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Barbara J. Andrews / Editorial / July 2007
When AKC did the double-cross on PAWS, it lost credibility
in purebred dogs. Having pretended to be against PAWS, AKC
suddenly joined with HSUS and the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL)
in support of PAWS.
 The
timeline below is staggering. The Cat Fancier’s Association, working
with AKC to defeat PAWS, was stunned,
as were all clubs and legislative groups. It was the ultimate treachery
and the fancy rose up against AKC as had never
before happened
So AKC brought
out heavy artillery, not against animal rights, no, it was to
quell the opposition. The PR machine was let loose and key people in the fancy were
pressured but for once, it didn’t work. In spite of AKC's support of influential politicians, the PEOPLE
defeated PAWS! A wised-up fancy had every reason to feel powerful
but no one gloated. We just hugged our dogs and tried to forget
what AKC had done to us.
This journalist warned against complacency. We reminded
readers that PAWS was but a stronger version of the previously
defeated Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the red herring
Puppy Protection Act (PPA) (ref
#1). The cognizant understood that we had vastly underestimated
the animal rights strategy.
Having failed to capture the nation with
PAWS
(ref #2)
, the Animal Rights army
regrouped, examined their mistakes and looked at their options.
Infiltration into local and state government? Accomplished.
Moles tunneled into shelters and humane societies? Done.
All that remained was deeper penetration into AKC and other enemy camps
to further compromise leadership and gain new allies.
So, vastly more empowered and with donations pouring in, the AR
Army concentrated its troops on a carefully selected target.
California is the fourth largest economy in the world. It
has a lot of politicians hungry for campaign contributions. AKC,
the
world’s largest dog registry, holds its
Signature Show in Long
Beach (ref #3). The Golden State is the dog (and cat) show
capitol of the world; thus the most significant place
for animal terrorists to pull off a major coup!
CA 1634
(ref #4) would virtually eliminate hobby breeders,
insuring national success as it spread across the country.
The
following chronology reveals a
battle strategy unseen and unmatched by any of us. Following defeat of the 2001 Santorum-Whitfield Animal
Welfare Act (AWA) things quieted down a bit, but then…
April 26, 2004 - HSUS appoints Wayne Pacelle, VP for 10 years,
as the new CEO to replace retiring Paul Irwin. A committed
animal rights activist, Pacelle went into high gear, his target;
Washington D.C.
May
26, 2005 - Senator Santorum (R-PA) introduced PAWS with
co-sponsor Dick Durbin (D-IL) and supported in the House by Gerlach
(R-PA) and Farr (D-CA).
June
4, 2005 - Bob Kane (SAOVA) noted “I was
flabbergasted to learn that AKC personnel drafted extensive
portions of this (PAWS) legislation.”
July
27, 2005 – With popularity plummeting, overwhelmed by
letters, Santorum says he’ll “convene a hearing” for technical
revisions to the PAWS bill.
August
2005 – AKC runs full page ads in NY Times urging support of
PAWS!
September 2005 Dr. Jim Holt,
AKC lobbyist for PAWS, agrees to debate legislative expert Cindy
Cooke in Raleigh NC, then chickens out.
November 8, 2005 Santorum sets up and chairs hearing for the Ag.
Comm. Subcommittee. Among others, he invites AKC and HSUS to
support his agenda.
June
2006 Santorum visits AKC corporate offices where he picks up
$29,000 in contributions from the AKC board, with Chairman Ron Menaker
coughing up $20,000.
June 2006 - We tied the knot
between AKC’s involvement in the microchip
industry (ref #5), the National Animal Identification System (NAIS),
billions of never-ending dollars per year, politics, and Fred
Thompson.
October 2006 – TheDogPlace poll results - 93% of the dog fancy
is adamantly opposed to PAWS.
2006
PAWS DIED in the 109th Congress and Senator Santorum was defeated
in his senatorial reelection bid.
Summer 2007, Animal Rights
armies conquered Albuquerque, Denver, and Louisville, moved on to hit
hard in OH, NJ, and PA and HB 1634 passed the
California Assembly and moved to the Senate!
AKC has
kept the wraps on its strategy. Hobby
breeders don’t know the legislative score unless they
subscribe
to TheDogPress or belong to
a list brave enough to reprint our sobering
facts. Clubs are financially strapped, unable to mount an
effective defense and can't do the marketing strategy which AKC refuses to
do. And now incredibly, AKC seems to be competing for donation
dollars, asking the public to donate to its new Canine Legislation
Department!
War Casualties - We have seen AKC registrations steadily plummet. Show
entries are dismally down and it isn’t just gas prices. Dog food
companies did the only “marketing” for purebreds (AKC never
has!) but now suddenly, they are pushing shelter dogs. The
public is turned off on purebreds, taking PETA's advice and
adopting a mutt from a shelter. AKC is pushing credit
cards, pet insurance, puppy mill advertising, and selling its
name under the guise of lost income but still paying those
presidential salaries and raking in over $50 million per year.
AKC is preparing to
announce formation of the AKC PAC, solicit more donations, and in violation of its own bylaws,
push for acceptance of “crossbreds.”
Make no mistake - the pundits are wrong when they say we have
never had to fight an enemy on our own soil. We fought for our
right to own the breed of our choice but from shore to shore, Americans
have lost that battle. Now we fight for a way of
life; the right to make private decisions, the right to be free
of oppressive taxation, and the right to be fairly and honestly
represented.
Can we win this animal rights terrorist war without
AKC's support? How are we doing so far?
Barbara J. Andrews, Editor-In-Chief
 http://www.thedogpress.com/Editorials/0707-WarGames.asp
Ref #1
AKC Opposes No-Threat PPA, Then Aligns With HSUS & PETA On PAWS
Ref #2
AKC,
HSUS & Santorum Picked The Wrong Horse
Ref #3
The Hypocrisy of AKC's Signature Show
Ref #4
AKC Betrays CA Breeders & CFA, Removes Opposition, Goes
Neutral on AB1634
Ref #5
Tying The Knot - NAIS, PAWS, Politics,
Digital Angel & Microchips
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