Boy, if there’s one thing the Libertarians are good for, it’s having the guts (and lack of electoral exposure) to advocate for fundamental reform of our out-of-control drug policy. This spoof ad is a real gem:
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Iam sure that Supervisor O’Connor will vote with her Sister Sandra to take your rights relating to your dog away from YOU as she voted to have YOUR house given away and tourn down to make way for a Shopping Center!
Michael, thanks for another great post. Yes, it has veered off topic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Puppylove, thank you for getting that puppy off the streets. You did the right thing by taking him to the Humane Society, where he had a chance to be reclaimed by his family. They kept him for the amount of time required by law, provided him with veterinary care, and then put him up for adoption and gave you the first chance at adopting him. Veterinary care alone is extremely expensive, as are real estate, utilities, wages, food, etc. The Arizona Humane Society spent $11,662,269, mostly in donations and adoption fees, last year to care for 46,984 animals, at a cost of $248.21 per animal. Their adoption fees start at only $35. If they were charging $250 for a small, highly adoptable puppy, then, yes, $1.79 of that fee probably went to help care for one of those animals that had been waiting a long time for a home. The Arizona Humane Society isn’t making a profit from adoption fees.
Francine, please don’t confuse the Arizona Humane Society or the Southern Arizona Humane Society with the Humane Society of the United States. They are all separate organizations, and are all doing their best to help animals. The National Animal Interest Alliance is an astroturf front group for special interests. The board members of the NAIA, and the businesses they represent: ranchers, factory farms, slaughterhouses, fur trappers, and the like, make large profits from animals. They unsuccessfully fought against Prop 204 last year, the Arizona initiative that requires farmers to keep pregnant sows in pens large enough so they can turn around. It did not tell anyone “when to stand up, when to sit down, how to live their lives, what to think and when to go to bed.” (But watch out: The 2007 Farm Bill, H.R. 2419, Section 123, could overturn this voter-passed Arizona law.) The NAIA successfully lobbied Congress for the passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), which labels as a terrorist anyone engaging in non-violent civil disobedience that results in a loss of profits. This law, does, in fact, tell people when to stand up, and when to keep their mouths shut for fear of interfering with corporate profits and being labeled a terrorist.
Pima County taxpayers shelled out $4,710,867 this year for the Pima Animal Care Center. The facility handled 14,177 animals in the past year. That means that we, as taxpayers, shelled out $332.29 for every animal that PACC touched.
Here’s a story from this month’s Tucson Citizen describing the current crisis:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/54589.php
The Citizen also ran a story back in September 2003 that showed a picture of a PACC employee dumping animals at the Tangerine Road landfill:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/story_images/091603a1_pet_overpop_main-4
I ask you, especially those of you who don’t have pets, or those who are responsible and have your dogs and cats sterilized, vaccinated, and identified: how do you feel about paying $332.29 in taxes for each animal that PACC has to pick up, impound, and (for the vast majority of them) eventually kill and dump? Did you know that for every dollar spent on city-run spay/neuter clinics, taxpayers could save $18.72 each in future animal control costs? Did you know that the $30-$34 surcharge that owners pay to license unaltered dogs in Pima County doesn’t go towards spay and neuter programs, but instead goes into their general fund? Did you know that the Board of Supervisors authorizes only $25,000 each year for spay and neuter services for the pets of low-income residents, and even that is administered by a nonprofit group?
This is an important issue for all of us, and I look forward to seeing it addressed during the 2008 Board of Supervisors election.
The humane society is not really humane. Their espoused goal is to prevent people from keeping pets and to put an end to the breeding activities of people, like I was for some 25 years, who breed, train and show dogs. If you are interested in the whole animal rights – as opposed to animal welfare – shtick, go to the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIAonline.org) for some very good articles. Regrettably, the world is full of people eager to tell other people when to stand up, when to sit down, how to live their lives, what to think and when to go to bed. ARRGHHH!
For the record, Michael, I think your blog is terrific, and fabulous post. Maybe it’s the advertising you allow on your site, the way you are listed on google, or some other phenomena, but you seem to attract some very ripe fruit in the comment galley. It’s feasible someone is posting with multiple names. The manic use of capital letters is familiar.
ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY ARE SELLING ANIMALS
THIS IS MY STORY ABOUT WHAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE REAL WAY THE ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY GETS AND ADOPTS ITS ANIMALS .
HORROR STORY FROM AZ HUMANE SOCIETY
THIS IS MY STORY THAT IS HAPPENING NOW
On June 8,2007 a 4 month old Papillion puppy was found by my daughter wondering the streets of phoenix Arizona on over 100 degrees temperature extremely hot his fur was fried dry he was thirsty tired but was very loving my daughter took him to the Arizona humane society to find out the AGE AND BREED OF THE puppy we saw that he was very young we named butterball. my daughter and i where told by the intake representative to fill out a form which was given to me this intake representative says that the form was to give information of the owner where the puppy was found that it was no problem to find out the age and the breed of butterball and that a representative would be calling Monday to give butterballs information to us I called Saturday to confirm that there was NO misunderstanding she was told that they would call Monday with his information fully assured that butterball was going to be returned by the intake representative with no worries waited until Monday getting ready for butterball home coming and at 3:54pm Monday a heartbreaking messages was left by don who said you dog is ready and will be sent off for surgery Tuesday I saying WHAT ! and his adoption free is $250.00 for napoleon or butterball what ever his name is and if you want him back he will be ready Wednesday I called Mr. don at the Arizona humane society and was asked if I had received a receipt for butterball and I did not !! MY FAMILY FEEL’S THAT THE ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY WAS HOLDING BUTTERBALL FOR RANSOM ! we where never told of a price nor that the puppy was never going to be given back to us WE FEEL THAT BUTTERBALL AND OTHER puppies are being taken in the same matter to be sold on the tv show pets on parade THE ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY HAS SENT BUTTERBALL TO PETS MART THEY ARE TRYING TO GET OUT OF WHAT HAS HAPPEN AND SOLD BUTTERBALL WITHOUT S KNOWING ANYTHING WHEN I CALLED THE ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY VICE PRESIDENT JILL WHO SAID YOU WILL NEVER GET HIM BACK HE IS OUR PROPERTY NOW ! after I informed them that I was taking them to court she says HAVE FUN ! I called Mrs. Cheryl Nuamnn C.E.O of the Arizona humane society left messages everyday asking for a return call about this NOTHING I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CALL so I called her assistant Tina she started to yell at me I ASKED HER WHY WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME and then asked me WHY DO YOU WANT HIM ? IT’S BEST IF YOU TAKE THIS TO COURT ! FEEL THAT THIS WAS TRICKERY AT ITS BEST TO IN SLAVE A INNOCENT PUPPY FOR THE PURPOSE OF A TV SHOW AND PROFIT OF THE ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY .how many family pets have they done this to ? how many people have they did this to ? DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE WE CARE ABOUT ANIMALS ACT THEY ANY CARE ABOUT THE MONEY AND NOTHING ELSE NOT THE CARE AND BEST INTEREST OF ANIMALS