Sweet Pit Bull Story

Several of Michael Vick's dogs are making their way through the adoption process and becoming members of loving families. More evidence that these dogs are not the monsters that they're sometimes made out to be. The photos of these dogs are heartwarming!

First Dog

cnn.com poll shows folks want the Obamas to adopt a shelter dog. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Petland Boycott and Protest

Minnesotans have the opportunity this month to join Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) to protest the sale of puppy mill puppies for Christmas.
As you know, this has been a banner year for educating the public about the problems of puppies and kittens bred for profit in inhumane conditions. On Saturday, December 20, we will be standing in front of ONE or maybe TWO PETLANDS here in Minnesota and saying NO to puppy mill animals as gifts!
We need people to pledge to be at one of the following location 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m:
Petland Shakopee8091 Old Carriage Court NorthShakopee, MN 55379
Petland St. Paul2123 Hudson Rd.St. Paul, MN 55119
Please RSVP to Colleen at carecmeyer@gmail.com and let her know which location you plan to attend.
You will need to bring a sign but if you don't have time to make one, please come anyway.
Some sign ideas:
Don't buy while puppies die
ANIMALS are not PRESENTS - they are lifetime commitments
PETLAND buys puppy mill animals
DOGS and CATS and PUPPIES AND KITTENS deserve better
KNOW WHERE YOUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS COME FROM - ask questions
Please RSVP to Colleen at carecmeyer@gmail.com and let her know which location you plan to attend.

Save The Date

Pet Haven's puppy / kitten mill information session will be held on 1/10/09 at the Roseville Public Library.
Exact time TBD (will update next week), but likely between 11-2pm.

Informative Puppy / Kitten Mill Links

Great resources for learning about puppy / kitten mills.
http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ (from the Humane Society of the United States)
http://votersforanimals.org/ (Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection)

Puppy Mills in the News

There have been several stories about puppy mills lately. Last night wcco featured a story about a puppy mill in Minnesota. There's video that's pretty disturbing that goes along with it. It's so sad to see that puppy mills exist, but I'm glad the mainstream media is picking up the story. There are a lot of people who don't know about puppy mills, and assume that if they're buying something online or at a store, it must be a legit business. It's our job in the animal welfare community to educate our friends and family about the truth! Whenever I hear someone is looking to add a dog or cat to his or her family, I make sure to tell them about rescue groups (like Pet Haven). People are generally amazed when they see how many great rescue groups exist, and see that they have a lot of choices. Bottom line, don't shop, adopt!

Petland Stores and Puppy Mills

The Humane Society of the United States has determined that Petland Stores purchase and offer for sale dogs from puppy mills. There are two Petland Stores in Minnesota-one in St. Paul at Sun Ray Shopping Center, the other in Shakopee. Please do not patronize these stores. Even if those stores do not directly receive dogs from puppy mills, shopping at their stores helps support the corporate policy to continue selling dogs from horrible puppy mills. Click here to read the HSUS's finding. Please join me in sending a letter to Petland asking them to stop its practice of purchasing dogs from puppy mills.

Obama Family Dog

Among all the talk surrounding the country's President-elect is discussion about the type of dog the Obama family will /should get. During his first press conference, President-elect Obama mentioned that the family would prefer to adopt a dog from a shelter. The Best Friends Network even has a website devoted to this very subject! This is so encouraging! I would love it if our "First Pet" was a rescue. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

How about Bailey here? I'm sure she'd love running around the White House-she's definitely got the energy for it!

Vote today!

Minnsotans can click here to find their polling location.

Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection

Here's another way to support our furry friends! Check out the Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection. MVAP "works to pass animal protection laws at the local and state level in Minnesota and to support humane candidates for office." Great stuff!

Pit Bull Appreciation Day!

Tomorrow, October 25th, is the second annual Pit Bull Appreciation Day! This is a day to celebrate the positive image of pit bulls, and take a stand against breed-specific legislation.

Locally, A Rotta Love Plus is having a gathering at Minnehaha Park. Click here for details!

Disturbing Information about Minnesota Breeding Facility

I recenly read a very scary article about Kathy Bauck, the owner of a large-scale breeding facility here in Minnesota. Ms. Bauck has been charged with performing surgery on her animals without a license, animal cruelty, and torture. She has a history of violations and cruelty accusations. The Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine recently issued Ms. Bauck a cease and desist order prohibiting her from continuing to perform these surgical procedures in violation of Minnesota law. Of course it's important to remember that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Having said that, type Kathy Bauck into your favorite search engine, and you'll find several accounts of the numerous citations against her facility, and the numerous instances of violations. This is why we need a Breeder Bill!




Click here to sign an online petition to have Ms. Bauck's facility shut down.

Other types of Advocacy

A friend of mine was in a suburban mall recently and told me he saw a pet store selling small dogs. He mentioned the dogs were in relatively small cages, and that the store was asking nearly $1,000 for the dogs. He asked the young clerks where the dogs came from, but they didn’t know. Rather than pursue it further, he decided to leave, but vowed never to shop not only at the store, but at that mall again.

It reminded me that advocacy can go beyond the political arena. We can effectively advocate with our pocketbooks, and through our actions (or inaction!). A few suggestions:
Check out the numerous businesses that have a strong working relationship with Pet Haven. These businesses donate their time, space, and resources to help the rescue animals that come through Pet Haven’s “doors” and should be rewarded with our business!

Plymouth Animal Hospital
Auntie Ruth's Doggie Daycare
Bloomington Veterinary Hospital
PetCo Stores
Downtown Dogs
The Canine Coach
Northwood Valley Kennels
Doubletree Hotel, St. Louis Park
Foxridge Printing
Chuck & Don's Stores
Lake Harriet Veterinary Clinic
Pampered Pooch Playground

I also recently visited Woody’s Pet Food Deli in Minneapolis. They give a 10% discount to owners of rescue animals, and 15% to active volunteers!

Be wary pet stores that sell cats and dogs. While I certainly don’t want to make a blanket statement that all pets sold at pet stores come from puppy or kitten mills, there is a lot of evidence to support that statement. At the very least, speak to a manager or owner, and ask about where the pets come from, and make them be specific! And, even if you’re not there to purchase an animal, patronizing a store that may support kitten and puppy mills just makes it that much easier for the store to continue supporting that awful practice.

Suggest to friends and family who mention they are looking for a new pet to consider adoption. In addition to Pet Haven, there are numerous organizations, even ones that specialize in certain breeds that always have more animals than homes for them.

What else do folks suggest?

Opportunities to learn about the legislative process

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (of which Pet Haven is a member) has several opportunities to learn about public policy and the legislative process. Several of these are free, but most require registration. Click here to learn more about the opportunities and register.




Promoting Your Issues With Candidates: Network Lunch – September 26 from noon - 1 p.m. at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2314 University Ave West, St. Paul.



The Big Picture: Many Ways to Make a Difference – October 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2314 University Ave West, St. Paul.


Capitol Lab – October 16 from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Minnesota Capitol, starting in room 318.



Plan Your Day on the Hill – October 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2314 University Ave West, St. Paul.

Happy Fall!

With summer over, it's time for me roll up my sleeves and get to work on Pet Haven Advocacy! The Breeder Bill is still top-of-mind, and I hope that in 9 months, we'll be celebrating the passage of a much-needed bill here in Minnesota. It got me thinking about what else is being done
The Virginia legislature passed a breeder bill in March by a landslide (37-3!) and was approved by the governor in April.
Democratic and Republican Representatives introduced the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS) in the United States House of Representatives last week.

These are both encouraging signs! Let's make sure Minnesota follows suit during the next session!

Let's get the Breeder Bill Passed!

Did you know that Minnesota is one of the worst states in the country when it comes to regulating the dog and cat breeding industry? Minnesota has no licensing requirements, no care standards, and no regulations to make sure dogs and cats are humanely bred and cared for. Unfortunately, while there are responsible breeders, there are those that take advantage of this situation. The result: inhumane breeding conditions, and excessive breeding that contributes to the large number of abandoned cats and dogs in our state.

One of my primary goals during the next legislative session will be to help ensure that a Breeder Bill gets signed into law. January may seem far away (especially when it's 90 degrees outside!), but it's never too early to think about what we need to do next session. To get started, let's educate ourselves. Check out http://www.animalfolksmn.org/ to learn more. Talk to your state elected officials and find out where they stand. Find out who's running for (re)election in your district and educate them on this very important issue. Talk to your friends about the issue and educate them. If we work together, we could be celebrating this time next year!

Can you guess which one's the pit bull?

I read two very different stories about dogs today. One was a tragic story about a puppy that attacked a baby while the baby's monther was asleep. The other was an uplifting story about a dog that brings joy to cancer patients.

The puppy that attacked the baby was a Cairn terrier/poodle mix (aka Cairndoodles), a relatively popular poodle "hybrid." Click here for photos.

The dog that visits cancer patients is Leo. Leo is a pit bull. Leo used to be part of Michael Vick's dogfighting ring. Now, Leo wears a clown collar and makes people smile.

...

More evidence that you can't judge a dog by breed alone!

Good News! Dangerous Dog bill signed into law. BSL dead…for now

The Dangerous Dog bill (HF 2906/SF 2876) was passed by Congress and signed by Gov. Pawlenty on May 15, 2008. The bill makes various changes to Minnesota statutes that regulate the ownership of dangerous dogs. The threat of banning certain breeds of dogs was scrapped early in the legislative process when Rep. Lesch’s bill to ban specific breeds of dogs (a.k.a. BSL) was dropped in favor of Rep. Paymar’s more reasonable answer to a number of dog attacks that received much media attention last year. The final bill provides better enforcement of the current laws and focuses on the owners of dangerous dogs, rather than arbitrarily punishing a specific breed. In fact, the law maintains the prohibition on cities and counties from passing their own breed-specific legislation.

As an added bonus, the bill authorizes cities to adopt ordinances that allow dogs to accompany their owners on patios of food and beverage establishments. Be on the lookout for dog-friendly outdoor restaurant patios!

Some of the bill’s highlights include:
-Increasing the amount of the insurance policy or surety bond owners of dangerous dogs are required to purchase from $50,000 to $300,000
-Mandating Animal Control to sterilize (spay / neuter) dogs considered dangerous, at the owner’s expense. Animal control has authority to immediately seize a dangerous dog if it is not sterilized within the time prescribed by statute.
-Requiring the owner of a dangerous dog to register the dog with Animal Control. In order to have registration approved, dangerous dog owners must post a visible warning sign that there is a dangerous dog on the property, pay an annual fee, have a microchip implanted in the dog, and apply annually for registration of the dangerous dog.
-Requiring owners to keep dangerous dogs enclosed on the owners’ property, or muzzled and restrained by leash, or long chain, and under the control of a responsible person
-Requiring dangerous dogs to wear an easily identifiable tag identifying the dog as dangerous
-Mandating Animal Control immediately seize dangerous dogs that are not properly enclosed or restrained, or whose owners do not properly register the dangerous dog.
-Defining “Provocation” as an act that an adult could reasonably expect may cause a dog to attack or bite.
-Providing increased authority to animal control (rather than a county authority), which arguably is better suited to enforce dangerous dog laws.
-Restricting dog ownership of anyone convicted of dangerous dog-related crimes

To read the entire bill, click here

Special Thanks to Pet Haven Volunteer Sheila G. for helping compile this informaiton.

Inaugural Post

Welcome to the Pet Haven Advocacy blog! Stay tuned for information about advocating on behalf of our four-legged friends.