Animal Issues Bulletin
March 15, 2010
* Accused “Phoenix” Killers Stand Trial Soon
* MD Dog Federation Opposes Breed Ban
* Virginia Rescuer Charged With Neglect
* The Iditarod Is Not Recreational Mushing
* African Nations Split on Ivory Trade
* Virginia Passes Progressive Anti-Cruelty Law
* Iowa Cracks Down on Puppy Mills
* New Retired Racehorse Initiative
* Big Pharm Wants Pet Med Sales
* Genesis Awards on March 22
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-- Johnson Brothers Face Jury on March 22 –
Readers will remember the terrible case of twins Tremayne and Travers Johnson who
were indicted by a Baltimore City Grand Jury last year for animal abuse. The brothers
are accused of setting a pit bull known as Phoenix on fire last year. City police officer
Officer Syreeta Teel said Phoenix was one of the worst abuses she had ever seen
during her career.
The Johnsons were caught on film by CCTV leaving the area where Phoenix was set in
flames, but last December they pled not guilty at their arraignment before Judge David
Young. Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Rallo will prosecute this case. The brothers
will appear in court on March 22. [See http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/15502/MD/US/
and http://network.bestfriends.org/campaigns/pitbulls/forum/p/34483/150766.aspx.]
Letters asking for a tough sentence if the Johnsons are convicted may be sent to
Prosecuting Attorney, Ms. Jennifer Rallo, her email is mail@stattorney.org.
Judge David Young at CriminalJustice@baltimorecity.gov
Mayor Dixon at mayor@baltimorecity.gov.
A sample message prepared by a person known as “The Girl Replied” is below:
I have followed the case of Phoenix, a one-year-old pit bull terrier soaked in gasoline and set
afire on May 27, 2009. I understand the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted twin brothers
Tremayne and Travers Johnson, 17, on five counts of animal abuse and cruelty.
I thank the state's attorney office and court for its serious deliberation in this heinous crime.
Phoenix was euthanized in caring hands after her kidneys failed. Swollen and charred, her
immune system simply couldn't handle burns covering 95% of her body.
But this case is as much about the twins as it is about Phoenix. If guilty, these youths are so
desensitized to suffering that they ignored the cries of a living creature enveloped in flames.
I urge you to levy felony animal cruelty penalties that include up to three years in prison, a
$5,000 fine, and mandatory counseling. If the Johnsons are involved in dog-fighting, as
suggested by puncture wounds seen on Phoenix, please punish them under animal fighting
laws too. I hope you will ensure these teens are barred from contact with animals.
Columbine's Eric Harris, D.C. serial killer Lee Boyd Malvo, murderer Kip Kinkle and others
"practiced" on animals before graduating to people. Andrew Golden, 11, and Mitchell Johnson,
13, killed dogs in Jonesboro, Arkansas prior to gunning down four students and one teacher.
Mississippi 16-year-old Luke Woodham mortally stabbed his mother, killed three classmates
and shot seven more. Later in court, he confessed to bludgeoning his dog with baseball bats
and setting her on fire.
One U.S. study revealed that five of 11 killers involved in nine separate school rampages had
formerly abused animals. In another study, "Childhood Cruelty Toward Animals Among
Criminals and Non-criminals," 25% of aggressive criminals confessed to five or more acts of
torturing animals.
Clearly, the animal-to-human violence link demands your utmost attention. I reiterate my
request that Mayor Dixon and the City Council address violence at its roots by creating an
animal abuse task force with citizen representation.
Please also empower animal control officers under the police department and advocate
prosecution in all animal abuse and fighting cases.
Thank you, in advance, for punishing Phoenix' killers to the fullest degree allowed by law if they
are convicted.
Sincerely,
[your name and address]
People can also sign the petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/160/justice-forphoenix-the-dog-who-was-burned-alive
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-- Amendment to MD HB 1314 Proposed -The following is a cross-post originating from Adrianne Lefkowitz, Maryland Dog
Federation, 301-693-2256 [Group page on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=367465247808]
Last week the Maryland Dog Federation presented Baltimore city delegate Cheryl Glenn
with an amendment to HB 1314. which would strengthen the state's dangerous dog law.
The delegate agreed to submit the amendment for consideration. Specifically, HB 1314
would include the following:
"Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to prevent a municipality from
adopting or enforcing its own more stringent program for the control of dangerous dogs
provided, however, that no such program shall ban, regulate or address dogs in a
manner which is specific as to breed."
If approved, Maryland would join approximately ten other states, such as NY, NJ, PA,
VA, TX, and OK, that have similar language in their state laws. Including this
amendment in HB 1314 will render ILLEGAL the current breed ban in Prince George's
County. The seizing of innocent family pets and the government-sanctioned cruelty and
killing of good dogs will ultimately end.
To help, write Delegate Glenn at
cheryl.glenn@house.state.md.us. Tell her specifically that you "SUPPORT HB 1314
WITH AMENDMENTS". We want her to know we want her to make that amendment!
OR call her at 301 858 3019 with the same message. It is important that Glenn get
positive feedback in the next few days because …
There will be a hearing on the bill on March 18. The Maryland Dog Federation hope
supporters will attend. The Judiciary committee hearing will be held in Room 100,
House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401-1991 at 1 pm.
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-- Animal Rescuer Charged With Neglect -Annette Thompson of the Pet Rescue Foundation in Hadensville, Virginia, will face two
misdemeanor charges of animal neglect in Goochland District Court on April 12. If
convicted of all charges, Thompson could be fined up to $500 and up to 12 months in
jail. A recent inspection of the rescue facility hosing more than 100 dogs and cats found
no current violations.
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-- Ask Iditarod Sponsors to Stop Support -Several days into this year's 1,150-mile Iditarod race, tragedy struck. A 6-year-old sled
dog named Victor died of unknown causes. Then Nancy Yoshido, one of 13 women
competing, crashed her sled on Monday and lost both runners. While her dogs were
tied to nearby trees, one of them, Nigel, broke free. He has since been recovered.
Another musher, rookie Justin Savidis of Willow, reported one of his dogs, "Whitey,"
went missing last Wednesday. Iditarod officials said the dog was spotted a few times,
but race rules prohibit mushers from continuing without the same team that left the
previous checkpoint. Even if Whitey survives his escape, any continued use in Iditarod
racing still make his future look pretty grim.
Since the first race in 1973, at least 146 dogs have perished. The exact number and
causes of death of not clear. Read at http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29814697 how one
musher lost two dogs in 2009.
A March 7 article by P. Elizabeth Anderson gives some very grim statistics:
--Photographs have surfaced of dogs, either dead or unconscious, being dragged along
the course.
--Before the race ends, the dogs will have crossed two mountain ranges and been
exposed to temperatures 50 degrees below zero over several days.
--The New York Times reports that 2010 mushers “will be tested for drugs and alcohol
along the trail” and can be disqualified if found to have ued illegal substances.
To see the entire article, go to http://www.examiner.com/x-5936-Animal-AdvocacyExaminer~y2010m3d7-Iditarod-2010-A-brutal-annual-event-of-animal-abuse-againstdogs-begins-in-Alaska.
On average, dogs in the Iditarod run at least 100 miles each day with very brief rests,
and only half the dogs who begin the race ever make it to the finish line. This nothing
like recreational mushing, and no genetic make-up would cause a dog to willingly
undergo these conditions.
On-line campaigns hope that the race's sponsors will quit supporting this competition.
Anderson reports that when the World Wildlife Fund announced it would sponsor the
2008 Iditarod supposedly to show us the effects of climate change, the opposition was
so great that the organization withdrew its support. One organization fighting to end the
Iditarod is the Sled Dog Action Coalition (see http://www.helpsleddogs.org and
http.//www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1376127). Here is the Coalition's appeal:
Please help end the horrific treatment of dogs by sending protest emails to
organizations that support the Iditarod. Six dogs died in the 2009 race, including two
dogs on Dr. Lou Packer's team who froze to death in the brutally cold winds. Iditarod
dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and routinely kill
unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the
Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason, are killed with a shot to the head,
dragged, drowned or clubbed to death.
Most Internet service providers allow people to send up to 40 email addresses at a time.
For your convenience, the addresses have been divided into groups of 40. Please email
the first group first. Individual email addresses are given under the sample letter. The
groups contain addresses for the 2010 Iditarod sponsors, promoters, and musher
sponsors. Email blocks with semicolons and commas to simplify sending your message
to all the sponsors can be found at: http://www.helpsleddogsorg/sponsors.htm.
SAMPLE LETTER (Please personalize)
Dear Iditarod Supporter:
For the dogs, the Iditarod dog sled race is a bottomless pit of suffering. Please end your organization's
support of this event. Six dogs died in the 2009 Iditarod, including two dogs on Dr. Lou Packer's team
who froze to death in the brutally cold winds. What happens to the dogs during the Iditarod includes
death, paralysis, frostbite (where it hurts the most!), bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage,
pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons and sprains. For
more facts, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website, http://www.helpsleddogs.org .
During training runs, Iditarod dogs have been killed by moose, snowmachines, and various motor
vehicles, including a semi tractor and an ATV. They have died from drowning, heart attacks and being
strangled in harnesses. Dogs have also been injured while training. They have been gashed, quilled by
porcupines, bitten in dog fights, and had broken bones, and torn muscles and tendons. Most dog deaths
and injuries during training aren't even reported.
Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses reported that musher
Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a ski pole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book
Speed Mushing Manual, "Nagging a dog team is cruel and ineffective...A training device such as a whip is
not cruel at all but is effective." He also said, "It is a common training device in use among dog
mushers..."
Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and routinely kill unwanted
ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted
for any reason, including those who have outlived their usefulness, are killed with a shot to the head,
dragged, drowned or clubbed to death. "Dogs are clubbed with baseball bats and if they don't pull are
dragged to death in harnesses....." wrote former Iditarod dog handler Mike Cranford in an article for
Alaska's Bush Blade Newspaper.
Jon Saraceno wrote in his March 3, 2000 column in USA Today, "He [Colonel Tom Classen] confirmed
dog beatings and far worse. Like starving dogs to maintain their most advantageous racing weight.
Skinning them to make mittens. Or dragging them to their death."
During the race, veterinarians do not give the dogs physical exams at every checkpoint. Mushers speed
through many checkpoints, so the dogs get the briefest visual checks, if that. Instead of pulling sick dogs
from the race, veterinarians frequently give them massive doses of antibiotics to keep them running.
Please end your organization's association with this horrific race.
Sincerely,
Name/Country
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-- Support Continued Ban on Ivory Trade -The worldwide United Nations ban on ivory trading could soon be lifted -- a decision that
could wipe out Africa's vulnerable elephants. But a number of African nations are
pushing to uphold the ban. Avaaz.org is a new global web movement with a simple
democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most
people everywhere want. Avaaz means “voice” in many Asian, Middle Eastern, and
Eastern European languages. This organization is a leader in the effort to save
elephants and keep the ivory trade banned.
Tanzania and Zambia are lobbying the United Nations for special exemptions from the
ban on killing endangered elephants for ivory, but this would send a clear signal to the
ivory crime syndicates that international protection is weakening and it's open-season
on elephants. Another group of African states have countered by calling to extend the
trade ban for 20 years. African conservationists need the international community's
support.
To join the over 400,000 people who have already signed a petition to extend the ban
and protect elephants, go to
http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/?cl=508896890&v=5597
The United Nations Endangered Species body will meet within the next 2 or 3 days so
don't delay in signing the petition. The petition will be delivered to this group in Doha.
So time is of the essence!
For more information, go to:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/?vl
Partners at Bloody Ivory and Born Free:
http://www.bloodyivory.org/
http://www.bornfree.org.uk/
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-- Virginia Passes Anti-Cruelty Bill -The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®)
applauded the recent passage of HB 281 by the Virginia State Legislature. The bill,
which passed the House of Delegates by a 93-2 vote and the Senate unanimously,
increases the penalties for repeated acts of animal cruelty with regard to the care of
animals by their owners and for increasing the penalty for failure to sterilize dogs and
cats adopted from shelters. The bill will now go to Virginia Governor Robert F.
McDonnell to be signed into law. To read the entire press release from ASPCA go to
http://www.aspca.org/pressroom/press-releases/030110.html.
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-- Another Step in the Right Direction -This past week Governor Chet Culver and the Iowa state legislature enacted a bill that
will expand the oversight of commercial breeders, sometimes called mass-scale
breeders, or puppy mills. This new bill gives state officials the authority to inspect all
mass-scale puppy breeders that are federally licensed by the USDA when any
complaint is made. Until now, state officials were only allowed to inspect the massscale breeders that sold puppies directly to wholesale pet stores. However, this bill will
allow inspection of facilities that sell directly to the public, via the Internet or classified
ads. Iowa was one of the last two states left to adopt this type of a bill, will Kansas pick
up the torch and run???
Read more about bill here
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2010/03/iowa_puppy_mill_bill_sign
ed_030910.html
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– Million Dollar Rescuing Racers Initiative -On March 2, the ASPCA announced the Million Dollar Rescuing Racers Initiative—a
major initiative made possible by a generous donor—that will aid in the rescue of retired
racehorses from neglect, abuse, and slaughter. Six equine rescues and sanctuaries
across the country were selected to take up the challenge of saving more
thoroughbreds than ever before. One of the six grant recipients is MidAdlantic Horse
Rescue in Chesapeake City, Maryland.
For more information on the ASPCA's equine programs, please visit
http://www.aspcapro.org/saving-lives/equine-program.
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-- Diagnosis: “Excessive Woofing Disorder”!! -The Natural News reports that big pharmaceutical giants still targeting pet market for
new sales. Approval has now been given for the marketing of a Selective Serotonin ReUptake Inhibitor (SSRI) pill specifically for dogs. The staggering increase in the number
of people taking SSRIs for conditions like sadness, shyness or anger is making people
question the wisdom of suppressing human feelings with chemicals. Now drugs are
being proposed for dogs with canine compulsive disorder and separation anxiety. If
medicating pets goes down the same road as medicating humans, the writer worries
“we should prepare ourselves to hear about conditions such as EWD (Excessive
Woofing Disorder), QMD (Quiet Miawing Disorder) and maybe even FES (Fussy Eating
Syndrome).” Read the entire March 8 article by Marek Doyle, citizen journalist,
at:http://www.naturalnews.com/028316_dogs_Big_Pharma.html
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-- Genesis Awards 2010 -ONE LAST THING! Don't miss the 24th annual Genesis Awards on March 20!
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