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Dear Virginia Dog Owners,
The animal rightist Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) has retained the Richmond lobbying firm of Troutman Sanders LLP to push its anti- breeding, anti-animal owner agenda during the 2008 General Assembly. As of 5:00 PM today, January 11, 2007, twenty-six (26) animal bills have been introduced. The majority of these bills are extremely ill- considered; the most obvious of these is HB538, HSUS's effort to regulate Old Dominion hobby breeders, introduced by Delegate Bobby Orrock. HSUS failed three times in its attempt to impose federal licensing and 60 pages of regulations on hobby dog breeders. Each time the U.S. Congress refused to amend the federal Animal Welfare Act to include breeders that sell at retail. Its merger partner also lost a federal lawsuit challenging the same statute provision. HSUS publicly announced last month that it was carrying its federal hobby breeder regulation fight to Virginia. HB538 and other bills are the result. Note caref ully: HB538 breeches the dog breeder regulatory distinction that has prevailed nationwide since 1970. Don't be confused by other bill provisions and let Virginia's General Assembly be successfully lobbied by deep pocketed Washington DC animal rightists. This bill and others scheduled for House Agriculture Committee hearings are *all* dog owners' worst nightmare. While legislation will continue to be introduced until January 18th, here's a capsule summary of the current 2008 animal bills which may be found at http://vhdoa. .com/staterk. Gas euthanasia - 4 bills Breeder regulation - 4 bills Animal fighting - 5 bills Rabies licensing database Tethering restrictions Animal Control Officer training Humane investigators redux New animal welfare standards Animal owner bonding Humane education Pound-shelter inspections Dangerous dog determination procedural changes Cat theft felony Animal adoption tax credit Companion animal study and report In addition, ten (10) hunting bills have introduced to-date. These include increased penalties for dog retrieval on private land abuses, restructuring the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Board, apprentice hunting licenses a n d permitting Sunday hunting. http://vhdoa. .com/stater. Updated hot-linked contact information for House and Senate Agriculture Committee members, including new chairmen, is contained at http://vhdoa. ddog.com/VA. page will be reprogrammed to indicate the hottest hearing and key members. Your willingness to come to Richmond to testify against this animal rightist agenda and respond with calls and emails to legislators will d et ermine wh ether you enjoy your dogs in the future. The next three weeks will be crucial. Please forward and cross post to other pet owners. Also alert your veterinarian and request that he or she urge the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association to oppose these anti-hobby breeder bills. Thank you. Sincerely, Bob Kane, President Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association Chairman Emeritus, Sportsmen and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance http://vhdoa. http://saova.
Donna Lindsey
New Castle, VA |
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