She outlines the challenges much better than I could. 

From the looks of this farm, they probably milk a few hundred (maybe even a thousand+) cows. For every cow that is producing milk there are at least 3 to 4 animals behind her in different stages of growth and development to take her spot after she stops producing around 5 -6 years of age. So if they are milking say 300 dairy cows, they have another 1200 animals in different stages of growth. This operation looks to milk more than that. When you have that many animals – things happen.

This is a 24/7 job. No breaks, rain, freeze, snow…you are out there taking care of those animals. You learn to work in all types of slop and such and to deal with the animals in such.

As for the conditions of these animals are under – it rains; when it rains, you get mud, because that is what these animals create very quickly and very efficiently in a very short time going in and out of the barn. Whether they go to field or not during the day does not matter, because they will walk through mud to get into the barn. And if given a choice – Holsteins won’t go out if they have enough food in front of them. The way to stop the slop:  build concrete alleys but there is still slop to get to the alleys.

The alley where the cow was down and the other cows were walking around her?   Look closely, this gets hosed down on a regular basis and is cleaned (USDA regulations). It just so happens that dairy cattle have a very liquid manure and when mixed with all of the urine you get this slop and cows slip and fall. Do farmers want to see this happen? NO. A cow can break a hip, another animal step on the udder and tear it open, etc. The concrete is variegated but believe me, when these animals come into the barn in a hurry to get to feed, they do stupid things. And once down, it takes a lot for them to get back up as they lose their equilibrium, their stomachs can twist and they have to get to their chests to get quieted down and gather themselves to get back up. The person who took the video, who was supposed to be working there, was the abuser. Instead of shooting the video he should have shut the cows off from coming through and been rolling that cow onto her chest to help her up.

As for the cows down – Holsteins are the worst (sorry to those of you that like this breed but I can’t stand them). They are bred for one purpose and one purpose only = milk production. Their main goal in life is to eat, produce milk, and poop. If they get sick – they die. No will to live. If they go down and decide to stay down, you won’t get them up. I have tried, I have watched other people try. We have pushed, we have kicked, we have used shockers, we have put bullrings in the nose and pulled. I have even seen people hoist them up and they will hang there until either they decide to get up, or if sick get better, or die.

Farmers do not want downers (a cow that won’t get up) or a sick cow. They can’t take them to market as a cow has to get out of the trailer on her own feet. If she collapses in the alleys at the market, she can’t be sold and the owner can be charged for the removal of the body. If signs of sickness are seen, the vet at the markets have the right to refuse the animal to sell. These are all laws that thanks to groups like PeTA are enforced.

There is some sense to them and it is a totally different subject. If the cow dies on the farm, the farmer has to pay for the rendering plant to come and pick up the body. This service used to be free as the rendering plant got the body to do with what it may and make money off of it, but no more.

Last time I checked it cost around here $40/head for them to come out and the bodies have to be removed as again per USDA regulations.

Finally the dirty legs of cows while being milked. I just sit here and shake my head. Mud is a reality when it rains. You cannot hose down and clean the legs of each cow before putting on the milking machine.

Requirements are for the teat and udder base to be clean (which you want as all the milk goes into one tank and one dirty cow can cause the loss of the entire tank – 500+ gallons and then increases from there), sterilized with udder cleaner, slap on the milkers. If you are lucky, the cow does not stomp and cause dirt to get into the teat cups which then have to be cleaned. After being milked, the milkers removed, a quick rub with a rag and each teat is dipped in medicine to close down the orifice and not let germs, etc get in and cause mastitis. People who do this are efficient and know their job. In fact in a big enough barn, they start at one end putting on the milkers, by the time they reach the other end they walk back and start removing and the cows are released to leave. If you have to stop this rhythm to clean equipment, you are wasting time and energy. They know their job and how to keep the milk clean and healthy for you and me. Besides samples are taken each milking (or on a timely basis for the 24 hour operations) and tested for bacteria growth etc.

Milking barns if kept in constant use on a 24 hour basis, must be shut down every so often (can’t remember if it is 12 or 24 hours), hosed down, cleaned and equipment cleaned and sterilized. Of course on smaller operations when you finish milking than you get to clean the barn. In some cases, you milk, clean the barn and start milking again, clean the barn, sleep and start all over the next day.

And somewhere in between the farmer has milk testing and marketing, milking equipment and tank maintenance, crops and hay to raise, silage to make, feed and additives to mix, hay to put out, fence to fix, bottle babies to feed and raise, calves to be birthed, cows to rotate in pasture, cows to check in pasture, sick cows to be taken care of, cows to be taken to market, building maintenance, inspections to schedule by the USDA, computers to learn, reset and use in operations, bills to pay, loans to bargain for, family to raise, sleep and eat. And I am sure I forgot something – oh yes, machinery to fix to be able to do the majority of all of this.

Around here, dairies are going under. A very good friend of mine is losing money every month, but he has been in milking for generations and his son is trying to take it over. But right now they are not making it. It is costing him to produce milk. But he does not want to get rid of his herd (Brown Swiss and Holstein – the Brown Swiss are some of the best in our state). Right now dairies are petitioning the state assemblies for help.

PeTA knows all of this – here again, let’s get something out to the public and dramatize it.

BTW – The calf that was sick…I saw a healthy calf that was laying in the mud. Bright eyes, clear nostrils, no labored breathing. Cattle like to lay in mud because once their body warmth gets into it below them, it becomes a natural sauna for them. Same reason they love to lay on manure piles. Sick calves look sick and don’t respond to anything. Really sick calves are on their sides as are dead calves.

Sorry this is so long, but we have to educate and it begins here. Visit a dairy operation and volunteer to help on it for a couple of days – you will see what I have written is true.

Cathy Mills, Catren’s Shar Pei

www.americanssupportinganimalownership.com

The online game of Hide & Seek continues regarding the video of the WSB-TV investigation into HSUS fundraising practises.  The video appeared online for viewing last evening briefly, only to be removed again within hours.   It will be interesting to see whether attempts to suppress this video from viewing will be successful.  Does turning this video into the ‘forbidden fruit’ of the Internet really serve to make it less interesting? or to only increase the interest in seeing what ‘they’ don’t want you to see?

Meanwhile, the Center for Consumer Freedom has indicated that there has been a wave of citizen interest in re-opening the investigation into the use of the $34 million raised from the Hurricane Katrina campaign.  Parties interested in having this matter properly investigated are being encouraged to contact the Louisiana Attorney General’s office at 1-800-351-4889.

In another strange move for the HSUS, they have partnered up with Michael Vick for their Anti-Dog-Fighting campaign.  It is not such a strange move for Michael Vick.  If he was looking for a high-profile group to work on his image with, HSUS was really his only option since ASPCA was the group (link to original court documents) involved in the his conviction and PETA has publicly made taking a brain scan a condition of working with him.  I actually feel a little sorry for him in this situation,which I NEVER thought I could say, since the HSUS publicly used his high-profile arrest and court case as a repeating media opportunity and now are riding his coat-tails on his personal ‘road to redemption’

The timing of the Michael Vick partnership is incredibly odd since it will just bring further scrutiny to their fundraising practises surrounding Michael Vick’s dogs (see previous article), on the heels of the fresh scrutiny into their fundraising practises regarding Hurricane Katrina.  This is also a very risky move for the HSUS, since a number their Twitter followers have been VERY vocal in their ‘unhappiness’ with this new program.  I also wonder if Michael Vick’s public relations team have checked whether associating with the HSUS Animal Fighting Issues Manager, John “JP” Goodwin will affect the terms of Michael Vick’s probation. Not knowingly associating with convicted criminals* is a typical condition of probation agreements, and John “JP” Goodwin happens to have been convicted of criminal actions* from his days associating with the extremely radical Animal Liberation Front (ALF). 

Its getting weirder by the day.

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

*CORRECTION:  It appears that there may have been an error in my initial statement regarding John “JP” Goodwin’s convictions as felony level.  Although there have been convictions, the level (felony or misdemenor) requires further clarification.  This reference has been removed pending further investigation.

Though it might surprise you from my writing, I don’t own an American Pit Bull Terrier or a Staffordshire Terrier or any breed typically targeted by breed-specific legislation. Part of the reason is that these breeds are banned where I live.  Only those owned previous to legislation enactment are permitted under law and those are subject to muzzle law.  If animal control sees your dog and thinks it has similar characteristics, the dog runs the risk of being seized and killed unless you can prove non-violating breed parentage.  Good luck if your dog is a mixed breed.  So I purposely picked a breed that is almost impossible to mistake and has documentation to back up the fact, my choice that I have never regretted for a second.

But the plight of the bully breeds weighs on me;  beautiful, loyal, sweet and devoted to their people. Though not the breed for every dog owner, they are remarkable and resiliant.  I was reminded of all these qualities by this video, shown by every bully breed dog i have ever met.

I hope and pray the dogs of these recent raids are given the chance of the Vick dogs, and not slaughtered outright from infant pup to parent like those of Wilkes County this past February.  Every dog deserves to be evaluated as an individual.  Every dog deserves a chance.

Please … let them have a chance. 

Since I started becoming involved in the issues surrounding pet ownership rights, the greatest resource in this area has been people.   I’ve been introduced to a wealth of experience and perspective by people who have spent their lives caring for animals.  I’ve been privileged to gain the trust of individuals frightened by the idea of losing the animals they hold dear.

I’ve met a wide range of clever, witty & dedicated people.  I’d like to introduce one of them to you now:  Shirley Thistlethwaite, writer of the YesBiscuit! blog where she advocates for pitbulls and other animals in shelters in the Southern US.    She is a supporter of the No-Kill shelter movement and can write a range from hilarious to heart-rending.

Shirley, what motivated you to become actively concerned about animal owner rights?

I started out many years ago, probably like a lot of people, believing the direct mailers I received from animal rights groups and wanting to support and help. Because you know, I love animals. But this was in The Before Time and once I got connected online with other pet owners, I learned about so many direct actions and legislative proposals by AR groups that were anti-pet to my mind. I realized that if I wanted to continue to own pets and provide the humane care that I so strongly believed was my right, I’d better get involved in learning and educating.

You are active in supporting Pit Bulls and the No-Kill Shelter movement,  how do you see proposed animal-rights sponsored legislation affecting you and these subjects directly?

Mandatory Spay-Neuter (MSN) legislation is probably the biggest threat to both. Pitbulls are sometimes singled out for MSN as part of breed biased legislation. General MSN legislation for all cats and dogs is proven to increase shelter populations wherever it’s been enacted.  Since most shelters are kill shelters, an increase in shelter population means an increase in killing. And that’s heading in the absolute wrong direction.

 What recent animal-rights event or activity has affected you most?

The killing of the Wilkes County Pitbulls by HSUS. When the dogs were initially seized, HSUS used the opportunity to brag on their website about the great thing they did by shutting down a major dogfighting breeding operation. And of course visitors to the site see a photo of a sweet Pitbull and are asked to clicky to donate money to help HSUS shut down more dogfighters. The truth is that HSUS went to great lengths, including sending 2 reps to *lie to a judge in a court of law* to ensure that every last one of these dogs was killed – even the puppies still nursing from their dams. After convincing the judge to order the deaths of all the dogs, HSUS paid for the killings and sent away all those who had been caring for the dogs in substandard conditions during the seizure – even requiring foster owners to bring in pups they had cared for at home so they could be killed. Afterward, HSUS defended their actions as justifiable saying that even the puppies were born killers. Lots of cruelty cases haunt me but this one has earned a special spot in my book. I won’t forget.

 What is your biggest source of hope since becoming active in protecting animal owner rights?

The Internet. Mass communication has the potential to expose the behind-the-scenes deception animal rights extremists have relied upon in the past to further their agenda. We now have the means to spread the truth among pet owners like never before. Knowledge is power.

 If you could ask the media to do one thing when reporting animal related stories or animal related legislation, what would that be?

Quit going to extremist groups like PETA or lobbying groups like HSUS for comment on pet related stories. Neither PETA nor HSUS operates an animal shelter – a simple, undisputed fact that is regularly missed by the media. When seeking comments on a pet news item, try going to pet owners/breeders, no kill shelter staff/volunteers or someone else with a proven history of caring for pets humanely.

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

The online game of Hide & Seek continues regarding the video of the WSB-TV investigation into HSUS fundraising practises.  The video appeared online for viewing last evening briefly, only to be removed again within hours.   It will be interesting to see whether attempts to suppress this video from viewing will be successful.  Does turning this video into the ‘forbidden fruit’ of the Internet really serve to make it less interesting? or to only increase the interest in seeing what ‘they’ don’t want you to see?

Meanwhile, the Center for Consumer Freedom has indicated that there has been a wave of citizen interest in re-opening the investigation into the use of the $34 million raised from the Hurricane Katrina campaign.  Parties interested in having this matter properly investigated are being encouraged to contact the Louisiana Attorney General’s office at 1-800-351-4889.

In another strange move for the HSUS, they have partnered up with Michael Vick for their Anti-Dog-Fighting campaign.  It is not such a strange move for Michael Vick.  If he was looking for a high-profile group to work on his image with, HSUS was really his only option since ASPCA was the group (link to original court documents) involved in the his conviction and PETA has publicly made taking a brain scan a condition of working with him.  I actually feel a little sorry for him in this situation,which I NEVER thought I could say, since the HSUS publicly used his high-profile arrest and court case as a repeating media opportunity and now are riding his coat-tails on his personal ‘road to redemption’

The timing of the Michael Vick partnership is incredibly odd since it will just bring further scrutiny to their fundraising practises surrounding Michael Vick’s dogs (see previous article), on the heels of the fresh scrutiny into their fundraising practises regarding Hurricane Katrina.  This is also a very risky move for the HSUS, since a number their Twitter followers have been VERY vocal in their ‘unhappiness’ with this new program.  I also wonder if Michael Vick’s public relations team have checked whether associating with the HSUS Animal Fighting Issues Manager, John “JP” Goodwin will affect the terms of Michael Vick’s probation. Not knowingly associating with convicted criminals* is a typical condition of probation agreements, and John “JP” Goodwin happens to have been convicted of criminal actions* from his days associating with the extremely radical Animal Liberation Front (ALF). 

Its getting weirder by the day.

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

*CORRECTION:  It appears that there may have been an error in my initial statement regarding John “JP” Goodwin’s convictions as felony level.  Although there have been convictions, the level (felony or misdemenor) requires further clarification.  This reference has been removed pending further investigation.

In communities across the US, increasing restrictions are being laid on pet shops.  In some communities, they are being made illegal to operate.  This is happening on the grounds that they are selling pets of indeterminate quality, often from commercial or even illegal kennels with no health testing or quality control of parent stock, raised in less than ideal conditions, with undocumented veterinary history and no records of socialization.

In these same communities across the US, there are rescue organizations opening their own storefronts.  These storefronts are selling surrendered pets, animals seized by animal control raids and/or dogs rescued (purchased) from auctions.  This means that the pets the rescue organizations are selling through their own storefronts are similarly pets of indeterminate quality, often from commercial or even illegal kennels with no health testing or quality control of parent stock, raised in less than ideal conditions, with undocumented veterinary history and no records of socialization.

Both groups are exchanging pets for money.  One group calls it sale, the other calls it adoption.  The first group is being forced out of business, often through legislation supported by the second group.  Does anyone else find this odd?

In this letter, the Spay USA statistic is quoted “…one un-spayed female dog and her offspring can reproduce 67,000 puppies in six years.”  This statistic depends on one thing, that the public will never look how those numbers were obtained.

To obtain this statistic from one dog in 6 years, the original dog must produce 6+ pups/year with every pup also producing 6+ pups/year.  Biologically, this isn’t possible due to a little thing called puberty.  Include the statistic that 75% of pets are neutered, it becomes mathematically impossible.  In fact, when the HSUS statistic of  a 75% pet neutering rate applied to the calculation, those 67,000 puppies become 56 puppies, in 6 years.  That is actually a frighteningly low number of pups.  The problem is, this biologically impossible statistic has become ‘common knowledge’ pushed by animal rights groups,  believed by a large portion of the animal welfare advocates and has filtered down to the rest of the population. 

Although it sounds like heresy, we don’t have an overall pet overpopulation problem.  We have a combination of problems with 2 of the most significant below: 

• Over-population in some regions but shortages in others.  There are shelters and rescues bringing in pets from out of city, out of state and even out of country to provide the pets people are looking for.  What we have here is a resource allocation problem
• Inexperienced pet owners with no idea how to train animals, and an inability to easily obtain a trained animal to fit their experience level.  It used to be acceptable to sell trained dogs, they even commanded a premium, yet it is demonized now.  So, inexperienced owners get pups they don’t have the tools to train, then turn them over to a shelter in frustration during the pup’s adolescence.  These untrained adolescent dogs often then get adopted by a new set of inexperienced pet owners who are equally overwhelmed by the challenges of animal training.  This problem alone is a massive contributor to shelter turn-ins and a very possible reason that previously adopted dogs make up the largest portion of shelter relinquishment.

This means that the dream of a home for all adoptable pets is challenging but realistic. It also means understanding that the concept of  ‘no-kill’ does not apply to every animal, but to the reasonably sound of mind and body.  Death is not the worst option an animal can face, but it certainly shouldn’t be the first option.  In cases of over-crowding and in the electronic age, it should not present an excessive challenge to establish where a rescue or shelter has space to assist. 

Unfortunately, bad statistics are even worse than no statistics.  They point us in the wrong direction, they send us chasing after the wrong questions and the wrong answers.  They justify actions that we would discard as unthinkable in the face of  accurate information, like killing adoptable animals.  Statistics like the Spay USA statistic don’t just drive bad policy, they kill.

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

The keeping of groups of animals in close proximity does not create a breeding ground for viruses that affect humans.  Keeping groups of animals in close proximity does potentially create a breeding ground for mutations of a virus that affect the group species.  This is simply a matter of evolution and opportunity, the virus that spreads is the virus that survives immune system defence to reproduce the most. 
 
For a virus to make the leap to become infectious to humans, close proximity human-animal contact is required. The virus succeeds in crossing the animal-human barrier is the one that survives both the animal and human immune system defences to reproduce.  This means a virus and its reproduced variants (mutations) must have ample opportunity to confront and survive the human immune system, not just the animal immune system.  This is similar to the idea of a computer hacker, a hacker isn’t going to be very capable at defeating a system that s/he’s never faced let alone defeated.
 
So, counter-intuitive as it might sound, a large scale animal farm with automation implemented is actually presents a reduced risk of acting as a breeding ground for viruses that can cross the species barrier.  Populations where humans and animals reside cheek to jowl, communities where most people keep a few pigs/goats/chickens are much better candidates as breeding grounds for human-animal transmissible viruses.  This kind of environment is the suspected source of the last avian flu out break and many other outbreaks through history, and the reason historically why large-scale agriculture has NOT been the source of previous virus outbreaks.

Virus outbreaks (like the flu, the common cold and measles) are an entirely different condition than bacterial outbreaks (like salmonella & E.coli)  Though we have an arsenal of antibiotics to fight against bacterial conditions both preventatively and post-infection, virus outbreaks are a typically a very different scenario.  Virus outbreaks are typically treated preventatively by vaccines (to prepare the immune system for defence against a virus) or by targeted anti-viral treatments after the fact for the relatively small number of viruses that have a direct post-infection treatment.  This is why virus outbreaks involve quarantine procedures while bacterial outbreaks typically do not. 

It is simply too early to begin serious predictions as to the source of the current swine flu outbreak, though history predicts it will be not have stemmed from a large-scale agricultural site, HSUS press releases to the contrary. Fear-mongering and misinformation in this scenario is simply opportunistic and irresponsible.

 Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

The Pet Parent movement is everywhere these days with people talking about pets as ‘furkids’ and themselves as pet parents.  As the owner of a young dog and two senior cats, I completely understand referring to a pet as ‘Baby’ as term of endearment.   I also understand the wish to express how a pet is an integral part of the family. Unfortunately, the psychology of the ‘pet parent’ movement doesn’t always serve the interests of pets.

The role of a parent is to raise their child to make their own way in the society as independent individuals. Fundamentally, parents aren’t expected to be responsible for their child forever.  Children are expected to eventually make their way alone.  Contrast this with the idea of ownership, in which there is no implied end date to owner’s responsibility to the owned. 

Ownership is not a dirty word or a term to be disparaged.  To own one’s pets is to take ownership for one’s pets.  To take ownership for an animal is to take responsibility for the animal’s need.  George H Morris, a consummate horseman and Chief of the US Olympic Show Jumping team once said, “Love means attention, which means looking after the things we love. We call it stable management.”  This statement holds true for every responsible pet owner, animal breeder, farmer, equestrian and zoo keeper. The language we use may differ but taking ownership means being responsible, being responsible means paying attention.

 Paying attention means recognizing pets, unlike children, will never grow up and make their own way in the world. 

  Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

When I started writing about animal activism and its impact on legislation, I made it a point of principle to set high standards for the sources of information that I used as reference.  Everything I use needs to be a direct account and/or verifiable with a reputable source.  Reputable source meant mainstream media, legal documents, first person authorship & direct quotes.  2nd hand, 3rd hand, anonymous online posting and unverifiable blog postings are material I simply will not use for a number of reasons.

In this effort, here is what I have found.  Whether I agree with CCF’s positions on an item by item basis, the accuracy of the research can rarely (if ever) be faulted.  I know this because when I have investigated similar issues,  gone back to the source documents and even done my own statistical analysis, the numbers have all worked out.   Disliking an individual and disliking an organization does not make their information incorrect.  As a life-long animal owner, I would love to be able to believe the HSUS, but I keep catching them in half-truths, deceptions and even bald-faced lies.

• HSUS claimed to have assessed the Vick dogs and declared them unsalvageable. Wayne Pacelle said so to the NY Times. The court documents declare that the ASPCA and BAD RAP were the assessors
• According to court transcript, HSUS claimed in court that the weeks-old Wildside Kennel pups were born killers, that the liability would be too high  and that they should be euthanized.  Coming dangerously close to perjury in their statements of associated costs.
• In the Nebraska Mustang seizure over the past few days, Habitat for Horses and LifeSavers have custody of the horses and are overseeing their care whle local ranchers are donating hay.  HSUS claims involvement but local reports indicate that HSUS arrived after the animals were already gathered and relocated.  This issue is too new to have much solid information, but previous history makes me cautious to believe the HSUS side, especially when the press release includes a photo of a thin horse with the caption “Ribs should never show on a horse”,  a blanket statement as ignorant as saying “Ribs should never show on a human”. 

I could find many more examples, but I try not to be too tedious. 

The problem that the HSUS has with David Martosko and the CCF is not that he’s spreading inaccurate information about the HSUS, but that he is spreading accurate information. Love CCF or hate it, is that sufficient reason to ignore accurate information?  It may be for some, but it isn’t for me.

 Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

 For those who are wondering, I am not employed by or a paying member of  :

• CCF
• pharmaceutical or cosmetics industry
• fur or clothing industry
• any pet breeding business (hobby or otherwise)
• any animal research facility
• agribusiness/food/restaurant or beverage industry
• hunting or gun club

Which unfortunately makes me a more difficult target than the CCF