The American Kennel Club, Senator Santorum, and the Humane Society picked the wrong ride when they mounted the PAWS horse.  AKC then decided the microchip industry and puppy mills would be a safer bet.

Barbara J. Andrews © TheDogPress  10|05 -  HSUS probably thought the armored charger would sure-foot it right to the Lost Dutchman’s gold mine.  (Tells you how little they know about history and horses.)  But let's face it, the Humane Society of the U.S. doesn’t need to know anything about animals.  With such great marketing skills, it is described as the richest humane animal rights group in the U.S.  Like PETA’s Infiltration of local government and school systems, success in politics is expensive but HSUS can afford it.

Senator Santorum?  We can only speculate.  Only Hillary has a bigger war chest, so he didn't spearhead the PAWS crusade for money.  Maybe he read The Black Stallion and thought he could ride a mythical horse all the way to the White House?

The pale rider in the picture is AKC.  At $60 to $70 million per year it’s not hurting for money either, no matter what we’re told.  Budgets can look a little strained when organizations move money from one charitable cause to another in order to keep the coffers from overflowing.  Sometimes that’s a good thing because mobile money does good for dogs through the AKC Canine Health Foundation and CAR.

To some observers, the PAWS battle is a fairy tale come true.  Nothing to date has generated such outrage and divisiveness as the pitter-patter of these cute little PAWS, not even the High Volume Breeders Committee ii (1) work to unite show breeders with puppy mills.  When AKC violated the fancy's trust, only insiders knew of it due to a complicit or cowardly press but not today.  Referring to those who believe it will somehow help protect animals, a noted psychologist told TheDogPress that dog owners either don’t understand the law or they refuse to read it themselves, subconsciously fearing that they might have to admit that PAWS is not what AKC says it is. 

Another of our consultants said AKC supporters are hanging onto the horse’s tail, hoping it will pull them along to fame and glory.  He explained that for them, it isn’t about money, the attraction is the power and prestige of being connected with the law-makers, getting invited to the right parties, etc. He chuckled and said they must not know what’s under every horse’s tail. 

Depending on one's point of view, there are some good things to come out of PAWS. 

1.) Santorum’s popularity has seriously fallen in the polls.  He has taken note and seems happy to soak his hot PAWS in cool water. 

2.)  The tragedy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita might have let people think HSUS was a hero were it not for our on-site reports.  Had we not already begun to focus attention on the Humane Society, those first-hand reports might not have seen the light of day.

3.) My opinion is that the demise of unquestioning loyalty to AKC is healthy.  We accepted puppy mills into the fold with only a grunt or two.  We seldom questioned staggering profit for a non-profit.  Giving up the constitutional rights of dog owners was no challenge for those seeking to advance.  But thanks to PAWS, the fancy is waking up to the new AKC and they are up in arms over AKC's betrayal.

4.) Show Breeders are wondering why we have to pay more for everything AKC does, even things that used to be free.  We meekly submitted to recording fees and other increases even though without "us" AKC couldn't sell its name for big TV contracts. Today the cognizant are no longer sure it is okay for AKC to sell us to the highest bidders in vacuum cleaners, kid's toys, credit cards and insurance.  For over a century we've been told (by AKC) that no one makes money in dogs, that we're all in the sport for love of dogs and it is honorable to go in the financial hole. 

We fell for it but suddenly, we see AKC acting like a common prostitute and it is for the money.

Breeders smell a stink a mile away and some are asking - Why is AKC pushing for USDA mandated microchipping?  Does it own stock in Digital Angel?  According to an intriguing blog there are 163 billion unchipped pets and if we could be made to “identify them in case they get lost” (yeah right) at an average cost of $35 bucks, it comes to over $five trillion, seven hundred billion bucks.  Worth bending a few corporate and legislative arms for eh?  Especially if you are the world's biggest registry and had big political and investment connections.

The fancy is just starting to ask why AKC seems to be deserting “show breeders.”  The answer is a whole ‘nother subject but trust me, we are only a tiny fraction of AKC's registry income.  The American Kennel Club actually encourages commercially-bred dogs AKC Supports Paws ii (2), and as long as puppy mill puppies are churned out by the millions and registered with the American Kennel Club, AKC is making money.  If AKC can mandate microchipping, the microchip business would also become a never-ending goldmine as pets die or are in fact lost and replaced. 

Dare I point out that chips do not help dog owned by responsible owners who keep them fenced!!!!  We should have the right to choose, weighing risk against benefit.  We should not be forced to buy a product because some looney law says we have to use it!  My seven dogs are microchipped because other than nipping at AKC from time to time, we are in 100% compliance with rules, regs, policies, even those not yet written.  Admittedly, inserting a foreign object into our dogs is a risk.  Chipping should be an owner's choice, not something mandated by AKC because it can reap extraordinary profit from microchip sales! 

Okay, so the horse named Profit And Ego ran away.  Galloped right by some AKC Delegates who looked the other way.  Fortunately some of the Senators suddenly got saddle sores and claimed they could no long ride.  That was good because there was a time when we thought fighting PAWS and "animal rights" was hopeless. 

Still... let's not relax just because the horse has been temporarily hobbled by the dog and cat fancy.  There are other rides out there…  We better hope the next mount AKC and HSUS decide to straddle is one of those plastic merry-go-round critters because that would be oh! so fitting! 

And we could all meet ourselves coming back as we grab for the golden ring.

Barbara J. Andrews, Editor

(1) instant info - High Volume Breeders Committee Quick overview of AKC and PAWS, plus Gold Links to help you dig deeper.

(2) instant info - AKC & PAWS Quick overview of AKC and PAWS, plus Gold Links to help you dig deeper.

Be sure to check in at Project: PAWS Section for latest news and progress.  Be prepared because PAWS is predicted to be back in 2008