Before Chris Hansen was catching pedophiles and predators, he was catching puppy mill peddlers, and those who wink at puppy mill misery.
Watch this whole piece, which Chris Hansen put together for NBC's Dateline back in 2000.
Nothing much has changed.
In fact, things are actually a little bit worse, as I will explain.
Because most folks will not take the time to watch the whole 45-minute video, I have appended an excerpt below, which shows the unblinking reaction of Ron DeHaven, the man in charge of puppy mill inspection at the U.S, Department of Agriculture.
Ron DeHaven, of course, is now head of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
As for Petland, puppy mills, and the AKC (see the entire Dateline piece here), they are still in bed with each other right up to their eyeballs.
In fact, the AKC has even created special software for Petland so that Petland's puppy mill dogs can be sold even faster under the auspices of the AKC.
And is the AKC still in bed with puppy mills? Absolutely.
In fact, AKC Chairman Ron Menaker says the AKC has always been in bed with puppy mills, and that it's financial future depends on being in bed with "high volume breeders," because dog shows actually lose money for the AKC.
Yes, that's right, "misery puppies" have to die so that people can go on collecting rosettes and ribbons at dog shows.
Nice!
This is the American Kennel Club (AKC).
This is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
This is the the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
This is puppy mills.
This is Petland.
And this is dogs in America today.
.
It's an evil to dogs based on economic rationalization.
ReplyDeleteThe puppy farms had dogs that needed papers, the AKC had papers to sell. DeHaven needed a job, the AVMA had a slot.
So long as the dogs are out of sight they are out of mind and everyone moves forward happy and fat with profit, telling themselves if it wasn't them it would be someone else.
C.S. Lewis once observed:
"The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice."
Novus
I did watch the whole show and while I do understand that AKC does play a role in the sale of Puppies by suppling papers I came away with a slightly different point of view I guess.
ReplyDeleteI am disgusted (not suprised) that it is even possible to have an USDA kennel even most farm animals live better lives than that. (I grew up on a Farm and raised Sheep for many years) I understand it is much easier to look the other way than to do your job but it seems to me from the show it is the USDA that is in BED with the Puppy Mills.
Unfortunatly all animal registry requires Honest people. And anyone buying ANY papered animal for what ever the reason be it a Horse, Cow, Cat, Sheep or Dog we know that the pedigree is only as good as the Honesty of the person filling out the forms. To hold the Registry Organization responsible for supplied information well I am not sure that is even fesiable at this time HOW would you go about Proving your information was correct?
With some breeds of horses there is now required DNA blood-typing to prove parentage before papers are issued. Doesn't make it a better animal, but it DOES prove where they come from!
ReplyDeleteSeahorse