A dog breeder, a dog fighter and a fake vet: What do they all have in common?
This is the true story about a pit bull dog breeder whose five female dogs have at least two litters per year of 5 to 7 puppies each.Total unclaimed and tax free income from treating our pets like commodities could exceed $20,000 per year. Hawaii is only one of a handful of states without dog breeder licensing mandate therefore breeders are not required to provide a minimum standard of care for their dogs and their puppies.They contribute to pet overpopulation through overbreeding which results in the unnecessary euthanasia of 70 percent of our shelter pets. This breeder has another secret hobby. He fights his dogs. And breeding helps him keep a constant supply of dogs to fund his recreation.But he's not stupid. He keeps the strongest puppies to build his empire of fighters and he sells the weaker puppies to the local pet store or on the internet.Hawaii has some of the weakest dog fighting laws in the country. Because he's running his own little breeding and dog fighting shop, he goes to a fake vet when he needs veterinary care. He can't take his dogs to a licensed vet because it would be obvious that he's fighting his dogs. This fake vet does ear cropping and tail docking (a necessity for dog fighters), spay and neuter surgery, even voice box removal to stop dogs from barking - all without anesthesia or pain medication. He's not licensed, has no professional education, and is even an ex-convict.Practicing veterinary care without a license is just a misdemeanor and slap on the wrist so he has no incentive to stop. Oh - by the way - this fake vet is also a dog breeder. What do you think the chances are that he also fights his dogs? It's a vicious cycle that no one would expect here in Hawaii. It's a true story about a dog fighter and dog breeder living in the suburbs on the island of Oahu. He sells to the community pet store and goes to Pearl City to see his fake vet. Please help us end the cycle. We can close the loop holes that enable these people to continue breeding, fighting and killing our pets. Your chance to act is now. Please click on the links to support these bills: Tuesday, March 15, 8 a.m. - House Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business SB 1522 - Relating to Dogs: establishes requirements for licensure of large-scale dog breeders. Tuesday, March 15, 9 a.m. - Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection HB 1133 - Relating to Veterinary Medicine: increases the penalties for practicing without a license. Thursday, March 17, 2 p.m. - House Committee on Judiciary SB 1069 - Relating to Cruelty to Animals: increases animal cruelty penalties for dog fighting.
To submit testimony in support of any or all of these bills, please visit http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony/
Did you know dog fighters crop the ears of their dogs to minimize potential for tearing and blood loss during the fight?
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