Posted on 02/17/2006 11:22:58 AM PST by girlangler
Dog Owner Protests Force Virginia Senators to Postpone Bill Vote
Responding to a wave of dog owner concerns, the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee yesterday postponed until February 20, 2006 its vote on HB339 - "Licensing of dogs and cats." HB339 passed the House of Delegates by a split vote on February 14, 2006. Only after its passage did most Virginia pet owners become aware of the bill's far-reaching negative implications. Pressures to defeat this legislation continue to mount.
HB339 is a major assault on citizen's privacy. It requires that a Virginia pet-owner database be established, first at the county level, then statewide. That database will be available to commercial and all other interests under the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA). This system will contain veterinary furnished information, collected under the threat of fines. Every state veterinarian must supply county and city treasurers with the names, addresses, detailed animal description of any dog given a rabies vaccination. Treasurers are then required to send licensing bills to owners and share information with other treasurers, or anyone else seeking the data.
HB339 had earlier contained a provision the set uniform $10 license fees statewide, abrogating local controls and raising licensing costs in ninety-nine counties and cities. That fee structure was removed, as were all references to cats and their owners. There are more cats than dogs in Virginia and more cats are euthansized in shelters than are dogs, but no data on cats or their owners will be collected.
Bob Kane, president of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association stated, "Animal rightists and others want this law very badly; it serves as the stepping stone to further animal and animal owner regulation. Claims that this bill is only intended to raise licensing rates simply aren't genuine. In fact, this bill drives a wedge between veterinarians and their clients. It will reduce both rabies vaccinations and dog tag sales, as owners decline to have their detailed private data put on public display. No one wants to be treated like a criminal, but that's the effect of HB339. Your personal information will be accessible, to one and all, just as if you were a convicted sexual predator."
"No insurance company doing business in Virginia will sell homeowner coverage to anyone that it knows owns certain "blacklisted" dogs. Those blacklisted dogs vary by company, but normally include, at a minimum, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans and their mixes. HB339 requires, under the threat of fine, veterinary reporting of every dog rabies vaccinated, including the animal owner's name and address, the species of the animal, the sex, the age, the color, the primary breed, the secondary breed, and whether or not the animal is spayed or neutered. [emphasis added]
Insurance companies have a significant financial incentive to identify owners of blacklisted dogs in their policy pools. Their use of blacklisted, no-coverage breed lists is well-established, nationwide and unlikely to change. Owners of such breeds are universally considered higher risk policy holders, regardless of the individual dog's true nature, and those homeowners' insurance may be terminated at policy renewal, if not before. " "HB339 creates the perfect publicly accessible database to identify owners of pit bulls, Rotties, Dobes and other targeted breeds. While Virginia's animal code forbids discrimination by breed, its insurance regulations do not. Such database misuse by commercial interests and activists goes well beyond trash mailings by dog food companies. It has the potential to single out any breed, intact hunting dogs, or anyone felt to have too many dogs. "
Kane concluded, "If this bill weren't bad enough, HB339's forced spay-neuter penalty provisions for untagged impounded dogs that are intact could have written by George Orwell. There are too many bills being hurried through Virginia's short General Assembly sessions. This one's horrific and I'm grateful to those Delegates who understood that and voted against it. Hopefully, Virginia's Senators will take a careful look at this bill and HB339 won't become law."
For additional information, contact Bob Kane at 540-543-2312
Media Contact: Bob Kane 540-543-2312
Breeders? You mean puppy millers?
Virginia is turning into a big government left-wing cesspool. Disgusting.
"No one wants to be treated like a criminal, but that's the effect of HB339. Your personal information will be accessible, to one and all, just as if you were a convicted sexual predator."
Bump
Ping
"I believe we've got a republican controlled VA senate and house."
So does Ohio, but that certainly hasn't helped us.
I think someone needs to go back to Governmental Acronym School (GAS)...
... as opposed to a conservative controlled VA senate and house ....... therein lies the problem.
Uh, no I don't mean "puppy millers."
Do you really think anybody who breeds dogs is a puppy miller?
If so you have been reading too much PETA/HSUS propaganda. They love legislation like this, and the people running those organizations would like to eventually see all animal ownership/hunting/ field trailing etc., ended.They certainly spend billions (collectively, all animal rights organizations) lobbying for legislation like this, and to end animal research, and much more. Unfortunately, they spend nothing to spay/neuter, feed, or house animals.
It's sad, these do-gooders, should they spend money on animals, could have made a difference. I just adopted an OLD dog (scheduled for euthanization) a few weeks ago from a shelter here. These PETA/HSUS idiots could end the need for LOCAL shelters if they helped animals.
Educate yourself before painting a broad brush definition of a dog breeder.
Sorry, you paint me with the wrong brush there. I grew up very close to Lancaster, PA. The puppymill capitol east of the Mississippi. It would make your blood boil to understand how rampant it actually is. But keep your head buried, you'll sleep easier at night.
Every day that passes convinces me more and more that the idea that republicans were "different" was nothing more than an illusion reinforced by wishful thinking from the days that democrats ran the country.
I moved from VA to TN. Even though we have a Dem Gov. and legislature, we have no income taxes and no crap legislation like this.
I mean no offense to you. I can understand wanting to shut down puppy mills. I despise them too, they abuse animals and breed in undesirable traits (certain diseases, etc). How will this bill solve that problem?
Not all breeders run puppy mills. My setter came from a breeder who is dedicated to furthering this breed of dog. I have just bred her for the same reason. Nobody will receive one of her puppies unless I am certain they will be well taken care of.
I'd be willing to bet Virginia has some tough animal cruelty laws. Can't these be used to control puppy mills? And, my guess is someone evil enough to run a puppy mill will simply not pay the license fees. Why punish responsible breeders?
PING!
I know, I know, but I couldn't let this one get past you. Have a great weekend!
BUMPING VIRGINIA!!!!
GREAT JOB!
No, the puppy millers would be the Save a SATOR program.
Thanks for the ping.
The spay-neuter penalty is appropriate. The suffering of excess cats and dogs, and the huge taxpayer expense of dealing with them, easily warrants it. If your pet is wandering off your property, it's a public issue that if it's adding to the population of stray animals and to the expense of rabies control. The rest is unnecessary garbage.
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