- 1. YES! on Prop B: Thousands of Puppy Mill Dogs Need Your Support!
- 2. ASPCA Files Federal Suit Against Illegal Wild Horse Roundup
- 3. Vote for the $100K Challenge Community Engagement Award
- 4. ASPCA Happy Tails: Proof Positive
1. YES! on Prop B: Thousands of Puppy Mill Dogs Need Your Support!
In just over two weeks, Missourians will have the power to pass sweeping puppy mill reform by going to their local polling stations and voting YES! on Proposition B, a ballot referendum that will decide the fate of the Missouri Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. If passed this Election Day, Prop B will vastly improve the lives of dogs in Missouri’s commercial breeding operations by establishing common-sense standards for the proper care of dogs across the state and limiting the number of breeding dogs to 50 per facility.
Known as the Puppy Mill Capital of America, Missouri is home to an estimated 3,000 commercial dog breeding facilities, far more than any other state. Forty percent of puppies purchased in U.S. pet stores and over the Internet come from Missouri—sadly, the state has become a haven for puppy mills because its current laws on commercial dog breeding are too weak, too vague, or too complicated to be effectively enforced.
“For years, the ASPCA has been doing everything we can to inform consumers of the cruelties associated with puppy mills. These animals live in inhumane conditions, often without space to move around or access to clean water, adequate food and medical care,” says Cori Menkin, ASPCA Senior Director of Legislative Initiatives. “But education is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s also critical that we help states to pass legislation that will require puppy mill operators to provide basic humane care for their animals.”
Missourians for the Protection of Dogs/YES! on Prop. B—a coalition of animal welfare groups that includes the ASPCA—this week released its third television commercial, which is airing in Missouri to encourage voters to learn about the issue and weigh in at the polls. The commercial stars Tony La Russa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and longtime animal advocate.
The passage of Prop B would be a major victory for dogs in Missouri—and, we’re hoping, will encourage other states to follow suit. Please show your support for Prop B by visiting www.yesonpropb.com and by helping the ASPCA spread the message ofpuppy mill reform.
Paid for by Missourians for the Protection of Dogs / YES! on Prop B, Judy Peil, Treasurer
2. ASPCA Files Federal Suit Against Illegal Wild Horse Roundup
On Thursday, October 7, in an effort to protect a herd of wild horses slated to be rounded up by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the ASPCA filed a federal lawsuit against Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and two top BLM officials. The ASPCA and our partners in the complaint—equine protection groups Habitat for Horses and The Cloud Foundation—challenge the federal government’s ongoing illegal treatment of wild horses, specifically its intention to remove horses from the North Piceance (Colorado) Herd Area.
“The BLM is systematically driving America’s wild horses to extinction,” says Matt Bershadker, ASPCA Senior Vice President of Anti-Cruelty. “Despite intense public outcry, it has continued to increase its efforts to remove these horses from public lands legally designated for their use. The ASPCA decided to take legal action against the BLM’s inhumane and fiscally irresponsible policies before a national treasure is completely eradicated.”
Although the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has been authorized by the BLM to determine accurate population sizes and appropriate herd management levels, the BLM refuses to wait for the results of that study and continues to engage in cruel roundups of wild herds—often using low-flying helicopters to chase terrified horses—in clear violation the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which was passed to protect wild horses and burros from capture and preserve the land used by them. The ASPCA is seeking a complete moratorium on all future roundups until the NAS publishes its findings.
Meanwhile, the Colorado roundup in question began as scheduled on Monday, October 11—until an injunction or restraining order is granted by a federal judge, the BLM is under no obligation to alter its plans. The agency expects to complete rounding up approximately 140 horses by October 22. As we go to press, a hearing has been set for Wednesday, October 20, at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Please join the ASPCA in protesting the barbaric and illegal treatment of these American icons: visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to take action now.
3. Vote for the $100K Challenge Community Engagement Award
Earlier this week, we announced that the $100K Challenge contestants have saved a total of 33,268 animals’ lives since the competition began on August 1. That’s an increase of nearly 10 percent over last year! Remember, the shelter that saves the most lives by the end of October will take home the competition’s $100,000 grand prize.
And though we’ve been talking a LOT about numbers these past few weeks, another essential part of this Challenge is the innovative way each shelter is motivating its community to get involved in its life-saving mission. So essential, in fact, that we’re granting $25,000 to the shelter that motivates its community the most!
For the next two weeks, please visit www.VotetoSaveLives.org to cast one vote each day and help decide which shelter in the $100K Challenge will receive the Community Engagement Award and a $25,000 grant. Even one vote can make a big difference to your favorite Challenge contestant. The three shelters that receive the most votes and save at least 300 more lives over the same period in 2009 will become finalists for the Community Engagement Award. So get clicking and cast your vote every day from October 15 through October 31!
For more information about the ASPCA $100K Challenge, or to cast your vote for your favorite shelter contestant, please visit www.VotetoSaveLives.org.
4. ASPCA Happy Tails: Proof Positive
Sometimes we stumble on the most inspiring adoption stories in our inbox—those gems that seem to reflect exactly what’s on our minds here at Happy Tails HQ. This week, we received a lovely note from Allison Rainey who adopted Sutton, an FIV+ positive kitty with lots of charm and an irresistible orange belly to boot. The cat’s special needs-status was no deterrent for his new pet mom—in fact, it just made him all the more cherished.
I will never forget how nervous and excited I was to wake up on a Saturday morning and go pick up my new cat. I had visited the ASPCA the prior month and looked at various cats with different personalities. Only one cat stood out as the cat for me—Sutton.
Within the FIV+ enclosure was my little man. I thought about the implications of adopting an FIV+ cat, but as a veterinary technician at hospitals in Maryland and North Carolina, I felt I was up to the challenge. On July 17, I walked into the ASCPA and announced to the lovely ladies at the desk that I was ready to adopt Sutton. I met with him one more time before making it official.
That first night I knew it was a match made in heaven. He explored all around my studio apartment, ate some food, used the litter box. He decided my lap was the best seat in the house. The kneading of his paws melted my heart. Yes, he's awoken me at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning to play. Sure, he's attacked my feet under the comforter. But nothing can compare to the love and admiration that I feel every time I get home from work. He is everything to me, and I thank the ASPCA for bringing him into my life.
To read more heartwarming stories of furry fate, please visit our Happy Tails archive. For more information about adopting a special needs cat, please visit www.aspca.org/myths.