HR 835 PUPS Call to action September 24, 2012

A SAOVA message to sportsmen, pet owners and farmers concerned about protecting their traditions, avocations and livelihoods from anti-hunting, anti-breeding, animal guardianship advocates. Forwarding and cross posting, with attribution, encouraged.

Dear SAOVA friends,

Members of Congress are returning home to campaign for the upcoming November election. We know that the HSUS and its animal rights allies never stop lobbying for their agenda, but lately they have been working overtime.

This past week HSUS secured 8 additional cosponsors for the PUPS bill (HR 835):
Rep. Peter Roskam (R, IL6) - 9/14/2012
Rep. Karen Bass (D, CA33) - 9/19/2012
Rep. Frank Guinta (R, NH1) - 9/19/2012
Rep. Lamar Smith (R, TX21) - 9/19/2012
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D, LA2) - 9/20/2012
Rep. Brian Bilbray (R, CA50) - 9/20/2012
Rep. Jim Cooper (D, TN5) - 9/20/2012
Rep. John Culberson (R, TX7) - 9/21/2012

The total number of cosponsors now stands at 213. As of this writing, there are still 32 cosponsors on the companion Senate bill, S707, with the most recent cosponsor added January 2012.

The HSUS byline for PUPS is that the legislation will close a loophole in the AWA that allows thousands of commercial breeders to go unregulated. HSUS also disingenuously tells members of Congress and the public that “the bill will not affect small breeders and hobby breeders … the bill is crafted to cover only large commercial breeding facilities.”

PUPS is NOT what supporters claim. HSUS/ASPCA promote PUPS as reasonable, but examination of the bill easily shows it is unneeded, overarching in scope and will adversely affect dog sportsmen, responsible breeders, rescue organizations, hunting and field dog trainers, and working dog kennels.

Bill supporters justify the bill by pointing to known AWA violators described in the May 2010 Office of the Inspector General’s report. Like the proposed APHIS rule, PUPS would overextend limited USDA/APHIS resources by regulating small, private kennels rather than concentrate on a solution to the cited problem.

PUPS is based on ownership of just ONE “breeding female dog” which is defined as an intact female *4 months of age or older* and sales of 50 dogs or puppies per year regardless of age or whether they were bred by the seller.

PUPS changes the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and USDA responsibility forever by granting authority for federal regulation to extend beyond commercial dog businesses and into private homes.

PUPS sets precedent by mandating specific exercise requirements in private homes exceeding those currently required for laboratory animals. Setting government controlled exercise standards lays the groundwork for regulation of socialization and breeding standards and is an unwarranted federal intrusion into the private husbandry practices of dog breeders. Agricultural organizations raised a loud alarm over the HSUS initiated Egg Products bill which would set cage sizes and standards, calling this a “farm takeover bill” that would open the door to government regulation of farming operations. PUPS exercise mandate represents this same unreasonable level of government over-regulation and should be strongly opposed.

TAKE ACTION

The upcoming election will decide many national policy issues that are at the forefront of conversation and current campaign speeches. Sportsmen and dog breeders must make government overreach into our homes, hobbies, and businesses part of that conversation. Download the SAOVA Congressional handout for talking points

Call your Congressman or visit him at your local office while he is home before the election. Find contact information: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

EDUCATE your Congressman on the true impacts of HR 835. This is NOT a bill your Congressman should support. Full analysis at the SAOVA website

Cross posting is encouraged.

Susan Wolf
Sportsmen's & Animal Owners' Voting Alliance
Working to Identify and Elect Supportive Legislators
saova@earthlink.net
http://saova.org

State Hunters Face a Future of Restriction

Note: The Governor has until Sept. 30 to veto the bill.

By John Wildermuth. Journalist and Political Commentator
Friday, September 14th, 2012

Patience is a sadly unappreciated virtue in politics. Just ask the folks involved in the current slow-motion effort to restrict hunting in California.

Not ban hunting, mind you, because there’s no way animal rights groups like PETA, the Humane Society of the United States and their allies can find the votes for that.

But, like the old story about the frog that never realized he was being boiled because the water was heated bit by bit, small changes can make a big difference, if you’re patient. Full article