http://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminiter/2012/03/13/is-rick-santorum-a-closet-animal-rights-activist/

This is an article reminding us of Rick Santorum's political bedfellows. Remember how incensed we were over this potential law. Please remember this when you vote in your primary or God forbid, in the general election if he gets the nomination. Rick Santorum is against human rights, specifically women's rights, and he is not an animal supporter.

I hope this doesn't violate your rules Jill.

If anyone wants to start an argument about this with me, please don't bother. I will not be following this thread. I just wanted to put it out there when I remembered what was familiar about his name.

Unfortunately, bills are presented and laws are passed because people are idiots and don't do what is right.

We had to enact laws to protect children because they were being mistreated, laws to protect handicapped people because we couldn't treat them properly on our own, laws to protect land because people couldn't respect it etc, etc, etc.....

So Senator Santorum presents a bill to protect companion animals and he's against human rights??? He is just reacting to something that he feels is wrong, we all feel that the mistreatment of animals is wrong!!! Doesn't make him or anyone else who authors a bill a bad person or against the rest of us.

Until we stop this political correctness crap and go back to being able to tell our neighbors that we are concerned about their children or their dogs or the amount of trash they keep in their front yard, we are going to continue to be bombarded by laws that mandate how we act.

Had we, as "responsible" breeders, been policing these millers way back, we would not be complaining about laws designed to take them out now.

Have a good day, everyone.

To Rescue Mom,

Your post reeks of AR propaganda. Bllame the mills for all these laws when they make NO distinction between "us" and them. If this law passes literally thousands of breeders would be affected including "us" responsible breeders. Who is going to enforce them when they have thousands of other breeders that receive little to no inspections?

No we don't need more laws, especially when are plenty already on the books that aren't enforced.

"Companion Animal" is an AR term spouted out Ingrid Newkirk who doesn't like the term pet because she says it iis a speciest word. Puppymill is also an AR term and they use it to describe ALL breeders.

You can't legislate responsibilty. And those who break existing laws won't abide by new ones. These laws are enacted by AR to continue their goals of eliminating all pet ownership. Don't fall for it.

Um, reeks of AR propaganda??? I barely mentioned anything about the animal rights aspect of the original post.

We have laws on the books protecting dogs coming out of puppy mills and the laws were not enforced....who do you want to blame for that??? Responsible breeders because we turned a blind eye or law enforcement??

My post was regarding how we have become a nation of mandates because people don't know how to act......period.

And, "companion animal" is MY term, because that's what they are to me, so, lighten up.....

Rescue Mom wrote:
"Had we, as "responsible" breeders, been policing these millers way back, we would not be complaining about laws designed to take them out now."

Under what authority would you expect the "responsible" breeders to police "these millers"?
We have no rights to inspect the property or the animals nor is there any corrective action we can take.
It is up to the authorities to enforce the current laws. In all too many cases current laws aren't being enforced - so what makes anyone think that the new laws will be?

"Under what authority would you expect the "responsible" breeders to police "these millers"?
We have no rights to inspect the property or the animals nor is there any corrective action we can take."

Answer-you simply turn them in and see their prosecution through to the end.

"It is up to the authorities to enforce the current laws. In all too many cases current laws aren't being enforced - so what makes anyone think that the new laws will be?"

I totally agree...

"Being a rescue mom tells me where and who you are siding with."

Ahh, and this is where your assumption has gotten the best of you....

I defend my right to breed my dogs on a daily basis but I live in an area of the south that has had it with the overpopulation, neglect and abuse of "companion animals" and is consumed by doing away with it. I used to receive emails weekly telling me what a horrible person I am, my unaltered dogs are all but spat on when we go anywhere, and I have been publicly named as part of the problem in our local newspaper.

Instead of doing what you do which is to close your mind and assume there will never be a solution, I rescue/foster constantly, volunteer at adoption events and the local shelter, donate litter money to our local rescue groups, fundraise, travel to the capitol when animal legislation is on the floor, sit in courtrooms when abuse and neglect cases are heard, and teach in the school system about responsible pet ownership.

I do all this in an effort to illustrate that all breeders are NOT the problem and that the answer to the problem will not be found without an effort on everyone's part.

Perhaps if you listened rather than preach, you too could make a very small difference in this whole mess.....

......."more laws aren't the answer."

I absolutely agree with you but if I can be part of a solution that has been the model for surrounding counties of my state and gain the respect of people who once thought that I was a monster then I think I'm good with that and that's all I can do.....

And, as an aside, animal rights are certainly not the only problem in this country that already has unenforced laws on the books and more laws in the pipeline.....I just don't have an answer.....it's discouraging sometimes.....