Scout's Paw Tracks

Monday, March 12, 2007

Open Letter to Louisville Kentucky Kennel Club

It was simple; my wife asked do we want to take the boys (our two German Shorthair Pointers) to Louisville for the show?

My response was quick and to the point.  NO!  We will take the weekend off and we will find another dog show to go to in 2008. 

I had read the Onofrio posting by the Louisville Kennel Club and I read the legislation that had passed.  The question is how much risk am I will to take as an owner.  None is the simple answer and there are too many people with bad intentions claiming to be good intentions potentially going to show up.  PeTA may not show up and the show may go off with out a hitch, that’s not a risk I am about to take.  The Louisville Kentucky Kennel Club has been a great host in the past and it is a shame it has come to this.

There are people out there that are willing to do anything to make a point even at the risk to the animals they claim to be defending.  PeTA does not publicly say they support the kind of actions like we saw in Tennessee this weekend but they also do not publically denounce it either.  PeTA does not like dog shows; I do not like PeTA and I make no bones about that fact just as there are puppy mills and pet stores that sell mill puppys (something PeTA and I would agree on and would both work to shut down).

PeTA does not recognize or take responsibility for those within its’ own ranks who place animals at risk and make judgements about people they have never met simply because they show dogs.  I do not buy for one moment that PeTA would not release dogs in a city with a mandatory neuter law.  We will get to that point in just a moment for those say it is not mandatory.

The law in Louisville places my two boys at risk and a risk I consider unacceptable.  Both well trained and well behaved, regardless if they are accused of an assumed nusaince they can be confiscated and/or neutered.  If they are released they would be neutered before being returned. 

Personally I think the hard-working voting citizens of Louisville should politically neuter the Mayor and the voting members who signed off on this law.  Typically over a show like this I would have spent $400 - 500 dollars in the local community.  Not this year or any year in the future.  If I have to pass through Louisville on the way to another show I wont be stopping and if I can avoid Louisville all together I will.

It is a shame the Kennel Club and local merchants have to suffer as a result of this law and I want it to be clear I won’t allow there to be any risk to my German Shorthairs.  Not because of the fine citizens of Louisville or their prestigious Kennel Club but because the city politicians have made it an unsafe place for my dogs.  The Kennel Club has made it clear the show grounds are state property and would not be covered by this law.  I do not know enough about that to know if it is true.  What I do know; there is a very clear and distinct risk in that city for show dogs.

The rumour is out that the Tennesse show was a “dress rehersal” for the Louisville show.  Here is the facts for those that have not read it.  Assume for a moment that someone releases one or both of my dogs.  The city picks them up ....

According to the City’s own website the FAQ for Animal Control says .....

If I am in Louisville for a competition with my dog and it gets away from me and ends up at the shelter will it need to be spayed or neutered before I can get it back?

No. We understand that accidents happen. It helps if you report your missing animal to us and if it is wearing identification or is microchipped. We understand that accidents happen and will not require that your dog is altered.

However if you read the actual ordinance .... Ordinance No. 233, Series 2006

§ 91.036 RECLAIMING IMPOUNDED ANIMAL.

(D) Any unaltered dog which is impounded for any reason after the effective date of this ordinance shall not be reclaimed by an owner unless the dog is spayed or neutered by or at the direction of MAS. Nothing in this subsection shall preclude a determination pursuant to §91.110 that a dog is a potentially dangerous dog or a dangerous dog.

The FAQ may say one thing the actual law says another.

There is the risk one I will not take.  To my friends and other handlers it is each your own choice I have made mine. 

What is a track back?

If you look at many of the stories and information posted on the website you will notice several things at the bottom of each entry.  Some questions arised as to what each one means.  So I thought I would provide a breif description here.

The first item if I do not forget to add the information to one of them one is a CATEGORY.  This is simply an easy way to group related stories.  Information about Blade is in the German Shorthair Pointer category and the sub category of Blade.  Information about Scout is listed in the German Shorthair Pointer category and the sub category of Scout.  Should I add any additional dogs I can sub categorize them as needed.

On the right side near the bottom you will see a list of categories and the sub categories.  If you select a category it will only display the information or stories for that category.  You can also view them by month.

The next item is COMMENTS in the list of options.  Comments are just that if you want to add a comment to a story, share additional information, make a correction ask a question this is the place it can be done.  Anyone that is a member of the site can add comments and becoming a member is free you just need a valid e-mail address.  I do this so not just anyone comes on to the site and make comments.  Regretfully we had to do this since “Surf Trolls” as they are occassionally refered to in the Internet world would come along and add inflamatory comments simply to create trouble.  Requiring a person to create an account on the site has eliminated that issue.  I also do not allow a person to create an account under the age of 18 with out parental consent.  The site follows child on-line privacy guidelies as set forth by COPPA.  Meaning in part that adults can chose to have a public or private profile.  Those under 18 are not given the option they are all private by default.

The final item is probably the most confusing it is the TRACKBACK - PERMALINK option.  This is for websites that find a story on the site they wish to include in their own website.  Rather than having to ask me for permission to reprint the story they can include the trackback link on thier website and it will appear there.  Typically we will provide the source for any information provided on the site and we ask that anyone that pulls information from our site to do the same.  This feature allows that to happen with the least amount of hassle.