Below is a recent article by John Yates of the American Sporting Dog Alliance. They have been working hard to defend sportsmen and pet owners a like from the same horrible types of laws that was recently password in Louisville. Please take a moment to read through the article below and learn how the HSUS tricks lawmakers into writing really bad laws.

HSUS Lies To Congress, Public About New `PUPS' Legislation Would Call Out Feds On Many Non-Breeding Kennels
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance

WASHINGTON, DC – The Humane Society of the United States is pushing new federal legislation that the radical animal rights
group claims is aimed at stopping large dog breeding kennels that skirt the law. According to HSUS, the legislation targets
only kennels that sell more than 50 puppies a year. The bill's sponsors, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Sam Farr
(D-CA), repeat those claims. They are lying through their teeth, an American Sporting Dog Alliance analysis of the actual
legislation shows. In fact, the  legislation targets almost every boarding, day care, training and handling kennel in America,
along with many hunt clubs and hunting plantations. It also impacts many serious hobbyists, who have a lot of dogs even though they only raise a couple of litters of puppies a year, our analysis shows Rep. Farr is the prime sponsor of H.R. 6949,
and Sen. Durbin is the sponsor of its companion bill in the Senate, S. 3519. The formal name of this legislation is the "Puppy
Uniform Protection Statute," or "PUPS." It also has been nicknamed "Baby's Bill," after a rescued dog from a commercial
kennel that is touring the country with its owner, Chicagoan Jana Kohl. Kohl is on an HSUS-sponsored campaign against
"puppy mills," and has visited several states. Her recent book includes a photo of presidential candidate Barrack Obama, and
his reported commitment to clamp down on "puppy mills." The legislation is an amendment to the federal Animal Welfare Act, which requires federal licensure of commercial kennels (called "dealers") who sell puppies wholesale to brokers or pet
stores. This law does not regulate people who sell dogs and puppies directly to the consumer.

HSUS calls this a "loophole," and has been pushing for many years to include kennels that sell directly to the buyer. Previous
attempts, such as the Pet Animal Welfare Act and Sen. Durbin's attempted amendment to the 2008 Farm Bill, have failed.
The PUPS legislation is the latest attempt by HSUS.

Here is how HSUS describes the legislation: "The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund
commend federal lawmakers for introducing bills that will crack down on abusive "puppy mills" in the United States — where
breeding dogs are often stacked in wire cages for years to produce litter after litter. The legislation will close a loophole in
the Animal Welfare Act that currently allows large, commercial breeders who sell puppies online and directly to the public to
escape licensing and regulation."

Here is the HSUS description of who will be affected: "All dog breeders who sell more than 50 puppies per year directly to the
public will be federally licensed and inspected…The bill will not affect small breeders and hobby breeders who sell fewer
than 50 dogs per year directly to the public, but is crafted to cover only the largest commercial breeding facilities."

Press releases by Sen. Durbin, Rep. Farr and other members of Congress echo those claims.

Here is what the legislation actually says, in sections defining a dealer and who is exempt from licensure as a dealer.

A person or kennel owner who "does not breed or raise more than 50 dogs for use as pets during any one-year period" and
who sells dogs or puppies "directly to the public for use as a pet" is exempt from licensure and regulation as a dealer. Any
dog is defined by the Act as a pet, regardless of its use or purpose. Thus, a person who meets that definition does not
require a federal license.

The words "breed or raise" are an obvious and deliberate attempt to snare many kennel and dog owners in federal
regulations, including many kennels that do not breed at all. The language is very ambiguous and could be interpreted to
include virtually anyone who has a lot of dogs.

The term "raise" is not defined in the legislation, but is generally interpreted to mean a person who keeps, cares for, houses
or owns a dog or dogs.

Most professional trainers and handlers of field trial, show, obedience or performance dogs would have more than 50 dogs in
their kennels over the course of a year. In fact, many trainers and handlers who employ helpers would have more than 50
dogs at any given time, and most do not breed at all.

A boarding kennel, dog daycare service, hound hunt club, hunting plantation or circus could be included under a definition
that they "raise" more than 50 dogs per year. Even many private field trialers and show dog people would have more than
50 dogs a year in their kennels, as they often keep most of the puppies they produce to evaluate. For field trial dogs, for
example, it often takes two or three years of working with a young dog to determine if it is worthy to use for competition or
breeding.

A favorite tactic of HSUS is to deliberately use ambiguity in model legislation in order to entrap as many kennels and dogs in
the law as possible, going far beyond the stated purpose. If HSUS and its elected cronies had wanted to be honest, the
legislation simply would say that it excludes anyone who sells fewer than 50 puppies a year.

It is obvious that truth is not their highest priority. The HSUS propaganda mill for this legislation continues to attack
people who use the Internet to sell dogs or puppies. It attempts to link Internet sales with sick puppies and shoddy "puppy
mills." In fact, almost all of America's finest kennels in every breed have a presence on the Internet. Most have websites,
and many run online advertisements to sell individual dogs and litters of puppies. If anything, a good case could be made
that it is almost impossible to buy a high quality puppy from a kennel that does not make use of the Internet. The Internet
simply is a reality of modern life, and a reported 80-percent of American households use it. This smear campaign is simply
another attempt by HSUS to tar dog breeders with the broadest possible brush. At best, it shows complete ignorance of the
real world of dogs. At worst, it shows a vicious attempt to defame honest and conscientious people who raise dogs.

HSUS is not an animal welfare organization. It has nothing to do with local humane societies. Instead, it is a political action
and lobbying arm of the radical animal rights movement that continually pushes for tighter restrictions on animal ownership,
with each piece of legislation making a step toward its ultimate goal, which is the total elimination of animal ownership in
America.

Another section of the legislation requires all dogs kept in federally licensed kennels an hour of exercise a day, divided into
at least two separate periods. Dogs would be removed from their primary enclosures and allowed to walk for these exercise
periods. The final section of the legislation specifically allows states to adopt more stringent standards. While a member of
the California Assembly, Farr also authored legislation to severely regulate dog breeding. Co-sponsors of PUPS in the Senate
are Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA], Sen. Claire McCaskill [D-MO], and Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR]. House co-sponsors are Reps.
Judy Biggert (IL), Lois Capps (CA), Terry Everett (AL), Barney Frank (MA), Elton Gallegly (CA), Jim Gerlach (PA),
Patrick Kennedy (RI), Mark Steven Kirk (IL), Daniel Lipinski (IL), Betty McCollum (MN), Thaddeus McCotter (MI), James
McGovern (MA), Dennis Moore (KS), James Moran (VA), Patrick J. Murphy (PA), Jerrold Nadler (NY) and Janice Schakowsky
(IL).

The American Sporting Dog Alliance is urging all dog and kennel owners to immediately contact their congressman and
senator and ask them to vigorously oppose this legislation.

Here is a link for contact information for senators:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Here is a link to contact information for the House of Representatives:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are
used for hunting. We welcome people who work with other breeds, too, as legislative issues affect all of us. We are a
grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between
dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life. The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs
your help so that we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership, participation and support
are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded solely by the donations of our members, and maintain strict independence.

Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org Our email is asda@csonline.net. Complete
directions to join by mail or online are found at the bottom left of each page.