks, she explained.
Pallo also told Deputy Arnett that he had found three dead dogs next to the other dogs. The dead dogs were curled up in the fetal position, said Pallo. He thought they appeared to have frozen to death.
Because there were no tracks leading up to or away from the dogs, Pallo said he did not think anyone had been up to care for the dogs.
Arnett wrote that upon hearing Pallo’s description of the dogs, she contacted Lake County Search and Rescue in order to use their snowmobiles to ride in and check on the dogs.
Once there, Deputy Arnett tried to feed the dogs in order to make them friendly, she wrote. She explained that she gave each of them a handful of food, which they promptly vomited. She also noted that many of the dogs appeared thirsty, and that some were eating snow.
Deputy Arnett wrote that she walked up to a cabin on the property to see if anyone was there; she found no one. Given the fact that there was no evidence that anyone had been around to care for the dogs and that some appeared to be in bad condition, she decided to take them to a shelter and have them evaluated by a veterinarian, said the report. The dogs were removed by Search and Rescue in kennels on snowmobiles.
On April 8, Ron Wyatt came to see Deputy Arnett after he learned that the dogs were gone, said the report. The report further stated that he explained that the situation was supposed to be temporary but unfortunately turned permanent. He had been unable to find anyone to stay at the nearby cabin this year, he said, and the snow was so bad that he couldn’t keep up with the clearing of the dog houses.
Wyatt further stated that the dogs were fed and watered every day, usually by his stepson. He explained that the dogs were given their food and water in the same bowl so the food would soak up the water and the water wouldn’t freeze. He noted that the dogs in the lower pen had access to water all the time because of the creek running through the pen.
As for the dead dogs, Wyatt told Deputy Arnett that the dogs didn’t die on the property. They were 10-14 years old, he said, and he had taken them to the property in order to bury them in the spring instead of throwing them in the dump. He stated that the dogs were in bags.
When Deputy Arnett told him that there were no bags in or around the dead dogs, Wyatt stated that he had a puppy about nine months old that he turns loose on the property. He told Deputy Arnett that the puppy, who had chewed on the bags before, had probably taken the bags off the dead dogs.
According to the report, Wyatt admitted that three of the dogs were in poor condition, and called them “hard keepers.” He explained that hard keepers are hyperactive dogs and no matter how much an owner feeds them, they do not put on weight until they are over two to three years old. The dogs in question are under two years, he said.
Wyatt told Deputy Arnett that he was going to keep the dogs on the property until spring, when he could start working them. He told the deputy that he had not been exercising the dogs.
Deputy Arnett noted that Wyatt appeared to be very remorseful about the condition of the dogs. He told her he would do whatever was needed to make the situation right, said the report. He offered, for example, to have Dr. Linemeyer evaluate the dogs on a monthly basis, to ensure that the same situation wouldn’t happen again.
According to Deputy District Attorney Shasta Smith, there is a possibility of jail time for the charges; however, she thought that a first offense would likely result in probation. She explained that Wyatt can only receive misdemeanor charges. Because the dead dogs were frozen, a necropsy cannot be performed on their tissues to determine the cause of death; thus, felony charges cannot be considered in the matter.
Smith further stated a veterinarian found most of the dogs to be okay, though three were somewhat malnourished and dehydrated. She said she had asked the animal shelter not to release the three dogs that were in bad shape. She did not know what the shelter planned to do with the other dogs.
A woman who answered the phone at Nova Guides confirmed that Nova contracts with Ron Wyatt and Winterhawk Dogsled Adventures for dogsledding trips. However, when this reporter reached one of Nova Guides’ owners, he refused to comment on the matter.
Though this punishment is far from just, it is better than nothing! I was beginning to think that this case had fallen off the face of the earth since my last posting. I’m glad to see that at least something has happened.
Musher Doug Bartko was found guilty of 39 counts of animal cruelty, failure to provide care for his dogs and interfering with an investigation in a Palmer court Tuesday.
A judge found Bartko guilty of starving and neglecting his 25 sled dogs, discovered by Animal Control officials in May.
Bartko is now facing some hefty fines from the Mat-Su Borough. Still, some say his punishment is too light.
Bartko’s 25 dos are now in the borough’s custody after Animal Control officials uncovered what they called one of the worst cases of cruelty they had ever seen.
Dr. Katrina Zwolinski says the dogs taken from Bartko’s kennel on Lazy Mountain were malnourished, dehydrated and sick.
One of the dogs had already died but the borough took the other 25 into custody.
Zwolinski and a couple of volunteers have nursed them back to good health but some are still very anti-social.
Mat-Su Borough Attorney Lisa Thomas says the only consequence in this case is financial.
“These are all violations,” she said. “These are not criminal offenses in the sense of a misdemeanor or a felony; they’re violations under borough code.”
Bartko will have to pay fines for each offense, which for the 39 counts will total $5,400.
“The monetary amount that comes out of the 39 counts is pretty minimal compared to the expense that it took to get these animals back to normal health,” Dr. Zwolinski said.
Zwolinski says she would like to see stricter punishment for cases like Bartko’s.
“Obviously raising a fine to a higher amount for one charge would be a place to start,” she said. “That’s a place to start, at least.”
Bartko was convicted of animal cruelty back in 2006 and in 1983 he was disqualified from the Iditarod for not taking proper care of his dogs.
A local man finds himself in a legal doghouse after being found guilty on all 39 charges leveled against him after Mat-Su Borough animal control officers seized his 25 sled dogs in May.
Doug Bartko, a Lazy Mountain-area musher, must give up his dogs and kennel license and pay a fine of $5,600, following Tuesday’s ruling by Palmer District Court Magistrate David Zwink.
“There was a mountain of evidence, there really was,” said Assistant Borough attorney Lisa Thomas, who prosecuted the case. “We obviously believe that it was correct and he [Zwink] made the right decision.” In an e-mail sent hours after the ruling, Bartko responded that, “I must take responsibility for my mistakes. A big part of my life is gone. I’m sure I’ll adjust. All part of life, I guess.”
Reached by phone, Bartko was more circumspect. If the conviction is the last word, then, yes, his mushing days are over. But, he said he thinks he might appeal.
As to Zwink’s ruling, “He just goes by the law,” Bartko said. “When you’re in the legal system there might be a little wiggle room for him, but it’s pretty straight-forward. I understood.”
When officers arrived at Bartko’s house near Lazy Mountain on May 5, they found 12 emaciated dogs, which they noted were underweight and which they took into custody, officers testified at trial. Bartko had 13 more dogs someplace else but wouldn’t tell officers where.
The next day, officers returned and Bartko had the rest of the dogs at the house. Those dogs, officers testified, were worse than the first group. During the investigation, officers also came across a dead dog down a small ravine from the main dog yard.
Borough veterinarian Katrina Zwolinski testified at trial the dog died from eating too quickly after a period of malnourishment.
The charges eventually leveled against Bartko included 13 of interfering with an animal control officer, one for each dog he hid; 25 of failing to provide humane animal care to each of the malnourished and dehydrated dogs; and one of animal cruelty relating to the dead dog.
At trial, Zwolinski testified that some dogs required intravenous fluids and even some that didn’t showed marked signs of dehydration.
Bartko said he had a system set up to feed his dogs fish brought from Anchorage. That system ran into trouble when his truck broke down. He said he took the 13 dogs officers couldn’t find on May 5 to another property as part of a different dog care regimen.
The musher was a target for animal cruelty prosecution in 2005 when one of his dogs was found to be sick and dying of cancer in his front yard. Officials said the humane thing to do would have been to put the dog down. Bartko disagreed, and still does.
Bartko once before failed a kennel inspection for having skinny dogs, a fact that came up at trial. Officers then allowed him to get his dogs back to their proper weight and inspected him again 10 days later, at which point he passed.
At trial, he asked Borough Animal Control Officer Mark Whisenhunt why he didn’t offer a similar arrangement this time around.
“I tried,” Whisenhunt testified. “You refused to try to come to a similar resolution.”
Bartko represented himself during the trial, which lasted three days. The type of charges he faced did not allow for a public defender, a jury or for jail time.
By dictionary definition, a musher is “a person who competes in cross-country races with dog team and sled,” or “a traveler who drives (or travels with) a dog team.” In summary, someone who owns sled dogs and uses them for personal reasons (be it racing, touring, recreation, etc).
I currently live with eight sled dogs and one non-sled dog, yet I no longer call myself a musher. I am a sled dog guardian, and you should strive to be, too. By dictionary definition, a guardian is “a person who guards, protects, or preserves.” Animal guardians recognize animals as individuals, not objects.
I just came across this article and wanted to get the word out - it’s a great piece! There are many reasons to stay clear of Iams products (such as poor ingredients and formulation), but their involvement and support of animal abuse, through their sponsorship and their laboratory testing, are the most important reasons of all.
To silence outrage from the humane community, Iams decided in 1994 to end its sponsorship support for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race—a cruel event that forces dogs to mush a grueling trek of more than 1,000 miles over unforgiving Alaskan terrain, usually in under 14 days (the fastest time being just under 9 days)! For nearly a decade, we’ve been under the impression that Iams was no longer involved with the Iditarod. However, we’ve recently uncovered the fact that Eukanuba—the so-called veterinary nutrition arm of Iams—has continued to be an official sponsor for “Team Norway” in Iditarod races, with deadly consequences for the dogs involved!
During the 2004 Iditarod race, Eukanuba sponsored Kjetil Backen of “Team Norway.” Focused on winning the race, Backen pushed his dogs beyond the point of exhaustion, so much so that Takk, Backen’s lead dog, “just sat down and died” a mile out of the checkpoint, according to race marshal Mark Nordman. Al Townshend, head veterinarian at the Unalakleet checkpoint, said, “Sudden death can occur in dogs for a number of reasons … including accidental trauma, ulcer or a dog inhaling [his or her] own vomit.”
Backen also dropped one of his dogs, named Blue, at the so-called “Cripple checkpoint” since she had developed tendonitis of the wrist resulting from the strenuous schedule of mushing day after day.
Even knowing for a fact that dogs are needlessly injured and killed in Iditarod races, Iams (Eukanuba) has refused to terminate its sponsorship!
In fact, Iams proudly sponsors other cruel events along with sled dog races. For instance, as a “major sponsor” of the fur-themed “Le Festival du Voyageur” (“The Festival of the Traveler”)—billed as Western Canada’s largest winter festival—Iams helps celebrate the “joie de vivre [joy of living] of the fur traders”! At this “celebration,” Iams hosts its own inhumane mushing event—the “Iams Voyageur International Sled Dog Classic.”
Worse yet, Eukanuba sponsored individual mushers from “Team Norway” (Robert Sorlie and Bjornar Andersen) again at the 2005 Iditarod race, yielding more disastrous results. Sorlie surrendered two dogs at Eagle Island checkpoint, “one with a sore leg and another [who] ‘psyched out,’ or didn’t want to run any more.” At the end of the race, Sorlie crossed the finish line with only eight dogs, “having dropped eight sick, sore, or tired dogs at checkpoints along the route.”
Make no mistake about it—Eukanuba’s sponsorship of “Team Norway” directly connects Iams to the deaths and injuries of these dogs and puts the company at fundamental odds with the humane majority who feel that the Iditarod is a cruel and outdated relic that needs to end.
Despite the barrage of consumer complaints regarding Iams’ involvement in the Iditarod, Iams stubbornly refuses to withdraw support from “Team Norway”—with the bizarre rationalization that it suddenly has a new-found respect for “regional and cultural differences” regarding how dogs are treated. This, of course, is absurd. Cruelty to animals knows no boundaries, and neither should humane objections to it. The bottom line is that cruelty is cruelty, no matter where or by whom it is practiced.
Iams and Eukanuba are misleading the public by claiming that they no longer support the Iditarod despite their sponsorship of “Team Norway” in the 2004 and 2005 Iditarod races! In reality, they only care about marketing their names to the cruel dog-racing community, which only survives because of money donated from large companies like Iams.
Please don’t let more dogs suffer needlessly. You can help countless numbers of animals by making the choice to boycott Iams. Your dollars are your voice in the world of business, and how you choose to spend them matters a great deal, especially with regard to the welfare of innocent animals. Knowing that you won’t buy while animals die, Iams will be forced to take humane stances—ending its sponsorship of Iditarod race participants and stopping all cruel laboratory tests on animals, which are not required by law.
Read our letter to Procter & Gamble (Iams’ parent company) regarding this important issue. Please e-mail Iams or write to the president of the company at the address shown below and let him know that the humane treatment of animals is not for sale and that the company must act humanely or risk losing a great deal of business
Jeffrey P. Ansell, President
Iams Company
7250 Poe Ave.
Dayton, OH 45414-5801
I was reading through an online mushing forum this morning and was very disheartened (but not that surprised) to see another discussion about the debarking of sled dog teams.
Debarking, or devocalization, is an invasive surgical procedure that involves removing a large amount of laryngeal tissue. It involves a great deal of pain post-operatively. Because this procedure is superfluous and inherently cruel, many veterinarians condemn and refuse to perform it (mine included).
In the United Kingdom, cosmetic mutilation such as debarking, ear cropping and declawing (of cats) are actually illegal. (source)
Taken from In Defense of Animals:
However, a problem barker is not the one at fault - we must look to the dog’s guardians for the source of the behavior. Chronic or excessive barking arises because the dog is improperly socialized or trained, or because she is stressed, hypersensitive, lonely, fearful, or frustrated. Debarking a dog does not make her any less stressed, hypersensitive, lonely, fearful, or frustrated! It is important to deal with the problem at its source, rather than turn down the volume surgically. These dogs still bark, they just don’t make much noise.
Debarking surgery is not difficult (although it does entail general anesthesia and surgical risks such as bleeding and infection), but the rate of postoperative complications is very high. Some practitioners estimate that 50% of dogs will develop problems arising from the debarking surgery. These range from merely annoying (the dog regains his ability to bark within two or three years) to life-threatening (scar tissue obstructs the dog’s airway). Correcting these complications requires more surgery, more risks, and more money. Again, this puts the dog at risk for landing in the shelter. This burdens taxpayers with the expense of dealing with yet another dog made essentially unadoptable by her guardians.
There are other serious issues concerning debarking despite the obvious pain to the dog, and in the case of sled dog mushers it’s the ability to disguise a large number of dogs on one’s property. Law enforcement, concerned neighbors, and joe public are a lot less likely to stumble upon a yard of neglected, chained huskies if the dogs have no way to make their presence known. Rather than enrich the dogs’ environment or keep fewer to provide them with more attention - some mushers simply opt for debarking as the easy way out, regardless of the long term harm inflicted upon their dogs. Most notably, a debarked sled dog is more likely to suffer from aspiration pneumonia (an already prevalent and lethal problem).
The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights states:
Debarking involves placing a dog under anesthesia and cutting the dog’s vocal cords. It is solely performed for human convenience for the purpose of noise control and provides no benefit for the dog. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence that debarking increases the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Since the dog’s environment and lifestyle usually are the cause for excessive barking, changing and enriching the environment and daily routine (acquiring a second dog, providing more stimulating toys and more play time with humans) should be the only resolutions for excessive barking, rather than attempting to ‘correct’ the dog with surgery.
Debarking should be outlawed for many reasons; it’s the only way to stop mushers from mutilating their dogs in order to quiet their cries for freedom.
Two days in jail, community service and two years probation is a far cry from justice! Also, the meager restitution will not be used to create better lives for these poor dogs.
Not to mention, these innocent creatures now belong to the abuser’s father (Stephen Hessert). How do we know that these dogs aren’t going to spend the rest of their lives on short chains with nothing but a dog house and rusty food bowl for company? The father is also a musher, and nearly the entire mushing community chains their dogs with nothing but huts and bowls. It is the preferred and recommended (by Mush With PRIDE) method of containing sled dogs, though it is quite inhumane.
Stephen is even hoping to return the dogs to his son if he is acquitted! Many people have been asking - where was he when these dogs first entered rescue and were in need of foster homes and supportive care months ago? Only after the dogs had been physically rehabilitated to a healthy state, and claimed to be worth thousands of dollars, did we see this family member (also a musher) step up to take them. This is part of the reason why the volunteers who cared for these dogs in the initial stages are so outraged.
Also, since John accepted a plea agreement, his felony charge was dropped! He is pleading guilty to only two (out of thirty-three)misdemeanor counts of cruelty! Could this case get any worse? Only time will tell. Per the court, he will not be able to own dogs for at least two years. However, judging from the comments which the mushing community has been making about their collective experiences with John since this case began, he should honestly never be able to own a dog again.
A West Yellowstone man accused of abandoning 33 sled dogs without food, water or shelter pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty as part of a plea agreement.
John T. Hessert, 24, wore a vest embroidered with an Iditarod logo as he made his plea before District Judge Holly Brown. His lawyer, Chuck Watson, told the judge that Hessert was remorseful and that his client’s aspirations of becoming a professional musher have already been compromised.
“The long shot of this is Mr. Hessert got overextended and the dogs suffered as a consequence,” Watson said. “He has to live with that. He has a conscience.”
Hessert initially pleaded not guilty to one felony count of aggravated animal cruelty and 33 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. The felony charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
According to court records, a man called animal control Jan. 30 to report that the dogs were being kept in an unsafe environment outside West Yellowstone near Targhee Pass.
A veterinarian examined the dogs and determined that they were all “well below normal health and had not been being fed enough food,” according to court records. One of the dogs had a collar embedded in its neck and other dogs had frostbite.
Most of the dogs were transported to Hessert’s father’s 96-acre property in Maine while the criminal case was pending.
Hessert’s plea agreement also requires him to pay $27,855 in restitution to volunteers who cared for the dogs while the case was being investigated. He must serve 100 hours of community service, two days in the Gallatin County Detention Center and two years of probation.
Hessert will not be allowed to own or be in control of a dog for two years.
Hessert’s father, Stephen Hessert, is an attorney and an accomplished dogsledder who made the news in 2003 when he was struck from behind by a snowmobiler in northern New Hampshire while training for a 250-mile dogsled race. The snowmobiler didn’t stop and another snowmobiler found Hessert unconscious and got him out of the woods on the dogsled.
Hessert was hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries, and had titanium rods inserted in both legs.
Many of the volunteer foster caretakers were on hand Monday, for the examinations and to say goodbye to the dogs they had cared for since March. But all said they were upset by Brown’s decision.
“I honestly think it’s a joke,” said Roger “Rodeo” Vincent of West Yellowstone. Vincent is a neighbor of Hessert’s who initially called authorities to check on the dogs.
“What happens to the dogs after they leave the state?” Vincent asked. “What happens when that kid is found guilty? What happens when those dogs are **** near dead again?”
Jeanne Knox, another volunteer caretaker agreed.
“We do not understand at all Judge Brown’s decision to let the dogs out of the state,” Knox said.
Stephen Hessert, an attorney, said he was confident his son would be acquitted, and that he would give the dogs the best care possible. He agreed to return the dogs for the trial if asked to do so by the court, and to keep his son away from the dogs until after the trial.
“I do think there have been a lot of misstatements and misunderstandings in this case,” he said. “I would like to thank all the people who’ve been taking care of these dogs, and they can rest assured they will continue to be well taken care of.”
As the dogs were being loaded into the elder Hessert’s truck - fitted with 26 straw-floored pens for the 2,500 mile trip to Maine, volunteer Terry Cunningham said he wasn’t satisfied.
“I wonder if the judge and the county attorney’s office really have the best interests of these animals at heart,” Cunningham said.
Hessert’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 13. He is represented by attorney Chuck Watson. His father Stephen Hessert, a managing partner in a Maine law firm, requested custody of the dogs until the case is decided, a move that was opposed by the County Attorney’s office. On May 12, Judge Holly Brown granted the request; Stephen Hessert will transport the dogs to Maine. The senior Hessert testified at the hearing that he has been monetarily assisting his son’s mushing efforts, and that he intends to return the dogs to his son if he is acquitted.
John Worsfold, the Deputy County Attorney who was trying the Hessert case, is relocating to California to continue his law career. Worsfold said he was disappointed in the ruling. “The Judge’s decision contradicts the clear and well defined intent of the Legislature who wrote the law regarding the return of seized property.”
Candace Hamlin, a volunteer who provided care for Hessert’s dogs at the county barn, fears the case is heading in the wrong direction. “After everything these dogs have endured at the hands of JT Hessert, the possibility that they might one day be given back to him is unthinkable. That would be the height of injustice.”
Another huge political step was made earlier this week for the welfare of dogs in our nation! Dallas, the ninth-largest city in the United States (source), passed an amazing piece of legislation on June 25th:
Dallas will significantly tighten its rules on animal ownership under new regulations overwhelmingly approved Wednesday by the City Council.
The ordinance will require that most animals be spayed or neutered, limit how many pets residents can have, and restrict how long dogs can be tied up, among other provisions.
The majority of council members hailed the changes to the animal ordinance as an important step toward reducing the tens of thousands of stray animals roaming city streets, and improving quality of life for pets. But others at the meeting, particularly breeders, saw the rules as too strict, prompting hours of passionate debate involving about 200 people. The ordinance was approved on a 10-3 vote, and most provisions take effect Tuesday.
“It’s the first step in trying to solve a complex problem that has been going on for a long time,” Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia said. “We all agree it’s time to do something.”
Some council members, along with dozens of breeders and owners’ rights advocates, argued that the new ordinance punishes responsible animal owners.
Many also argued that Dallas’ new ordinance would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce, noting that the city can barely handle the animal laws already on the books.
“We should have deferred this; we should have put this off until we could have gotten both sides together,” District 9 council member Sheffie Kadane said.
“This is going to be another pooper scooper law that is not enforced,” Dallas resident Sherry Talton told the council. “We need to take the time and slow this process down.”
Some of the speakers launched into impassioned, even tearful soliloquies. For every ordinance opponent who decried its potential effect on animal breeding or owners’ rights, there was a supporter noting the thousands of dogs and cats Dallas euthanizes annually.
Dallas Animal Shelter Commission Chairman Skip Trimble insisted that the city must move now to reduce the stray and feral animal population.
“It can only be done through sterilization,” he said. “If we can’t control the flow of water, we’ll never stop mopping the floor.”
Such comments foreshadowed a fiery debate among council members.
“I blame this entire circle if this doesn’t work,” Mr. Kadane told his colleagues. Turning to city staff, he added, “You guys don’t have the force to get out and do what this ordinance is trying to do.”
Even a few council members supporting the expanded animal ordinance acknowledged Mr. Kadane’s assertion. Only about one in 10 animals is currently registered, and residents’ loose-animal calls often go hours or days without response.
But several council members noted that Dallas’ latest 2008-09 budget outlook includes funding for 20 new animal services workers.
Top city staff expressed confidence that they’ll make headway in a battle to clear Dallas streets of strays, many of which are potentially dangerous.
“You can hold me to that: We will get the dog numbers down,” City Manager Mary Suhm said. “We don’t mind being held accountable for that.”
District 12 council member Ron Natinsky offered a substitute ordinance, which altered or deleted several provisions in the original animal ordinance proposal. It was rejected, 9-4.
Limits on the number of animals one can own and new rules on impounding dangerous dogs take effect next week. Provisions addressing outdoor dog confinements go into effect Sept. 25, while the spay/neuter provisions and breeder permit regulations take effect Oct. 25.
Provisions
•Establish a charge of $70 per animal for breeders to obtain permits. Previously, the city planned to charge $500 per animal.
•Limit a single house to six cats and/or dogs. People owning more than a half-acre of land would be allowed eight – something not contained in earlier versions of the proposal. People who currently own a greater number of animals could apply to the city to be allowed to keep their animals without penalty.
•Require that dogs and cats be spayed or neutered. But the ordinance would provide numerous exceptions. Animals younger than 6 months old, service animals, or those belonging to a licensed breeder would be exempt from spaying or neutering regulations. A veterinarian could also certify that an animal shouldn’t be spayed or neutered for health reasons.
•Prohibit using animals as prizes.
•Allow the city to seize and impound a dog suspected of causing bodily injury to a person until after a hearing on the dog’s fate. Now, such dogs are quarantined for 10 days and then returned to their owners in many cases.
•Prohibit tethering of unsupervised dogs to trees or poles except “for a period no longer than necessary for the owner to complete a temporary task.”
•Force owners to provide at least 150 square feet of space and a “building or properly designed doghouse” for a dog confined outdoors.
On Saturday June 7th, I traveled to Albany to represent the Sled Dog Action Coalition (SDAC) at the Ryley’s Run rescue benefit. The goal of Ryley’s Run is to make the public aware of just how many dogs are out there, alone, and how many have been abused, abandoned & neglected. The organization holds the event in the hopes of raising a substantial amount of money, and then donates that money to different rescue organizations each year.
I was proud to represent the abused, abandoned and neglected sled dogs of the Iditarod at this event. Their stories need to be heard. I was able to reach a number of people through my photography and conversation. I also handed out leaflets with summarized Iditarod cruelty information, along with a link to the SDAC website.
Overall, I met some great folks and had a wonderful day. For more information on Riley’s Run, please check out their website.
June 3, 2008 - Crowd cheers as Santa Clara votes to support statewide spay and neuter bill.
The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 today to pass a resolution in support of Assembly Bill 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act.
Although the bill has attracted support from a wide array of California cities and humane societies, Santa Clara is the first county to take a position on the legislation. Board of Supervisors Chair Pete McHugh, author of the county resolution, asked his colleagues to “consider that nearly one million unwanted dogs and cats enter the State’s animal shelters each year and more than half of them are euthanized. AB 1634 offers a humane, sensible and costeffective
solution to controlling pet overpopulation.
“AB 1634 will also reduce costs to taxpayers, who pay a staggering $250 million a year to house and euthanize the State’s unwanted population of dogs and cats,” McHugh said. The bill, which aims to significantly reduce the number of animals that are euthanized in the state’s animal shelters, requires pet owners to have their dogs and cats spayed or neutered by the age of six months. It has already passed out of the State Assembly and awaits a hearing later this month in the Senate Local Government Committee.
“This measure will prevent the needless killing of hundreds of thousands of animals a year while simultaneously saving taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Dvan Nuys), the bill’s author.
“Since last year, our coalition has been working with stakeholders and other members to strengthen Assembly Bill 1634,” said Levine, who serves as Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Animal Welfare. “At the same time, we’ve continued to keep the door open to listen to the legitimate concerns of the bill’s detractors. I am confident that with the work we’ve put in, 2008 is going to be a successful year for our bill, which in turn means good things for our state’s budget and animal shelters.”
AB 1634 asks that most dogs and cats in the state of California be spayed or neutered. “More than 20 common-sense exemptions are provided in the bill for purebreds and mutts, including provisions for show and sporting dogs, law enforcement dogs, dogs used in search and rescue, pets that are too old or in poor health, and guide, service and signal animals,” said Judie Mancuso, the Campaign Director of the California Healthy Pets Coalition, and one of the bill’s
co-sponsors.
“The facts of this issue are really very simple. We have overcrowded shelters that are costing taxpayers millions of dollars annually, and spaying and neutering is a tried and true approach,” Mancuso said. “This is the right legislation at the right time – a humane, common-sense and taxpayer-friendly solution to a real and costly problem. The needless killing of over 500,000 healthy animals and the waste of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars each year must end. With both the state and local governments facing critical budget decisions, we need to look for savings wherever we can.”
Dan Soszynski, the Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority, believes a similar ordinance in the City of Santa Cruz, “has been successful in reducing the euthanasia rate; the ordinance allowed us to ‘get tough’ with backyard breeders and reduce the numbers entering our shelter. These laws are an effective and significant tool.”
Jody Cramer, a former Santa Cruz SPCA Director, argued that “From both the humane aspect and the cost aspect, (AB 1634) is absolutely the right thing to do. There are a number of years worth of statistics for those who are skeptics to look at about how these (spay and neuter laws) have helped. They have saved the lives of many animals and have saved people who do this work from having to kill them.”
The California Healthy Pets Act is supported by elected officials, law enforcement and fire department agencies, cities, city and county agencies and employee unions, humane societies and SPCAs, veterinarians and veterinary hospitals, national and international animal welfare organizations, celebrities and other public figures, rescue organizations, animal specialist and professionals, business and chambers of commerce, and tens of thousands of individual supporters, Mancuso stated. For more information on the legislation, visit the organization’s web site at www.cahealthypets.com.
