The Infamous Tompkins County SPCA Deficit

As you have probably seen there has been a response to the Houston story on Winograd's background. In that response Winograd makes it very clear that there was no deficit when he left. According to the minutes of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council, Winograd was asked about this deficit in operations. A Tompkins County SPCA Boardmember confirmed the deficit to the City of Rancho.

His response was it was due to adding an additional shelter, requiring more services, and stated that the interim director gave himself a raise. The interim director was a board member filling in. In fact, Winograd was the receiver of a generous raise the first year of service.

So here is an example of how Winograd distorts his credentials, if you want to call deceit that.

http://www.ci.rancho-cucamonga.ca.us/pdf_agendas/cc040605m.pdf Page 16

More In Houston

http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-01-29/news/barc-sucks

http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-01-29/news/barc-sucks-system-failure

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/01/winograd_barc_no-kill.php

Cudos to Craig Malisow for this article. Seems there is a problem in Houston, a big problem. This reporter needs to be encouraged to do more articles. He remembered that Honesty Helps.

Winograd: No Go Houston

Lift your glasses and cheer, Houston has found the way to stop the Whino.

http://www.poocini.com/report/archives/1023

Good thing he is a vegan 'cause he ain't bringing home the bacon on this one.

Colorado Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Colorado Humane Society "No Kill"

Just filed in December, go to page 10 to read about "No Kill".

http://www.ago.state.co.us/press_releases/HumaneSocietyComplaint.pdf

When you put this one beside Philly on record keeping, seems these "No Kill" shelters have a real problem. Use this one, folks.

Lied Re-visited

This is a "No Kill" shelter in Ohio. The links provide proof of their status of being a "no kill" shelter.


http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/commissioners/budget/content/04Budget/docs/04BudgetSummary.pdfPage 3

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/01/12/copy/newtricks.ART_ART_01-12-09_B1_5RCGCFT.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

http://www.scribd.com/doc/9282165/Franklin-County-Ohio-Dog-Shelter-Report

http://www.dogsbite.org/blog/2009/01/shelter-adopts-out-biting-dogs-to-save.html

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:37 PM
By Barbara Carmen
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Franklin County's dog shelter doesn't knowingly let vicious dogs out the door, its director says. But bitten or blindsided owners tell a different tale."There was blood all over my family room," said Julie Thompson of Hilliard.She and husband, Arlie, fell in love with Rel, a husky who tested fine at the shelter with a family dog before adoption on Sept. 2.But within four hours of bringing him home, Rel was back at the shelter: He attacked the Thompsons' other husky and bloodied one of their two beagles."My dogs are my children," Mrs. Thompson said, explaining all were rescued animals.Rel's search for a family didn't end there. The shelter put the 36-pound, year-old dog up for adoption two more times.And twice, he was returned.Shelter Director Lisa Wahoff said Rel was held for observation and training after the Thompsons took him to make sure he'd be a good pet.Such training has succeeded with other dogs. Randy, a 43-pound yellow mix, bit a shelter volunteer. After seven months of rehab, new owner Phyllis Sage was carefully screened and warned. She wrote Wahoff recently to say Randy is a sweet dog: "We feel truly blessed."Rel did well at training, but it didn't stick. "He did well in a large play group; no aggression was seen," a shelter card says.Rel's second owner returned him Oct. 30, one day after adoption. Her dog was "initiating attacks" with Rel, she wrote.He lasted two days with his third owner. On Nov. 12, she noted that Rel was "sweet, smart, affectionate.'' He also "attacked my sheltie and drew blood."The shelter euthanized Rel the next day.The number of dogs returned for biting people is statistically small, about 0.6 percent, or 24 dogs, a year, Wahoff said. Overall, people have returned 285 of the 3,234 dogs adopted through November."Most say, 'It was too much dog,' or 'We're moving,' " Wahoff said. "We do a good job of trying to match up people and dogs. Dogs are dogs, and you can't predict."Ohio State veterinarians cited the adoption of pit bulls and other dangerous dogs as a concern in a 2007 memo, which also described animal suffering, altered medical records and disease at the shelter, 1731 Alum Creek Dr. Soon after, OSU's veterinary college stopped training students there and providing the shelter with free services.Wahoff said other breeds are often mistaken for pit bulls. So a panel of technicians and a veterinarian evaluate a dog's body and behavior. In 2008, the shelter has taken in 2,746 pit bulls. Of those, 2,435 were euthanized and 311 were reclaimed by owners."We're not putting pit bulls up for adoption," Wahoff said.Dr. William Gesel, a veterinarian who authored Columbus' dangerous-dog ordinance, would beg to differ. Twice this month, two unsuspecting clients brought in pit bulls that the county adopted as Labrador mixes.He asked the clients, both Labrador lovers, 'What are you doing with a pit bull?' "Each said the county shelter had told them their dog was a Labrador mix. Both returned the dogs."Their homeowner's insurance won't let them have pits or Rotts," Gesel said. Ohio law singles out pit bulls as vicious and requires owners to keep them penned and carry $100,000 in liability insurance.Gesel said it isn't all that complicated to properly identify pit bulls. He once explained to a judge, "Any kid on the street can tell you if it is a pit. If it has the characteristics, it's a pit."Lori Brown of the Northeast Side said she felt like a victim after reading a Dec. 21 Dispatch article quoting the OSU vets."I didn't want a pit bull; I didn't want any part of that," Brown said. "When I got her (eight months earlier), I said, 'What do you think she's mixed with?' and they said, 'Oh, we have no idea.' "She returned her dog the week before the story ran. It had attacked other dogs and snapped at her 9-year-old son.Her youngest son now tells people, "My dog went bye-bye."bcarmen@dispatch.com

Recommended Reading

http://www.sheltermedicine.com/documents/a%20crisis%20of%20crowding.pdf

Nostra-Honest Prediction for 2009

If you think that it has been bad so far with the NKE, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Nostra-Honest predicts for 2009, one hell of a battle between the breeding industry and us. Winograd is not the problem now, the combination of him and the breeders has replaced him. Winograd was on his way out the door but the breeders shut it and called him back in. As announced with PetPac, they intend to use the Whino to push legislation and to do away with current laws protecting animals.

All that we have fought for and obtained is about to be challenged because of this association.

If you have never been in a legislative meeting or a city council meeting when a new law regarding animals is presented and have never seen the response from the breeding community, let me tell you now, it is not a pretty sight. You look at these breeders and wonder why they have no heart for these issues. You know that all they want to do is protect their illegal and immoral incomes.

After reading the how the BBC is dropping Crufts because of how the industry has diluted the breeds, I realize now that I was wrong to say there is such a thing as a "responsible breeder". Same thing is happening in this country. I have a friend who found a bulldog, just a short distance from a bulldog breeder, who had just been turned loose and why? Because it was a mutant, didn't even look like a bulldog except for body structure and that was off too. Only a mother could love the look of this dog, but he was terribly sweet. Prone to many skin infections, health problems but she loves him unconditionally. The breeder admitted to this dog coming from his place, but asked her not to tell anyone, it would hurt his business to let people know he is breeding mutants.

I stand by this statement. DON'T BREED OR BUY AS LONG AS SHELTER PETS DIE

If you don't agree with this, then get off this blog. This is not the blog for you if you support breeding in any shape, form, or fashion at this point. Call it radical if you chose, but I am trying to save animals, what are you trying to do?

Gotcha!!!

It's now 9:00 PM on Tuesday and we just received word on a day long meeting with the Riverside County (California) Board of Supervisors of their intent to install mandatory spay/neuter. Also all pets have to have a microchip.

IT PASSED, 5 TO 0


The reports are that the breeders outnumbered the humane community 2 to 1 and managed to take the floor most of the day. This meeting started in the morning and only ended a short time ago. A big middle finger to the breeders in that meeting today.

Riverside County has been in the spot light before with a scathing Grand Jury report that led to the resignation of a most incompetent director. It also lead to a Genesis recognition for a story in the Press Enterprise on Dec. 23, 2003. The front page had a puppy being euthanized at the shelter. The Press Enterprise acknowledged that they received more mail that on anything ever before and included an extra page for that mail.

So, Breeders, look out in California, we will use an existing law to defeat you. It's gathering steam. Soon you won't have the option of filling our shelters with your genetically defective purebreds. Soon you will go the way of the UK with the media refusing to broadcast your horrid shows. The BBC has taken the "responsible" away from being used as an adjective to describe breeding and rightfully so. Cudos to them for it. This is something to shoot for here folks.

A Funny Break

http://www.members.shaw.ca/grandmafaiths/cockatoo.htm

"Responsible Breeding" - I Think Not

This came to me and they are asking it be crossposted everywhere.

PLEASE CROSSPOST EVERYWHERE

Someone has kindly posted the entire BBC documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" on his MySpace page enabling those of us not living the UK to finally view it online.
PLEASE MAKE THE TIME TO WATCH IT. AS DISTRESSING AS IT IS, I PROMISE THAT IT IS WORTH THE EFFORT, EVEN IF YOU WATCH IN SEGMENTS.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=44215931


This amazing documentary made by the BBC and aired in the UK in October 2008 is a devastating indictment of pedigree dog breeding in the UK.
It led to the withdrawal by Pedigree dog food from the sponsorship of Crufts, the world's oldest and most famous dog show.
Also, for the first time in more than 40 years, Crufts will not be televised by the BBC. Attempts by the Kennel Club to persuade other UK channels to air the competition have met with failure.
http://tinyurl.com/pedigree-dogs-doc
The breeders shown in the program are the kind we talk about in the US as "respectable" and "responsible." They are high-end breeders who breed and show champion dogs.
So if their US "good breeder" counterparts are equally at fault, imagine the kinds of genetic problems developed in dogs bred in the US by backyard breeders and in puppy mills.
Pedigree should withdraw its sponsorship of the Westminster Dog Show, and USA Network should not cover the show.This is from the Guardian newspaper of December 12th, 2008"The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, said it has made changes to breed standards that will take effect in 2009 and continues to hold discussions with the BBC to monitor the effect of the changes.In a strongly-worded statement today, the club said it had "refused to comply with the unreasonable demand insisted on by the BBC to exclude certain breeds of dog from the competition".The BBC had asked that the 12 types of dog identified as "at risk" out of the total 209 registered UK breeds be excluded from the two categories that are broadcast in itsCrufts coverage - the group competition and best in show. However, the Kennel Club refused."We are unable to agree to these demands, as it would compromise both contractual obligations and our general responsibility to dog exhibitors and our audience," said the Kennel Club chairman, Ronnie Irving."We believe it would be inappropriate and counterproductive to exclude any recognised breed from Crufts."We are obviously disappointed and confused with this outcome as we hoped the broadcast would have supported our focus on health and welfare issues, given advice about caring for and training dogs and showcased the charitable work that we support."In September the Kennel Club formally logged a complaint with Ofcom over the documentary's "unfair treatment and editing and failure to fairly and properly reflect the Kennel Club's deep commitment to the health and welfare of dogs and responsible dog ownership".The club introduced an ethics code for breeders in October and has also started an education scheme for judges.Since the dispute with the BBC flared up, the Kennel Club has reportedly tried to offer the show, which pulls an average 3 million viewers for each of the four shows during the annual championship on BBC2, to ITV and Sky without success. The BBC has broadcast Crufts every year since 1966.


Press Releases
BBC One reveals shocking truth about pedigree dog breeding in UK Category: Factual & Arts TV; BBC One Date: 19.08.2008 Printable version A pug gasps for breath, his face so flat he damages his eyes if he bumps into things; a cavalier King Charles spaniel writhes in agony and must be put to sleep to end its pain; a distraught owner holds his beloved boxer who is fitting uncontrollably... Two years in the making, Pedigree Dogs Exposed (Tuesday 19 August 2008, 9pm, BBC One) lifts the lid on the true extent of health and welfare problems in pedigree dogs in the UK. Seventy-five per cent of the seven million dogs in the UK are pedigrees, and they cost their owners over £10m in vet fees every week. This in-depth investigation suggests they are in serious trouble, plagued by genetic disease due to decades of inbreeding. They are also suffering acute problems because of the showring's emphasis on looks over and above function and health. Some physical traits required by the Kennel Club's breed standards have inherent health problems (short faces, wrinkling, screw-tails, dwarfism) while other problems occur because of exaggerations bred into dogs by breeders trying to win rosettes. Deliberate mating of dogs that are close relatives is common practice and the Kennel Club continues to register dogs bred from mother-to-son and brother-to-sister matings. Scientists at Imperial College, London, recently found that pugs in the UK are so inbred that, although there are 10,000 of them, it is the equivalent of just 50 distinct individuals – making them more genetically compromised than the giant panda. Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, UCL, says: "People are carrying out breeding which would be, first of all, be entirely illegal in humans and secondly is absolutely insane from the point of view of the health of the animals." He adds: "In some breeds they are paying a terrible, terrible price in genetic disease." The film exposes the devastating consequences of such genetic disease for dogs and the distress it causes their owners. Disturbing footage is shown of a cavalier King Charles spaniel writhing in agony due to syringomyelia, estimated to affect up to a third of the breed. They have been bred with skulls too small for their brains, explains veterinary neurologist Clare Rusbridge: "The cavalier's brain is like a size 10 foot that has been shoved into a size six shoe – it doesn't fit." Boxers suffer from several life-threatening health issues – including heart disease and a very high rate of cancer, especially brain tumours. There are no official figures to say how many boxers suffer from epilepsy but in some breeds it is 20 times the rate found in humans. Two-year-old Zak is filmed while fitting and the distress the disease causes for him and his owners is obvious. The film also demonstrates how some breeders produce dogs with pronounced physical attributes – "exaggerations" – in their efforts to attract a dog show judge's eye. The breed standards are set by the Kennel Club but are open to interpretation and the film shows how, as fashion changes, so do the dogs, leading to serious health and welfare problems in some breeds. Bulldogs, for example, have been bred to be such an unnatural shape that most can no longer mate or give birth unassisted. The RSPCA's Chief Vet Mark Evans says: "The show world is about an obsession, about beauty, and there is a ridiculous concept that that is how we should judge dogs… "It takes no account of your temperament, your fitness for purpose potentially as a pet animal – and that to me just makes absolutely no sense at all." The film also exposes famous show champions that continue to father puppies despite having serious inherited disease, and demonstrates that some breeders cull perfectly healthy puppies on purely cosmetic grounds. As the filmmaker Jemima becomes increasingly concerned with what she uncovers, she challenges the Kennel Club. The Kennel Club, however, robustly defends its position as the guardian of dog health, pointing out the initiatives it has taken to improve pedigree dog health – including their accredited breeder scheme which sets a code of conduct for breeders and asks them to make use of health screening schemes. It also insists that "the vast majority of dog breeds are healthy". Ultimately, the film concludes that far from enough is being done. As Professor Jones says: "If the dog breeders insist on going further down that road, I can say with confidence really that there is a universe of suffering waiting for many of these breeds – and many if not most of these breeds will not survive. "They will get so inbred that they will be unable to reproduce and their genes will come to a dead end." Notes to Editors Pedigree Dogs Exposed will be shown on Tuesday 19 August at 9pm on BBC One. It will be available on BBC iPlayer for seven days after transmission: bbc.co.uk/iplayer. The Kennel Club's two main functions are to administer the registry that records the lineage of pedigree dogs, divided by breed, and to license the majority of dog shows in the UK, including Crufts. It also owns The Kennel Club Breed Standard, which lays down the characteristics and physical attributes necessary for each breed and it is involved in many different canine activities from agility competitions to obedience training to funding scientific research into dogs via its charitable trust.