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I got a private message about this report that may have general interset for pet owners and people interested in the issues of spay/neuter mandates. The writer questioned my statement that sterilization at age six months is medically unsafe. He said he has had three cats that were sterilized at the age of six months, and they had no problems.

Here is part of my reply to him:

“I am much more familiar with medical issues pertaining to dogs than to cats, but a preponderance of RECENT research shows the increased risk for serious and sometimes fatal medical conditions following dog sterilization at a young age (before sexual maturity).

“This is one reason why reason we oppose mandatory pet sterilization. Government should not be telling someone to do something that may endanger a dog’s help. Government is not a veterinarian.

“Here are two links to The American College of Theriologists (veterinary reproductive specialists)that discuss the latest research on spay/neuter.

“Position statement: http://www.theriogenology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=55

“Medical pros and cons: http://www.theriogenology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=59

“Rutgers University also did a study of modern research that was even more conclusive about the potential for increased risks. However, I can’t locate the URL at the moment.

Sincerely,

John Yates

It is impossible to write laws that cover more than physical care. You can’t legislate love.

I am not trying to convince you to like commercial kennels (I don’t), but imagine this scenario. You and I decide to go into business operating a commercial kennel.

We build good facilities, buy 100 breeding dogs, and raise aabout 600 puppies a year (one litter for each dog).

Sounds bad, doesn’t it?

But wait a minute. It is our full-time job. The two of us work full time caring for those 100 dogs and the 10 litters of puppies we raise a month. Moreover, our kids hang around an help, and so do their friends, and we probably will hire a couple of other people to do the cleaning and other gunge work.

It is very possible that those dogs and puppies in our commercial kennel will get more love, attention and affection than many family pets. If we love dogs and enjoy their company, we could have a commercial kennel that even you and I could like.

I don’t like puppy mills, either, because I can’t think of dogs as livestock. However, any successful farmer will tell you that the only way to be profitable is to maintain animals in excellent health and conditions. If you don’t, you go broke.

Ask the dairy farmer down the road. His cows are very well fed, housed and pastured, if he is still in business.

The USDA issued 28,000 citations in 2007.

The issue is not owning a dog.

The issue is private property rights to own and enjoy your property...which includes dogs.

The issue is “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The issue is equal protection under the law and due process under the law...and they are definitely contained in the Bill of Rights.

You are very wrong.

Commercial kennels (aka puppy mills) are fully regulated on the federal level by USDA, on the state level by kennel laws, and on the state level by animal cruelty laws. They can be shut down immediately for taking poor care of their dogs, and also face fines and jail time.

The issue is that people who are accused of violating the law deserve the full protection of the Constitution and Bill of Rights...as well as the presumption of innocence that used to be the basis for our system of justice.

I wish I was guilty of exaggeration!

I’m not.

In most places, animal control people do the mundane stuff...pick up strays, bust people for letting their dogs roam, etc.

Animal cruelty police officers are employed by state-sanctioned humane societies. They are not professional law enforcement officers. They are contractors to government, but are not employed or supervisors by government.

They are hired based on their political connections to animal rights groups. They are rent-a-cops with a deeply held personal axe to grind.

When they sweep down on an animal owner, they come in herds that often include dozens of idealistic animal rights activists with no law enforcement training whatsoever.

They get search and seizure warrants on the magisterial level. If you read the laws, you will find that “probable cause” is not part of the language. There usually will be a substitute, such as “have reason to believe,” that is all it takes to get a warrant. “Reason to believe” translates into anyone making a complaint...that’s whgere the animal rights groups come in. They make a complaint to the animal cruelty police officer that has no foundation whatsoever, which justifies a search warrant under the law...and a Chinese fire drill bust.

I live in PA. Here, animal control officers and state dog wardens are specifically prohibited in the law from investigating animal cruelty reports. Only animal cruelty police officers and municipal uniformed police officers are empowered to investigate and file charges. Cops hate dealing with animals, and simply refer compliants to the cruelty police.

My heart goes out to your family.

Perhaps the answer is to use stalking laws to stop these people...and slander.libel laws when good people are assassinated in the press before they have their day in court.

It’s happening in Cain-Tuck. Please see my references in another reply on this thread to the Louisville situation. If you really want to have a good time, go to the KY Legislature’s bill search and type in some keywords like animals, dogs and kennels.

One can never forget that the goal of animal rights groups (such as HSUS and PETA) is not to protect animals. It is to eliminate them. They believe that all animal ownership amounts to exploitation and subjugation, if not slavery...all the way from the farm to the pet poodle on the couch.

When you think of animal rights, think of Karl Marx...simply subsitute animals for “poor, downtrodden, exploited masses,” and you will understand the mindset and implications. Animals are the new slaves that must be liberated...except they fail to mention that liberation equals death, because domesticated animals cannot survive on their own. PETA has a shelter in Virginia, for example. Last year, they killed 95-percent of the dogs that entered their “shelter.” They think of it as mercy killing in order to protect the dogs from being exploited by someone who might adopt and love them. No kidding!

I post on this board because I think the issues go far beyond animals. They apply equally to people who hate animals, because the issues really are constitutional. They apply to everyone. Each of us makes choices in life that other people don’t share, but the essence of freedom is to have the right to make choices and live our lives accordingly, unless there is a compelling reason for the law to intervene.

To accomplish their agenda, the animal rights people are trying to manipulate public opinion to place animal owners in the same light of stigmatization as sexual predators and drug dealers. They are trying to make animal issues into “special cases” that do not deserve the protection of the law, due process and the Bill of Rights. Other groups try to do that with Second Amendment rights, or even “hate speech” laws that are really meant to stifle discourse and debate.

Property rights are very central, too. If you look at all of the animal rights legislation, it takes major steps in legal language to convert dog owners into guardians of dogs. A guardian exists only by virtue of the approval of the state, and a dog becomes the legal equivalent of a ward of the state. The dog has rights. The owner (excuse me, guardian) has none.

That has wide-ranging implications to the entire legal status of private property. Instead of owning and enjoying our private property, it makes it a privilege that may be granted or witheld by the state. Nuts!

The kinds of allegations can be anything, and the issue goes far beyond Texas.

While it can include extreme cases like dog fighting, it most often involves technical violations (such as soeone not having a license).

Even in extreme cases, normal law enforcement is the key. If the cops were busting a murderer, it would be inapprorprate to show up with a small army of cops, do-gooders, tv crews and outraged college students. Likewise, it would be outrageous to deny a murder suspect his/her basic civil rights.

Most cases are far from extreme. Louisville, KY, passed an ordinance requiring expensive breeder permits. Now, the animal rights groups send out posses in the neighborhoods answer ads as if they want to buy a puppy, and call in a large-scale bust. Dogs and their puppies are confiscated and killed at the “shelter.”

In Palm Beach County, FL, the vigilantes (civilian animal rights activists) are given uniforms, badges and the authority to go door-to-door looking for any animal law violation.

And I could name a hundred other examples....

There is an animal rights website called pet-abuse.com. I consider them the bad guys, but they have a great search engine that I use a lot...every animal cruelty bust in America for several years. Check it out. You’ll find some pretty sickening cases, but you also will find that the law takes care of the situations. The language usually is pretty inflammatory, but it does link to newspaper articles. For every person accused (even those found not guity in court), there is a map to their home...an invitation to harrassment, “humane dog thefts,” spying, and even the potential for violence.