Oprah's show on puppy mills was truly heart wrenching to watch. I agree she is definitely the medium to reach a mass number of people for any topic of choice. I have no doubt in my mind she loves animals and her heart is in the right place, however her research department should be evaluated on the choice of having Wayne Pacelle from the HSUS as a guest.
In an excerpt from My Dog Votes, who has an excellent letter to Oprah. A must read.
For as much as the Humane Society Of The United States may position themselves as “animal protectionists”, in effect the HSUS is a highly sophisticated direct mail house – a marketing machine that exploits animal issues to raises millions of dollars to lobby for legislation while not operating a single shelter.
Most disturbing is the fact that the Humane Society of the United States is without a doubt, an organization that is responsible for advancing a racist legislative agenda, by lobbying for the passage of local and state “animal cruelty” laws that serve as the proxy by which local municipal officials are able to commit grave social injustices and civil rights violations.
In addition
- The Humane Society of the United States is does not operate NOR are they connected to local shelters
- The Humane Society of the United States does not fund local shelters
- The Humane Society of the United States has been under investigation by the State Attorney General of Louisiana for fraudulent fundraising during Katrina
- The Humane Society of the United States used Michael Vick's dogs as the means to raise funds while lobbying for their euthanasia
Caveat reprinted with permission a comment left on the above My Dog Votes article which raises some excellent questions. Also a must read.
Here is an excerpt,
American Sporting Dog Alliance Seeks
Investigation Of Kennels In Oprah Report
Asks U.S. And PA Attorney Generals To Find Out Why, Prosecute
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
An April 4 report on the Oprah Winfrey Show was a scathing indictment of abuses in Pennsylvania puppy mills, but it failed to ask or answer the most basic and important question.
How can this horrible situation happen in light of tough existing state and federal kennel and animal cruelty laws?
The American Sporting Dog Alliance is asking U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett to find out the answer to that question, and to prosecute anyone who is responsible for not requiring the kennels portrayed on Winfrey’s show to follow the law.
Every kennel in Pennsylvania must follow stringent state kennels regulations, and also comply with more than 60 pages of federal kennel regulations if puppies are sold to pet stores or dealers. In addition, every dog in Pennsylvania is protected by a comprehensive animal cruelty law, and everyone who buys a puppy from any source is protected by a “lemon law.”
The report on the Winfrey show by special reporter Lisa Ling showed video footage of several puppy mills in Pennsylvania. All of those kennels were operating in clear violation of existing laws. None of the terrible and heart-breaking things shown in the report would be happening if current laws were being enforced.
The video footage makes it crystal clear that the kennels were operating in open and flagrant defiance of existing laws.
Why aren’t those laws being enforced? Is someone protecting these kennels from the law? Are these kennels licensed and inspected? If so, have dog wardens and animal cruelty police officers been ordered to ignore these kennels? Why haven’t rescue groups that obtain surplus dogs from these kennels on a regular basis reported them to authorities? Has there been a cover-up?
to read the rest of the article at Caveat.