Fwd: CAPS Newsletter (Correction) - August 2009

[Guest guest]

CORRECTION: USDA Declares Kathy Bauck Unfit to Raise Dogs, Files Motion for Revocation of LicenseAs a result of the CAPS undercover investigation into Kathy Bauck's practices as a large-scale dog broker, which resulted in her criminal conviction, the USDA has filed a motion for revocation of her license. CAPS has previously erroneously reported that her license had already been revoked. President of CAPS Deborah Howard appeared on ABC Boston Channel Five's special report on the case on August 20th; video of the interview can be found here. For more information on the Bauck case, visit www.caps-web.org.

 

Bay Area Pet Store Closed As A Result Of CAPS Protests After weeks of private

investigation and protests, the Bay Area "Puppy Love Boutique" store has been

closed for financial reasons.

 

 

 

"All

of our protesting, petitioning and leafleting have been effective. The customers stopped shopping and

Puppy Love Boutique could no longer pay their rent. As of today, they are evicted and gone!"

- Darlena King, CAPS Advisory Board

 

 

 

The Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) has been

exposing the puppy mill industry's cruel treatment of animals for

profit since

1992. Pet shops buy their puppies from brokers. These brokers get

their animals from puppy mills. A puppy mill is a commercial breeding

kennel that mass-produces dogs in usually cramped, crude, filthy

conditions for

resale. The constant confinement

and a lack of adequate veterinary care and socialization often result

in

animals that are unhealthy and difficult to socialize.

 

Two of the USDA licensed breeders selling to "Puppy

Love Boutique" were Joyce Burkhart in Carrollton, Missouri and Marsha Cox in

Chillicothe, Missouri. Reports

and/or undercover footage of these facilities are on the CAPS website under

Investigations.

 

 

"CAPS investigators uncovered shocking conditions at Burkhart's puppy mill, including the body of a dog that had starved to death." (photo at left)

- Deborah Howard, CAPS Founder

 

 

CAPS

has been actively working in Los Angeles to convert pet shops that sell puppy

mill dogs into humane adoption centers that provide rescue and shelter

animals. According to Howard, CAPS

plans to undertake the same mission in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

President of CAPS Deborah Howard's Interview with Susan Daffron, President of NAPRPOn July 16th, Deborah Howard, founder and president of the Companion

Animal Protection Society (CAPS) participated in a one-hour teleseminar

interview (click to listen) with Susan Daffron of the National

Association of Pet Rescue Professionals.

 

Among the topics discussed were the difficulty of shutting down

puppy mills and the role of the USDA in the regulation of puppy mills,

as well as their complicity in keeping abusive mills open. Under the

current law, there has to be proof of "abhorrent" conditions in these

facilities before law enforcement can even get involved. Because

enforcement from the USDA is so lax, and because local law enforcement

will often shift responsibility to the USDA, it is only through the

efforts of watchdog organizations like CAPS that abuses are even

discovered.

 

As Howard said of the USDA, "The USDA is the most frustrating

agency. [. . .] It's a cultural mindset of failure. They don't want

this problem. They have less funding than any other program - it's not

a highly funded program. We don't have a contentious relationship with

them at all; it's just that they're indifferent."

 

Howard also discussed the activist origins of CAPS. "[After visiting

an Dockor Pet Center (a chain of 300 stores) in late 1989 in which

there were puppies with open wounds and cages filled with bloody

diarrhea], I found out where the dogs came from and decided to take it

on myself - I have a political activist background - to organize a

protest against as many Docktor Pet Centers as I could. I got a

grassroots list and we had a protest in 30 cities on the weekend before

Christmas. They thought it was PETA. It was very effective. I went to

'20/20,' who had been thinking about doing a story, and I knew a young

man who was an activist and who worked for Docktor Pet because he

wanted to help the animals. We set him up with a video camera, and he

would go in early in the mornings. Every morning there would be dogs

dead from parvo - it was horrible - there were bodies in the freezer.

So this was all used on '20/20,' and then we started gathering pet shop

complaints."

 

On the NAPRP blog, Daffron offered the following post-interview analysis:

One of the last questions I asked was essentially, "how

do you keep doing this work without getting completely discouraged?"

Her answer consisted of three main points, which I thought might help

everyone:

 

1. She doesn't let herself feel sorry for herself

and knows she's doing the best that she can. Although she used to cry

about things more easily, now she just moves forward knowing that the

work is vital and she is helping.

 

2. When things don't go the way she wants, she finds a new plan. She

doesn't give up easily. She only lets herself feel discouraged about

setbacks for about a day and then moves forward and thinks up ways to

attack a problem from a different direction.

 

3. She has a support network. None of us can do

this work alone. You need to involve other people not only to help with

the work, but also so you can share ideas.

 

Homeless animals and puppy mills are huge problems. Neither will be

solved by just one person. Know that you aren't alone. Take advantage

of opportunities to get together with other people to share both the

successes and the failures. You need to take time to take care of

yourself, in order to continue to help the animals. What you do is

important, but so are you!

As always, thank you for all you do to help the animals.Petition for Rulemaking to Amend 9 CFR 2.12 of the Department of Agriculture's Animal Welfare RegulationsURL: http://www.caps-web.org/investigations/pdf/CAPS-USDA-Rule-Petition.PDF

 

The USDA has licensed Kathy Bauck from 1983. The July

2008 USDA inspection report for Bauck had no violations of the Animal

Welfare Act (AWA). They didn't inspect her again until March 4, 2009,

just three weeks before her conviction. The inspector cited her for

veterinary and cleaning violations. CAPS investiaged the

USDA's failure to enforce the AWA since 1995 and has been lobbying

members of Congress for oversight hearings regarding USDA's lax

enforcement of the AWA.

 

CAPS returned to Capitol Hill the

week of June 7 to meet with USDA officials and congressional aides,

using the Bauck case as evidence of the USDA's dereliction of duty.

CAPS' pro bono lobbyists are submitting a petition for rulemaking

requesting that AWA regulations be amended to require the automatic

revocation of a USDA license upon the conviction in a court of law of a

licensee, such as Bauck, for animal cruelty.

CAPS Need Your Support!

 

CAPS Need Your Support! Please Donate Today! CAPS needs your help more than ever before! Make your tax-deductible donation to CAPS today!

 

 

 

 

CAPS Blogs

 

Deborah Howard's Blog

Bea's Beat

 

 

CAPS Website

 

For more information on CAPS please visit www.caps-web.org.

 

Investigations and Media

 

CAPS is working with TV news stations in two major California cities on in-depth investigative pieces about the pet shop and puppy mill industry. Animal advocates in Minnesota, Ohio and Oklahoma have requested new undercover evidence from CAPS to help their legislative efforts.

 

Please help us by continuing to fund these efforts and others like them.

 

About CAPS

 

Founded by President Deborah Howard in 1992,

Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) is the only national nonprofit organization

dedicated exclusively to protecting

companion animals from cruelty in pet shops and puppy mills. CAPS actively addresses the abuse and

suffering of pet shop and puppy mill dogs through investigations, education,

media relations, legislative involvement, puppy mill dog rescues, consumer

assistance and pet industry employee relations.

Companion Animal Protection Society

 

www.caps-web.org