A lot of this would stop if the AKC would stop issuing certificates on these puppies without any inspecting of either the premises or the records. Sellers can't make much profit on a non-certified pup. I guess the AKC's income from those certificates is just too rich to pass up. You'd have to be blind not to notice that you are issuing thousands of certs to one location year after year, on the basis old paper on females and males who were AKC registered *decades* ago. Have you ever seen AKC-sponsored ads or publicity educating the public about mills? I haven't.

I agree the funding is low. However, why aren't the laws written to increase penalties, thereby increasing revenue? I believe the violators should help to support the policing system. How do other states manage to enforce these laws? It's getting done somehow. One example is our pet lemon law. The victim is entitled to a refund up to the purchase price of the animal. Why shouldn't the seller be imposed an automatic additional fine for each violation paid directly to the state? If they are just returning the money received for the pet (on virtually free inventory), and only if they get caught, where is the incentive to sell a healthy pet? People don't readily report the abuse and it causes substantial problems. In some ways it could be seen that the pet lemon law discourages many from doing so. The victim, after dealing with the stress of a sick/dead pet, now has to jump through numerous legal hoops to have a few hundred dollars returned. Not everyone finds its worth the time and additional stress. If the agencies don't receive enough complaints (within a set period of time, no less) they seem to be paralyzed to help. Isn't this instilling to the perpetrators that they can get away with what they are doing? If a complaint or two comes in about them, they know nothing is going to be done. I really liked the above bill because at least it reduced the amount of animals the inspectors have to inspect. Having 50 animals that have never been vetted is better than 1000. The inspectors are supposed to provide the opportunity to correct the violations and then go back to reinspect. If nothing more, it seems like a time-saver. I don't understand why this would be an unenforceable law but you are not the first to mention it. I was also told that it doesn't have much chance of passing this year :( Here is a link that might be useful: NYS Pet Lemon Law

No, sorry I had stepped away for a few days as I was unwell, no one "drove" me away! I'll put my input in where and when I can, but I won't bring up anymore breeding's. I know you all want to blame ME for the over-pop in the shelters, but I've truly never seen locally a true *purebred* dog that was up for adoption! We've tried (and had a couple at one time 2 spayed female lab/shepard mix pups) but adoption around here you have to jump tbrough loops and pay fees with no garantee they'll pick you. I have kids, I've gotten a no way they're too young (at the time I had two and mine were 4.5 & 3.5 and we'd be fine w/a puppy but answer always no, over an acre almost 2 of land fenced so they can run while we're our with not good enough(this was a home inspection where we were turned down by shelters when we tried to help an unwanted dog, even a puppy where we'd pay a deposit for spay/neuter if not already altered, rescues of pure-breds are even more strict and basically have to give a pint of blood for a rescued dog (they usually don't get puppies.. generally what we saw we owners who should've been shot on site for what they'd done to these sweet innocent things! I went through very reputable AKC breeders, not puppy mills, or BYB which turn my stomach knowing the conditions in a PM and lack of knowledge w/a BYB. Someone said I do it for the money, honey.. I offer a lifetime guarantee w/my pets sold, and anyone close enough to bring a puppy back to me even middle of the night... should they be very concerned about something going on with the Pup and I'll take it to MY vet's and eat the Bill (I won't pay costs should they go to their own vet however as they had the option to bring it to me!) I raise my dogs & Puppies on good wholesome food, no junk kibble. Icelandic Salmon Oil, Nu-Vet Powder/tabs(treats) for their long term health and add joint plus as they get older as a "just in case!" The nursing/whlping Moms are supplemented with scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, steak, venison, salmon,what ever left-overs we're having that's aren't "bad/unhealthy" (think years ago Dogs LIVED off table scraps and they lived long healthy lives.. longe before"kibble" started! - which is a rarity - most try to feed some of "lesser quality/cheaper brands"/ wevfeed Merrick Whole Goods to the Puppies, and Merrick Before Grain Salmon generallu.. but have switched it up w/ other BG Flavors.. etc and are soothed by music and me (and/or hubby who works a full-time job to pay for things because a GOOD and PROPER Breeder makes little or none, and I've even lost income making sure everything is properly cared for w/ my OWN dog as well as puppies brought to me, but I brought them into this world, carefully and they're MY responsibility and I stand BY it! I offer micro-chipping as a service, but am seriously considering making it part of my program unless someone objects! Then that's their choice! The place I got my Shiba's from was VERY helpful in helping me learn even more (every day I take as a new learning process!) in pampering my own babies as well as making sure THEIR babies also reap the benefits of it all! J (who's glad she came out of lurking mode even if my choices don't make everyone happy.. I've learned I can't make even 1/2 the people.. I am who I am and do what I do. And AM a Pet Owner don't make my animals live outside in Kennels like most kennels do, they're part of our family and are treated as such with hugs, kisses, lovin', and lots of care' 2

Oh and I figured I would copy and paste this, this is just one of hundreds of links out there explaining importation and redistribution of pets.... footnotes also available to check this out at end of explanations. The answer for some shelters with empty runs has not been to contact shelters in their own regions or in other areas of the continental US, but to institute programs of importation from other countries and territories. According to their own records, one foundation, the Save a Sato 2 program championed by PeTA, has already sent 14,000 dogs to the US. Satos (a slang term for mixed-breed street dogs in Puerto Rico) arrive in US cities practically every day. Dozens of shelters are involved. Some of the shelters NAIA is tracking bring in 100-200 dogs each month and are placing them for $200-$250 each.3 From Florida, Texas and Michigan to New England 4 and the Pacific Northwest, more and younger Puerto Rican dogs and puppies are finding their way into American shelters every month. Massachusetts in particular is a magnet and a distribution center 5 for relocated surplus pets and strays, but other states with empty shelter runs are picking up the cause as well. This is not a phenomenon that can be brushed off lightly as a passing phase. If you examine the evidence and connect the dots, the steady influx of foreign strays reveals an evolving plan. New 501(c)3 charities devoted to rescuing dogs from distant lands are popping up in states across the US. They are not being formed to place only Puerto Rican dogs, but also to save dogs from as far away as Taiwan 6 and other Asian countries. Several shelters and rescue groups in the Northwest knowingly accept dogs from Taiwan, Puerto Rico or Mexico. There is another disturbing pattern developing, a trend toward importing progressively younger dogs. Two years ago when NAIA first began researching the issue, the foreign imports depicted on shelter web sites were of varied ages. Today, most of them are puppies. It is easy to speculate that if no one is capturing and altering the illusive strays that produce these orphans, then enterprising rescuers and shelter directors could help developing countries become breeding grounds for stocking US shelters. Long-term flooding of US cities with mixed-breed, foreign dogs has unavoidable implications for pet population dynamics in the US. The practice of importing dogs from developing countries not only prevents us from making further progress against 'pet overpopulation,' in time it could also diminish the responsible breeding and placement of well-bred, healthy dogs and cats.Many conscientious dog breeders are so concerned about 'pet overpopulation' they have already accepted the idea that a good breeder is one who seldom breeds. The problem with this conclusion is that it does not recognize the basic marketplace reality that demand drives supply. When responsible breeders quit breeding, it means only that in the future someone else will supply the public with the dogs or cats they want. In this specific case, it also means that the public will have fewer reliable sources for healthy, well bred and socialized purebred dogs. In the two years since introducing the subject of stray importation, (see /articles/archives/redefining.htm) the practice has taken off, with the result that some animal shelters are clearly operating as pet stores today. Whether they acquire their inventory from distant states or foreign countries or territories, they operate like commercial businesses, not charities formed to serve the public good. They acquire their stock at little or no cost 7, advertise their product using time-tested campaigns against 'pet overpopulation,' rotate inventory quickly, restock immediately and bring in staggering amounts of money. Projecting from figures on the web site of one active shelter, gross revenues from imports that include a constant supply of satos, will total more than $500,000 this year alone! It is also disturbing to see the animal rights party line being used against breeders to justify importation. The following quote was taken from the web site of the Humane Society of Snohomish County, a Seattle-area importer of dogs from Taiwan. "By saving Taiwan dogs, we do not feel this takes away from saving a dog at our own shelters. The majority of dogs from Taiwan are small and our own shelters do not have many small dogs. At this time we have over 38 people on our waiting list for small dogs. We feel it is better to bring small dogs in from another part of the world than to have these people going to a breeder. Many people, sadly, still do after they have been on our waiting list for an extended period." The Buddy Dog Humane Society 8 in Massachusetts shares the anti-breeder sentiment and offers a similar rationale on their web site: "Many people ask why we are taking dogs from Puerto Rico. The answer for us is simple. Most of the dogs are small, usually under 30 pounds, thus enabling Buddy Dog to find many adopters looking for a smaller dog, a new companion, without going to a pet store or breeder. At the same time we are helping homeless dogs get off the streets and into a caring home." A certain picture begins to emerge when reviewing Buddy Dog's statement of priorities: 1) to have the right product to fill consumer demands; 2) to prevent the public from getting a dog that was deliberately bred, whether from a pet store or a private breeder; and 3) to help a homeless dog. When coupled with the stated goal of the animal rights agenda 9 to eliminate the purposeful breeding of dogs and cats, the anti-breeder mantra echoed throughout this enterprise should convince even the most skeptical of readers that stray importation is only part of a far more ambitious plan. The oft-repeated vision for pet ownership espoused by PeTA's founder, Ingrid Newkirk makes humane relocation a moral imperative. "If people had companion animals in their homes, those animals would have to be refugees from the animal shelters and the streets." Eliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals 10 and the foremost advocate of 'guardianship,' states a similar goal, "to convince people to rescue and adopt instead of buying or selling animals, to disavow the language and concept of animal ownership." IDA's leader says that it is essential for people to understand that, "an owner buys, a guardian adopts or rescues." Katz is currently leading the campaign to get Los Angeles to adopt 'guardian' in all of its municipal codes. NAIA unequivocally opposes the importation of stray dogs (and more recently cats) into the US for adoption. Importing strays is a dangerous and irresponsible practice and should be outlawed immediately. The only reason that laws don't already exist to prevent such destructive rescue activities is that no reasonable person could have imagined a scenario in which anyone would be irrational enough to do it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Health matters Even before considering the health issues, it is a reckless and indefensible practice to import stray animals into a country that pours hundreds of millions of public and private dollars annually, (and has for decades) into animal control and 'pet overpopulation' problems! Imports from other countries displace American shelter dogs that need homes, too. The importation of strays does not save lives, it sustains overpopulation and assures that adoptable dogs in US shelters will be euthanized. The current scale of importation also poses significant public health risks. These animals, destined to be domestic pets, are from countries where the standards of veterinary medicine are not as high as they are in the US. Diseases and parasites that are not found here may be endemic in poor or tropical countries. If the fundraising materials accurately describe the rescued dogs, they are not pets from private homes but strays from the streets and therefore are among the most likely reservoirs for parasites and diseases. In addition, they are bringing them into communal shelters where they are most likely to pass on whatever diseases or parasites they have to other companion animals or to their caregivers. Some diseases and parasites pose serious health risks for human health as well as for dogs and other species. Dogs are a leading vector for rabies 11 in many poor countries. Currently, the only thing required for a dog to enter the US is a health certificate and proof of a rabies shot. Given the incubation period for rabies, from five days to several years, with 20-60 days being the norm, unquarantined importation of street dogs from poor countries with low rates of vaccination for rabies, is a disaster waiting to happen. Exotic parasites, worms, protozoa and certain ticks pose significant risks as well. Living in a country where it is difficult to get a banana through customs, (especially since 9-11) and where livestock importation is strictly regulated and animal protection groups seek ever-tighter regulation of dogs from breed enthusiasts along with commercial breeders, it is a sick and intolerable paradox that poorly bred, often diseased, foreign-bred dogs enter our country by the thousands with the barest of regulation - often on airlines that fly them to the US at no charge to help out the 'cause.' Seemingly, the only unregulated operators in the animal world today are the 'animal dealers' working in the animal protection groups that fundraise on overpopulation while importing dogs from overseas. Indeed, the only thing that puts the madness into perspective is the fact that importing groups and the national animal rights groups that support them are still fundraising on the issue of 'pet overpopulation!' At NAIA we salute anyone working to improve the welfare of animals so long as they conduct themselves responsibly. If groups such as PeTA that support importation of strays want to help animals in poor and developing countries, though, we recommend that they take a fraction of their millions and fund spay and neuter clinics or launch public education campaigns. Those initiatives might actually help. Importing Satos or Taiwan strays, on the other hand, does little more than displace US shelter animals with ones that are more suitable for fundraising. NAIA recognizes that most people working in animal shelters and rescue conduct themselves honorably while performing a difficult and often thankless job. This article is not intended to tar the whole sheltering community with the irresponsible actions of a few. Even so, if the good people who work in animal control and protection remain silent on the issue, they are culpable as well. For too long, extreme groups like PeTA have co-opted the animal movement and brought shame to the cause of animal protection. It's time for reasonable people in animal welfare to separate themselves from the corrupt and radical fringe and bring respect back to their cause. The public needs to know that being humane doesn't't have to mean being insane! For more information on this and other issues affecting dog and cat owners and breeders, visit the NAIA web site at www.naiaonline.org NAIA and NAIA Trust will continue to work on the issue of stray imports. NAIA will pursue researching and reporting on the subject and NAIA Trust will set out an agenda for dealing with it legislatively and legally. If you have information on the subject, please contact naia@involved.com If you would like to work with NAIA Trust on this issue, contact naiatrust@involved.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes http://www.petpopulation.org http://www.saveasato.org http://www.daws.org/sato.htm http://www.northeastanimalshelter.org/special.html http://www.sterlingshelter.org/services/puppyrescue.html http://www.geocities.com/~t-aarf/main.html http://www.humanityforanimals.org/howyoucanhelp.html http://www.buddydoghs.com/html/satoInfo.html /articles/archives/aragenda.htm http://www.idausa.org http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/osh/info/rage_e.html Note: The synopsis below was taken from the following link: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/osh/info/rage_e.html "The World Health