Fwd: UPDATE: Kathy Bauck Trial / Peaceful Rally Against March 21 Buckeye Dog Auction

March 28, 2009

Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~

Thought you would find this article in today's issue of The Budget of interest...we encourage you to share your thoughts to the Local Edition Editor, Beverly Keller, at bkeller.

Puppy mill protesters promote awareness in Holmes County

By Beverly Keller

Local Edition Editor

Last week, nearly two dozen protesters paraded along State Route 39 in front of the HolmesCountyExpoCenter to raise awareness of the plight of puppies in HolmesCounty and throughout Ohio.

While there were many honks, waves and general support of the message the protesters were sending, there were those who pointed fingers, yelled and were derogatory.

They held their protest signs high and showed off dogs that had been rescued. They chanted that change was needed and even the young girl that was amongst their ranks understood their message - don't buy puppies.

However, the business of selling puppies brings in more than $9 million to the industry in Ohio and is big business, particularly in HolmesCounty. The group is opposed to what they refer to as "puppy mills" a place where dogs are fed and bred to produce puppies, litter by litter..

"They have no compassion for these animals," one protester said. "They treat them terribly and it isn't right. There are so many dogs out there that adoption is the way to go. That's our motto; don't buy, adopt."

The protest was in direct relation to the Buckeye Dog Auction that was in full swing on the other side of the county in Farmerstown. It was noted by protesters that part of the auction was the sellout of a Wisconsin-based kennel allegedly run by Kathy Bauck of Minnesota.

Bauck, according to public records in Minnesota, is on trial for charges of animal cruelty. In 2006, Bauck was ordered to stop practicing veterinary medicine without a license by the Minnesota board of Veterinary Medicine. Last April, she pled guilty to one count of practicing without a license.

According to the Auction Bill from the Buckeye Dog Auction, run by Harold Neuhart, a total of 407 dogs were sold to the highest bidder.

"We just want to raise awareness and being here, with our signs, on a busy Saturday in Holmes County is doing just that," Lisa Anderson, organizer of the protest said. "Save the puppies, adopt, don't buy."

Kathy Bauck Found Guilty of 1 Count of Animal Cruelty and 3 Counts of Animal Torture

On Tuesday, March 23, 2009, following emotional closing arguments in the trial of accused dog abuser Kathy Bauck, the jury returned guilty verdicts on 4 charges. After a relatively short deliberation, the jury found Bauck guilty of one count of animal cruelty and three counts of animal torture. Sentencing is scheduled to take place at the Otter Tail County Court House on April 24 at 3:00.

Testimony from Bauck and some of her relatives suggesting ongoing problems at the "Pick of the Litter" kennel left many court watchers wondering if additional charges could be filed against Bauck's husband, Allan, and her daughter, Corinne. Kathy Bauck told the Court that some surgical procedures are still being performed by Allan, even after the charges against her had been filed. Additionally, Allan testified that he kills dogs by shooting them.

Several news agencies have reported that Kathy transferred ownership of "Pick of the Litter" to Allan and Corrine.

Mary O'Connor-Shaver

Cell: 614-271-8248

Columbus Top Dogs

http://www.columbustopdogs.com/

http://www.banohiodogauctions.com/

http://thoughtsfurpaws.com/

LEGISLATIVE ALERTS: Please visit our Home page for pending legislation impacting the welfare of OH animals - http://www.columbustopdogs.com/

P.S. You or someone you know has requested you be added to the Columbus Top Dogs email list. If you do not want to receive emails from columbustopdogs.com, please reply and put "remove from list" in subject. Thank you!

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UPDATE: March 21, 2009 - Buckeye Dog Auction / OH Puppy Mill

Bill (PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST)

"Mary O'Connor-Shaver" <mshaver_0462

Fri, March 20, 2009 3:10 pm

info

Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~

With the Buckeye Dog Auction taking place tomorrow, I wanted to give you a quick update on a couple of important items...

1) March 14 Meeting in Holmes County. Our meeting with Ervin Raber (one of the largest USDA "Class A" licensed breeders in OH), Harold Neuhart (owner of the Buckeye Dog Auction), Tracy Gavidia (USDA-APHIS Animal Care Inspector) and various stakeholders from both the humane advocacy and breeding communities was long (four hours!) but very productive. A key component of this meeting included a discussion of Pennsylvania's Statute 459-603 (which bans public dog auctions in the Commonwealth) and our team's intentions to ask voters to approve a simil

ar ban for Ohio.

After considerable opinions and thoughts were weighed, all parties agreed to move forward with a second meeting to begin the process of drafting language for Ohio (yes, it was determined that a campaign to move against our intentions would result in a great deal of "collateral damage" for commercial breeding!). Our goal is to schedule that meeting immediately following the HSUS Animal Care Expo in Las Vegas.

2) March 21 Buckeye Dog Auction. As many of you were made aware this past Monday, we have received confirmation that the WI Kennel Sellout is actually Kathy Bauck (Pick of the Litter) from MN, a notorious puppy miller (currently on trial in MN on charges of animal cruelty) who has sent thousands of dogs to pet shops all over the country. In 2006, the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine ordered Kathy to stop practicing veterinary medicine without a license. But she didn't. So last April, Kathy faced similar criminal charges, pleaded guilty to one count and spent five nights in jail. She is still licensed by the USDA.

For the latest update on this auction, please

3) Ohio Puppy Mill Bill. As mentioned in previous updates, Representatives Cheryl Grossman and Carlton Weddington will be introducing a *puppy mill bill that will (among many provisions to address breeding kennels in Ohio) cap the number of unaltered dogs, as well as establish

reasonable and enforceable shelter standards and veterinarian care. Given that the new bill will rely on local enforcement with state oversight (requiring little to n

o additional fiscal resources from the state), we are confident the proposed legislation will please all interested stakeholders.

*Many of our friends and supporters have asked us why we did not request a ban on Ohio dog auctions to be included in the proposed bill. After a tremendous amount of discussion over the past year with humane advocates from across the country (many of them who have, and are currently, traveling down this path), we firmly believe bringing this issue to a VOTE BY THE PEOPLE will ensure a guaranteed WIN FOR THE DOGS!

Thanks everyone for your commitment to serving as a strong voice for ALL animals!

Mary

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UPDATE: March 21, 2009 - Buckeye Dog Auction / May 30, 2009 -

Bark Heard Around the World

"Mary O'Connor-Shaver" <mshaver_0462

Fri, March

13, 2009 9:56 pm

info

Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~

March 21, 2009 Buckeye Dog Auction. Below is a summary of the 407 companions (WI Kennel Sellout: 52 males, 149 females; Consignment: 106 males, 100 females) expected to be placed on the auction block beginning this Saturday at approximately 9:30 AM:

BREED

KENNEL SELLOUT

CONSIGNMENT

MALES

FEMALES

MALES

FEMALES

Basset Hound

1

3

0

Beagle

0

11

0

Bichon

7

13

2

6

Boston Terriers

1

0

2

3

Cairn Terrier

0

1

0

2

Cavalier King Charles

0

9

7

Chihuahua

0

12

3

Chinese Crested

1

3

0

Cocker Spaniel

5

12

0

1

Dachshund

3

15

0

1

Eskimo

1

9

0

Fox Terrier

0

1

French Bulldog

0

1

3

Havanese

0

3

1

Italian Greyhound

0

1

4

Keeshond

2

5

0

Labrador Retriever

1

4

0

Lhasa Apso

4

9

2

0

Maltese

0

6

2

Miniature Dachshund

0

3

1

Miniature Schnauzer

3

11

0

Mixed Breed

0

6

Papillon

3

9

4

6

Pekingese

0

1

0

Pomeranians

1

6

9

Poodle ( breed si

ze TBC)

2

8

5

11

Pugs

6

1</ td>

3

Scottish Terrier

0

1

2

Shetland Sheepdog

2

8

0

Shih Tzu

6

12

25

15

Silky Terriers

0

1

Soft Coated Wheatens

2

3

0

West Highland White

1

0

1

Yorkshire Terrier

0

12

11

You may be interested to know that a 2008 report issued by the USDA has confirmed Ohio ranks seventh among the top 10 states with the largest number of USDA Class A licensed "commercial" breeders:

1. MO - 1,525

2. OK - 575

3. IA - 430

4. KS - 401

5. AR - 339

6. PA - 195

7. OH - 168 (a 600% increase in the number of Class A licensed "commercial" breeders just five years ago!)

8. NE - 153

9. TX - 115

10. SD - 102

Buckeye Dog Auctions. Below is the May 2009 schedule for the Buckeye Dog Auctions (all Saturday dates):

May 9 - Kennel Sellout (400 dogs are expected to be placed on the auction block)

May 30 - "Back to the Kennel" sale

Bark Heard Around the World. For many years, Puppymillrescue Inc. has taken in the abused, malnourished, old, young and sickly from the mills of Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and many other states. Now they find they no longer have to leave their homes in upstate NY to transport dogs in need from the mills - they're right in their own backyard and spreading rapidly.

To educate20citizens about the horrific abuse taking place in those "beautiful white barns", Puppymill Rescue Inc. invites animal advocates from across the country to participate in the second annual "Bark Heard Around the World" to be held at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY from 10AM - 4PM on Sat., May 30th, 2009. To learn more about this event, we invite you to visit the website - > http://www.barkaroundtheworld.com/.

BanOhioDogAuctions.com. BanOhioDogAuctions does not promote or encourage individuals or groups to purchase dogs from auctions or directly from puppy mill breeders. For a great many (and a growing number) of us, initiating efforts to ban the auctions is one way to take away the demand, and we strongly believe introducing legislation similar to that of PA's statute 459-603 will impact the mills. In our opinion, as long as you have a buyer, there is always a need for the seller.

0A

With that said, BanOhioDogAuctions will continue working with several national animal advocacy groups, as well as the media, to help fund more undercover investigations of puppy mills, dog auctions, pet stores and the entities that support and keep them in business. And of course, supporters will continue pressuring elected state and local officials (includes the Holmes County, OH Commissioners) to also support a ban on dog auctions.

If you would like to share your concerns regarding the Buckeye Dog Auctions, I would encourage you to:

1. Write (or fax) letters to the Holmes County Commissioners (Joe Miller, Ray Feikert and Rob Ault) asking them to support a ban on Ohio dog auctions. Emphasize that you will not be spending any dollars in Holmes County until this event no longer takes place in their community!

The contact information is:

2 Court Street, Ste 14

Millersburg, OH 44654-2001

Phone: 330-674-0286

Fax: 330-674-0566

E-mail: hcc

SAMPLE LETTER - Please personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words; it's much more effective!

Dear Commissioners Miller, Feikert and Ault:

Over the past nine years, my husband and I have made numerous trips to Holmes County to purchase cheeses, baked goods, quilts and furniture. I have also been a frequent customer at many of the numerous restaurants in Holmes County. We have

enjoyed our stays at the local accommodations, taking longs weekends and summer vacations there.

BUT no more! Until I learn that the Buckeye Dog Auctions have been discontinued, I will not be visiting or spending money in your community!

Please be aware that I have asked all of my family, friends and elected officials to do the same.

2. Ask the same from all your friends (don't forget to include your vet!), family, co-workers and state elected officials - http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/!

Thanks everyone for your continued dedication to serving as a strong voice for the dogs!

Mary O'Connor-Shaver

Cell: 614-271-8248

Columbus Top Dogs (Shure Pets)

http://www.columbustopdogs.com/

http://www.banohiodogauctions.com/

http://thoughtsfurpaws.com/

LEGISLATIVE ALERTS: Please visit our Home page for pending legislation impacting the welfare of OH animals - http://www..columbustopdogs.com/

P.S. You or someone you know has requested you be added to the Columbus Top Dogs email list. If you do not want to receive emails from columbustopdogs.com, please reply and put "remove from list" in subject. Thank you!