Who really owns our dogs?
How do we fight against increasingly rogue animal control and rescue operations that hold our dogs hostage?
One rescue group has already indicated that AKC papers are not proof of ownership. What is?
The reality for us as purebred dog owners is that there are more animal rights and virulent adopt-don’t-shop proponents whispering in the ears of legislators than there are of us who can represent our interests to these same lawmakers. During this heated political election cycle, PACs (political action committees) tend to have a negative connotation, but like it or not, purebred dog owners and heritage breeders need a PAC to protect our rights and our dogs.
If you don’t think the animal rights movement has a long reach, think again. Lois Lerner, a member in good standing with the Humane Society of the United States (and no friend to dogs) was head of the Internal Revenue Service Tax Exempt Organizations division, the same IRS that granted HSUS tax exempt status as a charitable organization. This is the same Lois Lerner who repeatedly ignored calls from Congressmen to investigate the HSUS. Then there’s Christie Vilsack, wife of USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, who accepted HSUS money in her unsuccessful run for Congress in Iowa in 2012. Two years before, Tom Vilsack hired HSUS attorney, Sarah Conant, to work for the Dept. of Agriculture, the same department that regulates breeders, kennels and animal shelters.
A PAC works by pooling contributions from donors, and using those funds to campaign for, or against, a candidate or a piece of legislation, or in our case, supporting candidates who defend dog owners’ rights and can effectively influence legislation impacting animal owners. Funds are also used to hire lobbyists who know our interests, and spend endless hours working to make sure legislators are aware of them. National Purebred Dog Day® was passed with the help of a Colorado Federation of Dog Clubs lobbyist.
The AKC has such a PAC which uses donations to strengthen support for common sense laws that protect purebred dogs while not restricting the rights of heritage breeders and responsible owners. Remember the post we shared recently about fit sighthounds? That post was shared over 340 times by people, some of whom made comments about being reported to Animal Control for not feeding their dogs by ignorant people who don’t know how sighthounds are built.
Not long ago, the AKC posted a video making the case for the importance of its PAC. We think you might want to see it. If you want to learn more about the fund, read here.
You can see the terrific video here.