Sunday, February 21, 2010

In One Day, Two Mothers Kill Their Own Daughters Because of Their Greed in Breeding Pits

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100221_Mother_s_pit_bull_kills_Fishtown_woman.html

In what is believed to be the first fatal dog attack in Philadelphia in more than a quarter-century, a pit bull sank her teeth into the neck of a 38-year-old Fishtown woman and killed her yesterday.

The victim, Christine Staab, had been arguing with her mother in their Oxford Street rowhouse and fell backward. At that point, the dog leaped on Staab, said her mother, Barbara Erb.

Erb, 59, said she tried frantically to pull off the dog, Jade, but could not get the pit bull to relax her grip on Staab's throat. THIS IS WHERE THE "LOCKING JAW" COMES FROM, THIS DOG DOESN'T EVEN OBEY IT'S OWNER, SO MUCH FOR THE LOYALTY!

The dog "was in some kind of protection mode," Erb said. TRY MODE BRED INTO PITS CALLED KILL!!

After struggling with the dog, Erb let go and darted to confine her other dogs and call police. Arriving about 7 a.m., officers shot and killed Jade. They then shot and killed Bear, a second pit bull that lunged at them after he jumped over a barrier that had penned him and four other pit bulls in the kitchen. I GUESS BEAR WAS IN THE "PROTECTION MODE" TOO!!

The four surviving dogs were taken to the SPCA's Animal Care and Control Team shelter on Hunting Park Avenue and quarantined.

Erb said she would like them back. "It was just a horrible, horrible incident," she said.
HER DAUGHTER IS DEAD BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO MAKE MONEY BREEDING PITS AND SHE CALLS IT AN "INCIDENT".

Detectives in the East Division are investigating.

Erb said no one had suggested to her that she might face arrest.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office said the death was being investigated as a fatal dog attack. An autopsy is to take place today.

Despite about 70 million dogs in the United States, fatal attacks are relatively rare.

According to the organization Dogsbite.org, dogs killed an average of about 30 people a year nationwide over the last three years. According to a review of Inquirer archives, the previous fatal attack in Philadelphia occurred in 1981, when Mary Logan, 81, was killed by several of the mongrel pets she kept in her house in Northern Liberties.

Dogsbite.org advocates breed-specific legislative action to control violent dogs. According to the group, pit bulls make up only 5 percent of the dog population in this country, but account for more than 40 percent of deadly attacks.

Erb spoke with an Inquirer reporter yesterday as she stood on her street moments after police gave her clearance to return to her home.

According to Erb, her daughter - the mother of a teenage son who lives with his father - had long fought a battle with drugs, shaking her addiction only to succumb again. Staab came into their house about 6:30 a.m. and appeared to be high, Erb said.

"I said to her, 'I can't deal with that anymore. You have to go,' " Erb recounted. "She was telling me where was she supposed to go?"

She said the dispute had not escalated into a physical fight and that their voices had not been raised. IF THIS IS SO THEN WHY WAS THE PIT IN "PROTECTION" MODE?

As they argued, Erb said, her daughter took a step back and tripped over a mirror on the floor. She fell back, taking a lamp down with her. Erb said she was clutching at Staab's sleeve as she fell. NOW THE PIT FIGURED IT OUT AND MADE IT'S OWN DECISION.

This enraged Jade, who went "nuts" and attacked, Erb said. "I couldn't get her off."
OUT OF CONTROL AS USUAL FOR A PIT.

At some point, Erb said, she rounded up the other five dogs and put them in the kitchen, blocking the doorway with a three-foot-high barrier. She called police.

Erb said she found the attack hard to explain because Jade, 6, knew her daughter well. DOESN'T MATTER, PITS DON'T DISCRIMINATE.

"I never had a problem with a dog," she said, describing the six pit bulls as "house dogs" that were well cared for and even had microchips installed for identification.

"They were spoiled rotten," Erb said. "They were not neglected in any way."
AND THEY MADE ME A LOT OF MONEY WITH THEIR BIG LITTERS!!!

A neighbor agreed, saying, "The dogs were very sweet. They never had a problem with them."

The door of the house had one sign that read "Beware of dog," and another saying that in the case of fire, rescuers should save the six dogs inside. It listed their names: Paige, Peaches, Maggie, Satan, Bear, and Jade. YEAH, BEWARE OF PITS THAT ARE "SWEET" AND "NEVER HAD A PROBLEM".

http://www.wesh.com/news/22622332/detail.html

OCALA, Fla. -- Marion County police said a family dog mauled to death a 3-year-old girl on Saturday.

The incident happened at 6540 NE 25th Ave. in Ocala at about 5:30 p.m.

Jenifer Fisher, of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, said breeder Lori Haaker was in her yard with her daughter, cleaning out the pen where the family keeps four dogs chained to trees. YET THIS IS CONSIDERED AN EXCEPTABLE WAY TO CONTAIN PIT BULLS. PIT NUTTERS ABOUND WITH THEIR PROTEST AGAINST LAWS THAT WOULD STOP THIS.

Haaker has a sign at the entrance to her ranch promoting her business that reads: "Haaker's Dream Bulldog Ranch." However, the MCSO said that the dogs chained to the tree were American pit bulls.
EVEN NUTTERS "MISIDENTIFY" PITS FOR THEIR OWN AGENDA.

Police said that Haaker had gone into her house and returned outside but didn't see her daughter. They said she told them that she started searching the property and found that her daughter had entered the pen and was being mauled by one of the dogs. OKAY LET'S HEAR HOW THE MOTHER IS TO BLAME AS IF NO OTHER MOTHERS HAVE EVER LET THEIR 3 YEAR OLD OUT OF THEIR SIGHT IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD.

Fisher said the mother had to wrestle the child away from the dog and that it was difficult because the girl was wrapped in the dog's chain.

Fire Rescue crews arrived but could not save the girl, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Animal Services was at the home Saturday night to seize the four dogs from the pen. They believe only one dog was responsible for the attack but took all of them as a precaution.

Animal Services will investigate to determine which of the dogs should be deemed vicious.

An investigator was questioning the mother and father, as well as a renter who lives on the property. It's not clear whether the parents of the girl will face any charges.

There are four other children who live at the home and the Department of Children and Families was called in to investigate their welfare. THERE SHOULD BE A LAW THAT CHILDREN AND PIT BULLS CANNOT EXIST IN THE SAME HOUSEHOLD.

25 comments:

007 said...

Pit Bulls are giving a bad name to all our dogs although I believe any dog can and will bite. Pits should be wiped out and any dog that is a mix with them. I say that having met many "nice" pits. Again, I'll say it...I have yet to meet a pit I am willing to own for these very real reasons. You cannot predict what they will do and you cannot be sure of the bloodline. As much as I hate to deter adopting from Craig's List or the local shelter, I never will again because safe, quality dogs are far and few between. Too much cross breeding which causes temperment issues.

Anonymous said...

This breeder (whose pit bulldog killed her child) Lori Haaker of Haaker's Dream Bulldog Ranch bred the dog who was in the movie Cheaper By the Dozen with Steve Martin.

I wonder if Steve Martin knows there could have been a bloodbath on the set.

Why would producers have a pit bull around children?

They want to see pit bulls kill children?

And what kind of director would use dogs from a breeder who chains her dogs outdoors?

HonestyHelps said...

007, we all admit that any dog can bite and some can kill. The issue is the numbers. If it were evenly divided between breeds that would be one thing, but when it is one breed or mixes thereof, then it is quite another. I too, hate to deter people from adopting from the shelters, it took a great deal of soul searching to come to the conclusion that the shelters should not adopt out pits. I don't think rescues should either because those people are the real wackos with their "save them all" complex.

HonestyHelps said...

Lori won't have to worry about providing a college education now with her star dogs. Poor child, didn't stand a chance because another nutter can't accept what pits are and do.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

the scott type ambull is very closely related to the apbt. i would say the scott type is closer to an apbt than the johnson type ambull.

you can read a brief history of the breed here
http://molosserdogs.com/content838.html

part 1
Originating in 1700\'s America, the Old Country Bulldogge was developed from the original British and Irish bulldog variety, as well as other European working dogs of the Bullenbeisser and Alaunt ancestry. Many fanciers believe that the original White English Bulldogge survived in America, where it became known as the American Pit Bulldog, Old Southern White Bulldogge and Alabama Bulldog, among other names. A few regional types were established, with the most popular dogs found in the South, where the famous large white plantation bulldogges were the most valued. Some bloodlines were crossed with Irish and English pit-fighting dogs influenced with English White Terrier blood, resulting in the larger strains of the American Pit Bull Terrier, as well as the smaller variety of the American Bulldog. Although there were quite a few "bulldogges" developed in America, the modern American Bulldog breed is separately recognized. Unlike most bully breeds, this lovely bulldog's main role wasn't that of a fighting dog, but rather of a companion and worker. Quite larger than most bulldogs, it excells in dog sports like weight-pulling and makes a great farm dog and even a capable hunter.
While the old bulldogges were disappearing in Europe and England, the American variety remained unchanged until the WW2, when their numbers declined drastically, inspiring a few enthusiasts to unite in an effort to save the breed from extinction. In the 1960\'s, John D. Johnson and Alan Scott joined forces with Louis Hegwood, George Lee Williamson, Calvin Tuck and others in collecting surviving southern bulldogges and selecting the best specimens to serve as a foundation for the revival programme. After the decision to abandon the American Pit Bulldog name to avoid confusion with the APBT, the breed was registered as the American Bulldog. Outcrosses were necessary early on to increase the gene pool and the population of the breed, but not everyone agreed with the choices some breeders made. Although an important figure in the development of the modern American Bulldog as a recognized breed, Johnson decided to introduce the English Bulldog into his lines, alienating a great number of enthusiasts in the process, many of which never fully got over it. Due to disagreements over the ideal type and breeding practices, Alan Scott and J.D.Johnson put an end to their colaboration, opting to go their separate ways and breed their dogs based on their personal ideals. To this day, two main types of the modern American Bulldog are the Johnson and Scott bloodlines, but other strains exist, like Painter, Leclerc, Hines, Old Southern White and so on.

end part 1

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

part 2
Large, massive and broad-headed, the well-mannered, yet very protective Johnson dogs remain more popular as family pets and PP dogs than the smaller and lighter built Scott Performance bulldogges, which are considered to be far superiour farm workers and hog hunters. However, most present-day dogs are crosses between all the types, as well as some other bully breeds. There is currently some talk of possibly classifying pure J.D.Johnson dogs as a separate breed in the future, due to noticeable differences in appearance, as well as common conflicts within the American Bulldog breeder community, concerning the breed's Standard and purity guidelines. It has been rumoured that the modern Johnson lines contain some English Mastiff and even St.Bernard blood, but this hasn't been proven. Even though the Scott type was directly developed by crossing early Johnson's dogs with more tenacious breeds, such as the American Pit Bull Terrier, it is gradually becoming accepted as the breed ideal, regularly outperforming its ancestors. This is partly due to the value placed by many bulldogge fanciers on function, rather than form of working dogs. The American Bulldog was officially recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1999 and is enjoying great popularity in the U.S. and around the world.

The American Bulldog is a courageous guardian and a loving family pet, but it needs experienced handling and early socialization. Even though this breed is not as dog-aggressive as some bullies, it does like to play rough and won\'t back away from a confrontation. Unfortunately, some misguided owners foolishly put these dogs into fighting arenas with Pit Bulls and other breeds, almost always with terrible consequences. There are also some unpure bloodlines to be found, so potential buyers should be careful. Boxers, Bullmastiffs, Presa Canarios, Olde English Bulldogges, AmStaffs and other bullies are at times crossed into the American Bulldog bloodlines, sometimes with the intention of improving its working abilities, but more often simply for appearance and other reasons. Due to this breed's ever-increasing popularity in America and worldwide, potential owners should carefully research A.B. breeders in order to ensure a quality purebred purchase and to avoid Pit Bull crosses and poorly bred dogs. The American Bulldog is a strongly built, powerful and energetic dog, completely devoted to its owner.

The coat is short and glossy and accepted in every colour, except for solid black, blue or any type of tricolour. The most popular dogs are white, with or without markings. Average height is around 24 inches, but larger dogs are common.

George said...

Cheaper by the Dozen dog was an American Bulldog.

Like you Haters care.....

But that's what the breed is

The breeder breeds American Bulldogs.

The pictured dog IS an American Bulldog.
But they all LOOK the same to me.

Anonymous said...

Don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but I have to respond to the adoption comment -- there are many shelters that perform comprehensive behavioral assessment screening before they place an animal (ANY breed) for adoption, and I would take one of their dogs over a dog purchased from a breeder (where yes, you may get to meet mom & dad, but that's about it) any day. The key is to be sure that the shelter is reputable and responsible about its assessment process. This site does a wonderful job of supporting shelter workers trying to make difficult screening decisions, and they should continue to have support and encouragement.

HonestyHelps said...

Georgie porgie, in my book it is still a pit bull no matter what you idiots name it. You nutters try hard to disguise your pits but we all know what they are.

Anon, I do support shelters even more than you know. But I would have to disagree with you on this point. I don't believe there is any kind of assessment or temperament test that works for the pits because of their unpredictability. I've been doing temperament testing for decades and it just doesn't apply to pits. I've seen them pass with flying colors only in the next breath for them to go after a dog when they just came out of a socialization phases. Too many times I've seen their unpredictability. And the liability part of adopting out pits for a publically owned shelter is just too high. Let the rescues take the chance but only if the rescue has enough liability insurance can they take pits from the shelters. The cost of success is not worth the cost of failure when it comes to adopting out pits. The cost of failure is usually a life.

Anonymous said...

"there are many shelters that perform comprehensive behavioral assessment screening before they place an animal "

This is UTTER AND COMPLETE CRAP, and I have worked at several shelters who do "behavioral assessments."

I also know several of the alleged "experts" in the field.

There is NO accurate "behavioral assessment." It's a crap shoot. There are different speculations by many on what behavioral assessment is, and what it predicts, but no one agrees what constiturtes accurate assessment, and the flaws are huge.

More important, PIT BULLS "pass" behavioral assessments ALL THE TIME, yet go on to maul and kill.

In particular, there is NO even remotely accurately successful behavioral assessment for pit bulls.

Shelters and rescues are placing dogs with a false warrantee of being "ok" because of a faulty and useless assessment, and pit bulls placed are going on to attack and even kill.

And rescues and shelters are going to be held accountable no matter how many of these useless "assessments" they do.

It's a con, especially when it comes to pit bulls.

HonestyHelps said...

Ruffled Feathers Anon, I do agree that many shelters do good assessments but these assessments don't work for pits. You can do good assessments for other breeds and that needs to be done. I am all for quality animals to be placed. I don't believe in setting up both the family and the animal for failure by failing to assess the animal or screening the family. We aren't selling shoes here, no two fer one sales or freebies. If anything we need to make getting a pet more difficult so as to establish in someone's mind the value of the animal. No kill is defeating this with their philosophy of any home is better than dying in the shelter. That just is not true. No kill wants to do away with household limits and how does that work. It means having too many pets and they don't receive the proper attention, both from the family and medically. To truly have a companion pet you need to confine that to one or two. To be able to provide proper medical care, same applies. Studies show that the more pets one has the less medical care they receive.

And Georgie Porgie, I will not be your enabler, go get help somewhere else. Your obsession is obvious.

Anonymous said...

I've got one for you.

http://www.petzonedogs.com

Back in November, this rescue took in a pit bull from a local animal control. It appeared to have been "hit by a car" and had "some bruises and lacerations."

The rescue had problems placing this dog. Finally it attacked and severely injured another dog at the rescue, only releasing it when the mushy wiggle butt thought the other dog was dead. The SWEETEST pitte girl EVER was euthanized shortly thereafter.

I thought I'd send this in because this incident deeply disturbed me then and it still really bothers me that such rescue outfits are allowed to operate with precious little oversight and with tax exempt status. This last part is especially important considering all that the lady who runs this outfit wants are hugs, prayers and money...and it always comes back to money.

Since this happened at the end of last year, most of the documentation is no longer available online. I was still able to reconstruct a time line however:

Nov. 23:
http://twitter.com/petzone/status/5998170685

Nov. 29:
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:KJ1MR4ZB8b0J:www.adoptapet.com/pet2907780.html+latte+%22petzone%22&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Dec. 3:
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:yStHLVbbB5cJ:dogtime.com/shelters/US-GA/7013-monroe-petzone-dog-rescue-inc%3Fpage%3D2+%22petzone%22+latte&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Dec. 7:
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:-ccCwU7SzrAJ:www.pets911.com/organizations/petzonedogrescueinc/org_animal-details.php%3FuniqueID%3D3240969%26PHPSESSID%3D522718cd15350601b5c6f3b57c30792d+latte+%22petzone%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Dec. 9:
http://twitter.com/petzone/status/6513057678

Dec. 10:
http://twitter.com/petzone/status/6549015277

Dec. 12: http://twitter.com/petzone/status/6614501631


I genuinely cannot fathom this kind of mentality, but these people are dangerous. I don't know whether it's mental illness or whether these rescue angels are trying to fill an emotional void within or something. Maybe they're like the lonely hearts who marry convicted felons, I dunno. I just don't understand.

Anyway, thanks for being a voice of reason helping and promoting animal welfare. It is both refreshing and definitely much apreciated.

HonestyHelps said...

Anon, I do know the mentality of these people and I refer to it as the "Savior" complex. Save them all at any cost, even children's lives. This is the nutter mentality in rescue groups. If it were any other breed, it would go down quickly. You can thank Nathan Winograd for all this bullshit. His "bad rap" for pits is bringing out these immoral and unethical kooks.

Anonymous said...

"it still really bothers me that such rescue outfits are allowed to operate with precious little oversight and with tax exempt status. This last part is especially important considering all that the lady who runs this outfit wants are hugs, prayers and money...and it always comes back to money."

I absolutely agree with the Saviour complex, a mental illness. The modern day crazy cat lady.

But I also believe that for many of these "rescuers" the interest is MONEY, cold hard cash.

Pit bulls are a fad, and the mythologizing and pitying of pit bulls is a fad, and these people try to elicit sympathy in the form of "donations" and DOG SALES.

They are making a living doing this, and they are actually dog DEALERS.

These are people who are not only getting their bills paid with the donations and dog sales, some of them have a pretty penny over that, especially if they can dupe gullible celebrities like Rachel Ray into giving them money.

Look at all reports about Tia Torres operation. Torres is pulling in triple figures.

It is no wonder these "rescuers" oppose breeder licensing (and rescue licensing.) They want a plentiful supply of product to hawk and sell, and get "donations" for. They profit from pit bull breeding.

They need to be licensed and they need to be inspected, and their charitable status needs hard looks.

HonestyHelps said...

Anon, you are exactly right, there is no rescue when you cherry pick shelters from out of state and end up with only the highly adoptable dogs, no pits, no old, no injured, no big black dogs, just cute little chihuahuas and such. That shows it is a business not a rescue. And how can people walk by the other dogs and get the pits out is beyond me. It has become a business and needs regulation. I have been begging for regulation but the public perception of a "rescue" misleads the public into thinking these are good, salt of the earth people when most of them are crazies that are drinking the koolaid of "No Kill". One regulation should definitely be a million in liability insurance for any rescue that deals with pits. At least that way their victims have recourse or can have their funeral expenses paid.

Anonymous said...

There is a huge problem here in the north of private
"rescues" or even individuals, going down to southern shelters, pulling dogs for $5.00, doing little to no vetting, then charging hundreds of dollars for an adoption fee to folks up north. Some of these are not 501C3 organizations, and I know personally of someone who brought puppies with Parvo into the state a few years back. Massachusetts now has quaranteen laws, due to the case of a SATO being imported that acually had rabies. Many of the dogs imported from southern shelters are sick, and have serious behavioral problems...but it has become a business for "resellers".

The real craziness is, we have plenty of unwanted pits available everywhere, and STILL some of the craziest of the crazy..."pit bull rescuers"... are importing pit bulls from Southern shelters to find them homes! Its insane! No one wants the many, many pit bull we have available in our own shelters, yet these fringe rescue groups are bringing in pits from out of state!

HonestyHelps said...

And the last thing you want to do is have a southern pit. It's only been in the last 20-30 years that pits have become pets in the South. Before that they were strictly fighting dogs and thus, their offspring now have come from this background.

It will take an outbreak of something to stop this importation. When the north starts getting heartworms like the south has them, maybe the vets will speak up. Plus rabies is a fact of life in the south. Mark my words, something will happen and it will make people realize that these importations are putting the local pets in danger. Those that do this are only doing so to feed their "Savior" complex, they aren't doing it for the animals or they would be concerned about the local animals first. It only takes one infected pet to escape with rabies to start an epidemic.

Anonymous said...

Honesty, unfortunately the Anon posting about the New England rescues is not being entirely honest, as breeders never are when they don't confess their own part in the problem.


As for Anons sato story, there have been multiple recorded rabies outbreaks among BREEDER dogs that have been shipped into Massachusetts, including a rabid dog from a puppy mill, sold through a breeder, that was then taken on a ferry and handled by many people.

The bigger problem in New England is all the puppy mill dogs being shipped in from down south and out west, where they are raised in cages outdoors, no shots, no vet care, exposed to wildlife, that then get sold in New England pet stores and from private brokers and dealers.

(And yes, loaded with behavioral problems due to the bad breeding)

That also includes pit bulls.

Yes, there are rescues bringing in pit bulls from southern shelters to NE and that shouldn't go on, but the big numbers of southern pit bulls coming into New England are from pit bull BREEDERS in other parts of the country, including through internet sales and newspaper classified, selling them to New England people and shipping them into New England.

The diseases these puppy mill dogs and breeder dogs have boggles the mind, they are loaded with disease, and thousands upon thousands get shipped and trucked into New England EVERY DAY.

It's a huge number more than rescues.

There are also foreign puppy mill dogs (from places like Russia and Asia) getting flown in every day into New England, with problems.

Most of the parvo cases in New England have been pet store puppy mill dogs, private breeder dogs, etc, The for profit breeding industry, unregulated, selling and importing in sick animals into New England.

The number one problem with disease in New England is BREEDER dogs, but your anon poster is a breeder and they consistently oppose breeder licensing and inspections in New England, and lobby to protect the pet store and private dealer puppy mill imports because AKC registers those dogs and they want the money.

Rescues should be licensed and inspected, but first of all BREEDERS need to be licensed and inspected because they are causing the bulk of the disease and behavioral problems. The breeders are importing most of the dogs into New England, and that includes pit bulls.

Anonymous said...

"When the north starts getting heartworms like the south has them,"

Breeders have also consistently been shipping in and selling dogs with heartworm, but because there is no regulation for breeders they get away with it.

Anonymous said...

The internet breeder sales are one of the biggest problems in the country.

No regulation at all, and the AKC and UKC and the rest of the breeders oppose regulation because of course it's a way to make a bundle of tax free money.


That goes for ALL breeds.

They sell online and ship all over the country.

There's no documentation at all, nothing. ZERO records.

Of course, thanks to the fad, the internet pit bull breeders have exploded in numbers. They are shipping sick, aggressive dogs all over the country and cashing in.

The USDA wanted to regulate internet breeder sales, but the AKC and all the other corrupt breeder groups opposed regulation, and thus we have the situation we have today.

Internet breeder sales are spreading disease everywhere.

As well as dangerous, aggressive dogs.

I have a friend who works cargo for the airlines, and the number of breeder dogs getting shipped all over is huge. They don't have to have any documentation at all, which is also of course how they avoid paying taxes as well.

HonestyHelps said...

Anons, I agree with you and would like any links that you might have on these incidents. I know I spoke with one rescue in Washington state that imported some dogs from CA and they were sick. Her vet was pissed and she never did it again. But she won't come forward because of retalitation by other groups.

Anonymous said...

I have NO idea what the previous posters problem is...I am not a breeder, and I fully support breeder regulation. The conversation was about rescues and the mentality of rescuers who adopt out dangerous dogs. I pointed out what my personal experience was, and anyone who follows CL Boston pets section knows its true. The puppies with Parvo came up from a woman in my town whose "sister "does" rescue"??? In that transport, I don't know how many puppies died, but a friend of mine had adopted one lab puppy that almost died...they spent a fortune in vet bills, and he pulled through, but the sibling died while still at a foster's home, around the corner from me.

I am not sure what it means to "do" rescue, and I am aware that some people simply travel to a southern shelter, pick up a puppy, and bring it back. The SATO incident can be read about here...

http://www.petpac.net/news/headlines/importedpuppies/

I couldn't find the original article...this article is about imported puppies and mentions the Mass incident.... but the puppy was sick, and had interacted with several people before being diagnosed.

No doubt internet sales of puppies is a huge problem, and I would love to see an end to byb's and mills, and regulation across the board. But I have still seen many rescues unbelievably importing pits from out of state to "rescue" them, even though we have too many here as it is: I recently met a woman whose college age son "rescued" a pit from "down south", and again, you can find loads of these crazy rescue angels on CL....even though no decent homes exist for these dogs, that doesn't stop these women from pulling hard luck pit cases from kill shelters and becoming hysterical on CL every week because they can't find a good home for their pit foster.

HonestyHelps said...

Anon, did you catch my previous post about importing? Seems some groups in LA were taken for a ride along with some shelter dogs. People don't think is the problem. They don't think about the consequences of their actions. They don't think about disease and affecting other animals in their areas. Look at TNR and the consequences of that, they aren't thinking of those owned cats leaving home to find that feed station or the coyotes that use it for their own version. That is part of the "Savior" complex, focusing on one and ignoring the other. It will take a rabies outbreak before something is done about cross state transportation of dogs and cats. And again, you can thank the mentality of Winograd's followers for this. He is the Messiah and they are the Saviors, what a combination.

Anonymous said...

You are right, Honesty...my vet told me that in all his years of practice, the only dogs he has ever seen with active heartworm infections came from down south. He told me that its a cultural problem, that too many folks down south don't provide vet care for their animals.

I'm afraid there is a real incentive to abuse the system here...its relatively difficult here in Mass to find healthy puppies in the shelter systems (with the exception of pit puppies), that didn't come from the south. Most of the legitimate shelters and rescues do a pretty good job screening people, and fully vet the dogs they adopt out, and charge accordingly. Many folks don't want to go through the hassel of being screened, they want a lab puppy and don't want to wait, or maybe they won't pass the screening for one reason or another, so they fall victim to these fake "rescues", which may actually be resellers. There is a demand for popular breeds, puppies, and small breed dogs and puppies, which can be found down south.

If that isn't bad enough, there are rescue angels that seem to gravitate toward the worst dogs, dogs with serious temperament problems. There was recently one on CL that was a "dominant" dog agro pit bull that the rescue wanted to place in the "right" home. And who in their right mind wants an aggressive pit for a "pet"?

The cat problem is a whole other can or worms...I am sickened by it. I recently called AC about an injured feral tom, I can't get near him, and he needs help. By help I mean a humane death, instead of limping around with a possible fractured leg and an open wound on his head. He's not a pet, he never can be, and he isn't surviving in the wild. These women need to grow up, suck it up, and do the humane thing.

HonestyHelps said...

Anon I agree with you. California had problems with the Katrina dogs bringing in the dog flu, heartworms, and rabies. Rabies is a biggie in the South. These so called "rescues" only care about satisfying their personal agendas rather than looking at the welfare of the big picture. They subscribe to a movement that says outta sight, outta mind, the "No Kill Equation".


I hate the TNR movement because I consider it the ultimate cruelty to cats. Cats aren't that comfortable outside anyway, imagine living your entire life frightened at the least sound. Plus it causes owned cats to be killed trying to get to the feed stations. You can only trap a cat once. So these so called "ferals" only get vetted once in their lifetime. What about rabies, don't they care about the spread of rabies? I also say that there are probably very few truly feral cats out there, most being abandoned, owned cats. These cats can be worked with but TNR gives the lazy way out of doing that. I hate that these caregivers lay their heads down on that soft pillow at night thinking they have done a good thing, while the cats are fighting outside for their lives in the cold. These aren't Saviors, they are demons from hell that practice TNR, or as I say, Trap, Neuter and Abandon. My version of TNR is Trap, Neuter, and Retain. Want to join?