Animal Extremist Legislation Coming to Your City?

[flyndog]

TX-RPOA E-News
From Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.

June 26, 2006
Every major city in the United States is under attack from a fringe group of "animal rights" extremists attempting to end pet ownership. The extremists chant their mantra "Don't breed, don't buy, while shelter animals die" and their only solution is to sterilize every pet in the US. National studies establish "Pet Retention" as our problem. Yet the extremists seem to lack the ability to analyze animal problems and develop an effective strategy to solve them. Where did common sense go? How long before "Albuquerque" will be playing in your city? It's already in San Antonio ...
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PERMISSION TO CROSS POST
Unless unchallenged through provisions of the Albuquerque City Charter, the recently passed and signed HEART animal control ordinance for the City of Albuquerque goes into effect on August 22 (HEART stands for Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment). So many provisions in HEART are so absurd, it is inconceivable that any city councilor who has ever owned a dog or cat could vote in favor of such a law. But, it happened - it passed on a 6 - 3 vote and was signed by the mayor. It has been reported that it took 3
years to prepare the HEART ordinance. The ordinance has such obvious flaws that one has to question what went wrong. Below is an overview of the results of those 3 years of intense effort to prepare HEART.

HEART has trivialized animal cruelty to the extent that the concept of
cruelty is meaningless. Under HEART everyone who owns a cat or dog in Albuquerque will at some time, violate the animal cruelty provisions of HEART. For example, withholding water for any reason is ANIMAL CRUELTY (including a tipped over water bowl, veterinarian instructions, or crating overnight). HEART says that walking a dog on a lead that exceeds 8 feet is ANIMAL CRUELTY. Animal crates for temporary use in homes will have to exceed commercial standards for kennels. A crate, for a 66 pound dog to sleep in at night, will require 24 square feet of floor space and must be at least 3 feet high, anything smaller is ANIMAL CRUELTY. ANIMAL CRUELTY includes PSYCHOLOGICAL pain (which is undefined). HEART specifies bird perch diameters. Not meeting the diameter requirement is ANIMAL CRUELTY. Failure to report running over a snake is ANIMAL CRUELTY. Furthermore, an individual guilty of ANIMAL CRUELTY (for example walking a dog on a leash longer than 8 feet) can no longer own an intact dog or cat.

HEART will require mandatory spay/neuter of all existing intact dogs and cats over six months old unless a $150 permit is obtained for EACH intact dog or cat (maximum of four permits). All puppies and kittens, unless permitted, must be spayed/neutered by 6 months of age. However, the mayor can declare a moratorium at any time for intact animal permits, in which case intact animals could be seized and spay/neutered by the city. Pet stores will no longer be able to sell dogs or cats. The city council, after hours of debate, was successful in changing the term "dog toy" to "safe product." Failure to provide such a product is a misdemeanor.

HEART repeals numerous sections of Albuquerque's current animal control ordinance and adds new sections. Inexplicably, HEART repeals provisions for Off Leash Dog Areas (Dog Parks) and the Animal Welfare Board -- no provisions for either have been incorporated in HEART. Under HEART, letting a dog run loose at a Dog Park will be ANIMAL CRUELTY.

The mayor has publicly announced that during his administration animal activists are "in" and others with more moderate views are "out." By passing HEART, the city council has supported the extreme ideologies expressed by those animal rights activists who are "in." After three years of development, those of us who had concerns about HEART were given just 90 seconds to address our issues to the city council. It's clear that the mainstream has been cut out of the process.

HEART is based on false assumptions associated with extreme concepts of the Animal Rights movement. The extreme Animal Rights ideas to be found in HEART include numerous INVALID propositions (THESE IDEAS ARE JUST WRONG). Here are examples:

- Albuquerque is NOT HUMANE AND COMPASSIONATE toward animals
- Albuquerque treats animals as LIFELESS chattel property
- Albuquerque residents COMMIT UNFETTERED, CALLOUS ACTS that cause pain and suffering to animals
- Laws AGAINST CHAINING will help to ELIMINATE DOGS ROAMING at large
- Animal control has NO CHOICE BUT TO EUTHANIZE DOGS at the shelter
- CHAINED ANIMALS are more likely to RUN AWAY
- Albuquerque has an OVERWHELMING SUPPLY of animals that exceeds demand
- Crowding at the animal shelter (referred to as overpopulation) ENDANGERS HUMANS
- STRICT LAWS WILL INCREASE COMPASSION toward animals
- GOVERNMENT must exercise complete control over dog and cat populations
- GOVERNMENT must identify and track every dog and cat, as well as its owner
- Except as permitted by the GOVERNMENT, every dog and cat must have its reproductive capacity eliminated
- GOVERNMENT must establish arbitrary, generalized standards of animal care that IGNORE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
- ANIMAL CRUELTY MUST BE REDEFINED TO INCLUDE TRIVIAL ACTS such as walking a dog on a leash longer than 8 feet
- ANIMAL CRUELTY, even when trivialized to leash length and bird perches, is ASSOCIATED WITH DOMESTIC ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE, AND ELDER ABUSE
- Dog and cat permit fees that could exceed $600 PER YEAR FOR A HOUSEHOLD are in the public interest and DO NOT OVERLY BURDEN responsible owners

Every one of the ideas from HEART, as listed above, is blatantly false. It is inconceivable that elected officials of Albuquerque could actually accept and act on such an extreme, irrational set of assumptions. City government has simply failed to act responsibly. A public referendum is the only remaining alternative offered by the Albuquerque City Charter to overturn HEART.

The Albuquerque City Charter has a provision that would allow HEART to be put to a vote by the people of Albuquerque. Albuquerque voters could overturn HEART and nullify action by the City Council and the Mayor. By July 20 a petitions with 17,458 signatures of Albuquerque registered voters (20% of the number who voted in the last election) must be submitted to the City Clerk to force a public referendum on HEART. The City Charter only allows a narrow 35-day window to submit the required signatures. The short
time is an overwhelming constraint. If the required signatures are
submitted, the City Charter requires a referendum within 90 days.

A "Rescind HEART" petition drive is under way to gather the required
signatures to force a referendum. The "Rescind HEART" petition drive is an unfunded, grassroots effort that is attempting something that, as someone recently noted, has never been tried before anywhere in the country for a animal law that has been passed and signed.

Many residents of Albuquerque are unaware of either HEART or its provisions. Once it is explained, people are ready to join the petition drive. However, given the deadline of July 20 gaining support by word of mouth may be too slow to meet the petition deadline. Furthermore, media spin has supported HEART and it will take time for the public to realize what is actually in the ordinance. Others in Albuquerque don't understand that action is even possible under the City Charter to overturn HEART.

The challenges are immense and the situation demands unusual measures. There are only 25 days (including three weekends) left to get the required number of signatures.

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT NEW MEXICO AND NATIONWIDE SUPPORT ARE NEEDED TO ASSURE THAT THE PETITION DRIVE IS SUCCESSFUL. YOUR IMMEDIATE HELP AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT ARE NECESSARY AND ARE APPRECIATED. ANY LARGE CONTRIBUTIONS WILL PAY
FOR DOOR-TO-DOOR CANVASSING OF NEIGHBORHOODS TO GATHER SIGNATURES.

Contributions of $25 or more must meet the reporting requirements called for in the Albuquerque City Charter for a political campaign, so please contact me directly. Contributions of LESS THAN $25 can be mailed directly to the address shown below.

All contributions should be made out to "Rescind HEART."

The use of PayPal or other electronic means to accept contributions is being investigated. Please visit the website (see Resources and then Support) for updates.

For more information on the "Rescind HEART" petition drive please visit:
http://www.icare-usa.org

The following are available on the website:

- Official petition for signature of Albuquerque registered voters
- Return instructions for petitions
- HEART ordinance (67 pages)
- Current Albuquerque ordinance that HEART changes
- Flyers
- Other information about HEART

Thank you for your help.
Ronald A. Gustafson
Chairman
Rescind HEART
Measure Finance Committee
ron.gustafson@worldnet.att.net
505-864-3513

ADDRESS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS:
Rescind HEART
c/o Ronald Gustafson
PO Box 576
Tome, NM 87060

Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
Website: www. responsiblepetowners. org
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
send an e-mail message to rpoa @ texas.net.

[GSD]

its time for the rest of us just living our lives to wake up and realize that groups of people with agenda's are trying to severely restrict liberty in a city near YOU!!!

[D.Schäferhund]

what is wrong with those people????

[mulroony]

Wow. To me it sounds like something that starts w/ good intentions, but then gets picked up by a group of people and snowballs out of control.

I can't even begin to count how many counts of animal cruelty I would be in violation of, plus it sounds like many of the laws will create much more inhumane conditions then they will prevent...

[giantlover]

I think you better lock me up and throw away the key. Are they aware that all spay and neuters require withholding food/water after 6:00 pm the night before surgery? In order to comply with the first part, you have to violate another part. Are they aware that the ONLY treatment for pancreatitis is to withhold food and water, along with giving medication and iv fluids for 5 -7 DAYS? Seems to me they better haul every vet into jail and learn how to do surgeries themsevles, since all the vets will be incarcerated. GEESH