I was reading last week that H$U$ filed a complaint with the FTC against Rose Acre Farms (our great egg producer here in Indiana). It seems that H$U$ thinks that Rose Acre Farms is giving misleading claims about conditions at some of their farms. Rose Acres  K.Y. Hendrix says

“They’re claiming we falsely advertise on our website, but it boils down to this — we take care of our animals and our animals are performing to standards,” Hendrix said. “If we weren’t taking care of our chickens, our chickens wouldn’t be taking care of us.”

Of all the folks in the world who should not be talking about misleading statements is the worlds largest Animals Rights group. We often see references to how little the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) spends on shelters – less than 1/2 of 1% (.45% to be exact) of their annual budget.

HSUS finance records show that after you’ve made that [$19] monthly donation for a year, a grand total of $1.03 will reach a pet shelter.

Since math is not my strong suit, I got out my calculator:

$19/month X 12 months = $228

.45% of $228 = $1.03

How different the HSUS commercials would appear if they said “With your gift of just $19 a month, we’ll make sure almost 9 cents of that donation reaches a shelter somewhere every month…” It does seem to me that H$U$ makes many misleading statements in their advertising. Aprroximately 71% of the United States populace believes that H$U$ is an umbrella organization for our local shelters. Nothing could be farther from the truth,

If you really want to help Stop Cruelty to Animals in Indiana donate to your local Dog Adoption Shelter or a reputable Indiana Dog Rescue. Maybe if we all started to do that we wouldn't have to worry about being mislead anymore by the crazies at H$U$.

Oh, and before I forget "Where do we go to complain about Wayne and the H$U$ and their misleading statements?" Because in this particular case Wayne does need to get a little "egg" on his face.

Animals Rights Activists groups, the Humane Society of the United States and the Indianapolis Humane Society have been pursuing the elimination of Indiana Dog Breeders for quite sometime. In the last couple of years they have urged a few Indiana legislators to introduce bills making it difficult to breed dogs for profit and have conducted raids on several properties within the State of Indiana. Up until now, the Indianapolis Humane Society along with the Humane Society of the United States has succeeded in closing down several Indiana Dog Breeders.

After the failure to end all Commercial Dog Breeders in 2009 by, among other things, trying to impose ridiculous cage restrictions that even a college professor couldn’t decipher, they are now using a different tactic by attacking the Indiana Pet Stores to eliminate buyers for puppies. How much longer is this behavior going to continue?

If the Humane Societies believe Indiana Dog Breeders don’t care about their dogs and the quality of life for their animals, they are making a huge mistake. Commercial Dog Breeders could have put up privacy fences and left things as they were. Or, they could have sent some of their breeding stock to friends and other family members thus reducing the quantity of dogs at each kennel. They could have forfeited their licenses and sold their puppies to other states that have recently fallen victim to their new regulations and are now screaming for puppies.

But, the Indiana Commercial Dog Breeders didn’t play games or try to pull any sneaky tricks. The breeders willing paid the USDA license fee and/or the Indiana Board of Animal Health fee. They joined the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW). The Indiana Dog Breeders, Indiana Puppy Breeders, Commercial Dog Breeders and anything else you want to call those who raise puppies are spending thousands of dollars to upgrade their kennels. Some are building brand new facilities while others are remodeling their existing kennels with materials recommended in the bill signed into law by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and in effect as of Jan. 1st, 2010.

Raids have been conducted on kennels and private citizens for several years now. Lonely, elderly people have been a prime target. Scared and helpless, these people had to stand by under the watchful eye of law enforcement officers and while their beloved animals were carted off under false pretences. They never get their animals back. The animals were sent to shelters and put up for adoption. According to media reports, the animals were “rescued” because they were “so sick and so abused” and had to be relocated. Relocated means sent to shelters and adopted by the public, sometimes within as little as three days.

If the animals were so sick and so abused, why are the shelters adopting out these sick and abused dogs? Some animals were transported to shelters in other states. How are these animals getting across state lines without health certificates? If they had health certificates, they weren’t really sick were they? It seems to me there is a little more work to be done by the Senate and House of Representatives of Indiana concerning animal welfare.  

I have been sitting here thinking about all of the things that an Indiana Humane Shelter has said  when getting your dog from a pet store or some type of retail establishment. Repeatedly they say: "Ask them where did this dog come from?", "What is the temperment of the sire and dam?", "Does this dogs parents have any genetic problems?" More to the point here is a list of questions.

1. Where do the puppies come from?
2. Is that a licensed USDA dealer?
3. Does the kennel or breeder insist on genetic clearances for breeding stock?
4. What health problems are common in this breed?
5. What type temperament does this breed have?
6. Does the breed have a tendency to bark a lot?
7. How much socialization do they need?
8. How much exercise does this breed need?
9. How much grooming is required?
10. How badly do they shed?
11. What happens to the puppies you don't sell? Are they sent to rescue groups? Euthanized? Returned to the breeder?

Some of these questions are only looking for the commercial breeders to only help disqualify them. Most of these questions are absolutely great questions. When getting your dog from any Indiana Humane Society do these same questions get asked, or more to the point is there ever an answer to those questions. How do those Dog Adoption Shelters respond when asked these same questions? I keep sitting here trying to answer that question and simply can't do it. We all want to Stop Cruelty to Animals but if the shelters and/or rescues are not answering the same questions as the retail establishments.  And in some cases they are requirements, isn't that hypocritical on some level.

Over the coming weeks I will be giving you some other questions to ask when getting your dog. So remember the above questions are not the only questions to ask. Please give me some of the questions that you think should be asked when getting your next dog.

Someone sent us this video last weekend. It just made us think more and more about the reasons for euthanasia at Dog Adoption Shelters. We can not come up with any reason that any Indiana Humane Society or any Indiana Dog Rescue would not embrace the No Kill mentality of Nathan J Winograd. Nathan has written a book called Redemption, we highly suggest that you read it. Nathan explains the history of how our relationships with shelters came about. How many of you know who Henry Bergh was?

How did we as a country or a state get so twisted in our thinking. How did we allow the Animals Rights folks to pit us against each other? Could it be about money? No matter where you look it seems that is what it is all about. Why can't we sit down and work out our differences together?

The more we think about it any Indiana Humane Society or  Indiana Dog Adoption Shelters should be regulated by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH). If someone can give me a rational, logical reason that they should not, we will listen. Let's make it fair and equitable for all parties. Let's leave no stone un-turned and maybe then and only then we can Stop Cruelty to Animals.

I ran across a picture the other day that absolutely shows the hypocrisy of HSUS. I was reading an article by John Dillard a student at the University of Richmond Law School. In his article was this graph a plain old bar chart. ICAW has been writing, talking and presenting the hypocrisy of the Animals Rights movement. Some folks get it some don't. The following picture is the HSUS budget of 2008 in a graph. Please take a moment, in fact take as long as you need to digest what you are seeing. When Indiana Dog Adoption Shelters or any Indiana Dog Rescue jump on the HSUS bandwagon please explain to me WHY!




The HSUS budget in 2008 was well over $100 million dollars. According to their (2008) Annual Report, only $6.7 million dollars (5.4%) of their $125 million dollar budget that year was spent on animal shelters. The bulk of the balance was spent on fundraising, campaigns, lawsuits, propaganda, and salaries. Divide that $6.7 million dollars by 50 states and you get $134,000 given per state on average. If we divide that average amount of $134,000 by the 92 counties in Indiana you get $1456 per county. If HSUS really wanted to Stop Cruelty to Animals they would give more. Why does any Indiana Humane Society or Indiana Dog Rescue ever want anything to do with HSUS.

If the citizens of Indiana donate their money to help Indiana animals should it not be used to directly help Indiana animals? So the next time you write a check or pull out that credit card, think local, very local. Please urge your local Indiana Dog Adoption Shelters or whatever Indiana Dog Rescue you want to help, to please think about their association with a group of Animals Rights folks like HSUS.

We find it quite interesting that WIBC is airing a commercial paid for by HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) this week about their version of the truth about Indiana Pet Stores. We wonder how an organization that has a 501c3 designation is able to justify paying for this type of lobbying media blitz with that 501c3 designation? It is our oppinion that most people in Indiana do not realize that HSUS has no direct links to any local Indiana Humane Society.

We believe if they truly wanted to Stop Cruelty to Animals in Indiana, HSUS would provide more direct funding to a local Indiana Humane Society or a local Indiana Dog Rescue. It is interesting that the Humane Society of Indianapolis has had a relationship with HSUS in the past. With the economy being the way that it is, we wonder if they would appreciate any of that money that HSUS collects to help their own animals? We ask you to click here and see for yourself what HSUS actually does with YOUR money. What does a national animals rights organization actually know about our small businesses here in Indiana?

We would like to provide you with a very useful resource to help you decide whether or not you want your money to go to this type of organization. We have been paying attention to the folks at Humane Watch for some time now. David Martosko is a very credible resource that HSUS truly does not like. There are so many watchdogs for so many non-profit organizations we believe that it is time HSUS got a watchdog and we think David Martosko is just the right man.

We are so glad that someone with the national following that David Martosko has, is now paying attention to all of the Animals Rights folks. So the next time you are wondering about Indiana Puppy Breeders or Indiana Pet Stores think about Humane Watch as well. We know that we will!!

Let us all pray that we never find a Indiana Humane Society like the Prichard Animal Shelter {AL). Quoting Prichard Police Chief Lawrence Battiste:

“I’m not concerned about the care,” [Prichard Police Chief Lawrence Battiste] said. “We have four full-time staff working here in the animal shelter,” says Battiste. He says the four people are scheduled to share shifts on Saturdays and Sundays, and that each morning their first duties are to clean the cages and care for the animals. But Jake says his visit came on a Monday at noon. The Chief says he’ll investigate.

“We wouldn’t want our employees to work in an environment where there was feces and the possibility of illness floating around,” Battiste said. “Because it subjects our employees to those types of things!” (Local 15)

When the person who is in control of the local animal shelter has the audacity to say he is not concerned about the animals under his control. It can only make you wonder is he not concerned about the prisoners under his control as well. The more that we find out about so many out of control, poorly run animal shelters and rescues around the country. We truly are starting to believe that any Indiana Dog Rescue or any Indiana Humane Society should absolutely regulated by the State of Indiana no differently than any of the Commercial Dog Breeders are by the state.

We keep talking to the people at the No Kill Advocacy Center and we are convinced that there is a better way to build this mousetrap. We especially like the model that Bill Bruce uses in the Calgary Canada shelters. “We don’t have a pet problem. We have a people problem.” This is an opening statement Bill Bruce often uses to grab everyone’s attention.

Owner responsibility is the mantra in Calgary. A three prong approach to responsible pet ownership incorporates licensing, public education and enforcement, with supporting agencies all working together to achieve the same goals. Educational programs developed for school age children through adults address responsible citizenship and responsible animal ownership. Educational programs include PAWS: Dog Bite Prevention, Dogs in Our Society, Urban Coyotes and the Junior By-Law Project, just to name a few. There is strong public support for the efforts of Bill Bruce by the citizens of Calgary, as they enjoy their pets in a community full of dog-friendly parks, paths and off-leash areas. They gain comfort knowing that their kinder friendlier Animals Services Department is there to help, not harm.


But we keep watching the failing programs in Indiana and keep wondering why none of them work like Calgary's. So with that being said maybe the State of Indiana should step in and mandate what they should do. Please let us know what you think about this idea.

As promised we wanted to talk more about the regulation of any Indiana Dog Rescue or any Indiana Humane Society. We are not condemning any particular shelter or rescue in the state of Indiana, but we know that there are sub-standard shelters and rescues in Indiana, just like we know there are sub-standard kennels in Indiana.

We certainly hope to never find a shelter such as Memphis Animal Services, a literal concentration camp for animals here in Indiana. We quote

"Almost a month after the raid on the Memphis Animal Shelter, MAS, it’s beginning to look like what they found is just the tip if the iceberg.  As the investigation continues, records, what few and disorganized there are, show that about 18,000 animals went through MAS from January  through mid-November.  Over 12,000 were euthanized but there was also a figure of more than 200 animals that died while in the shelter’s care."

When we see these type of pictures or video's it causes us to stop and wonder how did Memphis Animal Services get the free pass on any type of regulation in the first place.

In fact how do any of the Shelters or Rescues get by with no regulation ever. Our positions here at ICAW have been repeatedly attacked when we stood up for Commercial Dog Breeders or Indiana Pet Stores. Just click on some of the links above and please explain to us how the absolutely criminal negligence can be condoned. Are shelters and rescues above the law?

PLease help us understand why none of the so called National Animals Rights folks ever stand up and say "Yes, we should be regulated at a federal or state level the same as others." Could it possibly be that if they did, they then might have to spend some of the millions of dollars that they take in every year to actually help the animals that it was intended for in the first place!

Please help us understand this by leaving a comment and stay tuned for the next article.

Well after much thought about regulation. We at ICAW keep wondering why no Indiana Dog Rescue and not even one single Indiana Humane Society is regulated by anyone in the state or local county governments. We absolutely know that there are many good rescues or shelters in our great State of Indiana. Two that come to mind are Indy Pit Crew or Indy Feral both of these organizations have proven themselves over many years of having the ability to Stop Cruelty to Animals.

We at ICAW agree with the mindset of Nathan J. Winograd maybe just maybe the father of the no kill movement. If Nathan isn't the father he sure is the biggest proponent of the no kill movement in the United States. No Kill is the absolute proper way to deal with animal shelters or animal rescues.

With that being said we wonder why no one ever proposes to regulate a single Indiana Humane Society or even just one Indiana Dog Rescue. Over many of the past years there have been reports of abusive animal shelters or abusive rescues. We know that the majority of these organizations and facilities are absolutely on the up and up. But now that the State of Indiana has stepped in and started to regulate Commercial Dog Breeders with the mindset of getting rid of the bad actors in that industry. We at ICAW are suggesting we should do the same thing to all of the shelters and rescues in the state.

ICAW absolutely believes in appropriate regulation in the animal industry. However we think that includes everyone. How could anyone argue with that when you see pictures like these or documentation from someone who would never agree to the foundational principles of ICAW. Over the next few weeks we will be writing about this subject at length. So if any one in Indiana can give us a rational reason why a Indiana Dog Rescue or Indiana Humane Society that is a bad actor shouldn't be regulated please leave a comment.

After testifying in the House Committee for HB 1258 last week. I am even more confused. I personally heard more lies and untruths in one hour about Indiana Pet Stores than I have in a solid year. If the portion about Indiana Pet Stores actually had one scintilla of language that actually helped animals maybe I would understand. Unfortunately it doesn't. It is so painfully obvious that the Animals Rights activists have an agenda and they think that nothing can or will stop them.

Repeatedly the committee was told, shown and given documents that proved that the others testifying about Indiana Pet Stores were just plain wrong. HB 1258 is just a ruse to try and smear commercial dog breeders in the State of Indiana. ICAW since its inception has condemned sub-standard kennels. We travel around the state to clean up or eliminate the bad actors out there. It just doesnt matter to these folks they refuse to listen to anyone.

It amuses us when we hear "No reputable breeder would ever sell to a pet store". If the truth be known many reputable breeders do sell to Indiana Pet Stores they just don't want to be antagonized by their so called animals rights friends. How sad it is that in Indiana today ordinary people are afraid to tell their own friends the truth.

We also find it morally reprehensible that many Dog Adoption Shelters and Indiana Dog Rescue (s) believe that they are not obligated to be regulated. Many Indiana residents believe that those folks are perfect and never ever do anything wrong. Check your facts again you might be surprised.

Just for a moment we want you to think about posting or openly giving ALL of your personal information to be seen by all. Would YOU do it? The United States has enacted many laws to protect our identities yet a few in Indiana don't seem to think that matters. So the next time you go to the Doctors office just tell them your not worried about that HIPAA stuff it doesn't matter.

We want you to take the time and follow some links that show what is possible when the Animals Rights activists and extremists have their way. One of our sister states in the midwest (Iowa) has been trying to get to the bottom of a animals rights attack at the University of Iowa animal laboratory. Six years later take a look at who is being questioned.

Remember that John Goodwin, the HSUS Manager of Animal Fighting Issues is a self professed former member of the ALF brought into the HSUS by Wayne Pacelle who absolutely knew his history. Mr. Goodwin now and then. It seems to us that this is just the pot calling the kettle black.   

We want you to read some of the issues that came up from this type of legislation when it happened in Florida. What we are worried about the most, is that someone doing something totally legal and constantly trying to improve will get physically injured or worse. 

God forbid this should ever happen. If it does please remember these same legislators short sightedness when they want to help YOU in the same way!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

One of our constituents in Indiana are the Indiana Pet Stores. Rep. Linda Lawson and Rep. John Barnes Bill HB 1258 will have a hearing in room 156C at the statehouse today at 3:30 PM. Please read the following message and please help us to help you protect our rights.


There will be a hearing on HB1258 (The Pet Store Bill) tomorrow @ 3:30PM in 156C at the Statehouse. We need people to call and attend the hearing..

If you have a minute, please call (prior to 1 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday 1/20) the following legislators and politely say:

 

"Hello, I would like to encourage Rep __________________ to not vote in favor of House Bill 1258, Representative Lawson'sand Representative Barnes pet store and animal fighting bill. Thank You."

 

House Courts & Criminal Code Committee:

Chair - Rep Pierce - 317-232-9647

Rep Dvorak - 317-234-9290

Rep Dembowski - 317-232-9676

Rep Porter - 317-232-9634

Rep Smith - 317-234-9016

Rep Tincher - 317-232-9999

Rep Koch - 317-232-9793

Rep Clements - 317-234-3827

Rep Foley - 317-232-9815

Rep Steuerwald - 317-232-9677

Speaker of The House Pat Bauer   Phone: 1-800-382-9842  E-Mail: h6@in.gov

Representative Linda Lawson    Phone: !-800-382-9842  E-Mail  h1@in.gov

Representative John Barnes      Phone: 1-800-382-9842  E-Mail  h89@in.gov

Please call, e-mail and write all of the above to express your displeasure with HB1258. Whether youare a Commercial Dog Breeder or a Indiana Dog Rescue or have even been accused of being in Factory Farming. We are all in this together and the assaults just keep coming. Remember YOU might be next.

ICAW always forwards you information when abuse of power situations occur involving animals and their owners. We would like to share another lawsuit that is happening in Pennsylvania that our friend Patti Strand has made us aware of. When you read this article remember, it does not involve Commercial Dog Breeders or a Puppy Mill Rescue. It involves a sportswoman, schoolteacher and environmentalist. This lady's name is Wendy Willard. Please read the following and let us know what you think.

All eyes on Pennsylvania

dog owners' rights are attacked, defended

ICAW met with many people around the state of Indiana in 2008 explaining why over zealous officials need to be careful when enacting new ordinances. One lawsuit and you could be broke! We wish Wendy Willard the best of luck in her lawsuit against the PSPCA.
Remember when the Animals Rights activists come after you ICAW will be there as well to preserve and defend your rights as well.

 The members of ICAW would like to congratulate Feld Entertainment (Ringling Brothers Circus) on their hard fought victory in court against one more of the Animals Rights groups. Feld Entertainment has fought this fight for over 8 years. We would like to express our appreciation to Patti Strand who supplied the body of this post as well. Patti Strand is a tireless worker for our rights as animal owners. Patti has been at the helm of this fight for over 18 years and we will never be able to repay her for everything she does for all of us. We only hope that the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare can have the same impact that Patti has had nationally, here locally in Indiana. So whether you may be Indiana Puppy Breeders or an Indiana Dog Rescue, join us and help support ICAW to protect your rights in Indiana.

     Our Heartfelt Congratulations to Feld Entertainment for a Well Deserved Victory

NAIA congratulates Feld Entertainment and Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey for their gigantic victory in the long fought lawsuit waged against them by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Fund for Animals, (a part of the Humane Society of the United States) and several other high profile animal fundraising groups.

In their quest for donors, it is a sad irony that many of the nation's so-called animal protection organizations target the very businesses that are doing most to protect animals. Certainly that's the case in this 8-year old lawsuit, whose key plaintiff and witness was found to be untruthful and lacking in credibility, a plaintiff who just happened to be paid by several of these same animal protection groups.  

Ironically, while Feld was spending millions to assure the health, well-being and preservation of the world's threatened elephants, the animal fundraising groups were busy paying plaintiffs, and pushing policies and litigation that could lead to their extinction.

So, on behalf of all the people who work and live with animals, whether professionally, or as breed enthusiasts, livestock producers or simply as pet owners, our heartfelt thanks go to Feld Entertainment. This is a huge win for all of us!

Patti Strand, National Director

Join Our 18 Year Movement to Stop Animal Rights Extremism

Notes:

1. For the official Feld press release please visit: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/feld-entertainment-inc-victorious-in-case-brought-by-aspca-and-other-animal-special-interest-groups-80383197.html
2. To read the decision, go here:  https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2003cv2006-559
3. To read more about what Feld Entertainment is doing to preserve the world's elephants, please go here: http://www.elephantcenter.com/

 

ICAW wishes all of the Indiana Dog Breeders and Indiana Puppy Breeders in the state of Indiana a very Happy New Year. HB 1468 Enrolled is now completely the law. ICAW wants to express their appreciation for all of the hard work done by so many people and organizations to get this feat accomplished.

We now look forward to working with all of the different groups around the state to make things even better for all animals. Whether it is an Indiana Dog Rescue or a Dog Adoption Shelter. We truly want to help all parties envolved to Stop Cruelty to Animals.

Please contact us with any concerns you may have with any of  the above issues. We truly want to help.
 

ICAW has found out that the Mayor of Muncie Indiana says she is planning to close the city animal shelter because budget cuts would leave it understaffed.

The City Council on Monday declined Mayor Sharon McShurley's request that it reconsider a decision to eliminate one of two full-time animal control officers next year. Under a union contract provision, that job cut would cause the firing of five part-time workers and leave the shelter with two staffers to oversee about 75 animals.

ICAW wants to know what has happened in Muncie, Indiana for such a dramatic action to take place. We know that whether you are an Indiana Humane Society or an Indiana Dog Rescue that everyone involved with animal welfare are struggling to make ends meet. We wonder how much discussion has happened with all of the animal parties involved including constituents.

Dog Adoption Shelters seem to be taking the brunt of the current recession. We here at ICAW want everyone in Muncie and Delaware County to know that we would love to come to talk with the Mayor and the City/County Council on what we all could do to help.

Contact ICAW

Holiday shopping is near and Indiana pet stores are ready with puppies in all breeds and colors. Prices may seem a bit high, but plastic money is accepted at the check-out counter. The puppies are playful, have quick tongues that lavish kisses on happy faces, and are registered. Indiana pet store staff are eager to put a wiggly bundle of fur into a customer's arms. The customer is reluctant to put that squirmy, loving puppy back into their display.

So the puppy goes home with the happy family. All may be well; the puppy may grow into just the dog the customer wanted - easily housetrained, gentle with the baby, playful with the older children, a quiet companion for the adults, a healthy, easily-trained pooch that readily fits family and lifestyle.

Pet stores have been accused of getting their puppies from puppy mills, but this is not true of reputable independent pet stores or chain pet stores stores. However, they do get their dogs from commercial kennels or brokers who are in the business to sell puppies.

You may also choose to get your puppy from an Indiana Dog Rescue or the Indiana Humane Society. Here is where the conundrum comes in. Where should a family get their puppy?  We here at ICAW really don't have an issue where you get your puppy from. We just want to ensure your right to be able to do whatever your choice may be. Always remember there are positives and negatives in every one of the above mentioned places to get your puppy. But it should always be about individual choice and the welfare of the animals. Please help us at the Indiana Council for Animal Wefare to fight to retain those rights for you.

I was reading a newspaper the other day and came across an article with opinion that animal lovers should stop sending money to zealots. I wanted to give you a couple of quotes from this article. One veterinarian pointed out that these groups are clawing their way through legal and legislative channels toward giving pets individual rights rather than leaving them designated as the property of their owners. The vet said that, among other problems, this would have huge repercussions to the costs of veterinary care and liability. "Can you imagine the costs of routine pet procedures if we have to run unnecessary tests and insure ourselves for protection against possible multimillion-dollar lawsuits?" the veterinarian asked.

Another comment came from a woman who works with a small-town animal welfare organization that does the dirty work of caring for the epidemic of lost, abused or unwanted pets. She thanked me for pointing out that these local nonprofit animal rescue groups, including the local Humane Societies that have no connection with the Humane Society of the United States, are always scrapping for money to do their work.

“I used to donate (to HSUS), years ago, but all the money seemed to go to mailings with another free key chain and a request for more money,” she wrote. “I was never sure that my donation was helping homeless animals. I now only donate locally, like to the Spokane Humane Society, or to our organization, where 100 percent of funds are spent on vet care.”

When the citizens of Indiana attack ICAW for our beliefs about Commercial Dog Breeders or how to Stop Cruelty to Animals, they really should sit down and do their homework. Calling the good family farmers in our state a term like Factory Farming makes me wonder if they have ever been on one of those farms.

Let's take Indiana University, Purdue University or the other many colleges and universities in Indiana, and think about the following statements.

Medical and veterinary students cannot learn the complexities of hemorrhage on a computer model. Period.

Scientists who are trying to find cures for diseases and test surgical procedures and devices are having their lives threatened by the moral fascists.

“I’d rather see (animals) euthanized than go to a research facility,” said Minnesota Animal Rights Coalition president Charlotte Cozzetto.

It's truly time we sat down and stop the name calling whether it be Amish Puppy Mills or Indiana Puppy Mills and figure out what we as Hoosiers can really do to help the animals of our State of Indiana.

We were all wondering the other night while talking about the firing of IACC Director Doug Rae in October of 2009... how does Indianapolis move forward in creating a No Kill animal mentality in the IACC?

Public Safety Director Mark Renner spoke upon Rae's firing saying that Mayor Greg Ballard's administration wanted Rae to focus more on public safety. No one at the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare would ever want to put any animal's health or safety at risk.

However, if none of the Indianapolis city controlled shelters move towards a No Kill mentality, we here at ICAW believe they are missing the boat. In our last two posts we have focused on the successful programs that Calgary and Washoe County, Nevada have had in adopting No Kill animal policies.

We know Mr. Rae is not perfect, but no one is nor will ever be. A true community leader needs to be identified who would be able to pull from every avenue available. We are sure that any Indiana Dog Rescue would agree, and any of the Dog Adoption Shelters would agree as well. We already know that the Indiana Humane Society agrees that animal rights are of the uptmost importance.

Just like at ICAW, all of the parties that would ever be involved need to sit down and work out their differences. They can agree to disagree! For the sake of the animals and the reputation of Indianapolis Animal Care Control, we hope they do.

We would like to leave you with a quote from Nathan J. Winograd: "Likewise, just six months ago, I held a two day seminar on Building a No Kill community in Indianapolis, attended by virtually all the rescue groups in the city and shelter administrators from surrounding states. But even though it was in Indianapolis, no one from the private Humane Society of Indianapolis came and only one person from Indianapolis animal control showed up, who privately told me she / he would get fired if the boss found out she / he was there - fired for trying to learn how to save more lives."

"I also made unannounced visits to the two shelters. The Humane Society was keeping over 40 empty cages to reduce costs and was importing animals from outside Indianapolis while animals were being killed at animal control. In 2008, the director resigned. Meanwhile, Indianapolis Animal Control was filthy and 2008 saw a series of scandals of poor care and unnecessary killing that forced the resignation of its own shelter director."

For the sake of the animals, what do we do? You can start out by becoming a member of the Indiana Council of Welfare for Animals. Help us help the animals and your rights to own them.

As mentioned in our last post about dog adoption shelters, we here at ICAW have been telling you about our travels around the State of Indiana visiting Indiana dog breeders, Indiana pet stores and dog adoption shelters trying to educate and inform them of what is happening in our state and our country concerning animal welfare issues.

We promised you in our last post that we would talk about the No Kill Advocacy Center. First we should begin by briefing you about the Nevada Humane Society. Bonney Brown, the Executive Director of the Nevada Humane Society said, "In early 2007, Nevada Humane Society committed to making Washoe County, Nevada into one of the safest communities for homeless dogs and cats in the nation. The results have been dramatic. Many people have asked how we have made such remarkable improvements in the county-wide save rate for dogs and cats over the past year. So we have put together the game plan we used in hopes that it will help others produce similar results in their communities."

"In 2007, the Nevada Humane Society launched an ambitious no-kill initiative to make Washoe County, Nevada one of the safest communities in the United States for homeless animals. And we are succeeding. Despite a per capita intake rate higher than many communities nationwide, we were the safest community of our size for dogs in the United States and one of the safest for cats. By year’s end, 92% of all dogs and 78% of all cats found loving new homes, were reclaimed by their responsible caretakers or, in the case of feral cats, were adopted as barn cats or returned to their habitats."

By the Numbers*

Dogs

Total Impounds: 8,036
Total Saved: 7,366
Killed: 670
Percentage Saved: 92%
Percentage Killed: 8%
Change in Kill Rate (2006 vs. 2007): -51%
Change in Adoption Rate: +53%

Cats

Total Impounds: 7,819
Total Saved: 6,067
Killed: 1,752
Percentage Saved: 78%
Percentage Killed: 22%
Change in Kill Rate (2006 vs. 2007): -52%
Change in Adoption Rate: +84%

How They Did It...

Their 10 Guidelines for Success

 1.  Establish priorities and align actions with them to save animals immediately.

 2.  Get “the right people on the bus.”

 3.  Invest time and assets in lifesaving.

 4.  Inspire and involve the community.

 5.  Increase adoptions.

 6.  Spay and neuter animals.

 7.  Actively work to keep animals out of shelters.

 8.  Provide a safety net for feral cats.

 9.  Partner with other groups.

10. Stay Flexible

Once again, take a moment and digest the statistics above. Washoe County Nevada's Population in 2008 was 410,443. We believe that these statistics are possible in our Indiana communities as well, and Indiana Dog Rescue or Dog Adoption Shelters in Indiana feel the same way. However, we are not sure if the Animals Rights groups believe this is possible in Indiana and other states.

Find the Opportunities in Challenges.

With animals, people and human nature, unexpected things will always come up. If animal control busts a hoarder, if there is a natural disaster or if an injured animal needs expensive care, ask the public to come forward to help. They will adopt the animals, make donations to provide care, volunteer to help, or provide foster homes – all you have to do is ask.

  If it wasn't for all of the "Labeling" and "Your This" and "I am That" we all could probably agree on the real cause for concern "The Animal". Our friend Nathan J Winograd recently wrote this article that I want to share today. Whether it's commercial dog breeders or Indiana dog rescues, we can all agree that what Nathan writes about should not happen.

  I hope we get some comments about what YOU really think about these type of issues and where will the money come from to help.

While Rome Burns, Emperor Pacelle Strums His Lyre

November 7, 2009 by Nathan J. Winograd 

As scandals involving abusive animal control officers and shelter workers erupt nationwide, HSUS calls for “National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.”

Dedicated to abuse and neglect? HSUS demands that we appreciate the “dedicated” staff of shelters who cause this, and then turn around and fight efforts when animals lovers call for reform. At this shelter, state inspectors found: “severe fly and maggot infestation,” “overwhelming malodorous smell,” “large amount of blood was found splattered on the floor, walls, and viewing window,” sick and injured animals “not being treated.”

Last week was “National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week,” the Humane Society of the United States’ celebration of animal shelters and the “dedicated people” who work at them. According to the press release, HSUS is “the strongest advocate” for shelters.

At the same time as HSUS was proclaiming itself the Number 1 cheerleader for shelters in the country, there has been a significant amount of nationwide media coverage revealing widespread animal neglect and outright abuse at these very institutions. These exposes show a strikingly different reality than the fantastical and mythical description of shelters portrayed by the very agency that is supposed to be their watchdog. These stories include:

In Memphis, TN, shelter workers not only intentionally starve animals to death; they take animals who are still alive to the incinerator where they burn the bodies of the animals they kill.

Puppy when he entered the Memphis shelter.

Same puppy after being intentionally staved by shelter workers, before he died.

In King County, WA, an animal control officer turns whistleblower and not only confirms the neglect and abuse uncovered in three independent assessments (click here and here and here), but that things are worse than ever for the animals, despite the denials of the guild/union that blindly defends itself and its members.  The whistleblower describes “cats dying in their cage for lack of treatment, a dog so sick [he] nearly drowns in a stream of water in its kennel and animals of all types in need of veterinary attention, but not getting it.”

A sick cat in the infirmary goes without food, water, or litter during a holiday weekend. Take a photo tour of King County Animal Care & Control by clicking here.

In Lucas County, OH, the dog warden—an incompetent hack given the job out of nepotism—routinely allows dogs to get sick and then slaughters them despite readily available lifesaving alternatives.

In Los Angeles County, a news investigation team uncovered officers physically abusing animals. In Placer County, CA, officers were convicted of animal abuse. The list goes on and on and on and on.

These stories describe shelter workers and Animal Control Officers, who kick, beat, baton, and kill puppies.

Blood splattered on kennel in this San Bernardino County shelter after an animal control officer beat a puppy with a baton. He was not fired.

Those who cause animals to suffer and die.

Those who cause animals to cannibalize other animals in their cages because they go unfed.

And the very animal control officers who cause this suffer no repercussions because they are “supervised” by their fellow union and bureaucracy-protected shirkers.

The Status Quo

All of these scandals beg the obvious question raised by HSUS’ “National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week”: What is it about animal’s shelters that we are supposed to appreciate?  As I argued in Redemption, underperformance, neglect, uncaring and even cruelty have long been epidemic and endemic to animal control shelters. And while the last several weeks have seen much abuse uncovered, it isn’t necessarily because such abuse is on the rise. More of it is making headlines these days because more people are now aware of the neglect, calling attention to it, and demanding change—even in the face of absolute entrenchment by the animal sheltering industry and their allies in the large national “animal protection” organizations. Organizations which continue to ignore the obvious and parrot tired and disproven clichés that these shelters are doing the best they can, the killing is inevitable, no one wants to kill,  and that we should regard the animal control officers and other shelter staff with respect and gratitude.

HSUS’ latest public relations gimmick is part of a larger attempt by the very animal control officers responsible for this neglect and abuse to reform their image from one of “dog catcher” to “humane law enforcement.” They are trying to change the image of their agencies from “pounds” to “shelters,” from “animal control” to “animal care and control,” even while they refuse to reform their regressive and abusive practices which—were they to  end—would naturally lead to the respect and gratitude they claim to be seeking.

True Accountability

The issue was brought into stark relief for me at a recent city council meeting I attended on a matter related to the local shelter. Before the issue I was there to discuss came up on the agenda, the fire chief spoke to the city council. He talked about the goals for his agency during the coming fiscal year. He spoke of his agency’s response times compared to the best performing departments in the country. He admitted that his Fire District lagged behind the very best. He spoke of how he was going to close the gap, by implementing a series of short, medium, and long term goals with measurable results. He was aspiring for his department to be the best, he admitted they fell short, and he had a plan to correct that. It was the mark of the true professional.

In sheltering, we have the exact opposite: animal control “professionals” denying reality, shunning accountability, aspiring to mediocrity and failure, all while betraying the animals (and the citizens) they are pledged to serve.

In Austin, Texas, for example, the director of the shelter defrays criticism for her appalling kill rates by telling the City Council that she is doing better than the worst shelters in Texas, by comparing herself to agencies where employees are convicted child molesters, have been witnessed abusing puppies, where kittens do not get fed, and puppies get flushed down trench drains. By that standard, everyone is doing a good job. But why does the animal control chief of a major city aspire to compare herself to the worst of the worst?

In the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, the director of the large humane society which performs animal control for the region defends her 42 percent killing rate for dogs by saying it is better than the national average. It is, in fact, actually worse than the national average, but the question is the same: why do she and her agency aspire to mediocrity?

In one of the largest cities in the United States, applicants who apply for a city job are placed in the animal control department if they score the lowest on the city aptitude test, proving that animal control in many communities has become a jobs program for those who are unemployable in either the private sector or any other government agency deemed more important, despite the fact that these under-achievers are given the power over life and death by being put in charge of the most vulnerable of victims. Why?

As I was listening to the Fire Chief, I was struck by the contrast between how staff in his department approached their responsibilities by being accountable to results, and how shelter staff continues to avoid accountability at all costs, even in the face of rampant neglect and abuse. It is this very attitude that is at the heart of why our nation’s sheltering system is so tragically broken: How can you fix a problem you refuse to admit exists? How can animal control officers reform their practices when they refuse to have standards and benchmarks that would hold them accountable to the best performing shelters in the nation? How can they be expected to be taken seriously, to be respected, when they refuse to acknowledge failures and refuse to correct even the worst of their deficiencies? How can an agency dare to demand respect when they not only refuse to keep pace with the dynamic and innovative changes in their field as a result of the No Kill movement, but actually fight those changes? And how can they do a good job when they are staffed by those who have no skills, training, or desire to do a good job even as they are entrusted to do so by an animal loving public which pays their salaries?

They can’t. Indeed, to be a firefighter often requires a degree in Fire Science, rigorous training, a competitive process, and a sound psychological profile. The same is true of police officers. Even librarians, public servants we rely on to deliver professional, high quality service to the community which funds them, require a bachelor’s degree in Library Science. But “animal control officers” require none of this. Many are not even certified. Others take a one week certificate course from the National Animal Control Association, a regressive organization whose members kill millions of animals every year. Then, they put on a tin badge and a store bought uniform, and give themselves titles like “Sergeant,” in an attempt to demand a legitimacy and stature they do not deserve, nor faithfully represent.

Cheerleaders Instead of Watchdogs

How did this happen? And why do the large national organizations continue to defend these regressive agencies, to be the “strongest advocate” for these agencies, but not the actual animals mistreated and abused by the animal control officers who staff them—even as animal activists in virtually every U.S. community deplore the state of their shelters and find them hostile to change?

As I write in my upcoming book, Irreconcilable Differences, the reason groups like HSUS support the status quo in animal shelters:

Is not based upon any coherent philosophy but arises from the simple fact that some of the leaders of these organizations worked at shelters that killed animals. In fact, many of them killed thousands of animals themselves. HSUS leadership often comes from animal control organizations that kill animals, and these individuals carry that mindset to HSUS, even though it claims a different mission. And so they denigrate the animals they are supposed to protect, and use HSUS to veil their reactionary animal control agendas under the cloak of “animal welfare.”

The result: unregulated, regressive shelters that are defended at all costs by HSUS and others with a series of excuses (pet overpopulation, public irresponsibility) to defray criticism from the public who would otherwise demand better.

They neither work hard to protect animals from abuse, nor do they care about saving their lives. In fact, too many offer only an extension of the abuse these animals faced before entering the shelter. And much more often, the first time animals entering shelters experience abuse and neglect are at the hands of these officers who are supposed to be their protectors.

Standing Up to Bullies

Thankfully, many animal activists and No Kill advocates are well past the point where they believe that just because these agencies come with the name “Humane Society” or “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” or “Animal Care & Control” that they are staffed with animal lovers. Activists also realize that given that many of these shelters are committed to remaining little more than assembly lines of death, animal lovers would not work there, and those that do are quickly driven out by the institutional inertia and uncaring that prevents them from reforming practices and saving more lives. They are also driven out under threats:

In Philadelphia, just a few short years ago, reformist-minded staff had the tires on their cars slashed, sugar poured in gas tanks, windows smashed, and were threatened with physical violence by union thugs who were aided by health department bureaucrats intent on protecting shirkers.

In Indianapolis, the reformist director had the window smashed and dog food smeared on his car before union thugs colluded with politicians and others to drive him out.

A reformist director is greeted by shelter thugs with smeared dog food, then a smashed windshield, and finally threatening letters on his car.

In King County, WA, those who come forward to reform the abusive shelter are the subject of character assassination, aided by a corrupt county executive. The whistleblower—whose conscience apparently got the better of him/her—sought “whistleblower protection” because of fear for his/her job and safety.

In a rural Georgia pound, cats were found dead (a necropsy determined they had been poisoned by antifreeze and only staff had access to these animals), which outspoken volunteers who had convinced the county to investigate conditions at the shelter believe was retaliation for their going public.

While the recent exposes are less and less surprising to animal activists and No Kill advocates, they are helping to inform the larger animal-loving American public of this widespread abuse and neglect, which cuts through the fog of misinformation peddled by guilds/unions, bureaucrats, and the large national organizations that shelters are humane and that their staff are caring. As I write in Irreconcilable Differences:

Most people believe that animal shelters find homes for as many animals as they can, and gently “euthanize” the rest because there is no other choice. Many people believe that if there were alternatives, shelters would not kill because they are staffed with benevolent animal lovers, laboring against overwhelming odds and offering a humane death only when necessary. Because we could not do it, we assume they do it because they have no choice.

These shelters and their large national allies—the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, and the National Animal Control Association—encourage this belief. Accordingly, they claim that leadership and staff at every one of these agencies “have a passion for and are dedicated to the mutual goal of saving animals’ lives.”

It is this portrayal that silences criticism of shelters, the vast majority of which have a paltry number of adoptions and staggeringly high rates of killing. The public is told, “We are all on the same side,” “We all want the same thing,” “We are all animal lovers,” and criticism of shelters and staff is unfair and callous because “No one wants to kill.”

The facts, of course, tell a tragically different story. But there is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. HSUS knows it. NACA knows it. The guilds and unions know it. Even the abusive staff knows it. We—animal activists, and increasingly, the media and your average animal loving American—are on to them. We see through their tin badges, store brought uniforms, and their made-up titles. And together—whether they like it or not—we will bring these agencies kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.

Then—and only then—will we have something authentic to appreciate during what is now, nothing more than a thinly-veiled sham.

What You Can Do:

Get informed: Click here

Get organized (Samples): Click here and here and here

Fight back: Click here.