HSUS Dogfight Czar John Goodwin Fails

Again 

Pit bull breeder Pat Patrick acquitted of all charges

Patrick's not guilty of a crime, but his dogs died anyway 

Barely a month since Floyd Boudreaux's acquittal in Louisiana, and Arizona judge John Leonardo tossed out the dogfighting and animal cruelty charges against Pat Patrick and Emily Dennis. 

Oh, my.

How embarrassing for the Humane Society of the United States. 

Fortune in Pima County's eyes

The Patrick prosecution began when HSUS brought dogfighting allegations to the attention of the Pima County Sheriff's department. Did Goodwin dazzle Pima County authorities with tales of how lucrative dogfight prosecutions are? 

Pat Patrick's kennel is located on an attractive piece of real estate. If authorities had successfully gained control under civil asset forfeiture proceedings, the property's value would have covered the cost of all kinds of goodies for the sheriff's department. 

Note to "pit bull" breeders with tangible property: get yourselves a real estate attorney and protect your homes from civil asset seizure proceedings. Do it now. 

Dogfight Czar waddles to the scene 

Goodwin himself showed up at Patrick's kennel during the raid (looking kinda pudgy for a vegan, don't you think?). Cameras rolled. Headlines screamed. Donate Now! emails made the rounds. John Goodwin gave interviews. 

HSUS's "extensive evidence." Not. 

To this day and despite the acquittal, the HSUS website boasts of the "extensive evidence" gathered as HSUS, the Humane Society of S. Arizona and the county sheriff's office swarmed over Patrick's property, gloating that. . .

With the arrests of these dogfighting kingpins, one of the most important underground dogfighting networks in the U.S. has been effectively dismantled. As a supplier of several major fighting-dog bloodlines, Patrick holds a status among professional dogfighters ranking second perhaps only to the infamous Floyd Boudreaux. . . 

HSUS looked forward to a "swift and decisive prosecution".

But just as Floyd Boudreaux was promptly acquitted when he finally got his day in court, the case against Patrick fell into little itty bitty pieces. 

Scorched earth policy: HSUS raids leave no dog standing

Dogfight Czar Goodwin must love the smell of napalm in the morning.

Goodwin & Co. made no plans to hold the Patrick dogs as evidence pending trial. 

Eleven months of "investigating" Pat Patrick -- plenty of time to find housing -- and the world's largest, wealthiest "animal protection" organization made no arrangements to provide for dogs it "rescued." 

Pat Patrick's dogs made for great photo opportunities, though. They were reportedly very sweet, and HSUS exploited their PR value every chance they got. And then HSUS arranged for 94 dogs to die.

This old timer, photographed with an HSUS "rescuer," was seized and killed six months before Pat Patrick even went to trial.  

Patrick, like Floyd Boudreaux, was sentenced to the (permanent) loss of his dogs by the Humane Society of the United States. 

Prior to the court proceedings that vindicated him.

Diane Jessup, who ran the now defunct "LawDogs" program and was imported by HSUS to evaluate Patrick's dogs, took three puppies home with her.

The pups were supposed to be part of the program.

Czar Goodwin even got a little sentimental about it--

It's heartwarming to see these lucky puppies have an opportunity at a better life, while being ambassadors for their much-maligned breed. . .

But Jessup killed the puppies, including this one, all the same.

Must be the season of the bitch

Bad Rap -- the notorious San Francisco pit bull boutique that co-authored and enabled SB 861 and thus collaborated in the incremental extermination of "pit bulls" in California -- picked up a couple of Patrick dogs, too. 

Donna Reynolds, Bad Rap's arrogant queen of double-speak, rationalized it this way: 

"The system killed the dogs because NOBODY WANTED THEM."

Nobody wanted them? Is she crazy? Pat Patrick and Emily Dennis wanted their dogs. Desperately.

Unproved allegations are lethal to pit bulls

In most states -- Arizona appears to be an exception -- "seize in place" court orders in alleged animal cruelty cases are available.

The animals that are the basis for the charges can lawfully be left where they are -- with court-ordered inspections to guarantee their health and safety -- pending adjudication.
 

Pat Patrick's dogs had a home. As the court found, there was no ongoing animal welfare crisis at Patrick's kennel. No deliberate, malicious abuse of animals. No dogfighting.

Patrick's dogs--like Boudreaux's dogs--should be alive today.

Did the Pima County Sheriff's office get kissed first? 

Cause they sure got left holding the bag, didn't they?

Will HSUS bail out Pima County if the consequences for killing Patrick's innocent dogs prove costly? Will HSUS come to the aid of LA SPCA, which pointlessly slaughtered the Boudreaux dogs? 

This three year veteran of the Chicago Police Department’s Animal Abuse Control Team thinks the $5,000 bounty HSUS offers for dogfighting tips is a scam.

HSUS is pretty tight with a nickle. HSUS spends money to make money. But that's about it.

This has to stop.

We cannot allow pit bull breeders to suffer the loss of their dogs based on allegations.
HSUS, its cohorts like the Pima County Sheriff's Department, and its apologists -- like Bad Rap -- are turning the country into a police state.

The time to stop it is now, before its too late.

Persecution of Pit Bull Owners Public servants retaliate against breed ban opponents

Participation in the democratic process lands dog owners on the shit list Fear and loathing in Sioux City, Iowa Earlier this year Sioux City, Iowa joined the list of pathetic U. S. municipalities that allow hysteria and political pandering to drive public policy. Sioux City showed that negative profiling is alive and well in the heartland when it moved to ban "pit bulls". Mocha, the pup pictured above, isn't welcome anymore. Incredibly, if members of Mocha's family went to a town council meeting and testified against the breed ban -- exercised their right to freedom of speech, in other words -- they unwittingly made themselves a target for special, selective attention from the city clerk's office, and animal control. Sioux City? Not pet-friendly.

Sioux City already required cat licensing, and it has a limit law in place that allows residents a maximum of two dogs per household. Anti-pet and anti-pet owner ordinances are traditional, it seems. Owners of Sioux City dogs accused of criminal pit bull resemblance, and unable to prove that their dog is NOT a pit bull, have ten calendar days to find a way to get their dogs out of the city. That's assuming the dog owner can afford the impoundment fees and other costs associated with seizure, impoundment and prosecution on charges of looking like a pit bull. Because the first thing the city does is take the dog away from his or her owner. If owners don't have the cash, or don't have a place outside the city limits to stash the dog, then Sioux City will kill him. Or her. Heartless in the heartland: "pit bulls" are born guilty Alleged pit bulls are presumed guilty of the crime of being a "pit bull." The burden of proof lands on the dog owner -- who must somehow "prove" to the city manager's satisfaction that their dog is not a "pit bull." Good luck with that, owners of short-haired, medium-to-large, mixed breed or otherwise unpedigreed dogs. Cause you're fresh out of "proof." It doesn't exist. Putting the squeeze on veterinarians The AVMA veterinarian's oath doesn't include becoming a tool in the extermination of innocent dogs. Local vets balked at making breed determinations that will cause the deaths of their patients, and they're beginning to bail on the city's licensing program. We want to take care of the animals --we don't want to I.D. the ones that are supposed to be banned," said [Dr. David] Ray. Lesson learned: Vets involved in law enforcement are gonna have trouble sleeping at night when collaborating with animal control becomes unethical. Push came to shove pretty quickly in Sioux City.

Will Sioux City vets betray their clients' faith and trust? Or will they disengage themselves from breed profiling?

City clerk collects names, addresses

Elected officials in Sioux City have been going around, taking names.

The names and addresses of residents who testified before the city council against the breed ban were databanked by the city clerk's office. 28 households received an intimidating letter from the city clerk threatening them with a $750 fine for failure to license their dogs.

Only people who testified against the breed ban got a letter, even though--by its own admission--Sioux City's license compliance rate is a dismal 10 - 15%.

Chilling effect on the democratic process?

Ya think???

Sioux City's elected officials apparently thought that abuse of power is okay if the victims are just pit bull owners. Maybe they thought no one would care what happens to drug dealers and gangbangers like Mocha's owners.

But trying to shut down opposition through selective enforcement of the law is a recipe for tyranny.

The Iowa State Constitution includes a Bill of Rights. Section 20 reads. . .

The people have the right freely to assemble together to counsel for the common good; to make known their opinions to their representatives and to petition for a redress of grievances.

So what the hell happened in Sioux City? What were Mayor Mike Hobart and City Manager Paul Eckert thinking?

Rights and liberties in Sioux City

In Iowa, cities with a population in excess of 29,000 people -- like Sioux City -- are required to maintain an independent local civil and human rights agency.

The Sioux City municipal code includes a human rights section, and the Sioux City Commission on Human Rights in on 6th Street.

Dog lovers in Sioux City need to have a conversation with the Human Rights Commission.

Abuse of power, retaliation, intimidation. . .is the daily dose for pit bull owners.

But that don't make it right. I'm not okay with any of this, and I'm betting plenty of Sioux City residents aren't either.

HSUS Stands Up for Property Rights and Dog Abandonment

Gaming the public in Virginia -- extremist media machine doesn't sweat the small stuff All's fair in a media war. Anything to market that core message, and capture the allegiance of Joe the Plumber.

All eyes are on the prize: public opinion.

The rest is chump change, and Wayne Pacelle knows it.

The Humane Society of the United State went out and purchased the professional services of the best public relations firms money can buy. HSUS employs a full staff dedicated to servicing the media and satisfying their needs. HSUS can pay for whatever media share they can't get for free. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is not going to turn down a paying customer.

HSUS and PETA aren't gonna get hung up on petty details, either.

Small details like . . . the welfare of animals. Wayne Pacelle thinks these dogs are better off dead Virginia state codes allow hunting dog owners to enter prohibited lands under limited circumstances, only on foot and only without weapons, in order to retrieve stray dogs.

Contrary to media coverage, Virginia is not alone in protecting the health and safety of hunting dogs by allowing exceptions to trespass laws.

For example, Minnesota and Michigan have similar provisions. So does Louisiana, where exceptions to trespass law also allow access to otherwise prohibited land in order to retrieve livestock.

As others have pointed out, these exceptions to trespass law work to ensure the welfare of animals, and prevent them from becoming a nuisance. To quote Dennis Foster of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America:

“Any good hunter wants to make sure he takes good care of his dogs, and that he brings them home every time he hunts. . .”

HSUS and PETA want the Virginia law struck down. Turns out that the animal protection racketeers aren't interested in making sure dogs get home safely.

Hypocrisy? Opportunism? Words fail. . .

Incredibly, HSUS now claims to be a champion of property rights.

The same outfit that finances and trains privately employed, armed vigilantes to invade the property of fellow citizens and confiscate their private property, now claims that unarmed dog owners looking for lost dogs is a constitutional issue.

What a crock.

Private property and the Humane Society of the United States

The Humane Society of the United States actively lobbies against private property rights through its support of asset forfeiture laws. It endorses the antics of Tammy Grimes, a one-woman crime spree, convicted thief, and trespasser.

HSUS spearheads ordinances which encourage the seizure, and dispersal and/or destruction of animals prior to the adjudication of charges against the their owners.

Funny how not a single media source has picked up on any of this.

R. E. S. P. E. C. T. for property rights ??? I don't think so.

This latest ploy is all about positioning. It comes from a careful analysis of the market, and a plan calculated to appeal to key public sectors.

HSUS understands the power of the media, and developed their strategy accordingly.

Playing the public for fools

People who love their dogs, and love their civil rights, need to wise up. Dogs won't run like the wind any more in Massachusetts, and if something doesn't change fast, they won't in New Hampshire soon, either.

Floyd Boudreaux's dogs are dead, and "pit bulls" across the country are seized and killed just as fast as "humane investigators" can get their dirty hands on them.

We're not talking "media bias" any more. We're way beyond "educating legislators."

At this point, HSUS writes the 6:00 News, and everything else drops neatly into place.

That can't continue. We need to get a shot or two off in the media war.

Blogging Has Its Own Awards Blue Dog State Toots Some Horns That canny Smartdogs' Weblog almost left Blue Dog at a loss for words. A Superior Scribbler Award for Blue Dog State? Blue Dog is honored! Playing by the rules Here are the rules for Superior Scribbler award recipients:

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.

Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Feisty is as feisty does

Blue Dog must now pass the award on to five deserving bloggy friends, which was tough. The number of good blogs putting good information on the 'web grows daily. But for now, we're pleased to call out. . . . . .No Pit Bull Bans, a blog that keeps on keeping on. . . .Caveat. Never, ever at a loss for words, even when pole-axed by Fiberals. . . .Tortiball. A cat blog, hereby nominated for honorary pit bulldog status. . . .Lassie, Get Help's Dog Bites: Information and Statistics blog. Excellent use of a blogging platform, plus a huge help to people looking to put out fires in a hurry. . . .Dog Politics. Slash, trash, and bring that message home. DP is the inspiration for many a malicious thought. Go forth and take no shit, fellow bloggers. Things are gonna get worse before they get better.

Prosecute "pit bull" breeder Floyd Boudreaux all over again?

Dream on, babycakes.

Civil rights don't matter to animal rights extremists

Following the speedy acquittal of Floyd and Guy Boudreaux on dogfighting charges two weeks ago, and as BDS reader The Philosophical Pit Bull points out, the internet is crawling with copies of petitions and form letters addressed to assorted Louisiana officials.

It seems some people have a problem with acquittals based on insufficient evidence. HSUS promised them a conviction, and they want one. One way or another, the extremists want to see blood.

Better interpretations of evidence

For example, Easy Vegan says:

This case needs to be reopened, with a better interpretation of the evidence, so that Floyd and Guy Boudreaux are prosecuted to the fullest extent under Louisiana animal fighting and cruelty laws. Anything less is a grave miscarriage of justice.

Easy Vegan would have preferred a lynching. There is no such thing as "better" interpretations of evidence, and its double jeopardy that's a grave miscarriage of justice. Its a constitutional thingie.

HSUS and its underlings took their best shot at the Boudreaux family, and guess what? The judge promptly threw the case out.

No do-overs allowed, and Easy Vegan doesn't get to re-write the Bill of Rights. The Fifth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution protects us all from repeated prosecutions on the same charges, based on the same (non) evidence. Even Easy Vegan nutcases enjoy the protections of the Fifth Amendment.

Coincidentally, the Fifth Amendment is also what guarantees us due process of the law.

Due process is what was denied Floyd Boudreaux when his dogs were seized, and immediately slaughtered, by the Louisiana SPCA. The dogs were destroyed long, long before Floyd Boudreaux had his day in court.

Is Easy Vegan above the law?

Because animal extremists sure seem to believe the law doesn't pertain to them.

Take Animal Charity in Youngstown, Ohio. Smartdogs' Weblog has an excellent discussion of the actions of a couple of "humane law" agents and their boss, who apparently believed that illegal search and seizures are justifiable because "its all about the dogs".

The law says otherwise.

Tammy Grimes thought she was above the law when she authorized herself to steal a dog, and refused to surrender it when she got caught.

The dog died in Tammy's care.

After she was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property, Tammy's groupies started a letter-writing campaign, asking for her to be pardoned. They thought Tammy was above the law, too.

But Grimes was sentenced accordingly.

One nation. Liberty and justice for all.

We are all innocent until proven guilty in this country. We have the right to a fair trial. We are protected from illegal searches and seizures of our property.

Whackjob vigilantes cannot appoint themselves judge, jury and executioner, and expect to be pardoned.

Animal rights extremists have little use for the Bill of Rights. Civil rights are mostly inconvenient details that gum up the machinery and slow down the killing salvation of animals.

"Its all about the animals" is a phrase that allows zealots to brush past atrocities like the way Floyd Boudreaux's dogs were seized and killed. I don't know how they sleep at night.

Stuff like this could give Humane Society of the United States a bad name. Couldn't it?

Pit Bull breeder Floyd Boudreaux Acquitted of Dogfighting Charges HSUS's fly-by "evidence" leaves judge unimpressed Phantom probable cause, bogus search warrant During Boudreaux's long-delayed trial on dogfighting charges, Louisiana State Trooper Jacob Dickinson testified that the search warrant used to raid Boudreaux's property, and seize and kill his dogs, was based on what he saw as he flew over Boudreaux's property. Dickinson testified that he saw treadmills and a "dogfighting pit" on the Boudreaux property from his perch high above, in a helicopter supplied by U. S. Customs, part of the Department of Homeland Security. HSUS led the charge against 70 year old Floyd Boudreaux The 2005 raid was carried out in coordination with the Humane Society of the United States, working with the Louisiana SPCA. HSUS supplied five investigators and animal handlers to assist in the raid. Wayne Pacelle proudly highlighted HSUS's role: The arrest of Floyd Boudreaux should strike a devastating blow to the underground world of dog fighting. . .The HSUS is proud to work with Louisiana State Police, Louisiana SPCA and federal agents to disable Boudreaux's operation. Uh, Wayne?

When Floyd Boudreaux finally got his day in court, the charges were quickly dismissed.

There was no evidence that a crime had been committed.

Phantom treadmills, phantom "dogfighting pit" When the cops arrived at the home of the Boudreaux family, they didn't find any treadmills. No fighting pit. The prosecution could not produce a single witnesses able to testify to the presence of treadmills, or fighting pits on the premises.

To this day, the HSUS website insists that treadmills were found on the property. But court testimony says differently. No evidence of illegal wagering on dogfights was produced by the prosecution. The dastardly break sticks confiscated during the raid did not appear to have been used.

They did find "pit bulls", though.

Dead dogs tell no tales Floyd Boudreaux's dogs were killed by the Louisiana SPCA within 24 hours of the raid, according to testimony given in court.

All of them. Even the puppies. The veterinarian that examined the dogs before they were killed acknowledged that the injuries she noted on some dogs could have been caused by something other the dogfighting. Why kill all those dogs? What was the rush? Was it because Boudreaux didn't have the cash Michael Vick had? Was it because there was no money to be made in allowing the Boudreaux dogs to live? The dogs should have been the prime evidence in a dogfighting prosecution. Instead, they disappeared forever. Before any questions could be asked. No evidence. No case. No lawful prosecution. Back in the day, when Boudreaux was raided and his dogs were killed, HSUS's Dogfight Czar John Goodwin's joy knew no bounds. "Today marks the day the 'don of dogfighting' has come down. This man is legendary in the dog fighting world," said John Goodwin, deputy manager for animal fighting issues with the Humane Society's national office. "... This man has been on our radar a long time."

HSUS and LA SPCA on the radar screen

Floyd Boudreaux's dogs are all dead. His money is gone. His family has been through hell.

Its not easy to stand up to the Humane Society of the United States and its cronies, but Floyd and his family were vindicated today.

Let's hope the Boudreaux family succeeds in settling a few scores, too.

Vick and Dogfighting: HSUS Media Machine Won't Quit HSUS makes shit up, then serves it to the public HSUS must have called in a few favors in order to convince USA Today to run a "news" item that was syndicated across the country. The Fight to Save Urban Youth is an animal extremist wet dream. HSUS wants to save "urban youths"? Let's just take a look at that concept. Shall we? Humane racism: Urban youths are the usual victims dogfighting villains Drug dealers. Criminals. Gang members. Status symbol seekers. Translation? Young black men. Or maybe young Hispanic men, depending on where you live. Not people from the 'burbs. Definitely not the lily-white constituents of the HSUS. Play it again, Wayne Pacelle. Ya gotta give HSUS major snaps for staying on message, though. HSUS' long history of trashinng the reputations of non-white, non-middle class dog owners and targeting them for discrimination goes way back. Consider HSUS's manipulation of events in Louisville, Kentucky. In June 2006, when HSUS Regional Coordinator Pam Rogers wrote to the Metro Louisville City Council to recommend breed specific legislation and the mandatory surgical sterilization of "pit bulls" she attempted to justify stripping people of their dogs by commenting: [pit bulls] are also the dogs of choice for drug dealers, gang members, and anyone else who is looking for a dog to be a status symbol. That's pretty much what HSUS spokesperson Tio Hardiman had to say in the USA today article: Kids get drawn in at an early age, says Hardiman, motivated by the "glamorization" of dogfighting by rap and hip-hop music and by neighborhood values that prize machismo. Its almost exactly what New York City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. will regurgitate every chance he gets. And make no mistake, Vallone bases his political career on getting "pit bulls" -- and their delinquent non-white owners -- the hell out of New York City. Vallone doesn't know much about "pit bulls" and he cares even less. But scape-goating young people of color? Oooh, baby.

Backdoor racism plays really well in some parts of New York, and the beauty of it all is that "urban youths" are already pariahs. Pit bull owners in general are easy pickings. But poor, black, young pit bull owners? They're defenseless. Color and money. Status symbols okay for kings of Spain, not okay for "urban youths" Hardiman and HSUS make a big fuss about dogs as "status symbols." As if those sly inner city youths held a monopoly on using dogs as status symbols, or for penis enhancement. Which is it? Does HSUS have a problem with status symbols. . .or skin color? Profiling "urban youths" based on fake statistics. Fake information. Fake news.

Every single one of the "experts" USA Today quoted in their article traces back to HSUS and its acolytes. HSUS controls the conversation. HSUS controls the "news". The USA Today article's primary source, HSUS client Tio Hardiman, invented the number of poor black and Hispanic kids involved in dogfighting -- There are at least 100,000 young kids fighting their dogs under the radar in America," estimates Chicago-based anti-violence advocate Tio Hardiman, who built his estimate on conversations with young dogfighters and authorities. . . Hardiman's analysis is based principally on "data" supplied by gangbanging, drug-dealing criminal black kids, apparently.

Count on Hardiman's wild guess, repeated over and over in follow up news coverage, to become another fake fact in the animal extremist repertoire. Fake facts lead to an artificial crisis According to HSUS and USA Today, dogfighting is all around us. . . .large numbers of youngsters are conducting street dogfights "in almost every urban inner city," and the numbers are growing . . .

Yikes! The threat is everywhere. HSUS Dogfight Czar John Goodwin startled New Yorkers with "news" that New York is the "dogfighting capital of the country." Gee. Who knew?

Not the ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City and is charged with the enforcement of anti-dogfighting laws there.

Organized dog fighting in New York City does not appear to be prevalent, and the ASPCA rarely sees arrests for such activity. . .Currently, there are no reliable statistics . . . This is an underground, illegal activity so it is almost impossible to get accurate information about its prevalence.

Throw dinner at the wall. Go after what sticks.

This is a media war. Facts don't matter. HSUS isn't worried about the inconsistencies. It isn't worried about the truth.

HSUS sure as hell isn't worried about the well-being of "pit bulls" or "urban youths."

Any advancement in HSUS' ability to seize and kill dogs is a good thing, as far as they're concerned. Michael Vick had enough money to cover the expense of "rehabilitation" and even perpetual confinement rescue, if necessary, for his dogs.

Inner city youths don't. Their dogs will suffer and die by the hands of the impounding agencies that "saved" them.

And that's what the goal is here. One generation and out.

Pit bulls belonging to "inner city youths" first. The rest will follow.

Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide -- UPDATE! Barbara Haywood, author of The Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide, will talk about what pit bull owners must do to protect themselves and save their dog's life on Bully Domain's "Keeping It 100". The interview will be broadcast on Tuesday, September 30, at 9:55 p. m. Eastern time. Visit the Keeping It 100 website for further information. Tune in! If you haven't read the e-book yet, you can purchase it online using the links below. Just click on the image of the book's front cover -- its easy! _____________________________________________________________ Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide: Strong medicine. Dog owners need it. Make no mistake, they ARE coming to take your dog. Breed specific laws are on the rise. In smalltown USA and in cities like New York and Chicago, pit bull owners and their dogs are marginalized, stereotyped and discriminated against. When legislators fail to deliver an outright ban, they can always try to get in through the backdoor with "humane" breed specific mandatory spay neuter laws, or anti-tethering ordinances aimed at the owners of pit bulls. It all comes down to the same thing: dead dogs, and grieving families. Media war, with pit bull owners in the trenches The Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide presents the author's clear-headed analysis of a key fact: this is a media war. Justice, facts, humanity, the U. S. Constitution, and all the other niceties of daily life in a democracy mean next to nothing when pit bull hysteria hits. The proponents of breed specific laws have millions -- millions -- of dollars to invest in PR campaigns. And guess what? They spend their money well. Ever wonder how Gavin Newsom (then mayor of San Francisco and prime architect of San Fran's surgical sterilization requirement for "pit bulls"), CNN anchor Paula Zahn, and NYC Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. all sound just like HSUS president Wayne Pacelle when it comes to "pit bulls"? Read The Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide for the explanation to this phenomenon and many more. Pit bull owners don't deserve civil rights Warrantless search and seizure. Due process violations. No equal protection under the law. Barbara Haywood lays it out for her readers in black and white: pit bull owners have been so successfully marginalized as drug-dealing, gang-banging, dog-fighting thugs that its easy to strip us of our civil rights. We're the lowest hanging fruit. Its like taking candy from babies for whackjobs like Denver's Kory Nelson. Anybody who shoots a pit bull running loose is justified -- Cory Nelson, Denver city attorney, San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, June 27, 2005 And get ready, owners of other dog breeds. You're next. Unkindest cut of all: animal protection groups are in it up to their eyeballs The Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide answers this question for its readers: Which animal rights organization supports breed specific legislation? a. PETA b. HSUS c. ASPCA d. Best Friends e. all of the above Protect yourself. Save your dog's life. Because no one else will. The Pit Bull Owner's Survival Guide not only tells the story of how we got rammed between a rock and a hard place. The book gives us the tools to get ourselves out again. (More about the Survival Guide tools in Part II of this review. ) The book is a practical, step-by-step "how-to" guide that no pit bull owner should be without. Because its not your imagination. They ARE coming to take your dog.

Ethnic Cleansing for Pit Bulls DNA-based breed identi-kits 99 44/100% pure what? HSUS and AKC partner up on DNA profiling. Does it get any worse? Sonia Dias' suit against the City of Denver -- hyped as the long-awaited animal protectionist salvation of "pit bulls" from one of the most brutal animal control policies in the country -- shows its true colors. Purity of blood, Humane Society of the United States-style In its sly amicus brief in support of Dias, the Humane Society of the United States, an animal extremist organization which condones, endorses and lobbies for breed specific legislation, bases itself on the subjective nature of breed standards and their unsuitability for identifying dogs impacted by breed specific restrictions.

This is not a new argument. Dog lovers have been arguing--for a long, long time, both in and out of court--that breed standards adopted by registries such as the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club were never intended for such a purpose and are unconstitutionally vague.

Someone spent some time at the library and on PubMed's website, it seems. . .

Blood. The newest arbiter of race breed

HSUS' amicus asserts that "researchers concluded 'microsatellite' DNA testing enables researchers "to assign 99% of dogs to the correct breed." But HSUS lies.

In the one cited study that yielded a 99% result, researchers used DNA from a mere 414 dogs representing only 85 of the 152 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The American Kennel Club doesn't recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier. In fact, the AKC doesn't recognize a long list of breeds, including the Catahoula (the state dog of Louisiana), the Cane Corso (the breed owned by Pete Georgoutsos, one of Blue Dog State's biggest heros), the Dogo Argentino (often misidentified as a "pit bull"), and depending on how you slice and dice it, something like 250 other breeds.

Would those dogs all be labelled mutts, using HSUS's suggested methodology? Because it could really matter. An exemption from mandatory spay-neuter requirements so that you can breed your line of mutts just ain't happening.

Whose DNA is it, anyway?

When the AKC solicited DNA samples from its constituents, ostensibly to screen for genetically-linked canine illnesses. . .did everyone sign a release like this one ?

I hereby relinquish all rights to, and ownership of, the DNA sample.

Not much wiggle room, is there? If you don't own your dog's DNA, what do you own? Huh?

The AKC/UC-Davis Database: Money in the bank

With all the whining Ron Menaker's been doing about revenues, and hints about making changes. . .did Ron already cut a deal?

PETCO is already marketing "Canine Heritage" DNA ID tests at $119.99 each.

MMI Genomics, the manufacturer of the kits, is a long-time AKC partner.

The company has offered genetic parentage testing for purebreds through the AKC since 1998. The service compares a given dog's genes to the genes of its parents to verify paternity.

The kennel club has also built a genetics database including information from hundreds of thousands of purebred dogs. This database allows for DNA comparison to clients' animals for a match, said kennel club spokeswoman Daisy Okas.

Did all those dog owners that donated canine DNA, thinking the DNA was going to be used for medical research . . .get ripped off? Did they mistakenly contribute to the destruction of dog breeding as we know it?

Not pure enough. Savvy the AmStaff fails his DNA test. No puppies for Savvy. "Science" says he's a mongrel.

Open up. In the name of the law.

If HSUS -- and the AKC -- get their way and municipalities discard pedigrees in favor of DNA swabs. . .will every short-haired dog owner in the country have to submit the dog to a DNA test? At $119.99 each?

Will the test rely on an AKC-owned database?

Will thousands and thousands of dogs be relegated to mutt status and surgically sterilized ?

One generation and out. That's always the goal when it comes to HSUS.

American Kennel Club panicking? Or selling out dog owners? AKC's crash-and-burn: incompetence? or corporate strategy? As you read, and re-read, the September Chairman's Report, analyze this. . . The blunders and embarrassments staged by the AKC over the last year add up to the deliberate destruction of the "gold standard" of the dog world. Sure, there are members of the AKC Board of Directors that just don't get it. But Ron Menaker is a businessman. Let's get over all that not-for-profit bullshit and conceit, for once and for all. Menaker is well paid, and there's a lot of money at stake. How the AKC handles its taxes is a small detail. Who wins when the already dysfunctional AKC finally withers away? When the "dog's champion" -- what a crock -- limps off the field. . .who's left?

Systematically destroying the AKC's credibility Last month dog owners in California were devastated when the AKC yanked the rug out from under them on AB 1634. Revealing that it had been negotiating with legislators behind the scenes, at the last minute the AKC announced that it no longer opposed an animal extremist-driven mandatory sterilization proposal. The next day, the AKC attempted to defend its position. Six days later, out-flanked and out-maneuvered by mandatory spay-neuter proponents and animal extremists, and under siege laid by its own members, the AKC reversed itself yet again and announced that it "vigorously opposed" the bill. It was a piss-poor, embarrassing, performance that left both dog owners and legislators dumb-founded and shaken.

Can the AKC's lobbyists really be that bad? Did the AKC really have so completely mis-read Lloyd Levine. Hello? The guy's a term-limited whackjob, desperate to make a name for himself in politics. This isn't news.

What really happened in Sacramento? What deals were offered?

Why did the AKC break ranks? Partnering up with animal rights extremists In July, the AKC announced that it will join a lawsuit brought by Karen Breslin of the Progressive Law Center and others against the Denver, Colorado "pit bull" ban. Breslin--an animal law attorney that also represents Rocky Mountain Animal Defense -- happily shares the bill with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's general counsel Russ Mead in presentations for law students. To quote Ms. Breslin in discussing breed specific legislation and specifically the Denver ordinance-- "[I]f the government can say that your interest in your companion animal isn't any more consequential than my interest in my laptop, or my interest in my briefcase, then there is no limit to what they can do in the way of regulating that animal. And there's very little that you can do about it constitutionally, as long as the law stays as it currently is." Changing the "lowly" property status of animals More than a year ago, and waaay long enough for the AKC to have found out about Breslin's stand on animal rights issues before joining the suit, Breslin remarked -- "We aren't asking for the property status of animals to be taken away, but that they be recognized as much more than JUST property, which is a lowly distinction in the law, and allows government extensive power over that property." Folks, if our pets aren't our property, then we can't protect them from threats like AB 1634. There is no "more than mere property."

You can't have it both ways, no matter how nicely its packaged. God knows, "pit bull" owners are desperate for a little support. But this ain't it. Breslin's agenda, with all its facetious reasoning, is an animal rights agenda. If we don't own our dogs, we'll lose them in a heartbeat.

The AKC went ahead and partnered up with Breslin and Co. Why? Its beyond embarrassing. Its frightening. No response is the worst response from the AKC The AKC permits itself to be tarred and feathered by animal extremists who condemn it as a puppymiller's registry.

(And by the way, with Menaker's September statement now public, should we add Macy's to the list of damned puppymill outlets, and Menaker himself as puppymill customer? After all, he confessed to buying an AKC-registered dog at what amounts to a pet store. Another department store bites the dust.) There has been no vigorous public relations campaign to defend the AKC's "gold standard" position in the marketplace. PETA compares the AKC to the Klu Klux Klan. What is the AKC's response? Silence. The AKC's PR strategy generally is "turn the other cheek" and hope it will all go away. Like we're all back in Sunday school. How's that strategy working for ya, Ron? Gentlemen's agreements, golden parachutes. Before any of the above had even happened, Dog Politics identified the AKC's urge to merge. AKC stands to benefit hugely from a merger with HSUS. After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Or allow yourself to be bought out. Did Ron Menaker and Wayne Pacelle have lunch one day--maybe during the PAWS fiasco--and plan the gradual integration of the AKC into the HSUS? Think about it. With HSUS as a partner and protector, the AKC is guaranteed participation in revenues from the microchip database it pioneered. Its largest, wealthiest constituents won't get shut down by anti-puppymiller legislation. The AKC will take on a larger "breeder-police" enforcement role, having already set itself up as the responsible breeder standards expert. The AKC could regain the economic support it once derived from control of the huge, lucrative pet market by aggressively pursing the registration of all pet dogs, free from harassment from HSUS. They might even openly register mutts. Why not? You better sit down kids. If you manage to concentrate on nothing else in that long meandering whine, re-read the last few lines of Menaker's statement. "Doing what's right for the future" in this context is ominous. "No one is suggesting we lose sight of our rich heritage and traditions, but let’s not allow the stated goal of our competitors to become a reality. As Bill Wrigley Jr. said recently in the New York Times, “We must respect the past…but at all times do what is right for the future.” Menaker's not panicking. He's setting the stage for the "inevitable" he's hoping for: an HSUS takeover of the AKC.

Busting Dogfighters for Profit:

Pit Bull Owners Guilty from the Get-go

"Lucrative" dogfight busts

Check out In the Line of Duty, dog lovers.

Since when does enforcing the law, fairly and without bias, create a revenue stream for local police departments? Local police departments trained by the Humane Society of the United States?

Profiting off pit bull owners

See how just one dogfight bust can be lucrative for your department

That's the pitch from video producer Ron Barber. Barber is peddling training material for police officers titled "Dogfighting: What every cop needs to know." And you'll never guess who's promoting it: The Humane Society of the United States

Personnel from both HSUS and the ASPCA appear in the video.

Naturally, the tape includes HSUS's bogus "warning signs of dogfighting" -- treadmills, multiple dogs, veterinary supplies and diet supplements. The "experts" cited by "Line of Fire" also wanted Michael Vick's dogs dead. When Vick was arrested and his dogs were seized, HSUS's Ann Chenowyth claimed that "dogs that come from generations of fighting dogs are too aggressive to put back into the community."

Or, using HSUS-think: Kill all pit bulls. All of them.

HSUS just trained 260 Chicago-area police officers on things like how to spot dogfighting this spring.

Comforting thought, isn't it? The Real Deal: Asset Forfeiture

It's not every day that groups like the American Civil Liberties Association, the California Public Defender's Association, the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety rush to defend the rights of alleged dogfighters.

But that's exactly what they did during the debate and ultimate defeat of CA SB 1775, an asset forfeiture proposal aimed specifically at dogfighting prosecutions in California.

The ASPCA, a private, New York corporation with no law enforcement function outside of New York City, strongly supported SB 1775.

So did HSUS. Which has no law enforcement authority whatsoever.

Why? Because SB 1775 was potentially a huge money-maker. Private corporations, like the ASPCA and the HSUS, were set up to share the asset forfeiture plunder under the proposal.

Jingle, jangle of ill gotten gains

Asset forfeiture laws vary from state to state and there are differences between civil forfeitures and criminal forfeitures.

But when Line of Duty asserts that dogfighting busts are lucrative, the message is clear. There's money to be made by prosecuting pit bull owners on dogfighting allegations. Line of Duty thinks they're easy targets.

And they may be right.

With the incentive of asset forfeiture in the mix, local police departments determine which allegations to pursue based on perceived profitability. Confused, frightened, naive dog owners are unlikely to put up a lot of expensive resistance. They rarely even have a lawyer.

And there are very few lawyers versed in animal law from the defendants perspective.

Presumption of Guilt

How to prove a negative? How does anyone "prove" they're not guilty of a crime?

Its ironic in a country with a legal system built on the presumption of innocence, but pit bull owners already have two strikes against them: they own pit bulls. They're already social pariahs. Almost every pit bull owner has something from HSUS's list in their home. Most dog owners do.

Knock, knock. Who's there?

When your neighbor reports all your "suspicious activities", and HSUS, the local SPCA and maybe even the county sheriff -- fresh from attending an HSUS anti-dogfighting seminar -- suddenly show up at your door, you could be in for a really unpleasant experience.

Officers who attend HSUS training programs, or visit websites like "How Stuff Works," or who have seen videos like Line of Duty's, have been taught that people with springpoles, multiple pit bulls, pedigrees showing "champion" dogs, etc., are criminal dogfighters.

HSUS is striving to lower the standards for "evidence of a crime" to a ridiculous level.

No Project Innocence for pit bull owners.

Like any caring dog owner, and especially any caring pit bull owner, I can't stand dogfighting.

But I'm worried about the rest of us.

There is no Fair Defense Campaign for pit bull owners.

No Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights , no Southern Christian Leadership Conference that reaches out to dog and animal owners.

No ACLU position paper on prosecutions incited by money-maddened private corporations like HSUS and its toadies. Dude. Who stole my country?

I believe in the concept of innocence until proven guilty. I believe in the right to a fair trial, and competent legal representation. I believe in the rule of law.

Pit bull owners, and animal owners of all kinds, are in trouble. Access to competent legal representation may be fundamental concept in the United States judicial system, but its NOT a reality.

We've got a problem. Let's see what we can do about it.

tags: pit bull, dogfight, ACLU, HSUS, Humane Society United States, Line of Duty, asset forfeiture