DOGGIE DOG BLOG

There are many of us, but not near enough, that have been preaching,
writing articles, educating and literally begging for people to see
what is going on around them, since the early 80’s ! The onslaught
of information has been escalating over the years and only recently,
has anyone decided to actually pay attention. Kennel Clubs across
the country have and continue to use the media and the Internet to
disseminate information - organizations hold seminars regarding the
issues confronting the dog loving populace - the AKC sends out
alerts, but not near as often as other groups that work in the
legislation trenches. Those alerts are non stop, daily and up to
date. The Internet is agog with information. There has never been a
withholding of information or warnings - ever. It isn’t the lack of
information from our side - it’s the apathy of the people who refuse
to believe that the possibility of the demise of dog showing,
breeding, and ownership could possibly exist. It’s those people
that, when legislation is mentioned, respond with, “I don’t get
involved in that.” or “I don’t have time for that and it will never
pass anyway.” Those people that say, “I’m sure somebody else is
taking care of it.” “That could never happen here,” are only kidding
themselves and in all actuality, are assisting in endangering their
passion and sport as a whole. The worst response being, “I don’t
believe any of that stuff” clearly indicates that people are not
taking advantage of the information available to them and these
people who simply refuse to believe or get involved, are a large part
of the problem. It’s ironic that those very same people who don’t
have time - seem to have time to be on the computer in some chat
group, discussing where the majors could be, or how many dogs they
finished so far this year, or how many champions their dogs have
produced, and even go so far as talking about some other breeder in
their breed, (especially if it’s some rumor) but, they don’t have
time to take an interest in something that will eliminate all of the
discussions on those chat groups? All of that - “stuff” - won’t
matter if everybody doesn’t take the time to get involved in the
movement to save their passion and sport - to save their right of
choice - to save their dogs.

Laying the cards out on the table and holding nothing back

It’s the inability of the dog people to work with others who share
the same feelings, whether they are a hobby breeder or a hi volume
breeder. It’s the attitude and elitism that keeps those who share
the concern to “save our rights” from working together on issues that
could save our dogs, rights and our sport. It’s the refusal to set
aside issues of husbandry, breeding practices and selfishness that
will cause the demise of the very sport that people are so passionate
about. It’s the constant use of animal rights phrases and
descriptions such as “puppy miller” & “back yard breeder”, names
that were coined by the animal rightists to use against us, yet our
own people use those same animal rights names for those who are their
fellow breeders ! The animal rights crowd loves the fact that the
dog owning, showing, breeding fancy can’t seem to live in peace and
harmony - it’s one of their greatest weapons, created for just the
purpose it seems to serve. How many times have we seen a fellow dog
owner become engaged in problems, whether it is too many dogs or too
many litters and need assistance (for a variety of reasons such as
age, health, loss of job, confiscations, etc.) yet, people, and
people in the very same breed, don’t bother to help - in fact, they
sit and talk about it and refer to those people using animal rights
terms and have even created their own AR term of “show
millers”. We’re supposed to help each other, not assist in running
our fellow dog owners and breeders down. You may not agree with
something they do or the way they do it, but they are still our
fellow breeders and if they need help, in order to preserve our OWN
integrity and rights, we should help as much as we can (and keep
quiet about it) - but people don’t. The issue (and story) becomes
compounded, (to the delight of the rightists) by spreading it
further. They’d rather agree with those that are fully intending to
get to your dogs at a later date, rather than help the poor soul
whose dogs need help. We may not agree with their practices, but
that is something to be considered later, once we have managed to
solidify our position to continue to do what we do. All else will
cease to exist if we don’t start working together and put aside feelings.

People that know me, know I have been passionate about the subject
for more years than they care to remember. and in those years, I have
learned that there are those that simply choose to remain
uninformed. It’s not because the information is not available to
them - they just don’t care to become involved and don’t believe it
could happen to them or it “won’t affect them”. Others are concerned
but don’t know what to do or perhaps they really don’t understand the
severity of the problems, yet when offers are made to help educate
people and assist them with truly understanding, nobody seems to want
to participate. It is impossible to force people to be involved for
they do have a right to make a choice…for now.

Relax - Somebody will tell you what to do

It’s unfortunate that the choice may come down to having
animals….or not. Without the concern & assistance from the dog
owning, dog loving, rights loving, freedom of choice loving,
competitive people, (and I do mean each and every one) - rest
assured, somebody will soon be relieving the burden of your
inactivity in legislation issues for they will be telling you how
many dogs you can have, if any, what kind, where to get them, how
many times you can breed a dog, if at all, what vet to use, how many
permits you will need to own/breed a dog, at what age your dog has to
be spayed/neutered, the type of living arrangements required, what
kind of records you must have and who gets copies of them - the list
will go on, making it impossible - monetarily, mentally and
physically impossible - to consider owning any animal. How will you
feel when somebody knocks at your door and tells you that you must
“get rid” of all but 3 dogs - which ones will you choose to keep and
how will you feel watching the others loaded into a truck dispatched
for some shelter? How will you react to five or six people going
through your home, inspecting every corner and crack, because
somebody called in a complaint about your dogs? How much can you
afford for citations, lawyers fees, shelter costs and how will you
ever recuperate from the heartache? Forewarned is forearmed - sooner
or later, somebody will be making your choices for you and when that
happens, there is nobody to blame but yourself. The information and
people to help you become involved are out there!

Supporting Legislation and AKC

I just returned from the AKC Delegate meeting and it’s dismal. At
this time last year, registrations were 1.5 million and currently,
for this year, they are 750,000 and continuing on a downward
spiral. The AKC has acknowledged that the future is becoming dim and
the possibility of them remaining the reigning registry of the world
may soon be history. Though that may not mean much to some of you,
it should. If the AKC continues to lose ground, they will also lose
face in other areas, including having “clout” regarding
legislation. The word of AKC and AKC breeders will mean nothing to
legislators or the general public and AKC pups will be worthless,
right along with AKC dog shows, titles and awards. Although some
profess that they don’t want to be “thrown in the pile with those
other breeders”, it’s ironic that because of apathy, you will become
just what you dislike. The end of the sport, and your passion for
same, will be visible on the horizon. The choice will have been made for you.

Dog people tend to be their own worst enemy and sadly, doing a good
job of it. You still have the freedom to choose to make a
difference. I, and all the others that have been working to protect
all dog owners in this country, hope you’ll make the right decision.

The cards are on the table. Bet, Call, Raise or Fold - the choice is yours.

 Linda D. Witouski
AKC Judge & Delegate
AKC SC Legislation Representative
Legislation Chair, BOD & Delegate - Myrtle Beach Kennel Club, Inc.
Legislation Chair - Miniature Pinscher Club of America, Inc.
Legislation Chair - Yankee Miniature Pinscher Club, Inc.
SC Camo Coalition Steering Committee
SC Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses
Legislation Editor & Investigative Reporter - National Pet Press/The Dog
Press
Co-Author - Monthly National Legislation Report
Owner: DogLegislation@DogLegislatiDog