I was reading a newspaper the other day and came across an article with opinion that animal lovers should stop sending money to zealots. I wanted to give you a couple of quotes from this article. One veterinarian pointed out that these groups are clawing their way through legal and legislative channels toward giving pets individual rights rather than leaving them designated as the property of their owners. The vet said that, among other problems, this would have huge repercussions to the costs of veterinary care and liability. "Can you imagine the costs of routine pet procedures if we have to run unnecessary tests and insure ourselves for protection against possible multimillion-dollar lawsuits?" the veterinarian asked.

Another comment came from a woman who works with a small-town animal welfare organization that does the dirty work of caring for the epidemic of lost, abused or unwanted pets. She thanked me for pointing out that these local nonprofit animal rescue groups, including the local Humane Societies that have no connection with the Humane Society of the United States, are always scrapping for money to do their work.

“I used to donate (to HSUS), years ago, but all the money seemed to go to mailings with another free key chain and a request for more money,” she wrote. “I was never sure that my donation was helping homeless animals. I now only donate locally, like to the Spokane Humane Society, or to our organization, where 100 percent of funds are spent on vet care.”

When the citizens of Indiana attack ICAW for our beliefs about Commercial Dog Breeders or how to Stop Cruelty to Animals, they really should sit down and do their homework. Calling the good family farmers in our state a term like Factory Farming makes me wonder if they have ever been on one of those farms.

Let’s take Indiana University, Purdue University or the other many colleges and universities in Indiana, and think about the following statements.

Medical and veterinary students cannot learn the complexities of hemorrhage on a computer model. Period.

Scientists who are trying to find cures for diseases and test surgical procedures and devices are having their lives threatened by the moral fascists.

“I’d rather see (animals) euthanized than go to a research facility,” said Minnesota Animal Rights Coalition president Charlotte Cozzetto.

It’s truly time we sat down and stop the name calling whether it be Amish Puppy Mills or Indiana Puppy Mills and figure out what we as Hoosiers can really do to help the animals of our State of Indiana.

We were all wondering the other night while talking about the firing of IACC Director Doug Rae in October of 2009… how does Indianapolis move forward in creating a No Kill animal mentality in the IACC?

Public Safety Director Mark Renner spoke upon Rae’s firing saying that Mayor Greg Ballard’s administration wanted Rae to focus more on public safety. No one at the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare would ever want to put any animal’s health or safety at risk.

However, if none of the Indianapolis city controlled shelters move towards a No Kill mentality, we here at ICAW believe they are missing the boat. In our last two posts we have focused on the successful programs that Calgary and Washoe County, Nevada have had in adopting No Kill animal policies.

We know Mr. Rae is not perfect, but no one is nor will ever be. A true community leader needs to be identified who would be able to pull from every avenue available. We are sure that any Indiana Dog Rescue would agree, and any of the Dog Adoption Shelters would agree as well. We already know that the Indiana Humane Society agrees that animal rights are of the uptmost importance.

Just like at ICAW, all of the parties that would ever be involved need to sit down and work out their differences. They can agree to disagree! For the sake of the animals and the reputation of Indianapolis Animal Care Control, we hope they do.

We would like to leave you with a quote from Nathan J. Winograd: "Likewise, just six months ago, I held a two day seminar on Building a No Kill community in Indianapolis, attended by virtually all the rescue groups in the city and shelter administrators from surrounding states. But even though it was in Indianapolis, no one from the private Humane Society of Indianapolis came and only one person from Indianapolis animal control showed up, who privately told me she / he would get fired if the boss found out she / he was there – fired for trying to learn how to save more lives."

"I also made unannounced visits to the two shelters. The Humane Society was keeping over 40 empty cages to reduce costs and was importing animals from outside Indianapolis while animals were being killed at animal control. In 2008, the director resigned. Meanwhile, Indianapolis Animal Control was filthy and 2008 saw a series of scandals of poor care and unnecessary killing that forced the resignation of its own shelter director."

For the sake of the animals, what do we do? You can start out by becoming a member of the Indiana Council of Welfare for Animals. Help us help the animals and your rights to own them.

As mentioned in our last post about dog adoption shelters, we here at ICAW have been telling you about our travels around the State of Indiana visiting Indiana dog breeders, Indiana pet stores and dog adoption shelters trying to educate and inform them of what is happening in our state and our country concerning animal welfare issues.

We promised you in our last post that we would talk about the No Kill Advocacy Center. First we should begin by briefing you about the Nevada Humane Society. Bonney Brown, the Executive Director of the Nevada Humane Society said, "In early 2007, Nevada Humane Society committed to making Washoe County, Nevada into one of the safest communities for homeless dogs and cats in the nation. The results have been dramatic. Many people have asked how we have made such remarkable improvements in the county-wide save rate for dogs and cats over the past year. So we have put together the game plan we used in hopes that it will help others produce similar results in their communities."

"In 2007, the Nevada Humane Society launched an ambitious no-kill initiative to make Washoe County, Nevada one of the safest communities in the United States for homeless animals. And we are succeeding. Despite a per capita intake rate higher than many communities nationwide, we were the safest community of our size for dogs in the United States and one of the safest for cats. By year’s end, 92% of all dogs and 78% of all cats found loving new homes, were reclaimed by their responsible caretakers or, in the case of feral cats, were adopted as barn cats or returned to their habitats."

By the Numbers*

Dogs

Total Impounds: 8,036
Total Saved: 7,366
Killed: 670
Percentage Saved: 92%
Percentage Killed: 8%
Change in Kill Rate (2006 vs. 2007): -51%
Change in Adoption Rate: +53%

Cats

Total Impounds: 7,819
Total Saved: 6,067
Killed: 1,752
Percentage Saved: 78%
Percentage Killed: 22%
Change in Kill Rate (2006 vs. 2007): -52%
Change in Adoption Rate: +84%

How They Did It…

Their 10 Guidelines for Success

 1.  Establish priorities and align actions with them to save animals immediately.

 2.  Get “the right people on the bus.”

 3.  Invest time and assets in lifesaving.

 4.  Inspire and involve the community.

 5.  Increase adoptions.

 6.  Spay and neuter animals.

 7.  Actively work to keep animals out of shelters.

 8.  Provide a safety net for feral cats.

 9.  Partner with other groups.

10. Stay Flexible

Once again, take a moment and digest the statistics above. Washoe County Nevada’s Population in 2008 was 410,443. We believe that these statistics are possible in our Indiana communities as well, and Indiana Dog Rescue or Dog Adoption Shelters in Indiana feel the same way. However, we are not sure if the Animals Rights groups believe this is possible in Indiana and other states.

Find the Opportunities in Challenges.

With animals, people and human nature, unexpected things will always come up. If animal control busts a hoarder, if there is a natural disaster or if an injured animal needs expensive care, ask the public to come forward to help. They will adopt the animals, make donations to provide care, volunteer to help, or provide foster homes – all you have to do is ask.

We here at ICAW have been telling you about our travels around the State of Indiana visiting Indiana dog breeders, Indiana pet stores and dog adoption shelters trying to educate and inform them of what is happening in our state and our country concerning animal welfare issues. Last night we visited another one of our key constituents, an Indiana Humane Society. We are continuously amazed at how hard people work to do the right thing. Every shelter that ICAW has visited is struggling to get funds, volunteers and the basic essentials to just stay in existence.

You might be surprised by this next statement, ICAW absolutely believes in No Kill Shelters (No-Kill defined as no healthy adoptable pet euthanized). Last night we presented the Calgary, Alberta Canada model and The No Kill Advocacy Centers point of view to one of our local animal adoption shelters. We discussed and presented a way for this particular shelter to be self sustaining. The dialog was absolutely amazing.

The Calgary Shelter receives no money from any government agency in Canada. It is hard to believe, but true. Their statistics are stunning and we would like to share a few of them with you. First of all, Calgary’s population in 2008 was 1,042,892 people. The 2008 census of dogs and cats estimated there were 110,242 dogs and 107,514 cats. Calgary humanely euthanized 274 dogs in 2008. Of the 274 euthanized dogs, 204 of the dogs were euthanized for behavioral issues, 56 dogs for health issues and 14 dogs for other reasons. Calgary humanely euthanized 145 cats in 2008, 69 for behavioral issues, 33 for health issues, 28 ferals and 15 cats under the category of other. If any of the dogs or cats had been licensed under the By-Laws of Calgary, they could have been returned to their owners.

Take a moment and digest that last paragraph. A city of over one million people with no government money coming to them, that humanely euthanized less than 350 dogs and cats. In Calgary it is a partnership of all the parties. Everyone sits at the table and no one is left out. They came to understand that the heavy handed enforcement approach reduces buy-in from the community and therefore reduces available funding. The community came to understand "What’s in it for us and the animals?" more than "It’s the law". Why don’t we take some time and try to do the same thing here in Indiana?

The longer we have been involved in all of these issues it seems to us that dog adoption shelters in America have become the "Kill Shelters," not "Humane Shelters". It even comes down to the semantics of the whole issue. Why is it "Animal Control" and not "Animal Care and Control?" Euthanasia in animal shelters is bad for the people working there and worse for the animals!

Anyway, stay tuned and tomorrow we will talk about The No Kill Advocacy Center and the fundamental principles laid out by Nathan J Winograd.

Anyone who has known me for a while knows that I like my BBQ.  I’ve been searching for 20 years for that proverbial "Pit Master." With the animals rights folks telling me that I should be a vegetarian, I am now having a bit of a dilemma. What do I tell my friends who own BBQ restaurants? Should I tell them that they are really misguided in their belief that there is nothing better than smoked meat, or do I tell them they really should be smoking tofu and veggies?

It is very interesting that in our society today, no one wants to know where the package of pork chops came from or that gallon of milk. "How did it get here?" With the advent of the H1N1 virus, everyone is paying attention to vaccines. Remind yourself every time you get a vaccine shot that it takes three eggs for every one vaccine that we produce.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Did I get this vaccine because of Factory Farming?" Personally I am grateful for everything that I do get from farmers, especially the farmers here in Indiana. I cannot imagine what it would be like not to have local farmers. No one ever seems to remember that all of the livestock farmers need the upstream or downstream support from the other farmers in their community. Just what impact would that have on all of our lives?

I really don’t want to think about that possibility. So the next time you bite into that juicy burger or that wonderful steak, ask yourself "How do we survive without farmers?". We have 304,059,724 people in the United States. How would we feed them all? Our animals rights friends have never really considered that the best that I can tell. So I guess it really is an Omnivores Dilemma.

When HB1468 was passed this past legislative session one of the major portions of the Bill, besides the Commercial Dog Breeders regulations, was putting more teeth into being able to stop cruelty to animals in the state of Indiana. The Indiana Council for Animal Welfare absolutely supported this legislation. We are only the 6th state in the nation to publicly denounce sub-standard kennels.

No one in ICAW will support any Commercial Dog Breeders that cannot or will not follow the rules. This also includes Hobby Breeders or any type of breeder that will not play by the rules. When I mention us travelling the state to talk to as many people as we could, it wasn't just to ensure that everyone got legal and registered. It was to make sure that every single person that we talked to knew unequivocally where we stood on animal cruelty.

If we have said it once we have said it a thousand times, "If you can't do it right legally, ethically or correctly, don't do it at all". We will not accept anything less than that! Our Indiana Puppy Breeders know that we absolutely mean this when we say it. I always end one of our talks with "Lack of prior planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on ours." I do not know how to make it any clearer.

If any of you know of someone that is not doing things correctly please contact us and we promise we will step in to make corrective measures.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the question, "who breeds dogs?"  I have dear friends that are show breeders, or fancy breeders as they are sometimes called. The fancy breeders have been doing what they do much longer than I have been alive. I have friends that are hobby breeders that enjoy working with and breeding their dogs. Maybe every now and then these Indiana hobby breeders might even make a few dollars to offset their expenses. I have many friends in the Amish community who breed dogs for a living. What is the common denominator among all of these Indiana dog breeders? They love what they do and they all love dogs!

The Animals Rights folks have always counted on these different types of dog breeders to never get along.  These folks want to keep everyone fractured and afraid of each other. The purebred fancy folks are so into their animals some have been doing it for over one hundred years. The hobby breeders are no different. I have one friend that has been breeding the same line of dogs for over ten generations. The Amish folks that I know always love their animals, and would never do anything to their detriment.

I am so glad that all of these dog breeders are waking up to the fact that they need each other. Are there bad Indiana dog breeders? Yes! Are there horrible Indiana dog breeders? Yes. The question that everyone must ask themselves is, "are there more good breeders than bad?" Emphatically I believe that answer is yes! There are always a few bad apples that can ruin the image of any group, company or entire industry.

So the next time the name calling begins or someone tries to label a group of people as all bad, ask yourself this question. Do I throw the baby out with the bathwater? You have the right to do so. But what will you do when they come after you for something you hold near and dear to your heart? I hope someone will leave a comment and start a discussion about this post.

As most of you know, the new law for Indiana Commercial Dog Breeders and Brokers becomes effective January 1, 2010. Everyone who worked tirelessly "for" or "against" HB1468 will now have the ability to see if we as a state can make things better for the animals. I know how much ICAW has done the past seven months to ensure that whatever we can do to keep our part of the bargain has been done.

As an organization we have traveled statewide to ensure that Indiana Dog Breeders are legal, properly maintained and prepared for the new law. Through ICAW, Indiana was the sixth state in the nation to condemn sub-standard kennels. We have a strong commitment to improving animal welfare and animals rights. If any breeder cannot or will not abide by these standards we will partner with the State of Indiana to make sure these sub-standard kennels will be shut down.

We are in the infancy stage of determining how to re-home retired dogs to selected dog adoption shelters. How to improve the image of the industry in general, and many other practical and proper projects for our industry. However, our primary mission is to protect and preserve the right to own our animals. I truly hope that our cause and mission has not
gone unnoticed.

Please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions to help improve animal rights and welfare.

  This past weekend November 6th & 7th the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare held it’s first pet breeders seminar. We had Indiana dog breeders discussing how to create better breeding programs, nutrition and how to change public perception about their industry. Everyone that belongs to ICAW absolutely wants to do the best that they can do when breeding and raising their animals.

   Our breeders do not want to see their animals end up in dog adoption shelters! They truly want the animals that they breed and raise to go to good loving homes. We all believe every little boy and girl deserves the right to have a puppy. No one should have the right to just arbitrairily take their animal or animals just because they can.

   It was so amazing to see Hobby Breeders and Commercial Dog Breeders sit down with each other and talk "to" each other not "at" each other. I am energized and ready for The 2nd Annual Pet Breeders Seminar right now.

   If you have any suggestions that you would like to give us please do. We look forward to your comments.