PAWS & HSUS

Diane Albers on PAWS

Interview by Barbara J. Andrews, Journalist, AKC Master Breeder - September 2005

(during follow-up on Hurricane Katrina disaster)

TDP: Diane, you’re in touch with everybody which is why our readers are interested in your opinion on the status of the PAWS bill. Are we making any headway on it or not?

Diane: “Well yes, even though HSUS is in bed with USDA and FEMA. That’s the protecting force around HSUS. As an example, HSUS is telling people to just drop the supplies and then get out and that’s why people are so frustrated because they are prevented from doing the work they went there to do.”

TDP: We’ve learned that the Humane Society of the U.S. is the wealthiest anti-animal group in America.

Diane: “Well I guess so! They get all their supplies donated by people like us, so what do they need to spend any money for!?”

TDP: Well that falls right in with Senator Santorum having the richest campaign chest of any other politician with the exception of Hilary Clinton. What do you think about that?

Diane: “Well I’ll tell you something, if everyone who has an animal sent Casey one dollar, he could beat Santorum in the next election. He’s a Democrat and well liked, but Santorum has all that money. So it comes down to economics."

TDP: We are hearing from dozens of people who say their letters and faxes protesting PAWS are being responded to by rote, thanking them for being in SUPPORT of PAWS! So what good does it do?

Diane: “Well everyone needs to contact their own state senator and explain that they are NOT in support of PAWS. To make that clear. I’m told that calls to the Ag. Committee are being referred to the person's state senator. But the problem is that with AVMA (Am Vet Assoc.) and AKC backing this legislation, the politicians think it must be a good thing, a humane thing for animals, so therefore, they are supporting it. Ask them if they know who this bill will really impact - the hobby breeders? Where are they going to get the money and manpower to enforce this bill? Is this law going to be like others and be only selectively enforced? Ask them those questions if you can. Ask them what regulations allow them to inspect my home if I don't have kennels? Must I change sheets twice a day, scrub all my floors every day, or will I be forced to raise my dogs in kennels? We just don't have the money to enforce such nonsense."

TDP: And what about their inspection program, how in the world would they even implement that?

Diane: “Well I’m told that they’re hoping USDA will take a look at AKC’s care and conditions policy and the way they do their inspections. I was told that HSUS probably couldn’t get the contract because they don’t already have the inspectors in place like AKC does. SPCA and HSUS have in all of their shelters run under their guidelines what’s called “Criminal and Cruelty Investigators” who go through a very brief course after which they are then approved by the judge in that county. I was a criminal cruelty investigator for many years. All they have to do then is just flip them right over to inspect for USDA. I was told by someone in Washington, just two weeks ago, that it is put out for bid and the lowest bid gets it. Well I guess you know who can get that bid and afford to give the lowest price with all their money. Just think about it.”

“One more thing BJ, if the foreign imports are such a big thing, such a big problem, why do we not have a better identification system for those imported dogs? AKC seems to register anything that comes through the door. You see, that could have been addressed and it would have gone right through so WHY did they bring the hobby breeders into it and why the numbers?”

TDP: Diane, how did this get so much out of control and how did PAWS sneak up on all the AKC officials and delegates and people in this sport? It just doesn’t make sense.

Diane: “Well let me give you an example, about a year ago there was an Animal Rights Seminar here in Florida. Now Jim Holt has always said, repetitively that Santorum had asked him not to alert the other organizations that we normally work with, like CFA, so as not to upset what he was getting done. So you have this seminar and there was a state bill coming down that we knew was really really bad, we already fought it once. We killed it then but this time it was so well done I knew if it went on the floor we were going to need a lobbyist and so I alerted everyone.

"It was called the “Animal Facilities Inspection Act”. Now here’s the thing, it never showed up. The legislative session went through, it never showed up. But this was bothering me and someone I know said 'well let me go check the minutes from that meeting.' She called me back and said yes, it is in the minutes. There was mention of a federal bill going through but it was said we really don’t have to worry about this one (the state bill). I guess what we can take from that is - when Dr. Holt said he only worked with Santorum, he didn’t say that Santorum didn’t work with other state groups to set this up well in advance, at least a year. So all the while that Holt was asking us not to talk about this prematurely, that it might mess up the work he was doing with Santorum, possibly Santorum and other people were out there working with these groups.  Leopards don’t change their spots. Santorum did this in 2000 and this is the way he did it. He wanted the hobby breeders under restriction then and he still does.”

TDP: It sounds to me like we’d better take the snake by the head instead of just poking around at it’s rear-end. We have to confront HSUS and anyone within the AKC hiearchy who is pushing PAWS.

Diane: “Well I’ll tell you one thing we can do. I want to hear from everyone who went in there and was turned away, the veterinarians, the volunteer workers, the people who went in to get the dogs out – all of them turned away or confronted with denial and problems. A lot of these people are writing affidavits. I think the Attorney General needs to have a full scale hearing on HSUS. They took in a hundred and nineteen million last year on the hurricane, so where was it spent? The dog food companies send them the food and AKC and FAKC send them supplies so, other than payroll, what are they spending their money on? The grass-roots rescue people do the volunteer work, so what are they spending money on? I think, from what I’ve been told, this is going to escalate into an investigation, but obviously not until the people and the animals have been taken care of. That’s the first priority.”

“The people in Galveston, Houston, and Beaumont are evacuating now but we’ve got to have better control about where these animals go. They must not go to kill shelters. In 2004 hurricanes several dogs were killed because they were food aggressive, well of course they were, they were trying to eat after having starved for days!! But that’s not a reason to put them down. They have identified hunting dogs and anything that looks like a "pit bull" and put them in together. I’m told as of Tuesday that a purebred Bulldog bitch is still there, the rescue people couldn’t get her out. There’s a Boxer bitch there due to whelp puppies any day. She was gone on Tuesday. That’s in Gonzalez, but Hattisburg has the same situation although they are better organized than Gonzalez. Our hands are tied.”

HSUS has been sending animals out into shelters from Louisiana. Many of these shelters are overrun with their own dogs and have little room but they make room. We, Florida Assoc. Of KC, make room, we never kill dogs.

TDP: We’ll be back in touch soon. Hopefully you’ll call their bluff (see KATRINA SECTION) and at least get these purebred dogs out and into the hands of the breed rescue organizations. Thank you so much Diane, for your time and all that you and your group do for dogs.

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