North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare

‘Bags for Wags’ cornhole tournament Sat. July 31

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:05:35 +0000

Cornhole Tournament Benefitting ‘Coalition to Unchain Dogs’. The goal is to raise over $3500.00 this year allowing us to help build more fences for chained dogs. We have a 40 team limit this year. 1st and 2nd place will be awarded prize packages. We will have a silent auction and raffle loaded with great prizes. Come on out and support this great great event!

When
July 31st
12-6PM

Where
The Thirsty Beaver Saloon
1225 Central Ave
Charlotte, NC 28205

Yadkin Officials Adopt more humane Lethal Injection Policy

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:56:38 +0000

YADKINVILLE, N.C. - In an historic vote that was a decade in the making, Yadkin commissioners Monday night voted to end the practice of euthanizing animals with carbon monoxide, opting to go instead with what they said was a more ‘humane’ method of lethal injection. Read more

N.C. Pork getting a pounding in the press

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:12:35 +0000

The N.C. Pork industry that killed the puppy mill bill is getting it’s karma retribution in the press. Most recently in a scathing News & Observer editorial, “Dogs and Hogs“, stating that “Rarely does light shine on the dark side of legislative lobbying quite so brightly.” Then goes on to explain the flaw of the Pork’s industry “slippery-slope” argument that the HSUS’s ultimate goal of turning the world vegetarian. Plus some other pointed criticisms of Pork’s disastrous environmental legacy. Unfortunately the opinion piece did not mention that the largest environmental spill in North Carolina history was caused by an industrial hog farm in 1995, when a hog waste lagoon burst spilling 22 million gallons of waste in the New River.

We need to keep the Pork Industries feet to the fire. They ARE feeling the heat from the many excellent letters that already have been published. Big Pork in N.C. is destroying our environment, walking all over North Carolina citizens and controlling our legislature. We must take a stand!!! With Pork in control all of our efforts to improve the lives of the animals in N.C. will be thwarted.

Please write a letter to the editor of your local North Carolina newspaper today!

Or write to the News & Observer.
Thank you!!

Action Alert: Pigs, Puppy Mills and loss of Democracy

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:31:45 +0000

What do pigs have to do with puppy mills you ask? Well nothing. But according to a Charlotte Observer newspaper article the N.C. Pork Council actively lobbied against the Puppy Mill bill. Why you ask? According to pork council’s lobbyist Angie Whitener her group does not oppose puppies so much as the bill’s main backers, the Humane Society of the United States.

Are you as outraged as we are that this powerful pork lobby is running the N.C. legislature? Representatives received thousands of calls from constituents asking their representatives to support the puppy mill bill. But when the Pork Council lobbied against the bill it was as good as dead. We need to contact our House Representatives and express our displeasure at the loss of our democracy in North Carolina.

Please take the time today to REPECTFULLY call your House Representative:
(Don’t know your House Representative? Find by Zip code)

Message to leave:
“My name is ___ and I am a constituent. I am very concerned with the comments made by Pork Council lobbyist, Angie Whitener. There was immense public support behind the Puppy Mill Bill. How can the Pork Council override constituents? Angie said they killed the bill because Pork Council does not like the Humane Society. But the pork council also lobbied against the exotic animal bill and Susie’s Law. Neither was a Humane Society bill. Why are they against all animal welfare bills? North Carolina has fallen far behind other states in animal welfare and it is embarrassing.”

After making this call please call Rep. William Wainwright at 919-733-5995. His influential position allowed him to play a part in killing the puppy mill bill.

Message to leave:
“I am extremely disappointed in Representative Wainwright’s efforts to kill the puppy mill bill. Thousands of dogs will continue to suffer and the dog breeder industry will go unregulated because of his agenda. I hope that if he remains in the general assembly after this November election he will reconsider his position. We need him to focus on our state agenda as Finance Committee Chairman, not the agenda of Joe McClees*”.

PLEASE CALL NOW!

* Joe McClees is a lobbyist for the North Carolina Sporting Dog Association and NRA that worked to kill the puppy mill bill.

N.C. Pork Council helps kill law regulating Puppy Mills

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:02:46 +0000

A bill aimed at combating puppy mills by regulating commercial dog breeders in North Carolina has failed for the second straight year, in part due to opposition from an industry that doesn’t deal in dogs: the state’s pork producers.

Angie Whitener, the pork council’s lobbyist, said her group does not oppose puppies so much as the bill’s main backers, the Humane Society of the United States.

Puppy Mill bill is dead: Let’s go down swinging!

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:17:55 +0000

The situation with the puppy mill bill is disappointing. The bill will not be heard due to special interest groups. As a community we must come together to ensure that this will not continue to happen.

Please take the time today to REPECTFULLY call:

Speaker Joe Hackney: 919-733-3451

Message to Hackney:
“Hello, my name is _________. I live in ________ county. I am disappointed that the bill to regulate commercial dog breeders will not be heard due to the influence of the Farm Bureau, Pork and NRA . These groups really had nothing to do with dogs. The community was behind this bill and Representative Hackney ignored the voters wishes.”

Chairman William Wainwright: 919-733-5995

Message to Wainwright
“Hello, my name is _________. I live in ________ county. The puppy mill bill had nothing to do with guns, pork, farms or reputable breeders. I am disappointed that Representative Wainwright caved to special interest groups. The community was behind this bill and Representative Wainwright ignored the voters wishes for his own interests.”

Commissioner Steve Troxler: 919-733-7125

Message to Troxler:
“Hello, my name is _________. I live in ________ county. I am disappointed in the out come of the bill to regulate commercial dog breeders and concerned that Commissioner Troxler did not SUPPORT a bill to protect our consumers and animals. The community was behind this bill and Commissioner Troxler ignored the voters wishes.”

We must be polite but at the same time our elected officials need to understand that we are a large voting community unhappy with the out come. Thousands of dogs will suffer indefinitely and we need to remember this at the voting booth this fall.

NRA renews attack on N.C. Puppy Mill bill

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:32:19 +0000

NRA released a new legislative alert to their members regarding the Commercial Breeder bill (i.e. the puppy mill bill).

Quote from NRA
“Anyone who cares about our hunting heritage, even those who do not use dogs in their activities, should be very concerned about S 460. You can be sure that HSUS does not intend to stop at just hurting hunters who use dogs.” Read more

This is strange statement considering that the hunting dogs are EXEMPT from the Commercial Breeder bill ! In section 5b of the Commerical Breeder bill states that:

(5b) “Commercial breeder” means any person who owns or maintains 15 or more intact female dogs of breeding age and 30 or more puppies primarily for the purpose of sale. This shall not include kennels or establishments operated for the purpose of boarding or training hunting, sporting, herding, show, or working dogs.

Perhaps the NRA needs to read the bill before they decide to oppose it!

Susie gives stamp of approval to new law

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:23:51 +0000

RALEIGH — Susie gave her stamp, or rather, paw print of approval to a law she inspired during a bill signing ceremony outside the N.C. Executive Mansion today.

The pit bull mix wore pearls and had her nails painted pink to place an inked up paw print beside Gov. Bev Perdue’s signature on a measure to increase the penalties for animal cruelty. Read more

Authors of ‘Susie’s Law’ applaud Susie’s signing of the bill.
(From left to Right: Rep. Pricey Harrison, Rep. Maggie Jeffus, Sen. Don Vaughan,
Rep. Laura Wiley (behind Vaughan) and Gov. Bev Perdue)

Corporate opposition to Puppy Mill Bill

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:27:56 +0000

(Puppy Mill bill) that would apply reasonable state oversight to dog-breeding businesses has encountered opposition from the American Kennel Club and the National Rifle Association, among others (click links for organization’s opposition statement on puppy mill bill).

The NRA says the bill would make it harder and more expensive for hunters to buy dogs. It would more likely protect them from wasting money on sick dogs. The AKC said in a May news release that “North Carolina already has effective animal abuse laws.” Tell that to Susie.

Both arguments are grounded more in fear than fact. The bill merely would set minimum standards for commercial breeders. Read more

Thank your representatives for passing ‘Susie’s Law’

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:50:24 +0000

Excited about ‘Susie’s Law’ ratification by the North Carolina general assembly? Take a minute to write a personal message thanking your representatives for voting for it’s passage. Susie thanks you. Click here.