I received this on another email list and I found the involvement of PA's new special deputy secretary
for dog law enforcement, Jessie Smith, very interesting. Ms. Smith has been the driving force between the new kennel regs in PA.

Humane Society to pay fine over 'no kill' claim
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 BY ELLEN LYON Of The Patriot-News,
Harrisburg, PA

For three years, critics of the Humane Society of Harrisburg
Area had slammed the agency for calling itself a "no-kill" shelter.
Now the state's Attorney General's Office has joined them.
Last week, the Humane Society agreed to pay a $2,025 fine
to "amicably resolve" charges that it violated state charity,
nonprofit and consumer protection laws from 2003 to 2006.
In an agreement with state Attorney General Thomas W. Corbett
Jr., filed in Commonwealth Court, the Humane Society denies the
allegations but agrees to pay the fine within 30 days.
The animal shelter also agrees not to issue statements it knows
are "false or misleading to the general public" or use "subjective
terms without clear definition." And the organization agrees to keep
accurate books and records.
According to the agreement, the attorney general believes the
Humane Society violated the law by:
*Using the terms "no kill," "unadoptable, " "unhealthy"
and "untreatable" in solicitation and
promotional materials in a way that was "confusing or
misleading."
*Saying it didn't turn away animals but failed to disclose that
it charged a fee for accepting strays
from municipalities that don't have a contract with the
organization.
*Failing to keep accurate books and records.
The attorney general's office began investigating the Humane
Society after two former volunteers -- Annette Reiff and Felicity
Fox -- lodged a complaint in April 2005.
Reiff and Fox accused former management of falsely advertising
the Humane Society as "no-kill" and of using temperament testing to
label some dogs aggressive so they could be euthanized.
They noted that the Humane Society's 2005 annual report
indicated that 40 percent of the 7,433 animals taken in were
euthanized, a rate they said was too high to allow a "no-kill"
designation.
"We are pleased with the outcome of the attorney general's
investigation, insofar as it vindicates what we had said over a
period of more than three years," Reiff, a travel writer for The
Patriot-News, said yesterday.
The Humane Society has been under new management since October,
when attorney Amy Kaunas took over as executive director and Ken
Hugendubler, a certified public accountant with Beard Miller Company
LLP, became board president. Neither returned calls yesterday seeking
comment.
Kaunas dropped the "no-kill" claim when she took over but said
the Humane Society is "moving in that direction."
Former Executive Director Kim Moreland resigned last year for
personal reasons. Jessie Smith, the former board president, resigned
Oct. 9 when Gov. Ed Rendell appointed her special deputy secretary
for dog law enforcement in the state Agriculture Department.
Smith said yesterday that the Humane Society's previous
administration researched such terms as "no kill" and "adoptable" and
consulted with national no-kill organizations such as Maddie's Fund
and Best Friends Animal Society.
"In my view, we did everything very properly to come up with
definitions and make it clear what we were saying to people," she
said.
Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office,
said the fine imposed on the Humane Society is lower than usual
because it's a nonprofit organization.
"We basically wanted them to correct the problem. We weren't
trying to get a huge fine out of them," Harley said. "It's not the
type of organization that's flush with money."


ELLEN LYON: 255-8167 or elyon@patriot- news.com

If you had a chance to watch the PA Dog Reg hearings you would have wondered if Jessie Smith has ever even owned a dog. She recently refused to let sporting dog owners speak at a meeting regarding new changes to the regulations. She DEFINITELY has an agenda and if hobby or hunting dog breeders get put out of business - trust me she doesn't care.