Massachusetts rescue in danger

[Maxy24]

I follow several dog rescue group pages on facebook and they have all been posting about a new bill that is being proposed which would give the department of agriculture the full power to regulate animal rescue in the state.

http://blogs.bostonmagazine.com/bost...e-dogs-danger/
http://jimcrowdogs.wordpress.com/201...st-be-stopped/

Petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/oppose-ma-hb-1445


I don't know how legit the draft that the second link posted is, but if those are indeed what the regulations are going to be that will absolutely destroy rescue up here. It basically means almost all current foster homes would not qualify. Plus the number of vet visits required for imported dogs (which the majority of dogs up here are) will put a huge strain on the rescues' funds. Dogs must be deemed adoptable by the department of agriculture. What are all your thoughts?

[Sweet72947]

That's terrible legistlation. from Jim Crow Dogs' blog, it seems that for some reason Massachusetts Dept of Ag has been harassing rescue out there forever. I wonder what their problem is? Don't they have anything better to do? I'd like to know what pi$$ed them off about rescue in the first place.

[Maxy24]

I know there was recently a distemper outbreak at a local rescue that was caused by a dog they transported up from the south, but I don't know if that effected this at all.

[New England Andy]

I'm asking around on the status of that bill. I don' think it's passed yet. I will probably be ableto give you folks an update in a day or two. I have a friend who works in one of the state reps office. Waiting for an email back from him on the link you have up there.

[Jynx]

this may be controversial, but here's my opinion.. I have absolutely nothing against rescues, what bugs me is, all the doggie adoption events I see around here, (I'm in CT) and the surrounding states, the majority if not all the dogs are shipped up here from down south.

Whats wrong with saving the large amount of dogs that exist in our shelters in our own states?

The minute a dog gets his face on TV people are clammering to adopt that dog, what about all the others? very sad.

I am all for adoption events, saving animals, but I think dogs in our own backyard should take preference.

[New England Andy]

Originally Posted by Jynx

this may be controversial, but here's my opinion.. I have absolutely nothing against rescues, what bugs me is, all the doggie adoption events I see around here, (I'm in CT) and the surrounding states, the majority if not all the dogs are shipped up here from down south.

Whats wrong with saving the large amount of dogs that exist in our shelters in our own states?

The minute a dog gets his face on TV people are clammering to adopt that dog, what about all the others? very sad.

I am all for adoption events, saving animals, but I think dogs in our own backyard should take preference.

I agree.

But I am not willing to be the person that decided which dogs get to a no kill shelter and which ones don't no matter where they come from.

I like the principle of your idea, but...

There is no human I trust with the decision to decide who gets to live and who gets to die, no matter what their species.

[yoko]

Originally Posted by Jynx

this may be controversial, but here's my opinion.. I have absolutely nothing against rescues, what bugs me is, all the doggie adoption events I see around here, (I'm in CT) and the surrounding states, the majority if not all the dogs are shipped up here from down south.

Whats wrong with saving the large amount of dogs that exist in our shelters in our own states?

The minute a dog gets his face on TV people are clammering to adopt that dog, what about all the others? very sad.

I am all for adoption events, saving animals, but I think dogs in our own backyard should take preference.

Well I know that around here we send a ton, and I mean hundreds of dogs, to a town in CO. I don't remember what town but I know that the news was saying that almost all of the ones sent there end up being adopted out.

I think helping animals in your area is great. But if they have a better chance some where else I don't think you should just ignore it.

[Picklepaige]

My shelter (I'm in Mississippi) sends puppies and small dogs to the north, because the north does not have an excess of puppies and small dogs.

If they stay here, they die. If they go to the north, they live. I'm sorry if people take offense to that.

[Maxy24]

Yeah if you want a local dog you can get lab mixes and pit bulls. Otherwise you get a dog from the south (obviously exaggerating a bit but we really don't have that many small dogs puppies or herding breeds). I volunteered at a shelter in Maine that does take in local dogs, they are a "kill" shelter but still have a 90% adoption rate. And even THEY bring dogs from out of state, puppies, because they don't have any here.

[Sweet72947]

Originally Posted by Maxy24

Yeah if you want a local dog you can get lab mixes and pit bulls.

This isn't directed at you Maxy, but I'd like it if people could stop acting like lab mixes and pit bulls are so horrible and start marketing them appropriately. They would make fine family pets if people would see past the way they look/the anti-pit hype.