Souring "No Kill" in New York

Animal Extremist Flagship Scrambles for Cover. . .

. . .as Nathan Winograd puts the screws to the ASPCA, the NYS Legislature mulls "Oreo's Law" and Pets Alive still hasn't filed mandatory tax forms with the NYS Charities Bureau.

The curtain is about to go up on The Clash of the Titans, Act II.  So make yourself some popcorn.

 And grab a box of tissues, if you're not okay with a lot of political posturing at the expense of defenseless animals used as pawns in the this "humane" brinksmanship extravaganza.

 Barbarians at Ed Sayres' gate: animal extremists protest at ASPCA



These are not days of wine and roses at E. 92nd Street, and it  just     gets     worse  for Agent Orange -- the "voice of the voiceless" --  as things spiral downward.

Meanwhile, at the state capital. . .

 ASPCA's not the only one hearing voices

Invoking the name of a dog tormented by a criminal then rescued tormented by a criminal, exploited for her fund-raising potential, and finally killed by the ASPCA, agents for the "humane" treatment of animals are administering their own litmus test in Albany:  "Oreo's Law" -- For or Against?

The proposal makes the transfer of shelter animals scheduled for euthanasia to another shelter or rescue that wants them mandatory and a matter of state law.  Amended four times since it was first introduced in January, "Oreo's Law" appears to be slowly strangling in its own red-tape, procedural requirements and specifications.

Why would non-profits operating lawfully in the State of New York invite government involvement in what was their private, lawful business, anyway?

Oreo's unintended consequences

Here are a few questions for New York's elected public officials:

What if the "NONPROFIT, AS DEFINED IN SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE ANIMAL RESCUE OR ADOPTION ORGANIZATION" is fiscally irresponsible and has no competence whatsoever with dogs like Oreo, that -- for whatever reason and with an unknown capacity for improvement -- keep trying to bite people?

What connection is there between an organization's tax reporting status and its ability to manage problematic dogs?

Doesn't the mandate of elected officials include protecting the safety and welfare of the People of the State of New York from the blunders of outfits like Pets Alive?

What mechanism exists to protect the welfare of animals in the custody of  those "adoption organizations"?  They are exempted from humane standards of care requirements made of similar facilities with a differing tax-filing status, and are not routinely inspected by the State of New York.  Dogs with temperament issues could spend a lifetime sequestered at a private "adoption organization."  Who's going to check on them?

Will all of those tax-exempt "adoption organizations" stand up to public scrutiny?

Pets Alive:  Still crazy.  After all these years.

Pets Alive of Middletown, New York, occasionally known as "Best Friends, East Coast Division",  doesn't seem to notice subtle warnings.

 As of April 15, 2010, the self-styled "hero" of the campaign to pass Oreo's Law remains a scoff-law private corporation risking its tax-exempt status by failing to submit IRS Form 990's to the New York State Charities Bureau, as required by state law.  The Charities Bureau hasn't heard from Pets Alive since 2003.

In 2007, Pets Alive also needed to file for exemption from 2008 property taxes.  Neither its founder, nor any member of the Pets Alive Board of Directors, fulfilled the requirement.  Pets Alive was billed $46,000 for 2008 taxes and when they failed to pay, the county moved to foreclose.

Last month Pets Alive narrowly escaped disaster when the county executive took up their cause.  Would Ed Diana -- the elected public official that Pets Alive says "has our back" -- intervene on behalf of the rest of the people in Orange County, New York if they didn't make timely submissions to the tax assessor's office, too?

It isn't clear how the Town of Wallkill and the Pine Bush School District, short-changed when revenue from Pets Alive taxes failed to materialize, will manage without the income they expected.  Does Diana have $23 thou for the Pine Bush School District?  Cause they're looking for the funds. 


Business as usual at Pets Alive

In addition to its on-going failure to comply with state law, Pets Alive also continues to sell "cranky" dogs to "self-centered, arrogant, egotistical and yes, stupid people" who later return the dog, ask for their money back, involve their lawyer when Pets Alive refuses to issue a refund, and complain to the Better Business Bureau.

The beg-a-thons continue. 

The rationalizations for importing more and more animals from all over the country, and Puerto Rico, increasingly sound like a page from a hoarder's diary.  Days away from last month's near-miss with foreclosure, Pets Alive was busy bringing in more animals:

But they refuse to stop rescuing animals — [co-Executive Director] DeAngelis was in West Virginia over the weekend, rescuing more than 80 dogs and cats.  "We just can't stop on the possibility that we might close," [co-Executive Director] Clair says.

The Road to No Kill ?

This isn't working for me.  Not at all.  It leaves a sour taste in my mouth -- and I'm a person who really wants to believe in "no kill."  Or very, very low kill.

The pissing contests and political correctness assessments involving the ASPCA and the state legislature are bad enough. 

But legislation that would further empower a dysfunctional group like Pets Alive, and mandate placement of vulnerable and possibly dangerous animals to their care?  

I'm not buying it, and I don't think the people of New York should be compelled to buy it, either.  This is no where. 

ASPCA Flim-Flams the Feds

Publicly-ish Accountable Law Enforcement

Privately employed, self-described "humane authorities" training civil servants and law enforcement personnel on the Fed's nickle. Nation, perception is everything.

You just gotta love Stephen Colbert:

It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. The perception of authority The ASPCA goes to great lengths to mimic public servants answerable to tax-payers and voters -- truthiness! gotta have it! -- but in reality ASPCA employees are private contractors responsible to a privately-controlled corporation which is effectively shielded from public scrutiny. The Freedom of Information Act doesn't apply to the ASPCA. They mostly don't have to tell us shit if they don't feel like it. ASPCA's privately employed personnel are responsible to its own privately-elected board of directors. Not "We, the People". U. S. Department of Justice underwrites ASPCA jive ASPCAPro.org (an ASPCA offshoot that has "gathered information and knowledge from our experts, along with profiles, sample materials, and inspiration from proven programs in the field, for you to share and use") recently announced a free, online training program for law enforcement personnel on "dogfighting detection." The program is financed by the U. S. Department of Justice. Knowledge from their experts, huh? "Experts" like Melinda Merck?

Is the DOJ okay with the ASPCA's scorched earth policy for "pit bull" owners in Georgia? Working hand in hand with Norred and Associates -- the private, for profit, security-firm-turned-humaniac-tool that boasted of initiating 19 raids leading to the deaths rescues of "fighting dogs" in Georgia in 2009 alone -- the ASPCA has been instrumental in violating the civil rights of dog and animal owners. Just as a reminder, here's a shot of the Merck tucking one of Joe Woodall's puppies under her arm and walking off with him. She dumped the pup in a dog pound 250 miles away, along with the rest of Joe's dogs. Merck never looked back.

Some "expert" she is. Woodall was never arrested, never charged with any crime. . .despite Merck's "expert" opinions. How many dogs have died due to ASPCA "expertise" ?

Privatized law enforcement: hunky-dory with the DOJ? The American Dog Breeders Association is calling for an investigation into interference in law enforcement functions by private corporations, including the ASPCA, in Georgia: The Governor or Attorney General of the State of Georgia should implement an immediate and thorough investigation into the undue and corrupt influence of these private corporations in law enforcement training and procedures. The citizens of Georgia cannot continue to be victimized by privately employed individuals operating in the public sector with the assistance and blind support of law enforcement and prosecutors throughout the state. Fair and lawful enforcement of Georgia statutes is the responsibility and exclusive domain of our public servants. I think the ADBA is right, and I hope the citizens of Georgia get their investigation. Your tax dollars at work: ASPCA training for civil servants Looking at the list of resources provided -- and there is plenty to choose from -- I have to wonder just what kind of crappola persons trained by Agent Orange are likely to receive. Planted in the ASPCA-dominated resource material are any number of truthy fake facts, like:

Tethered dogs and dogs not surgically sterilized are more likely to be "aggressive."

Castration leads to a "longer, healthier" life for pets.

"Many" "puppymills" thrive because the operators are animal torturers.

Private persons who take in large numbers of animals are "hoarders", and keep the animals in deplorable and squalid conditions.

And there's more. Lots more. Fake cops doing fake jobs

In the radical animal rights movement, each of the four main players has its own area of dominance. Sure, there's some overlap in activities, but there are no real policy differences between PeTA, Best Friends, HSUS and the ASPCA.

An extremist idea -- for example "doggy gonads just have to go" is first dramatized by PeTA.

Legislation to eliminate objectionable dog testicles and etc. is then lobbied by HSUS. . .

and resulting anti-testicle laws are subsequently enforced by the ASPCA's private army.

Finally, Best Friends steps in to make us feel better about the whole thing. We are promised that in compensation for genetic oblivion, the sterile dogs will get to live out their days in permanent seclusion in the middle of a desert.

Some shit, huh?

Perception-based government

Transparency-ness and public-ish accountability.

Anybody else got a problem with the DOJ handing over hard-earned dollars so that the ASPCA can mess with the minds of local sheriff's department employees? Who authorized the DOJ to bankroll an animal rights indoctrination program? Dude. Who stole my country?

Wayne Pacelle's 2009 Nightmares

Blunders Wayne Pacelle Wanted to Bury Not everything went according to plan in 2009 Showered in Shit in Louisville The resignation of Metro Louisville Animal Control Director Gilles Meloche became effective on December 31. Back in the day, Meloche was HSUS's fave candidate for the job. He'll soon blow town with his tail tucked between his legs, in a firestorm of charges involving animal abuse, sexual harassment, financial irregularities and demands for his prosecution. Parts of the animal control ordinance Meloche used like a weapon against Louisville citizens and their pets were struck down by a federal court judge earlier this year, and the decision may serve as a model for reform in other jurisdictions as pet owners compare the provisions of the discredited Louisville ordinance with their own. In a sworn deposition, HSUS's man in Louisville reminded the world of what HSUS stands for: negative profiling, the encouragement of discriminatory practices and the steady harvest of low-hanging fruit -- like pets belonging to the poor: On "poor people" and dog license compliance, Meloche stated under oath: They just don't license, period. On "poor people" and access to veterinary care: First, we know one thing, they barely go to veterinary clinics. On "poor people" and cruelty to animals: Most of the cruelty that I've seen --that we see are from, of course, poor neighborhood, and it's dynamic. But, hey, HSUS's Kentucky State Director Pam Rogers thinks Gilles Meloche is "easy to work with" and HSUS helped Metro Louisville write the ordinance that empowered him. I hear there are enough claims pending from Louisville pet owners who suffered irreparable harm under Meloche's tenure to sue Louisville back into the Stone Age. Will Wayne Pacelle assume responsibility for that train wreck of an ordinance, and that freak of an animal control director? Nursing Puppies "Too Dangerous" to Live In February of this year, animal lovers were shocked and then sickened as HSUS employees John Goodwin, Chris Schindler and Amanda Arrington insisted that 127 dogs seized in North Carolina pursuant to dogfight charges--including 60 puppies, some so young they were still nursing--had to die. HSUS personnel cynically testified that the dogs were "too dangerous" to live and claimed that it would cost $190,000 each to rehabilitate them. The authorities listened to HSUS. None of the dogs was evaluated for potential placement. They were all killed. Setting aside the gut-wrenching, heartless leadership role HSUS played in forcing the slaughter of innocent animals, the public relations blowback suffered by HSUS and its crew of Dog Fight Czars was instantaneous and unrelenting. No-Kill advocate Nathan Winograd called the massacre "The Death of Hope."

HSUS critics were so implacable that two months later HSUS was forced into orchestrating an "emergency summit" (and whitewash opportunity) for what it called "pit bull stakeholders" in Las Vegas. Pacelle announced a revised and enlightened position on pit bulls. . .and immediately got caught pushing a breed specific policy in Indianapolis.

Animal lovers--and bloggers--aren't fooled so easily. Not any more. When the HSUS donation machine attempted to usurp the story of "Faye" -- attempting to foist HSUS off as the benefactor of a pit bull injured by dogfighting and begging for cash from a trusting public -- outrage quickly followed. It's getting harder and harder to find a pit bull owner that thinks HSUS is friend. Pit bulls are the coalmine canaries in HSUS's extremist war against pets and the people who love them. HSUS's blunders and flailings this year made it clearer than ever. John Goodwin: Animal Theft Under Color of Law Documentation of HSUS's Dogfight Czar himself seizing friendly, happy dogs from the homes of innocent people broke in 2009. John Goodwin was caught on videotape, partnered up with private security firm Norred and Associates, the ASPCA, and local authorities, and raiding a home. Videos of the seizure of beautiful, healthy dogs from Joe Woodall in Gilmer County, Georgia remain up on You Tube for all to see. What do you call it when privately employed individuals working for a not-for-profit corporation instigate a raid of some one's property, seize well-cared for dogs, dump them in a dog pound 250 miles away. . . and then walk away? Woodall was never arrested, never charged with a crime. HSUS just showed up and took his dogs. It cost Joe more than he could afford in lawyer's bills and eight weeks of sleepless nights before he got his dogs back, and they were a mess when they finally returned to him. So, what's the word for that? I'm thinking "theft" hardly does the sequence of events justice. Quick note for the many people who have asked: More than a year since the raid, Joe reports that "Weeman" -- the puppy that came home with down pasterns after eight weeks on the dog pound's cement floor and incorrect food -- is doing much better. Handsome, athletic and playful Weeman and the Woodall family that loves him stand ready for the challenges 2010 will bring. Footloose and fancy free with the feds In late December the Spay and Neuter HSUS campaign was launched. The campaign is calling for the revocation of HSUS's tax-exempt, charitable designation due to its excessive lobbying activities. The campaign provides 14 pages of questionable HSUS tax filings, policies and activities and requests the IRS fraud division to investigate them. Want a piece of the action? Follow the link above. It's not too late to join the thousands of animal lovers everywhere who have written to the IRS and to their own federal representatives demanding answers. We look forward to a response at your earliest possibility, Wayne-o. This ain't over. Not even close. But the start of the new year is a good time to take stock. These were some of HSUS's failures and flailings that meant the most to me. Best wishes for the coming year to Blue Dog State readers. And a heartfelt flip of the bird to you, Wayne Pacelle.

Pets Alive: Animal Sanctuary or Animal Scam?

ASPCA Oreo-gate pays off big for Pets Alive

Disgraced "rescue" spins ASPCA crisis for own benefit

Pets Alive makes its bid for fame and fortune

As ASPCA Prez Ed Sayres struggles and fails to contain outrage from his own constituency over the decision to kill an abused dog previously used as a fund-raising and public relations tool, somebody in upstate New York saw a golden opportunity.

The ASPCA may continue to stutter and blurt explanations, but Pets Alive in Middletown, New York, already got what it wants: a shot at joining the humaniac elite by riding the coat tails of the ASPCA's acute ethical and PR problems.

Pets Alive's strategy was --
(a) feed the media frenzy and encourage negative publicity, and
(b) position Pets Alive as "more humane," "more ethical" and --very important !-- "more deserving of donations."

The ASPCA shot itself in both feet when it arrogantly exploited and then killed an abused dog. And as the dust settles on Oreo-gate, the Pets Alive gambit seems to have paid off. They're a clear winner. But is Pets Alive ready for prime time?

Oooooh, baby. Not hardly.

The whitewashing of Pets Alive

In the spring of 2007, the collection of 500+ animals at Pets Alive was in really bad shape. After founder Sara Whalen died of cancer in March and Pets Alive sought assistance from Best Friends Animal Society, the animal welfare disaster at Pets Alive became public knowledge. In ABC News coverage, a visitor to the 80 acre compound compared the place to Auschwitz.

Michael Mountain's prompt plea for money included shocking descriptions of animals confined in "substandard conditions" and in need of basics like routine vaccinations and treatment for worms. Other accounts described animals kenneled in the dark and malnourished:

In the wake of one tragedy – and working to avoid another – Best Friends teams have stepped in to save and care for hundreds of at-risk animals while trying to stabilize operations at the troubled Pets Alive sanctuary in upstate New York. Many of the more than 500 animals at the shelter were living in substandard conditions as founder Sara Whalen succumbed to cancer on March 19. . . .Toward the end, when the Pets Alive board learned the extent of the problem, they turned to Best Friends for help. [emphasis added]


What did Pets Alive's BOD know, and when did they know it?

Pets Alive's Board of Directors only learned about so many sick and neglected animals "toward the end"? Could dogs like Oreo end up warehoused in substandard conditions for an entire lifetime? Current Pets Alive Executive Co-Director Matt DeAngelis describes an intimate familiarity with the facility and the animals there going back eight years. Where was he when conditions at Pets Alive reached crisis stage?
As it launched its "Pets Alive Emergency operation" Best Friends blogged that deteriorating conditions at the facility were an issue for years.


Nobody noticed 500 or 600 at-risk animals, over a period of years, until the place "looked like Auschwitz"? How is that possible?

Learning about "proper care"

Best Friends pulled out of Pets Alive by January, 2008, leaving the Pets Alive staff gushing with gratitude:

Best Friends came to Pets Alive when we were in a desperate situation and they helped us in every way imaginable. They hired staff and taught us how to properly care for and house the animals. They helped us develop a network of volunteers and supporters, showed us better adoption practices, helped us train the animals (and the staff), and helped teach us how to stand on our own two feet. [emphasis added]


Pets Alive only learned how to properly care for and house animals in its care in 2007? What was going on during the "30 years of experience" they claim? Improper care?

Oh, and by the way, Pets Alive was incorporated in 1988. The corporation began doing business in New York State in 1990. The "new" Pets Alive dates from 2007, when Best Friends went back to Utah. There is no "30 years" of Pets Alive experience and expertise.

Business resumes at Pets Alive

By January, 2008, a scant nine months after the animal welfare crisis at its facilities was first acknowledged, Pets Alive was back to importing dogs from southern states and sending out desperate messages soliciting donations to care for them.

In February, 2008, finances became a big theme as Matt DeAngelis blogged about "too many animals and not enough space" while being "blind-sided" by a $3500 electric bill.

Can "reputable" animal sanctuaries be "blind-sided" by the arrival of a utility bill? What does that say about their administrative skills?

No money to safely contain aggressive dogs at Pets Alive

Two months later, in April, 2008, Co-Executive Director Kerry Clair blogs about an urgent need for adequate kennel runs for aggressive dogs then at Pets Alive:

We have two dogs that are in desperate need of a specific type of dog run. . .We worry about our regular chain link fencing and really need to put [a particular dog] in something more solid. . . We need to buy at LEAST 2 of them, and it would be best if we had five and could put all our “caution” dogs in these solid runs. . .Would you be willing to donate the cost of one panel? This will keep our staff, our dogs and our volunteers and visitors safer. Our funds are running low here at Pets Alive. . .We desperately need an influx of donations in the next few months. Matt is working on a direct mail campaign. . . [emphasis added]

Pets Alive didn't have the facilities necessary to keep staff and visitors safe? And they claim expertise in "aggressive" dogs? Where did Pets Alive plan to hold Oreo for her lifetime?

Disappearing horses, rumors of rabies

In December, 2008, horses boarded at Pets Alive during court proceedings and subsequently ordered returned to their owners by the judge when the case was adjourned contemplating dismissal, mysteriously disappeared after the owners refused to sell them to Pets Alive supporter Rob Thomas.

Astoundingly, in August, 2009, Kerry Clair blogged that Pets Alive knowingly "technically adopted out" a sick dog that had to be euthanized because. . .

. . .she continued to get worse and worse and eventually she had to be euthanized to spare her any more suffering. It was really traumatic for us all. We still do not know cause of death but the vets feel she either contracted rabies or distemper. . .[emphasis added]

Rabies ? Or was it distemper? Because there's a difference. And where was Pets Alive's concern for public health and safety?

I mean, rabies???

Orange County, New York foreclosing on Pets Alive ?

The November 13, 2009 issue of the (Middletown) Times Herald-Record included the usual legal notices, including a Petition and Notice of Foreclosure on the Pets Alive properties.

STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT, ORANGE COUNTY
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X
IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE :
OF TAX LIENS BY PROCEEDING IN REM :
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE ELEVEN OF THE REAL :
PROPERTY TAX LAW BY THE :
COUNTY OF ORANGE :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------X
PETITION AND NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE Index No.:
2008-11479 TOWN OF WALLKILL
335200 21-1-3 PETS ALIVE, INC.
335200 22-1-30 PETS ALIVE, INC.
335200 22-1-32.1 PETS ALIVE, INC. ATTN: SARA WHALEN
335200 22-1-50.21 PETS ALIVE, INC.

Uh oh. That just can't be good news for the animals at Pets Alive. What would happen to dogs like Oreo, if their "sanctuary for life" was foreclosed? Then what? Huh?

Missing In Action with the New York State Charities Bureau

Organizations exempted from federal income tax under Section 501 of the tax code that "normally" have income in excess of $25,000 per year are required to file IRS Form 990. In New York, a copy of the 990 form is also provided to the Charities Bureau. Failure to comply with this or several other reporting requirements may result in revocation of the organization's tax-exempt status.

Even though Pets Alive routinely posts notices of large contributions ($200,000 from Rob Thomas/Sidewalk Angels in 2008) and indicates that it is a "valid 501(c)3 animal rescue", a Freedom of Information request to the NYS Charities Bureau for copies of Pets Alive's reports yielded no current information. In fact, on August 19, 2009 the Charities Bureau confirmed that Pets Alive has not remitted a Form 990 for five years. The last report they received covered tax year 2003.

Oreo's Law and more unanswered questions

In New York, "duly incorporated humane societies" --although they may sell or offer for sale hundreds and even thousands of pets annually-- are exempted from inspection under the state's regulation of "pet dealers."

The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act do not cover facilities like Pets Alive. No one checked on the care provided at Pets Alive, which housed an unknown portion of the 500 or 600 animals there in "substandard conditions" for an unknown length of time.

Could dogs like Oreo spend a lifetime, warehoused in inhumane conditions, if a proposal like "Oreo's Law" mandating unregulated "sanctuary" is enacted ? What protections exist for vulnerable dogs and other pets condemned to a lifetime of unsupervised, uninspected confinement in New York's private, not-for-profit, duly incorporated "humane" societies? What's going to happen when the sponsors of "Oreo's Law" realize that the "expertise" and "responsibility" of some animal sanctuaries may exist only in the imaginations and ambitions of their executive co-directors? Why hasn't anyone in the "humane" community spoken up?

There's clearly more than a small problem at Pets Alive, and it's not difficult to see.

Why the silence? When will the exploitation of an abused, dead dog by those who claimed to be her "rescuers" end?

Humane Havens for Dog Slaughterers

Update on previously published article

Pit Bull Killer Maloney Rakes It In
at Humane Society of the United States

Movin' on up in the world of corporate dog-killing

Pacelle lauds "accomplishments" of exec who cut and ran after Boudreaux' dogs were slaughtered

Dontcha just love it?  As ex Louisiana SPCA CEO Laura Maloney wiggles her way ever upward in the world of industrial animal killing "rescue", the bullshit just gets deeper and deeper.  When she joined HSUS a year ago as Pacelle's chief of staff, he babbled on . . .

“I’ve worked alongside Laura in Louisiana during the effort to rescue animals following Hurricane Katrina, and in the battle to outlaw cockfighting in the state, and I have seen her excel in all the areas where’s she focused her attentions. We are an enormously complex organization, and I know she’ll help us make it run even better."

Better at what, Wayne?  Killing animals? 

Maybe setting up her employers for liability in civil suits stemming from her "rescue" activities?

Cause that's what Laura Maloney excels at. 

Maloney was in charge when her blood-thirsty employees seized and immediately killed Boudreaux's 57 dogs.  She "worked with authorities" to assure they acted on her allegations. 

Boudreaux hadn't even been arraigned when Maloney's SPCA killed his dogs.  No wonder Wayne Pacelle loves her.

But when the case went to court the charges were promptly dropped.   That's a problem, Wayne.  That's a big problem.

Birds finally come home to roost: 
Lousiana SPCA settles Boudreaux suit

It has been a long, hard road for Floyd Boudreaux, his family, and the animal lovers that supported him and appreciated his dogs. 

The undisclosed sum the SPCA will be paying out to Floyd and his family--and man, I hope it is huge--won't bring back the 57 dogs they lost on the evil day of the "humane" raid Maloney orchestrated against them.   It can be no compensation for the extermination of a cherished, 200 year-old line of champions.  No amount of money can make what that family went through go away.

But it serves as a warning to other private societies-for-the-prevention who think their cute little uniforms and cop-car clone vehicles will shield them from liability when they fuck up. . .
uh, indulge in a little mission creep. . .

okay let's cut to the chase and make that. . . do what they wanted to do all along and freaking slaughter beautiful animals belonging to innocent people. 

Below is Blue Dog's October, 2009 piece on Maloney and her brilliant career.  Let's just hope it finally comes to a screeching halt.
____________________________

Exonerated Pit bull breeder Floyd Boudreaux sues Louisiana SPCA

Disgraced SPCA CEO now ASPCA Sr. Vice President

Floyd Boudreaux made headlines last week with news of his suit against the Lousiana SPCA. The SPCA needlessly, wantonly--and apparently, illegally--slaughtered the Boudreaux dogs as fast as it could after the Boudreaux home was raided during a 2005 dogfighting investigation.

You'd think that Laura Maloney, Chief Executive Officer at the LA SPCA when it exterminated each and every one of Floyd's 57 dogs within 24 hours of seizing them would be unemployable. At least unemployable within the "humane" network where the lives of animals are supposed to count for something. Right? Societies for the prevention of cruelty aren't supposed to be in a flaming hurry to kill the dogs they just finished "rescuing."

Are they?

Ooops. Blue Dog's bad. . .

That's exactly what Maloney's LA SPCA did on that black day four years ago when Boudreaux' dogs were seized, and killed, by "humane" agents. Boudreaux was quickly acquitted when his case went to trial. But it was too late for his dogs.

Maloney's LA SPCA had already carried out sentence on his dogs. Boudreaux hadn't even been arraigned when the killings began.
 
Scurrying to avoid the cold light of day

State trooper Jacob Dickinson, the investigator that testified during the short trial that vindicated the Boudreaux family, said that "he believed the SPCA would house the animals and did not know the dogs would be euthanized."

But a representative from the SPCA testified that no one person at the nonprofit animal welfare group made the decision to kill the animals but that there was a general assumption that the dogs would be euthanized.

Deny, deny, deny. . .

Laura Maloney's Louisiana SPCA is asking us to accept that general assumptions killed 57 healthy, happy dogs as soon as they arrived at the "shelter"?

Are you kidding? What kind of an explanation is that? And how cold can you get?

The stress from losing those dogs, particularly the dog belonging to his 10 year-old grandson, caused Floyd to suffer a heart attack five days after the LA SPCA killed his dogs.

Rewarding major fuck ups general assumptions

So Maloney, and the LA SPCA, asks the world to believe that LA SPCA personnel just took it upon themselves to kill all those dogs, immediately, no questions asked. All in a day's work. What kind of out-of-control crack house does Maloney claim she was running, anyway ? How arrogant can you get?

ASPCA shelters Maloney from the storm

Moving on to the present. . . Maloney's feeling no pain. She's got a nice new job at the ASPCA. Delicately referring to Maloney's "national recognition for managing high-profile dog fighting cases" the ASPCA placed Maloney in charge of various business units including Humane Law Enforcement, Veterinary Forensics, Government Affairs/Legislative Initiatives, Field Services and the New York City Anti-Cruelty Center.

Some gig, huh? ASPCA Veterinary Forensics. Dang.

Lights going out in Georgia

So, was it Maloney that deployed Melinda Merck, the ASPCA Forensic head honcho now partnered up with Norred and Associates and HSUS ? These three private corporations are cutting a swath through the backwoods of Georgia right now -- seizing pit bulls first and asking questions later. Way, way later.

Is Merck acting on Maloney's instructions--or maybe just a general assumption--when she seizes puppies from the homes of innocent people? Does anyone at the ASPCA even care?

Waves of "humane change" don't reach every shore

What happens to all those seized dogs, anyway? Where are the dogs?

Something tells me that news of the great "Las Vegas Humane Sea Change", in which HSUS sort of agreed that dogs seized during fighting investigations don't necessarily need to die, has been slow to trickle down. Plenty of good dogs are dying lonely deaths for no good reason.

After HSUS, Norred, the ASPCA and the news crews blow town, the killing begins.
What responsibility does Merck, Maloney and the ASPCA assume for the fate of those dogs?

None.

Absolutely none.

ASPCA doesn't walk the walk

The ASPCA cannot employ people like Laura Maloney and look dog owners, particularly pit bull owners, in the eye. It is not possible.

Most especially, the ASPCA cannot put people with a history like Laura Maloney's in charge of Melinda Merck and her travelling pit bull confiscation show.

"We are their voice" ???

What a farce.

HSUS and ASPCA: Filling Pit Bull Burial Grounds

John Goodwin, Melinda Merck caught in the act Who's hearing black helicopters now?

Seizing dogs for fun and profit: theft under color of law

Nobody ever accused convicted ALF terrorist and HSUS Dogfight Czar John Goodwin of getting bogged down in petty details.

Legalities, responsibility for the health and welfare of the dogs he and ASPCA's Melinda Merck seize, restitution for the cost of failed attempts to kill pitbulls lamentable errors made while pursuing the animal extremist "greater good" ?

Not even on Goodwin and Merck's radar.

HSUS offers a bounty for dogfighting "tips."

In the Line of Duty continues to dance to HSUS' tune, hyping "lucrative" dogfight busts to local law enforcement agencies.

And Norred and Associates? HSUS' private, for profit, hired guns investigators ? Why should Norred give a shit about a country boy, his family, and his handful of dogs? Norred was hired by HSUS to obliterate pit bulls dogfighting, and that's what they're gonna do.

The Curious Case of Joe Woodall, Gilmer County, Georgia

For 12 hours on October 28, 2008, the Woodall family watched helplessly as agents of the Humane Society of the United States, Norred and Associates, the ASPCA, local humane societies and local law enforcement swarmed over their property.

Among those executing the Woodall raid were:

John Goodwin, the Humane Society of the United States's "manager, animal fighting campaign." Despite the much bally-hooed "sea change" at HSUS, Goodwin remains very much in charge of HSUS's pit bull dogfighting eradication program.

Melinda Merck, the ASPCA's "forensic veterinarian." Merck takes pride in her "expertise."

In order to properly identify evidence, analyze it and interpret the findings, you have to know animals and animal behavior. This is what I do and what I bring to a crime scene. I am an animal expert investigating crimes against animals. .

More on Merck's "expertise" below.

HSUS's Chris Schindler. Three months after the Woodall raid, Schindler testified in a North Carolina court that un-weaned pups are "too dangerous to live" and joined with other HSUS employees in urging the deaths of every one of the Wildside Kennels dogs. Schindler, like Goodwin, remains an employee in good standing at HSUS. . .despite the "sea change" at HSUS.

Greg D. Norred, Founder and President and Chuck Simmons, VP Special Operations at Norred and Associates. Like Schindler, Merck, and Goodwin, Simmons is employed by a private, non-governmental agency and is responsible only to the privately employed people who control his pay-check. His boss, entrepreneur Greg Norred, has a background in private sector, for-profit, security services.

The Woodall home, barn and wooded property was searched for nearly 12 hours. Their 13 American Pit Bull Terrier dogs -- eleven adult dogs and two puppies -- were seized on suspicion of dogfighting.

News of Woodall's "arrest" was reported on local television. Joe, a hobby dog breeder who shows his dogs in ADBA-sanctioned conformation events and competes in weightpull trials, became a notorious dogfighter in the blink of an eye.

The Woodall kids had to get up and go to school the next day.

No arrest, no prosecution--but the dogs don't come back

The Woodall family, with good reason, feared that their dogs would be summarily killed as a result of their "rescue". Joe and Tracy's two young sons were devastated by the loss of their special pet dog, Purdy, who slept with them each night.

Yet after the dogs were loaded into Merck's ASPCA paddywagon and taken to another county several hours away from their home, and despite news reports, Joe was never arrested. He was never charged with a crime.

It took the Woodalls two months of frantic effort, and a court order, to get their dogs back. When they did come home, they arrived in sorry condition after eight weeks of "assessment for dogfighting." All had open sores. The gleaming, flawless coats evident in Joe's videos on the day of the raid were gone. Two of the dogs had more significant health problems, especially one of the pups. All of them showed signs of stress and trauma.

But Joe and his video camera succeeded in getting his dogs out alive.

$5000's worth of "probable cause" ? Did it cost more ?

HSUS's strategy all along and across the board is to lower the bar on what constitutes probable cause.

Joe's video (YouTube links below--image captures here courtesy Pet-Defense) shows John Goodwin questioning the Woodalls as to their dogs' bloodlines and registry. Goodwin is anxious to establish pedigree and registry, alone, as proof of "fighting" dogs.

Here's Goodwin gingerly examining one of Joe Woodall's dogs -- a dog which showed no trace of fighting, was in excellent physical condition and showed the exuberantly people-friendly, "correct" temperament for an APBT. The poor dog could have no understanding of what Goodwin's gloved hand placed on her head meant. She was seized a short time after Goodwin's examination.

How low can you go?

But looking at the search warrant application for the Woodall home and property, I have to wonder how much lower the court system can sink.

The remarkable document indicates that the search was based on--

A. A phoned-in tip to a private, non-governmental security firm from an anonymous source.

B. Alleged references in an "underground" magazine of no known veracity -- one that ceased publication more than four years before the Woodall raid.

C. The presence of tethered "pit bulls" at and near the Woodall home.

and last, but not least. . .

D. "Independent information" provided by a convicted felon. The informant's statement constitutes a confession to yet another instance of felonious activity, but he can't remember the details of the event he reports because, he testified, he was too drunk to know where he was.

All the justice money can buy

I'm wondering how many pockets were lined by HSUS in putting together the "probable cause" for the raid that ripped apart the Woodall home and nearly killed their dogs.

For the record, the "dogfighting paraphernalia" found in the Woodall home consisted of dog collars, a couple of ropes, veterinary supplies for the treatment of eye and ear infections, a few magazines. . .and the videos Joe had made of his own dogs.

And his dogs, of course.

Your donations at work: Melinda Merck, DVM, and ASPCA Puppy Thief

Here's a shot of Melinda Merck removing one of two healthy, well-cared for puppies from the Woodall home. She got the other one a few minutes after this shot was taken.

Neither puppy returned in the excellent condition they left the Woodall home in.

Eight weeks of "assessment" failed to identify any evidence of dogfighting in any of Joe Woodall's dogs.

You'd think that the ASPCA's so-called forensic expert could have established that the dogs were in excellent condition, and had beautiful, very friendly temperaments in something less than eight weeks, wouldn't you?

Or was Merck's only purpose to sign off on the seizure of dogs--any dogs--and let the chips fall where they may? Maybe do an interview or two, have a little lunch. . .

Who speaks for these victims?

Huh?

That's what I want to know.

Who's going to put the world back together again for kids like Joe and Tracy Woodall's children?

Children who had their lives torn to pieces because HSUS and the ASPCA can get away with it, and learned the hard way that innocence will not protect them?

Does anyone really believe that HSUS magically changed its ways, when the people who organized these kinds of tragedies remain in place ?

Short of a brain transplant for John Goodwin, I don't see how it's possible.

Pit Bull burial grounds

How about those 350 or 450 or who-knows-how-many dogs seized in the "world's greatest dogfighting bust", orchestrated by HSUS's usual players: Goodwin, Norred and Schindler, with the ASPCA's Merck there to rubber stamp the proceedings? What about the myriad other busts taking place across the country?

Does anyone else worry that dogs just like Joe Woodall's got scooped up, and will probably die when HSUS and its local proxies determine that, too bad, too too bad, the dogs were too ill/too injured/too "unsocialized" ?

Or maybe they'll use the "no room at the inn" excuse. Hard to take coming from the world's largest, wealthiest "animal advocates" but I think it's coming.

Nothing about what happened to Joe Woodall's dogs demonstrated care about their welfare. Nothing. HSUS's and ASPCA's only interest was in seizing the dogs.

Joe Woodall thinks their purpose is to exterminate all "pit bulls." I think he's right. So, how much longer can this abuse continue? About Joe's videos

Joe Woodall placed several videos on YouTube. Many mix shots of his dogs at weightpull trials, playing with his children, etc., with clips of the HSUS/ASPCA raid on his home.

A couple of highlights:

At roughly 3:15 minutes, this clip shows Goodwin's review of Woodall's dogs, including his preoccupation with their pedigrees and near complete disregard for how well they are cared for.

At roughly 3:51 minutes on this tape, Melinda Merck seizes the smaller of Joe Woodall's two puppies as Joe struggles to get Merck to admit that there is nothing wrong with the pup. Joe's voice rises a bit.

Understandable, doncha think?

Puppymillers R Us

HSUS plays "responsible breeders" for fools

Get a clue, sweetheart. The days of Camelot are over. 

Roger Caras is dead and buried, too. 

The American Kennel Club doesn't call the shots, Robert's Rules of Order count for shit, and declaring yourself a responsible, ethical, hobby dog breeder means nothing--nothing at all--to animal extremists. 

Oppose "puppymills", do ya? 

First of all, if by "puppymills" you mean "abusive, unlawful dog breeding facilities that violate generally accepted animal husbandry practices" . . .well, all I can say is: whoop de doo. How do you feel about global deforestation, kiddie porn, and adult illiteracy? For, or against? Any motherhood statements you need to get off your chest on, maybe, the torture of civilian combatants in Guantanamo? 

Puppymillers like you and me 

On the other hand, if by "puppymiller" you mean what the Humane Society of the United States means, better think again. Because HSUS and its extremist supporters are coming after you if you breed dogs. They don't care how much you love your dogs and how careful you are with your pups. HSUS's latest crop of anti-puppymill proposals have nothing to do with cruelty to animals. Instead, these proposals outlaw ownership or mere temporary custody of intact dogs (and cats).

Custody of the happiest, healthiest most well-cared for dogs (and/or cats) in the world would be a criminal act under these proposals, if you happen to have "too many." Groomers, trainers, boarding kennel operators and doggie daycare facilities, huntsmen/women and mushers, vets. . .all potential "puppymillers" in the eyes of the Humane Society of the United States. "Too many" intact dogs in their custody could lead to criminal charges. Not because the animals were mistreated in any way. Oh, no. Just because they had custody of the wrong number.

HSUS's numbers game: who wins, who loses? 
 
Pet-Age got it wrong. Dogs are born intact, and some people choose to keep them that way, whether they intend to breed them or not. Its called personal preference, and its not criminal.

Yet.

These aren't proposals to protect animals from "puppymillers." While disguised by anti-puppymill rhetoric, these proposals are designed to shut down breeders and take their animals. Period.

True agenda: seizure and destruction of animals 

Under HSUS's New York proposal alleged custody of the wrong number of cats and dogs may lead to seizure and forfeiture of the animals. Amazingly, in New York forfeited animals may be killed or sold off by the agency that seized them BEFORE the owner gets his day in court. So, HSUS and its acolytes could accuse someone of owning "too many" intact dogs and/or cats, seize them, kill them. . .and THEN the owner gets to go to court. Some shit, huh? 

Pencil in a number. Any number. 

Consider yourself "safe" because you don't have 50 (or 40 or 75) intact dogs and/or cats?

Then you're an idiot.

The ASPCA is already signalling that twenty dogs could identify a breeder as a "puppymiller." There won't be any way to stuff that genie back in the bottle, folks. Numbers were made to change. Once criminal animal cruelty can be charged based only on alleged numbers of animals present--and not the quality of care they are provided--home and hobby breeding of dogs and cats will come to a screeching halt. Ditto sports and hunting kennels, or any other place where intact dogs tend to congregate. 

Shoulder to shoulder with HSUS's Jennifer Fearing

Anyone else going to an anti "puppymill" demonstrations with Jennifer Fearing?
Before you pack your lunch and your poster, here's a trivia question to consider. Especially for California pit bull owners:

Question: Ingrid Newkirk, Bob Barker and Jennifer Fearing-- what document unites them all?

Answer: All three signed a letter urging legislators to support SB 861, California's pit bull extermination law that continues to kill innocent dogs for the crime of being caught intact. SB 861 laid the groundwork for the global forced sterilization proposals rocking California today, four years later. Too bad "the Fancy" didn't see the writing on the wall back in 2005, isn't it? You can read the dim-witted letter Fearing signed, which claims that breed specific mandatory sterilization would benefit and even protect "pit bulls," here.  

We're all puppymillers

Or dogfighters. Or backyard breeders, or hoarders, or "irresponsible owners." Or blood-crazed, rifle-toting Bambi-killers.

There's an accusation out there waiting for each of us. In the end, no combination of OFA certified dams and performance-titled studs, no forlorn adherence to the mandates of a national breed club, no number of pups produced small enough to protect a targeted dog breeder from extremist allegations which will destroy their lives.

I've got a huge problem when "responsible" and "ethical" dog breeders --not to mention bloggers and freaking journalists -- fall for HSUS jive and completely, utterly, fail to see who they're climbing into bed with.

The Humane Society of the United States employs the best public relations advisors money can buy. Pacelle will position himself and HSUS any way necessary to achieve his goals.

Watch what HSUS does. Not what HSUS says its doing. Don't be a chump.