A Comparison of Freedom Today vs...
Our freedom to own purebred dogs is challenged across the nation - and while our soldiers earn purple hearts we chase purple ribbons.
July 2008 Barbara "BJ" Andrews, SAAB Member
So this 4th of July I decided to compare previous Independence Day editorials with what has changed and what hasn't.
dateline July 2005 “(TheDogPress) … will not duck the tough issues in order to serve the media master …the sport is in trouble and that means dogs are in trouble.” "We need leadership that is for dogs, not for profit and we desperately need a unified front to protect the rights of dog owners. Thinking ‘it won't affect me' is like planning a litter of foxhounds and ordering your hunt outfit from England!'”
I also observed “…registries are not yet working together on the biggest problems which threaten dog owners. People still think PETA is wonderful and the “humane society” is like grandma's apple pie!” That hasn't changed.
Chinese Imports / Chinese KC?2005 editorial: "... Chinese imports brought in to satisfy the demand for purebred dogs? AKC keeps implying that show breeders are not able to meet demand, therefore it is okay for puppy mills to exist!" Lana Tsan, President of the China Kennel club is on our Science and Advisory Board. ... Lana says despite AKC's claim of “overwhelming growth” there has been negligible increase in sales to the states. So ask yourself - why does ACK want us to believe that puppy mills can't supply enough dogs for the American people? This may be but the tip of the iceberg and we'll stay on this story.”
Most Americans have had just about enough of China even if their pets weren't poisoned by melamine dog food imports and even if they don't know how China has our stock market in a strangle hold. In spite of all that, AKC did a deal with a handful of wealthy Chinese dog breeders. How does a global registry with a country still in the dark ages of pedigree and genetics help dedicated breeders in America?
That 2005 editorial ended with “the sound of Freedom is like a worry-gnat buzzing ‘round your ear. You swat the air and hope the annoyance goes away. It won't.” And it hasn't.
Puppy Mills, Petland Contract, Mutts in AKC Shows:The Delegates stood against AKC's proposed deal with Petland and it was rescinded in 2006. Today most are betting that the proposed “listing” of mutts for competition in AKC performance events will lead to further degradation of AKC's Bylaws which stress “purebred” dogs in AKC events. Is this a way around the Petland fiasco? Who knows?
We still have the onslaught of AA legislation and we have to wonder why AKC doesn't tell the legislators that there is no “overpopulation problem”? That in fact, shelters import dogs from Islands and Asian countries in order to fill public demand? Now we learn of the pipeline to/from China. When it comes to $$$, AKC has no more national pride than any other corporaton - China is monopolizing the OPEC oil market and preparing to drill off the coast of Miami Beach while Congress diverts our attention to arguments about ANWAR.
In 2006, we broke the story on the Boulton Case which hinged on that pesky free speech thing. The editorial was rather upbeat, ending with “We are the people who elect Delegates who represent us to the governing body. That is why we celebrate our Declaration Of Independence.
For those who find the seat getting hard, the fireworks too long delayed and thunder rumbling in the distance, remember where you live. When you celebrate next week, let it be about ‘Liberty and justice for all.'
Freedom From Fear:So as the politicians like to say, are we better off today? Well, let's look at that. We're afraid to have our addresses in the catalogs. We dare not speak out against our governing body. We're afraid to admit we are “breeders” because PETA and HSUS have made that a dirty word in the American language and AKC hasn't helped “US” with an equal amount of marketing in a market-driven world.
We have judges who know a good dog when they see one but are too politically aligned to award one not owned or backed by the correctly connected. Other judges who have exercised their right to free speech are charged with violating an all-encompassing code of something called “sportsmanship.”
And who knows? That could turn into a story demanding Freedom Of The Press. TheDogPress.com EST 2002 © 08071107 https://www.thedogpress.com/editorials/0807-Freedom-Today.asp
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